Nasheman News : Various schemes to the tune of Rs 150 crore to benefit the diaspora community of the state were announced in the Kerala Budget 2019-20 here on Thursday.
Presenting the budget in the Assembly Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said the biggest allocation of Rs 81 crore was for the various programmes of the Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS) .
He said that starting in the new fiscal, the bodies of Keralites who die in various Middle East countries will be brought free to their homes.
The LKS was formed in 2018 by the Pinarayi Vijayan government when 351 members, including 141 legislators, parliament members from the state and some 130 selected representatives of Kerala-based organisations from within and outside the country, got under one roof to discuss the issues of the Kerala diaspora.
“Rs 25 crore has been set aside for the Santhwanam Scheme wherein the returned diaspora member who earn less than a lakh annually will be given assistance in case of emergencies.
“Rs 15 crore has been set aside to provide for interest and capital subsidies to be given to those returned diaspora members who begin independent ventures.
“Rs 5 crore has been set aside to meet the expenses of various diaspora festivals to be held outside India,” said Isaac in his speech.
The Minister announced a ‘Pravasi Dividend Pension Scheme’ that will provide a regular monthly pension of Rs 2,000 to all Non-Resident Keralites (NRK) on a onetime payment of Rs 5 lakh.
The monthly pension payment will begin after five years of joining the scheme and those who wish to avail a higher pension could pay in multiples of Rs five lakhs.
Issac also set aside Rs 15 crore for rehabilitation programmes of returned diaspora and another Rs 9 crore for the NRK Welfare Fund.
According to a study there are 2.1 million migrants from Kerala across the world whose estimated total annual remittances to the state have been found to be Rs 85,092 crore.
Of these close to 90 per cent are in various Middle East countries.
It has also been estimated that there are around one million NRK who have returned to the state.
Archives for 2019
Hindu temple vandalized in US
Nasheman News : A Hindu temple has been vandalized in the US state of Kentucky, with officials calling the incident as “hate crime”.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said vandals broke windows at Swaminarayan Temple, located in the state capital’s Bardstown Road, and wrote hateful words on temple walls, reports Courier Journal newspaper.
Fischer said that between Sunday evening and Tuesday morning, the vandals broke in and spray-painted “repugnant messages of hate” in the temple.
In an upstairs room, profane messages were spray-painted on the walls along with several black crosses. Phrases including “Jesus is all mighty”, “Jesus is Lord” and “God” were also sprayed in black paint on the walls.
Near an entrance to the temple, a window had been broken, a picture was partially sprayed with black paint and “Jesus is the Only God” and a black cross were sprayed next to a staircase.
A knife was also left on a chair in the temple, according to Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad. He called the vandalism “a hate crime”.
He said “too many incidents like this” had taken place in Louisville, referring to a past vandalism incident at the Louisville Islamic Centre and heightened safety concerns at a local Sikh temple following a deadly temple shooting in Wisconsin in 2012.
“The desecration of this temple is heartbreaking,” Conrad said, adding, “I want the people of this temple to know that we will stand with them. We will do our best to keep them safe and we will do what we need to do to make Louisville a safer city.”
Raj Patel, a spokesman for the temple, said no members were inside when the vandalism happened. The temple has been located at its current address for about five years and usually attracts 60 to 100 people for Sunday worship.
Conrad said the police would be at the temple on Sunday to make sure the community was safe.
Parrikar likely to be shifted to AIIMS for examination: BJP official
Nasheman News : Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is likely to be shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital for examination, a BJP official said here on Thursday.
“The Chief Minister will be shifted to the AIIMS for a regular check up either later today or on Friday. It is a routine check up. He is expected to be admitted to AIIMS for 48 hours,” the Bharatiya Janata Part official said, requesting anonymity.
The former Defence Minister is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed in February last year. He has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi and New York since then.
On Wednesday while presenting the state budget for 2019-20, he made a brief speech from his chair, even as he was strapped with medical paraphernalia.
Man kills wife and 3 months baby
Angered over his wife’s alleged social media obsession, a 27-year-old man allegedly bashed her head in with a stone and burnt her body in a eucalyptus grove in the outskirts of Bengaluru. The horror did not end there. He also allegedly killed his three-month-old baby boy and threw the child’s body in the bushes in the same grove.
Two years ago, SK Raju, a resident of Ramanagara’s Gangondanahalli had sent 25-year-old Sushma a friend request on Facebook. A few weeks later, she accepted it and they soon began chatting every day.
“A month or so after they chatted, they met and fell in love. Over eight months ago, Sushma became pregnant and she decided to tell her parents about Raju,” the Bidadi Police told media.
Sushma’s parents, first opposed the relationship but later relented and decided to get the couple married when they learnt that their daughter was pregnant. Three months ago, Sushma gave birth to a baby boy and the couple were to hold a naming ceremony in February. However, police say that all was not well between the couple and that Raju constantly picked fights with Sushma.
“She was a homemaker and he worked as a warehouse as a supervisor. Raju would pick fights with Sushma as he felt she was not doing the household chores but was always on Facebook and Instagram. He had even called Sushma’s father Govindaiah and told him to instruct Sushma about not using her phone so often,” the police said.
However, what began as fights about household chores soon led to Raju accusing Sushma of having an affair with a man she met online. “According to his statement, he became suspicious of her phone usage. He would accuse her of chatting with other men on Facebook and Instagram,” the police said.
The next morning, Raju told Sushma that he wanted to take her out for a picnic. He decided to drive Sushma and the baby boy to a eucalyptus grove located near Wonder La, an amusement near Bengaluru. When they were inside the grove, Raju allegedly bashed Sushma’s head in with a stone. He then allegedly took out a bottle of petrol that he had brought along and poured it over Sushma, who was unconscious and set her on fire. He then allegedly smothered his three-month-old baby boy with a pillow and threw the baby’s body in the bushes.
On January 20, Forest Officer Shivakumar, who was out for his daily patrolling duty, smelt something foul. “I decided to see what it was. I saw some blood on a stone and there was something black just a few meters away. When I went to see what it was, it looked like a burnt body. I was so shocked. I immediately informed the Bidadi Police,” Shivakumar told TNM.
“The murder is believed to have been committed on January 19. I was patrolling that same area that morning and left after looking through the forest area, just like I do every day. Maybe if I had come a little later, I could have saved the woman and the child. We are looking for the baby round the clock,” Shivakumar added.
On January 26, the woman’s father, Govindaiah, filed a missing person complaint online. Govindaiah had stated that his daughter and grandson had disappeared and that Raju was evading his calls.
“The woman’s father suspected that Raju was involved in her disappearance. After the forensic report came back, we realised that the body found on January 20 belonged to Sushma, the same one reported missing,” the Bidadi police said.
On Wednesday, the police arrested SK Raju and grilled him for hours, after which he allegedly confessed to killing the baby boy as well. “When we went to the bushes, there was a pillow but there was no baby. We are still searching for the baby’s body,” the police added.
Shivakumar told media that when they went to look for the baby’s body, they spotted a leopard prowling the area and decided to come back later. Officials now suspect that the leopard may have taken the baby’s body.
Raju was booked for murder and has been remanded to judicial custody.
19 flying displays: Aero India 2019 promises to be bigger and better
There will be 17 flying displays by HAL and seven displays by foreign agencies, including two flying displays of Rafale jets.
The 12th edition of Aero India in Bengaluru’s Yelahanka Air Force Station is all set to kick off between February 20 and 24 and the event is expected to be bigger and better than the ones held before.
Preparations for the air show have reached their final stages and this year, the start-ups under the Make In India initiative in Defence will be showcased during the show. Aero India 2019 will also have a drone competition and a Women’s Day special where Sunita Williams, a record holder for the maximum number of spacewalks by a woman, is expected to participate in the seminar on February 24.
This time around, Aero India will also witness Drone Olympics. The participants will kick-start the competition at the Government Flying Training School in Jakkur and the finalists will participate at the Aero India event on February 21.
“There will also be a day where the theme will be start-ups. The Ministry of Defense is still planning it out. There will be companies who will showcase their ideas during this show,” an official said.
In addition, the Union government has instructed Sainik schools and other schools in Karnataka to bring students for the air show. “We are expecting 10,000 students to participate in the various events and seminars. The aim is to recruit more people into the armed forces,” the official added.
Over 5 lakh people are expected to attend the show and officers at AFS Yelahanka say all issues they faced during the air show in 2017 are being dealt with. For starters, the general public, who will be arriving to view the show, will have to go to the ariel display viewing area via gate number 8, 9, 10 and 11 only. This would mean that they will have to make their way through Yelahanka Town and will not be allowed to use the the Yelahanka Main Road. Only exhibitors, service providers and the media will be allowed to use this road.
Traffic diversions for those going towards the airport are also expected. The airport road will be closed and commuters will have to make their way to BIAL via Hennur. In addition, a parking space is being arranged to overcome the issues faced during the 2017 show. This time, the task has been contracted to a private company, which will be handling the issue. Shuttle services will be provided between the parking lot and the ariel display viewing area in order to avoid pedestrian traffic along the Yelanhanka Main Road.
“We have identified two highways for beautification and the state government is also working on widening the road as soon as possible. The garbage generated will be cleared out once every half hour. This time we will install 1,000 toilets for people to use. There will be two food courts instead of one and also an Indira Canteen, which will offer food at affordable rates,” said Air Commodore in-charge of the Yelahanka Air Force Station, Ravuri Sheetal.
This time around, HAL will be the event organiser as opposed to the Defence Exhibition Organisation. “There are 21 sub-committees which the HAL has set up specifically to coordinate various operations for Aero India 2019. As of now, 31 flying display teams have registered and 21 static display teams have registered and 365 companies both Indian and foreign have confirmed their participation. There will be a large number of business-to-business, government-to-business and government-to-government meetings during the show,” said Wing Commander Amit Kumar, in-charge of Aero India.
The air show will also have two additional display stalls – G and F. In 2017, the show had A, B, C, D and AB stalls for static display. “On an average, 80-90 aircraft can be displayed in each stall, again, depending upon the size of the aircraft,” he added.
There will be 19 flying displays by the Indian Air Force and 17 by HAL and seven displays by foreign agencies including two flying displays of Rafale jets.
Bollywood Buzz
Actress Malobika MJ All Set To Make Her Debut As A Singer
Actress Malobika MJ debuts as singer with music video “Kill Karda” to be choreographed by Ganesh Acharya.
By the way actress Malobika MJ has already done 3 big music videos & above all 6 Bengali film as a main lead heroine.
Malobika MJ has just sang her 1st ever song named “Kill Karda” written by Shabbir Ahmed & composed by Raaj Ashu. The video is being choreographed & directed by Ganesh Acharya. The music video was shot just in 2 days at Angel Studio, Mumbai.
Malobika MJ had done the rehearsal for just 3 days before shooting the video.
India not missing Paes: Bhupathi
Nasheman News : India’s non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi on Wednesday said the absence of his longstanding doubles partner Leander Paes won’t be felt in the latter’s own backyard when India take on Italy in a Davis Cup World Group qualifiers tie at the Calcutta South Club here on Saturday.
Paes, who became the most successful doubles player in the history of Davis Cup with a record 43 wins, was dropped from the squad with the new selection committee, led by Rohit Rajpal, saying they went largely by the rankings.
Asked if India would be at a disadvantage sans Paes in his own backyard, Bhupathi dismissed it: “No, it’s not.”
Bhupathi said it’s a captain’s ‘dream’ to have left-hander Prajnesh Gunneswaran in the side as it helps in the team balance.
Prajnesh, who is the country’s highest ranked singles player, will spearhead India’s challenge against the higher-ranked Italians led by World No.18 Marco Cecchinato, who upset Novak Djokovic in the French Open quarterfinals last year.
The 29-year-old Prajnesh, who started 2018 as World no.243 and ended it as No.104, won two ATP Challenger titles and also upset now World No.27 Denis Shapovalov on grass at the Stuttgart Open last year.
“Prajnesh has got a big serve, big forehand, and he’s a left hander. I think it’s the captain’s dream to have that kind of variation in your side,” Bhupathi said at the pre-draw press conference here.
Bhupathi drew a parallel with cricket.
“In cricket, the opening pair wants to go left and right. And on day one I’m going left right. I think it’s a great variation to have.
“And for me it’s even a bigger bonus that Prjnesh is now almost near top-100 in the world. So he’s obviously brimming with confidence.”
Contrary to widespread criticism over the new format, Bhupathi said the shortened arrangement would give India an edge over Italy who are ranked 10th, nine places above the hosts.
“When you’re trying to beat players who are better than you it’s always easier to do it in two sets rather than three out of five. So, when it comes to playing big teams, who are constantly in the world group, I think this change in format is great for the Indian team,” he said.
Bhupathi predicted that India would have Prajnesh, Ramkumar Ramanathan and indisposed Yuki Bhambri inside the top-100 by the end of this year.
“I think all of them between 65 and 70, honestly. I mean, we all know that Yuki, if he stays healthy, he has that in him.
“Prajnesh literally has nothing to defend till end of March so there’s only one way to go up for him and Ram is up and down, he can lose 10 first rounds in a row and all of a sudden he’s in the final Tour event. So you know, he’s a bit of a wild card but you know that’s the dream scenario.
Bhupathi was also asked about the Italians practicing at the central court with a combination of what seemed like Marco Cecchinato and Andreas Seppi ahead of the spirited Matteo Berrettini.
“That may be the pattern on day one. But we are not ruling out any surprises,” he said of world number 53 Berrettini who had beaten the top-ranked Indian in Chengdu ATP in China last year.
ISL: Delhi, Kerala hunt for win and some pride
New Delhi, Jan 30 (IANS) Two Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, who find themselves on the wrong end of the table, will meet when Delhi Dynamos host Kerala Blasters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Thursday.
The Dynamos will be hoping to start 2019 in the same fashion as they ended the last year with a much-needed 3-1 win over Chennaiyin FC.
“I think it’s very important to win the first game after the break. We ended the year after winning our first game against Chennai. We have worked hard in the past couple of games and are excited to start the tournament again,” said head coach Josep Gombau.
Struggling for goals and points, the club has been busy in the transfer window with Andrija Kaludjerovic, Pritam Kotal and Siam Hanghal exiting the club, while Mexican attacking midfielder Ulises Davila has been roped in.
“I think Pritam (Kotal) was an important player for us. He was our captain and a player who used to regularly feature in the playing 11. But the club and player found a deal with ATK. So, we will have to focus on the players we have in our squad now,” he added.
While scoring has been an issue for Gombau’s men, they have also leaked goals at the back and hold the joint second-worst defensive record in the league. The victory over Chennaiyin was the first of the season with the club yet to win at home and that will be something Gombau will be mindful of.
Interestingly, both sides have scored 13 goals each and have also conceded the same number of goals (21). A win for Delhi will take them above Kerala on goal difference.
There was nothing to separate the two sides when they met in Kochi in October last year with Kaludjerovic cancelling out CK Vineeth’s goal for the hosts. Surprisingly, both the goalscorers have now left their respective clubs. Vineeth has joined Chennaiyin on loan for the rest of the season, along with Halicharan Narzary.
Like Delhi, Kerala too have made significant changes during the break. Baoringbao Bodo has been roped in from Gokulam Kerala along with Lalthuammawia Ralte from FC Goa.
Unlike Delhi, Kerala Blasters have already played a game since the resumption of the league.
“I believe that the results until now are not according to the level of the team. My first game was just after two days of my arrival. I am sure that the players know me better now and I know them better than before,” Vingada said.
Since the win against Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) at the end of September last year, the Blasters have been in freefall and have failed to win a single game in 12 attempts. Now, as they take on another struggling outfit, maybe it’s time for the tide to turn.
SBI Data of customers password unprotected
A data security scandal has hit India’s largest public sector bank after a media report claimed that State Bank of India left a server with banking data (bank balances, recent transactions) of its customers unprotected for two months. SBI has now secured the server.
According to a report by Techcrunch, the server which is hosted in a regional Mumbai-based data centre, stored two months of data from SBI Quick meant for users to request basic info about their bank accounts via a text message or on a call.
The report goes on to point how the bank’s server was not password-protected, allowing anyone with the technical know-how to access the data of millions of customers’ information. According to Google Playstore, there have been 10-million-plus installs of the SBI Quick app.
Techcrunch claimed the passwordless database allowed them “to see all of the text messages going to customers in real time, including their phone numbers, bank balances and recent transactions”.
TechCrunch verified the authenticity of the server by asking an India-based security researcher to use SBI Quick and within seconds, his number, as well as the bank’s response, were available on the compromised server.
The report says the server revealed that the bank sent over three million text messages to its consumers on a single day – Monday – itself.
SBI Quick offers an easy way to its consumers to get basic information about like their account balance, mini statement, cheque book, and more with the bank.
India’s largest public sector bank with a $47.5 billion revenue stood 216th in the last Fortune 500 list of the world’s biggest corporations.
12 killed, 170 injured in Saudi Arabia floods
Nasheman News : Civil Defence forces say they rescued 271 people over the past four days, most of them in the al-Jawf region that borders Jordan. Several were also rescued in Mecca, Tabuk and the Northern Borders region.(Picture for representation)
Saudi Arabia says 12 people have died and more than 170 have been injured this week due to flooding from heavy rain in the northwest.
The Civil Defence said on Thursday that 10 people died in the area of Tabuk, one in Medina and another in the Northern Borders region. It did not say what caused the deaths.
Civil Defence forces say they rescued 271 people over the past four days, most of them in the al-Jawf region that borders Jordan. Several were also rescued in Mecca, Tabuk and the Northern Borders region.
Heavy rains have flooded desert valleys and forced schools to close. The English-language Arab News in Saudi Arabia posted video of water engulfing a street in the city of Medina, home to one of Islam’s holiest sites.
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