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JD(S) will waive farm loan if voted to power: Kumaraswamy

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Kumaraswamy

Belagavi: Promising to waive crop loans of farmers within 24 hours if voted to power, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday expressed confidence about winning 2018 Assembly elections by changing BJPs parliamentary election slogan into “Abki bar, Kumaraswamy Sarkar”.

Participating in the debate on drought situation in the state in the Assembly here, he also demanded crop compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre to affected farmers.

Reminding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had mocked at JD(S) claim that it would announce a loan waiver once it comes to power, Kumaraswamy said he was taking it as a challenge.

“Chief Minister has said that without coming to power how can we JD(S) announce loan waiver. Im taking it as a challenge. For one-and-half years, there is no question of sleep, I will go to every village and will request people to give me one opportunity.”

“I promise that I will waive farmers crop loan within 24 hours after coming to power…..This will be our manifesto,” he added.

The former Chief Minister also said he was borrowing BJPs parliamentary election slogan of “Abki bar, Modi Sarkar” and changing it to “Abki bar, Kumaraswamy Sarkar”.

Kumarswamy, who is the son of Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, had headed the JDS-BJP coalition government in Karnataka for a little over 20 months till October 2007.

As he criticised the Centre for demonetisation and the way in which it has caused hardships to farmers and common man, Opposition Leader Jagadish Shettar said “the Prime Minister’s bold move has send shivers down to black money holders and the corrupt.”

Responding to this, Kumaraswamy said his partys support was there for Prime Ministers fight against black money and corruption.

(Agencies)

Demonetisation is organised loot, legalised plunder: Manmohan Singh

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manmohan singh

New Delhi: Stepping up the opposition tirade against demonetisation, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today castigated the government and the Prime Minister over the move, saying its implementation was a “monumental management failure” and a case of “organised loot and legalised plunder.”

Singh, who spoke in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rajya Sabha, said the decision will result in decline of GDP by 2 per cent, it being an “under-estimate”.

He hoped the Prime Minister will find a practical and pragmatic decision to mitigate the sufferings of the common man and the poor who have been in distress after the decision.

He said agriculture, unorganised sectors and small industry has also been hit hard by it and people were losing faith in the currency and banking system.

“These measures convinced me that the way the scheme has been implemented, it’s a monumental management failure. And in fact, it is a case of organised loot and legalised plunder.

“It is not my intention to pick holes what this side or other side does. But I sincerely hope that the PM even in this late hour will help find us practical and pragmatic ways to provide relief to the suffering of the people of this country,” he said in Rajya Sabha as the debate on the issue resumed after Modi came into the House.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad requested Chairman Hamid Ansari and Leader of the House Arun Jaitley that the Question Hour should not be taken up as the Prime Minister was present in the House and the debate be taken up.

Azad’s request was readily accepted by the government with Jaitley saying that the debate should start immediately and Modi will certainly participate in it.

Participating in the resumed debate, Singh said it is important to take note of the grievances of the ordinary people who have suffered as a result of this imposition on the country “overnight” by the Prime Minister.

“My own feeling is that the national income, that is the GDP of the country, can decline by about 2 percentage points as a result of what has been done. This is an under-estimate and not an over-estimate.

“Therefore, I feel the Prime Minister must come with some constructive proposal on how we can implement the scheme and at the same time prevent the distrust that has been caused to the common people,” Singh said.

The former Prime Minister did not agree with the Prime Minister’s plea to wait for 50 days for the results of demonetisation to come about, saying no one knows about the final outcome of the decision.

“Well 50 days is a short period, but for those who are poor and deprived sections of the community even 50 days of torture can bring about disastrous effect. And that’s why about 60 to 65 people have lost their lives. Maybe more.

“What is more is, what has been done can weaken and erode our people’s confidence in the currency system and in the banking system,” he said.

Asking Modi to spell out the names of countries where people have deposited their money in banks but are not allowed to withdraw their money, he said, “this alone I think is enough to condemn what has been done in the name of greater growth.”

He said the scheme of demonetisation, the way it is being implemented, will hurt agricultural growth in our country, small industry and all those people who work in the informal sectors of the economy.

Singh, an eminent economist, criticised the government for issuing fresh instructions and modifying the rules every day on the conditions under which people can withdraw their money.

“That reflects very poorly on the Prime Minister’s Office, the Finance Minister’s office and on the Reserve Bank of India. I am very sorry that the Reserve Bank has been exposed to this kind of criticism which I think is fully justified,” the former Prime Minister said.

He said though he agreed with the objectives of the scheme to demonetise currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 as spelt out by the Prime Minister, he wished to highlight the problems that the common people and poor have been subjected to by the move.

“But I do want to point out at least that in the process of demonetisation monumental mismanagement has been undertaken about which today there is no two opinions in the country as a whole,” he said.

Referring to those saying that the move which was doing harm and creating distrust in the short run was good in the long run, Singh quoted John Maynard Keynes to say that “in the long run, all of us are dead”.

“I urge upon the Prime Minister to find practical, pragmatic ways and measures to relieve the distress of the people, who happen to be a great majority of our people. After all 90 per cent of our people were in the informal sector, 55 per cent of our workers in agriculture are feeling distress,” he said.

He also noted that the cooperative banking system which served large number of people in rural areas was non-functional and has been prevented from handling cash.

The senior Congress leader said though it is not his intention to pick holes in what this side or other side does, but hoped that the Prime Minister “even in this late hour will help find us practical and pragmatic ways to provide relief to the suffering of the people of this country”.

(Agencies)

Rupee hits new record low of 68.86, plunges 30 paise

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Mumbai: The rupee today collapsed to a fresh life-time low of 68.86 against the dollar by crashing 30 paise amid sustained foreign capital outflows with investors being inclined towards US dollar hoping protectionist measures by President-elect Donald Trump.

Investors also remained cautious weighing the impact of government’s demonetisation move. Surging US bond yields have also contributed to the rupee’s fall.

Moreover, the US currency was trading at multi-year highs against its major rivals in overseas markets. The rupee had hit its all-time intra-day low of 68.85 and closed at 68.80 on August 28, 2013.

Expectations that Trump will adopt an expansionary fiscal measures — which will drive inflation higher and lead to higher US interest rates — are behind surging US yields that have attracted investors towards the dollar.

Consistent dollar demand from importers mainly kept the rupee under pressure.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened lower at 68.76 a dollar against 68.56 previously and and dropped to an all-time intra-day new low of 68.86 in the afternoon trade.

The Indian currency has shrunk 2.92 per cent since Donald Trump’s victory in the US Presidential polls earlier this month.

Sentiment was mainly hit by the dollar surging to multi-year highs against a basket of major global currencies on better prospects for hike in US interest rates, banks forex dealers said.

The benchmark BSE Sensex was down by 193.42 points, or 0.74 per cent, at 25,858.39 in afternoon trade.

(Agencies)

Kohli accused of ball tampering

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© AFP

© AFP

London, Nov 22 (IANS) India skipper Virat Kohli was on Tuesday accused of ball tampering during the drawn first cricket Test against England at Rajkot by a British daily.

British tabloid ‘The Daily Mail’ has produced inconclusive evidence to show that Kohli used to shine the ball with the residue of a sweet in his mouth.

The newspaper has claimed that Kohli put his hands deep in his mouth, and then shined one side of the ball during the match which was played between November 9 to 13.

“Footage has emerged of India captain Virat Kohli appearing to shine the ball using residue from a sweet during his country’s draw with England in the first Test,” the report in The Daily Mail read.

“Television cameras caught Kohli, who finished on 49 not out on the final day in Rajkot, putting his right hand towards his mouth,” it added.

“The 28-year-old can be seen rubbing his fingers in his mouth, inside of which is a sweet. He then appears to shine one side of the ball.”

But the doubts raised by the English media seemed to backfire as Kohli’s actions were not cited by the umpire or the match referee after the match.

(IANS)

Egypt court overturns Mohamed Morsi’s life sentence

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Egypt’s Court of Cassation orders retrial in the case for deposed president who had a death sentence overturned earlier.

morsi

by Al Jazeera

Egypt’s deposed president Mohamed Morsi has had a life sentence overturned by the country’s Court of Cassation, which ordered a retrial in the case that revolves around accusations of espionage with Palestinian group Hamas.

Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, had a death sentence overturned by the same court last week and a retrial was ordered.

Morsi was overthrown by a military coup in July 2013 after having served just one year of a four-year term.

The organisation to which he belonged, the Muslim Brotherhood, has since been outlawed. A government crackdown on the movement, as well as other groups, has resulted in tens of thousands of arrests and mass trials.

Morsi’s lawyer, Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud, told AFP news agency that the sentences against several Muslim Brotherhood officials, who stood trial alongside Morsi on charges of spying for Iran and Hamas, were also overturned.

Explaining the recent ruling, Yehia Ghanem, Al Jazeera’s Middle East analyst, said “from a judicial point of view, the court of cassation is the least politicised court in the country”.

“The authorities in Egypt established a special judicial district three years ago to deal mainly with cases of what they call ‘terrorism’, or espionage and other charges that are politicised,” Ghanem said.

This district is where Morsi and thousands of others have been tried, Ghanem adde, and “any opposition in Egypt is now tried under ‘terrorism'”.

Morsi was previously tried on several charges, including one for escaping prison during the 2011 uprising against then-president Hosni Mubarak.

He was also accused of sharing state secrets with foreign powers, including Qatar. His defence argued that he was merely engaging all foreign entities within the limits that any head of state would.

“Looking at the indictment, there were a lot of mistakes, discrepancies, and contradictions,” Ghanem said about Morsi’s trial.

“The trial itself failed to come up with any evidence to substantiate the charges.”

Morsi’s trials, and the trials of thousands of other opposition figures and civilians over the last three years, have been criticised heavily by rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Morsi was given several sentences, including life, a 20-year prison term and the death penalty. He appealed against those sentences, but has already had the 20-year term confirmed by an Appellate Court.

He remains in jail on a separate espionage conviction.

Acclaimed physicist and ex-ISRO chief Prof MGK Menon dies at 88

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New Delhi: Prof MGK Menon, an acclaimed physicist, who had played a prominent role in the development of science and technology in the country over the last five decades, died here on Tuesday.

He was 88 years and ill for some time. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

Menon, who served as a minister of state for science and technology and education in the VP Singh government, had earlier worked as secretary in the Department of Science and Technology and Environment in the Union government.

He also headed the Indian Space Research Organisation in 1972 as its chairman, and was the director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research at the age of 35 years.

A recipient of Padma awards, including Padma Vibhushan, Menon had done scientific work in cosmic rays, particle physics and distinguished himself with investigations in the field.

Menon was a member of the Planning Commission (1982-1989), Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister (1986-1989), Vice President, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) (1989-1990) and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) during 1990-96.

He was also a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of London.

(Agencies)

Sadananda Gowda’s brother dies, Hospital refuses to take old notes

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Mangaluru: Senior BJP leader and Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, who has already lost many of his near and dear ones, on Tuesday lost his younger brother D V Bhaskar Gowda.

56-year-old Bhaskar, an advocate by profession, breathed his last aft a private hospital in the city following a brief spell of illness. “Sorry to inform. My brother Mr Baskar ended his life journey on Tuesday. Will be conducting his last rites at our village at #Puttur #Mangaluru (sic),” tweeted the aggrieved minister.

It is learnt that Bhaskar was down with a jaundice attack five months ago and was undergoing treatment. “He suffered a relapse a month ago and was again admitted to the hospital,” the minister said adding end came earlier in the day due to jaundice related complications. “Bhaskar is survived by wife Veena and three children,” DVS said.

Bhaskar is third among four brothers and one of the six children of late Venkappa Gowda and late Kamala. While Shivaram and Sadananda are his elder brother, Suresh in the younger brother. The Venkappa couple had two other girls – Rathnavathi and Savithri.

Incidentally, Savithri Shivarama Gowda, younger sister of Sadandanda Gowda had passed away in October 2014 following an unsuccessful battle with cancer. Sadandanda Gowda’s son Kaushik Gowda had lost his life in a road accident in 2003. Sadandanda Gowda’s mother Kamala Gowda (then 92) also passed away in October 2014.

Old notes rejected

According to sources, the private hospital, where Bhaskar Gowda breathed his last refused to accept old currency notes from Sadananda Gowda to settle the bills.

Bhaskar Gowda, brother of former chief minister and present union minister D V Sadananda Gowda, was admitted to KMC hospital ten days ago due to jaundice. He breathed his last today without responding to treatment.

When Sadannada Gowda decided to issue cheque, the hospital reportedly demanded payment in new currency notes. The minister, who was not in a condition to argue with the hospital staff, asked them to give in writing that they do not accept old currency notes. This prompted them to accept the cheque.

(Agencies)

Carnatic musician Balamuralikrishna passes away

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balamurali-krishna

Veteran Carnatic music singer M Balamuralikrishna, 86, passed away on Tuesday in Chennai.

A native of Sankaraguptam, East Godavari District, Balamuralikrishna was a 5th generation descendant of the saint-composer Tyagaraja in the guru-shishya tradition. Known and celebrated as one of India’s greatest vocalists, Balamuralikrishna was well-versed in playing the violin, the mridangam and the kanjira.

Although born into a family of musicians — his mother was a veena player and his father was skilled in the flute, the violin and the veena as well — Balamuralikrishna never had any formal education. He performed his first concert at seven and first radio concert when he was nine.

The Hindu report also mentions that he was credited to “innovating the tala system with Thri Mukhi, Panchamukhi, Saptha Mukhi and Nava Mukhi”.

He is also credited with creating several ragams such as Ganapathi, Sarvashri, Mahati, Lavangi. Balamuralikrishna made his acting debut in the 1967 film Bhakta Prahlada.
Christened Muralikrishna, the singer got the prefix “Bala” to his name when he was eight years old and was performing a concert in Vijayawada.

“This prefix Bala (child) is good. It is a constant reminder that I shouldn’t stop learning. I was barely eight when I got an opportunity to perform a full-fledged concert at a Thyagaraja Aradhana in Vijayawada. This then became a part of my name for listeners.”

Balamuralikrishna was awarded the Padma Vibhushan and made Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 2005.

(Agencies)

NFDC Film Bazaar 2016 Kicks Off With An Array of Exciting Experiences

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The Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu presents the centenary award to the Legendary Singer, Shri S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, at the inauguration of the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2016), in Panaji, Goa on November 20, 2016. The Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant Parsekar and the Actor Mukesh Khanna are also seen.

The Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu presents the centenary award to the Legendary Singer, Shri S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, at the inauguration of the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2016), in Panaji, Goa on November 20, 2016.
The Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant Parsekar and the Actor Mukesh Khanna are also seen.

National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) Film Bazaar kicked off its 10th edition with a potpourri of sessions, screenings & panel discussions.

Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of Urban Development of India and I & B, graced the inaugural day of the 10th NFDC Film Bazaar and took a thorough tour in the morning exploring the various segments.

“I’m very impressed by the Film Bazaar. It is like a filmy supermarket,” said Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of Urban Development of India and I & B. “I compliment the efforts & elaborate arrangements made by Film Bazaar & NFDC. This will help go a long way in producing films in India and films, in turn, will also encourage tourism & culture of the country.”

Concluding the 1st day at Bazaar, N J Shaikh, Director Finance, NFDC, said, “It was a packed & happening 1st day at Film Bazaar with both the pitching sessions for the co – production market as well as the Screenwriter’s Lab, sessions at the Knowledge series and the Viewing Room / Industry screening receiving an overwhelming response. Even the Film Offices & the FFO Office at the Bazaar were buzzing with activity. We are eagerly looking forward to a next eventful day at the Bazaar”.

The Knowledge Series sessions enjoyed eager audiences throughout the day. The sessions were as follows:

Open Pitch

In the 2nd edition of Open Pitch, the concept of having filmmakers present their ideas & requirements to an audience of film industry members proved just how effective it was. Introduced & moderated by Urmi Juvekar, filmmakers had the opportunity to screen video presentations depicting their ideas, followed by a Q & A session with the audience.
After lunch, sponsored by Gujarat Tourism Board, the Bazaar went on to witness a panel discussion particularly pertinent for independent filmmakers.

Public Funding For Indie Films

Producer Miriam Joseph, Managing Director, OLFFI, Ilann Girard & Producer, Pallas Films, Thanassis Karathanos discussed the importance & challenges of public funding, and a clear emphasis emerged on developing the project thoroughly before looking for funding. “For independent films, it is always challenging to find funding,” Ilann Girard said. “It is a multi – path relationship, and you have to look at the whole picture and understand the organic needs of your project, so there is a balance creatively & financially. It is very important to remain true to yourself.”

Film Festivals And Markets – Building Audiences And Business Opportunities

Moderated by Deepti D’Cunha, the panelists at this session included respected Festival Programmers Paolo Bertolin & Uma D’Cunha, Sales Agent Chris Paton & filmmakers Raam Reddy (Thithi) & Kanu Behl (Titli), whose debuts have received much critical acclaim. A riveting conversation on the intricacies of the business side of the film industry was as enlightening as it was engrossing. The importance of promoting your film was emphasised, with some gems of advice from the industry veterans.

“It is difficult for independent films in India to get selected at a festival like Venice Film Festival, and whenever a filmmaker does get the rare opportunity to promote their film, they should grab it. After years, there were 2 Indian films, Court & Visaranai, that were screened there,” Paolo Bertolin said. “Although this piece of advice is getting more & more controversial, you should get a sales agent, because they are the ones who know how to maximise your positioning within the festival and who already know how to work with & within the festival. You are faced with many challenges, and you don’t need to do this alone. If you don’t manage to get a sales agent, you should at least get a press agent, so that the film gets the widest exposure and reaches your target audience.”

“NFDC Film Bazaar really changed my life, and it gave me a wealth of knowledge. I was completely clueless when I came here,” Raam Reddy said candidly. “I owe my entire career to NFDC Film Bazaar, because I received so much constructive criticism & feedback from the Work – In -Progress Lab. Dreams can be built here.”

Film Bazaar Virtual Reality Lounge Powered By Samsung Gear Vr Premiere

Allah Rakha Rahman’s “Live – In – VR Experience” Vande Mataram premiered at the VR Lounge, which also allowed participants to curate their viewing experience uniquely, with a range of Virtual Reality (VR) film experiences to choose from.

To Love Or Not To Love: Redefining Romance On Hindi Celluloid’ – Imtiaz Ali In Conversation With Nasreen Munni Kabir

Clippings from several of Imtiaz Ali’s films including Socha Na Tha, Jab We Met & Highway were screened to a packed audience, interspersing a freewheeling discussion about his influences, process & past collaborations.

“What I’ve seen at Film Bazaar is that there are a lot of people who are smart & well – meaning, who intend to be in cinema all their lives,” Imtiaz Ali said. “My session was really interesting as a result of the audience & Nasreen’s engagement. The concept of having Film Bazaar is very interesting; it’s meaningful & provides a platform for emerging young voices, fresh voices, to come into cinema. It’s very good that demand & supply on both sides can find a confluence point.”

Industry Screenings

The Industry Screenings segment opened with Suhas Bhosale’s Koti, an acclaimed Marathi film about a young transgender in a rural village, and went on to screen titles like Trap by B Madhusudhan Reddy & Aloko Udapadi (Sinhala) by Chathra Weeraman amongst others.

About Filmbazaar

Film Bazaar is a platform exclusively created to encourage collaboration between the international & South Asian film fraternities. The market aims at facilitating the sales of world cinema in the region. The 2015 market saw an attendance of 1102 delegates from 38 countries with a country delegation from Canada. The 10th Edition of Film Bazaar was held from 20th Nov, 2016 – 24th Nov, 2016 at the Marriott Resort in Goa, India.

About NFDC

Incorporated in the year 1975 National Film Development Corporation Ltd is formed by Ministry of Information and broadcasting (GoI) with the primary objective of promoting the good cinema movement. NFDC is instrumental for creating an ecosystem to support the financing, distribution & development of independent films across the country.

TRIL – 2 days Retreat – Out of Bounds

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out-of-bounds

We are organizing a Residential, experiential session ” OUT OF BOUNDS’ which is a 2 days & 2 nights learning program,for individuals who look forward to re-learning lessons in diverse subjects amidst nature.The session will be conducted in a forest resort near Bangalore.

We will have a mix of sessions ranging from-

* Personal branding
* Styling as per personal style
* Yoga
* Soul food and Baking
* Body language and communication with NLP
* Ideating with 10 others leaders from different fields – IT, Medicine, art, Digital media, Performance sectors, manufacturing, management, education, Banking & finance etc.
* Conceiving ways to remain the pioneer in your area of expertise during the nature walks along a river
* Guided sketching & Painting on the banks of the river
* Learning the nuances of fine dining
* Dropping all roles & just being ‘fabulously you’.

Please find more details below, and do watch an AV with details or do call me or + 91 98866 79670 for more details.

Participants : Out of Bounds is a retreat program for any person who has lead an eventful career in arts, science, Medicine, Social fronts, management, technology, education, writing and has not been afraid to lead a team.

When and Where: The program is scheduled for 2 days and 2 nights in a nature camp and retreat near Bangalore. Every participant is expected to check in by Friday night and stay at the retreat on Saturday the whole day and Sunday till lunch. You can join us to and fro to the camp in our vehicle. The tents are available on twin sharing basis.

Who are the professionals involved: The program is organized by the Organization TRIL (www.trilindia.in) that has been conducting Corporate Workshops successfully for the past 5 years. The activities will be conducted by various professionals like Image consultants, Coloured brain communicators, Stylists, Yoga teachers, Dining etiquette specialists, Baking professionals, Psychologists, Field guides for outbound activities.
What are the activities in store: Styling solutions as per Body shape and lifestyle, Brain Colour evaluation, Guided painting, Nature walk, Theatre, peer discussion, Guided baking, Yoga, Fine Dining etiquette session and plenty of easy engagements.

Why do you need to Retreat: Every now and then, every leader needs to pause, withdraw from mundane things that create a routine and learn to go inwards and backwards to then go forward.

Only getting away from daily life can help one create something different for the future. We need to look at the world with new eyes and start this process of blooming again in our life. We are given various opportunities to re-invent who we are and this is one of them. Re-invent who you are.

Learn to be flexible and fluid outside the confines of our structured daily lives.
To breathe in and become inspired we have to change the landscape. Being in the lap of nature will help you dream again.

We can share our dreams with others who are going to be there by invitation only. So expect an intelligent and enthused co-retreater. Only fifteen, to be precise.

What not to expect: T.V, Phone coverage except land line, limited Wi-Fi, co-workers, Facebook, LinkedIn.

Takeaways: Bring to fruition a new Idea. Learn to be the Style Diva or Dude you aspire to be. Carry a dish created by you, with the help of a chef or a cake baked by you, for your family and friends. Create a sketch/ art work to remember your days of Inspiration. Practice a little Yoga. Understand your brain colour. Appreciate fine dining rules. Click selfies with a bird on a branch. And lastly be ‘You” for the first time in decades.

Kindly share with your contacts.

Please call Indu 91 98866 79670 at TRIL for pricing and accommodation details. Rose Maryann Peck, TRIL India, Tel: 0 93437 25067.

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