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Why is India ranked at 130? Asks PM

  India continues to rank low at 130th position in terms of ease of doing business, with the country seeing little or no improvement in dealing with construction permits, getting credit and other parameters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked secretaries at the Centre and chief secretaries in the state to analyse the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Report, where India ranked a poor 130th among 190 countries, and suggest areas of improvement. The government has been making efforts to further improve the ease of doing business and aims to bring the country in the top 50. Speaking at the 16th PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) meet, the Prime Minister sought feedback from the officials within a month and has asked the government's most senior bureaucrat Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha to oversee the exercise, which will include an analysis by officials of the potential areas where there is scope for improvement in their respective departments and states.

60 yr old man stabs wife to death

  Manju Monga, 58, was brutally killed by her husband Mukesh who attacked her with a knife while he was going to drop her at a boutique in Anand Niketan area where she worked, around 11.30 am, police said. A heavily drunk Mukesh Mongastabbed her nine times with a blunt knife in her throat, chest and eyes during an altercation between them over a phone call she received. The couple used to reside in Hari Nagar with their children, a 29-year-old son and a 30-year-old daughter. Mukesh, an alcoholic, told cops that he suspected Manju of infidelity as she received calls from her clients and an NGO with which she was currently associated. He was also livid that she sought an account of where he spent some money he had borrowed from her. However, neighbours told police that Mukesh was addicted to alcohol and that wasn't approved by Manju and he would also physically assault her, said the officer.  The bystanders who witnessed the incident rushed to the woman's help and caught hold of her husband behind Mount Carmel School in Anand Niketan area. A guard posted in the area later made a PCR call after which police reached the spot and arrested Mukesh. Children of the deceased told police that their mother was supporting the family and their father didn't have a permanent source of income. 

Nano should be shut says TATA ex chief

  Tata Sons' ousted Chairman Cyrus Mistry has alleged that Tata Motors has been unable to shut down the loss making small car Nano due to "emotional reasons" and doing so would also stop the supply of "gliders" to an entity that makes electric cars in which Ratan Tata has a stake. "As there was no line of sight to profitability for the Nano, any turnaround strategy for the company requires to shut it down," said Mistry.  The Nano product development required concept called for a car below Rs 1 lakh but the cost were always above this. This product has consistently lost money, peaking at Rs 1,000 crore," Mistry said in his letter written a day after he was ousted as the Chairman of India's largest conglomerate. "Prior to my appointment, I was assured that I would be given a free hand. The previous chairman was to step back and be available for advice and guidance as and when needed. After my appointment, the Articles of Association were modified, changing the rules of engagement between the Trusts, the Board of Tata Sons, the Chairman, and the operating companies. Inappropriate interpretation indeed followed, and as elaborated below, it severely constrained the ability of the group to engineer the necessary turnaround," he has said in the letter. 

Nobel laureates to be invited to OU fete.

Hyderabad: The President of India, Mr Pranab Mukherjee is going to be invited for inaugurating the year-long centenary celebrations of the University of Osmania for the year 2017. Nobel laureates as well as OU alumni will also be invited according to the decision of the review meeting which has been chaired by Kadiam Srihari, the deputy chief minister of Telangana. The review meeting also decided that the programme will be conducted for 3 days starting from 26th of April 2017.

UP CM meets Governor amidst SP crisis

  Amidst the ongoing political crisis in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav met today with the state's governor Ram Naik. The meeting comes a day after Samajwadi Party chief and Akhilesh’s father Mulayam Singh Yadav met his son and his opponent in the party, Mulayam Singh’s younger brother, Shivpal Yadav who is also the state party chief. The sudden visit caught everyone by surprise, though some said an appointment had been sought in advance. Earlier in the day, Shivpal, who is also the state SP chief, expelled Tejnarain Pandey alias Pawan Pandey and wrote to the chief minister requesting that he be sacked from the ministry. Pandey is a junior minister in the Akhilesh government. On Sunday, along with Shivpal, three other ministers were removed by Akhilesh to signal he calls the shots in the government.

Sidhu To Face Trial In 2009 Election Case:SC

  Ex Indian cricketer and politician Navjot Singh Sidhu will face trial for alleged wrongdoings during the 2009 Lok Sabha election, the Supreme Court said today. Navjot Sidhu has been asked by the Supreme Court to face trial in a case in which his election in 2009 has been challenged by a rival candidate. In 2009, the cricketer-turned-politician won from Amritsar. He was in the BJP at the time. Sidhu, who won from Amritsar in 2009, is accused of violating the election expenditure cap of Rs 25 lakhs. He has also been charged with getting 11 officers transferred before the election. Significantly, this is not the first time that the former opening batsman finds himself into legal intricacies. He was convicted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a road rage case in 2006. Later, Sidhu appealed against the verdict in the Supreme Court, which suspended the High Court verdict on January 23 in 2007. 

CBI court acquits Yeddyurappa in bribery case

  CBI special court judge R B Dharmagoudar acquitted all the accused in relation to the Prerana Trust case including former Karnataka chief minister and BJP strongman BS Yeddyurappa, Yeddyurappa's two sons BY Raghavendra and BY Vijayendra, and also RN Sohan Kumar, son-in-law of the former chief minister. "Satyameva Jayathe. Justice is done. I stand vindicated," Mr Yeddyurappa tweeted after today's verdict at a court in the state capital of Bengaluru. A prominent leader of the powerful Lingayat community, he heads the BJP in Karnataka and has a mass following. He has been acquitted of accepting kickbacks worth 40 crores while he was Chief Minister to allow illegal mining in the state. In August 2011, Mr Yeddyurappa was forced to resign after Karnataka's ombudsman or Lokayukta, Santosh Hegde, indicted him for colluding in illegal iron-ore mining in the mineral-rich district of Bellary. Justice Hegde, a former Supreme Court judge, had famously described a mafia of politicians, bureaucrats and industrialists running "The Republic of Bellary."

No UCC without consensus says Venkaiah Naidu

  M Venkaiah Naidu, the Information and Broadcasting Minister has said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will not be brought through the back door and without a consensus. He also rejected the charge that contentious issues have been raked up by BJP to polarise elections, especially in Uttar Pradesh. Issues like triple talaq, civil code and Ram temple will not be used by BJP for political mileage in the upcoming elections, says the Minister who asserts that they will be fought on development agenda. "The government does not consider it (triple talaq) as a religious matter. It is a question of gender sensitivity. It is wrong to say that we are interfering in Muslim issues. The same Indian Parliament, the same political system had brought Hindu Code Bill, Divorce Act, banning Hindu Marriage Act, banning dowry and Sati practice, all these things are done by Indian Parliament," Naidu said.

No restriction on Pak artists in India:Govt

Information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu has said that the government has not imposed any restrictions on Pakistani artists working in India but filmmakers should respect the sentiments of people while engaging them. He also felt that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who had mediated between the producers of Ae Dil Hai Muskhil and MNS, did no wrong or had any role in asking the producers to pay Rs 5 crore to army welfare fund. “People say art has no boundaries. Yes, art has no boundaries but countries have boundaries. That has to be kept in mind,” Naidu said. “You have to understand the situation in mind. In normal times, yes. But in a situation where there is practically a proxy war going on and your neighbour is provoking you by encouraging and funding terrorists on a regular basis and killing thousands of people and your jawans, in such a situation if you engage in a debate that art is our right, then that will upset people. But government has not imposed restrictions on anyone”, he added.

BJP has nothing to talk about: MIM

Hyderabad: On Tuesday allegations were made against Barathiya Janatha Party by Asauddin Owaisi, the President of MIM and the MP of Hyderabad by stating, BJP was focusing systematically on issues related to triple talaq and Ayodhya Ram temple so as to gain advantage in the coming assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh. Mr Owaisi communicated with the media at the part of office of MIM and said that the insecure BJP had no optimistic plan for the states which were going for elections and therefore was dragging the issues of Triple Talaq and Ram Mandir.

TG holds consultations with SC.

Hyderabad: A final decision in reference with filing a petition against the verdict of the Tribunal of Justice Brijesh Kumar would be taken after the government of Telangana holds consultations with the senior counsel of Supreme Court i.e., with C S Vaidyanathan who is going to attend the meeting of the subcommittee of cabinet on 29th of October. The Irrigation Minister of Telangana, Mr T Harish Rao told the media that the state had a substantial catchment area of the river Krishna and had been continuously affected by injustice as far as the allocations to other projects were concerned.  

TG & AP file affidavits against a case.

Hyderabad: On Tuesday, the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were asked to counter file against a case by the High court of Hyderabad describing the actions taken to reduce copying that is taking place in the public examinations using unfair means. A petition which has been filed by Dr Srinivas Guntupalli daring both the governments of AP and TG was being dealt by the division bench of Hyderabad High Court comprising Justice A Shankar Narayana and Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan.

17 PSs will be set up at HMRS.

Hyderabad: To make sure the security of the metro project as well as the passengers is maintained over seventeen police stations would be established at various stations of Metro Rail and 48 outposts would be established alongside the corridor of Metro. Mr Krishna Prasad from Railway & Road Safety Board said on this context, “All the stations will be having a woman constable. Scanning of the baggage of travellers will be operated by a team and security at the exit and entrance points will be checked at regular intervals.

depts to the new buildings: CS

Hyderabad: One day after KCR in reference with the AP Secretariat Blocks’ allotment to Telangana had a meeting with the governor of the two states, E S L Narasimhan, a high level meeting has been conducted and the secretaries were directed by Rajiv Sharma, the Chief Secretary, to shift all the departments of AP to the new structures in the city of Hyderabad. A ten-day deadline has been given by Mr Rajiv Sharma for vacating the blocks and according to the sources a committee comprising the officers of IAS has been appointed by the Chief Secretary to monitor the same.

Flow of Musi into AP will be stopped by TG.

Hyderabad: On Monday, T Harish Rao, the Irrigation Minister of  Telangana said that, the government of the state would not let the flow of river Musi reach Andhra Pradesh but would allow the districts of Suryapet and Nalgonda to use the waters by restoring check dams, canal systems and anicuts. Mr Rao while addressing a meeting which has been organised at Nakrekal said that, sixty thousand million cubic feet of water had gone into the dam of Pulichantla in the current year, adding that, the water would be utilised in Suryapet and Nalgonda distriction after completing the works related to modernisation.

Explosion in Delhi, 1 dead

One person died and five others were injured in an explosion at the grain market in Old Delhi’s Naya Bazar on Tuesday afternoon. The explosion took place very close to a mosque in Chandni Chowk area. Preliminary probe revealed that the man, killed in the explosion, was carrying a bag containing explosive material. He was reportedly smoking when the blast occurred. The blast took place at 10:30 am, a police officer said adding that the deceased has not been identified yet. Delhi's anti-terror wing and Special cell have reached the site of explosion. People are seen running in panic as a powerful explosion shakes the entire street, covering it in a cloud of smoke. The crime and forensic teams have also reached the site of the blast to pick up the samples. Initial investigations suggest that the blast could be due to a cracker burst. A lot of explosive materials, used in crackers, were found at the site of explosion, officers said.

6 venues finalised in India for FIFA U-17 World Cup

For next year’s Under-17 football World Cup 6 venues have been finalised. The six venues that had been ratified before Kolkata are Kochi, Mumbai, Goa, New Delhi and Guwahati. Competitions department head of FIFA, Marion Mayer-Vorfelder, announced at a press meet here after the inspection that the tournament will be held from October 6 to October 28, 2017. The draw for the event will be held on July 7 next year. "Massive work has been done since the last inspection. That gives a very good feeling. This stadium in Kolkata can be one of the best in the country," said Mayer-Vorfelder. Earlier, Kochi, Navi Mumbai, Goa and New Delhi had got the FIFA’s nod. The 23-member strong delegation will travel to Kolkata tomorrow to visit the last venue of its inspection trip and assess the situation in the capital of Bengal. Event manager for the U-17 World Cup, Ms Marion Mayer Vorfelder remarked, “From what I am being told, the enthusiasm for the sport here in this part of the country is unmatched. “Football is like a religion here and considering how passionate people are about the sport here, this ratification denotes a win not just for the state of the Assam but the entire North East.”

“Don’t shift the CMO”, urges congress MLA.

Hyderabad: On Monday, the chief minister of Telangana, K Chandrasekar Rao has been urged by the opposition leader Mohd Ali Shabbir in the council of legislation not to vacate his current office till Ali constructs 2bhk houses worth Rs 2.6 lakh to the poor people of the state. Mr Ali on this context told the media, “Building a new structure next to the old one in vastu sahstra’s name, which would cost around Rs 38 Crore, is not proper. This is especially not acceptable when Telangana is currently dealing with problems related to financial crisis”.  

Kejriwal in Twitter war with Amarinder Singh

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday sparred on Twitter. Both the leaders challenged each other to an open debate ahead of the assembly elections in Punjab next year. But the Delhi Chief Minister said he was ready to undertake such a thing only if his opponents were Mr Singh's political bosses -- Sonia or Rahul Gandhi.  “Punjabis believe in leading from the front, not hiding behind others. Or have you already accepted that you can’t face me for a public debate?” Singh wrote. Kejriwal was quick to respond: “I am not hiding behind anyone sir. I am ready for a debate with Rahul ji or Sonia ji anytime. Our Punjab team will debate wid u.” In almost all of Kejriwal's speeches in the poll-bound Punjab, the AAP convener has made oblique attacks at Congress and Akali Dal, saying that the Akalis were funding the Congress elections with drug money. The Twitter war between the two started when Kejriwal reiterated on Twitter that the Akalis and Congress are fighting the election together.