Bengaluru: Over one lakh drivers attached to two cab aggregators began an indefinite strike here on Wednesday, demanding better incentives and stopping attachment of new cabs which they said affects their bookings, even as some of them ransacked a Uber office here.

“Over one lakh drivers attached to Ola and Uber have gone on an indefinite strike, demanding better incentives and stopping of attachment of new cabs, which affects their bookings,” Uber, TaxiForSure and Ola (UTO) Drivers and Owners Association President Tanveer Pasha told PTI here.

He said the decision was taken at a meeting called by the drivers’ association after talks with the state transport commissioner and aggregators failed last night.

Police said the protesters ransacked the Uber office at HSR Layout here. Furniture and some office eqipment at the office were damaged, they said.

Asked about the incident, Pasha said government has been silent over the issue, “resulting in the drivers losing their patience, reflected in the ransacking of the Uber office.”

To a query, Pasha said both the government and aggregators were responsible for the present dilemma.

“The government should prevail over the aggregators in asking them to adhere to the provisions under Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016.”

As per rules,rates for AC and non-AC taxis are fixed at Rs 19.50 per km and 14.50 per km for non-AC cabs, but drivers are given between Rs 4 to Rs 5, which amounts to exploitation, Pasha said.

The drivers also want Ola and Uber to stop attachment of new cabs as it affects their bookings, as also immediate stoppage of penalising drivers, based on customer ratings.

“The cab aggregator penalises drivers for bad behaviour after the rider had given a low rating for them on the app,” Tanveer said.

On February 19, hundreds of drivers had staged a protest here against the Transport Department, asking for enforcement of the rules.

The pricing strategies adopted by Ola and Uber have not only affected their drivers, but also those from other unions, Pasha said.

“A driver used to earn up to Rs 80,000, but is now able to earn Rs 15,000 only due to increasing number of cabs, which is causing traffic hazards, resulting in cut down of trips,” Pasha said.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: India is among the top five countries globally which saw the maximum number of millionaire outflows with as many as 6,000 ultra-rich people shifting overseas in 2016, 50 per cent more than the previous year.

According to a report by New World Wealth, around 6,000 uber-rich Indians have changed their domicile in 2016, while in 2015 as many as 4,000 millionaires had shifted base. The total wealth held in the country amounts to $6.2 trillion (as of December 2016) and the country is home to 264,000 millionaires and 95 billionaires in total.

“Over the next decade, India is expected to benefit from strong growth in the local financial services, IT, real estate, healthcare and media sectors. In particular, the local hospital services and health insurance sectors are expected to grow strongly. Hyderabad, Pune and Bangalore are expected to lead the pack in terms of wealth growth,” the report said. Meanwhile, global wealth migration is also accelerating as around 82,000 ultra rich people shifted overseas in 2016, compared to 64,000 in 2015.

Millionaires or High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) refer to individuals with net assets of $1 million or more.

According to the report, France saw the maximum outflow of millionaires, with as many as 12,000 super rich leaving the country. Some of the other countries that witnessed significant ouflow of millionaires include China (9,000), Brazil (8,000) and Turkey (6,000). France is heavily impacted by rising religious tensions between Christians and Muslims, especially in urban areas, the report said.

“We expect that millionaire migration away from France will accelerate over the next decade as these tensions escalate,” it added.

The report further noted that other European countries where religious tensions are starting to emerge such as Belgium, Germany, Austria, the UK, Holland and Sweden will also be negatively affected in the near future.

Meanwhile, in terms of millionaire inflows, Australia topped the chart as it saw as many as 11,000 uber rich people shifting base there, followed by the US (10,000) and Canada (8,000) in the second and third place respectively.

The reasons behind HNWIs preferring Australia to the US and the UK is that Australia has one of the best healthcare systems in the world and its location makes it a good base for doing business in emerging Asian countries such as China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and India.

Moreover, Australia is relatively immune to the turmoil in the Middle East and the related refugee crisis in Europe and it has lower inheritance taxes than the US and much lower inheritance taxes than the UK. Other countries that experienced large inflows of HNWIs in 2016 include Canada, UAE, New Zealand and Israel.

(PTI)

PTI Photo.

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena is set to emerge as the largest party in Mumbai, while the BJP is ahead in other cities across Maharashtra in civic polls as trends today showed the Congress and the NCP trailing far behind them.

The Sena is leading in 93 seats and the BJP in 61 as trends of counting of votes for the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, where the saffron allies are locked in a battle, poured in.

The Congress and the NCP are trailing way behind the Sena and the BJP, leading in 22 and 7 seats, respectively. The MNS is leading in 10 seats, a State Election Commission official said. In the adjoining Thane civic body also, the Sena is maintaining its supremacy.

The Sena has been controlling the BMC for the last two decades with the backing of the BJP, but this time the two parties parted ways and decided to go it alone, leading to a high-voltage campaign for the civic election.

Meanwhile, in Pune, Nashik and Nagpur civic bodies, the BJP is ahead of its rivals. In Pune, the BJP is set to make decisive gains at the cost of Sharad Pawar-led NCP. In Nagpur, the hometown of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, it is ahead of its rivals.

As per trends coming in from the other city corporations, zilla parishads and panchayat samitis, the BJP has won 15 seats and Shiv Sena 9 in the 122-member Nashik Municipal Corporation. Besides, the Shiv Sena was leading in 18 seats, BJP in 14, and MNS, NCP and Congress in 2 seats each in the Nashik civic body.

The ruling MNS appeared to be in for a severe drubbing in Nashik. The civic polls, especially in the country’s financial hub Mumbai, have generated much political heat on account of the fierce fight between the BJP and the Sena, despite they sharing power in the state and at the Centre.

The battle of the estranged allies has put a question mark on the stability of the BJP-led ministry in the state as the Sena had been tenacious in its attack on the senior partner and the Centre’s demonetisation policy.

The stakes are high for Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who led their parties from the front and were involved in a high decibel and no-holds-barred campaign.

Apart from Mumbai, the municipal corporations which went to the polls were Thane, Ulhasnagar, Nashik, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Akola, Amravati and Nagpur.

The big poll focus is on the BMC, retaining control of which is vital for the Sena as the city has remained its prime political space ever since the party’s formation in 1966. It has been in power in the BMC for over two decades.

(PTI)

New Delhi: Delhi Police today admitted a few of its personnel acted “unprofessionally” in tackling the clashes between ABVP and AISA members at North Campus.

Addressing Left-backed AISA activists protesting in front of police headquarters here, special commissioner (Southwest) Dependra Pathak promised action against the “errant cops”, saying a DCP-rank official is conducting a probe in the issue.

“During yesterday’s protest in North Campus it has come to notice that a few cops had indulged in inappropriate and unprofessional action. An inquiry has been instituted and strict action will be taken,” Pathak, who is also the Delhi Police spokesperson, said.

When the protesters asked him about ABVP activists allegedly seen standing atop police vans during the violence yesterday, Pathak said, “If this has happened it is wrong”.

Special Commissioner (Law and Order) SBK Singh also came out to meet the students and assured a fair investigation into the matter.

He said several complaints have been received from both the sides and an FIR was registered yesterday.

“We want you to take part in the investigation. We will record your statement and assure you that we will take legal action. If there are 10 complaints on the same incident, we don’t register 10 FIRs but record all statements,” he told the students.

Meanwhile, Additional Commissioner of Police, Crime, KK Vyas, said the Crime Branch will investigate yesterday’s incidents at the North Campus.

(PTI)

Gurugram: A woman working with NGO Delhi Study Group has accused former Delhi BJP MLA Vijay Jolly, who heads the organisation, of raping her inside a resort on the Delhi-Jaipur expressway earlier this month. An FIR has been registered at the Women Police Station at Sector 51 here.

‘Couple threatened me’

The woman’s complaint, however, comes four days after Mr. Jolly registered a case against her and her husband. He has accused the couple of trying to extort money from him. The couple was booked on charges of extortion and criminal conspiracy at the Kherki Dhaula police station on February 17.

Rubbishing the allegations, Mr. Jolly told The Agencies that the woman had been demanding money from him on the pretext of her husband’s illness. Later, the couple had threatened him. “They were on the run ever since a case was registered based on my complaint. Now, they have lodged a case as an afterthought,” said Mr. Jolly.

In her complaint, the woman, a resident of Neb Sarai, said that she had come to Gurugram on February 10 with Mr. Jolly to attend a meeting at the Aapno Ghar resort. They reached the resort around 1.30 p.m., after which they went into a room.

I was drugged: woman

The woman said that she lost consciousness after drinking tomato juice. The FIR said that she found herself undressed when she regained consciousness two hours later. She then accused the former MLA of raping her.

Later, she returned to Delhi with Mr. Jolly, vomiting twice on the way, said the FIR. The woman got down at a traffic signal in Mehrauli and took an auto-rickshaw to her house. She then confided in her husband, after which the duo lodged a complaint with the Gurugram Police on Tuesday.

The woman has claimed that she knew the former MLA for almost three years.

The Gurugram Police remained tight-lipped on the matter.

(Agencies)

Kochi: The prime accused in the abduction and assault of a popular Malayali actress, ‘Pulsar’ Suni and his accomplice VP Vijeesh, were taken into custody as they entered a local court building to surrender today in Ernakulam, six days after the incident created a nationwide outrage.

“We have taken them into custody. We had deployed our men in the city. They managed to get them,” Ernakulam Range I G P Vijayan told PTI.

Visuals aired by news channels showed the duo being forcefully taken into custody by police as they were about to enter the Ernakulam Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate court building to surrender at around 1.10 PM today at lunch break.

Advocates of the accused made a vain bid to prevent police from entering the building and taking them into custody. They were later taken to Aluva police club for questioning.

The lawyers charged the police with forcefully taking their clients into custody from the court room itself.

Police allegedly entered the courtroom wearing helmets.

The developments come a day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asserted that every effort was being made to trace the key accused in the abduction and assault of the actress.

Police had earlier arrested four accused in the case.

“Police action has been fruitful and government views the matter seriously,” Vijayan, who also holds the Home portfolio, had told reporters yesterday.

Opposition parties had alleged that the delay in arresting the culprits was a direct indication of the protection they were receiving by the ruling dispensation.

The actress was allegedly sexually assaulted inside her car for two hoursby the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle and later escaped in a busy area in Kochi.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: An SBI ATM here dispensed fake 2,000 rupee notes, and police said on Wednesday that they had identified the culprits.

The incident was reported in south Delhi where a State Bank of India ATM dispensed the fake notes on February 6, with “Children Bank of India” printed in place of Reserve Bank of India, according to the FIR accessed by IANS.

The notes also had numerous glaring discrepancies including the words “Churan lable”, a “PK” logo and “000000” serial number.

It also read “Guaranteed by the Children’s Government” printed in place of “Guaranteed by the Central Government”.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajiv Ranjan Singh told IANS that the vendor who supplied the cash to the ATM and the persons who inserted the fake notes had been identified.

The officer put the number of fake notes dispensed by the ATM at three.

Asked why no arrest had been made so far, Singh said: “The case is still a matter of investigation. The moment everything is done, arrests shall take place.”

On Wednesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the fake currency.

“A Prime Minister who can’t even print notes properly; how can he run the country? He has reduced the whole nation into a laughing stock,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader tweeted.

Rohit, a customer care executive who got the notes, reported the matter to the police.

In his complaint, Rohit said he tried to withdraw Rs 8,000 at around 7.45 p.m. from the ATM at the T-Point at Tigri in Sangam Vihar but all the four 2,000 rupee notes turned out to be fake.

After informing the ATM guard posted there, he made an official complaint to the police which sent a sub-inspector to the ATM.

The sub-inspector withdrew another 2,000 rupee note from the ATM which too turned out to be similarly fake, after which the police registered an FIR.

A case of cheating and related offences has been filed against unknown persons under sections 489-b, 489-e and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, the police said.

Experts say it is possible for an ATM to dispense even a simple sheet of paper if its size is the same as the currency notes.

“Technically, yes. ATMs are not equipped to read the security features of notes. Only the size needs to be the same,” K. Srinivas, Managing Director BTI Payments, an RBI-licensed firm that operates cash dispensers not owned and managed by banks.

(IANS)

London: Amnesty International today criticised the Indian government for using the “crude, colonial-era” sedition law to “silence” its critics.

In its annual human rights report, the UK-based NGO said, “Human rights activists and journalists (in India) faced intimidation and attacks from both state and non-state actors.”

The report mentioned a crackdown on civil society organisations with the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act or FCRA being repeatedly invoked to “harass organisations that receive foreign funding”.

“The crude, colonial-era sedition law was unleashed to silence government critics,” it added.

“Caste-based violence and vigilante cow protection groups harassing and attacking people in states including Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka in the name of upholding laws prohibiting the killing of cows were also highlighted as areas of concern,” it said.

“Tensions between India and Pakistan intensified following an attack by gunmen on an army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir state witnessed months of curfew and a range of human rights violations by authorities,” the report claimed.

The report also highlighted the consequences of the Indian  government’s move to ban large currency notes.

“A ban on India’s largest currency bills, intended as a crackdown on the country’s black market, severely affected the livelihoods of millions,” the report notes.

On a global level, the report covering 159 countries condemns the growth of “politics of demonisation” which was breeding division and fear around the world.

Salil Shetty, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, said: “Today’s politics of demonisation shamelessly peddles a dangerous idea that some people are less human than others…

Divisive fear-mongering has become a dangerous force in world affairs.

 “2016 was the year when the cynical use of ‘us vs them’ narratives of blame, hate and fear took on a global prominence to a level not seen since the 1930s.”

At a regional level in South Asia, the rights group claimed a worrying rollback of human rights as various governments invoked sovereignty and security to threaten freedoms.

Amnesty International has warned that 2017 will see the ongoing global crises exacerbated by a debilitating absence of human rights leadership on a chaotic world stage.

Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, Central America, Central African Republic, Burundi, Iraq, South Sudan and Sudan as among the crises areas and its annual report documents war crimes committed in at least 23 countries in 2016.

((PTI))