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Shaan, Sadhna Sargam & Divya Jain unveiled the Ravindra Jain Music award trophy at Ajivasan Hall, uhu.
Divya jain wife of Late Ravindra Jain has planned 1st Ravindra Jain music award on 28th Feb, 2016 at 7 pm at Iskon auditorium, Juhu. She kept the rehearsals at Ajivasan hall where she unveiled the trophy with Shaan & Sadhna Sargam.
New Delhi: Ever wondered why the blankets provided by the Indian railways during train journey stink at times? It may be because these are washed only once every two months.
Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha told the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour today that while bedsheets, bed roll and pillow covers are washed every day, the blankets are washed every two months.
His reply came to questions raised by various members of the Upper House regarding the quality and hygiene of laundry and linen supplied by the Indian Railways on trains.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari quipped that the earlier system of passengers bringing their own linen and pillows for train journeys seems to be better.
He was supported by a Congress MP who asked the Minister if this would be allowed.
In response, Sinha said it was a “good advice” and the Railways will not have a problem if passengers want to adopt the earlier practice.
The Minister pointed out that while they have 41 mechanised laundries, plans are underway to increase their number by 25 more in the next two years so that these can serve about 85 percent of the passengers who use Railway linen and bed sheets.
He pointed out that in places which are not covered by the mechanised laundries, the job has been outsourced.
(PTI)
Hyderabad: The duty doctor at the University of Hyderabad health centre today appeared to contradict the claim of HRD Minister Smriti Irani that no doctor was allowed near the body of research scholar Rohith Vemula on the day he had died either to revive him or remove him to hospital.
Dr M Rajshree, the doctor on duty that fateful day when Rohith had allegedly committed suicide on Jan 17, said today she was the one who examined the body and had declared him dead.
She said the body of Rohit was lying on a cot and police had reached 15 minutes after she had gone to the hostel room on the day he had died after she got information at around 7.20 PM that one of the students had attempted suicide.
During a debate in the Lok Sabha yesterday on the controversies surrounding the Hyderabad University and the JNU, Irani had said nobody allowed a doctor near Rohith either to revive him or take him to the hospital.
“Nobody allowed a doctor near him. The police has reported that no one attempt was made to revive this child, not one attempt was made to take him to a doctor. Instead what was done was that his body was used as a political tool, hidden. No police was allowed till 6.30, the next morning. It is not me the Telangana police is saying this,” she had said.
Narrating the sequence of events today, Dr Jajshree said she rushed to NRS Hostel after she got information at around 7.20 pm on January 17 that one of the students attempted suicide in one of the rooms.
“The body was rigid and cold. I did the examination of the body. I found the body on a cot. The body with protruding tongue was rigid and cold. I checked for BP, for heartbeat. Then I came to the conclusion that he was dead. His body was cold. “It took 10 to 15 minutes. Then I declared him dead and informed the security officer. I saw police personnel 10 or 15 minutes after I reached the spot ” Rajshree told PTI.
She also said she was not prevented from examining the body by anyone.
Rohit Vemula’s suicide triggered a massive outrage and opposition parties launched a scathing attack on the Central Government and demanded action against Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, whose letters to Irani, were blamed for Rohith’s suicide, and Irani herself. The HRD Ministry appointed a judicial commission to look into the issue.
“The police started Panchanama. They checked the laptop and phone and collected suicide note. Rigor mortis of a body starts only after two hours. That is the minimum time for a body to stiffen. That’s what I told the police that it the death occurred before two hours,” she said.
When contacted, Dr Ravindra Kumar, Chief Medical Officer, said the duty doctor submitted a report in which he was declared dead.
(Agencies)
New Delhi: Opposition parties today sought an apology from HRD minister Smriti Irani for reading out in Rajya Sabha “objectionable” comments made outside against a god, as she defended herself saying she was asked for proof of her statements against JNU students.
BJP members also hit back at the Congress saying the opposition party was raising the issue due to the criticism of its Vice President Rahul Gandhi over his visit to JNU.
As the House met for the day, Deputy Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma raised a point of order saying the Constitution and rules do not permit anything to be raised in the House which is blasphemous and can hurt religious sentiments.
Irani, he said, had read out “insulting” comments made against Goddess Durga “verbatim” in the House hurting sentiments and sought a ruling from the Chair as to whether such comments made outside Parliament against any religious figure or a deity can be read out inside the House.
Members of other opposition parties also agreed with K C Tyagi of JD(U) demanding that Irani should unconditionally apologise for the comments read out by her.
Irani, however, remained unfazed by the criticism and asserted that she herself was a “practising hindu and a Durga worshipper”.
The HRD minister also insisted that she had read out the comments from authenticated documents from JNU as she was repeatedly being asked to explain what was the evidence against students accused of anti-national acts, which some parties were giving respectability to.
Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad then said it is a “very serious issue” and the “minister should apologise for what she said yesterday.”
Azad said there were campaigns against many religious figures but all this cannot be raised in the House.
Coming to his colleague’s defence, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi attacked Congress and other opposition parties saying it had become a pattern for them to seek a Short Duration Discussion, a couple of Calling Attention Motions and an apology in every session while showing no interest in legislative business.
He also said that Congress was raising the issue as its Vice President was criticised for supporting those indulging in activities against the nation.
As the two sides indulged in heated exchanges, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said there has been a tradition that nothing blasphemous or anything against any community will be raised in the House. He assured members that he would go through the records and expunge anything blasphemous.
(Agencies)
India’s Rohit Sharma plays a shot against Bangladesh during the Asia Cup Twenty20 international cricket match in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)
Mirpur: Rohit Sharma’s flamboyant innings of 83 runs not just took India out of trouble, but also helped win the Asia Cup opener against Bangladesh by a comprehensive 45 runs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here on Wednesday.
Put in to bat in the first Twenty20 International match of an Asia Cup, India put up a challenging total of 166/6 with man-of-the-match Rohit notching up a strong 55-ball 83.
He got good support from Yuvraj Singh (15) and later all-rounder Hardik Pandya (31) played a superb cameo. The trio rescued the visiting team from a tottering position of 42/3 in the eighth over.
In reply, the hosts never really took off and kept losing wickets regularly which hindered their chances of winning on home soil to hand the match to India.
On what was a very green top which turned out to be low and slow with the ball not coming on to the bat, the Indian batsmen struggled early on. They misjudged the pace of the wicket and several of them perished due to wayward shots.
First to go was opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan (2), who was bowled by Al-Amin Hossain. Vice-captain Virat Kohli (8) did not get to the pitch of the ball to be caught at mid-off off hosts skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza.
Left-hander Suresh Raina looked dangerous after hitting two boundaries but he was also bowled for 13.
India were in more than a spot of bother at 42/3 when opening batsman Rohit stuck it out in the middle with Yuvraj to strike a 55-run fourth wicket partnership which consolidated the innings. Rohit was the aggressor of the two, smashing seven boundaries and three sixes.
After Yuvraj departed, Pandya took over and he upped the ante with his 18-ball 31 cameo, which included four boundaries and a huge six over deep mid-wicket.
Eventually, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed a six over deep square leg to take his team to 166/6.
Bangladesh pacer Hossain bowled well to take three wickets.
India pacer Ashish Nehra was on target right from the start of the Bangladeshi innings, taking a credible 3/23 from his four overs.
Bangladesh kept losing wickets at regular intervals and never got any partnership going. Sabbir Rahman was the only one who looked batting with intent in his knock of 44 runs, hitting two boundaries and sixes each.
But once he got out, it was more or less over the hosts as the asking rate kept climbing quite quickly.
Indian bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were quite economical with none of them going for more than 6.5 runs per over.
(IANS)
Comic actor Krushna Abhishek came for mahurat with a song recording of his comedy film Jhunjhunaa at Kuber studio.
Nilkanth Regmi, Vanshmani Sharma & Kamal Kishor Mishra of Rock Mountain Productions kept the mahurat of their debut film Jhunjhunaa with a song recording at Kuber studio. Krushna Abhishek who is busy in comedy shows has signed this film as a main lead. Aman Trikha & Supriya Joshi came to sing the song written & composed by Praveen Bhardwaj. Manoj Sharma is the director of the film Jhunjhunaa. The film’s shooting will start from the 2nd week of Mar, 2016. Krushna Abhishek came specially from Haryana to be a part of this recording and mahurat.
New Delhi: Former Union Minister P Chidambaram who held the home and finance portfolios in the UPA government on Thursday sparked controversy that Afzal Guru’s role in 2001 Parliament attack was doubtful. Almost three years after Afzal Guru was hanged, Congress leader P Chidambaram is concerned to hold an ‘honest opinion’ and raised his doubts against the capital punishment of 2001 Parliament attack convict, report said.
Former Home Minister P Chidambaram was responding to a question on whether Afzal Guru’s execution ordered by the Supreme Court was appropriate. According to Chidambaram, Afzal Guru’s case was not correctly decided and there are possibility to hold an honest opinion in that matter. Chidambaram was quoted in an interview conducted by Economic Times.
Chidambaram was further quoted by ET where he said, “An independent person can hold an opinion that the case was not decided correctly”.
The comments of Chidambaram came in the backdrop of JNU incident in which three of its students are arrested on sedition charges and for commemorating Afzal Guru at the campus. Following the incident at JNU campus a nationwide debate is in motion. Those who hold a different opinion against the capital punishment of Afzal Guru are termed as anti-national.
However Chidambaram said that, “It is wrong to project anyone as an anti-national who holds that opinion”.
From 2008 to 2011 P Chidambaram, was home minister of India. In 2013 when Sushilkumar Shinde was home minister Afzal Guru was executed. Chidambaram raised doubt of extend of Afzal Guru’s involvement in 2001 Parliament Attack.
The Afzal Guru’s execution is a hot topic in India especially after JNU students were arrested on charges of sedition when the student union had organised a event on February 9, for commemorating Afzal Guru.
(Agencies)
Bengaluru: Chairperson of Karnataka Urdu Academy, Dr Fouzia Choudhary (52) collapsed on the dais at a programme here on Wednesday evening February 24. She was declared dead at the hospital.
Dr Choudhary was delivering a presidential address in the library hall of the academy at Kannada Bhavana on J C Road. At around 5.30 pm, midway-way through her speech, she fell to the ground, and was rushed to St Martha’s Hospital in an ambulance.
Dr Choudhary was from Timmapura village in Yadagiri district. She was appointed as chairperson of Karnataka Urdu Academy on June 2, 2014. She laid emphasis on Urdu literature, and towards giving a boost to Urdu. She had done her Ph.D in Urdu literature from Gulbarga University.
She is survived by her husband and three daughters.
Pune: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt today walked free out of the Yerawada prison here after completing his prison term, putting behind his turbulent past as a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case.
Clad in blue shirt and jeans, a smiling Dutt was escorted out of the imposing jail gates this morning after completing formalities and got into a car that drove him straight to Lohegaon Airport here to take a chartered flight to Mumbai.
The 56-year-old on screen ‘Khalnayak’ saluted the tri-colour fluttering on top of the jail building as he carried a bag containing his belongings and his inmate file with him.
Dutt’s wife Maanyata and noted film maker Rajkumar Hirani accompanied him on way to the city airport. The “Munnabhai” of the celluloid, saluted the soil outside the prison before his got into the waiting car, juggling a khaki bag and a green coloured file.
Sanjay spent 42 months, a remainder of the his five year sentence in the Yerawada prison. His stay was mired in various controversies relating to his frequent paroles and furlough which the detractors said was granted to him as special favours due to his celebrity status.
Prison authorities and his lawyers, however, refuted the allegations, saying his remission of 144 days and his parole leave was in accordance with jail manual and prescribed rules.
The Bollywood star was arrested on April 19, 1993, for possession and destruction of an AK-56 rifle, which was a part of cache of arms and explosives which landed in India prior to the serial blasts of March 1993.
During the investigation and the marathon trial, he spent 18 months in jail. On July 31, 2007, the TADA court in Mumbai sentenced him to six years’ rigorous imprisonment under the Arms Act and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000.
In 2013, the Supreme Court upheld the ruling but reduced the sentence to five years following which he surrendered to serve the rest of his sentence. According to jail officials, Dutt was given work of making paper bags in his cell.
The actor, embroiled in heated debates over his frequent parole and furlough leave in many quarters, regularly participated in the programmes on internal circuit jail radio, jail sources said.
During his imprisonment, he was granted parole of 90 days in December 2013 and again for 30 days later.
(Agencies)
New Delhi: The Railway Budget for 2016-17 today spared passengers and goods movement from any increase in tariffs while it announced introduction of three new superfast trains and creation of dedicated north-south, east-west and east coast freight corridors by 2019.
Presenting his second Budget in the Lok Sabha, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu promised rationalising of the tariff structure by undertaking a review to evolve competitive rates vis-a-vis other modes of transport and to expand the freight basket as a means of additional revenue mobilisation.
Unlike last year when he tweaked freight rates, Prabhu made no changes either in passenger fares or freight rates.
The three new superfast trains announced by him include ‘Humsafar’ which will be a fully air-conditioned 3AC service with option of meals. ‘Tejas’ will showcase the future of train travel in India with speeds up to 130 km per hour with onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine and wifi.
The two trains will ensure cost recovery through tariff and non-tariff measures while ‘Uday’ will be an overnight double-decker along with ‘Utkrishit’ double-decker air-conditioned yatri express on the busiest routes.
For improving quality of travel for unreserved passenger, a superfast ‘Antyodya’ express service would be introduced. ‘Deen Dayalu’ unreserved coaches with portable water and higher number of mobile charging points would also be introduced.
He also announced setting up of a Rail Development Authority to enable fair pricing of services, promote competition, protect customer interest and determine efficiency standards. The draft Bill in this regard will be ready after holding extensive stakeholder consultations.
Outlining the Budget estimates for the coming year, the Minister put the plan size at Rs 1.21 lakh crore. The focus will be on capital expenditure with a mix of various sources of funding in order to ensure the projects are given assured funding.
Gross traffic receipts for the coming fiscal have been fixed at Rs 1.84 lakh crore with passenger earning growth pegged at 12.4 per cent and earning target budgeted at Rs 51,012 crore.
The freight traffic is pegged at an incremental tariff of 50 million tons, anticipating a healthier growth in the core sector of the economy.
Goods earning is accordingly proposed at Rs 1.17 lakh crore. Earnings on account of other coaching and sundries have been projected at Rs 6,185 crore and Rs 9,590 crore respectively.
Pension outgo has been budgeted at Rs 45,500 crore in the coming year. Revenue generation has been targeted at Rs 1.84 lakh crore. Financial performance for the current year has reflected a savings of Rs 8,720 crore, neutralising most of the revenue shortfall.
Operating ratio has been targeted at 92 per cent for the coming year as against 90 per cent in 2015-16, restricting the growth of ordinary expenses by 11.16 per cent after building in impact of 7th Pay Commission recommendation, planned reduction in diesel and electricity consumption.
The three new freight corridors of North-South will connect Delhi and Chennai, East-West connecting Kharagpur to Mumbai and East Coast from Kharagpur to Vijawada.
“It is proposed to put these three projects on high priority to ensure structuring, award and implementation in a time-bound manner through innovative financing schemes including PPP,” Prabhu said in his more than hour long speech.
Before the current financial year ends on March 31, almost all contracts for civil engineering work would have been awarded.
Contracts worth Rs 24,000 crore have been awarded since he assumed office against Rs 13,000 crore worth of contracts in the last six years.
Presenting his “vision”, Prabhu promised that by 2020 long-felt desires of the common man will be fulfilled.
The objectives include reserved accommodation on trains on demand, time-tabled freight trains, high-end technology to improve safety record, elimination of all unmanned level crossings, improved punctuality and higher speed of freight trains and zero direct discharge of human waste.
As part of improving customer interface, the Budget proposed interaction and feedback through social media and dedicated IVRS system and making travel comfortable by generating over 65,000 additional berths and installing 2,500 water vending machines.
Wi-Fi facility has been provided at 100 station and 400 more will be covered in the coming year.
As part of safety measures, 350 manned level crossings and 1000 unmanned level crossings have been closed. 820 road over bridges and rail under bridges have been completed in the current year and work is going on in 1,350 of them.
As a passenger-friendly measure, IRCTC will manage catering services in catering and stalls at stations in a phased manner. It will explore the possibility of making catering services operational, adding 10 more IRCTC operated base kitchens.
As part of improving customer interface, work is underway on installation of a high-tech centralised network of 20,000 screens across 2000 stations for enabling real-time flow of information to passengers and also unlock huge advertising potential.
Provision of passenger amenities and beautification of stations will be taken on priority in pilgrim centres like Ajmer, Amritsar, Bihar Sharif, Chengannur, Dwarka, Gaya, Haridwar, Mathura, Nagapattinam, Nanded, Nasik, Pali, Parasnath, Pri, Tirupati, Vailankanni, Varanasi and Vasco. The Railway also intends to run ‘astha’ circuit trains to connect pilgrim centres.
(Agencies)