Former home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi is to be the next Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. He will replace the present incumbent Shashi Kant Sharma who completes his term on 30th of this month.
Senior bureaucrat Rajiv Kumar has been appointed Secretary in the Department of Financial Services, DFS, while Anita Karwal would be the next Chairperson of Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE.
Noted economist Rajiv Kumar took over as the Vice-Chairman of government NITI Aayog on the 1st September. Mr Kumar replaced Indian-American economist Arvind Panagariya who left the think tank to return to academia. Mr Kumar was a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in economics from Oxford and a PhD from Lucknow University. He also served as Secretary General of industry association, FICCI.
Former Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sunil Arora will be the new Election Commissioner. His appointment was approved by President Ram Nath Kovind yesterday. The appointment will take effect from the date he assumes the charge.
On the 4th Sept 2017, the Tuticorin based Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank announced that Mr K.V. Ramamoorthy has been appointed as the MD and CEO of the Bank. Earlier, he was working as Excutive Director of United Bank of India and also Bank of Baroda. The RBI approved appointment is valid for three years.
R A Sankara Narayanan has taken charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Vijaya Bank. He has taken over the reigns of the bank from Kishore Sansi, who reached superannuation on August 31. Narayanan is a postgraduate in Public Administration with an MBA in Finance, CAIIB, PGDPM, PGDFM, DTIRM, DCP and BRM. He joined Bank of India as a direct recruit officer in 1983 and has headed various branches, zones and national banking groups across the country and many other departments in the corporate office, including treasury, retail, international banking,
corporate credit, risk management, compliance, retail, marketing, recovery and human
resources, with overseas assignments in Tokyo and Singapore.
On the 4th Sept 2017, Novratis announced that they have appointed Vasanth Narasimhan as the CEO of the company. Indian origin Vasanth will take over as CEO on the 1st Feb 2018. Narasimhan is currently the global head drug development and chief medical officer of the company. He is also an elected member of the US Academy for Medicine
Nine new Ministers of State were inducted in the Union Council of Ministers on the 3rd Sept 2017. Four Ministers of state were elevated to the cabinet rank. The country got a woman Defence minister in Nirmala Sitharaman. Piyush Goyal is the new Railways minister in addition to Coal. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been given additional charge of Skill Development. Suresh Prabhu is now new Commerce Minister, while Nitin Gadkari has been given additional charge of Water resources. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has been elevated to the Cabinet rank. RK Singh is the new Power Minister given independent charge. Santosh Kumar Gangwar has been given Labour and Employment. Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore gets minister of state independent charge of youth affairs and sports in addition to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Smriti Irani has retained Information and Broadcasting and Textiles Ministries. Former IAS officer Alphons Kannanthanam will be new Tourism Minister and Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, while former Mumbai Police chief Satyapal Singh will be the Minister of state for Human Resource Development and the Minister of state for Water Resources.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who assumed additional charge of Water resources on the 4th Sept, has announced the formation of an inter-ministerial task force to expedite implementation of the Centre’s Namami Gange mission. The task force is expected to have ministers and officials from water resources, urban development, drinking water and sanitation and rural development among others on board.
Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari has said the government aims to begin work on three river interlinking projects and building two dams in the next three months. Talking to reporters after a review meeting with senior officials of his Ministry in New Delhi yesterday, Mr Gadkari said, the river inter-linking projects were necessary to tackle flood and drought situations. He said, the government will use the latest technology in Ken-Betwa, Par-TapiNarmada and Damanganga-Pinjal River inter-linking projects. Besides, the government also aims to begin work on Pancheshwar and North Koel dams. The Minister said, these projects will help to irrigate lakhs of hectares.
The first batch of 1000 electric auto rickshaws was flagged off in Gurgaon on the 3rd Sept 2017 by the Union Minister Mr Nitin Gadkari. The E Rickshaw fleet is being operated by Treasure Wave Ventures (P) Ltd, in collaboration with Delhi Metro Rail. The E Rickshaws have been made in India and are fitted with GPS and tracking systems. They will provide employment opportunities to hundreds of unemployed youth, besides providing a pollution free environment
Road accident deaths in 2016, a total of 1.51 lakh people died in 4.81 lakh accidents, as per official data released on Wednesday. This denotes a 3% increase in fatalities over the previous year, even as the number of accidents declined by 4.1%, indicating a rise in the severity of accidents. In 2016, 55 accidents and 17 deaths took place every hour, which works out to a death every 3.5 minutes on Indian roads, according to the report, ‘Road Accidents in India 2016’, released by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
The government will soon bring in a policy on electric vehicles. Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari said this at the annual convocation of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers in New Delhi on the 7th Sept 2017. He also said a Cabinet note on electric vehicles is almost ready that will take care of charging stations. He asked carmakers to carry out research for electric vehicles.
The Supreme Court has quashed the Centre’s decision barring two medical colleges from admitting students for MBBS course in the 2017-18 academic session. The apex court’s judgements came up yesterday in matters relating to the medical colleges based in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which were denied the nod to admit students. The bench directed the authorities to permit them to take part in the current year’s counseling process which is still in progress.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, GJM suspended its indefinite shutdown in the Darjeeling hills from today till next round of talks with the state government which is scheduled on 12th of this month. This was informed by the GJM convenor Binay Tamang in Darjeeling on 31st August 2017.
The Government has extended the deadline for linking of the Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar by four months. Sources said, the deadline has been extended till 31st of December this year which was set to end on 31st August 2017. This
comes at a time when the government has granted a similar extension for furnishing of Aadhaar for availing the benefits of various social welfare schemes. The Supreme Court is also hearing petitions challenging the government’s decision on Aadhaar and has posted the matter for next hearing in November.
The Supreme Court has stayed the insolvency proceedings against real estate firm Jaypee Infratech at the National Company Law Tribunal, NCLT and sought the firm’s response on a plea seeking protection of the interests of hassled home buyers who have neither got homes,nor their money back. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, passed a stay order on the proceedings at NCLT, Allahabad. The bench also asked Attorney General K K Venugopal to assist it in deciding a batch of petitions opposing the insolvency proceedings and seeking protection of the home buyers’ interests.
The Supreme Court has said it would consider setting up a five-judge constitution bench to hear a plea seeking barring of those politicians against whom charges have been framed in serious offences, from contesting elections. The petition,
which was mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, has raised a question whether a person against whom charges have been framed be permitted to contest polls. The bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said that they will consider the plea seeking early adjudication by a five-judge constitution bench. At present, a person, convicted in a serious criminal case, is barred from contesting polls and a lawmaker stands disqualified in the event of conviction.
Iraqi Prime Minister Hayder al-Abadi declared victory over Islamic State militants in Tal Afar and the entire province of Nineveh, despite continued fighting in the small town of al- ‘Ayadiya. In a statement Abadi said Tal Afar has been liberated. Tal Afar had become the next target of the USbacked war on the terrorist group following the capture of Mosul, where it had declared its caliphate over parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014. Iraqi forces had been waiting to clear al-‘Ayadiya, 11 km northwest of Tal Afar, before declaring complete victory in the offensive. Islamic State militants had retreated to the town.
Kurdish-led forces in Syria have claimed control of the old city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the self-declared Islamic State caliphate. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, have been battling to capture the city since June. US-led coalition air strikes and special operations forces are supporting them. The SDF says, it has finally seized the remaining districts in the walled old city. The group says, it’s troops are now advancing into the west of Raqqa. The Islamic State terrorist group has been using the city’s western districts to house its military and administrative facilities but they are now encircled without supplies.
Eid-ul-Azha, the festival of sacrifice was celebrated with religious fervour and enthusiasm in various parts of the country on the 2nd Sept. The faithfuls dressed in their best thronged Eidgahs and mosques to offer Eid prayers. Later they exchanged Eid greetings. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people on the occassion.
2nd September 2017 marked the illegal slaughter of 2400 cows in Bengaluru all due to Police’s unwillingness to take action and overlooking the orders of Honourable High Court. Here is a series of events that took place.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Special Task Force (STF) on the 2nd September arrested Dr Kafeel Khan of BRD medical college Gorakhpur in connection with the deaths of several children last month. The arrest came a day after a Gorakhpur court issued non-bailable warrants against seven people including Dr Kafeel. A high-powered probe committee headed by Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar has indicted Dr. Kafeel then nodal officer of BRD Medical College’s Department of Pediatrics, former Principal Dr. Rajiv Mishra and others of laxity and other charges. Dr Kafeel was removed from all hospital duties after allegation surfaced of his involvement in stealing of oxygen cylinders from the hospital for his private clinic.
The Assam government has extended the disturbed area status of the state for another six months. A notification issued by the Home and Political Department declared the entire state of Assam as disturbed area for 6 months beyond 31st August this year. A press release was issued on the 2nd Sept in this regard. The decision has been taken after assessing the present law and order situation which continues to be a matter of concern due to some violent incidents by underground outfits.
The Kerala Tourism Department has launched a new initiative called “Yalla Kerala” (meaning ‘let go’) to attract tourists from the Arabian countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE , Qatar etc. As part of the campaign, the airports in Dubai and Saudi Arabia will have display of rich greenery, beautiful landscapes, hill stations and art forms of Kerala. The taxis running in Dubai will also carry such displays.
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has declared former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a proclaimed offender and ordered seizure of his property. The court also sentenced two senior police officers to 17 years in jail. The court delivered its verdict in a decade-old-case involving the gruesome assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack in Rawalpindi on 27th of December, 2007 when she came out of park after addressing an election rally.
The US administration has held back previously promised military aid of 255 million US dollars to Pakistan by attaching new conditions. The State Department said in a statement that the Department notified Congress on Wednesday of its intent to
obligate 255 million US dollars in financial year 2016 Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Pakistan. State Department also said that it is putting the entire amount into an escrow account that Pakistan could access only if it did more to eradicate alleged terrorist safe havens in the tribal areas and stopped cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.
US banking regulators ordered Pakistan’s Habib Bank to shut its New York office after nearly 40 years, for repeatedly failing to heed concerns over possible terrorist financing and money laundering. New York banking officials have said that Habib, Pakistan’s largest private bank, facilitated billions of dollars of transactions with Saudi private bank, Al Rajhi Bank, which reportedly has links to al Qaeda, and failed to do enough to ensure that the funds were not laundered or used for terrorism. The state’s Department of Financial Services, which regulates foreign banks, also slapped a 225 million Dollars fine on the bank, although that is much smaller than the 629.6 million Dollars penalty initially proposed.
North Korea Story: Timeline
North Korea’s biggest nuclear test to date was condemned around the world on the 3rd Sept. India has deplored the nuclear test conducted by North Korea this morning. External Affairs Ministry in a release today said, it is a matter of deep concern that North Korea has once again acted in violation of its international commitments which goes against the objective of the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula. In a tweet, US President Donald Trump said, North Korea has conducted a major nuclear test and their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States. French President Emmanuel Macron urged the United Nations Security Council to react quickly and decisively. China, the only North Korean ally, urged its neighbour to stop wrong actions that worsen the situation. Russia has slammed North Korea nuclear test and urged all sides involved to hold talks to resolve the Korean peninsula’s problems. Japan’s Prime minister also slammed the nuclear test today as absolutely unacceptable. The International Atomic Energy Agency, called the nuclear test, Pyongyang’s sixth since 2006, an extremely regrettable act that was in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community. Earlier, North Korea said it tested a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on a missile and that its biggest ever nuclear detonation had been a perfect success.
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the 4th Sept 2017 to discuss an international response to North Korea’s latest nuclear test. The UNSC in a statement has said that the US, Britain, France, Japan and South Korea requested the urgent meeting. The council will meet in an open session, in contrast to many other meetings on North Korea that have been held behind closed doors. The latest meeting comes in the wake of North Korea’s sixth nuclear test, in defiance of UN resolutions that prohibits Pyongyang from pursuing nuclear and missile programs. Yesterday, North Korea had said, it tested a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted
on a missile and is its biggest nuclear detonation. Meanwhile, North Korea’s action has been condemned around the world.
UN Security Council, UNSC, members called for further sanctions against North Korea after a powerful nuclear test explosion. The emergency session of the UNSC on the 4th Sept comes six days after the council strongly condemned Pyongyang’s ‘outrageous’ launch of a ballistic missile over Japan. The meeting was requested by the United States, Japan, France, Britain and South Korea. Speaking during the discussion, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said North Korea’s relentless actions show that its leader, Kim Jong Un, is ‘begging for war,’ and the time has come for the council to adopt the strongest diplomatic measures.
South Korea’s navy held major live-fire drills on the 4th Sept 2017 to warn the North against any provocations at sea, it said, two days after Pyongyang’s biggest nuclear test to date. The drills, conducted in the East Sea of Japan, involved the 2,500- tonne frigate Gangwon, a 1,000-tonne patrol ship and 400-tonne guided-missile vessels, among others. The Navy said in a statement, if the enemy launches a provocation above water or under water, they will immediately hit back to bury them at sea. North Korea on Sunday triggered global alarm with by far its most powerful atomic test to date, claiming it was a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted onto a long-range missile.
The US has proposed a range of new sanctions against North Korea, including an oil ban and a freeze on leader Kim Jong-un’s assets. It has drafted a UN resolution in response to Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test, which will be considered by members of the UN Security Council. The draft calls for bans on supplying a range of oil products to North Korea and purchasing its textile exports. Kim Jong-un would also have his assets frozen, and be banned from travelling. The latest move to toughen measures against North Korea follows its latest test in a fast-advancing nuclear weapons programme. North Korea claims to have produced a powerful hydrogen bomb small enough to fit on a long-range missile. Last month, North Korea launched a missile over populated regions of Japan.
The External Affairs Ministry summoned acting Pakistan High Commissioner Haider Shah on the 5th Sept 2017 and lodged a strong protest over the cross border infiltration by a group of Pakistani nationals belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist organization in the intervening night of 16th and 17th of last month. The group carried out a brutal terror attack in the District Police Lines of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir on 26th of last month resulting in the death of 8 Indian security personnel.
India and Myanmar have agreed that terrorism remains one of the most significant threats to peace and stability in the region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi discussed the security situation prevailing along the borders. The two leaders expressed concern at various incidents of terrorism and extremist-inspired violence that have taken place in their territories.
India and Japan have agreed to collaborate closely in defence production, including on dual-use technologies. The two countries resolved to ramp up overall military engagement under the bilateral special strategic framework. A joint press statement
said, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and his Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera held wide-ranging talks, as part of the India-Japan annual defence ministerial dialogue in Tokyo during which issues relating to the US-2 amphibious aircraft also figured. The decision by India and Japan to boost defence ties comes amid escalating tension in the region in the wake of the nuclear test by North Korea and China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. The two sides also agreed to ramp up counter-terror cooperation, besides deepening engagement among navies, air forces and ground forces of the two countries.
On the 5th Sept 2017, India handed over INS Varuna, an off shore patrol vessel to the Sri Lankan Navy. This was done as a part of cooperation between the two Coast Guards. The ship Varuna was decommissioned on the 23rd August. The handing over to the Sri Lankan Navy took place at Kochi Port on the 5th Sept 2017. The ship has been given pennant number SLCG 60 by the Sri Lankan Navy
Finance Minster Arun Jaitley has said, the 5 .7 percent GDP growth rate in first quarter of this fiscal is a matter of concern and it throws up challenge to the economy. He said the rate has come down predominantly due to pre- GST effect as manufacturers were focusing more on clearing the existing stock. Talking to media in New Delhi, Mr. Jaitley said, the service sector and investment have improved in this quarter but down trend in manufacturing is essentially a GST impact. He said in the coming quarter, the government requires to work both in terms of policy and investment to improve the growth rate.
The country’s eight infrastructure sectors grew 2.4 per cent in July this year. The infrastructure sector had expanded 3.1 per cent in July last year, and had grown 0.8 per cent in June this year. According to official data, coal production increased 0.7 per cent in July this year, natural gas output grew 6.6 per cent, steel production rose 9.2 per cent, and electricity generation climbed 5.4 per cent. But, crude oil output decreased 0.5 percent in July, petroleum refinery output declined 2.7 per cent, fertilizer production fell 0.3 per cent, and cement production dropped 2 per cent during the month.
India Inc has expressed disappointment over the country’s economic growth, which slipped to a three-year low of 5.7 per cent in April-June. Industry chamber PHDCCI said, ease of doing business remains a major concern as manufacturing firms, particularly labour intensive units, are impacted by various stringent laws and compliance costs. PHDCCI President Gopal Jiwarajka said in a statement that the breakthrough in GST should be followed by reforms in labour laws such as a single uniform labour law across the country. He said, the industry was in anticipation of rebound from low growth. Assocham suggested that policymakers should take urgent steps to revive private investments.
The government has waived late payment fees for delayed filing of Goods and Services Tax returns and allowed businesses to correct errors in the initial form while submitting final returns by 5th September. In a circular, the finance ministry said late fee for all taxpayers who could not file GSTR 3B for July has been waived, but not the interest on late payment of dues. Businesses were required to file the maiden GST returns for July and pay taxes by 25th August by filing GSTR 3B. The final returns for sales for July are to be filed by September 5 and returns for purchases by 10th September. As per the CGST and SGST Acts, an interest at the rate of 18 per cent will be levied for delayed payment of tax. Taxes worth Rs 92,283 crore were collected in July from just 64.42 per cent of the total taxpayer base.
Finance Ministry has ruled out opening another window for depositing the scrapped 500 and 1,000 rupees notes.
The Government has said that names of over two lakh companies have been struck off from register of companies for failing to comply with regulatory requirements. Finance Ministry in a release said, action has been initiated to restrict operations of their bank accounts. It said, the existing directors and authorized signatories of such struck off companies will now become ex directors or ex athorized Signatories. The Ministry said, the directors of de-registered firms would not be able to operate the bank accounts till these entities are legally restored. TheDepartment of Financial Services, through the Indian Banks Association, has advised banks that they should take immediate steps to put restrictions on bank accounts of such struck-off companies. In addition to such struck off companies, Banks have also been advised to go in for enhanced diligence while dealing with companies in general.
For the first time ever, the Home Ministry has given financial powers to joint secretaries. They can now spend up to ₹ 50 crore for executing works and purchasing land. Joint secretaries have also been allowed to make procurement through open or limited tender of up to ₹ 20 crore and procurement through negotiated or single tender or proprietary contract of up to ₹ 5 crore, an official said. Such financial powers have been given to bring greater flexibility in operations, reduce delays and facilitate quick decision on matters involving financial expenditure, a Home Ministry official said. The decision has been taken by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, who assumed charge on August 31.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is likely to ground over 130 pilots and 430 cabin crew members of national carrier Air India for allegedly skipping the mandatory pre and post-flight alcohol test. These crew members had regularly been “evading” the breath analyser test over a period of time for flights to and from certain destinations such as Singapore, Kuwait, Bangkok, Ahmedabad and Goa, sources close to the development told PTI here. Aviation regulator DGCA has already served an ultimatum to the Air India management over the alleged safety violations by the airline’s crew members ahead of its enforcement action, they said. As part of the DGCA’s safety regulations, all pilots and cabin crew must undergo breath analyser test before and after flights.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked tax administrators to fix clear targets to improve the country’s tax administration by 2022. He said, the government is working towards creation of an environment which shatters the confidence of the corrupt, and instills confidence among the honest taxpayers. Inaugurating the Rajasva Gyan Sangam at New Delhi, Mr. Modi mentioned steps taken by the government including demonetization, and implementation of stringent laws against black money and benami property.
Black money worth 4,900 crore rupees was disclosed by 21 thousand people under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna (PMGKY), the stash money declaration
window announced by the government post demonetisation. A top government official told PTI that the Income Tax Department has collected a tax of 2,451 crore rupees till now from these declarations. The official said that 4,900 crore rupees black money was disclosed under the PMGKY scheme that closed on March 31 this year. It was informed that these are now the final figures. The I-T department is now following up the legal processes with the declarants in few cases. The scheme was launched in December last year by the government to enable people with black money to come clean by paying tax and penalty of 50 per cent.
The government’s fiscal deficit at the end of July this year touched 92.4 per cent of the budget estimate. This was mainly because of front loading of expenditure by government departments. The fiscal deficit is the difference between the government’s expenditure and revenue. The government aims to bring down the fiscal deficit to 3.2 per cent of GDP in the current fiscal. According to Controller General of Accounts data, the government’s revenue receipts improved to 2.91 lakh crore rupees during the April to July 2017 period, which is 19.2 per cent of the target for the whole year. Revenue expenditure widened to 131.2 per cent of the budget estimate, from 93 per cent in the corresponding period last year.
Cash-rich Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) will raise its first debt ever, of ₹ 25,000 crore, to part fund the ₹37,000 crore acquisition of government’s stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd. (HPCL). India’s largest oil and gas producer has about ₹ 13,000 crore in cash and will need to borrow the rest to fund the buying of government’s 51.11% stake in HPCL. ONGC has sought shareholder approval for “borrowing/ raising funds in Indian rupee and/ or foreign currency by issue of debt instruments (including bonds, non-convertible debentures and notes) in domestic and/ or overseas market” of ₹ 25,000 crore. The borrowings would be for “acquisition of projects/ equity shares and/or going concerns, meeting capital expenditure, working capital requirements and general corporate purposes during the period commencing from the date of passing of special resolution till completion of twelve months thereof or the date of the next annual general meeting in the financial year 2018-19, whichever is earlier,” the company said in a shareholder resolution.
On the 4th Sept 2017, the Reserve Bank of India included HDFC Bank in the list of “too big to fail” banks or domestic systematically important Banks. Till now, State Bank of India and ICICI Banks were the two Banks in the list. Systematically important banks (SIBs) are subject to higher levels of monitoring and supervision so as to prevent disruption in financial services in the case of their failure
Former IAF Chief S P Tyagi was on the 1st Sept charge sheeted by the CBI in a Delhi Court along with nine others in connection with a bribery case in the 3,500 crore rupees AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. 72-year old Tyagi is the first chief of the Indian Air Force to be charge sheeted in a corruption or a criminal case by the CBI. Besides him, the agency has also charge sheeted retired Air Marshal J S Gujral along with eight others, including five foreign nationals. The court has fixed September 6 to peruse the charge sheet in which the Anglo-Italian company, AgustaWestland, is also one of the accused.
The Sports Ministry has approved constitution of a 13- member Empowered Steering Committee, ESC. It will shape and influence India’s preparation for multi- disciplinary events, including 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Hockey India, HI, has sacked national coach Roelant Oltmans with immediate effect and made High Performance Director David John in charge of the national men’s team till a suitable replacement is found. The HI arrived at the decision after a three-day review meeting of its High Performance and Development Committee. Mr David John told PTI that Oltmans gave a series of presentation about his long-term vision but there is a need of short-term results. He said there was core of probables since 2012 but still the Indian team failed to produce desired results at the international level. The hockey body want consistency. He said that the body is aiming to win the Asia Cup, Hockey World League Finals and Asian Games.
Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today became the first wicketkeeper in world cricket to effect 100 stumpings in One Day Internationals. Dhoni achieved the feat in his 301st ODI in Colombo today when he whipped off the bails to remove Sri Lankan batsman Akila Dananjaya off leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s bowling. 36-year-old Dhoni has also taken 281 catches apart from scoring 9,657 runs so far. Dhoni played 90 Tests and 77 T20 Internationals as well. India won the ODI series against Sri Lanka 5-0. Indian captain Virat Kohli slammed his 30th ODI Century, equally Ricky Ponting’s record. Only Sachin Tendulkar with 49 hundreds, has scored more centuries
India’s Konsam Ormila Devi bagged a gold medal in 44kg weight category on the opening day of the Commonwealth Youth (boys & girls) weightlifting championship, held at Gold Coast, Australia. Ormila lifted 57kg in snatch and 76kg in clean and jerk for an overall effort of 133kg, to finish on the top of the podium. With this effort, Ormila has registered her best lift so far.
India’s Sivalingam Sathish Kumar and Ragala Venkat Rahul have qualified for next year’s Commonwealth Games after winning a gold medal each in their respective weight divisions at the Commonwealth Senior (men & women) Weightlifting Championships in Gold Coast, Australia. Two Indian women weightliftersS.Nirupama
Devi and Nikeeta Kale- also claimed gold medals in 69 kilogram weight division of junior section.
South Korea secured a ninth straight appearance at the World Cup with a 0-0 draw against Uzbekistan on 5th Sept. The draw earned the Koreans a point that sealed
second place in Group a of Asia’s qualifying competition behind the already-qualified Iran. Saudi Arabia also claimed its place at the finals, for the first time since 2006, in Russia next year with a 1-0 victory over a Japanese side that has already reached the finals. The result pushed Australia into third in Group B and a place in the playoffs, where it will meet Syria, which drew 2-2 with Iran to finish third in Group A.
On the 4th Sept 2017, the official song of the FIFA Under 17 World Cup was launched by the Local Organising Committee and the officials of the Sony Pictures Net Work India. The song titled” Kar Ke Dikalade Goal” was launched to mark the occasion. The song has been penned by lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya and composed by Pritam. The song has been sung by well-known singers including Sunidhi Chauhan. It also includes a rap performance by Abhishek Bachchan.
China, which has the largest number of nuclear power plants, passed a nuclear safety law to ensure the safe use of nuclear energy. The legislation was adopted after a third reading at the bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress, the top legislative body. Staterun Xinhua news agency reported, the new law clarified China’s rational, coordinated and balanced nuclear safety outlook and its commitment to fulfilling international obligations under binding treaties. The law said, China should carry out international exchanges and cooperation in nuclear safety to prevent and deal with the threat of nuclear terrorism. Under the new law, the government is required to set up an inter-agency coordination mechanism for nuclear safety and a national committee in charge of emergency response to nuclear accidents.
Brics Story Timeline:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two nation tour of China and Myanmar from 3rd Sept 2017. On the first leg of his visit, he will reach this evening Xiamen, coastal city of Fujian province in China to attend the 9th BRICS Summit. The theme of the Summit is “Stronger Partnership for a better future.” The Summit will begin on Monday morning with a welcome ceremony and a photo-op which will be followed by a BRICS restricted and plenary sessions. At least four documents, BRICS Action Agenda on Economic and Trade Development, , BRICS Action Agenda on the Innovation Cooperation, BRICS Customs Cooperation and an MoU between BRICS Business Council and New Development Bank are expected to be signed for the Summit.
BRICS summit began in Xiamen City of China on the 3rd Sept 2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the summit. Business forum of the summit opened with the address by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The BRICS Cultural Festival, BRICS Leaders’
Dialogue with BRICS Business Council and Signing of documents Ceremony will also be held today. Host country China has also invited five guest countries for the summit under its BRICS plus approach. They are Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand.
Xiamen BRICS summit has strongly deplored terrorist attacks worldwide, including attacks in BRICS countries. In its declaration BRICS has condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed that there can be no justification whatsoever for any act of terrorism. BRICS expressed concern on the security situation and violence caused by the Taliban, ISIS, AlQaida and its affiliates the Haqqani network, Pakistan based terrorist organisations Lashkar-eTaiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and TTP. During the restricted session of the summit, Prime Minister raised the issues of international terrorism, money laundering, ban on terror groups active in different parts of globe and restructuring of International organisations.
BRICS leaders have signed four documents during the summit on Action Agenda on Economic and Trade Cooperation, Innovation, Customs Cooperation and MOU with Development Bank on Strategic Cooperation. The documents signed by the BRICS leaders are aimed at improving and broadening cooperation mechanism and promoting industrial and technical upgradation to enhance economic complementarties. BRICS action plan for innovation cooperation intends to facilitate innovation driven development for sustainable development. Strategic framework of BRICS custom
cooperation is meant for mutual sharing of information recombination of customs control and mutual assistance in enforcement as guiding principles.
China’s President has warned that the world economy faces growing risks and uncertainties from countries turning inward on trade and resisting combating climate change. Mr. Xi Jinping didn’t refer to the United States, although President Donald Trump has said trade pacts are a threat to American jobs and has decided to pull the U.S. out of the Paris agreement on climate change. Mr. Xi spoke on 3rd Sept 2017 as he opened a dialogue among members of the BRICS group of large emerging economies and leaders of five other developing countries.
India has reiterated that peace and tranquility is pre-requisite for further development in bilateral relationship with China. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar told media persons that bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Mr Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping was forward looking and constructive. The meeting lasted about an hour. Mr Jai Shankar said that Prime Minister Modi told Mr Xi that India and China are each other’s major neighbours and both the countries are world’s largest and emerging. He said, there should be stability in relationship between both the countries. He also said, both the countries do not allow to disagreements to become disputes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to expel up to 155 more US diplomatic personnel from his country. At a press conference after a summit of BRICS nations in Xiamen, Mr. Putin said, Russia reserves the right to make a decision on how many American diplomats there are in Moscow. However, he said, Moscow will not do that for the moment.
The Donald Trump administration on 5th Sept 2017 discontinued an Obama-era immigration reform measure that protected from deportation people who had entered the U.S. illegally as children. “The programme known as DACA that was effectuated under the Obama administration is being rescinded,” Attorney-General Jeff Sessions said. The former President had introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) as an interim relief even as a debate on a comprehensive immigration reform to address the status of 11 million undocumented residents in America was caught in a political logjam for years.
A state of emergency has been declared in Los Angeles as the city battles the worst wildfires in its history. Hundreds of homes have been evacuated around the Glendale and Burbank suburbs. The fires, covering about 5,000 acres, started in La Tuna Canyon on Friday and have sent plumes of smoke over the city. At least three homes have already been destroyed and a major road, the 210 Freeway, closed. Mayor Eric Garcetti declared an emergency on Saturday night and a further emergency order was made by California Governor Jerry Brown yesterday. The declarations allow state and federal funds to be provided as soon as possible.
The world’s biggest and most powerful European X Ray Electron Laser Gun was launched in Hamburg, Germany on the 1st September 2017. The XEFL is a series of 3.4 km long tunnels upto 38m underground in the city of Hamburg. It took eight years to build and cost 1.5 billion Euros. The wavelength of the X rays is about 0.05 nanometers, comparable to a hydrogen atom. It has the capacity to produce extremely intense laser flashes.
An international team of sand artists has built the world’s tallest sand castle on the 1st Sept 2017 in the German city of Duisburg. It is 54.5 feet tall and is themed “tourism”. The castle entered the Guinness Book of World Records. It was carved by Louis Bruegger man.
Astronaut Peggy Whitson returned to Earth late 2nd Sept 2017, wrapping up a record breaking flight that catapulted her to first place for U.S. space endurance. Whitson’s 665 days off the planet 288 days on this mission alone exceeds that of any other American and any other woman worldwide. She checked out of the International Space Station just hours earlier, along with another American and a Russian. Their Soyuz capsule landed in Kazakhstan shortly after sunrise on 3rd Sept, 2nd Sept night back in the U.S. Besides duration, Whitson set multiple other records while in orbit — world’s oldest spacewoman, at age 57, and most experienced female spacewalker, with 10.
The Earth-sized planets orbiting the ultracool TRAPPIST-1 dwarf star 40 light-years away may have substantial amounts of water and could be habitable, scientists say. An international team of astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to estimate whether there might be water on the seven planets orbiting in the nearby TRAPPIST-1 planetary. The results suggest that the outer planets of the system might still harbour substantial amounts of water. This includes the three planets within the habitable zone of the star, lending further weight to the possibility that they may indeed be habitable. In February this year, astronomers had announced the discovery of seven Earth-sized planets orbiting the ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1, 40 light-years away.
Scientists in the U.K. have developed a new camera that can see through the human body and track the medical tools known as endoscopes that are used to investigate a range of internal conditions. The device, developed by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University in the U.K., is able to detect sources of light inside the body, such as the illuminated tip of the endoscope’s long flexible tube. Until now, it has not been possible to track where an endoscope is located in the body in order to guide it to the right place without using X-rays or other expensive methods, researchers said. Light from the endoscope can pass through the body, but it usually scatters or bounces off tissues and organs rather than travelling straight through.
Inspired by fish scales that exhibit the excellent property of remaining oil-free even when the water is contaminated with oil, scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed a special kind of superior, oil-repulsive (oleophobic) coating. When applied to any material – wood, glass or metal-the coating keeps the surface free of oil contamination under water. By tweaking the composition of the coating, the team led by Dr. Uttam Manna from the Department of Chemistry at IIT Guwahati, has been able to make the coating also extremely oil-loving (oleophilic) under water. The oleophilic coating applied on objects will be helpful in removing oil from oil-contaminated surfaces or for absorbing oil from ocean oil-spills. One gram of cotton ball coated with the highly oleophilic material was able to absorb over 1,000 grams of oil, irrespective of the density of the oil, the researchers found. The results were published in the journal Chemical Science.
The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), an arm of the Reserve Bank of India, is developing a model platform for block chain technology. AS Ramasastri, Director, IDRBT, said the platform will be suitable for different applications relevant to banking. “We will be launching this platform very soon,” he said at the IDRBT Banking Technology awards function here on 1st Sept. Sudarshan Sen, Executive Director, RBI, said the central bank, IDRBT and fintech players could work together for commercial success of new technology platforms. Of late, blockchain is the most talked of and researched area in the banking and financial sector globally. It’s a type of distributed ledger or decentralised database that keeps records of digital transactions. People generally use a trusted third-party like a bank to make a transaction. But blockchain removes the need for a third-party by directly connecting the customers and suppliers on the same platform.
Capital market regulator SEBI is likely to propose the tightening of listing criteria on the stock exchanges, at its upcoming board meeting on September 18. The proposal may apply to the main board of stock exchanges as well as the small and medium enterprises (SME) segment. The move follows the recent action by the SEBI to suspend trading in 331 entities on the ground that they were shell companies. Listing criteria is the minimum threshold that companies should follow in terms of financial record and trading volumes to be listed on the bourses. SEBI intends to now raise the threshold to prevent shell companies from getting listed.
ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company has got capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)’s go ahead for its estimated Rs. 6,000 crore initial public offer, which could be the first by a general insurer in the country. Two state-run general insurers – General Insurance Corp of India and New India Assurance Company – as also two life insurance firms (SBI Life and HDFC Standard Life) have also lined up IPO plans and are awaiting SEBI’s go-ahead for their respective draft papers. Among these, SEBI is awaiting “clarification” from insurance regulator IRDAI with regard to IPOs by HDFC Standard Life, New India Assurance and General
Insurance, as per the latest update available with SEBI on these IPOs. In case of SBI Life, the market regulator received the required details from IRDAI on August 28 and the case is currently “under process” at SEBI’s end.
The country’s largest Bank, State Bank of India, has taken another step towards
artificial intelligence by launching SBI Intelligent Assistant, a chat box for
customers. The special chat box has been conceptualized and developed by all in call, a startup tech venture from Mumbai, with the help of IIT, Bombay.
On the 5th Sept 2017, the CEO of UIDAI announced that Banks have been an additional time limit of one more month, for creating Aadhar Enrollment Centres in at least 10% of their branches. Failure to comply with this regulations will entail the Banks for a fine of Rs 20,000 per uncovered branch w.e.f 30th Sept 2017
The Indian Council for Agricultural Research ICAR will be undertaking major research works on agriculture this year with the World Bank fund of 1100 crore rupees. Deputy Director General of the national apex agricultural research body Narendra Singh Rathore informed this in the convocation function at the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Chennai on the 7th Sept 2017. He said the funds will be allocated to ten each of the premier agricultural and veterinary universities in the country. Mr Rathore said, though India ranks first in milk production in the world, the milk yield per animal is very low as compared to international standards.
The government has issued an alert on spread of new malware ‘Locky Ransomware’ that can lock computers and demand ransom for unlocking them. Electronics and IT Additional Secretary Ajay Kumar tweeted that an alert regarding spam spreading Locky Ransomware issued by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team today. Ransomware is a malicious software and the Locky Ransomware is learnt to be demanding ransom of half bitcoin, which at present rate is equivalent to over Rs 1.5 lakh. (1 Bitcoin value)
The country’s life insurance behemoth, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has settled claims worth more than Rs. 1 trillion in the financial year 2016-17. LIC, which completed 61 years of its incorporation on the 1st September, said it had settled 215.58 lakh claims amounting to Rs. 1,12,700.41 crore during the financial year 2016-17, it said in a statement. “We achieved settlement of 98.34 per cent maturity claims and 99.63 per cent of death claims in the year,” as per the statement. LIC has assets of over Rs. 25 trillion with Life Fund to the tune of Rs. 23,23,802.59 crore. As of date, the corporation has 1.15 lakh employees, 11.31 lakh agents and 29 crore plus policies in force. During the year gone by, LIC registered a growth of 27.22 per cent in the new business in terms of the first year premium.
Government has given nearly 500 customised Google Pixel phones with Reliance Jio SIM cards to senior bureaucrats for “secure communication,” The phones, which run on Android OS, have a pre-stored directory that contains the number of all officials above the rank of joint secretary. The phones were distributed two months ago.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been adjudged to be the 9th best government organization in the world. CSIR has been ranked 9th amongst 1207 government organizations studied. The ranking is based on several factors including research performance, innovative outputs and societal impact measured by their
web visibility.
In its latest issue on 2nd Sept 2017, the Forbes magazine has declared India as the most corrupt country in the world. The report was based on a study by Transparency International. Transparency International is a Berlin based NGO working against corruption. According to the study, India is the most corrupt country in the world with 69 % bribery rates, while Japan is the least corrupt, with a bribery rate of just 0.2%
As part of its efforts to reinstitute Nepal as the global capital of Hinduism, the Nepal Government held a three day International Hindu Conference in Kathmandu from 30th August 2017. The theme of the conference was “Emerging spiritualism, Renaissance of Hinduism”. The conference was attended by Hindu scholars and researchers from different countries including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, USA and UK.
Swedish defence giant Saab and Indian conglomerate Adani group have announced a Collaboration in defence manufacturing entailing billions of dollars of investment,
mainly eyeing a contract for single-engine fighter jets for the Indian Air Force. The announcement of the deal was made in New Delhi. The two companies said the project will encompass design, development and production of Gripen jets for India in line with the Make in India initiative.
No frills airline Trujet of Turbo Megha Airways has announced the launch of Hyderabad-Mysore flight under the regional connectivity scheme. A promoter of regional connectivity, the airline covers unserved sectors, including Nanded and Kadapa, and has now added Mysore. This is part of the UDAN scheme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which seeks to boost regional connectivity. Vankayalapati Umesh, Managing Director, Turbo Megha Airways, said: “Air connectivity to Mysore from Hyderabad is part of the efforts to connect the underserved cities with the big metros. We hope this will contribute towards the overall economic growth.” Turbo Megha is one of the five air operators which won bids to operate on 128 routes connecting 70 airports, of which 31 are unserved under the regional connectivity scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN). Under the scheme, fares are capped at Rs. 2,500 for one-hour flights.
Hyderabad International Airport Ltd has bagged the National Award for ‘Excellence’ in Energy Management at a conference hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The event focused on recognising companies that are engaged in energy efficiency initiatives and displaying commitment towards energy conservation. SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL, in a statement said, “GHIAL is committed to exploring energy efficient solutions. As a part of our Passenger is Prime initiative, we have deployed eco-friendly vehicles such as electricity powered buggys, ground handler vehicles, trolley movers, and have even commissioned e-cars.” During the event, airport developer GMR made a presentation highlighting the energy savings of around 14.8 million units (MU) over the last three years and a drastic decline in greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions after adopting various energy saving measures at the airport.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has allowed the search operation at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa under the supervision of a judicial officer. The High Court yesterday appointed retired Judge, Justice KS Pawar as the Court Commissioner for the search operation. He will submit a report to the Court in a sealed cover. According to sources, police has prepared a Special Weapons and Tactics or SWAT team and bomb squad to sanitize Dera. The entire operation will also be video recorded.
A special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act (TADA) court in Mumbai awarded death sentence to Tahir Merchant and Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case. Gangster Abu Salem and Karimullah Khan were sentenced for life, while the fifth convict Riyaz Siddiqi was jailed for 10 years. In the 1993 serial blasts case, the special TADA court awarded death sentence to Tahir Merchant and Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan and life imprisonment to extradited gangster Abu Salem. Besides Salem, the court also sentenced Karimullah Khan to life imprisonment in the case while awarding 10 years’ sentence to the fifth convict, Riyaz Siddiqui. The court had in June convicted six persons, including mastermind Mustafa Dossa and Salem, in the case. It, however, let off accused Abdul Quayyum, for want of evidence. The Mumbai blast of March 12, 1993, resulted in 257 deaths and over 700 were injured
The Union Ministry of Science and Technology is planning to create “Farm Zones” with a view to helping the small and marginal farmers in the country. Farm Zone is a collective open data platform for smart agriculture using biological research. It is a concept that integrates farming, science and technology, innovation and the eco system. It will connect with farmers and scientists government officials, economists and representatives from global companies. The platform will serve all the needs of a farmer including climate change, weather predictions, soil, water and seed requirements.
On the 1st Sept 2017, the walled city of Ahmedabad got the certificate as India’s First Heritage City by the UNESCO. The certificate was handed over to the Gujarat
Chief Minister by the UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova.
The Gujarat government has announced a cash reward of 1 lakh Rupees to those providing information about the administrators and curators of the deadly Blue
Whale Challenge. After banning the challenge, which incites people to commit suicide, the state home department came out with an advisory and directed police department and district administrations to prohibit people from undertaking the challenge.
Ganpati Visarjan in the 125th Ganeshotsav celebrations in Pune was conducted. Ganesh idol immersion process concluded by afternoon. Lakhs of devotees gathered in old Pune city to see this Spectacular visarjan procession. People were seen dancing to the rhythm of Nagara Vadan and DholTasha. Immersion process started on the 4th Sept.
Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to spend a massive fund of 2500 crores for Ardhkumbh mela 2019 preparations. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today laid
foundation of 34 development projects worth 510 crore Rupees for Sangam Nagari Allahabad and announced that soon air services will start from the city to other major parts of the state. Government has decided to increase The Mela area for Ardhkumbh 2019 from 18 kilometers to 30 kilometers. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced to constitute Pragyraj Mela Authority which will look after all works related to Kumbh and Ardhkumbh. A separate Magh Mela Authority will now work for yearly Magh mela arrangements. Apart from announcement of Air services from Allahabad Chief Minister also said that very soon the work for Metro rail will start in city. Government will develop Shringverpur Dham Chitrakoot and will connect it with Kashi and Prayag.
On the 4th Sept 2017, the President of India, Mr Ram Nath Kovind, laid the foundation stone of the Link 4 of the SAUNI Scheme in Gujarat. The Saurashtra Narmadan Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) was conceived by the Prime Minister Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The project aims to fill 115 dams in the 11 districts of Saurashtra by the overflowing waters from the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River by a 1126 km network of pipelines.
The government allowed import of 3 lakh metric tonnes of raw sugar through southern ports of country at concessional duty of 25 per cent to augment domestic supplies ahead of the festive season. The import shall be open to millers and refiners who have their own capacity to convert raw sugar into refined. The imports will be allowed through the ports Tuticorin, Karaikal, Chennai, Mangalore, Kakinada, Gangavaram and Vishakapatnam in the South. The scheme shall be operated by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade as per their rules and regulations. Applications shall be received online by DGFT at sugarimporttrq-dgft@nic.in from 8th to 12th of this month. Details of the scheme can be seen on the website of DGFT http://www.dgft.gov.in
The Karnataka Government has launched an unified health scheme “Arogya Bhagya”, which will cover the entire population of the state. The unique feature of the scheme is “Treat now Pay later”. All the facilities will be provided through the Aadhar linked Health Card. The card will provide for cashless treatment in all the enrolled Private hospitals and Government Hospitals.
In Karnataka, a journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead at her Rajarajeshwari Nagar’s residence in Bengaluru on the 5th Sept 2017. Gauri Lankesh was the editor of Kannada tabloid Lankesh Patrike founded by her father and
well-known writer P Lankesh. Gauri Lankesh was also part of a panel formed by State government to help surrender Naxals to reform. Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy informed that unidentified persons shot her from close range at around 8 PM, when she got down from her car at her residence. He has said three teams comprising of senior police officer are formed to investigate the crime.
5th September is Teacher’s Day. The day is observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of academician, statesman and philosopher Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan who was the second President and first Vice President of India. President, Vice President and Prime Minister have greeted teachers on the occasion of Teacher’s Day. In his message, President Ram Nath Kovind said, India has a warm tradition of the Guru Shishya parampara by which teachers impart their knowledge to students and empower them. He said, it is the moral responsibility of all to pay respect and regard to teachers, as they are role models who guide children to become good and productive human beings. Mr Kovind said, teachers also develop the creativity of children and kindle a desire in them to be innovative.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu gives away national awards on Teacher’s Day: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said, India has a great cultural educational heritage. Addressing a function on the occasion of Teachers Day in New Delhi, Mr Naidu said,
education is the most crucial foundation for nation building. He said, teachers should be given credit for country’s development and shaping the future of children. The Vice President also conferred the National Award to Teachers. The award is given as public recognition to meritorious teachers working in primary, middle and secondary schools. President Ram Nath Kovind will also meet the Awardees at a special event in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
IPL Media Rights Story: Timeline
Star India has won the coveted Indian Premier League, IPL, media rights for a whopping 16,347.50 crore rupees for the next five years. The staggering deal, which will run from 2018 to 2022, has turned out to be a financial windfall for the BCCI despite the administrative crisis it is facing at the moment. The testimony to IPL’s growth as the premier sporting property of the country is reflected by the fact that the previous 10-year bid for TV rights only was bought by Sony at 8200 crore rupees in 2008. Now, the BCCI stands to earn nearly double that amount in half the duration of five years, with earnings of 3270 crore rupees from IPL media rights per year. The BCCI will now earn 55 crore rupees approximately from an IPL match compared to 43 crore rupees, ironically, for each international match that India play. The media rights include broadcast (TV) and digital (mobile and internet) for various segments namely India, Middle East, Africa, Europe and America.
NITI Aayog has launched the National Nutrition Strategy aimed at Kuposhan Mukt Bharat. It intends at bringing nutrition to the centre-stage of the National Development
Agenda. It lays the roadmap for targeted action to address India’s nutritional needs. Leader of the Green Revolution, Dr M S Swaminathan and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Dr Rajiv Kumar yesterday launched the Nutrition Strategy in New Delhi. Our correspondent reports that the nutrition strategy calls for convergence between four proximate determinants of nutrition – food, health services, income and water.
NITI Aayog has constituted an Expert Task Force to provide a major thrust to job creation by enhancing India’s exports. It will be headed by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar. Niti Aayog said, while the Indian workforce has high aspirations, a majority of workers are still employed in low-productivity, low-wage jobs in small, micro and own-account enterprises. It said, an urgent and sustained expansion of the organized sector is essential to address India’s unemployment and underemployment issue.
In the United States of America, 15 states and the District of Columbia have sued the Trump administration over the decision to end protection against deportation for young immigrants. The lawsuit filed on the 6th Sept in the federal court in Brooklyn said, rescinding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) will injure state-run colleges and universities, upset work places and damage companies and economies that include immigrants covered under the program. It said, the consequence of the President’s decision is that approximately 8 lakh persons who have availed themselves of the program will ultimately lose its protections and be exposed to deportation
Efficient Energy Services Ltd (under the Central Ministry of Power), has launched the UJJALA scheme in the state of Melaka in Malaysia, on the 6th Sept 2017. UJJALA in Malaysia aims to bring about clean energy, contribute to climate change targets
and replenish the dwindling energy sources. The company is aiming to distribute 1 million 9W LED bulbs in the country to replace the CFL bulbs.
On the 6th Sept 2017, Whatsapp announced that it was launching a new tool for businesses called “whatsapp business”. It gives the users a verified green mark badge
next to their names. Businesses will be able to create the company profile with information such as address, description of the products or service offered and
business hours. It will help manage customer chats. It will allow customers to communicate with the firms on Whatsapp instead of emails or phone calls.
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