5th February, 2016 - Friday
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ENGLISH DAILY MORNING REPUTED NEWS PAPER, AHMEDABAD Editor : Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
Deputy Editor : Chirag Rudani
News Brief “Union Budget : 2016-17” 5 arrested in Tanzanian woman attack case Agency | Bengaluru
Amidst the outrage over the alleged assault and stripping of a 21-yearold Tanzanian woman here, the Karnataka government today said five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident but denied that she was paraded naked. As the incident on Sunday night took a serious diplomatic turn, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “Case has been registered, five of them (accused) have been arrested.
Rail track monitor system goes online Agency | New Delhi
Focussing on information technology, railways is developing modules to monitor rail temperature and bridge water level online as part of the Track Management System (TMS) across the country. Web enabled Track Management System has been fully implemented in all railway divisions in the country to monitor track maintenance-related activities on a real-time basis, Railway Board Member (Engineering) V K Gupta said at a seminar here today.
Want everything to go well for Katrina: Tabu
February 05, 2016, Friday
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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hopeful of GST Bill
Budget session to begin on Feb23 Agency | New Delhi
The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on February 23 that will focus largely on the financial business of the government, which will present the general budget on February 29. But there will be no curtailment of the ses- elections in five states the Cabinet Committee sion or the recess period due shortly. This was on Parliamentary Afon account of Assembly decided at a meeting of fairs, chaired by Home
Minister Rajnath Singh. “The budget session of parliament will commence on February 23. The Rail Budget will be presented on February 25, the pre-budget economic survey on February 26 and the General budget on February 29. “The first part of Budtigation,” he said, adding get session will end on that there was no racism March 16 and the second behind the attack and it part will be convened was ‘just a response’ to from April 25 to May an earlier accident. “Ben- 13,” Parliamentary Afgaluru doesn’t have such fairs Minister Venkaiah kind of an attitude,” Par- Naidu told reporters afmeshwara said. ter the meeting of CCPA.
Tanzanian woman was not stripped, paraded naked: Karnataka Home Minister Agency | New Delhi
Karnataka Home Minister G Parmeshwara on Thursday said that a Tanzanian woman student – who alleged that she was attacked and her car was burnt by a mob – was not stripped and paraded naked in Bengaluru. Facing a volley of questions at a press conference, Parmeshwara said those responsible for the attack will not be spared
and that the case has already been transferred to the crime branch. “Some more arrests are going to be made depending on the inquiry. The case has been transferred to the Central Crime Branch for inves-
He said there were suggestions for curtailing the recess period due to assembly elections in five states but the government as well as political parties wanted a full session. “In 2011, the then government had decided not to refer bills to Standing Committees in the budget session when
states were going to polls and there were demands to curtail the session. But the government today decided that bills will be referred to standing committees for examination during recess period,” Naidu said. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hoped that the opposition parties will “see
reason” and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is held up in Rajya Sabha, will become a reality soon. “It (GST) has been supported by most political parties and I am sure others will also see reason and this law will become a reality very soon,” the minister said at an event in New Delhi.
was appointed by the apex court in 2015 in the wake of a sport-fixing scandal in Indian Premier League (IPL), the biggest crisis to hit the cash-rich sports body in the country. In January, the committee recom-
mended barring ministers and government officials from holding office in the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India ) and legalising betting in sweeping measures to clean up the scandal-ridden sports body.
SC to BCCI: Accept Lodha panel report, you won’t get a second innings Agency | New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Thursday told the BCCI it has to accept retired Chief Justice RM Lodha’s report to reform Indian cricket and it “won’t get a tion to CBI to prosecute second innings” to do former Chief Minister of this. The court gave the Maharashtra Ashok Cha- board time till March 3 van, under section 197 of to “mull over the report” CrPC, for offences under but warned that there sections 120-B (conspira- was no “rationale not cy) and 420 (cheating) of to accept it.” “There is IPC in the Adarsh Coop- no second innings--it’s erative Housing Society all over,” said the court. case,” an official in the The panel headed by reGovernor’s office said. tired chief justice Lodha
Maharashtra governor sanctions CBI prosecution of ex-CM Ashok Chavan Agency | Mumbai
Maharashtra governor C Vidyasagar Rao on Thursday gave sanction to Central Bureau of Investigation to prosecute former chief minister and state Congress president Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society case, days after the BJP-led state government recommended action against him. Chavan, who resigned from his post after the scam surfaced in 2010, was one of 12 who were charge sheeted by the investiga-
Chances of finding soldiers trapped in Siachen snow ‘very remote’: Govt
turned down the CBI’s request to prosecute Chavan. However, as the government changed in both the state and centre, the CBI sought permisAgency | Jammu der through the Siachen sion again. “Maharashtra Glacier at an altitude of governor C Vidyasagar The chances of finding nearly 19,000 feet (5,800 Rao today gave his sanc- 10 Indian Army soldiers meters). Thousands of Intrapped under snow in dian and Pakistani troops the Siachen Glacier “are are stationed on the freezvery remote”, the defence ing Himalayan terrain, ministry said, as search where more troops have efforts entered the second died from the gruelling on Thursday. The operAgency | Mumbai conditions than from ation was intensified on Bollywood actress Tabu Thursday with the induc- the same is a very diffi- the post. The Indian Army hostile fire. Last month, says she always wants tion of specialised teams, cult task,” he said. Snow and the Indian Air Force four Indian soldiers on everything to go well sniffer dogs and equip- cutters and special equip- teams are battling harsh foot patrol were killed with Katrina Kaif as ment to trace the army ment have been put to use weather conditions and by an avalanche in the she is one of the most personnel trapped at a to clear and cut the ice difficult terrain to trace same region. In 2012, an hardworking actors she high-altitude post after an blocks. The avalanche hit the missing soldiers. Av- avalanche in the PakiReeva has completed Railway employee while avalanche. “Specialised the post situated at 19,600 alanches and landslides stan-controlled part of the Correspondent | Rajkot has ever met. Tabu, who her engineering degree her father is a business- equipment was flown in feet in the Northern Gla- are common in Kashmir, glacier killed 140 people, will be seen working Indian all rounder Ravinat Atmiya College and is man. The ring ceremony to Leh today (Thursday) cier sector in the Ladakh which is divided between including 129 soldiers. with Kaif in “Fitoor”, dra Jadeja is going to get now preparing for UPSC will be held tomorrow at feels the effort the morning,” the spokes- region on Wednesday. India and Pakistan and The two countries have “Phantom” star puts in engaged to city-based examination in Delhi. Jadeja’s restaurant. Naina person said. He said that The missing personnel claimed by both entirely. discussed ways to demiliher performance is en- mechanical engineer Re- Her mother Prafulla- Jadeja, cricketer’s elder blocks of snow had fall- were attached to the Ma- The nations also dispute tarize the Siachen Glacier eva Solanki, tomorrow. ba Solanki is an Indian sister confirmed the news. en on the post. “To clear dras battalion stationed at the undemarcated bor- without success. dearing. Corpo. Office: B/14, Madhav Chamber’s, India Colony, Opp-Vidhyanagar School, Bapunagar, Ahmedababad - 380024 Email: ssdaily2013@gmail.com Mo : 98250 98053 tion agency for allegedly grabbing land meant for war veterans and widows and building a residential complex on it. In 2013, during the previous Congress-NCP regime, governor Rao’s predecessor K Sankaranarayan had
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to get engaged tomorrow
2 / Dt. 05-02-2016, Friday Editors’ Picks Friday, FEBRUARY 05, 2016
The economy is best served by lowering interest rates..?
In its monetary policy announcement on Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to keep the policy interest rate unchanged. One of the implications of this decision is for the rupee. High interest rates have helped in keeping the rupee strong in recent years. It appears policymakers wish this to continue. But the recent slowdown in China and the depreciation of the yuan means India’s external environment has changed significantly. While two years ago it might have seemed like a good idea to prevent the rupee from weakening, a rethink is now warranted. There are two ways to look at the latest monetary policy review by the Reserve Bank of India. On the face of it, Governor Raghuram Rajan did not press any of the buttons he could have. The benchmark rates, such as the repo rate and the cash reserve ratio, remain unchanged. But the view that since the RBI did not do anything, it was a non-event, would be missing the sophisticated proposition Rajan laid out for the Narendra Modi government, especially Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who will present the Union budget later this month. Rajan’s assessment offers two key takeaways. One, irrespective of the sharp fall in global commodity prices, especially crude oil, the inflation faced by consumers in India continues to remain high and sticky. As such, Rajan, known for his single-minded approach to curbing inflation, made it clear yet again that he will stay the course, even though there is always pressure on him to cut interest rates in order to fuel growth. “The Reserve Bank continues to be accommodative… while awaiting further data on the development of inflation,” he said. Rajan has effectively chosen to predicate future monetary policy action (read rate cuts) on the fiscal policy actions (read fiscal rectitude) of the government. “Structural reforms in the forthcoming Union budget that boost growth while controlling spending will create more space for monetary policy to support growth, while also ensuring that inflation remains on the projected path of 5 per cent by the end of 2016-17.” That, in a nutshell, is the challenge for Jaitley. The Indian economy has been widely seen as “a beacon of stability”. Yet, as several analysts, including the government’s own mid-year review, noted in December, for the current growth to sustain, investments need to pick up. The second related takeaway is about the limits of interest rate cuts in promoting such an investment-led growth. For one, estimates by the RBI and the NIPFP show that interest rate costs are just 2 to 3 per cent of the total production costs.
- Kapilkumar M. Hirpara Editor
Kapoor and Sons first poster
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QUOTE “Pakistan is the country which can do the most in terms of OF THE influencing the Taliban’s attitude, I think Pakistan has the most DAY influence,” - Afghanistan CEO Abdullah Abdullah says India is a ‘trusted friend’ of his country Shah Rukh, Aamir will fear talking Visaaranai review: Vetrimaaran due to scary reactions: Sonam Kapoor shows realism at its harshest best Agency | Chennai
Agency | Mumbai Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan have both faced severe backlash after their comments on intolerance. Actress Sonam Kapoor said on Wednesday that both the superstars will be afraid to talk on issues due to the negative reactions their comments lead to. “Just imagine the way we are reacting to someone like
Shah Rukh Khan or Aamir Khan (their comments). They will be afraid to say or talk about things because of the negative reactions. We should be supportive of people who have opinions -- good, bad or ugly. Everybody should have a right to speak,” said Sonam at the launch of her song, Ankhian Milaayenge Darr Se from the film Neerja. Shah Rukh’s comments on intolerance in the country saw some sections slamming him,
while some also vandalised theatres screening his film Dilwale, protesting the same. Aamir highlighting his wife’s fear due to certain incidents in the country also sparked a widely-discussed controversy. Sonam termed the reactions to the issues as “scary”. She is always known to have an opinion, and quips that’s the reason she gets called to speak at conclaves, since the organisers “know she will make good copy”.
Your battle is so much better in reel life, Mr Anupam Kher Agency | Mumbai
In one of his most acclaimed films Saaransh, Anupam Kher had portrayed an aged man devastated by the loss of his son yet with enough courage and conviction remaining to take on the systemic rot and injustice. 60-yearold Kher, one of India’s most prolific and respected actors, has taken upon himself to stand up against what he sees as discrimination and injustice in real life as well. Last year, when writers, film-makers and intellectuals gave up their government awards to protest what they said was rising intolerance, Kher and his supporters took out a march to Rashtrapati Bhavan from India
Gate in a counter-protest to what was mockingly dubbed as ‘award wapsi’. “It is very important for all of us to feel patriotic,” Kher had said then. Two days ago, the ‘patriotic’ Kher -- whose wife Kirron is a sitting Lok Sabha MP from Chandigarh – kicked up another row by slamming fellow-actor Nandita Das as an “agent of Pakistan” in a TV show for raising questions over
his claims that he was denied a Pakistan visa to attend a literary fest in the neighbouring country. After the controversy broke about Islamabad’s alleged denial of visa, Pakistan high commissioner in New Delhi Abdul Basit called Kher the next day and offered a visa. But it was, apparently, too late. The actor tweeted that he had “given away those dates now”.
Kapil Sharma and gang will soon be back with a brand new comedy show Agency | New Delhi
Agency | New Delhi After releasing Rishi Kapoor’s look in the upcoming film Kapoor and Sons, the makers are out with the first poster of the much-anticipated film. Sidharth Malhotra, who plays one of the lead actors in the upcoming romantic comedy, took to Twitter to share the perfect family moment. The Brothers actor posted the first poster of the film and wrote, “Our family that parties together,loves together n even fights together (sic).” Directed by Shakun Batra, Kapoor and Sons
also stars Alia Bhatt, Fawad Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Ratna Pathak Shah and Rajat Kapoor. While Rishi Kapoor will play the role of a 90-year-old grandfather in the film, the characters of others actors have been kept under the wraps as of now. After a gap of four years, Alia and her rumoured boyfriend Sidharth will share the screen space. The two were last seen together in Karan Johar’s 2012 film Student Of The Year. The film, which is produced by KJo, is set to hit the screens on March 18.
Ahmedabad
Here’s some good news for all Kapil Sharma fans. If reports are to be believed, Indian TV’s funniest showman, Kapil Sharma will be back on the small screen by mid 2016 with a brand new show. The show, to be aired on Sony, will be called Comedy Style, and have Dadi, Gutthi and Palak return as well. Last weekend, Colors aired the first episode of Comedy Night Live with Krushna Abhishek in the lead. The show replaced Comedy Nights With Kapil but a lot of viewers are not very pleased with the
new content and comedy, and are asking for Kapil to return on social media platforms. Sunil Grover, who played Gutthi and several other characters on the show, even shared a picture of himself on Twitter with caption “I want to wear make up soon. See you soon. Before monsoon.” Guess
that should leave little to doubt that the gang is indeed coming back. Comedy Nights With Kapil revolved around a talk show format where different celebrities (mostly Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone) are invited each week where Kapil took interviews of them.
Films about police brutality have been a hit with the masses, harassed and humiliated as they are by the men in khaki. And this was one important reason why a movie like Mohanlal starrer Drishyam in Malayalam and its Tamil remake, Kamal Haasan starrer Papanasam were applauded and appreciated. I saw how an essentially Tamil audience went into raptures every time Mohanlal’s character outwitted the cops. Vetrimaaran’s Visaaranai, coming as it does in a climate such as this, is bound to strike a chord with the ticket-paying
public. Premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival, Visaaranai or Interrogation is a power-packed work about police high-handedness on four hapless Tamil daily-wage earning labourers who have made the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh their home. In fact, they do not even have a hut, a
makeshift tent in a public park serving as one. Based on the true and horrific experience of a Coimbatore-based autorickshaw driver, M Chandra Kumar -- who wrote a book, Lock Up, narrating his nightmarish 13 days in a small prison cell in Andhra Pradesh -Visaaranai veers though a bit in its plot.
Delhi to promote her upcoming film, Fitoor. Earlier, reacting to the reports of her split with Ranbir, Katrina had said, “Many times, you want to come out and speak your heart openly and just want to say exactly what you feel at the moment. But from my personal experience, it is better to not speak much about your personal
life and speak about your profession.” The latest buzz also suggests that the Bollywood couple’s break up might affect the final schedule of their film, Jagga Jasoos. According to an English daily, the team of the Anurag Basu film was supposed to fly to Morocco at the end of January, but the schedule has now been pushed to March.
forced the World No. 2 to withdraw from a host of tournaments including last week’s Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold and the Thailand Masters GPG in Bangkok from February 8-13. “Saina is undergoing a rehab programme and has also started playing. She is still in the training phase with oncourt sessions. She needs to get that on-court endurance,” coach Vimal told dna on Wednesday. “She will take time to improve. She will be fully
fit by February end and hence is not in a position to play in competitive tournaments this whole month,” he added. Missing some tournaments, especially in an Olympic year, may hamper the 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist’s chances of qualifying. “Saina had to miss out on certain tournaments like Syed Modi, where she was the defending champion. She entered Thailand Masters thinking she can gain fitness but had to withdraw.
How Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor avoided each other at Auto Expo Agency | New Delhi
One day, one show, two exes. The recently-estranged couple, Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor, were in Delhi on Wednesday to be a part of the ongoing Auto Expo. However, both made a point of staying away from each other and never came face-to-face despite being present at the auto show in the same time frame. Katrina arrived at 11:30 am and stayed for an hour. Ranbir walked in at noon. However, their schedules were planned in such a way that they never crossed paths at any point. Strict instructions were given that the duo should not cross paths. While Ranbir flew in from Barcelona, Katrina was in
Saina is in no position to play in competitive tournaments this month: U Vimal Kumar Agency | Mumbai
Saina Nehwal is likely to return to competitive badminton at the All England Badminton Championships to be held in Birmingham from March 8-13. Nehwal, who is recovering from a foot injury and also a viral infection that she caught during the Premier Badminton League last month, is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru under the watchful eyes of her coach U Vimal Kumar. This means that the 25-year-old Padma Bhushan awardee will miss the South Asian Games in Shillong (February 6-10) and the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Hyderabad (February 15-21). The injury has
3 / Dt. 05-02-2016, Friday Credit Suisse announces 4,000 job cuts amid big Q4 loss
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Few surprises expected in Indian squads for Asia Cup, World T20
Google search chief Amit Singhal to quit, will be replaced by AI head
SPORTS ROUNDUP HIL 2016: Dabang Mumbai halt Ranchi Rays’s march in 12-goal thriller
Agency | Geneva Credit Suisse is cutting roughly 4,000 jobs to reduce costs after announcing a massive pre-tax loss in the fourth quarter that includes “substantial charges which are not reflective of our underlying business performance,” the bank said Thursday. The Swiss banking giant posted a net loss of 5.83 billion Swiss francs ($5.8 billion), compared to a net profit 691 million francs a year earlier. It reported a pretax quarterly loss of 6.4 billion, including a 3.8-billion-franc impairment charge linked to its acquisition of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette investment bank in 2000. CEO Tidjane Thiam, who took over in the summer, said the job cuts will represent savings of 1.2 billion francs per year. In October, Credit Suisse outlined plans for staff reductions as part of targeted total cost savings of 3.5 billion francs, but Credit Suisse had not specified the number. Part of those savings will come through “the rightsizing of the bank’s London presence,” the earnings report said.
Ahmedabad
Agency | Mumbai
Agency | New Delhi It is a matter of great pride for selectors when the side they pick is at the top of its game, and the national selection committee is hardly expected to make any changes when it meets on Friday to pick the Tweny20 squads for the Asia Cup in Bangladesh and the World Twenty20 to be hosted in MarchApril. Sandeep Patil’s panel will also be re-
lieved it will not have to sit down so soon to pick a one-day international combination, after India failed to convert its strong batting performances into a series victory in Australia. The 1-4 defeat particularly exposed the inconsistency among pacers on pitches tailor-made for batsmen. The 3-0 sweep in the T20 series in Australia would have convinced the selectors that it need not
worry about the batting unit. Virat Kohli, rested for the three-match T20 series against Sri Lanka, will return while they may consider adding seamer Mohit Sharma, who missed the Australia tour due to injury. The selectors named the T20 squad for the threematch series against Sri Lanka only on Monday, and hardly any major change is expected from that side.
Till that moment, nobody really knew Nilakanta Sharma was actually on the Mahindra Stadium pitch. There’s nothing essentially eye-catching about the 20-year-old’s style of play. He’s not often embroiled in gallant charge with the ball. Nor does he have the habit of taking on opposition defenders, teasing and taunting them with mesmerising stick-work. And then he’s not the most prolific of goalscorers. But in the 41st minute of the match between Dabang Mumbai and Ranchi Rays, Sharma made his presence felt. A powerfully struck first-
time shot from inside the Ranchi shooting circle gave Mumbai the lead at 5-4. Before that, Sharma had quietly and efficiently been going about his business – a feat that has won him the moniker ‘silent killer’ within his Western Railway domestic team. His playing style is largely of the ‘by-the-book’ type. Instead of tricks and flicks,
he looks to make a short, simple, yet effective pass. Nonetheless, he is a clever dribbler. A low centre-of-gravity helps him swivel with speed, and he uses the skill to make space for himself and give teammates time to open up to receive a pass. Defensively, his stamina helps him efficiently mark opposition strikers.
in-form Manish Pandey getting a look-in for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka. But when Kohli rejoins the squad for the Asia Cup in Bangladesh, at least one among the 15 selected for Lanka series will get the axe from the big-ticket event that is to follow in March-April. Since the team for World
T20 is being selected on Friday, it will be unfair to drop Pandey without even having a look at him during the Lanka series that starts February 9 in Pune. With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni being automatic choices, the spotlight will certainly be on Rahane.
the Indian Olympic Association was suspended by the International Olympic Committee between December 2012 and February 2014, leading to further delay. After the IOA’s suspension was revoked by the IOC, Kerala was tipped to host the Games but the event was handed to Guwahati and Shillong last year before another round of postponement. The two cities thus got the opportunity to host India’s third South Asian Games -- after Kolkata (1987) and Chennai (1995) -- and the biggest sporting spec-
tacle ever in the North Eastern part of the country. But, just a day before the opening ceremony, the organisers suffered a jolt when basketball was derecognised from the Games by the sport’s world body FIBA. Participating countries have been told not to take part in the discipline which is scheduled to be held here from February 11-16. FIBA took the decision on account of the interference by the government and Indian Olympic Association in the conduct of the discipline in the Games.
Ravi Shastri says Virat Kohli reminds World T20: Manish Pandey, Rahane him of a great West Indian batsman compete for No 7 spot in India’s lineup Agency | New Delhi
Agency | New Delhi Google parent Alphabet Inc said Wednesday that Amit Singhal, the longtime chief of its Internet search business, will retire. As one of Google’s earliest search pioneers steps down and the company’s leader in artificial intelligence takes his place, analysts say the move signals the company’s desire to make its search engine more sophisticated. Singhal will be replaced by John Giannandrea, the vice president of engineering who heads its efforts in machine learning, the process in which computers improve performance by analyzing users’ actions. He joined Google in 2000, two years after the company was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. During his tenure Google developed Adwords, the technology that targets ads based on users’ searches and one of its biggest moneymakers. His last day is Feburary 26. In a blog post announcing the move, Singhal said he will spend the next 15 years giving back to “people who are less fortunate.”
Fitbit gets fashionable, launches Alta band at Rs.12,999
In awe of Virat Kohli’s meteoric rise, Indian Team Director Ravi Shastri today said the swashbuckling batsman seems like a mirror-image of West Indian great Viv Richards and “wields his willow like a fencer does to his sword.” “Some of his (Kohli) batting reminded me of Viv -- like the way the great man dominated all formats of the game he played. He is an in your face kind of batsman,” Shastri said as he analysed the present Indian team ahead of the World T20 at home next month. The comparison cannot
Agency | New Delhi
be too off the mark given that Richards himself has stated that he sees a bit of himself in the flamboyant Indian, a praise that Kohli finds surreal. The righthander sizzled with half centuries in all three T20 games, to go with two hundreds in the preceding ODIs. Shastri feels Kohli, combined with the equal-
ly devastating Rohit Sharma and the revived Shikhar Dhawan, make for the “best top three in the world”. The top three were the prime reason Australia were blanked and suffered a never-before low in their proud cricketing history and Shastri was willing to look at each of them individually.
Australian women’s cricketer banned for betting on men’s match
South Asian Games to begin tomorrow after several rounds of delay; India favourites Agency | Guwahati
Agency | New Delhi Fitbit, an American company that makes fitness products, has launched a fitness wrist band called Alta at Rs.12,999 in India. Fitbit’s fitness watch called Blaze, which was unveiled at CES2015, had received mixed reactions. While some people called it fancy looking many found it to be bulky and ugly. With its new fitness wrist band, the company has tried to make its band a lot more fashionable to compete with the offerings from Misfit etc that make better looking bands. Aimed at daily wearers, Alta has a satin finish, stainless steel body and features a line of stylish interchangeable bands in multiple colors so that users can find the right style for every occasion. Fitbit Alta comes equipped with features like reminders to move, SmartTrack automatic exercise recognition, weekly exercise goals and all-day activity and automatic sleep-tracking. “Alta features the everyday tracking Fitbit is known for, along with innovative and purpose-built features that push users to do more.
The clean sweep in the T20 series against Australia has lessened their dilemmas but selectors will debate whether new find Manish Pandey is better-suited than Ajinkya Rahane for the number seven spot when they name the Indian squads for the World T20 and the Asia Cup, on Friday. While most of the players select themselves after the triumphant show Down Under, there is only one selection puzzle -- that of the seventh specialist batsman. India’s No 1 batsman Virat Kohli has been rested against Sri Lanka with
Agency | Melbourne An Australian female cricket player has been banned for six months for placing bets on a men’s test match between Australia and New Zealand. Piepa Cleary, a 19-year-old player contracted to the Perth Scorchers in the women’s Twenty20 Big Bash League, received a further 18-month suspended sentence after admitting placing the bets totaling 15.50 Australian dollars ($11) on the third test last November. She is the second female player in Australia to be sanctioned recently for betting on men’s matches. Angela Reakes, a legspinner for the Sydney Sixers, received a two-year suspended
sentence for wagering $9 on the 2015 World Cup final. Head of Cricket Australia’s integrity unit, Iain Roy says “We take a zero tolerance approach to any form of gambling on cricket by players.” Cricket Australia said there were “aggravating factors” in Cleary’s case, including that she had received face-to-face anti-corruption training two months before she placed the bets. “Bets totalling $15.50 might seem small but it doesn’t matter,” Cricket Australia Integrity Unit boss Iain Roy said. “We take a zero tolerance approach to any form of gambling on cricket by players in order to protect the integrity of the game.”
Postponed several times due to a variety of reasons, the much-delayed but the biggest South Asian Games ever begin in Guwahati on Friday with hosts India expected to stamp their superiority in the regional spectacle. The 12-day Games, featuring 2,500 athletes from eight SAARC countries, will be declared open by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a glittering inaugural ceremony at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium on Friday. The multi-sporting event, being held under the aegis of South Asian Olympics Council, is happening after a delay of four years. The 12th edition of the Games was to be held in 2012 in New Delhi but was postponed due to Assembly elections in the national capital. After that,
4 / Dt. 05-02-2016, Friday
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Ahmedabad
Congress moves HC against Gujarat govt In rejoinder before CAT, ex-IPS officer circular asking police not to lodge FIR in haste accuses state govt of ‘mud-slinging’ Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
Two days after Gujarat government issued a circular asking its police not to lodge FIR against public servant in haste, a Congress leader on Thursday moved the high court challenging the circular on the ground that it is contrary to the code of criminal procedure (CrPC) and also against the law laid down by the Supreme Court. The petition has been moved by Indravijaysinh Gohil who is a general secretary of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC). Gohil has challenged the circular issued on Febru-
ary 2 directing police authorities not to lodge FIR against any public servant in a hurry and without properly verifying the allegations. The home department notification has stated that police should verify the facts before lodging the formal FIR. It said that such FIR affects the moral of the
public servant and also damages the image of the government. The petition mentions that the circular is “ex-facie illegal, arbitrary, ultravires and contrary to the provisions contained in section-154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. Besides, Gohil has also cited Supreme Court judgment
Launching of first phase of GPS based GSRTC bus tracking and monitoring system Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) today launched first phase of Global Positioning System (GPS) based Bus Tracking and Monitoring in its express category buses. First phase launched today covers all express buses of Ahmedabad division. Location of a bus, expected time of arrival etc details are to be received through this system by control room. There are five buttons fixed in buses. They are for brake fail, engine fail, accident, immediate contact and spare bus allocation. Whenever driver will push a button, concerned divisional control room will get message. The GPS system will also help the officials in getting updates every 20 seconds and monitor if the bus is taking a detour or was stopping at unauthorized spots. Divisional depot manager and other officials will be able to
do monitoring round the clock. Central control room covering entire state and all divisions will be located at Naroda facility of GSRTC. GSRTC plans to install GPS system in all its express buses by the end of the month of April this year. The data received through the system will also be recorded when needed. Under the passenger system, each division will have LED system which will showcase timetable, arrival and departure time etc details. According to Pankaj Kumar, the vice-president and managing director of GSRTC, the move aims
to modernize the public transport facilities in the state and aid drivers on a need-basis. If successful with the express buses GPS will be installed on regular buses too. Of the total around 9000 ST buses around one fourth are from express category. GSRTC came into existence on May 1, 1960 on formation of Gujarat. From a modest beginning of 7 divisions, 76 depots and 7 divisional workshops and a fleet of a little over 1750 buses it has gone to 16 Divisions, 126 Depots, 226 bus stations,1,554 pick up stands and around 9000 buses.
Hardik Patel is in Jail, and the Gujarat Government is Feeling Jittery
Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
Eight months after 23-year-old Hardik Patel emerged on Gujarat’s horizon leading an agitation for reservations for his high-caste Patidar community in government jobs and education under the OBC category, the Anandiben Patel-led government is floundering on how best to move forward. The otherwise nonchalant BJP in the state, standing on the firm ground laid by Narendra Modi, has not only been unable to handle the Patel agitation that unexpectedly cost it dear during the recent local elections but is also watching with dismay the rising confidence of the opposition Congress for the first time in many years. Af-
ter its initial confusion and procrastination over the sudden rise of the Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) lastJuly and August, the Anandiben Patel Government decided to get firm to stop the young turn in his tracks. From the unabashed use of the police machinery and then holding him on the serious charge of sedition in October, the government used all the weaponry
in its arsenal. Now, four months after Patel and his associates were thrown into jail, the Anandiben government continues to be jittery. With Hardik’s Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) threatening to revive the agitation, thereby exerting pressure to withdraw all police cases against the leader and his supporter the government is now trying to negotiate peace with them.
saying that “it is bounden duty of the police officer to record FIR when he receives information which discloses commission of cognizable offence.” Gohil has mentioned in the petition that the state government can’t change the judicial mandate given by the apex court. Therefore, the circular which is illegal and unconstitutional. The petition goes on to say that if the circular survives it will lead to “anarchy.” The petition is likely to come up for the hearing next week.
Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
Sacked IPS officer Samiullah Ansari has recently shot back a rejoinder before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) alleging that the Gujarat government indulged in “mud-slinging with mala fide intentions” against him by claiming that he “defrauded $18,000”, an amount which he never took. Ansari produced a letter from the central government, which he claimed, proves that no such amount was ever re-
Gujarat dumps 2003 tourism plans citing security concerns Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
In its 2003-2010 tourism policy, Gujarat government had promised that it will develop water sports facilities at Narmada dam canal reservoir (situated between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar) to make the place a tourist attraction. “This will include rover boats, scooter boats, jet boats and also offer kayaking and canoeing facilites with proposals for diving sports,” the policy document had said. It had also proposed eco-tourism sites on and around Narmada dam but very few tourism facilities have been developed so far. In 2003, Narendra Modi had just become Gujarat chief minister for the second time and plans for cruise boat travel, adventure sports, tribal, village and and eco-tourism were among his popular announcements. In the
new tourism policy announced in September 2015, the Gujarat government seems to have ignored its earlier plans for Narmada tourism. Instead it has just proposed ‘Narmada Parikrama’, mainly focused on covering the pilgrimage sites along the river. N Shrivastava, managing director, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL) said that due to security concerns and because of technical reasons, facilities like cruise and boat services are not possible on Narmada dam and canals. “However, we are developing several other facilities on and around Narmada dam,” said Shrivastava. S.S.Rathore, chairman and managing director of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL) said that the development of tourism is the role of the state tourism department.
leased in his favour. Ansari also sought to withdraw a petition filed by his father-in-law, retired IAS officer SK Saiyed, on his behalf months before the Centre passed an order dated December 31, 2015, terminating his service as “deemed to resigned.” The former IPS officer had moved the tribunal seeking voluntary retirement after the state
government refused to do so on the ground that he did not complete 20 years of service to be qualified for the VRS. Ansari argued that following his termination order by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), his petition for voluntary retirement has become infructuous. He said he filed the rejoinder because some claims made by the state gov-
ernment in its affidavit “are not true and made intentionally with mala fide motives with a view to scandalise the entire issue raised…” The rejoinder said after learning about the allegation Ansari sent an e-mail to MHA officials, seeking their clarification. In response, P K Pattnaik, Joint Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Personnel and Training, replied that no fund was released in Ansari’s favour. His reply read, “However, as per the provisions of this scheme, the first year of the programme is treated as ‘on duty’ and the officer is entitled to draw full salary during this period.” A copy was marked to Nikhil Bhatt, under secretary in Gujarat government’s Home Department.
‘Marital rape’: Suresh Langado gets bail Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
A Metropolitan court Wednesday granted bail to Suresh Langado in a marital rape case lodged by his wife. Langado, convicted to life imprisonment in Naroda Patiya massacre case, has been accused of rape by his wife, who has also filed divorce against him. Langado had hit headlines last month when he allegedly assaulted a woman journalist who had gone to interview him. He was out on a month-long parole granted by the Gujarat High Court, but was arrested by Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch follow-
Underwater restaurant closed a day after inauguration, sealed today
The High Court had granted him interim relief on the ground that he had to find his “missing” daughter ing the alleged assault relief on the ground that case. Despite the bail, he he had to find his “misswill remain in jail since ing” daughter. He is he violated the condition among the 31 convicted by indulging in a crimi- for their role in the 2002 nal case. The High Court Naroda Patiya riots that had granted him interim claimed 97 lives.
Gujarat HC grants bail to two persons in IPL cricket betting racket
Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation(AMC) has sealed a newly opened underwater restaurant in Bopal area of city for not having Building Use(BU) permission. The AMC team has asked the restaurant management to produce evidence that it had applied for BU permission. The restaurant which is India’s first underwater restaurant opened on 1st February but shut down its operation a day after. The restaurant owner had said the restaurant had been closed due to unexpected number of visitors and it will reopen on February 6, but another version said that the restaurant had been closed due to water seepage. The latest development is sealing by AMC today, as without BU permission the restaurant is considered unauthorized. The restaurant also lacks Gumasta dhara permission. Owner
Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
Bhatt said the restaurant had FSSAI and police permissions, but admitted it had not BU permission. The restaurant has 20 ft underground construction in which 1,60,000 liter
water is stored to create aquarium housing 4,000 fishes at present. The restaurant has 32 seat capacity. Average lunch or dinner prize per person is around Rs 1,000.
Gujarat high court has granted conditional bail to two persons - Ritesh Bansal and Paresh Bhatia , who were arrested in connection with the multicrore IPL betting racket last year. The Enforcement Directorate arrested them along with others and slapped charges of money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which has stringent bail rules. A special PMLA court denied bail to the due last year. The HC ordered on Wednesday to release them on bail on condition of furnishing a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties of Rs 50,000 each in each of the cases.
They have been asked not to leave Gujarat and Maharsthra borders without prior permission from the court. They will have to mark presence before investigators too on every Monday for first three months and later they will have to appear before IO once in the first week of every month. The betting racket was busted by ED sleuths from Vadodara and police made arrests from Gujarat, Mumbai and Delhi. This was the first cricket betting case ever in which PMLA has been invoked. Gujarat police first arrested Kiran Mala, Tomi Patel, Chirag Parikh and Dharmin Chauhan after ED raided a farm house in Vadodara in March last year.
Year : 02, Issue : 35 “Sunvilla Samachar” (English) Daily Morning Newspaper Printed at “Sunvilla Samachar(Daily) Printing Press”, Survey No.: 1624-25-26, Final Plot No.F/P/537, Urmila Compound, Opp.Ambica Estate, G.D. School Road, Saijpur Bogha, Ahmedabad -382340 and Published at A-24, Shardha Apartment, Thakkarbapanagar Road, Bapunagar, Ahmedabad-382350. Mo.: 9687612324, by Owner, Printer, Publisher : Aksheshkumar S. Savaliya on date 05-02-2016 (Friday), Editor : Kapilkumar M. Hirpara* (*Responsible for selection of News under the PRB act). RNI No. : GUJENG/2014/59629