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Aishwarya Rai take only 15 mins to say ‘yes’ to do Sarabjit biopic

Aish‘Mary Kom’ director Omung Kumar says convincing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to do his biopic on Sarabjit Singh was not at all difficult, and she agreed in just 15 minutes.

“We directly approached Aishwarya as I know her since a long time. After meeting her, she agreed to do the film in just 15 minutes as the role was demanding and she could see herself in the role. So she instantly said yes,” Omung Kumar said on the sidelines of Smita Thackeray’s birthday celebrations.

Sarabjit Singh, an Indian farmer who was convicted of terrorism and spying in Pakistan, was sentenced to death. He was attacked by inmates at a prison in Lahore in April 2013, and died a few days later.

The biopic is from the point of view of Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur, to be played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who endured severe hardship in trying to get her brother released. The title role will be played by Randeep Hooda.

Omung Kumar confirmed that the cast was final.

“Everyone already knows about the actors and they’re final. The script is complete, location hunting is currently on and we’re looking for a November-December-January shoot for the film. The workshop is scheduled for next month.”

Omung Kumar’s debut film ‘Mary Kom’ had won the national award for best popular film providing wholesome entertainment.

Alia Bhatt in a Gauri Shinde film?

AliaSridevi starrer ‘English Vinglish’ got a lot of acclaim both in the country as well as internationally. The maverick filmmaker Gauri Shinde’s debut venture ‘English Vinglish’ served as a perfect comeback vehicle for Sridevi. The director has now got her hands on her next script.

Gauri took to Twitter and shared with her fans that soon she shall start working on her necxt film. However, she didn’t reveal the starcast as yet. The buzz that has been going around for a while now is that may be actress Alia Bhatt is the lucky girl this time.

‘Shaandaar’ actress Alia might be seen in Gauri’s upcoming venture. Till any official word is put out, we can only wait and watch!

Youth Congress gear up against BJP

Youth-CongressThe Youth Congress is planning to hold agitation against the Fadnavis government demanding resignation of tainted ministers, loan waiver to farmers tomorrow. Even though there is some internal rife within the party but it is busy holding political rallies in the state. After the monsoon session washout the party is now holding agitations in several areas of the state. The Congress-NCP has already moved an adjournment motion in the Legislative Council on the issue of the alleged financial irregularities by Maharashtra minister for rural development Pankaja Munde and Education Minister Vinod Tawde.

The Congress said it would stage statewide demonstrations on August 22 and 23 to expose the BJP government while the state wing of the youth Congress will encircle the Mantralaya on August 19 to protest against the government.

The Congress is going to stage demonstrations in all the districts of the state. He said that various programmes will be held to expose the BJP-led government on Aug 22 and 23. The agitation will be held under the leadership of Amarinder Singh Raja Brar, Himmat Singh, Indian Youth Congress, General Secretary and Vishwajeet Kadam, President of Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress. Youth from several parts of Maharashtra will participate in the protest in large numbers.

Kadam“More than 2000 farmers have committed suicide under the reign of BJP-Shiv Sena. Many farmers have said that they are ending their lives as the government has failed to waive off crop loans. The government had announced that it will provide financial assistance to farmers but they have failed to implement it” said Vishwajeet Kadam.

When we spoke to Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant about this issue he said, “The BJP government has failed on all counts and instead of seeking resignations of its corrupt ministers is trying to silence the Opposition.”

Hope, Surat Singh Khalsa be heard by authorities

A former Sikh separatist leader Satwinder Singh Bhola, 52 was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants outside his apartment in the US city of Illinois. Local police has launched a massive manhunt to nab the assailants. The police have not been able to determine the cause of his murder. However, my instinct says that there can be various reasons behind his murder as he was nominated as the spokesperson of All India Sikh Student Federation at the peak of militancy in Punjab. Post operation Blue Star in Amritsar, he served a two-year jail sentence. After being released from the jail, Bhola moved to California and from there he moved to Chicago where he was in the hotel business. He was a son-in-law of Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa, who is on hunger strike in Punjab demanding the release of 82 Sikhs lodged in various jails of the country. On 16 January 2015, Khalsa began a hunger strike which is still continues. This might be another pressure tactics to create stress to the fasting activist.

Surat Singh Khalsa has refused food and water for more than 8 months to seek the release of Sikh political prisoners who have completed their court sentences. He has also called for unconditional release of prisoners of all religions who have completed their terms. On 11 February 2015, Khalsa wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi explaining the motive of his hunger strike. In his letter, Khalsa summed up his demands in two points.

A number of Sikh Political Prisoners are languishing in jails despite having completed their sentences. Many of these prisoners are released on parole on yearly basis. These prisoners can be granted permanent parole or be released on bail as there are no pending charges against them. In addition, Surat Singh Khalsa is seeking release of senior citizens based on humanitarian grounds. There are at least 8 such prisoners who have been sentenced under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act for their involvement in a bank robbery case that took place in Ludhiana. This law has already lapsed and has been deemed as controversial by human rights organizations, as well as the United Nations.

Soon after writing letter to Modi, the local authorities used torture tactics on Surat Singh Khalsa at the Civil Hospital in Ludhiana. He was forcibly fed glucose and his hands and legs have been tied to the hospital bed. Surat Singh Khalsa whom people call as Bapuji was almost unconscious when he was tied up, but with whatever energy he had left, he resisted glucose tubes. His followers and supporters expressed their desire to meet the ailing Bapu but the senior police officer present in the hospital refused them bluntly. The attitude and behaviour of the state government and the police towards Babu and his supporters was venomous and malicious. The manner in which the police has cracked down, conducted midnight raids on political activists shows that there was no room for disagreement. No mainstream media has ever highlighted the struggle of Khalsa, there was no outrage and absolutely no noise when the old man suffered various atrocities by government authorities. I am yet to understand why media is too much biased when it comes to Punjab. Hardly there is any news about this incidence.

Surat Singh Khalsa has been involved with human rights activism since early 1970s. Ever since being initiated as a Khalsa in 1972, Surat Singh Khalsa has advocated human rights, and spoke out against injustices to Sikhs and other minorities living in India.

He resigned his post as government teacher on June 5, 1984 in the aftermath of Operation Bluestar in June 1984, and continued his advocacy for human rights. He remained active in the UAD until late 1987. During a protest rally at Punjab Legislative Assembly in February 1986, an unprovoked police firing resulted in Surat Singh Khalsa being hit by a bullet on his legs. He continued to remain politically active and has been detained in various jails, including Chandigarh, Nabha, Patiala and Amritsar in Punjab, as well as Kurukshetra, Rohtak and Ambala in Haryana during 1980s. He immigrated to the USA and became a Green Card holder in 1988. His five daughters and only son, are US nationals. He continued to remain active towards Sikh political issues and is frequently travelling to Punjab from the USA.

After Amb Sahib Morcha of November 2013 and Lakhnaur Sahib campaign in November 2014, Surat Singh Khalsa decided to stand up for those detained unconstitutionally. During the first campaign for the release of Sikh political prisoners, Mr. Khalsa had announced that if anything will happen to Bhai Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, he would personally go on indefinite fast-onto-death until Sikh political prisoners are released. He is fasting since then and no matter whatsoever pressures he has to go through he never surrendered to the forces. I hope this government and media will pay attention to his suppressed voice and help him seek justice.

What does India’s fresh dossier on Dawood Ibrahim say

DawoodThe Modi government has prepared a new dossier on India’s most wanted Dawood Ibrahim with evidence that the underworld don is staying in Pakistan under the protection of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Daily Mail reported on Tuesday.

The Indian intelligence agencies have listed four new safe houses, where the underworld don has been staying since 2012.

According to the daily, the fresh dossier says one of the four ‘safe house’ is located at Muree, which is 20 kms away from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.

In 2012, New Delhi had given Islamabad a list of three places where Dawood had stayed.

The report says that out of seven, most of the ‘safe houses’ are based in Karachi.

The NDA government is expected to hand over the fresh dossier to Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz when he meets his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in New Delhi later this month.

Earlier in August, it was reported that Yakub Wali Mohammad Khan alias Yeda Yakub, one of the key accused in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, died of heart attack in Pakistan’s port city Karachi.

The Narendra Modi-led government has repeatedly said that Dawood is in Pakistan and that India is determined to bring him back.

Pakistan has denied time and again the fugitive’s presence on its soil.

One lakh people sign petition against Mumbai Metro’s proposed fare hike

Mumbai-CongressOpposition Congress claimed that over a lakh commuters have supported their protest against the proposed fare hike for the Mumbai Metro by signing petitions.

The Mumbai Congress had started the three-day-long protest on August 16 at all the 12 Metro stations on the Versova to Ghatkopar corridor, demanding immediate roll back of the proposed hike.

Congress MLA and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan, who led the protest, claimed, “By this evening over one lakh commuters including students, businessmen, women came forward and signed the petition seeking immediate roll back of any proposed hike.”

“The petitions would be submitted to the representatives of the Centre and State government and to the Maharashtra Governor,” he said.

Addressing a gathering outside Ghatkopar station, Mr. Khan said, “Metro had to fix the fares between Rs. 9 and Rs. 13 and as soon as we (Congress-NCP) were out of power, the fares went up to Rs. 40. Now, Metro has been allowed to hike its fare upto Rs. 110, which is highest all over the world.”

“The fare slab of Rs. 10 to 40 is already unaffordable (to commuters) and the way Metro’s operator want the hike, it would amount to no less than a loot,” he alleged.

The Supreme Court had recently allowed the operator of Mumbai’s Metro railway to implement the recommendation of the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) for a fare band of Rs.10-110.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already announced a special audit of Reliance Infra-led Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) to examine the actual expenditure and operating cost, among others, as the government had reservations over the fare hike and escalated cost of the project.

On the Mumbai Metro controversy, Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure’s (RInfra) Chief Executive Officer MS Mehta had recently said, “We have approached the Maharashtra government to consider our proposal for arriving at some solution to ensure that commuters are not affected by the tariff hike as proposed by the Fare Fixation Committee of Rs. 10 to Rs. 110 for the 11 km Metro corridor.”

“We have prepared a composite proposal and submitted to the government mentioning what steps can be taken to ensure our capital cost is recovered and how productive it becomes for the government and there is no burden on commuters,” he said.

Under 14 footballers to train in Germany for six years

Under-14-footballersFifteen under 14 footballers, including six from Mumbai and the rest from Maharashtra, are to travel to Germany for a six-year training programme with Bundeliga side, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, as part of the U Dream Football Programme.

Two more boys would leave for Germany later this year and during their stay in Germany, they would be accompanied by coaches – former India captain Mahesh Gawli and John Kenneth Raj.

Also accompanying the children would be three CBSE Certified teachers who would monitor and ensure their adherence towards the Indian CBSE Curriculum while in Germany.

On their return from their six-ear tenure, the students would be enrolled at the U Dream Haryana Football Club, which was specifically formed in association with the Haryana Football Association for these students, it was announced.

The selected boys are: Pranav Kanse (Kolhapur), Akash Mishra (Lucknow), Pradeep Mannewar (Udaipur), Aniket Varekar (Kolhapur), Shivam Maan (New Delhi), Kumar Rathod (Mumbai), Ayush Adhikari (Noida), Ankit Bhuyan (Bhubaneshwar), Ishant Rana (Mumbai), Raul Lewis (Mumbai), Armaan Kalra (Gurgaon), Delton Colaco, Kimran Fernandes, Wellyster Mendes (Goa) and Manish Malyadri Siddha (Pune).

“Unlike other football programes, the long-term association allows students to truly imbibe the spirit of the game and also understand an international level of professionalism that accompanies being a professional footballer. We believe that this programme will truly allow us to be catalysts of change at the grassroot level of the sport,” said Supratik Sen, CEO of U Sports.

The full-scholarship programme, done under the collaborative guidance of Bundesliga, was a scouting programme based across 1,000 schools in over 45 cities to send 17 boys (aged under 14 years) to Zuzenhausen, Germany and train at the TSG 1899 Hoffenheim academy.

Professionals feel salaries not upto market standards: Survey

With salary being the biggest factor when it comes to a professional taking up a new job or leaving an employer, a survey has revealed that nearly 95 per cent of employees feel their salaries are not at par with the market standards.

A majority of employees seem dissatisfied with their current salaries, a recent survey conducted by JobBuzz, an employer rating platform powered by TimesJobs, revealed.

JobBuzz.in aims mainly at candidate engagement with company reviews and ratings.

Nearly 95 per cent of respondents felt their salaries were not up to market standards and only 5 per cent said it was in line with the market standards.

This understanding comes from employees doing research on social platforms and employer rating sites to find out the salary scales in their industry and functional areas, it said.

“High performance professionals use a host of online services to evaluate their market worth, research best employers, assess their career growth and upgrade their skills in line with the latest industry and job market trends of their chosen vocations.

“Employers should conduct internal salary benchmark studies to fine-tune their salary structures and compensation scales according to market standards. This will help them meet employee expectations and reduce attrition,” TimesJobs.com Chief Operating Officer Vivek Madhukar opined.

The survey further found that when it comes to compensation and benefits expectations, all the three generations of the workforce — Baby Boomers (57 per cent), Gen X (37 per cent) and Gen Y (41 per cent) — want more in-hand salary in their monthly pay packages but their preferences for other benefits differ.

Baby Boomers are those born between 1944 and 1964, Gen X are those born between 1965 and 1980 and Gen Y comprises people born between the mid-80s and mid-90s.

While 24 per cent Baby Boomers prefer post-retirement benefits, only 10 per cent prefer medical or health insurance benefits, it added.

Amongst Gen X, 29 per cent prefer other benefits or perks (mostly flexible work options). A significant number of them (20 per cent) also preferred post-retirement benefits.

Contrary to popular perception, 22 per cent of Gen Y opted for post-retirement benefits over other benefits or perks, the survey said.

MP’s son robbed of Rs. 1.50 lakh by callgirl, driver

Son of an MP from Uttar Pradesh was allegedly robbed of Rs. 1.50 lakh in cash by a callgirl and her driver in suburban Santacruz, police said.

The victim lodged an FIR against the duo at Vakola police station yesterday alleging that the incident occurred on the night of August 16 after he had hired the service of the callgirl through an agent, said senior inspector M Vavhale.

As soon as the girl arrived at the spot along with her driver, the latter threatened the 40-year-old complainant with knife and demanded cash, police said.

He handed over around Rs. 1.5 lakh in cash to the accused who fled from the spot along with the girl, police said.

NCP suspends legislator arrested on corruption charges

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) suspended party legislator Ramesh Kadam, accused of siphoning off Rs. 141 crore from a state-run body.

Kadam was arrested from a five-star hotel on the Pune-Ahmedanagar in Pune.

“Kadam has been suspended from the party in the backdrop of his arrest and corruption charges against him,” Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare told from Ratnagiri in coastal Konkan.

Kadam, working as chairman of the government-run Annabhau Sathe Development Corporation (ASDC), allegedly transferred the funds to organisations headed by him. The money, according to CID officials, was meant for the welfare of backward communities for whom the corporation was set up.

The CID launched a massive hunt for Kadam on July 20, a day after he was booked for his alleged involvement in the scam.

The charges against Kadam include illegally sanctioning Rs 41 crore to Joshaba Central Cooperative Society, an organisation controlled by him.

Kadam, MLA from Mohol in Solapur, also allegedly sanctioned Rs 58 crore to set up a spinning mill in Aurangabad. The investigation revealed the mill was controlled by him.

Several transactions made by Kadam on behalf of ASDC caused the corporation huge financial losses, according to the FIR filed against the MLA.

Several teams were formed to nab Kadam, whose detractors in the NCP had alleged the MLA was hiding with the support of senior party leaders.

The probe against Kadam began last year when the Congress-NCP alliance was in power in Maharashtra and the current BJP government handed it over to the CID.

Kadam is the latest in the long list of NCP leaders against whom the government has launched inquiries.

The OBC face of NCP, Chhagan Bhujbal, former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, and Tatkare, are under the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s scanner.