Nasheman

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

You are here: Home / Archives for Nasheman

SC asks if Kerala HC was justified in annulling Hadiya’s marriage

by

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today asked if a roving inquiry could be ordered into the “issue of consent” between two adults who married at will and if the Kerala High Court order annulling the marriage of Hadiya, an alleged victim of ‘love jihad’, was justified.

The questions from a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud came during the hearing of the Kerala conversion case. “What troubles us is that whether there can be a roving inquiry into the issue of consent between two adults who have agreed to marry,” the bench said.

Whether the high court was justified in nullifying the marriage is a pure question of law, it added. “Marriage and investigation are two different things. As far as marriage is concerned, it does not warrant any investigation. Investigation has nothing to do with it. You can investigate any other thing,” the court said.

Hadiya, the 25-year-old woman who is at the centre of an alleged love jihad controversy, had on Tuesday filed an affidavit before the top court claiming that she willingly converted to Islam and wants to live with her husband Shafin Jahan. The matter had come to fore when Jahan had challenged the Kerala High Court’s order annulling his marriage with Hadiya and sending her to her parents’ custody.

On November 27 last year, the apex court had freed Hadiya from her parents’ custody and sent her to college to pursue her studies, even as she had pleaded that she should be allowed to go with her husband. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Hadiya’s father, said it was a case of vulnerable adults and the high court was justified in nullifying the marriage by exercising its power under Article 226 of the Constitution.

“In this case, marriage was used as a pretext to keep it out of the court’s jurisdiction,” Divan said. Hadiya had urged the court to set aside the judgement of the Kerala High Court that had annulled the marriage terming it an instance of ‘love jihad’.

The top court had earlier ordered an NIA probe into a “pattern” where some women were allegedly being converted to Islam. Later, the court decided to hear the woman and interviewed her in an open court when she made an appeal for her freedom under the Constitution.

(PTI)

Come up with implementable plan to repay dues: PNB to Nirav Modi

by

New Delhi: Scam-hit Punjab National Bank (PNB) today asked billionaire diamond jeweller Nirav Modi to come up with a concrete and implementable plan to settle the loss caused to it by fraudulent issuance of Letter of Undertakings (LoU) through one of its branches.

PNB said this in its response to a mail written by Nirav Modi, who allegedly cheated the bank of Rs 11,400 crore in connivance with a few bank officials.
“You were getting LoUs issued illegally and in an unauthorized way through few bank officials. At no stage such facilities were extended by our bank to your three partner firms,” sources said citing mail response sent by PNB General Manager (international banking division) Ashwini Vats to Nirav Modi.
When the illegal activities of Nirav Modi surfaced, the bank brought them to the notice of the law enforcement agencies as they apparently violated FEMA and anti-money laundering law, sources said.

“Your commitment and undertaking for sparing of the total liability was not backed by providing upfront amounts and timelines. However, should you have any concrete and implementable plan, do revert back,â the mail said.

Nirav Modi in his letter to the bank had said that the over-zealousness on the part of the bank to deal with the issue destroyed his jewellery brand and also jeopardised his ability to clear the dues.

“The erroneously cited liability resulted in a media frenzy which led to immediate search and seizure of operations, and which in turn resulted in Firestar International and Firestar Diamond International effectively ceasing to be going-concerns… This thereby jeopardised our ability to discharge the dues of the group to the banks.

“In the anxiety to recover your dues immediately, despite my offer (on February 13, a day before the public announcement, and on 15, your actions have destroyed my brand and the business and have now restricted your ability to recover all the dues leaving a trail of unpaid debts,” Modi said in its letter to the bank.

The Rs 11,400 crore fraud perpetuated by Modi is being investigated by various investigative agencies including the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI.

(PTI)

Bengaluru: NDA 90% commission govt, says Siddaramaiah; BJP stages walkout in House

by

Bengaluru: Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday alleged the NDA government at the Centre was a “90 per cent commission government”.

Modi had recently dubbed the Congress dispensation a “10 per cent commission government” during public meetings in Karnataka.

Siddaramaiah’s remark came during his reply to the motion of thanks to the governor for his address. “The previous BJP government in Karnataka was the most corrupt … And the present dispensation at the Centre is a 90 per cent commission government,” he alleged.

Siddaramaiah said the BJP and its leaders had failed to prove their allegations against his government. “According to the law, whoever levels charges against anyone, should prove them. The BJP and its leaders here have been levelling corruption charges and calling my rule a 10 per cent commission government, but have failed to prove these charges,” he said.

The remarks led to a heated exchange of words between the treasury and opposition benches. An undeterred Siddaramaiah said his government did not need any lessons on clean governance from a party whose “four ministers are in jail for corruption”.

He alleged the Centre was looking the other way when billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi used his clout to slip out of the country.

“Nirav Modi ran away with Rs 11,000 crore. Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya also fled. What was the central government doing?” he asked.

He also criticised the BJP for calling his government a non-performing dispensation.

“If my government did not perform, how is it that the growth rate of the state stands at 8.5 per cent?” Siddaramaiah asked.

Intervening, Opposition BJP leader Jagadish Shettar said the Siddaramaiah government was the most corrupt and its ministers owned many benami properties across the state.

Vishweshwar Hedge Kageri (BJP) said the Congress government was being desperate. As the chief minister continued attacking the Modi government, BJP members staged a walkout.

(PTI)

CNN HERO OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO TWO INDIAN-AMERICAN

by

Two Indian-Americans, Samir Lakhani from Pittsburg and Mona Patel from Texas, are among the 10 finalists for the prestigious CNN Heroes of the Year award.
Samir Lakhani from Pittsburg and Mona Patel from Texas are among the finalists for the annual award to be given on December 17.
Lakhani’s non-profit recycles discarded bars of soap from hotels across Cambodia and distributes it to villages in need, CNN reported.
It all started in 2014 when as a college student, Lakhani traveled to Cambodia where he experienced first-hand that for many in Cambodia a bar of soap is a luxury they cannot afford.
While still attending the University of Pittsburgh, Lakhani started the Eco-Soap Bank, the report said.
The organization now has four recycling centers across the country, providing jobs to 35 local women. The used bars are sanitized and remolded into new bars or melted down into liquid soap.
According to Lakhani so far, more than 650,000 people have benefited from the group’s soap and hygiene education.

Mona Patel’s non-profit aims to help amputees rebuild their lives by offering peer support, resources, and recreational activities.
The San Antonio Amputee Foundation aims to help amputees rebuild their lives. The group offers peer support, education and recreation opportunities, as well as financial assistance for basic home and car modifications and prosthetic limbs, it said.

Syrian regime air strikes kill more than 250 people in Eastern Ghouta

by

A person inspects damaged building in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Damascus, Syria February 20, 2018. (Reuters)

by TRT World

The bombardment of Syria’s opposition-held Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus by pro-regime forces has killed 250 people in the 48 hours since Sunday night, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday.

The Britain-based war monitor said this was the highest 48-hour death toll since a 2013 chemical attack on the besieged enclave, which killed hundreds.

The Observatory said 106 people had been killed by bombardment on Tuesday.

Strikes put a key hospital out of service on Tuesday, further limiting the little medical aid that besieged civilians could access.

“The Arbin hospital was hit twice today and is now out of service,” said Moussa Naffa, country director in Jordan for the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which supported the clinic.

The Observatory blamed Russian warplanes, saying Moscow carried out its first strikes in three months on Eastern Ghouta.

The region is ostensibly included in a “de-escalation” deal meant to tamp down violence, but President Bashar al Assad is apparently preparing troops for an imminent ground assault to retake it.

Six hospitals hit

Eastern Ghouta is home to more than 400,000 people living under crippling regime siege, with little access to food or medical resources.

The United Nations said six hospitals had been hit in the region in the past 48 hours, in addition to the one in Arbin.

At least three were out of service and two were only partially functioning, said the UN’s regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Panos Moumtzis.

“It’s beyond imagination what is happening in East Ghouta today,” he said.

“The untold suffering is intolerable and residents have no idea whether they will live or die. This nightmare in East Ghouta must end and must end now.

Expedia Generational Study: 48% Millennials have postponed a breakup to go on a planned trip with their significant other

by

About the survey: Expedia®, world’s largest full service online travel agency, released the results of the Generational Study, a report exploring the travel preferences and behavior of consumers across multiple generations. The report also highlights online travel searching and booking habits and critical details that influence travel consumer trends and action. The study suggests that over than 85% of Indians have personally booked travel online (Boomer: 85%, Gen X: 86%, Millennial: 90, Gen Z: 70%) in the last year.

Mr. Manmeet Ahluwalia, Marketing Head, Expedia in India said, “Travel is becoming a crucial part of life, especially with the younger generations- Millennials and Gen Z. While 61% of Gen Z are willing to get a part-time job to save money to go on a leisure trip, 91% Millennials save money for travel. Travel is not just a getaway, but also a time for self-reflection and introspection. No wonder the statistics suggest that 71% of millennials travelled alone last year”.

“We are also witnessing the older generations catching up with the online marketplaces. They are getting more and more comfortable with online purchases, be it fashion, home furnishings or travel. The study points out that 86% Gen X and 85% Boomers personally booked travel online in the past year,” he added.

DETAILED FINDINGS:
TRAVELER PROFILE & BEHAVIOR
· More than 85% of Indians have personally booked online travel in the past year. Married people of all ages, particularly those with children, are the sweet spot for booking travel.
o Boomer: 85%, Gen X: 86%, Millennial: 90%, Gen Z: 70%
o Married: 91% and Non Married: 78%
o With Kids: 87% and Without Kids: 80%
· Saving for travel is a top priority, especially for Millennials while Gen Z is the least likely to implement this into their budget. Overall 83% save money for travel with 69% Gen Z, 91% Millennials, 80% Gen X and 75% Boomers saving money for travel.
· There is higher propensity to spend extra money on experiences over products
o Experiences: Gen Z- 57%, Millennials – 63%, Gen X- 62%, Boomers – 63%, Total-61%
o Products: Gen Z- 43%, Millennials – 37%, Gen X- 38%, Boomers – 37%, Total-39%
· Interestingly 70% Baby Boomers, 74% of Gen X, and 81% of Millennials are willing to spend half or more of 1,000,000 rupees on leisure travel, while 77% of Gen Z would allocate half or less to travel.
o All: Gen Z- 5%, Millennials- 19%, Gen X- 10%, Boomers- 8%
o None: Gen Z- 11%, Millennials- 1%, Gen X- 3%, Boomers- 29%
· Preferred type of leisure travel experience
o Connections (Spending time with loved ones): Gen Z- 74%, Millennials- 81%, Gen X- 78%, Boomers- 80%
o Adventure (Exploring, meeting new people, trying new things): Gen Z- 76%, Millennials- 81%, Gen X- 69%, Boomers- 66%
o Relaxation (unwind, de-stress, sleep in): Gen Z- 68%, Millennials- 82%, Gen X- 74%, Boomers- 70%
o Traditional (site-seeing): Gen Z- 65%, Millennials- 78%, Gen X- 81%, Boomers- 81%
o Living like a local (unique experiences such as one-of-a-kind events, restaurants, etc.): Gen Z- 62%, Millennials-71%, Gen X- 20%, Boomers- 66%
· Most common reason for leisure travel
o Getaway (leisure trip or vacation): Gen Z- 40%, Millennials-47%, Gen X- 61%, Boomers- 59%
o Friend or family-related visits: Gen Z- 44%, Millennials-32%, Gen X- 31%, Boomers- 39%
o Holiday (Republic Day, Christmas): Gen Z- 38%, Millennials-40%, Gen X- 25%, Boomers- 12%
o Cultural (exploring a new area): Gen Z- 25%, Millennials- 34%, Gen X- 35%, Boomers- 35%
o Pilgrimage or religious travel: Gen Z- 16%, Millennials-14%, Gen X- 23%, Boomers- 31%
· Average amount of time spent on a typical leisure trip (including travel time)
o 2 Days (Weekends): Gen Z- 23%, Millennials-14%, Gen X- 10%, Boomers- 7%
o 3-5 Days (Long Weekend): Gen Z- 32%, Millennials-34%, Gen X- 38%, Boomers- 33%
o 1 Week: Gen Z- 21%, Millennials-26%, Gen X- 30%, Boomers- 28%
o 10 Days – 2 Weeks: Gen Z- 10%, Millennials-19%, Gen X- 14%, Boomers- 25%
· While overall 36% Indians travelled alone last year, a staggering 71% of millennials travelled alone. Boomers and Gen X split their travel time evenly between travelling with others and alone.
[Gen Z- 62%, Millennials- 71%, Gen X- 47%, Boomers- 50% ]
· Company on leisure trip (usually or always)
o Spouse: Gen Z- 14%, Millennials- 60%, Gen X- 73%, Boomers- 84%, Total – 53%
o Family Members: Gen Z- 50%, Millennials- 52%, Gen X- 36%, Boomers- 29%, Total – 47%
o Child(ren): Gen Z- 12%, Millennials- 51%, Gen X- 68%, Boomers- 51%, Total – 44%
o Significant other: Gen Z- 18%, Millennials- 43%, Gen X- 38%, Boomers- 45%, Total – 36%
· Travel cost split for leisure trips last year: Spouse
o We pay together: Boomer – 11%, Gen X – 18%, Millennials – 17%, Gen Z- 8%
o Partner pay for them: Boomer – 61%, Gen X – 37%, Millennials – 35%, Gen Z- 11%
· Travel cost split for leisure trips last year: Friends
o We pay for our own individual costs: Boomer – 31%, Gen X – 21%, Millennials – 37%, Gen Z- 25%
o We pay together: Boomer – 30%, Gen X – 36%, Millennials – 37%, Gen Z- 47%

SEARCH AND BOOKING TRAVEL
· 84% Indian travelers think it is helpful to be able to book all travel and hotel accommodations on one website. Generational Preference: Gen Z- 77%, Millennials- 85%, Gen X- 86%, Boomers- 89%
· Preferred way to book leisure travel and accommodations
o Online travel agency website: Gen Z- 50%, Millennials- 59%, Gen X- 45%, Boomers- 59%
o Visit websites separately: Gen Z- 23%, Millennials- 16%, Gen X- 14%, Boomers- 20%
o Talk to or work with a travel agent: Gen Z- 16%, Millennials- 12%, Gen X- 26%, Boomers- 13%
· Saving between 20% – 29% is the sweet spot (minimum savings required) necessary for half of travelers to book flight and hotels together
· Factors to absolutely choose an online travel agency website over an individual website when booking transportation and/or accommodations for a leisure trip:
o Best price available/guaranteed: Gen Z- 28%, Millennials- 36%, Gen X- 42%, Boomers- 53%
o Excellent customer service: Gen Z- 23%, Millennials- 29%, Gen X- 29%, Boomers- 28%
o Free cancellation on hotels: Gen Z- 23%, Millennials- 17%, Gen X- 24%, Boomers- 18%
o Cash back offers: Gen Z- 24%, Millennials- 18%, Gen X- 20%, Boomers- 13%
o Discount coupons on hotels: Gen Z- 21%, Millennials- 14%, Gen X- 15%, Boomers- 10%
· Primary motivating factors when selecting the details of a leisure trip:
o Best Deal (By Total): Airline Flight: 60%, Hotel: 60%, Rental Car: 54%, Restaurants or bars: 39%, Sightseeing or activity: 29%, Cruise: 22%
o Best Experience (By Total): Sightseeing or activity: 61%, Restaurants or bars: 39%, Cruise: 32%, Hotel: 32%, Rental car: 24%, Airline Flight: 22%
· Advance flight and accommodation bookings for leisure trip:
o 0-14 Days: Gen Z- 42%, Millennials- 19%, Gen X- 20%, Baby Boomers- 14%
o 15-30 Days: Gen Z- 28%, Millennials- 38%, Gen X- 31%, Baby Boomers- 30%
o 30-60 Days: Gen Z- 17%, Millennials- 35%, Gen X- 34%, Baby Boomers- 39%
o 60-90 Days: Gen Z- 6%, Millennials- 5%, Gen X- 9%, Baby Boomers- 14%
o Over 90 Days: Gen Z- 8%, Millennials- 4%, Gen X- 6%, Baby Boomers- 4%

ONLINE TRAVEL BOOKING INFLUENCES
· Important features for booking accommodations for a leisure trip on an online travel website are Clear Pricing: 86%, Easily accessible information: 85%, Online Reviews: 82%, Online Ratings: 81%, Website easy to navigate: 78%
· Top conditions that would absolutely prevent you from booking a hotel online
o Lack of information about the hotel, rooms, or amenities: Gen Z- 40%, Millennials- 37%, Gen X- 44%, Boomers- 47%
o Multiple poor online reviews: Gen Z- 39%, Millennials- 36%, Gen X- 37%, Boomers- 42%
o Pricing that is notably different than similar hotels in the area: Gen Z- 26%, Millennials- 33%, Gen X- 35%, Boomers- 36%
o Not enough or poor quality online photos of the hotel, rooms, or amenities: Gen Z- 27%, Millennials- 20%, Gen X- 25%, Boomers- 21%
o If it takes too long to complete the online booking process: Gen Z- 16%, Millennials- 25%, Gen X- 12%, Boomers- 19%
· Good hotel reviews are an absolute necessity, nearly 1/3 of all travelers say that a hotel must have good reviews in order for them to stay there. The other conditions include:
o Good Hotel Reviews: Gen Z- 24%, Millennials- 30%, Gen X- 40%, Boomers- 31%
o Restaurants with good reviews: Gen Z- 22%, Millennials- 18%, Gen X- 17%, Boomers- 20%
o Room Service: Gen Z- 21%, Millennials- 18%, Gen X- 13%, Boomers- 16%
o Wi-Fi: Gen Z- 15%, Millennials- 10%, Gen X- 12%, Boomers- 6%
· What would you do to go on a trip?
o 61% of Gen Z would get a part-time job to save money to go on a leisure trip
o 42% of Gen Z would stay off the Internet for a week in order to go on a trip
o 52% of Millennials would take on an odd job or freelance work to go on a leisure trip
o 48% of Millennials have postponed a breakup with a significant other in order to still go on a planned trip
· Social media plays a huge part in gen z and millennial travel decisions
o 66% of Millennials have posted a potential travel trip on social media to get the opinion of their friends and family before booking a trip.
o 62% of Gen Z have chosen a destination, flight, hotel, or car rental because they saw it on social media
o 47% of Gen Z have chosen a hotel room or leisure trip destination so they could get a positive response on social media.
· The majority of all generations feel obligated to send a text to a significant other or family member but over 80% of Millennials feel this pressure.
o Yes: Gen Z- 65%, Millennials- 81%, Gen X- 70%, Boomers- 74%
o No: Gen Z- 35%, Millennials- 19%, Gen X- 30%, Boomers- 26%
· Last person you text before you have to turn off wi-fi on the plane?
o Spouse: Gen Z- 4%, Millennials- 35%, Gen X- 32%, Boomers- 44%, Total- 28%
o Mom: Gen Z- 25%, Millennials- 20%, Gen X- 20%, Boomers- 7%, Total- 20%
o Friend: Gen Z- 36%, Millennials- 17%, Gen X- 12%, Boomers- 9%, Total- 20%
o Dad: Gen Z- 15%, Millennials- 10%, Gen X- 7%, Boomers- 4%, Total- 10%

Methodology
The study was jointly led by Expedia and The Center for Generational Kinetics and administered to 1,250 Indian respondents ages 18-65 including a 250-person oversample of Gen Z ages 18-21. Gen Z is defined as those born 1996 and after, Millennials are defined as those born between 1977 and 1995, Gen X is defined as those born between 1965 and 1976, and Baby Boomers are defined as those born between 1946 and 1964. The sample was weighted to the current census data for age, gender, and region. The survey was conducted online from August 8, 2017 to August 17, 2017 and has a margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points.

About Expedia:
Expedia is world’s largest full service online travel agency with localized sites in 33 countries. Expedia is a one-stop solution for all travel needs, with a comprehensive and distinctive suite of travel with 25000+ holiday activities, 500+ airlines, 500,000 properties and 40M+ post-stay reviews and 30M+ real-time reviews . Expedia in India helps consumers book flights, hotels, flight + hotel, car rentals and tourist attractions, all supported by a call center in India. Also Expedia loyalty program, Expedia+, besides earning points on bookings, allows consumers amenities like room upgrade, spa discounts, breakfast, wi-fi and more. For more information, visit- https://www.expedia.co.in/ or Download the app.
© 2018 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Expedia and the Airplane logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP) Opens Doors in Bengaluru

by

Swing it like Irfan as the ace cricketer’s ‘Swing clinic’, Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP), opens its door to mould the next generation of India’s bowling superstars at its first cricket coaching centre in the South, in Bangalore on Saturday, February 17, 2018. The 10th academy of CAP was launched with ace cricketer Mr. Irfan Pathan at a press conference held at the academy located at Haralur Road here today.

The CAP will provide budding cricketers an ideal platform to hone their skills, while rubbing shoulders and playing along with some of the biggest names in the global arena. With the right techniques and guidance from expert coaches, the Pathan brothers-Irfan and Yusuf launched these academies 2 years back to return their love for the game.

“Cricket is 80% mental and 20% physical,” says superstar cricketer and CAP director, Irfan Pathan.

“We have no dearth of talent in India. It’s just that they need to be mentored, trained and guided in the right direction. Our coaches work with chosen players to offer personalised and specialised mentoring to develop techniques that help build confidence and self-belief. So that when you take your guard or mark your run-up in the big arena, you feel right at home,” said Mr Pathan.

The academy caters to both boys and girls- from age 6 to 21. There are various coaching modules starting from introductory module and goes up to 7 modules and each module has effectively a duration of 4 months. There is special emphasis on Sports Science including talks on nutrition and diet plans given to each student. The academy also has on its panel physiotherapists and psychologists catering to the requirements of the students.

Irfan Pathan also batted and bowled to the students and interacted with the parents. Interacting with the parents, Irfan Pathan shared parents shouldn’t put too much pressure on their children and should let them free so that they can fly and do well in the path they choose. He also emphasized on how sports make you a better person and losing games helps one learn new things and be more confident in their chosen sport.

The CAP, manned by cricketing legends and renowned coaches like Greg Chappell, Cameron Tradell and Arun Bharswaj, promises to be a technology-driven approach to cricket excellence. The ‘Cricket Academy of the Pathans’ is powered by ‘PitchVision’, a state-of-the-art cricket coaching technology developed in the UK, which helps the Pathan Brothers and their team of cricket coaches to track the overall progress of players on a day-to-day basis. This innovative technology will aid coaches and provide a comprehensive data of every ball played on its unique digital platform www.pitchvision.com/CAP along with a mobile phone app which will allow the students and parents to communicate with Pathan brothers and coaching staff and also get access to coaching materials via videos TV channels.

“It’s an honour to be part of CAP that provides a great platform for our budding champions. We are happy to open the first campus in South India in Bangalore, in the green fields of Sarjapur,” said Farheen Zohra, Director, CAP, Bengaluru.

“To start off, we have two great coaches. Mr. Nitin Kumar, who played for Under 19 National Games and Mr. Kranthi Kumar, who played for JNT University and is a Level-1 NIS qualified coach. Kranthi Kumar has also completed Australian Cricket Coordinator Course. With such a great playing IX, we hope to deliver the best coaching available,” said Farheen Zohra.

The CAP Program has set focus each week with varied outcomes depending on the ability level of the participants. CAP programs are a holistic approach to developing cricketers. The required mental approach, game knowledge and experience, is just as important as the physical skills. The CAP program creates intrinsically motivated players who thrive on competition and who understand there are consequences to actions,” shared Mr. Harmeet Vasdev, Managing Director, CAP.

The CAP coaching programme is designed to harness not just the cricketing skills of upcoming players but also inculcate nutrition, fitness and a 360-degree approach to enjoying a healthy lifestyle, both on and off the field. The nutritional experts will design diets and fitness regiments based on the individual strengths of the upcoming champions. The Bangalore chapter of the CAP cricket academy boasts of 2 cement pitches, 1 turf pitch for the nets and also a Mat Pitch. However, the individual focus of the CAP programme means that seats on the Playing IX will be limited so as as it gives more opportunity for the coaches to train each student separately and analyse the strengths and weakness of each and every player.

Cricket Academy of Pathans plans to open 20 more new academies in different cities of India by mid next year. Currently CAP has presence in nine cities including Raipur, Port Blair, Noida, Lunawada, Surat, Sonipat, Rajkot and Delhi and will soon be launching in Patna, Pune, Kota, Indore and Hyderabad.

About Cricket Academy of Pathans :
Cricket Academy of Pathans is an institute born out of a simple thought of ‘giving back’. Moulded by the experience of Pathan Brothers who famously donned India colours, the Academy is all set to revolutionise the standards of coaching and development of cricket in India. After their notable contribution over the years to Indian cricket, the Pathan Brothers now intend to eradicate the one major hurdle in the path of churning out talented cricketers from India— lack of proper coaching. Since only the best can turn out the best, CAP also has on board, cricketing legends like Greg Chappell and Cameron Tradell as the chief mentors.

To strengthen the ‘backbone’ of cricket, coaching, CAP has designed two modules: ‘Coaching the Coaches’ and ‘Coaching the Kids’ to help the system at two levels. While the academy will train the coaches and fine-tune their craft, these coaches will in turn train aspiring kids. Both Mr Chappell and Mr Tradell have curated the CAP curriculum, which lays emphasis on nutrition and the physical development of the kids, providing a wholesome training experience. Armed with a strong curriculum and some of the best names of the cricketing world, the Pathan brothers promise to polish the future of the Indian Cricket with their ground-breaking initiative.

I-T dept raids 20 premises linked to Choksi, Gitanjali group

by

New Delhi: The Income Tax Department today raided 20 premises linked to Gitanjali Gems promoter Mehul Choksi and associated firms in connection with a tax evasion case, official sources said. They said the searches were being conducted in Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and few other cities against 13 companies linked to Choksi and the Gitanjali Gems.

A total of 20 premises are being raided by a team of over 110 I-T sleuths, the sources said. The department has recently attached bank accounts and other assets of Choksi and the Gitanjali group.

Choksi, and his relative Nirav Modi and others, are being investigated by multiple probe agencies after it recently came to light, following a complaint by the Punjab National Bank, that they allegedly cheated the nationalised bank to the tune of Rs 11,400 crore, with the purported involvement of a few employees of the bank.

The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate have registered two FIRs each to probe the case.

(PTI)

CBI begins questioning of Rotomac owner Kothari

by

New Delhi: The CBI today started questioning of Rotomac owner Vikram Kothari at its Headquarters here in connection with alleged loan default of Rs 3,695 crore towards a consortium of seven nationalised banks, officials said here.

Earlier, Kothari was being questioned in Kanpur where his company and residence is located, they said. He was called here by the agency which started his questioning at its headquarters, they said, without giving any reasons behind the move.

Kothari, his wife Sadhana, and son Rahul, all Directors in Rotomac Global pvt Ltd, have allegedly diverted the bank loans towards purposes other than they were meant for, officials said. One of the consortium members, Bank of Baroda had approached the CBI requesting an FIR against Kothari as the bank apparently feared he might leave the country, they said.

The CBI registered a case on February 18 after receiving the complaint. Initially, the alleged scam was estimated to be of Rs 800 crore but after the CBI started probe into the accounts of the Rotomac Global Private Limited,it was found that the company had allegedly taken loans from Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Indian Overseas Bank, Union Bank of India, Allahabad ank and Oriental Bank of Commerce.

The CBI alleged that the accused had cheated a consortium of seven banks by siphoning off bank loans to the tune Rs 2,919 crore. The total outstanding amount along with interest and liabilities for the company were pegged at Rs 3,695 crore, the probe agency alleged.

Yesterday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had notified all the land, sea and airports in the country to prevent the exit of the promoter of Rotomac pens, Vikram Kothari, and his family members from India, in connection with its money laundering probe.

The agency also conducted searches at multiple locations in Uttar Pradesh, including in Unnao and Kanpur, to gather evidence in the case. The ED had slapped criminal charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against the company and its promoters on February 18, based on a CBI FIR filed on the same day.

Meanwhile, the Income Tax department had also attached 14 bank accounts of the pen manufacturer as part of its tax evasion probe against the company yesterday. This is the second major bank fraud to surface in the recent past after the sensational Rs 11,400-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, allegedly committed by diamond merchant Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, who is a promoter of the Gitanjali Group of companies. Both Modi and Choksi left the country last month.

(PTI)

CBI arrests PNB General Manager in $1.8 bn fraud case

by

Express photo by Sumit Malhotra

New Delhi/Mumbai: The CBI on Wednesday said that it has arrested a General Manager rank officer of the Punjab National Bank in connection with the Rs 11,300 crore fraud case.

“Rajesh Jindal, who was holding the charge of Brady House Branch Head between August 2009 and May 2011 was arrested on Tuesday night from Mumbai,” a CBI official said.

It was during Jindal’s tenure at the Brady House the alleged fraud took place, the CBI officer said.

Jindal was heading the second largest branch of the PNB when the practice of issuing the Letter of Understandings (LOUs) without sanctioned limits to diamond trader Nirav Modi’s firms began. Jindal was presently posted as GM Credit at PNB’s Head Office in New Delhi. His was the 14th arrest in the fraud case so far.

Since February 14, when the CBI registered the first FIR in the case, multiple raids at Nirav Modi and Choksi’s residential and office premises have been conducted.

The agency officials also said that they are questioning the executive director and general manager level officials of the Brady House Branch along with Modi’s staffs and associates including Saurabh Sharma, who is President Foreign Finance Division of the Firestar International Pvt. Ltd. and Subhash Parab, Finance Executive.

Beside them, the agency officials would also continue to examine the executive level officials of Mehul Choksi’s Gitanjali Group. Earlier on Tuesday, the agency also arrested three employees of Nirav Modi and two of his uncle Mehul Choksi’s Gitanjali group.

Nirav Modi’s Firestar International firm’s President Vipul Ambani, its Senior Executive Arjun Patil, and Executive Assistant and authorised signatory of the diamond merchant’s three accused firms, Kavita Mankikar, were arrested after daylong questioning on Tuesday.

Chief Managing Officer (CFO) of Gitanjali group, Kapil Khandelwal, and its Manager Niten Shahi were also held.

The agency will now produce all six arrested since Tuesday before a court later in the day.

The arrests were made in two cases registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 14 and 15 against Nirav Modi and the Gitanjali group of firms respectively.

(IANS)

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives