SBI charges among lowest in banking sector: MD

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December 25, 2018

State Bank of India (SBI) Managing Director P K Gupta said that the charges for various services offered by the bank are among the lowest in the industry.

Various services offered by the bank, including ATM transaction and cash deposits, come at a cost, but the charges have been kept low in the larger interest of customers, Gupta told agencies.

Asked about rationale for levying charges for non-maintenance of monthly average balance (MAB), he said the bank has invested heavily in technological upgradation of systems for providing safe and secure banking facilities at any place in the country. Further, ATMs and cash points have been created across the country, thereby making huge investment for benefit and convenience of customers.

“With substantial investment in infrastructure and technology, it becomes imperative for the bank to recover at least a part of the cost. Considering the improvement in the quality of facilities and services extended to customers, the requirement of MAB in savings bank accounts was re-introduced from April 2017,” he added.

The managing director looking after retail and digital banking also pointed out that these charges were reduced twice – in October last year and subsequently in April this year.

“Our charges are on the lower side when compared with the other private sector banks,” Gupta said.

Besides, he said 60 per cent of the total savings account holders, including no-frill accounts, student and minor are exempt from requirement of MAB.

To promote digital transaction, the bank has now made available to the customers several digital options to make payments seamlessly instead of using the ATMs.

To promote digital transactions, he said, the bank in fact offers reward points to the customers.

Priyanka, Nick’s wedding gets ‘The Simpsons’ treatment in the latest picture!

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December 25, 2018

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’s lavish wedding has been the talk of the town for a quite a long time now. The duo’s grand wedding festivities have now been recreated in The Simpsons style and are breaking the internet!

On the occasion of Christmas, Priyanka took to her Instagram account to share The Simpsons renditions of her regal wedding.

In the first post, a Simpson-like Priyanka is dressed in a white gown and can be seen looking happily at the Simpson version of Nick. Nick’s father Paul Kevin Jonas, who officiated their Christian wedding ceremony, also features in the background. She captioned it as, ” Love #simpsons.”

In the second post, the Simpson version of Priyanka is dressed in a red lehenga and Nick’s comic character is dressed in a sherwani. The two can be seen posing outside the Simpson residence with Homer, his wife Marge and their kids Bart, Lisa and Maggie standing in the background.

Priyanka and Nick got married in two elaborate ceremonies– as per Christian tradition on December 1 in Jodhpur’s Umaid Bhawan Palace and as per Hindu rituals on December 2 at the same venue.

The lovebirds have since been celebrating their nuptials. They first hosted a wedding reception in Delhi – which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi – after which Priyanka’s mother Madhu Chopra threw a party for their close friends and family. They also hosted a wedding reception bash in Mumbai on December 20 which was attended by the who’s who of Bollywood.

Priyanka is currently celebrating her first Christmas with Nick in London. Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, Franklin Jonas, Madhu Chopra, Denise Miller-Jonas and Paul Kevin Jonas Sr were also a part of the celebrations. The ‘Mary Kom’ actor has been sharing adorable pictures from the Christmas celebrations.

On the work front, Priyanka will be next seen in Shonali Bose’s ‘The Sky Is Pink’ opposite Farhan Akhtar.

Kartik Aaryan all set to make ‘Koffee With Karan’ debut

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December 25, 2018

Treating his fans on the occasion of Christmas, Kartik Aaryan revealed that he will be making a debut on Karan Johar’s popular talk show ‘Koffee With Karan’.

The 28-year-old actor shared his look from the show on his Instagram account and teased his fans with the caption, “Merry Christmas everyone, Santa has a surprise for you, Something’s brewing.” The actor looked dapper donning a fancy jacket.

The ‘Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety’ actor will be accompanied by his co-star Kriti Sanon, KJo confirmed with his latest Instagram post which features him posing with the two actors for a stunning picture. He captioned the post as, “3K’s in the Koffee house!!!! KRITI KARTIK AND KARAN!”

The two actors would be seen sharing screen space for the first time in Dinesh Vijan’s directorial ‘Lukka Chuppi’ which is all set to release on March 1, 2019. However, before coming together on the big screens, they will appear on the koffee couch.

Interestingly, this marks the debut of both the actors on the chat show. So it’ll surely be interesting to see who will take home the Koffee hamper!

Apart from the duo, other celebs who appeared on the show for the first time include Sara Ali Khan, Jhanvi Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal and Ayushmann Khurrana, among others.

In the upcoming episode of the chat show, the Koffee couch will be graced by the Kapoor siblings – Sonam, Rhea and Harshvardhan. Meanwhile, the finale episode will have the two stunning ladies — Kareena Kapoor Khan and Priyanka Chopra brewing some koffee and giving out some fresh gossip.

Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth reportedly married

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December 25, 2018

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth have reportedly tied the knot in a secret ceremony.

The once on-again off-again couple, who reconnected in 2015, exchanged vows in an intimate affair at their home in Franklin, Tennessee on Sunday.

Several pictures of the two were shared by their surfer friend Conrad Jack Carr on his Instagram Story where in one of the photographs Hemsworth, 28, and his brothers Chris and Luke can be seen doing a “shotski”, with ‘Mr and Mrs’ balloons in the background.

Another picture has Cyrus, 26, and Hemsworth dressed in traditional white and a tux, respectively in front of a white cake and cupcakes, with the singer’s mother, Tish in the frame.

According to an online portal, the “Malibu” hitmaker’s sisters Noah and Brandi were also in attendance at the party.

On their Instagram Stories, they posed together with Carr as ‘Mrs’ balloons floated in the background.

The couple first started dating when they starred opposite each other in Nicholas Sparks’ 2010 drama, “The Last Song”.

Until recently the couple lived with their seven dogs, two pigs and two miniature horses in a shared Malibu home, which burned down in one of the three wildfires that blazed through California.

Representatives for both stars did not immediately reply to request for comment.

Khloe Kardashian reveals why Kendall Jenner was missing from Christmas picture

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December 25, 2018

Khloe Kardashian opened up about Kendall Jenner’s decision of not being a part of the family Christmas card.

Khloe and Kim Kardashian shared an adorable picture featuring all the sisters with their children and fans can’t stop gushing about it. However, some fans seemed disappointed and began to question why Kendall was missing from the picture.

Some fans seemed to understand that Kendall may be busy with her modelling shoots, while others wrote comments like “Poor Kenny”.

Khloe, who sounded very upset about people posting negative comments, cleared the air about her sister being absent from the photo.

“Why poor Kenny? She was at the shoot and she chose not to be in the picture because she thought it was cuter that it was just the babies and the mommies,” she explained.

“Man you guys are dramatic even for a f–king Christmas card!! Lol Damned if we do and damned if we don’t. Just enjoy the f–king photo,” said Khloe.

Rob Kardashian was also missing from the family photo, but he has sat out from the family photo shoots many times earlier as well.

Check out Khloe’s savage response:

Khloe in defence of her sister and brother also said that, “Obviously they are our brothers and sisters so I think we know what everybody is comfortable with.”

She also added that Kendall is “23 lol she’s living her best life!!! She’s good lol.”

Khloe also responded to some other questions, like if they photoshopped the kids in the photo, “No, this is an actual picture,” Khloe revealed.

Khloe has been getting trolled on Instagram for a few days now and Khloe, like a badass, has been handling trolling well.

When one user slammed her for alleged use of photoshop, Khloe clapped back, saying, “Sometimes I wonder why people comment if it adds no value to one’s life? Maybe I’m just different… but I don’t care to be negative or passive aggressive. Our world is toxic enough as it is. It’s sad people care to criticize something like an editing app.

Heidi Klum is engaged!

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December 25, 2018

After nearly a year of dating, supermodel Heidi Klum is engaged to boyfriend Tom Kaulitz.

The 45-year-old made the revelation on social media as she shared an adorable black-and-white photo of herself with her musician beau.

Klum captioned it as, “I SAID YES,” followed by a red heart emoji.

In the picture, she can also be seen showing off her new engagement ring.

Klum and the 29-year-old Tokio Hotel guitarist first sparked dating rumours earlier this year in March after they were spotted kissing on set while she was filming ‘America’s Got Talent’.

Klum was previously married to Ric Pipino (1997 – 2002) and Seal (2005 – 2014). The mother of four shares Leni, 14, with ex-boyfriend Flavio Briatore, and Henry, 13, Johan, 12, and Lou, 9, with ex-husband Seal.

Like Diwali, Christmas is now a festival of lights!

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Vinod Dixit

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December 25, 2018

Every other person in India celebrated Christmas on December 25 as ‘Bada Din’ or the ‘Big Day’. The whole world is celebrating this day as the birthday of Jesus Christ. It is the birth anniversary of the great Jesus Christ, who is believed as the Son of God by the people of Christian religion. Jesus Christ is believed to be the messenger of God. On this unique occasion of Christmas, even non-Christians remember, with due reverence, the Son of god, who suffered the terribly painful death on the Cross to deliver humanity and kindness from evil. The spread of love and peace among mankind is the supreme message of Christmas.

Christmas lights are now called “winter” lights, Christmas greetings have been replaced by “season’s” greetings, and what used to be Christmas sales in high street stores are being increasingly referred to as “winter” or “season’s” sales.

Christmas parties are no longer simply Christmas parties but pretend to celebrate all religious festivals on the year’s calendar. Jesus is love, which is a magical three-letter word that provides peace of mind. One must believe that there is a supernatural power that regulates human life. We can also say Conscience is God. We can see in our life that whenever we breach the rules of conscience, we suffer a lot least knowing the reasons for it. Jesus Christ, the most important figure in Christianity, is believed to have founded the Christian religion. The birth of Jesus is considered one of the most significant event in world history. Jesus Christ took birth on this earth to save humanity from misery and darkness.

Basically, Christmas in India is celebrated the same way as it is celebrated world around. It is the day when Christian people do pray to their God Jesus Christ, confess in front of God to remove their sins and sufferings, sing holy songs, and exchange lots of gifts among friends, relative, family members, neighbours, etc.

It is considered that Jesus (the Son of God) was sent to people on the earth to save their lives and protect them from their sins and sadness. Santa Claus is a symbol of friend of the children.

It is fact that Christmas a religious festival signifies something more than the consumption of commodities; it is meant to remind us of the different kinds of people in society. Today, when depression has become a common catchword in our society which leads deaths related to stroked, work stress is extremely prevalent in today’s society, and can impact happiness levels, health, and other important aspects of your life, we need to learn more about the link between work depression and happiness, and find resources to have a healthier, happier life. The manner in which Christmas has come to belong to all of us is not without consequences for a multi-religious society.

In recent times, when Hindus have started to celebrate Christmas as their own, we have moved into an era where a festival of legitimate difference has transformed into one of a ritual of leisure and lifestyle. The author conveys the message that nothing fosters the spirit of Christmas more than an entire neighbourhood rallying behind its people. Christmas day is a day of merrymaking and joy. Like Diwali, Christmas for us is also a different kind of festival of lights.

Let us forget jealousy, hatred and selfishness and spread the supreme message of Christmas which is, love and peace among mankind.

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

New auto policy, FAME II to drive India’s clean mobility push in 2019

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December 25, 2018

With ‘clean’ being seen as the way ahead, the automobile sector appears all set to ride this bandwagon and the government is keen to give its push in 2019 with a new National Auto Policy and an ambitious ‘FAME II’ scheme to leapfrog India to a future driven by clean mobility.

“Seen from a global perspective, the prospects for clean mobility are bright, Union Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete said.

The government is making efforts to introduce enabling policies to push green energy-powered vehicles with pollution rising to alarming levels, the minister said, while asserting that advent of new technologies is a key enabler.

In an exclusive interview to PTI on his outlook for the new year, Geete said the government is shaping policies with a thrust on clean mobility and to encourage mass adoption of vehicles having zero effect on the environment.

The Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) estimates the EV sales to more than double to around 2 lakh units next year, on the back of supportive policy environment.

“We have received good response to ‘FAME I’ and have already sent a proposal regarding the second phase of the scheme. Efforts are on towards getting the scheme’s second phase approved before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls,” Geete said.

The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-India) scheme entails providing incentives for strong hybrid and electric vehicles.

Geete said the new National Auto Policy will also be unveiled in 2019, though that may happen after the Lok Sabha elections. The polls are expected around April-May period.

The impetus on clean mobility was already evident in the draft National Auto Policy released earlier this year. The final policy is expected to talk about promoting clean and safe mobility and adopt a long-term roadmap to harmonise emission standards with the global benchmarks by 2028.

The Minister said that the automobile industry’s support is crucial to push electric mobility in the country.

“As for 2019, we are very optimistic about witnessing a good growth in electric vehicles. We can expect total sales to more than double to around 2 lakh units from about 90,000-95,000 units expected in 2019,” SMEV Director General Sohinder Gill told agencies.

According to him, withdrawal of subsidies on electric vehicles using lead acid batteries and low-speed electric two-wheelers are steps in the right direction to popularise EVs in India.

“We will also see a policy to allow children between 16-18 years of age ride electric two-wheelers with special license although they aren’t allowed to ride internal combustion engine two-wheelers, Gill said. The would open up a big segment comprising students who can help in creating awareness and popularisation of EVs.

“2019 will be a critical year as it will test the adoption curve across various electric mobility ecosystems. In terms of policy support, we feel that another two or three years of the FAME scheme will be essential to ensure a long-term sustained growth for EVs in the Indian market,” Mahindra Electric CEO Mahesh Babu said.

Vajpayee memorial inaugurated; Kovind, Modi offer floral tributes

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December 25, 2018

Sadaiv Atal, a memorial in the name of the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was dedicated to the nation on his 94th birth anniversary.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the dignitaries who paid floral tributes to the former statesman at the memorial built near the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, where his mortal remains were consigned to flames on August 17.

Vajpayee passed away on August 16 after a prolonged illness. He was cremated with full state honours.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and family members of Vajpayee also offered flowers at the lotus-shaped memorial.

Sadaiv (always) Atal memorial will be managed by a trust headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

“Tributes to Atal Ji on his Jayanti. We reiterate our commitment towards creating the India he dreamt of,” Modi tweeted Tuesday.

‘US withdrawal from Afghan will have implications in Kashmir’

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December 25, 2018

Asserting that India should adopt a “clear-cut roadmap” to tackle the Kashmir issue, former DGP of Jammu & Kashmir K Rajendra Kumar has said the US pulling out troops from Afghanistan will have implications in the Valley and terrorist outfits may feel emboldened.

Kumar was delivering the Lalitaditya Memorial Lecture in Pune, organised by Sarhad organisation. During his speech, he also said that there is a need to send a stern message to Pakistan for its support to militancy.

“A stern message needs to be sent to Pakistan in terms of retaliation. We need to make it more costly for Pakistan because today Pakistan is not feeling the pinch it should feel,” said Kumar.

He said that India should deal strongly with Pakistan as far as training camps and terrorist launchpads are concerned.

“Now USA is existing Afghanistan. It has its implications in Kashmir. It is a matter of time that we will be feeling its implications in the Valley. After the US withdrawal, the terrorists organisations would feel pumped up, emboldened,” he said.

Seeing America’s withdrawal as a “sign of victory”, terrorist outfits can feel that New Delhi can also be defeated, so there is an urgent need for India to adopt a “clear-cut roadmap” to deal with terrorism in Kashmir, he asserted.

The US is planning to withdraw 7,000 troops from Afghanistan. The American troops contribute to training and advising local forces fighting the Taliban and the Islamic State group.

Underling Pakistan’s active role in spreading terrorism in the Valley, the former IPS officer said Pakistan is not only sponsoring terrorism but also sending its nationals to Kashmir in the garb of fighting jihad.

“No matter which government is in power, Pakistan continues to sponsor terrorism in the Valley,” he said.

He said that militancy in Kashmir started with local terrorist organisations but now it is tilting towards Islamic extremism.

“The Valley has a rich history of Sufism but over the years it has moved towards Wahabism,” he said, adding that efforts should be made to take Kashmir back to Sufism.

Suggesting measures, he said the state needs stringent laws to deal with anti-national forces, a concrete policy to encourage youths to give up militancy.

The surrender policy must ensure that youth who give up militancy are gainfully employed and discouraged from returning to the menace, he said. He also called for political outreach and empowerment of the civil society.

He said that social media has played a destructive role in inciting sentiments of the youth.