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Stable policy regime for e-mobility soon: Modi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the government will soon put in place a new stable policy regime to promote the use of electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles in the country to fight climate change.

“We want to build India as a driver in electric vehicles. We will soon put in place a stable policy regime around electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles,” Modi said at the launch of the two-day “Move: Global Mobility Summit” here.

“Clean mobility powered by clean energy is our most powerful weapon in our fight against climate change. This means a pollution-free, clean drive, leading to clean air and better living standards for our people,” he said.

Modi said that in a rapidly transforming mobility paradigm, India had inherent strength and comparative advantages over other major economies.

“We have little of the legacy of resource-blind mobility. We have fewer vehicles per capita than other major economies. Thus, we do not carry much of the baggage of other economies that were built on the back of private car ownership. This gives us a window of opportunity to create an all new seamless mobility ecosystem,” the Prime Minister said.

He added that not only did India have a strong Information Technology sector, but also its vast public digital infrastructure created by the unique identity programme Aadhaar.

“With digitally empowered 850 million Indian citizens, we can demonstrate how such digital infrastructure can be combined with new mobility business models.

“Our renewable energy boost will ensure that the environmental benefits of electric mobility can be fully realised. We plan to draw 175 GW of energy from renewables by 2022. We are already the fifth largest producer of solar energy and sixth largest of renewable energy in the world,” Modi added.

He said that India also had a fast growing manufacturing base and a large digitally-literate young population.

“Therefore, I am convinced that India is the best place globally to be an early mover in the mobility economy… we will do whatever it takes, because this is our commitment to our heritage and our promise to future generations,” he added.

Calling mobility similar to Internet in its early days, Modi said that the mobility revolution was an enabler of India’s growth and development, which was capable of creating employment for those with doctorates and engineering degrees, to drivers and mechanics.

“We should embrace this revolution early and leverage ourselves to lead the mobility innovation ecosystem both for ourselves and others,” he said.

“My vision for the future of mobility in India is based on 7 Cs — common, connected, convenient, congestion-free, charged, clean, cutting-edge.” Charged mobility, Modi said, was the way forward.

“We want to drive investments across the value chain from batteries to smart charging to electric vehicle manufacturing… India’s entrepreneurs manufacturers are now poised to develop and deploy breakthrough battery technology,” he said.

The Prime Minister also said that India’s economy and reforms were on the move in this direction.

“Our economy is on the move. We are the world’s fastest growing major economy. Our cities and towns are on the move. We are building 100 smart cities. Our infrastructure is on the move. We are speedily building roads, airports, rail lines and ports…

“Our goods are on the move. Goods and Services Tax has helped rationalise supply chains and warehouse networks… our reforms are on the move. We have made India an easier place to do business. Our lives are on the move. Families are getting homes, toilets, LPG cylinders, bank accounts and loans… we are fast emerging as the start-up hub of the world,” he said

Indian charged with stabbing roommate for talking loudly on phone

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An Indian man has been charged with stabbing to death his roommate for talking loudly on the phone.

Public prosecution records showed that the 37-year-old Indian construction worker, who was drunk, fatally stabbed the victim in his room in the March incident in Al Qusais area. The Indian was charged at the Court of First Instance, the Khaleej Times reported on Tuesday.

Prosecutors called for a stiff penalty to be inflicted on the Indian.

“I was informed by a driver about a problem involving the defendant. I went to the latter’s room and saw a crowd of labourers… The victim was lying in a pool of blood. He appeared motionless with a stab wound in the abdomen,” said an Indian labour accommodation supervisor.

“I heard from a group of workers that a verbal brawl ensued between the accused and the victim as the latter was talking loudly on his mobile phone”, the supervisor said.

“He (the Indian man) picked a knife and stabbed the victim in the abdomen. He then pulled out the knife and rushed out.”

A witness said that he saw the Indian man outside of the building. “He was apparently drunk and bleeding from between his fingers. He would not tell me how he got that injury,” according to the witness.

A CCTV footage showed the accused hiding the knife under his clothes when he entered a restroom and walking out without it.

The cause of death was severe bleeding due to a deep stab wound, officials said. The trial was adjourned to October 7.

(IANS)

Petrol touches Rs.90.11 in Maharashtra’s Parbhani

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Petrol prices on Tuesday breached the psychological barrier of Rs 90 and touched a scorching Rs 90.11 in Maharashtra’s Parbhani – a new record in India, an official said.

Parbhani District Petrol Dealers Association (PDPDA) President Sanjay Deshmukh told IANS that diesel prices also increased from Rs 77.92 to Rs 78.06 on Tuesday.

On Monday, the petrol price was Rs 89.97 and diesel stood at Rs 77.92 in the town with a population of around 3,10,000, around 500 kms east of Mumbai in Marathwada region.

On the 15th day of consecutive hikes, petrol prices increased on Tuesday by Rs 0.14 and diesel by Rs 0.15, from 6 a.m, barely two days before the state’s biggest 10-day Ganeshotsav festival begins.

The other highest centres include Nanded where petrol was retailing at Rs 89.93 per litre and diesel Rs 77.90, and Amravati Rs 89.93 and Rs 78.84.

Elsewhere in Maharashtra, in Thane petrol retailed at Rs 88.43 and diesel Rs 77.64, Mumbai was Rs 88.35 and diesel at Rs 77.56.

On Monday, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party termed the hike in petroleum products as a ‘momentary difficulty’ owing to an international crisis after the Opposition parties in the country observed a Bharat Bandh, to protest the skyrocketing fuel prices.

(IANS)

US award for Indian-born woman research scholar

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An Indian-born woman research scholar from the University of Washington won the Paul Baran Young Scholar Award for 2018 for using smartphones to detect life-threatening symptoms, the California-based Marconi Society, which has instituted the award, said on Tuesday.

“Nandakumar Rajalakshmi is the winner of this year’s Young Scholar Award for her outstanding research work in detecting life-threatening symptoms using smartphones,” the Society said in an e-mail to IANS.

Inspired by bats, which use sonar to navigate in the dark by sending acoustic signals and using reflections to identify objects, Rajalakshmi, 28, has turned a smartphone into an active sonar system to detect physiological activity like movement or respiration in a human body by a remote device.

“Rajalakshimi’s system works by transmitting inaudible sound signals from a smartphone’s speaker and tracking their reflections off the human body. The reflections are analysed by algorithms and signal processing techniques,” the Society said in the e-statement.

The system is disrupting the sleep industry by creating a non-intrusive, low-cost application — ApneaApp for detecting sleep apnea, a breathing disorder that affects millions of people the world over and yet remains undiagnosed.

“I wanted to find a way to detect physiological signals, like pulse and heart rate, which are used for healthcare applications. When I found that many consumer electronic devices have speakers and microphones, I decided to study if inaudible signals could help detect physiological movement,” Rajalakshmi told IANS via another e-mail.

The Society will honour Rajalakshmi with the award on October 2 at Bologna, Italy.

“Being recognised by the Marconi Society is humbling and motivates me to excel further in this field and to have a much larger impact,” she said.

Paul Baran (1926-2011), a Polish-born Jewish American engineer, was a pioneer in the development of computer networks. He won the Marconi Prize in 1991 for inventing packet switching technology, used in data communications, worldwide.

Set up in 1975 by Marconi’s daughter Gioia Marconi Braga through an endowment, the Society annually awards outstanding individuals whose scope of work and influence emulate the principle of “creativity in service to humanity” that inspired Marconi.

The young scholars are selected by an international jury of engineers from leading universities and firms on nomination from their academic advisers.

The award consists of $5,000 (Rs 362,500) and expenses to attend the annual ceremony.

“More than the prize, Young Scholars are offered mentoring and guidance by the Society’s distinguished roster of engineering greats,” added the statement.

A post-doctorate scholar in the University of Washington’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at Seattle, Rajalakshmi went to the US in 2013 after a two-year stint as a research assistant at Microsoft India Research Centre in Bengaluru during 2011-13.

She graduated in B.Tech from Guindy College of Engineering in Chennai after studying at TVS Lakshmi School in the temple town of Madurai in Tamil Nadu.

Rajalakshmi’s parents run a healthcare devices firm Ideal Diagnostics Ltd at Madurai, about 460 km southwest of Chennai.

“My father was in the healthcare sector when I grew up and spent a lot of time in these environments. The best part of my work is seeing the people using my technology and knowing that it benefits their well-being. As a computer scientist, I find it very fulfilling,” recalled Rajalakshmi.

Before Rajalakshmi developed the ApneaApp, diagnosing sleep apnea was an expensive polysomnography test that involved an overnight stay in a hospital or sleep clinic connected to a tangle of wires, or in-home systems with high failure rates due to the accidental detachment of sensors during sleep.

Whereas, ApneaApp needs no instrumentation of the individual and can track a person’s breathing remotely from home.

After proving the effectiveness of her app, Rajalakshmi and the University of Washington licensed the innovation to ResMed, a leader in sleep technology and medical devices.

The technology was built into the new SleepScore app for Android and iOS that helps individuals to monitor their sleep quality.

“Rajalakshmi has a knack for selecting problems with high social impact,” said her advisor and associate professor at the university Shyam Gollakota on the occasion.

“What’s incredible is Rajalakshmi has innovated a technology that is like science fiction and has got it adopted by hundreds of people in the real world. It is rare for a graduate student to have such impact with even one application, and she is doing it time and again,” reiterated Gollakota.

Rajalakshmi’s latest work focuses on using sonar to detect opioid overdoses. About 100 people reportedly die daily in the US due to overdosing on opioids, making it a critical healthcare issue.

Deaths from overdose are preventable through timely detection and intervention. Rajalakshmi developed an app that people can download prior to engaging in high-risk behaviour that monitors breathing and other movements and automatically alerts emergency services or other help if these activities cease.

The application was also tested at a clinic in Vancouver, Canada, showing its ability to save many lives through early detection of the symptoms.

“Our Young Scholar award attracts the world’s brightest researchers. Rajalakshmi embodies the characteristics we seek – intellectual capability, entrepreneurial spirit and the vision to use her work to better humankind,” said Marconi Society’s Chairman Vincent Cerf.

(IANS)

40 killed as bus falls into gorge in Telangana

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In a ghastly tragedy, 40 people were killed and more than 20 others injured when a state-owned bus fell into a gorge in Telangana’s Jagtial district on Tuesday, police said

The bus belonging to the Telangana State Road Transport Corp (TSRTC) fell off Kondagattu Ghat Road while returning from Anjaneya Swamy temple atop Kondagattu Hills, about 190 km from Hyderabad.

The bus, carrying more than 60 passengers, met with the accident when the driver reportedly lost control at a speed breaker.

The dead include 20 women and seven children. The toll could go up as the condition of some of the injured was stated to be critical.

Senior officials rushed to the scene and launched rescue and relief operations.

The injured were shifted to a government-run hospital in Jagtial. A few critically injured were shifted to hospitals in Karimnagar and Hyderabad.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao expressed shock over the accident. He announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia each for the families of the dead

(IANS)

Global cues, inflationary risks subdue equity indices

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Broadly negative global cues subdued the key Indian equity indices during the pre-noon trade session on Tuesday.

According to analysts, investors feared that high petrol and diesel prices and a weak rupee would pump up the retail and wholesale inflation rates, thereby mitigating chances of a rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India in the near term.

Heavy selling pressure was witnessed in the consumer durable, FMCG, telecom and capital goods stocks.

On the currency front, the rupee traded over 72.30 against the US dollar around 11.35 a.m. at the Inter-Bank Foreign Exchange Market.

At 11.35 a.m., the wider Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange, traded at 11,451.70 points, lower by 22.40 points or 0.20 per cent from its previous close.

The S&P BSE Sensex, which had opened at 38,017.49 points, traded at 37,846.75 points, lower by 75.42 points or 0.20 per cent than the previous close of 37,922.17 points.

So far, it has touched an intra-day high of 38,043.27 points and a low of 37,838.30 points.

On Monday, the Indian equity indices recorded their steepest fall in the last six months as expectations of a rise in inflationary pressure dented the risk-taking appetite of investors.

The NSE Nifty50 closed at 11,438.10 points, lower by 151 points or 1.30 per cent from its previous close of 11,589.10 points.

The S&P BSE Sensex, which had opened at 38,348.39 points, closed at 37,922.17 points, lower by 467.65 points or 1.22 per cent from the previous close of 38,389.82 points.

(IANS)

Central government transfers 30 officers

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The Union government on Monday effected a major reshuffle in the mid-level bureaucracy transferring as many as 30 officers, most of them IAS, in various ministries and departments.

The government transferred the officers among the ministries and departments of home affairs, commerce, agriculture, coal, telecommunication, environment and forest, health, food, heavy industry, road transport, Niti Aayog and rural development besides the cabinet secretariat.

(IANS)

Fifth Test: England take mammoth 404-run lead vs India

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Riding on centuries by Alastair Cook and skipper Joe Root, England took a massive 404-run lead against India in the fifth and final Test of the series at the Oval here on Monday.

After remaining wicketless in the morning session of the fourth day, the visitors finally got a bit respite as debutant Hanuma Vihari struck twice in consecutive deliveries to dismiss Cook (147) and Root (125) leaving the hosts at 321/4.

The English duo however, helped their side have a firm grip on the match before being dismissed. Cook and Root were involved in a 259-run partnership for the third wicket.

Meanwhile Cook, featuring in his last Test, smashed many records enroute to his 286-ball knock, laced with 14 boundaries.

The 33-year-old England opener on Monday became the fifth batsman in the history of the game to hit a ton both on debut and final game as Cook had also smashed a century in the second innings of his maiden Test, against India, in Nagpur in 2006.

The England opener also became the highest Test run-scorer among the left-handed batsmen as he went past Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (12400), adding another achievement to his illustrious Test career with 12472 runs.

Resuming the post-lunch session at 243/2, Cook and Root took England past the 300-run mark before being dismissed on successive deliveries in the 95th over.

Incoming batsmen Jonny Bairstow (18) fell cheaply as a Mohammed Shami delivery took an inside edge and went on to hit the stumps.

Bairstow was followed by Jos Buttler, who departed without contributing. While looking for some quick runs, Buttler went down the track but offered a thick edge to Shami at backward point.

Ben Stokes and Sam Curran were unbeaten on 13 and 7 runs respectively at the time of tea-break.

Brief scores: England 332 and 364/6 (Alastair Cook 147, Joe Root 125; MoHanuma Vihari 2/24) vs India 292 at Tea on Day 4

(IANS)

HC rejects Sonia, Rahul’s plea against Income Tax notice

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The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi’s plea challenging the Income Tax notice seeking tax reassessment for the financial year 2011-2012.

A bench of Justice S. Ravindra Bhat and Justice A.K. Chawla said the petitions filed by the Gandhis have “failed.”

However, the court clarified that the Gandhis could use their rights as the assessee and take up their grievance with the Income Tax authorities.

The order of a bench came while it was hearing the plea of Rahul, Sonia Gandhi and her party colleague Oscar Fernandes against teh March I-T notice seeking tax reassessment. They have allegedly not disclosed their income earned through Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) for the year 2011-2012.

The I-T department has told the court that they have concealed facts for evading tax.

Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are major stakeholders in Young Indian which has acquired Associated Journals Limited (AJL). National Herald newspaper was published by AJL.

“The reference to the monetary nature of the transaction i.e. fair market value, certified by the auditor, means that the promoters and shareholders of the company visualize that the shares of YI, a not-for-profit company, can increase, depending on its activities and income derived by it,” the court said.

“This court is of opinion that the assessees’ argument about nondisclosure of their interest upon acquiring the shares is unpersuasive,” said the bench.

The court also rejected the Sonia Gandhi’s submission that Income Tax department had mala fide intention in sending the reassessment notice.

Earlier in March, Young Indian requested the court to stay the recovery of tax and interest of Rs 249.15 crore raised in pursuance to a December 27, 2017 notice issued under section 156 of the IT Act for the assessment year 2011-12.

The company has submitted that it is a charitable firm and does not have any income and that Income Tax authorities have wrongly raised a demand of Rs 249 crore for the assessment year 2011-12.

On March 19, the Delhi High Court directed Young Indian to deposit Rs 10 crore in the Rs 249.15 crore income tax proceedings against the firm.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy had filed a complaint of “cheating” in the acquisition of AJL.

Swamy had accused them of allegedly conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying only Rs 50 lakh, by which Young Indian Pvt Ltd obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which AJL owed to the Congress.

The other accused in the case are Motilal Vora, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and Young Indian.

(IANS)

Teltumbde demands probe into Bhima Koregaon violence

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The Bhima Koregaon violence should be probed by a judicial commission and action should be taken against those responsible for it, civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde said on Monday.

Speaking at a function organised by the Dakshinayan Abhiyan on “Decimating Dissent: The Truth Behind Bhima Koregaon” in South Goa’s Margao town, Teltumbde said the Maharashtra police were targetting him for attending a conference in Paris, which they claimed was funded by Maoists.

“There should be a probe by a judicial commission into this episode and whosoever did it should be taken to task. In a democratic state, taking a posture and acting against citizens is unpardonable,” he said.

Teltumbde was one of the several Dalit thinkers whose homes were raided on August 28 by Pune police in connection with Bhima-Koregaon violence of January 1.

He said he had filed a defamation case against the Pune police.

“They raided my residence because I had attended a convention in Paris which was organised by the Department of Amercian Studies in Paris in April this year. It was not funded by Maoists nor it had any Naxal link,” he said.

“The search by the police was absolute fabrication and utterly nonsense,” he said.

Pune police raided Teltumbde’s official residence on the Goa Institute of Management campus in Sanquelim village, 30 km from Panaji.

(IANS)

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