IPL 2018: KXIP owner Preity Zinta overjoyed in win
Page
www.sunvillasamachar.com
Sonam Kapoor Trolled By Twitter's...
Page
RNI No.: GUJENG/2014/59629
Email: ssdaily2013@gmail.com
2
3
ENGLISH DAILY MORNING REPUTED NEWS PAPER, AHMEDABAD EDITION Editor : Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
Short News
Mehbooba visits injured officer in Delhi hospital
Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today paid a visit to a police officer, who was injured in clashes with protesters last week, at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, an official said. Inspector Manzoor Ahmad, the station house officer (SHO) of Nigeen police station, was badly injured in a stone-pelting incident here last Friday. He was subsequently airlifted to New Delhi for specialised treatment. The chief minister enquired about the SHO's condition from the doctors and wished him a speedy recovery, an official spokesperson said. She also called on former minister and senior PDP leader Qazi Muhammad Afzal, who is recuperating from illness, the spokesperson added. Mufti was in the national capital today where she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and apprised him of the overall situation in the state, stressing on the need to end the cycle of violence by addressing alienation among the youth.
Year : 04
Issue : 104
Pages: 04
Price : Rs. 1/-
Annual Subscription : 300/-
27 feared dead as school bus falls into gorge in Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh: More than 20 school children were killed after a private bus skidded off the road and rolled down deep into a gorge in Nurpur area of Kangra district on Monday Dharamsala : At least 30 persons, including 27 students, were killed as a school bus owned by a private school, Wazir Ram Singh Pathania, fell into a deep gorge near Malkwal area of Nurpur constituency in Himachal Pradesh on Monday. Himachal Pradesh transport minister Govind Singh Thakur confirmed to agency that the dead included 27 students. The bus driver, 67-year-old Madan Lal, and two women teachers also died in the accident, Kangra SP Santosh Patial said. The 42-seater bus was on its way to drop students to their homes when it plunged off the mountain road and into the gorge. Authorities said the total number of students in the bus was not confirmed as rescue operations were still under way. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the family of the persons killed in the accident. Earlier, SDM Nurpur Abid Hussain said 20 bodies had been recovered with the help of local volunteers and police. “It was expected that more bodies would be recovered; those injured were sent to nearby hospitals,” he said.
The Himachal Pradesh government has ordered a team of doctors to remain on standby. “A team of 50 doctors was standing on emergency doors, including pediatricians, doctors from
Orthopaedics and ENT,” principal of Dr. RPGMC Tanda at Kangra said. SP Santosh Patial said the number of students in the bus was expected to be around 40, but "the exact number
was not confirmed". Most of those killed were students of elementary classes, aged below ten. “I am on the spot. My first priority was to save the lives. Getting the details of fitness of the bus and all other reasons for the accident will follow,” he said. District commissioner Sandeep Kumar said they would be giving financial and other kind of assistance to all the affected families. “We are on the job. Every kind of assistance will be provided to the affected families,” he said.
river has been the bone of contention between the two states for decades. The contest for Cauvery between what is modern day Tamil Nadu and Karnataka can be traced back to the 11th century AD. It is believed that Chikkadeva Wodeyar of Mysore attempted to stop the flow of Cauvery into Tamil regions to settle
scores with Chokkanath Naik of Madurai kingdom. But the modern day trouble over Cauvery’s water goes back to 1807 when the Mysore state initiated development projects on the river and the Madras government disapproved of the same. This initial bit of squabble between the two governments resulted in the agreement of 1892.
New Delhi : The board of ICICI Bank Ltd, which earlier expressed full faith in Chanda Kochhar, is reportedly divided over whether to ask her to step down as Chief Executive Officer. According to Hindustan Times (HT), at least few outside directors are against Kochhar continuing her role, as federal authorities investigate her, her husband's (Deepak Kochhar) and brotherin-law's (Rajiv Kochhar) alleged involvement over loans made to Videocon group. The board may convene this week to
consider its next move. Kochhar’s current tenure as CEO is set to end on March 31, 2019. According to a March 28 filing, CICI Bank board reviewed the bank's internal processes for credit approval and found them robust. The 12 member board headed by chairman M. K. Sharma expressed "full faith" and "confidence" in Kochhar and said there was “no question” of any quid pro quo, nepotism or conflict of interest. ICICI shares were down 0.86 per cent at 10:41 am on Monday, on track for its biggest fall in a week, after earlier declining as much as 2.2 per cent. ICICI stood as the worst performer among private-sector peers on the 10-member gauge since May 2009 and has a badloan ratio, highest among its peers, HT reported.
representatives of different communities informed the district administration in Bhilwara that they did not support the bandh call for April 10. Members of different groups such as Karni Sena, Jat Mahasabha, Jat Samaj Sewa Sansthan and Akhil Bharatiya Gurjar Mahasabha met district
officials and conveyed their stand on the issue. On April 2, several Dalit groups had enforced a Bharat Bandh in many states to protest against the Supreme Court order on the Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Violence erupted in many parts of the
country as Dalit protesters blocked trains, clashed with police and set fire to vehicles during a nationwide bandh against the Supreme Court order on SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. On March 20, the Supreme Court had diluted the provisions of the Act and had said that government servants should not be arrested without prior sanction and private citizens, too, should be arrested only after an inquiry under the law. Transport, mobile and internet services were hit in many states with over 100 trains getting affected due to protests, even as the Centre moved the SC seeking review of its judgement.
reporters. BJP’s Dalit MPs say prime minister Modi is “casteist”, he said. The Congress president sat for several hours at Rajghat and was joined by senior leaders, including Kamal Nath, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sheila Dikshit, Ashok Gehlot, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken and the party’s communications incharge Randeep Surjewala. The 1984 anti-Sikh riots cast a shadow over the
‘Sadhbhawna Upwas’ (fast for harmony) with Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler, listed as accused for their alleged role in the riots, being asked to stay away from the stage where Gandhi and the other leaders were sitting. While Kumar left the venue soon thereafter, Tytler sat in the audience along with party workers. The Congress also said the fast for harmony is also against the communal politics of the BJP and nonfunctioning of Parliament, where the Congress wanted to debate issues of national importance such as the PNB bank scam, CBSE paper leak, alleged dilution of SC/ST Act, special status to Andhra Pradesh and setting up of the Cauvery water management board.
New Delhi : For the first time in the history of Commonwealth Games, India’s badminton squad bagged the elusive gold medal in the mixed team category after beating Malaysia 3-1 on Monday. Standout efforts from Kidambi Srikanth, the mixed pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa, and Saina Nehwal helped India win the yellow metal. It was Ashwini Ponnappa-Satwik Rankireddy who set the tone with a 21-14, 15-21, 21-15 win. Srikanth was up next but he too waved off Lee Chong Wei’s challenge after which Saina Nehwal beat Soniia Cheah in a tense three-setter. Adding to the jubilation, earlier in the day, India’s men’s table tennis team overcame a
stiff challenge to deliver the gold after overpowering Nigeria by a margin of 3-0. Achanta Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnannasekaran were the stars of the show. At the end of day 5, With 10 golds, four silvers and five bronze India (19) are third on the table, only behind England (63) and Australia (106). There was also reward for veteran Jitu Rai as he won the gold and set a CWG record ( 235.1 ) in 10m air pistol final. Compatriot Om Mitharval had to settle for a bronze. Later, Mehuli Ghosh and Apurvi Chandela added to India’s medal tally with a silver and bronze respectively in the 10m Air Rifle. At one point Ghosh seemed on course to bag the gold but lost to Singapore’s Martina Lindsay in the shoot-off.
which a charge-sheet was filed and three were sent to jail. Also, in her statement recorded under 161 and 164 CrPC and there was no mention of any such incident. On February 12, the girl went to court under 156 (3) CrPC to register the case, however the matter is still in court and the next hearing is scheduled for April 12. Earlier, denying all the allegations the MLA said, “Since last two day the conspirators have been
trying to make this incident successful and today these reached the chief minister residence and tried to give a shape to the incident. I request the administration that the mobile numbers of these people should be taken out and there should be an investigation into who are a part of this conspiracy and who are criminals. Whoever is at fault should be punished,” He added that the people who are making allegations against them have criminal background and are doing all this just because I helped those innocent youth who were made accused in the case registered by them.
CWG 2018: India’s gold rush continues as badminton, table tennis teams script historic wins
ICICI board divided over retaining Chanda Kochhar as CEO
Bharat Bandh on April 10: Home Ministry issues advisory, asks states to tighten security New Delhi : The Union Home Ministry on Monday issued an advisory to all the states asking them to beef up security and take necessary precautionary measures in view of calls for Bharat Bandh by some groups on April 10. The development comes following the circulation of several posts and messages on social media and WhatsApp groups about another Bharat Bandh on April 10. Some groups called for Bharat Bandh protesting against reservation system while some other groups will be protesting against the violence that erupted during the Bharat Bandh called by Dalit groups on April 2. Meanwhile in Rajasthan,
Mo : 98250 98053
Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi, calls him anti-Dalit; it’s not ‘upwaas’ but ‘uphaas, says BJP
New Delhi : Spearheading Congress’ one-day nationwide fast, party chief Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being “casteist” and “anti-Dalit”. He added that his party will always stand against the BJP’s “oppressive” ideology. Speaking to media at Rajghat, where the Congress leaders are holding fast against alleged communalism and nonfunctioning of Parliament, Gandhi said his party will defeat the BJP-led NDA in the 2019 general election. “The entire country knows that PM Modi is anti-Dalit, it is not a secret…The BJP follows ideology of oppressing Dalits, tribals, minorities. We will stand against and defeat it in 2019 general polls,” Gandhi told
Cauvery dispute: Two agreements under British rule and all that followed
New Delhi : Cauvery, the ‘Dakshina Ganga’ or the Ganges of the south, and the fourth largest river of southern India has been the economic backbone of the states through which it flows, making its impact felt most strongly in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In these two states, the river is almost the Mother Goddess, entwined with the identity of the people there. It is celebrated in music and literature and sung praises of in prayer and legends. Yet this same holy
April 10, 2018, Tuesday
Father of UP woman, who accused BJP MLA of sexual assault, dies in judicial custody; five policemen suspended
While the family members of the girl are accusing the MLA of orchestrating what they are calling to be a “murder”, no FIR has been registered against the MLA so far as the police is yet waiting for the postmortem report of the father.
Lucknow : A day after a 17-year-old woman tried to set herself on fire near Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath residence, alleging police inaction against Bangarmau BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, whom she accused of sexual assault, the father of the victim died on Monday in judicial custody under mysterious circumstances. The girl’s father, who was arrested in a case registered against him on April 3 – for voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace and the sections of
arms Act – was taken to the Unnao district hospital on Sunday night after he complained of abdominal pain and vomiting. While the family members of the girl are accusing the MLA of orchestrating what they are calling to be a “murder”, no FIR has been registered against the MLA so far as the police is yet waiting for the postmortem report of the father. Meanwhile, four people have been arrested on Monday in a cross FIR that was registered by the girl’s family on April 4 in answer to the April 3 FIR against the
father. The four arrested have been identified as Vineet, Bauwa, Shailu and Sonu, who all are reported to be the MLA’s supporter. The station officer and four constables of the Makhi police station were suspended on Monday for being biased during the investigation in the case. The whole case has now been transferred to the Lucknow crime branch. On Sunday, the girl and seven of her family members including her mother and maternal grandmother were stopped by the police near the CM residence where they were
planning to attempt suicide, and were later brought to the Gautam palli police station. Later in the day, the girl told the media that in June last year she was taken to MLA’s residence where he sexually assaulted her and her family was later threatened. He said that she is since then going here and there but police isn’t taking any action. “He should be arrested and until he is not I am not going back home…. I will give my life otherwise….I was threatened that if I would tell anyone anywhere then my family members would
be killed and thrown away. They beat my father on April 3,” the girl told the mediaperson. The whole matter had started last year when two youth of the village had allegedly kidnapped the girl for marriage and a case was registered on June 20. After the girl was recovered 3-4 days later, based on her statement in which she alleged that she was raped by those two and one of their accomplices, all three – Shubham Singh, Naresh Tiwari and Brijesh Yadav were arrested under sections 376 D (gang-rape)
of IPC and section 3/4of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Later, as per the Unnao police officials, suspecting that the MLA is helping these youth and their families against them, the family of the girl then started alleging that earlier on June 4 Shubham’s mother took her to the MLA’s residence promising her to help her with a job, where the MLA sexually assaulted the girl. While no case was registered in that matter as there already was a case registered earlier in
2 / Dt. 10/04/2018, Tuesday, Ahmedabad Edition Editors’ Picks tuesday, 10 april, 2018
Would Chandrababu Naidu have quit NDA had there been no GST?
Hot on the heels of the news that the Fifteenth Finance Commission may use the 2011—rather than 1971—census as the basis for a division of spoils between the centre and states, various southern political leaders from different parties have expressed their dissatisfaction with the current federal compact. To be sure, the move to use the 2011 census would significantly disadvantage the richer and less populous southern states at the expense of the poorer and more populous northern states. There is palpable anxiety among the southern states over their share of tax revenue allocated by the centre going forward. Indeed, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, went so far as to withdraw his Telugu Desam Party from the ruling alliance over the issue of allocation of extra funds for the development of his newly formed state. India also recently adopted the “one nation, one tax” — goods and services tax (GST)—regime. Recall, states in India, even before the GST, had no real powers of direct taxation to levy local income taxes on their residents. Now, with the GST, states have also lost their powers of levying local indirect taxes, essentially leaving them entirely dependent for all tax revenue on a transfer formula from the centre. With a system of taxation already heavily centralized, the GST has eliminated any possibility of any genuine state-specific taxation, to pursue development or other needs deemed appropriate by state leaders as opposed to those mandated by the centre. This extreme fiscal centralization makes India unique amongst major federal democracies in the world. Amid such renewed tensions over fiscal federalism, an interesting question to ponder is: Had there been no GST regime, would these tensions have surfaced to the extent that they have now? Could Naidu possibly have resorted to other sources of revenue through state-specific taxes and not taken the extreme step of severing ties with the ruling dispensation over allocation of funds? How much of the recent tension between the more developed states and the centre is fuelled, in part, consciously or subconsciously, by the fact that states in India no longer have any direct fiscal powers? Let us recall the context for this political tussle: that of large and widening inter-state inequality. Our earlier work, published in this newspaper and elsewhere, documents the skyrocketing trends in divergence of income per person as well as human development indicators between rich and poor states, which, we have argued, puts strain on the bonds of the Union. The life experiences of the average Tamilian and the average Bihari are as starkly different as comparing middle- income Asia with sub-Saharan Africa. In our work, we explicitly sound the clarion call for a “new idea” of India which takes federalism seriously. Taking a cue from this churning contestation of a new India, some have been calling for a renewed fiscal federalism, and even a fullfledged decentralization of public finance, a call that we applaud. The stark question that arises is this: Can one argue strongly for decentralization while also simultaneously supporting India’s GST regime? The answer is: No. Comparative political economy helps to make the point. For example, in Canada, where the GST is considered exemplary by many, GST was levied separately from provincial sales tax for many years until a hard-won compromise on revenue sharing allowed the two taxes to be harmonized. What is more, provinces levy income tax in addition to federal income tax, giving them considerable revenue capabilities. Likewise, municipalities levy property taxes to raise revenue, thus allowing a two-level decentralization from centre to - Kapilkumar M. Hirpara province.
Editor
Bollywood-Hollywood The Truth About Baahubali's Prabhas And Chiranjeevi's Niece Niharika's Wedding
Mumbai : Baahubali actor Prabhas is not getting married to Chiranjeevi's niece Niharika Konidela, the Khaidi No 150 actor said in a statement, reports Zoom. After reports of Prabhas and Niharika's impending wedding circulated on the Internet, Chiranjeevi released a statement, in which he said that Niharika's family wants her to concentrate on her career for now and that her wedding is not on the family's priority list. Niharika Konidela is the daughter of Nagendra Babu, Chiranjeevi's brother. Niharika made her Telugu film debut in 2016's Oka Manasu and her upcoming films are Happy Wedding (Telugu) and Oru Nalla Naal Paathu
Prabhas' family is looking for a suitable match for the actor
Is Ranbir Kapoor playing Sanjay Dutt's son in YRF's next?
Mumbai : The Agneepath director Karan Malhotra is teaming up with Yash Raj Films for his next movie and according to a report in Bollywood Hungama, Karan has decided to cast Sanjay Dutt, Ranbir Kapoor and Vani Kapoor. Yes! Ranbir Kapoor, who is playing Sanjay Dutt in Sanjay's biopic, will soon be his co-star in another film. This untitled film is a part of a three-film deal that Karan Malhotra has signed with Yash Raj Films. Karan Malhotra had earlier worked with Dharma Productions. His last directorial venture was Brothers (2015) which was a remake of the Hollywood film Warrior. The
Top producer's son forced me to have sex in the studio
Mumbai : Telugu actress Sri Reddy made the nation sit up and take notice when she stripped outside the Telegu Film Chamber of Commerce as a mark of protest. Sri was protesting against the casting couch in Tollywood and demanding that more roles be given to native Telugu actresses. However, her brazen act did not go down too well with the Movie Artistes Association (MAA), who banned her and threatened to suspend any member who worked with her. In an exclusive interview with IndiaToday.in, Sri got candid about her topless protest, the sexual exploitation of Tollywood actresses and the road ahead for her. "I am a victim. One of the producers' sons used me in the studio. Studio belongs to the government; they have assigned the property to the guy. Why is the government giving studios?" Sri questioned. She said she will reveal the name, but in time. "I will provide photos also. That is my Brahmastra," she said. Elaborating about the
Telugu actress Sri Reddy
incident of the top producer's son sexually exploiting her, Sri said, "He used to take me to the studio and he used to f**k me. He is the son of a top producer who is ruling the Telugu film industry. He
Sunvilla Samachar (English Daily)
used to force sex (on me). He would ask me to come to the studio and I said I will go only to talk, not for any sexual act. But after going there, he used to force (me to have) sex."
film starred Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra. The director was supposed to commence his work on the much talked about film Shuddhi which never really took off but now, he is all set to work with a new cast. The untitled film has many firsts like Karan teaming up with Ranbir Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Vani Kapoor for the first time, also Ranbir and Vani are going to be a new pair on screen. What's more interesting is that Ranbir and Sanjay will be sharing a screen after the former playing the latter in Sanjay Dutt's biopic directed by Rajkumar Hirani.
Sonam Kapoor Trolled By Twitter's Mathematicians For Answer To This Puzzle
Mumbai : If there's one thing people love on the Internet, it's puzzles. One random post or WhatsApp forward about a question based on reasoning or logic, or a picture showing a mathematical problem and most people on social media will try to solve it. The more answers the puzzle gets, the more people either want to either debunk it or explain how that answer was achieved. Sometimes, things even get ugly as people turn on one another and get mean trying to prove their conclusion is the best. That's basically what happened after Filmfare magazine editor Jitesh Pillaai posted a puzzle and actor Sonam Kapoor shared what she thought was the correct answer. About two hours before writing this, Mr Pillaai posted this puzzle. It simply asks people to calculate the number of triangles in the picture and share the answer. The puzzle seems interesting, right? Well, just like everyone trying to find the right answer, the Neerja actor also tweeted what she thought was the answer. Turns out, Twitter couldn't handle the wrong answer given by the actor. She was immediately trolled by Twitter's mathematicians. (Because, OMG, how dare a celebrity do something to prove they're - gasp - human.
Baaghi 2 Box Office: Tiger Shroff-Starrer Collects 135 Crore In 10 Days
Mumbai : Sajid Nadiadwala's action entertainer Baaghi 2 Baaghi 2 had an excellent holdover second weekend at the Box Office. Tiger Shroff's high octane action and stunts continued to power the box office by collecting 22.5 cr (Fri - 5.70cr, Sat -9.30cr, Sun -9.50cr) taking the total box office collection to 135.35 cr nett. Despite the biggest cricket tournament IPL 2018 flagging off on April 7 with big matches & new film releases, Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani starrer dominated the box office. The film is now set to touch the magic figure
Solren (Tamil debut). She has also starred in several web-series. Niharika's brother Varun Tej is also an actor. Everyone knows that Prabhas' family is also looking for a suitable match for him. Earlier this year, Prabhas' uncle had said that Prabhas may get married by the end of 2018. Though, he added that they are still looking for Prabhas' bride-to-be. It was earlier reported that Prabhas is dating (and may get married to) his Baahubali co-star Anushka Shetty but both actors denied the reports. Prabhas said that he's known Anushka for more than nine years as they are family friends and that they had decided long ago that they'll 'never let dating rumours about them do the rounds.' Prabhas, who has once received 6,000 marriage proposals (he rejected all due to work commitments), is currently filming Saaho, which is being made in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi simultaneously. The film also stars Shraddha Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Mandira Bedi.
of 150 cr by the end of the second week. Ever since its release, Baaghi 2 have been setting records by becoming the highest opener of 2018 followed by the highest Good Friday opener ever. With Baaghi 2, Tiger Shroff also emerges as the youngest Bollywood actor to clock the fastest century. Tiger Shroff has taken the action a notch higher than what we had seen in the prequel. The actor is donning a never seen before avatar in the film which is certainly the best part about Baaghi 2. The film also brings to celluloid Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani for the very first time.
Kareena Kapoor shows how to cover up in style at the beach or a pool party in summer
Mumbai : Summer is code for a lot of things: Sunny weather, afternoon cocktails, and, of course, pool parties and beach vacations. As for the latter two, we’ve got you covered in the what-to-wear department. The most important things to remember? It’s all about keeping your outfit light and your accessories even lighter. To inspire your pool-party panache is actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, who made a bold, breezy statement with a light, albeit bright, House of Masaba ensemble. On Friday, the 3 Idiots star covered up her ochre-hued oversized slip dress with a half-sleeved benchbed print cape jacket, while soaking up the son with son Taimur Ali Khan at friend Amrita Arora’s Mumbai residence. To keep the free-spirited vibe consistent, she paired the silk ensemble, featuring royal blue motifs, with equally offbeat accents, like round tinted sunglasses and beaded slip-ons. Get inspired by Kareena’s leggy sun-kissed look and try the free-spirited way to strut out to the pool: Add some luxe vibes to your one-piece by throwing on a matching kimono and belting it at the waist. You can buy Kareena’s ensemble for Rs 9,999. Ah, the versatile cover-up — a must-have summertime staple: Who says capes or robes or kimon-style cover-ups are just for the beach? Not us — or Kareena or Alia Bhatt, for that matter.
3 / Dt. 10/04/2018, Tuesday, Ahmedabad Edition
Sunvilla Samachar (English Daily)
Jitu Rai's 10m air pistol gold could IPL 2018: KXIP owner Preity Zinta overjoyed in win rekindle Olympic ambitions after confidence-hit at Rio
GNS Ag / New Delhi: When it got to the business end of the event, India’s ace shooter Jitu Rai played a steady hand to secure India’s second gold in the sport. Having finished fourth in the qualifying of the 10m air pistol event, the 30-year-old rose to the occasion in the final, leading from start to finish and clinching victory with a Commonwealth Games record of 235.1. It was Rai’s first gold in the 10m air pistol at a multi-sport event. He had won the 50m air pistol gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and will be itching to defend that title in a couple of days. While veteran Rai was expected to strike gold, fellow Indian Om Prakash Mitharval gave the country another reason to celebrate as he returned with bronze. The 22-year-old, who idolises Rai, had equalled the Games record in qualifying: shooting 584 points to level with India’s Samaresh
Jung (2006 Melbourne Games). Mitharval had been in silver medal position after 20 shots, but an 8.4 on the next shot saw him drop down and eventually finish with a tally of 214.3. Australia’s Kerry Bell, with a score of 233.5, took the silver medal. “My belief was unflinching,” the Rai told the media later. “Two-three low scores pulled me down but then my belief helped me. That makes me really happy. So, I was confident of covering it in the finals and I never back off. I am reaping the rewards of all the hard word work I have put in during training.” The glitter of gold at the Commonwealth Games will do little to gloss over Rai’s disappointment at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The shy army man had started out as India’s best medal hope on the back of some stunning international performances, but finished eighth in 10m air pistol and 12th in 50m air pistol. But the gold at Gold Coast might well serve as a restart to his Olympic ambitions. After all, Rai is no stranger to new beginnings. Born in Sankhuwasabha district in Nepal, “in the middle of a forest,” as he once described it, Rai joined the Indian Army in 2006 as a teenager, to help his family meet ends. Now a Naib Subedar in the 11th Gorkha Rifles, Rai, by his own admission wasn’t too keen on the sport to begin with. “In 2007 I joined the Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. Actually I was not too interested in shooting,” Rai had said in an interview with Olympic Gold Quest, his benefactors.
Business China directs India to Hong Kong government in Nirav Modi case
Mumbai: China said on Monday the Hong Kong government was equipped to deal with the arrest and extradition of fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi under relevant laws, indicating it was unlikely to directly interfere with the legal process. Hong Kong, one of the “special administrative regions” (SARs) of China, is where high-profile diamond merchant Modi is said to be hiding following accusations that he defrauded staterun Punjab National Bank (PNB) of around $2 billion. India has submitted a request to the Hong Kong government’s department of justice for Modi’s provisional arrest. China’s foreign ministry was vague when the spokesperson was asked during a news briefing on Monday whether the mainland or central government would help in bringing Modi to justice. “According to the one
country, two systems and basic law of Hong Kong special administrative region, HKSAR under the assistance and authorisation of the central government can make proper arrangements on judicial mutual assistance with other countries,” foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said. Geng said India would have to follow Hong Kong’s legal process. “If India makes relevant request to the HKSAR, we believe HKSAR will follow the basic law and relevant laws and (act) under relevant judicial agreements with India (on) the relevant issue,” Geng added. On Thursday, minister of state for external affairs VK Singh told
SEBI to auction 24 assets of Pancard at reserve price Rs 2,100-cr
Mumbai: Looking to recover over Rs 7,000 crore of investors' money, markets regulator SEBI will next month auction 24 properties of Pancard Clubs and its late chairman and managing director at a total reserve price of nearly Rs 2,100 crore. This is in addition to at least 33 properties which were auctioned between December and March with combined reserve price of more than Rs 800 crore. In a notice issued today, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said SBI Capital Markets will auction 10 properties of Pancard Clubs and three properties of its late CMD Sudhir Moravekar on May 9 at a reserve price of Rs 2,087 crore. The properties listed for the sale include a four-star hotel, resorts, land parcels, office spaces and shops in Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. SEBI said the bidders should make their
own independent enquiries regarding the “nature, type, classifications, encumbrances, litigations, attachments, acquisition liabilities” of the properties put under auction before submitting their bids. "The properties are being sold with all the existing and future encumbrances, whether known or unknown to SEBI. SEBI shall not be responsible in any way for any third party claims, rights or dues etc,” the regulator added. The company had failed to comply with SEBI's direction in February 2016 ordering it to refund to investors over Rs 7,000 crore, raised through illegal collective investment schemes (CIS).
Parliament: “The ministry has sought the provisional arrest of Nirav Modi by the government of the Hong Kong special administrative region.” Singh said India had submitted the request for Modi’s arrest to Hong Kong on March 23. Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post had reported, quoting a source, that Indian authorities had “reason to believe that he (Modi) is in Hong Kong”. The provisional arrest would be the precursor to an extradition request. According to the Post, Modi opened his first diamond boutique in Hong Kong in 2015 at Elements shopping mall in Kowloon. “Last year, he opened another one at the IFC Mall and a 3,000 sq ft flagship store at an upscale shopping arcade in Tsim Sha Tsui,” the report said. Modi also has shops in Beijing and Macau, another SAR, under the mainland.
Banned for alleged role in spot-fixing, Sreesanth no longer an IPL fan now New Delhi: Led by new appointed skipper R Ashwin, King’s XI Punjab (KXIP) got off to a winning start after beating Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the ‘northern derby’ on Sunday. Opener KL Rahul registered the fastest IPL fifty as KXIP romped home with six wickets in hand. Prior to the beginning of the tourney KXIP had spoken about how they would play an entertaining brand of cricket. Their bright start to the tournament left owner Preity Zinta overjoyed as he took to social media to express her feelings. In a post on Twitter, Zinta wrote, “When @ashwinravi99 leads, @klrahul11 sets a new
record, @Mujeeb_Zadran debuts at 17, @karun126 packs a punch & I can’t stop smiling #ting.” Meanwhile, opener KL Rahul credited the mighty Chris Gayle for giving him valuable advice which helped him smash the ball across the park in Mohali. He also revealed that since he had scored impressively in the first match, the pressure would be considerably lower from now on. “I just went in there and I just took off. I didn’t plan this innings. I was just watching the ball and getting into good positions. It’s an opener’s responsibility to get the team off to a good start. Really happy that it came off today.
Nifty to hit 11,500 in FY19, India growth story intact; 5 stocks that could be multibaggers
New Delhi: The mediumterm story of India has not changed and is reasonably intact. It is one of the fastest growing large economies in the world. Well, in 2017, the markets have seen a stellar rally making one of the best years for equity participants. Since the beginning of the year we have witnessed a drawdowns of 10 percent or thereabouts. One must also consider the global backdrop especially a new US Fed Chairperson who seems a bit more hawkish than his predecessors, apart from that there is a rise in protectionist rhetoric led by the USA and an upward bias to crude and commodities given the recovery in global growth. When measured against all of this, the medium-term story of India has not changed and is reasonably intact in that it is one of the fastest growing large economies in the world. Our target is 11,500 for Nifty by March 2019 but let us put this thing in context. You started 2017 with a growth recovery and I am talking about the global macro right now. The real great thing that has happened in the last six
months is that growth seems to be accelerating across the world. Look at the Indian PMI figures which has reached a three-year high. We need to realise that the bond yields have just started moving. This is nothing short of an extended goldilocks scenario. Second, let us keep in mind that after a lot of years, we are looking at double digit earnings growth rate for the next four or six quarters. I would say that this is a sweet spot and market should really go up another 14-15 percent through the course of the year. There have been earnings disappointments in India over the past few years. Now, there is an expectation that there will be a bit of a recovery. In the December quarter, we actually saw earnings coming more or less in line and there were no major downgrades. We are building in 20 percent plus earnings growth for FY19. Our expectation for next year is that there will be a decent recovery in financials. Retail banks have actually been doing well, but the corporate heavy bank — that is where the stress has been.
With new CEO in place, Nandan Nilekani takes a step back at Infosys
New Delhi: Nandan Nilekani, co-founder and chairman of Infosys Ltd, is increasingly playing a less active executive role at India’s second largest IT outsourcing firm and has handed over responsibilities to new chief executive Salil Parekh and his top lieutenants, according to three people familiar with the developments. Since returning to Infosys as nonexecutive chairman on 24 August, Nilekani for the most part of his stint operated like a “super CEO”, playing a hands-on executive role to steer the firm through one of its most tumultuous times in the wake of former CEO Vishal Sikka’s departure. Up till December, Nilekani spent at least two or three days a week working out of Infosys’s corporate headquarters in Bengaluru, reviewing the performance of business unit heads, strategizing and regularly calling or meeting the company’s largest clients, which farm out hundreds of millions of dollars worth of business to Infosys every
SPORTS ROUNDUP
year. That has changed since Parekh took office on 2 January. Since then, Nilekani has gradually cut his visits to office to once or twice a fortnight, allowing the CEO freedom to focus on executive responsibilities— even though both Parekh and Nilekani remain in regular contact over the phone, the people cited earlier said, requesting anonymity. This move, according to one of the three executives cited above, has created a “clear delineation” between the
roles of the CEO and the non-executive chairman. Significantly, according to the CEO’s employment contract, Parekh, like his predecessor Sikka, can use the “Good Reason” clause to terminate his employment agreement with Infosys, and still be eligible for severance payouts, if Infosys appoints an executive chairman. Nilekani taking a step back easily counts as one of the most significant developments over the past three months at Infosys. To be sure, though, it does not mean that he plans to leave anytime soon and he continues to be active on board-level matters, according to the three people, who added that he will continue as chairman at least until March 2019. The people highlighted the three priorities on Nilekani’s agenda. First, to further reconstitute the current board and appoint new members; second, to find a long-term successor to head the board; and finally, to ensure harmony between all key stakeholders.
GNS Ag / Mumbai: Former India pacer S Sreesanth has almost stopped watching the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches on TV. The 35-yearold right-arm fast bowler was banned for his alleged role in spot-fixing in the IPL in the year 2013. Incidentally, Sreesanth was the highest Indian wicket-taker in the first edition of the IPL. "I am (now) not a huge fan of IPL in particular but love to follow the Test matches. I love to watch club matches," said Sreesanth. "I have not been following IPL matches and don't wish to watch all matches. I have lost interest and if time permits, will watch matches only involving my state players. Basically, I love to see my Kerala state cricketers doing well in the matches." He, however, emphasised, "The ban slapped on me by the Indian cricket board is not the reason for
losing interest in the IPL. Yes, I am sad but now we have to move on. They (the BCCI officials) are busy in their own and I am busy in my own work. I am being banned to practice at the international grounds controlled by the BCCI, but I practice at my own ground and I am happy with it." The cricketer, though out from playing the matches, keeps himself fit. In fact, he was in a gym doing exercises when first approached for his comments. "I remain
very busy with my own commitments, my own work and schedules and spending quality time with the family. I do lot of yoga exercises, play badminton." Sreesanth has been also involved in movies. "I have done Kerala, Malayalam and Kannada movies. The shooting for the next movie will commence next month." "With God blessings, I have a beautiful family and njoy spending time with my wife and two children," he signed off.
Shukla now said that they had spoken to the concerned authorities, who have given the assurance to provide adequate security during the matches in Chennai. “No, Chennai match has not been shifted so far. The match will take place in Chennai itself on April 10. We have spoken to the concerned authorities. They have given full assurance that they will be providing adequate security. So far, the match would take place in Chennai and there is no plan to shift it to anywhere else. IPL is one thing that I request everyone to not drag it into political
controversies,” Shukla told said.The top court, in its ruling in the matter earlier, had reduced Tamil Nadu’s share in the Cauvery water to 177.25 thousand million cubic feet. On February 16, the court had ordered the central government to set up the CMB and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) within six weeks. Thereafter, Tamil Nadu moved a contempt plea in the Supreme Court, seeking action against the Centre for allegedly failing to form the CMB within the prescribed time limit of six weeks. On March 31, the Central Government filed a clarification petition in the apex court seeking more time to form the board and asked whether it could modify its composition. On a related note, the top court on Monday is slated to hear Tamil Nadu’s contempt petition against the Centre for not forming the Cauvery Water Management Board.
Indian T20 League 2018: Chennai matches have not been shifted, confirms Rajeev Shukla
New Delhi: Indian Premier League chairman Rajeev Shukla on Monday confirmed that the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders would be held as per the schedule on April 10 despite the ongoing protest against the Centre’s negligence for the formation of Cauvery Management Board (CMB). With Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery river water sharing row with Karnataka hotting up, there were speculations that a few IPL matches of the present season might be shifted to Kerala. However,
Vivek, Salima To Lead Indian Hockey Teams At Youth Olympic Qualifiers
New Delhi: Hockey India (HI)on Monday announced Vievek Sagar Prasad and Salima Tete as skippers of the junior men and women’s teams respectively for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games qualifiers starting April 25 in Bangkok. Vivek, who is currently representing the senior men’s side at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (CWG), will lead the nine-member junior Team while Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem will be his deputy. On the other hand, Lalremsiami, who is
also in Gold Coast with the senior women’s team, will shoulder the responsibility of vice-captain for the women’s team. The men’s team will kick off their Youth Olympic qualifier campaign against hosts Thailand on the opening day, while the women will begin their campaign against Singapore on the same day. Commenting on the forthcoming tour, HI High Performance Director David John said: “The teams are currently training in Agra at the five-
a-side Hockey Facility.” “For some of the athletes this will be their first major international exposure, we also have players who have the experience of playing for the senior Indian teams and will certainly be able to share their knowledge of international expectations with the rest of them,” he added. Significantly, the five-day long event is a qualifying event for Youth Olympic Games 2018 to be held at Buenos Aires, which will follow the futuristic Hockey 5’s format.
4 / Dt. 10/04/2018, Tuesday, Ahmedabad Edition
Sunvilla Samachar (English Daily)
Khichdi! – Comedy Family ki Family Comedy Axar Patel to play county cricket for Durham
about giggles, chuckles and guffaws as the Parekhs take center stage with Khichdi. Get ready to roll on floor laughing as Hats Off Productions in association with Star Plus is bringing back the ‘family viewing’ experience with this cult show that defines hilarity. This latest offering serves India’s favourite recipe with an extra dash of comedy, a pinch of drollery, with a large scoop of fresh humor. Laugh out loud as TV’s iconic jodi Praful and Hansa get down to
their wackiest best knocking you down with their ludicrous acts. Adding on to the lunacy are the cameos by popular television stars that will get your funny bone ticking every single episode. The sitcom starring Parekhs, the madcap family of ‘seven pack’ doesn’t need an introduction! Watch the old family patriarch Tulsidas (Anang Desai), fondly called as Babuji, getting enraged seeing his family members go bonkers every episode. Get bowled over by on-screen’s foolhardy couple Praful (Rajeev Mehta) and Hansa (Supriya Pathak) and their hoopla around all things puerile. While Praful considers himself a master of English and gets his Angreji to Hindi translations miserably wrong; his Gajra loving laid-back wife who is
Ahmedabad: In what is perhaps the first case of virtual currency, Gujarat police CID (Crime) has booked a Police Inspector (PI) and other policemen for extorting 200 bitcoins worth 12 crore from a Suratbased builder and real estate player. A compliant was received against PI Anant Patel for allegedly abducting a businessman Shailesh Bhatt at a farm house in Gandhinagar and
forcing him to transfer 200 bitcoins from his mobile. Following the complaint and a preliminary probe, the police lodged an FIR naming 11 persons as
accused. The FIR also named a private individual, who reportedly played acted as a fixer between the businessman and the police. “We have formed a team to probe the high profile case,” additional DG Ashish Bhatia said. The police maintained that they are yet to get substantive evidence of the bitcoin transaction as alleged by the applicant Mr Bhatt.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to maintain political momentum have hit a roadblock as Parliament ended its worst budget session in at least 18 years amid signs the gridlock may continue for months. In the first half of the budget session from January 29 to February 9, the lower House of the Parliament worked 89 per cent of its scheduled time. But its productivity decreased to four per cent during the second half from March 5 to April 6, according to the New Delhi-based PRS Legislative Research think-tank. The Lok Sabha, spent just one per cent of its productive time on legislative business, the think-tank found. One of the few pieces of legislation passed in this
session was the budget for financial year beginning April 1. Parliament went into recess this Friday until July. The parliament saw frequent adjournments as lawmakers shouted slogans, raised placards, and stormed the center of the twin Houses over issues ranging from bank scams, a water dispute and the special category status for the state of Andhra Pradesh, to the Supreme
Court’s recent verdict on the SC/ST Atrocities Act. The gridlock lead to the failure of the passage of legislation, including a new law to deal with economic offenders on the run, as well as amendments to state banks acts. The pandemonium was so acute that the lower House could not take up an opposition-moved motion of no-confidence against the Modi government.
Ahmedabad: When was the last time you felt tears of laughter rolling down your cheeks? When was the last time you had a hearty belly laugh? Get ready to ‘feel’ comedy as you laugh your lungs out with Star Plus’ brand new offering that will leave not just you but your entire family in splits! Set the red carpets rolling as India’s favorite joint family arrives knocking at your door steps with their crazy antics. Television viewing will be all
Gujarat Police probing first case of bitcoin extortion
PM Modi’s roadblock: Parliament’s worst budget gridlock since 2000
No arrest of Teesta Setalvad in fund embezzlement case till May 31: SC
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today extended the interim protection from arrest and transit anticipatory bail granted to activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband by the Bombay High Court from May 2 to May 31 in the fund embezzlement case lodged by the Gujarat police. The top court, however, asked Teesta and her husband Javed Anand to seek anticipatory bail from the competent forum in Gujarat. A bench headed by Justice Kurian Joseph said if remedy is sought by Teesta and her husband then the concerned court should decide the matter on merit. Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani and Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Gujarat, said the Bombay High Court had passed
a blatantly illegal order and transit anticipatory bail should not have been granted. Senior advocate C U Singh, appearing for Teesta and her husband, said the HC was right in granting transit bail as the alleged offence pertains to an educational project in Maharashtra. He said in this case, the HC had jurisdiction to issue the transitory bail. The bench, which also comprised Justices
Navin Sinha and M M Shantanagoudar , however, observed it is a settled law that where the FIR is lodged, the jurisdiction lies with the concerned court of that state. On April 5, the Bombay High Court had ordered social activists Teesta Setalvad and her associate Javed Anand should not be arrested till May 2 in a criminal case lodged against them by the Gujarat police for alleged misappropriation of funds.
quite welcoming to everyone as she goes – “Hello, how are? Khana khake jaana haan!” Gossip queen Jayshree (Vandana Pathak) can’t hang up her phone as she chatters non-stop with her mother and plots evil ploys with her sisterin-law. Hansa’s younger brother Himanshu (Jamnadas Majethia) who is into catering business will get you tossed and turned with laughter with his “kissi ko pata nahi chalega” antic. Lastly, the kids of the family Jackky (Agastya Kapadia) and Chakki (Misri Majethia) who are fed up of the elderly members and their crazy shenanigans will have you hooked. Talking about the new show, ProducerActor JD Majethia, says, “With a show like Khichdi we are tapping the family audience. It’s a show that celebrates togetherness and family viewing. In this day and age of nuclear families, we are reintroducing the flavor of joint families. Just like the close-knit family on the show, we want our
audience to come together and enjoy this sitcom. It’s great to bind families with a family comedy like Khichdi.” Writer/Director/Co Producer Aatish Kapadia says, “While the television is getting regressive, it is good to bring back a family that brings back smiles in lives of the many other families. In an era of prevalent daily soaps that deal with either dysfunctional families, social pressures or personal issues the need for a show that would provide a much needed humor, and clean family entertainment was more needed than ever. So we got this madcap family, which is always together despite their differences in the quirky characters with Khichdi.” The finite series will have celebrity guests coming on the show as surprise characters. Apart from the primary cast, the audience will be introduced to a popular face from the world of entertainment in a neverseen-before avatar in every single episode on the show.
New Delhi: All rounder Axar Patel will be joining Durham County Cricket Club for the final six Specsavers County Championship fixtures of the 2018 season. The club confirmed the news on their official Twitter account on Monday. Patel, who features for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, will arrive at Chester-le-Street mid-August and make his debut against Glamorgan on August 19. The 24-year old will then play three four-day fixtures at Emirates Riverside against Northamptonshire, Sussex and Middlesex and will face Leicester at the Fischer County Ground and Warwickshire at Edgbaston. Durham CCCC announced the news on Twitter and said, “Welcome to the
Club, Axar! The Indian all-rounder will join us for the final six County Championship matches of 2018. The KXIP star has taken 79 first-class wickets in 23 matches and averages 48.45 with the bat!” The all-rounder, who made his debut in first-class cricket in 2012 for state side Gujarat, took his maiden fivewicket haul in just his second match for the side, returning figures of 6/55 in 45 overs against Delhi. Patel, who is currently 14th in the ICC ODI bowling rankings, has gone on to take 79 first-class wickets in a total of 23 matches till now, including 14 in two matches for India ‘A’ against South Africa ‘A’ in 2015. He also scored a Test century against Baroda and has ten half centuries to his name.
Lexus marks one year in india by rolling out deliveries of popular hybrid electric suv, nx 300h Milestone focuses on fulfilling the brand promise of ‘Experience Amazing’
Ahmedabad: Lexus India marks the first year of operations in India by delivering on the brand promise of ‘Experience Amazing’, placing Indian guests behind the wheel of the edgy hybrid electric SUV, the NX 300h. The deliveries also put Lexus guests at the heart of the brand’s milestone in India, with the exceptional hospitality experience that defines the luxury lifestyle the brand is known for. The launch of the NX 300h in November 2017 was among the significant milestones for Lexus India since entering the market in March 2017, strengthening the range of the brand’s offering in India. “At Lexus, our humancentered approach is evident in the way our cars are engineered, the
craftsmanship they embody and in the ownership experience which begins the moment they engage with us or step into any of our guest experience centers. In India, we felt there was no better way to mark this significant milestone than by keeping our guests as our focus,” said P B Venugopal, President, Lexus India. “As we enter our second year in India, we look forward to new ways to deliver on the promise of ‘experience amazing’ so we can continue to delight our guests here by delivering the exceptional hospitality that is ‘omotenashi’ – the anchor of the Lexus brand.” Deliveries of the NX 300h are taking place across the country in signature Lexus style – cars arrive on flatbeds allowing owners to be the first to put miles on their car, which comes to them with a full tank of fuel. In addition, each delivery is customized based on
Lexus’ knowledge of its customer. In Mysore, one owner not only received his brand new Lexus, but his family each also received personalized gifts so they were able to share in the joy of becoming part of the Lexus lifestyle. In Mumbai, a customized giftwas crafted for a collector, so that he could add it to his collection, while he received his Lexus. Over the course of its first year in India, Lexus has conducted many similar personalized delivery experiences, demonstrating the brand’s firm commitment to placing its guests at the heart of all it does. Lexus Relationship Managers are trained to have a deep, personal knowledge of and connection with owners which starts at the Guest Experience Centers and continues through the highly personalized delivery experiences and throughout their ownership. “Lots has been achieved
ED raids Gujarat firm, directors in Rs 2600 crore bank loan fraud
Ahmedabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today conducted multiple searches in connection with a money laundering case against a Vadodara-based company for allegedly cheating various banks to the tune of Rs 2,654 crore. Officials said the raids were being carried out at seven places in Vadodara district and the premises of the firm -- Diamond Power Infrastructure Ltd (DPIL). The corporate office of the company in Gorwa area of the city, factories in Vadadala and Ranoli and residential premises of its executives in Nizampura and New Alkapuri were being raided, they said. The agency carried out the searches after it filed a criminal complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against the company, based
on a recent CBI FIR. The CBI had conducted raids in the case last week. The ED is probing if the alleged defaulted loans were laundered to create illegal assets and black money by the accused. The CBI had alleged that DPIL, which manufactures electric cables and equipment, is promoted by S N Bhatnagar and his sons Amit Bhatnagar and Sumit Bhatnagar, who were also the executives of the firm. It is alleged that DPIL, through its management, had fraudulently availed credit facilities from a consortium of 11 banks (both public and private) since 2008, leaving behind an outstanding debit of Rs 2,654.40 crore as on June 29, 2016, the CBI said. The loan amount of Rs 2,654 crore, it said, was declared a non-performing asset in 2016-17. The company and its directors managed to get the term loans and credit
facilities, in spite of the fact that they were named in the Reserve Bank's defaulters list and ECGC (Export Credit Guarantee Corporation) caution list at the time of the initial sanction of credit limits by the consortium, the agency had alleged. At the time of formation of consortium in 2008, Axis Bank was the lead bank for the term loan and Bank of India was the lead bank for cash credit limits. It is alleged that the firm, with active connivance of officials from various banks, managed to get enhanced credit facilities. According to the CBI, the company had been allegedly submitting false stock statements to the lead bank by treating receivables more than 180 days (non-current asset) as less than 180 days (current asset) to get more drawing power in their cash credit accounts.
in just a year in India and we are delighted by the response we have received. Lexus’ priorities in India for the next year are to continue to build brand awareness and to maintain our focus on hybrid electric vehicles,” commented N Raja, Chairman, Lexus India. “Looking ahead, we are aiming to strengthen our presence in three key ways – increased awareness, more great products and a deeper commitment to the community through initiatives such as Lexus Design Award India.” Lexus debuted in India in March 2017 with a lineup that featured the ES300h, RX450h and LX450d. The brand soon went on to announce a social responsibility initiative in partnership with Grow Trees, aimed at achieving carbon neutrality for Lexus car owner. This unique initiative was developed by projecting the emissions of each vehicle and planting a commensurate number of trees to achieve carbon neutrality – a completely innovative approach to allow our guests to make a conscience-free automotive choice.
Crorepati canines: Dogs in this Gujarat village are millionaires
Ahmedabad: The dogs in a Gujarat village have fortunes that many human beings only dream of. As many as 70 dogs in Panchot village, near Mehsana, have over Rs 1 crore each to be used for their caretaking. The source of revenue comes from the annual auction of village land. An informal village trust named ‘Madh ni Pati Kutariya Trust’ takes care of around 21 bighas of land. The total revenue from the auction is set aside for dogs. Earlier, land price was nominal, but ever since a bypass was constructed from Mehsana to Radhanpur, the prices soared. It reached an average of Rs 3.5 crore per bigha, which means the dogs have roughly Rs 1 crore for each of them, according to a Times of India report. The practice started around 7080 years ago, inspired by the village’s long history
of jivdaya (compassion for animals). The villagers had come up with a concept of ‘kutariyu’ (setting aside for dogs) and donated land for the same. Most of the donated land were from rich families or from land owners who could not afford to even pay tax and the donation shifted the responsibility, trust president Chhaganbhai Patel had told said. Although the land is still on the names of the originals owners, none of them have ever come back to reclaim their share. Every year, the trust owners auction each plot in the land bank before the sowing season and the highest bidder gets tilling rights for a year. The received income is used to serve dogs, the report stated. The trust has a special building in the village, named ‘rotla ghar’, which is used to prepare meals for the canines.
Printed, Published & Owned by AKSHESHKUMAR S. SAVALIYA and “Sunvilla Samachar” (English Daily) Printed at “Sunvilla Samachar Daily Printing Press”, Shed No.36, Shreenath Sarthak Industrial Park, Near Torrent Power Sub Station, Ring Road, Nikol, Ahmedabad - 380049 and Published from A/24, Shardha Appartment, Thakkarbapanagar Road, Near Approach, Bapunagar, Ahmedabad-382350. Mo.: 9825098053, (* Responsible for selection of News under the PRB act) *Editor : KAPILKUMAR M. HIRPARA, RNI No. : GUJENG/2014/59629.