Voltas to invest over Rs 500 cr to set up plant in AP’s Tirupati

By

-

February 10, 2019

Tata group firm Voltas on February 10 said that it will invest over Rs 500 crore to set up a manufacturing facility in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. “This facility will initially manufacture and assemble air conditioners and related cooling products with a total capacity of more than 1 million units to start with,” the company said in a BSE filing.

Voltas said it aims to create technologically advanced products which are expected to start rolling out from the second half of 2020.

The company plans to invest over Rs 500 crore while putting together an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) base for home appliances, and simultaneously creating local employment opportunities in the region.

The manufacturing facility, spread over 65 acres, will be one of the first cooling appliances units in Andhra Pradesh. The choice of Andhra Pradesh as the destination for the new manufacturing unit was due to the state’s ease of doing business and growing focus on ‘Make in India’, it said.

The chosen location provides dual benefits of superior market access and costs effective connectivity via road and port, it added. Voltas will cater to the south, west and east markets through this manufacturing facility.

“We are delighted to have laid the ground for the Voltas manufacturing plant here in Tirupati. This facility helps us in expanding our manufacturing capabilities while increasing our reach in the Southern market,” said Pradeep Bakshi, managing director and CEO, Voltas Ltd.

Voltas, among the top ten companies within the Tata group, provides air conditioning and engineering solutions.

Centre to resolve Goa mining crisis: Shripad Naik

By

Web Team

-

February 10, 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has briefed the Union Cabinet about the mining crisis in Goa and asserted the need to resolve the issue on priority, Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik said on Sunday.

A delegation of mining dependents and MPs from Goa had last Wednesday met Modi in New Delhi over their demand for resumption of the iron ore extraction operations in the coastal state.

“After the delegation of Goa leaders and mining dependents met the prime minister, he chaired a Cabinet meeting where he briefed the members about the mining issue and asserted that we need to find a solution to it,” Naik told reporters on the sidelines of a government event near Panaji.

The mining operations, a key source of revenue to the government, came to a standstill in March last year following a Supreme Court order which quashed 88 mining leases. The BJP-led state government has requested the Centre to amend the existing mining laws during the ongoing session of Parliament so that leases get extended.

Naik said that a speedy solution to the mining crisis was not possible as the issue was “not within the Union government’s purview”. But, the government is on it and we will be able to find a solution by February 15, after the budget session of Parliament ends on February 13.

Reacting to a statement by Goa Mining People’s Front (GMPF) that it does not have much hope from the BJP, Naik said leaders of mining dependents should “stop misguiding the people”. The minister also ruled out the possibility of the mining issue impacting BJP’s prospects in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

“Goa’s people know what we have done for them. We are indebted to the people of Goa who are responsible for the party’s growth. They will surely stand by the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

The GMPF, an umbrella group of mining dependents – whose livelihood has been affected – had in December last year staged three-day protests in New Delhi demanding resumption of mining activities in the state.

GMPF president Puti Gaonkar had last week claimed that an amendment to the Goa, Daman and Diu Mining Concessions (Abolition and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act could revive the mining leases till 2037.

Zac Efron undergoes surgery

By

Web Team

-

February 10, 2019

Actor Zac Efron had to undergo a surgery after he tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) on a recent ski trip.

The actor shared the news on Twitter with a photograph in which he is sitting in a wheelchair with his left knee in a brace.

In the picture, he sticks out his tongue and flashes the “hang loose” sign.

“I tore my ACL… but all is good. I opted for surgery so I can come back stronger than ever. Thank you to Dr Kvitne and his team at Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center. I’ll keep you updated as I heal and progress. Thanks for all the love and positivity,” Efron, 31, tweeted.

The actor will next be seen in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile”, a biographical crime thriller on serial killer Ted Bundy.

I tore my ACL shredding the gnar⛷ :/ but all is good. I opted for surgery so I can come back stronger than ever. Thank you to Dr. Kvitne and his team at Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center. I’ll keep you updated as I heal and progress! Thanks for all the love and positivity! pic.twitter.com/iD5sm55H4c

— Zac Efron (@ZacEfron) February 8, 2019

Govt to allow ‘mobile shop’ in country: HUA ministry

By

Web Team

-

February 10, 2019

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry is contemplating to introduce ‘mobile shops’ concept for street vendors in the country under its National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), a senior official said.

Ministry Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra said that under the concept, the owner will be given license to do the mobile street vending. The idea was floated at a recent ‘National Workshop on Street Vendors’ organised by the ministry.

“At the recent national workshop on street vendors, several suggestions came up. One of the suggestions was to allow ‘mobile shop’ in country. The ministry will consider it and find out a solution how we can provide funding (to mobile shops),” Mishra said.

He said 18 lakh street vendors have been identified so far in 2,430 cities across the country under the Street Vendors Act 2014. Also, 2,344 ‘Street Vendor Committees’ have been constituted and nine lakh street vendors have been issued identify cards under the Act, the secretary said.

He said that street vendors need some protection as they are providing various services to the society. At the workshop held on Friday, a progress report, prepared by Centre for Civil Society (CSS), an NGO, over the implementation of Street Vendors Act, was released.

According to the report, Tamil Nadu topped the chart by scoring 75 marks out of 100 in implementing the Act and Mizoram came second, followed by Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and among others.

Nagaland, according to the NGO report, is the state with “very poor compliance” and scored nine marks. Manipur, Karnataka, Sikkim and West Bengal have been listed in the category of states with “poor compliance” of the Act.

According to Ministry, National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) is aimed at providing shelters equipped with essential services to the urban homeless in a phased manner. It also stated that the NULM also addresses livelihood concerns of the urban street vendors by facilitating access to suitable spaces, institutional credit, social security and skills to the urban street vendors for accessing emerging market opportunities.

Here’s what Miley Cyrus absolutely needed at her wedding!

By

Web Team

-

February 10, 2019

Celebrities like to stay fit, they are also foodies like us and have favourite foods just like all of us!

Before Miley Cyrus tied the knot with Liam Hemsworth late last year, the bride had one demand for their wedding.

“Literally, vegan chicken and dumplings,” Cyrus told E! News’ at the 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year gala.

“That was my only rider. I would do anything for dumplings. You could add nothing else. I didn’t even need a dress; I was trying to wear leggings and a hoodie. I just wanted dumplings, that’s all,” she continued.

Hemsworth is completely smitten with his lady love and talked about how she insisted on taking his last name after their wedding. During a recent appearance on ‘Live With Kelly and Ryan’ on Friday, Hemsworth also opened up about how Cyrus has taken his late name legally after the two got married.

Cyrus and Hemsworth wed in an intimate ceremony in front of their family members and a group of close friends at their home in Franklin, Tennessee on December 23. Although the 26-year-old singer was planning on wearing leggings and a hoodie, she did wear a dress, a stunning Vivienne Westwood gown.

The 29-year-old actor donned a cut black suit and black tie, giving his outfit a casual spin by wearing white Vans shoes.

The much-in-love couple first met on the sets of the movie ‘The Last Song’ in 2008. After dating on and off for many years, Hemsworth popped the big question for the second time in 2016.

Khloe Kardashian reveals how she teaches True self-confidence

By

Web Team

-

February 10, 2019

American reality star Khloe Kardashian has the perfect mantra to raise children right.

Khloe recently opened up about practicing positive affirmations with her 10-month-old daughter True every day, reported People.

In an interview with an leading magazine Stellar, the ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ star reflected upon how every day she and True, say “positive affirmations” together.

“I never, ever considered myself chubby or overweight. I didn’t know that I was until I went on TV, and everyone told me that I was ‘fat.’ I never felt that way, because my family never allowed me to,” Khloe explained during the interview.

“As silly as it sounds, I do positive affirmations with her in the morning,” the 34-year-star said, adding that even though “it’s so corny,” they “sit in front of the mirror” and say, “I am beautiful.”

The proud mother went on to share, “It’s my job to make her feel, no matter what she looks like, that she is strong and confident and beautiful, and it’s OK to embrace all different shapes, sizes, and ethnicities. My whole family is a melting pot of race and skin tone and hair colour and height – everything. That’s our reality and our children need to know how beautiful diversity is.”

This isn’t the first time Khloe has opened up about her bond with her daughter and the positive affirmations they practice.

“I do affirmations with True every single day. She’s only a few months old, but we stand in the mirror and I say something to her reflection, and I pretend she’s saying it back to herself,” she had told Refinery29 in December.

Khloe also added that she wants True to grow up treating makeup as “something you enjoy” instead of something that is necessary in order to leave the house.

Khloe and her beau Canadian basketball player Tristan Thompson welcomed True in May last year.

Bengal TMC MLA’s murder: BJP leader Mukul Roy booked

By

Web Team

-

February 10, 2019

BJP leader Mukul Roy was among the four people booked on Sunday in connection with the killing of Trinamool Congress MLA Satyajit Biswas in West Bengal’s Nadia district. Of the four people named in the FIR, two have been arrested, a senior police officer said.

Biswas (41), who represented Krishnaganj constituency in the state assembly, was shot from point blank range by unidentified assailants on Saturday evening inside a Saraswati puja marquee at Phoolbari area in the district bordering Bangladesh. He was immediately taken to a local hospital where doctors announced him brought dead.

“So far, we have arrested two persons in this case and detained another three. A country-made revolver used to shoot the MLA has also been recovered. As per our primary findings, it seems that the victim was fired from behind and the act was the result of a well-planned plot,” the officer said.

Asked about the chances of the assailants fleeing the area, the police officer said the state police have been put on a high alert. Nadia shares border with Bangladesh and there could be a possibility of them (assailants) trying to escape to the neighbouring country. Police have been put on high alert to check the movements along the border.

Roy, a former TMC member of Parliament, joined the BJP last year after his relations soured with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. However, claiming that the attack was a conspiracy by the BJP, TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said on Saturday that those involved in the killing will be punished after a full- fledged inquiry. He also said that the saffron party was trying to create disturbances ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and resorted to “politics of murder” by singling out leaders having mass bases. The allegations were termed “baseless” by Roy and BJP state president Dilip Ghosh.

Was told I only belonged to commercial cinema, says Madhuri

By

Web Team

-

February 10, 2019

In her 35th year in Hindi film industry, Madhuri Dixit Nene is content, for she has done films of “all kinds” despite being told that she would be suitable for only commercial cinema and would fail in others.

The actor has featured in blockbusters like “Hum Aapke Hai Koun!”, “Saajan”, “Dil To Paagal Hai” and has also starred in critically-acclaimed projects like “Mrityudand”, “Lajja” among others.

“From the beginning of my career, I’ve done different kind of films. But I was always told I should do only commercial films because I belong to that set up, specially when I was doing ‘Mrityudand’. People said I cannot do an art film but I did,” Madhuri told agencies.

“It may not have been a big hit but people liked me in that space and it gave other’s the opportunity to do the same. You need to breakthrough, not only for yourself but for others,” she added.

Madhuri said doing the cinema one believes in can often be tricky as one “has to go against preconceived notions on what a star should be like”.

“You’ve to keep your head on your shoulders while working in films and keep working with a lot of belief in yourself, without thinking so much about failure or success. You need to push the envelope. If it fails, it’s ok. If it works, it gives others the opportunity to do something different. For women it’s wonderful to take risks,” she added.

Since her comeback to films with “Aaja Nachle” in 2007, Madhuri will be seen in a comedy for the first time with “Total Dhamaal”.

The actor said she boarded the project as it gave her the opportunity to do something she hadn’t done in a while: let her hair down and submit to an “outlandish, crazy world” of director Indra Kumar’s comedy.

“You can’t have ‘sensibilities’ when you’re doing a film like this. You’ve to leave your intelligence behind and just enjoy what you’re doing. Take things at face value and just have fun, without thinking too much.

“There has to be spontaneity when you’re doing comedy. You can’t hesitate. You have to just go for it. We all did just that: had a blast, laughed a lot while making it and hope it translates on screen,” she added.

The film stars Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Javed Jaffrey, Sanjay Mishra among others.

“” will release on February 22.

John, Anil, Nana to feature in ‘Welcome 3’ and ‘Welcome 4’, filming to start this year

By

Web Team

-

February 10, 2019

John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Paresh Rawal and Nana Patekar are set to star in the third and fourth installments of “Welcome” franchise and the makers have already started working on the projects.

The 2007 comedy film “Welcome”, directed by Anees Bazmee and produced by Firoz A Nadiadwala had Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Feroz Khan, Kapoor, Patekar, Rawal and Mallika Sherawat. The film was a blockbuster.

The makers came with “Welcome Back” in 2015 with Abraham. The sequel saw Kapoor and Patekar reprising their roles of underworld dons – Majnu and Uday.

“We are planning to do ‘Welcome 3’ and ‘Welcome 4’ back-to-back. We will start shooting soon. The actors will remain same – John, Anil, Nana, Paresh bhai. The third one will be directed by Ahmed Khan (the first two were helmed by Bazmee),” source close to the makers told an agency.

The producers are planning to release the third part in 2020 and the fourth one in 2021.

“This time we will have lot of action. We will have fun and stylised action, like how it was in ‘Mission Impossible’ series. So, there will be laughter and action both. First time we will incorporate the action thing in ‘Welcome’ series,” the source added.

Shooting for the third instalment will commence this year abroad.

“The moment ‘Welcome 3’ will get over in two month’s time we will start ‘Welcome 4’. It will be the first Indian franchise to have a movies back-to-back. We had planned this four-five months ago.

Letters to the Editor: February 10, 2019

By

Web Team

-

February 10, 2019

Instance on infra development

The BJP-Sena government in Maharashtra is gearing up for the Parliamentary elections in a very big way. The path towards infra development saw number of developmental projects have been undertaken with future of the city in general and Maharashtra in particular. Having seen both Swachh Bharat and the plastic ban schemes assume greater importance and the Mumbai city is having a clean look, devoid of plastics, we feel the difference in our environment in the metro and suburbs and the move is slowly taken to other parts of the state. Now to add to that, water transport project is getting much importance and the two road projects add to the already increasing list of development path set by the Fadnavis government. We may treat it as a poll call but ultimately the people are getting the benefit. It is indeed a big launch.

Gundu K Maniam

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)