Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / 2019 / Archives for January 2019

Archives for January 2019

Cold Thursday morning in Delhi, air quality ‘severe’

by

Nasheman News :It was a cold Thursday morning in the national capital with the minimum temperature recorded at 6.7 degrees Celsius, one notch below the season’s average, the Met Office said.

“There was shallow to dense fog in the morning. The sky will remain mainly clear throughout the day with haze and smoke thereafter,” an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 23 degrees Celsius. The humidity at 8.30 a.m. was 100 per cent.

Meanwhile, the pollution level remained ‘severe’ for the second consecutive day with the air quality index being at 492, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research. The major air pollutants were PM 2.5 and PM 10.

Wednesday’s maximum temperature settled at 23.4 degrees Celsius, four notches above the season’s average, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 6.5 degrees Celsius, one notch below the season’s average.

CBI files case against 5 Army personnel for graft

by

Nasheman News :  The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday said it has registered a case against five Army officials, including a Colonel, for allegedly receiving bribes worth Rs 18 lakh.

In its FIR, the investigating agency has named Colonel Raman Dahda, Lieutenant Colonel Mahendra Kumar, Subedar Devender Kumar, Subedar Sahuran Sahu, Havildar Abhay Singh and supplier K.K. Yangfo. They have been booked under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

According to the FIR, when the incident took place, Dahda was the Commanding Officer of the 556 Army Supply Corps (ASC) and Mahendra Kumar a Platoon Commander. 

The CBI lodged the case based on a complaint from the Army. This is second case the agency has registered in the last few days.

In the FIR, the CBI has alleged that the officers received bribes to the tune of Rs 18 lakh in cash from civilian contractors in connection with procurement of ration for the Army personnel deployed in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The CBI said it carried out a preliminary inquiry that revealed undue favour to a chain of officials and unit representatives responsible for checking the quality and quantity of items being supplied by Yangfo.

Income Tax raids at homes of Sandalwood film stars & producers

by

Image result for Income Tax raids at homes of Sandalwood film stars & producers

Panic gripped Sandalwood on Thursday as sleuths from the Income Tax department knocked on the doors of producer Rockline Venkatesh and Power Star Puneet Rajkumar’s homes.

It is said that residences of producers of Blockbuster hit KGF Vijay Kiragandhur and Villain producer CR Manohar have also been raided. 

On Thursday morning, eight officers who came in two vehicles raided the house of Rockline Venkatesh in Mahalakshmi Layout and Puneeth Rajkumar’s residence in Sadashivnagar. 

According to sources, the officers conducted raids in 10 places in total. The IT officials are checking the documents at the residences of the producers. All the mobile phones of the people being raided were switched off and the family members were not available to comment.

Residences of KGF star Yash, film producer Jayanna, actor Sudeep and Shivrajkumar are also being raided.

Agencies

US troops to exit Syria ‘over a period of time’: Trump

by

Nasheman News : US President Donald Trump said that the US troops would be withdrawing from Syria “over a period of time,” dismissing the previously reported four-month exit plan.

“Over a period of time. I never said I’m getting out tomorrow,” Trump was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency on Wednesday.

Trump dismissed a New York Times story reporting earlier that the U.S. military had been given about four months to retreat the 2,000 soldiers from the war-torn country.

The Trump administration announced on Dec. 19 that it had started returning U.S. troops home from Syria after claiming a victory in the fight against the Islamic State.

U.S. media cited anonymous officials as saying that the United States was planning a “rapid” and “full” withdrawal of troops from Syria.

Trump himself last week reversed the tone in a tweet, claiming that his country is “slowly” withdrawing troops from Syria.

Currently, there are more than 2,000 US soldiers deployed in Syria.

Achrekar’s death big loss to sporting world: Modi

by

Image result for Achrekar's death big loss to sporting world: Modi

Nasheman News : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condoled the death of veteran cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar and said his demise is as a “big loss” to the sporting world.

“Ramakant Achrekarji was a shining beacon of the Guru Parampara. An outstanding mentor, he groomed cricketing talent for years and the gems he trained went on to bring immense glory to the nation. His passing away is a big loss to the sporting world. My condolences,” the Prime Minister said in a tweet. 

Achrekar, who trained legendary Indian batsman, Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar and his friend Vinod Kambli, among others, died on Wednesday in Mumbai following a heart attack.

He was 87 and breathed his last at his home in Dadar around 5 p.m.

Achrekar, honoured with a Padma Shri in 2010 and Dronacharya Award in 1990, was instrumental in coaching Tendulkar, Kambli and over a dozen other top cricket stars in the finer nuances of the game.


Rajnath should order raid on Parrikar’s bedroom, seize Rafale files: Goa Congress

by

Nasheman News : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh should order Central agencies to raid the private residence of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to search and seize files related to the Rafale deal in national interest, said Goa Congress spokesperson Siddhanath Buyao.

The spokesperson said Parrikar should be accorded security following the disclosure about Rafale, or, he would meet the fate of judge B.H. Loya and former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya.

Buyao said officials and personal staff of the former Defence Minister should be quizzed while Parrikar, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and other Cabinet ministers, who were present at the Cabinet meeting where the former Defence Minister allegedly made reference to possessing files related to the fighter jet deal, should be put through a lie detector test.

“In national interest, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh should order the agencies under his Ministry and other Central agencies to raid Parrikar’s house and his bedroom to seize the files in his possession,” Buyao told a press conference on Wednesday.

“He (CM) can meet the fate of judge Loya or Haren Pandya, because this statement was made by Parrikar according to Vishwajit Rane. Parrikar should be given security, now that Parrikar has said that (Rafale) files are with ‘me'”, Buyao said, adding that the individual speaking to Rane in the purported audio conversation should also be identified and provided security.

“This is a very serious matter. We have to get to the bottom of this. Rane and other ministers who were present at the Cabinet meeting, where Parrikar made those comments about the Rafale files, should be subjected to a lie detector test,” he added.

Parrikar, who is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer, is currently recuperating at his private residence.

Earlier on Wednesday, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala in Delhi, released the audio of a telephonic conversation purportedly between Rane and another person whose identity was kept anonymous, in which Rane is heard saying that Parrikar, during a recently held State Cabinet meeting, said that he has files related to the Rafale deal in the bedroom of his private residence where he is currently recuperating.

Surjewala asked Modi to come clean on the deal and make public the files which Parrikar “is using to threaten the Centre and the BJP”.

Rane has, however, said the conversation is doctored and also asked BJP national president Amit Shah and Parrikar to probe the matter.

Day after allowing loan restructure, RBI sets up committee on MSMEs

by

Nasheman News :The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday set up an expert committee to propose long-term solutions for the economic and financial sustainability of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector currently plagued by liquidity and other issues.

An RBI statement said that the committee headed by former Securities and Exchange Board (Sebi) Chairman U.K. Sinha will examine the factors affecting the timely and adequate availability of finance to the sector, as well as study the global best practices regarding MSMEs and recommend its adoption in India.

The move comes a day after the RBI permitted a one-time restructuring of existing MSME loans that are in default but “standard” as on January 1, 2019, without an asset classification downgrade.

To be eligible for the scheme, the aggregate exposure, including non-fund based facilities of banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), to an MSME borrower should not exceed Rs 25 crore as on January 1, 2019. 

“It has been considered necessary that a comprehensive review is undertaken to identify causes and propose long term solutions, for the economic and financial sustainability of the MSME sector,” the statement said.

“Towards this end, it was announced in the Fifth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement for 2018-19, dated December 5, 2018, that the RBI will constitute an Expert Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.”

The panel will also review the current institutional framework in place to support the MSME sector, study the impact of the recent economic reforms on the sector and identify the structural problems affecting its growth, the statement added. 

Besides Sinha as the Chair, the committee will have the Additional Secretary, Development Commissioner MSME Ram Mohan Mishra, Financial Services Joint Secretary Pankaj Jain, State Bank of India MD P.K. Gupta, ICICI Bank Executive Director Anup Bagchi, IIM-Ahmedabad Professor Abhiman Das, iSPIRT Foundation Co-founder Sharad Sharma and Dvara Trust Chairperson Bindu Ananth.

Support for MSMEs was one among the contentious issues between RBI and the government leading to the abrupt resignation of previous RBI Governor Urjit Patel last month and the immediate appontment of his successor Shaktikanta Das, who had earlier retired as the Union Economic Affairs Secretary. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Das announced he will hold talks with representatives from the MSME and NBFC segments next week.

Trump caused worldwide dismay, says Mitt Romney

by

Nasheman News : Former Republican presidential candidate and incoming Utah Senator Mitt Romney has launched a scathing attack on President Donald Trump, writing in an editorial that he caused dismay around the world and had “not risen to the mantle of the office”.

“It is well known that Donald Trump was not my choice for the Republican presidential nomination. After he became the nominee, I hoped his campaign would refrain from resentment and name-calling. It did not,” Romney wrote in the Washington Post opinion piece on Tuesday.

“… His conduct over the past two years, particularly his actions, is evidence that the President has not risen to the mantle of the office.”

Romney, who is set to be sworn into the Senate on Thursday, also said that Trump’s presidency weakened America’s influence abroad, writing that “Trump’s words and actions have caused dismay around the world”.

“The world needs American leadership and it is in America’s interest to provide it.”

“With the nation so divided, resentful and angry, presidential leadership in qualities of character is indispensable… And it is in this province where the incumbent’s shortfall has been most glaring.”

Trump hit back at the Republican senator-elect in a tweet on Wednesday, saying: “Here we go with Mitt Romney, but so fast! Question will be, is he a Flake? I hope not,” Trump tweeted, referring to retiring Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, a Republican who criticized the President often in the last few years. 

“Would much prefer that Mitt focus on Border Security and so many other things where he can be helpful. I won big, and he didn’t. He should be happy for all Republicans. Be a team player and win!” Trump said.

Romney said that he agreed with some of the policy changes Trump has championed. “But policies and appointments are only a part of a presidency,” he wrote.

Responding to Romney’s piece, Trump’s 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale said that the incoming senator “lacked the ability to save this nation” while Trump “has saved it”.

“Jealously is a drink best served warm and Romney just proved it. So sad, I wish everyone had the courage (Trump) had,” Parscale said.

Romney and Trump have long had a complicated political relationship. The President had called Romney “irrelevant” and had bragged that he was a more successful businessman. 

When Trump was running for President in 2016, Romney called him a “phoney” and a “fraud”. In 2017, he slammed the President after the deadly white supremacist rally in Virginia for causing “racists to rejoice” and “minorities to weep”.

Romney said he would support the President in policies he thought were in the best interests of Utah or the US but speak out against actions “that are divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions”.

Cabinet approved for merging Dena Bank, Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda

by

The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the merger of public sector lenders Dena Bank, Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda

The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the merger of public sector lenders Dena Bank, Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda (BoB).

Briefing reporters following the cabinet meeting, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the merger will make the “transferee” Bank of Baroda the third largest bank in the country and a “globally competitive entity”.

“There will be no retrenchment of employees as the employees of Dena and Vijaya banks will be transferred to BoB. There will be no problem in service conditions,” he said.

Announced by the government in September last, this reform measure aimed at further consolidation in the banking sector will make BoB the country’s third largest bank with a combined business of Rs 14.82 lakh crore.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced the merger proposal, saying the respective boards of the three banks have been directed to consider the proposal at the earliest.

Jaitley said the merger would create a sustainable mega-bank.

The merger decision was taken by the “alternative mechanism” comprising Jaitley, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

This is the second such exercise in the last 21 months. In the previous such mega merger, five associate banks and the Bharatiya Mahila Bank became part of the state-run State Bank of India on April 1, 2017, making the country’s largest lender among the world’s top 50 banks.

Noting that Dena Bank has been under the Reserve Bank of India’s Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework on account of its massive accumulated non-performing assets (NPAs or bad loans), Jaitley had said the consolidated entity’s capacity to absorb a weaker bank had guided the government’s decision to propose this merger.

Petrol, diesel prices to decline further: Minister

by

Nasheman News : Transport fuel prices in the country, which have been on a slide for some time, will decline further, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Wednesday.

Under the daily dynamic pricing regime for fuels, petrol prices have fallen to their lowest levels in over a year across the four major metros.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here to hand over the 6 croreth free cooking gas (LPG) connection to poor households under the Ujjwala Yojana, Pradhan said the government is expanding the refinery capacity in the country which will bring down the prices of diesel and petrol further.

In tandem with the sharp decline in global crude prices over the last two months, petrol in Delhi sold at Rs 68.65 per on Wednesday, as per Indian Oil Corp data. 

The prices remained unchanged from those on Tuesday. In Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, petrol per litre on Wednesday cost Rs 70.78, Rs 74.30 and Rs 71.22, respectively. 

The prices for diesel per litre in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai on Wednesday stood at Rs 62.66, Rs 64.42, Rs 66.14 and Rs 65.56, respectively.

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives