Rafale deal: NCP questions authenticity of CAG report

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February 13, 2019

On a day a CAG report observed that the NDA government’s Rafale deal was cheaper than the UPA’s 2007 offer, the NCP on Wednesday questioned its “authenticity” and claimed a “conflict of interest” by referring to CAG Rajiv Mehrishi’s previous stint as Union finance secretary.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, which was submitted in Parliament earlier in the day, said the Rafale deal negotiated by the NDA government to procure 36 fighter jets was 2.86 per cent cheaper than the UPA’s 2007 offer.

It also said that the deal was 17.08 per cent cheaper with regard to India specific enhancements.

The BJP and Opposition have locked horns over the deal to purchase Rafale fighter aircraft from France.

The NCP, which is one of the parties to back the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal, said CAG Mehrishi was finance secretary when negotiations were underway to purchase the fighter jets.

“Mehrishi was part of Rafale negotiations, and he himself is CAG now. So, the question is the authenticity or truthfulness of the CAG report. The conflict of interest is there,” said NCP spokesperson Sanjay Tatkare.

He said the CAG report was silent on the actual cost of the deal.

“Why the cost appears 2.86 per cent lower is because they (the Centre) have waived the bank guarantee which was one of the components in the deal considered during the UPA’s tenure,” he said.

BJP MLA’s wife and his woman friend come to blows in public

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February 13, 2019

A BJP MLA from Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district was left red-faced after his wife and a woman he is allegedly living with fought at a function to mark his birthday. The incident took place at Pandharkawda in MLA Raju Todsam’s Assembly constituency, Arni, on Tuesday night.

The legislator himself was roughed up by some people during the incident. Todsam’s wife is a primary school teacher and they have two children. The MLA is currently living with another woman, a BJP worker, but has not divorced his wife, sources close to him said.

His supporters had organised a Kabaddi tournament at Pandharkawda on Tuesday to celebrate his birthday, where the two women came face to face. After the tournament was inaugurated and Todsam cut a cake, his wife and the other woman got into a spat which turned into a scuffle, sources said.

Todsam himself was roughed up by some people when he tried to pacify the two women, prompting the policemen who were present there to use baton-charge to rescue him. Todsam’s woman friend sustained minor injuries and was admitted to a hospital, they added.

However, a police official said that no FIR or a complaint had been registered by either woman so far. Todsam or other local BJP functionaries could not be reached for comments. Incidentally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a gathering of women self-help groups at Pandharkawda on February 16.

Bhima-Koregaon: SC sets aside Bombay HC’s order on extension of deadline to file charge sheet

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February 13, 2019

In a major relief to the Maharashtra government, the Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the Bombay High Court order refusing to extend the 90-day deadline to file a charge sheet against five human rights activists in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice L Nageswara Rao upheld the extension of time granted to the Pune Police by the Special Court of Pune.

The five activists will now have to seek regular bail and are not entitled to default bail which is granted at the lapse of the prescribed 90-day period.

The activists – Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Rona Wilson, and Sudhir Dhawale – were arrested on June 6 last year under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which requires a charge sheet to be filed within 90 days of arrest.

A special court in Pune had granted the police 90 additional days just two days before the deadline was to expire. However, the Bombay High Court had set aside the order on October 24 last year, following which the Maharashtra government approached the top court.

Violence had erupted during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle in January last year, leaving one dead and several others injured.

Trying to tear apart Constitution, destroy democracy: Kejriwal slams Modi

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February 13, 2019

(NED DELHI, FEATURE)

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he is trying to tear apart the Constitution and destroy democracy.

On a day when the CAG report on the 2015 Rafale fighter deal was tabled in Parliament, Kejriwal said that Modi should speak the truth on the agreement between India and France because, as prime minister, he is accountable to the nation.

“Modi is trying to tear apart the Constitution. He is destroying democracy,” he said at a mega rally of opposition parties organised by his Aam Aadmi Party at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

Referring to the controversy over the visit of a number of CBI officials visiting the Kolkata police commissioner’s residence in connection with its probe into chit-fund cases, Kejriwal said that sending “40 CBI officers” from Delhi was an attack on the elected government of West Bengal.

He also said that the Modi government has captured the Anti Corruption Branch in the last four years. Who dreams of capturing Delhi and Kolkata? The prime minister of Pakistan.

A host of opposition leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah, Nationalist Congress Party’s Sharad Pawar and CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury also spoke during the rally.

Delighted to lay the foundation of Subarnarekha port: Odisha CM

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February 13, 2019

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Pattanaik on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for a Rs 5,000 crore new port in Balasore district. The all weather commercial Subarnarekha Port is being developed jointly by Tata Steel having 51 percent share and Chennai based Creative Port Private Ltd (CPPL) with 49 percent share, is scheduled to be commissioned within 36 months period.

“I am delighted to lay the foundation stone for the proposed Subarnarekha port today,” Pataik said while addressing a regional Youth Conclave of Biju Yuva Bahini at the police line field.

“Estimated project cost of the port is Rs 5,000 crore for which 692 acres of land have already been provided to the developers,” an official statement said.

Balasore MP Rabindra Jena said this port will create direct and indirect employments for at least 12,000 people. The proposed port to be built at Chumukh area in Baliapal block under Balasore district, will have 12 berths and will handle goods of 25 to 55 million (MTPA) matric tonne per annum.

A port official said when commissioned, Subarnarekha port draft would be 18 meters, the deepest in the Odisha coast. The other two ports at Paradip and Dhamara have draft of 14.5 meters and 17.2 meters respectively. Even it would be deeper than Haladia port which is 7.5 meters.

The CPPL on December 18, 2006 had signed a MoU with Odisha government to develop the proposed port. However, Tata Steel recently acquired 51 per cent equity in the port project from CPPL. During initial period the project faced hurdles like objection from Union Ministry of Environment and Forest as well as ministry of Defence. The project has now been cleared by both the ministries.

Chief Secretary A P Padhi on Tuesday said that the state government has already handed over 692 acres of land to the developers and remaining 150 acres, which includes some patches of private lands, will be provided soon.

According to Tata Steel MD, T V Narendran, the proposed Subarnarekha port will bring significant transformation in Odishas transport scenario particularly with neighbouring states like West Bengal and Jhadkhand. He said this port will be beneficial for the steel and other plants in Odisha as well as neighbouring states.

Ashwani Lohani appointed Air India CMD for second time

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February 13, 2019

Former Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani has been appointed chairman and managing director (CMD) of Air India, according to an order issued by the government on Wednesday.

This will be Lohani’s second tenure as Air India chief. His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Wednesday, sources said.

Lohani was appointed Railway Board chairman in August 2017 and retired in December 2018. Lohani, who holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering, was also ITDC chairman as well as the director of the Rail Museum in the capital.

For survival one has to keep changing their style of work, says Indra Kumar

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February 13, 2019

Director Indra Kumar says it is important to reinvent if one wants to survive in the film industry.

Kumar, who started his career with romantic dramas “Dil” and “Beta”, switched his focus to comedies with “Masti” and “Dhamaal” franchises.

“Survival is essential. If you have to survive you have to change. You have to change after sometime. I have learnt from noted lyrics writer named Shyamalal Babu Rai, professionally as Indeevar, who told that one should change themselves every five and ten years.

“I learnt from him that I should break away from my style of working. You may have ruled ten to 12 years by making same kind of films but then I started tumbling so I came back with ‘Masti’ and ‘Dhamaal’ franchise,” Kumar told an agency.

Both the franchises have minted money at the box office but have not received favourable response from the critics. Kumar said negative critics review do not bother him.

“My films right from ‘Beta’ to ‘Dil’ to ‘Ishq’ and ‘Masti’ and ‘Dhamaal’ have not got good reviews. Today people say ‘Beta’ is a cult film but the review then was not good, similar was the case with ‘Dil’.

“I don’t think I will ever get good reviews for my films. In my case it is not just about commercial comedy films but the other ones too haven’t been liked by the critics. There is fault in my stars.”

Kumar said he wants to make more movies in the “Dhamaal” franchise but would take the final call depending on the fate of the film, which will hit cinema halls on February 22.

There’s no mainstream voice representing urban youth: Zoya Akhtar on ‘Gully Boy’

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February 13, 2019

No voice in the mainstream represents the urban youth, says filmmaker Zoya Akhtar who has deflected criticism that she chooses to train her lens mostly on the privileged classes with her latest “Gully Boy” about street music and the angst of young.

The woman behind “Dil Dhadakne Do”, which explored varied relationships of the rich and mighty on a cruise ship, and “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”, about three friends on a road trip through Spain, has gone over to the other side with her “Gully Boy” that talks about Mumbai’s hip hop scene.

The Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt starrer examines how street music becomes a way for struggling urban youth to project their anger in a system where the odds are stacked against them.

Frankly, there is no voice in the mainstream that represents the urban youth and that’s what attracted me to the story. Their rap is conscious of its space and it is conscious of where it exists. It is honest, truthful and personal. They are the artistes who speak about their socio-economic space, about the system and how it treats them,” Zoya told agencies in an interview.

The 46-year-old says she grew up listening to classic hip-hop artistes such as Tupac Shakur, 50 Cent and Eminem but the mainstream Indian hip-hop scene never attracted her until she chanced upon a track by Divine and Naezy.

The story of the two rappers from the chawls of Kurla in Mumbai serves as the inspiration for “Gully Boy”, played by Ranveer Singh.

Zoya says she realised she could use hip-hop to tell a larger story about urban youth and their frustrations.

“There are youngsters who are kind of frustrated because they are not even allowed to pursue their dreams… they have to figure out how they get by in their day-to-day life. There is a huge population that falls in this bracket and hip-hop resonates with them.”

The story of an underprivileged artiste finding his path through hip-hop led to some comparisons with Eminem’s 8 Mile, but Zoya dismisses speculation that her film has anything to do with the Hollywood movie.

“When Zindagi’ was coming out, everybody said that it is Hangover’. I got very upset at that time but then it released and everyone forgot about it. I understand the comparison with 8 Mile’ because that’s their only reference point. Also, he comes from the underprivileged space and the rap battle, the tropes are similar. But there is no similarity.

There was also a debate on social media about the change in the lyrics of “Azadi”, which musician Dub Sharma created in 2016 after student leader Kanhaiya Kumar made the slogan popular during a protest in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The lyrics had words such as Aazadi… Manuvaad se’, Aazadi Brahmanvaad se’, but these lines are missing in the Gully Boy track which has tweaked the original.

Zoya said they changed the lyrics to suit the context of the film and its character.

Derrick Pereira named coach of India U-23 football team

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February 13, 2019

Derrick Pereira was Wednesday named head coach of the India U-23 team for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qualifiers slated to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from March 22.

Besides India, the other teams in the group are Tajikistan and Pakistan.

Pereira, who is the technical director of Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Goa, will be in charge of the preparatory camp in Goa which kicks-off from March 2.

“The team will also be playing a friendly match against Qatar U-23 National side in Doha on March 11,” the All India Football Federation said.

National Team Director Abhishek Yadav, also a former Indian captain, said, “The experience of Derrick Pereira as a coach will be important for our team. The preparatory camp will be followed by a practice match against Qatar U-23 which will be a huge test.”

Natco Pharma shares decline nearly 5% after Q3 results

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February 13, 2019

Shares of Natco Pharma fell nearly 5 percent on Wednesday after the company reported a 26.72 percent fall in consolidated net profit for the December 2018 quarter. The company’s stock dropped 4.68 percent to close at Rs 635 on BSE. During the day, it plunged 6.88 percent to Rs 620.30, its 52-week low. On the NSE, shares went down by 4.79 per cent to close at Rs 634.75.

Drug firm Natco Pharma on Tuesday reported a 26.72 percent fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 159.3 crore for the December 2018 quarter, mainly on account of margin reduction of Oseltamivir in the US market.

It had posted a net profit of Rs 217.4 crore for the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal, Natco Pharma said in a filing to BSE.

Consolidated total revenue of the company stood at Rs 580 crore for the quarter under consideration as against Rs 573.6 crore for the same period a year ago.

“The decline in profits during the quarter compared to last year was predominantly due to margin reduction of Oseltamivir in the USA market,” Natco Pharma said.