National Science Centre New Delhi From: Director Ref No.: NSCD/17012/7/Edn./2013-14/ Dated: 21.01.2014 To The Chief Bureau/Chief Editor/Special Correspondent Print/Electronic Media Delhi/New Delhi/NCR Subject: Media interaction on the

To Bharat SrivastavaMe

Today at 12:55 PM

From: Director

Ref No.: NSCD/17012/7/Edn./2013-14/

Dated: 21.01.2014

 

To

The Chief Bureau/Chief Editor/Special Correspondent

Print/Electronic Media

Delhi/New Delhi/NCR

 

Subject: Media interaction on the occasion of Inauguration of ‘Innovation Space’ at National Science Centre, New Delhi on 23^rd January 2014 at 2:30 pm

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

I am pleased to inform you that the ‘Innovation Space’ at National Science Centre, Near Gate No.1, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi -110 001 will be inaugurated at 2:30 pm on 23^rd January 2014. Shri Rajeev Shukla, Hon’ble Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning, Government of India will be the Chief Guest on the occasion. Shri Sam Pitroda, Chairman, National Innovation Council & Adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations will be the Guest of Honour.

 

In order to take the message that ‘Innovation Space’ at NSC, Delhi will provide a platform to our youth to engage in innovative and creative activities, we request you to join us or depute your representatives for giving wide coverage to this event and an interaction with the Honourable Guests present on this occasion. Due to security reasons we request you to kindly send us the name/names of the media staff / team in advance.  You may contact me (09868988731) or Shri B. B. Srivastava, Education Officer (09899901378) for any information in this regard.

 

A press brief is also enclosed herewith.

 

Thanking you and looking forward to see you during the event.

 

 Encl.:A/a

                                                                                          Yours sincerely, 

 --Sd/--

(N. Ramdas Iyer)

                                                                               Head (Education)

                                                                NATIONAL SCIENCE CENTRE

(NATIONAL COUNCIL OF SCIENCE MUSEUMS)

MINISTRY OF CULTURE, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

BHAIRON ROAD, NEAR GATE NO.1, PRAGATI MAIDAN

NEW DELHI – 110001

PHONE:  23379462, 23371297 / 23371893 / 23371945 

TELEFAX: 011-23371263   

Website:  www.nscdelhi.org

Email: educationnscdelhi@gmail.com /nscdl01@gmail.com

Kejriwal sits on dharna against ‘police anarchy’

20012014

, Shinde says CM must be patient

Updated on : 20-01-2014 05:44 PM

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal along with his six ministerial colleagues on Monday began a dharna outside Rail Bhawan against police even as Delhi Police asked him to shift his protest to Jantar Mantar, citing prohibitory orders in the high-security area.

Police said they will not allow the demonstration to continue in the area and have requested the Chief Minister to shift to Jantar Mantar, the designated protest hot-spot of the city. The CM has been demanding action against police officials who refused to carry out a raid on an alleged drug and prostitution racket in South Delhi last week. Addressing the crowd gathered outside Rail Bhawan, the CM attacked the police of not working for the poeple of Delhi. Urging the people of Delhi to come in large numbers and join his protest against cops, Kejriwal said, “I have come prepared for ten days of dharna.” Kejriwal’s appeal to people to join him in his 10-day protest comes in contradiction to his own statement he made on micro-blogging site Twitter on Sunday where he had urged the public not to come for the ‘dharna’ in view of Republic Day rehearsals. Action against police personnel only after inquiry: Shinde  Asking Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to maintain the dignity of the office he holds, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today ruled out any action against Delhi Police personnel till an inquiry is over.  Talking to reporters in New Delhi on the sidelines of a function to mark the raising day of National Investigation Agency (NIA), he also made it clear that the Centre will not hand over Delhi Police to the state government.  Asked about dharna being led by Kejriwal outside Rail Bhavan, Shinde said, “He should maintain ‘garima’ (dignity) of the chair of Chief Minister and wait till the judicial probe is completed. After all he is a Chief Minister…,(which is) a high post. He should cooperate.”  Kejriwal is protesting alleged inaction against Delhi Police officials who had a tiff with Delhi’s Law Minister Somnath Bharti in Malviya Nagar in south Delhi last week.  Bharti had created a controversy when he went to a locality in Malviya Nagar, claiming a drug and prostitution ring was being run from a residence and demanded police raid the place.  However, the police refused, saying they have no warrant to do so.  Shinde said, “Ordering judicial inquiry means fixing of responsibility in an impartial manner. There is no interference in the probe. The Lt Governor has made it clear that the probe will be expedited”.  “After Nirbhaya (case), we have said there should be section 144 CrPC always in Vijay Chowk and other nearby areas. If they want to protest, they should go to Jantar Mantar.” He said, “In inquiry everything will come out (as to) who is guilty and who is not. I am in touch with Delhi Police.”  Shinde ruled out any move to hand over Delhi Police to Delhi government as demanded by Kejriwal and said even in the United States, Washington DC is under the federal authorities.  “The demand for handing over of Delhi Police to Delhi government has been an old one. Like in the US – Washington DC, the concept is that the capital is under the Centre. This (demand) is not possible.”  To a question about allegations by AAP that anarchy in Delhi was because of Congress and BJP, Shinde said, “The whole country is witnessing where is anarchy and who is creating anarchy.”

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Zee TV goes the edutainment way with Jodha Akbar

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Fans of Jodha Akbar can now experience the historical saga through a fascinating e-book and mobile game

Whether it is being the first satellite television in India in 1992, or introducing non-fiction formats of singing and dance talent hunt shows that set the trend for competition to follow or producing fiction shows that address social issues in a poignant manner and drive societal change, Zee TV has been a pioneer in the Hindi GEC space.

In the age of ‘on-the-go content consumption’, Zee TV has been carving a distinct niche for itself in the digital space through a slew of initiatives across its different shows over the last 5 years. Whether it is through Facebook and smartphone apps, augmented reality consoles at malls or innovations in the voting mechanism of its reality shows, Zee TV continues to be at the helm of innovation in the digital space too.

Being the most widely followed and universally loved historical saga on Indian Television, Zee TV’s No. 1 show Jodha Akbarhas won the hearts of its viewers across India. With an unparalleled rating of 11019 TVTs last week, the show is the biggest historical ever on Indian television. Now, Zee TV takes the leadership initiative yet again and is all set to make history go digitalin making its popular historical saga accessible to viewers and fans as a first-of-its-kind e-book and a mobile game.

The digital rendition of India’s history opens up an exciting avenue for children who shy away from their History text-books … why just kids? How many of us adults remember the broad chapters of Indian history after having gone through the grind at school? Ensuring that its readers stay glued to it once they start, Jodha Akbar’s e-book titled ‘The Zee TV Mughal Empire E-Book’ presents historical facts and figures through vibrant word pictures, an arresting narration and illustrations that entertain while educating. Starting from the times of Babar and spanning across various centuries, the e-book covers the glorious reign of Shehenshah Akbar right up to Prince Shahjahan. This entire saga of the Mughal reign in India is brought alive through this e-book.

Comprising 6 mini-games, the Jodha-Akbar game has various fun, exciting elements all packed together, making it a must-have app on your phone. Challenge your knowledge about the Mughal Empire through a quiz game – The Grand Entry. Test your reflexes as you race along the battle field combating the enemy in ‘The Ride of your Life’ and ‘The Battle Royale’. ‘Fort Quest’ is a game that gives you a chance to step into the shoes of the great warrior Akbar and conquer the fort. With each threshold crossed in points your rank increases in the Mughal Army from ‘Mansabdar’ to a ‘Wazir’ to a ‘Jawaan’ and finally cross a score of 1 lac points to gain the title of the ‘Mughal Baadshah’ and unlock a secret game ‘The Nine Jewels’!

Talking about launching the game and e-book, Akash Chawla – Head, Marketing – National Channels , ZEEL said, “Zee TV, has been at the forefront in the GEC space with its initiatives in the digital domain over the past 5 years. At a time when ‘on-demand’ and ‘on the go’ entertainment is the order of the day, we have been successful in providing our viewers with both, on-air as well as digital content that has kept them engrossed and engaged. While the innovative e-book packs in it the entire history of the Mughal Empire through vibrant pictorial depictions and a crisp narration, the game will test your knowledge of the Mughal era, ability to think like a warrior and transport you into the world of Jodha Akbar. While entertaining the masses with our on-air content remains our mainstay, we have gone the edutainment way while creating a digital footprint with Jodha Akbar.”

Available now on Online at http://www.zeetv.com/jodha-akbar/ and on Android platforms as the ‘Jodha Akbar Game’ and ‘‘The Zee TV Mughal Empire E-Book’, the game and e-book will be available soon on the IOS platform as well. Even as the show’s popularity continues to soar on the tube, the game and e-book will get viewers of the show to experience the world of Jodha Akbar like never before.

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Categories : Business

20012014

Kenyan Evans Ruto, Ethiopian’s Dinknesh Mekash sweep titles, Lalita Babbar breaks Indian Women’s course record

Mumbai, January 19: Evans Ruto led a clean Kenyan sweep in the men’s event of the US$ 360,000 prize money Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon on Sunday. The 30-year-old Ruto produced a late surge to break away from compatriots Lawerence Kimaiyo and Philemon Baaru to finish in first place in 2:09:33, just a second slower than the course record of 2:09:32 set by Uganda’s Jackson Kiprop last year. Kimaiyo claimed second place in 2:09:45 and Baaru was 13 seconds behind in third place. Ruto won US$ 41,000 for his efforts, but missed out on the course record bonus of US$ 15,000. Kimaiyo had to be content with US$ 21,000, while Baaru was richer by US$ 15,000.

“The race was good overall, but I am disappointed to miss the record by one second. I felt welcomed in Mumbai and enjoyed the race. Next time I will try for 2.07 or 2.08,” Ruto mentioned.

In the women’s event, last year’s runner-up, Ethiopian Dinknesh Mekash, went a step better by clinching first place in 2:28:08, well ahead of second placed Gladys Kipsoi of Kenya and fellow countrywomen Bizunesh Urgesa. The Kenyan, making her debut, finished with a time of 2:29:53, followed by Urgesa in 2:.30:00. Mekash went home richer by US$ 41,000, while Kipsoi received US$ 21,000 and Urgesa got US$ 15,000.

“Last year it was my first time in Mumbai and this time I was confident of winning. I trained very well in Addis Ababa and happy to win this year,” said Mekash.

Karan Singh maintained the dominance of the Army Sports Institute athletes as he won the Indian men’s full marathon in a time of 2:24:08. Rashpal Singh of Sikh Regiment, Jabalpur Centre came in second with a timing of 2:24:38, followed by last year’s winner, Binning Lynghkoi (2: 24:40) also from Army Sports Institute.

“I am happy to win this marathon. I want to thank the Army Sports Institute for the support I get. They have good facilities, like some good coaches, both foreign and Indian, physiotherapists, conditioners and the other talented athletes,” Karan Singh mentioned.

Lalita Babbar of Central Railway created history completing a hat-trick of triumphs by winning the Indian women’s full marathon in a new record time of 2:50:31, which was a full three minutes better than her time of 2:53:42 she clocked in winning last year. Following the Maharashtra runner were Vijaymala Patil (2:59:58) and Jyoti Gawate (3:02:59) of Prabhani, Maharashtra.

Babbar felt good after the race. “It’s great to set a new course record. I had trained well so I was confident and sure of completing the race in a time of around 2:50,” she stated.

However, Babbar is not certain of returning to defend her title for the fourth consecutive time next year. “I’m basically not a marathon runner. But three years back I gave it a try and came first and that is what motivated me to continue running the marathon. I have only participated in the Mumbai Marathon. But next year I will decide only after the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland and the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea,” said the Central Railway employee.

The men’s race, aiming for a timing of 2:08, was well within the target in the first half, thanks to the pacers doing their job to perfection. The strong wind on the sea link and the steep Peddar Road Hill on the return leg took its toll as the pace flagged a bit. Ruto, who was in the lead bunch along with his fellow Kenyans, picked up the pace after 35 kms and the race was once again within record time at the 39km mark. Ruto once again changed gears to widen the gap between the other two Kenyans and held on to win.

The women’s race was aiming for 2:25 time and there was a group of around 9 women till the 22km mark, among them all the favourites, running strongly with the two pace makers. The strong wind on the sea link also proved tough for them. At the 26 km mark there were four women in the lead, among them Dinknesh, who was always in control of the race. From 28 km Dinknesh broke clean and ran alone to finish strongly.

The men’s half marathon was won by Indrajeet Patel of ONGC with a time of 1:04:56. Coming in second was Soji Mathew of Railways (1:05.45) and Man Singh (1:05:45) in third place. Central Railway’s Sudha Singh claimed the first position in the women’s event in 1:18:24, while in second place was Kavita Raut of ONGC (1:21:15) and third was Kiran Sahdev (1:21:57).

Following are the results: (Finals)

(Overall Results Men): Evans Ruto (KEN) 02.09.33; Lawrence Kimaiyo (KEN) 02.09.45; Philemon Baaru (KEN) 02.09.58; Stephen Chebogut (KEN) 02.10.56; Ishhimael Bushendich (KEN) 02.11.18; Juilius Chepk Wony (KEN) 02.11.37; Evans Cheruiyot (KEN) 02.12.08; Hailu Mekonnen (ETH) 02.12.17; Wosen Zeleke (ETH) 02.12.54; Kenneth Mungara (KEN) 02.14.13.

(Overall Results Women): Dinknesh Mekash (ETH) 02.28.08; Gladys Kipsoi (KEN) 02.29.53; Bizunesh Urgesa (ETH) 02.30.00; Etalemahu Kidane (ETH) 02.31.53; Asnakech Mengistu (ETH) 02.32.42; Aberu Mekuria (ETH) 02.33.21; Ehite Bizuayehu (ETH) 02.33.48; Tsega Gelaw (ETH) 02.34.35; Alem Kifle (ETH) 02.35.13; Eunice Kales (KEN) 02.36.02.

Indian Overall Results Men: Karan Singh (IND) 02.24.08 (Overall 16^th); Rashpal Singh (IND) 02.24.38 (Overall 17^th); Binning Lyngkhoi (IND) 02.24.40 (Overall 18^th); Elam Singh (IND) 02.24.56 (Overall 19^th); Sanvaroo Yadav (IND) 02.26.00 (Overall 20^th); Amritpal Singh (IND) 02.30.00; Krishan Singh (IND) 02.30.22; Dasari Obilesu (IND) 02.30.30; Javid Iqbal (IND) 02.31.21; Sanaton O Singh (IND) 02.32.52.

Indian Overall Results Women: Lalita Babbar (IND) 02.50.31 (Overall 12^th); Vijaymala Patil (IND) 02.59.58 (Overall 13^th); Jyoti Gawate (IND) 03.02.59 (Overall 14^th); Sudha M (IND) 03.08.17 (Overall 15^th); Rohini Raut (IND) 03.11.32 (Overall 16^th); Monika Raut (IND) 03.15.46 (Overall 17^th); Ranjana Kumari (IND) 03.16.56 (Overall 18^th); Rashmi Gurnule (IND) 03.17.37 (Overall 19^th); Supriya Patil (IND) 03.30.47 (Overall 20^th); Shyamli Singh (IND) 03.30.51.

Half Marathon Men: Indrajeet Patel (IND) 01.04.56; Soji Mathew (IND) 01.05.45; Mansingh (IND) 01.06.17; Baliappa A B (IND) 01.06.23; Deepak Kumbhar (IND) 01.06.38.

Half Marathon Women: Sudha Singh (IND) 01.18.24; Kavita Raut (IND) 01.21.15; Kiran Sahdev (IND) 01.21.57; Aarthi Venkatesan (IND) 01.22.53; Heena Mali (IND) 01.24.08.

Amateur Men (Open): Jegadheesan M (IND) 02.42.13; Tanaji Nalavade (IND) 02.50.54; Arun Kumar Sahni (IND) 02.53.08; Hirotaka Ishihara (IND) 02.54.48; Atsushi Morishita (IND) 02.56.17.

Amateur Women (Open): Liz Henderson (IND) 03.31.37; Timtim Sharma (IND) 03.33.29; Neera Katwal (IND) 03.34.59; Roopali Mehta (IND) 03.36.26; Stella Moss (IND) 03.36.50.

Police Cup (Men): Team ‘A’ (Umesh Gavhane, Dhondiram Kumbhar, Appa Kumbhare, Ganesh Thorat) 02.38.53; Team ‘B’ (Omkar Jadhav, Kiran Talekar, Sidharam Dongaraje, Nitin Rathod) 02.42.37.

Police Cup (Women): Team ‘O’ (Priya Naiek, Teja Naik, Namrata Tare, Priyanka Navkudkar) 03.07.21.

Marathon Super Veteran (Men): Otto Goetsch (IND) 03.54.26; Wayne Senner (IND) 04.01.06.; Venugopalan Arunachalam (IND)

04.04.59; Virendra Singh Rawat (IND) 04.08.14; Adam Piatek (IND) 04.09.41.

Marathon Super Veteran (Women): Mala Honnatti (IND) 04.38.51.

Marathon Senior Veteran (Men): Sabhajeet Yadav (IND) 03.25.39; Kothandatani K C (IND) 03.35.54; Dennis Odonnell (IND) 03.36.07.

Marathon Senior Veteran (Women): Pervin Batliwala (IND) 04.38.40; Bharathi Govindan (IND) 04.56.36; Hema Patel (IND) 05.01.02.

Marathon Veteran (Men): Ashok Nath (IND) 03.10.19; Suresh Chand (IND) 03.11.30; Thomas Philip (IND) 03.19.48.

Marathon Veteran (Women):Vaishali Kasture (IND) 03.46.41; Heidi Griffiths (IND) 03.57.50; Vandana Parekh (IND) 04.00.51.

Kingfisher Mast Mumbaikar: 1^st Prize-Manas Kumar Mahapatra (Crime Against Women); 2^nd Prize-Ashish Gupta (Celebrating 100 yrs of Indian Cinema); 3^rd Prize-Apurva Sampat (Fight Against Rape).

Kingfisher Bindaas  Bandhe (Best Costume Theme for Groups): 1^st Prize Shraddha Charitable Trust (Lungi Dance); 2^nd Prize: Deepshikha (Cancer).

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Panasonic India launches its IP-enabled PBX model-KX-NS300

20012014

·         Expands its range of IP offerings; aiming 22% market share this year

20^th January, Goa, India – As a part of Panasonic India’s efforts in continuing to focus on product differentiation coupled with developing innovative technological solutions, the company today introduced a new IP-enabled PBX offering, KX-NS300. With IP Penetration steadily gaining a foothold in 2-100 extension segment, the company is amongst the early adopters to ride the bandwagon. Specially designed for SOHOs and SMBs, Panasonic is looking at increasing its presence in this sector from an existing 12% to almost 22%. Other than this, the product also targets lucrative verticals such as Hospitality, BFSI, Real Estate and Helpdesk.

The KX-NS300 is an effective IP PBX, packed with a host of offerings, unparalleled in the communication space- an inbuilt ACD (Basic Call Centre Function) to host a Helpdesk, an in Skin Voice mail and UC (Unified Communication)

Mr. Toru Hasegawa, Divisional Managing Director, System Solutions Division, Panasonic India said, “The launch of this product will certainly enhance our portfolio catering to the communication segment. With this product, the market will surely witness seamless integration with the existing infrastructure, enabling cost efficiencies while enhancing capabilities.”

Mr. Ajay Madan – Sales Head, Communications & Imaging Group, Panasonic India further added, “Our strategy in India gyrates around endowing our customers through product innovations. The KX-NS300 is one such cost- effective IP PBX that offers migration to IP at affordable prices.”

Panasonic India will continue to launch such offerings for its customers and the roadmap is to develop synergy within various IP offerings from the company, so as to establish a control in the complete category rather than just a particular segment.

780 killed in Syria rebel-jihadist battle

19012014

Updated on : 14-01-2014 08:17 AM

Fierce fighting between jihadists and rival rebel groups in Syria has killed at least 700 in more than a week while hundreds more are missing, a monitoring group said on Monday.

The Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), linked the violence to a peace conference on Syria slated to take place in Switzerland on January 22. The allegations came as Western powers on Monday stepped up pressure on Syria’s divided opposition to take part in the conference alongside representatives of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “From January 3 to 11, the fighting killed 697 people, among them 351 rebels, 246 members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and 100 civilians,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said there could be even “more than 1,000″ dead, but his group has been unable to document all the killings given the ferocity of the clashes. The Britain-based monitoring group, which relies on a network of activists across Syria for its reports, also said there were “hundreds of captives from both sides whose fate is unknown”.  In a reflection of the brutality of the fighting, which has raged mainly in the northern provinces of Aleppo, Idlib and Raqa but has also hit Hama and Homs in the centre, at least 200 people were killed in one 48-hour period. The Observatory also reported that dozens of those killed in recent days died in 16 suicide bombings staged by ISIL in Aleppo, Idlib, Homs and Raqa provinces. “Sixteen suicide attackers have detonated themselves in the past week, most of them in car bomb attacks, some using explosive belts,” Abdel Rahman said.  A rebel fighter with Ahrar al-Sham, which is leading battles against ISIL in several areas, said “they use suicide attacks to terrorise society as a whole into submission, not just the fighters.”

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Egyptians approve new constitution

19012014

Updated on : 19-01-2014 12:09 AM

An overwhelming 98.1 per cent of voters approved Egypt’s new constitution in a nationwide referendum, widely seen as a vote on a likely presidential bid by army chief Gen Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

The Supreme Electoral Committee (SEC) today announced that the newly drafted national charter was approved by 98.1 per cent of voters, Al-Ahram online reported.According to SEC chief Nabil Salib, the turnout for the poll was 38.6 per cent of the 20.5 million registered voters, in comparison to 32 per cent during the 2012 referendum.

The new charter would replace the one approved under Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, who was toppled by the military in July following mass protests demanding his ouster.

Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood had called for anti-government protests and a boycott of the referendum, seeing it as part of a coup against the freely-elected leader.

The referendum is a key step in the political transition plan billed by the military-backed interim government as a path to democracy, even as it presses a fierce crackdown on the Brotherhood.

The roadmap was announced by army chief El-Sisi after Morsi’s ouster.

It stated that the constitution would be followed by parliamentary elections and presidential polls.

The new charter, drafted by a liberal-dominated committee appointed by the government, would ban political parties based on religion, give women equal rights and protect the status of minority Christians.

The constitution also gives the military special status by allowing it to select its own candidate for the job of defence minister for the next eight years and empowering military tibunals to try civilians.

Meanwhile, Arabic language newspaper Al Tahrir reported that Egyptian President Adly Mansour will announce that presidential elections will be held in March.

It quoted Essam Eddine Abdel Aziz, first deputy to the head of the State Council, as saying that Mansour will call on people to take part in the polls.

Gen El-Sisi has yet to say outright whether he plans to seek the country’s highest office, but his candidacy appears increasingly likely after the results of the referendum.

Morsi, the first democratically elected president, is being held in jail in Alexandria, facing several criminal charges relating to his time in office. He says they are politically motivated.

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Categories : Automobile, Business, Uncategorized

Rajya Sabha to meet on 5th February

19012014

The Rajya Sabha will bereconvened from 5th February and may conclude on 21st February, as part of the extended Winter Session.

According to an official communication, the Upper House has been reconvened by the Rajya Sabha Chairman on 5th February when it will meet at 11 am. The Lok Sabha has also been reconvened from 5th February to 21st February to pass the ‘Vote-on-Account’ budget ahead of the Lok Sabha elections expected to be held in April-May. “The Rajya Sabha which was adjourned sine die on 18th December, 2013 has been reconvened by Chairman Rajya Sabha to meet on 5h February at 11 am. The session subject to exigencies of Business may conclude on 21st February,” Shumsher K Sheriff, secretary general Rajya Sabha secretariat said.  “Parliament will meet from 5th to 2st February. It will be a continuation of the Winter Session,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath had said.  The coming session will be a continuation of the Winter Session as both Houses were not prorogued. Sources later said the ‘Vote-on-Account’ is likely to be taken up on 17th February. During the session, government also plans to ensure passage of some anti-corruption legislations which have been identified by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as the broader “framework” to fight graft. A total of 126 bills – 62 in Lok Sabha and 64 in Rajya Sabha – are pending at various stages.

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Cold wave kills six people in 24 hours

19012014

Updated on : 19-01-2014 11:37 AM

The Cold wave has claimed six lives during the past 24 hours in the national capital as the winter chill gained in intensity in the northern India.

Urban Development Minister Manish Sisodia has ordered an inquiry into these deaths and sought a detailed report.Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 15.7 degree Celsius on Saturday.

The minimum temperature was 8.6 degree on Sunday morning.

Met Department has predicted a clear sky on Sunday.

In Uttar Pradesh, biting cold coupled with intermittent rain claimed 15 lives.

Cold wave, fog and rain across the state has thrown normal life out of gear.

In Uttarakhand, while heavy snowfall hit the higher reaches, incessant rainfall lashed the plains.

While Mussoorie, Mukteshwar, Auli and Gursaun received fresh snowfall, places like Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh and Rudrapur were hit by incessant rain.

Light to moderate rainfall also lashed various parts of Punjab and Haryana with bone-chilling conditions affecting normal life across the two neighbouring states.

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Categories : culture, Education, Uncategorized

Rajnath Singh : Growth rate has declined because of corruption

19012014

BJP Chief said on Sunday that growth rate has declined because of corruption and Congress is scared of declaring its Prime Ministerial candidate.

Addressing the National council meet in Delhi on Saturday Rajnath Singh said his party had no objection to Article 370 which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir if it helped the development of the state. Reacting to BJP President Rajnath Singh’s allegations, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said that Congress Party has always adopted a strict stand against corruption, while BJP always shielded the corrupt. After being formally assigned campaign leadership for the Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday held consultations with state leaders on the strategy ahead.  He met All India Congress Committee delegates from each state separately.  The party is all set to begin the process of ticket distribution by holding meetings of the newly-formed screening committees to meet its plan for early declaration of candidates. Senior leaders and union ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Jyotiraditya Scindia and party spokesperson Randip Surjewala have been made members of the Congress Election Coordination Committee headed by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.  Rahul Gandhi on Friday was given the charge of leading the Congress Party campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.  With the nomination of Azad, Scindia and Surjewala, the strength of the panel has now gone up to 11. Other members of the Committee are Ahmed Patel, Janardan Dwivedi, Digvijay Singh, Madhusudan Mistry, Jairam Ramesh, CP Joshi and Ajay Maken.  The Coordination Committee has been strengthened at a time when the party is looking to get its act together with just three months left for Lok Sabha polls.

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Mistry wins DSC Prize for 2014

19012014

Reticent author Cyrus Mistry on Saturday beat off stiff competition from five other writers to become the fourth winner of the $50,000 DSC prize for South Asian literature on Saturday for his book “Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer”.

The prize, is given to the best work or translations of a work on or about the South Asian region.

Last year the award was won by Jeet Thayil for his debut debut novel “Narcopolis”. Mr. Mistry was presented with the award at a ceremony at the Jaipur Literature Festival here this evening by Gloria Steinem.

“I have tried to keep myself as detached as possible with the possibility of winning this prize, so am not so enthusiastic but happy about the win,” Mr. Mistry said after receiving the award.

Other books in the running were “Anand: Book of Destruction” (Translated by Chetana Sachidanandan) “Benyamin: Goat Days” (Translated by Joseph Koyippalli), Mohsin Hamid: “How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia”, “Nadeem Aslam: The Blind Man’s Garden” and Nayomi Munaweera: Island of a Thousand Mirrors.

Union HRD Minister was originally slated to inaugurate the prize ceremony. Noted writer, editor and literary critic Antara Dev Sen chaired the five member jury which first announced a long list of 15 names and then came up with a shortlist of six from which Mr. Mistry was chosen.

Mr. Mistry’s book is a story of marginalised community and looks at larger questions about life and death, which makes it a different read.

Set in the city of Mumbai, it revolves around the lives of a hardly heard of and rarely-seen set of people, corpse bearers or Khandhias within the Parsi community. Their job is to carry bodies of the deceased to the Towers of Silence.

The jury comprised of Arshia Sattar, Ameena Saiyid, Rosie Boycott, and Paul Yamazaki. The shortlist was announced in November last year.

Elections for 55 RS seats in 16 states to be held on Feb 7

The elections for 55 Rajya Sabha seats in 16 states will be held on 7th of next month. The states include Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat and Manipur. The term of office of 55 Rajya Sabha MPs is to expire in the month of April. Notification for the polls will be issued of 21st of this month and if necessary polling will be held on 7th February and counting of votes will take place on the same day. The prominent among those whose tenure is expiring include Jayanti Natarajan of Congress, BJP's Prakash Javadekar and Shivanand Tiwari of JD(U).

Vodafone India Reinforces Commitment to Sustainability

17012014

 

Releases ‘Footprints III’- Sustainability Report 2013

First Sustainability Report by an Indian Telecom Company as per latest GRI G4 guidelines
Vodafone India and TERI announce a strategic partnership
To jointly develop Sustainability initiatives for Energy Conservation and Green Telecom
Delhi, January 16, 2014:
Vodafone India, one of India’s leading telecommunications service providers, today announced the release of “Footprints-III”, the third edition of its annual Sustainability Report. A digital version of the report was formally released in the presence of Dr. RK Pachauri, Director General, The Energy Resources Institute (TERI).
Dr. Shashi Tharoor, the Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development , complimenting this initiative said, “Telecommunications have a vital role to play in nation building. By virtue of the services telecoms provide, the sector enables inclusion and facilitates holistic growth. Better connectivity will allow us to fulfill our national priorities of educating all, greater financial inclusion and smarter distribution of government benefits to the citizens. I congratulate Vodafone India for taking the lead in this endeavour and wish them more success in empowering communities.” Speaking on Vodafone India’s Sustainability strategy,
Marten Pieters, Managing Director and CEO, Vodafone India, said, “At Vodafone, sustainability is an ongoing journey and engrained in the business we do. We see our customers, employees, shareholders and the community we operate in as our most important stakeholders. Contributing to society is intrinsic to our corporate mission. Our aspiration is to be the most trusted and respected telecommunications company in India and we are committed to play our due role as a conscientious corporate citizen. We will continue to partner with government and the developmental sector to make meaningful contributions for the social and economic development of our country.”
Continuing the endeavour to consistently raise the bar in reporting on sustainability, this edition of the report has been compiled referencing G4 — the most recent guidelines from Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). GRI is a world-renowned independent institution that sets benchmarks and standard frameworks for sustainability reporting. The G4 guidelines ensure up-to-date disclosures on governance, ethics and integrity, supply chain management, anti-corruption and Green House Gas emissions.
Speaking about
‘Footprints-III’, Vodafone India’s Sustainability Report 2013, Sunil Sood, Chief Operating Operator, Vodafone India, said, “Vodafone Cares’ is our platform to integrate all the good that Vodafone India does as an organisation. The initiatives under ‘Vodafone Cares’ are built around 3Es – Empowerment, Education and Environment, the strategic components of sustainability at Vodafone India. This report chronicles the initiatives undertaken during the year through this 3E approach.”
‘Footprints III’ – Sustainability Report 2013 is being published in the digital format only and can be downloaded from http://www.vodafone.com
Vodafone India and TERI, an independent, non-profit research organisation that focuses on energy, environment and sustainable development, signed a strategic partnership for further embedding and promoting sustainability in Vodafone India’s operations and initiatives.
Announcing the partnership,
Dr. R. K. Pachauri, Director General, TERI, said, “Our mission at TERI is to develop and promote technologies, policies and institutions for efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. We are delighted to partner with Vodafone India and work with them to further enhance the scale and impact of their initiatives to promote sustainability.”
Speaking on the occasion,
Mr. Rohit Adya, External Affairs Director, Vodafone India, said, “At Vodafone India, our core belief of ‘what is good for society is also good for business drives us to make our business and operations more sustainable. The mobile technology has the power to catalyse social transformation by empowering communities and individuals, facilitating a sustainable future for all. We look forward to working with TERI to progress on our sustainability journey and fulfill our role as a responsible corporate.”
The areas of engagement between the two corporate partners include strategic advisory and knowledge sharing, energy conservation and carbon footprint reduction for Greener Telecom. The two organisations will also explore opportunities to jointly build advocacy and promote the cause and purpose of sustainability in the public domain.
About Vodafone India
Vodafone India is a member of the Vodafone Group and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Max acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. The company has operations across the country serving over 150 million customers. This journey is a strong testimony of Vodafone’s success in a highly competitive and price sensitive market. Vodafone India in its long-term commitment to India has been providing innovative, customer friendly and reliable products and services by continuously differentiating itself with a strong brand, best quality network, unique distribution and great customer service.
Vodafone has been receiving several awards and recognition across different segments. At the Aegis Graham Bell Awards 2013, the company was awarded for excellence in ‘Service Innovation’ and ‘Innovation in Training and Learning’ categories. The company also received the ‘Best 3G services operator’ at the recent tele.net Telecom awards. In a survey conducted by Nielsen; Vodafone India has been recognized as the ‘Most Likeable Brand’ in the consumer services category. Vodafone India has also been making significant strides with its wide retail presence in the country. The company won the award for innovation in Retail, at International women leadership forum for the concept of Angel (all women) stores across the country. The company has been recognized as one of the ‘Best Employer of Choice’ in telecom sector by ‘Great Places to Work’ and Vodafone Business Services has been awarded the “Best Enterprise Service Provider” at the Frost & Sullivan Awards for three consecutive years in 2011, 2012 and 2013. On the technology front, the company has also won the Enterprise & IT Infrastructure Global Excellence Award for its Business Intelligence (BI) transformation project.
As a value based organization, Vodafone is committed to achieving the highest standards of Health, Safety and Well-being not only for its employees but also for all its partners. For creating such a responsible culture in the organization, the company recently received the Golden Peacock Occupational Health & Safety Award 2013.
Vodafone India was awarded the ‘Green Telecom Company of the Year’ at the Telecom Leadership Awards 2012 by a renowned media group recently and has also received the “Golden Peacock Award” for corporate social responsibility for 2012 and for Innovation in Product/Service in Telecom category for 2013.
Vodafone is one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies with approximately 411 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as of 30 September 2013. Vodafone has equity interests in telecommunications operations in nearly 30 countries and around 50 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit: http://www.vodafone.com. Follow us on twitter @VodafoneIN
For further information, please contact:
Vodafone India | indiacorpcomm@vodafone.com