Karnataka assembly election results 2018: Former Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa led BJP ousted the Siddaramaiah led Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda led JD (S) in the 2018 state assembly polls. Polling was held in 222 constituencies of the 224-member Assembly as elections in two constituencies, Jayanagara and Rajrajeshwari were countermanded.

Congress has announced that it will support the JD(S) and according to media reports, it is also ready to offer the chief minister’s post to seal the post-poll alliance. Outgoing Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah and senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad made it clear that this move has sanction from the high command.

This little detail is all important because in case there was a “pre-poll alliance”, the governor would have been duty-bound to call the alliance partners to prove majority. However, since there was no such alliance when all parties went to the polls, the governor is duty-bound to call the single-largest party (SLP) for staking claim to form a government, and in this case, it is the BJP.

Therefore, going by the book, the BJP, if it manages to emerge as the SLP, it will have the right to be called first, and from that point, it will be a game of numbers because the BJP will try to factionalise the Congress and JD(S) MLAs and the alliance partners will try to keep their flock together. Get ready for resort politics.

After the dramatic development of the Congress and the JD(S) coming together, BJP’s chief Ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru that the party will wait for the final results to be declared.

Meanwhile, Union Ministers J.P. Nadda, Dharmendra Pradhan and Prakash Javadekar are heading to Bengaluru today.

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala has put all requests on hold and will not be meeting either JDS-Congress or the BJP till all the results are declared. 

As per the latest trends, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading in 104 seats, while the Congress is ahead in 77 seats. The Janata Dal (Secular) is at third place with 39 seats. The counting of votes for 222 of the 224 Assembly seats is being carried out across at 58,546 polling stations at nearly 38 counting centres.

The exit polls have predicted a hung assembly in Karnataka just like the opinion polls did. However, exit polls are divided on whether the Congress or the BJP will emerge as the single largest party while they say that the JDS will emerge as the kingmaker. But a majority of exit polls have predicted advantage BJP, with Today’s-Chanakya Times Now predicting a clear mandate for the party. On the other hand, the India Today-Axis My India exit poll has predicted a clear victory for the Congress.

Poll pundits have called it a wave-less election in Karnataka. However, both the Congress and the BJP have claimed that they will win the election and form the government in the state on their own. The JDS, meanwhile, according to reports has backed a Dalit face for the Chief Minister’s post if it wants the Congress to ally with it in case of a hung Assembly. While the Congress has pitched for Siddaramaiah, the man who is the first to have completed 5 years as CM in Karnataka, as its CM candidate, the BJP is rooting for former CM Yeddyurappa’s return.

New Delhi: A ground breaking new study reveals the extent of daily harassment feared by girls in India in public spaces, including being subjected to lewd comments, inappropriate touching and other forms of sexual assault.

Save the Children’s new report WINGS 2018: World of India’s Girls – A study on the perception of girls’ safety in public spaces, launched today by Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, reveals that 1 in 3 adolescent girls in India expect to be inappropriately touched or stalked when they venture out in public, and about one out of five feel they are at risk of being physically assaulted, including rape.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, Â“Women and girls must be at the heart of policies that guide urban development. The processes should not be prescriptive and hence it is important that from policies to its execution, it has participation of girls and women. The philosophy of new India 2022 has to be routed through the Sarvodaya and Antodaya – that means ‘the last first’. So, let us begin from the most marginalised girls and women.”

The research included surveys with more than 4,000 adolescent girls and boys in India, as well as 800 parents of adolescent girls, which was conducted across six states, 30 cities and 84 villages in 12 districts of Delhi-NCR, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal, Assam and Madhya Pradesh.

Endorsing the report, Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister for Women & Child Development, pointed out that Â“The rights of women and girls and their perception of safety are of utmost importance in achieving an inclusive and equitable society. The Indian government has enabled progressive laws like the POCSO Act 2012 and the Criminal Amendments Act 2013, but a part of the onus lies with families and communities towards ensuring girl’s safety. I congratulate Save the Children in bringing out this report that explores support system available to girls in case of harassment in public spaces, and analyses the effectiveness of the administrative and civil society interventions and services in place to address the issue.”

“These findings reveal the danger and fear faced by millions of Indian girls every day when they go outside their homes, and the harmful impact this can have on their self-confidence and ability to move around freely,” said Bidisha Pillai, CEO, Save the Children in India. “This harmful phenomenon is also putting girls’ futures at risk, encouraging child marriage and making it more difficult to get an education, pursue meaningful employment and engage with the world.”

“All children have a right to feel safe and protected when they are in a public space, and if this right is violated, they should be able to have confidence that law enforcement authorities will take them seriously and properly investigate their claims,” she added.

The report alsorecognizes a number of significant initiatives of the government and civil society to address the issue, including funding for the Nirbhaya Fund, which aims to make public spaces safer for girls and women. But Pillai says far more must be done, pointing out that many incidents of harassment and abuse go unreported every day.

The report also found that:

·         More than two-thirds of adolescent girls from urban and rural areas said they would confide in their mothers when they face harassment in a public space

·         Nearly two out of five said that if their parents found out about an incident of harassment in a public space, they would restrict their movement outside of home

Emphasizing on the need for a safer environment for girls, actor Richa Chadda added, Â“Safety for girls can be ensured if existing laws are strictly enforced but most importantly if boys are raised differently.”

WINGS 2018, which shines a spotlight on the issue while gaining greater understanding of the factors that make girls feel unsafe, makes recommendations to improve public safety for girls based on comments they made during the research.

These measures include improved policing, with greater representation of women in the police force, the installation of improved lighting in public spaces, greater development of community support mechanisms like self-help groups, children’s groups and mothers’ groups, mandatory gender training for all public transport drivers including Uber and Ola, and greater resourcing at a political level for girls’ safety.

Pillai emphasized that it’s everyone’s responsibility to make the country safe for girls. “We need to stand together – policy makers, administrators, law enforcement agencies, civil society and members of the public – not only to provide short-term solutions to address public safety, but simultaneously challenge deeply-embedded gender norms that deny girls of their basic rights.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released REPLACE, a step-by-step guide for the elimination of industrially-produced trans-fatty acids from the global food supply that is estimated to result in more than 500,000 deaths of people from cardiovascular disease. 

  
Industrially-produced trans fats are contained in hardened vegetable fats, such as margarine and ghee, and are often present in snack food, baked foods, and fried foods. Manufacturers often use them as they have a longer shelf life than other fats. But healthier alternatives can be used that would not affect taste or cost of food.
 
“WHO calls on governments to use theREPLACE action package to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fatty acids from the food supply,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Implementing the six strategic actions in the REPLACEpackage will help achieve the elimination of trans-fat, and represent a major victory in the global  fight against cardiovascular disease.”
 
REPLACE provides six strategic actions to ensure the prompt, complete, and sustained elimination of industrially-produced trans fats from the food supply:
 

Review dietary sources of industrially-produced trans fats and the landscape for required policy change.

Promote the replacement of industrially-produced trans fats with healthier fats and oils.

Legislateor enact regulatory actions to eliminate industrially-produced trans fats.

Assess and monitor trans fats content in the food supply and changes in trans-fat consumption in the population.

Create awareness of the negative health impact of trans fats among policy makers, producers, suppliers, and the public.

Enforce compliance of policies and regulations.

 

Several high-income countries have virtually eliminated industrially-produced trans fats through legally imposed limits on the amount that can be contained in packaged food. Some governments have implemented nationwide bans on partially hydrogenated oils, the main source of industrially-produced trans fats, a statement issued by WHO said.
 
In Denmark, the first country to mandate restrictions on industrially-produced trans fats, the trans-fat content of food products declined dramatically and cardiovascular disease deaths declined more quickly than in comparable OECD countries.
 
Action is needed in low- and middle-income countries, where controls of use of industrially-produced trans fats are often weaker, to ensure that the benefits are felt equally around the world.   
 

Elimination of industrially-produced trans fats from the global food supply has been identified as one of the priority targets of WHO’s strategic plan, the draft 13^th General Programme of Work (GPW13) which will guide the work of WHO in 2019-2023. This is on the agenda of the 71^st World Health Assembly that will be held in Geneva on 21 – 26 May 2018.

As part of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, the global community has committed to reducing premature death from noncommunicable diseases by one-third by 2030. Global elimination of industrially-produced trans fats can help achieve this goal.
 
There are two main sources for trans fats: natural sources (in the dairy products and meat of ruminants such as cows and sheep) and industrially-produced sources (partially hydrogenated oils).
 
Partially hydrogenated oils were first introduced into the food supply in the early 20^th century as a replacement for butter, and became more popular in the 1950s through 1970s with the discovery of the negative health impacts of saturated fatty acids. Partially hydrogenated oils are primarily used for deep frying and as an ingredient in baked goods; they can be replaced in both.
 
WHO recommends that the total trans-fat intake be limited to less than 1% of total energy intake, which translates to less than 2.2 g/day with a 2,000-calorie diet. Trans fats increases levels of LDL-cholesterol, a well-accepted biomarker for cardiovascular disease risk, and decreases levels of HDL-cholesterol, which carry away cholesterol from arteries and transport it to the liver, that secretes it into the bile. Diets high in trans-fat increase heart disease risk by 21% and deaths by 28%. 

Replacing trans fats with unsaturated fatty acids decreases the risk of heart disease, in part, by ameliorating the negative effects of trans fats on blood lipids. In addition, there are indications that trans-fat may increase inflammation and endothelial dysfunction.

SHIMLA : Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda, presided over a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony with four States – Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Union Territory of Chandigarh for implementing Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission (PMRSSM).

Speaking at the function, Mr. J P Nadda said that “we are witnessing history as the first MoU of Ayushman Bharat is being signed here. The scheme shall be a big game changer in the healthcare”. Health Minister further said that the initiatives undertaken by the Government eventually become the largest health programs of the world due to the sheer numbers in India. He cited TB and Leprosy elimination programs of the Government. “ Through our programs and initiatives, we are ensuring that the healthcare is accessible, affordable and equitable,”

Mr. Nadda further stated that Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission (PMRSSM) will protect around 50 crore people (from about 10 crore families). “It will be cashless and paperless access to services upto Rs. 5 lakhs per year will be available for the beneficiary families at the point of service in both public and private empanelled hospitals across India.” He further said that the beneficiaries under the scheme can avail of services anywhere in India and it is expected to bring a visible relief to the target families by mitigating the financial risk arising out of catastrophic health episodes.

The Union Health Minister further stated that health is at the centre-stage and the Government is looking at it holistically. He said that PMRSSM will protect the people and at the same time Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) will deliver comprehensive primary health care. “The H&WC would provide preventive, promotive, and curative care for non-communicable diseases, dental, mental, geriatric care, palliative care, etc. The Government has initiated universal screening of common NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension and common cancers, which will eventually help in reducing the disease burden of the country.

Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh said that Ayushman Bharat in itself is a blessing.“I extend my gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister and Union Health Minister for giving an opportunity to host this historic signing of MoUs for the world’s largest health insurance scheme”. He further said that this will provide momentum to the Ayushman Bharat program of the government. He said that he will ensure that the program reaches to every household. He further informed that that the health indicators of the State are good and his government will further try to improve them. He said that the State now have six medical colleges and one AIIMS approved by Central Government. We are now coming up with a Medical University in the state, he added.

Speaking at the occasion TrivendraSingh Rawat, Chief Minister, Uttarakhand said that Ayushman Bharat is going to be a revolutionary step in the healthcare and assured all the support for its implementation in the state. He added that as per the latest census 20 lakh families will be covered under this scheme in Uttarakhand. He said that government is ensuring that every household gets medical facilities within the distance of 10 km.  Shri Rawat also said that the gender ratio in the state has improved along with other public health facilities, including increase in the number of doctors in the state.

Through these MoU, the States will formally commit to implement PMRSSM. The MoU clearly outlines roles of Central and State/ UT Governments for the implementation of PMRSSM.Similar regional workshops are also planned in due course of time across India to sign MoU with States/UTs for rolling out of PMRSSM in each region.

From bad loans to loan defaulters to financial frauds and embezzlement, the Indian banking system seems to be in a crisis mode. And, needless to say, it will have a cascading effect on most sectors – including real estate. 

To build a project, developers largely rely on banks for their capital needs. Alternately, they seek customer advances to proceed with construction. If they are not adequately funded, their projects either go belly-up or are delayed extensively, causing disruption in the entire property-cycle. Much to the dismay of developers, the recent events in the banking industry have caused commercial banks as well as Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to become more cautious about disbursing heavy loans to real estate developers.

Numbers suggest that bank lending to the real estate sector came down from 68% in 2013 to a mere 17% in 2016 due to mounting NPAs. Despite the continuous efforts by the Central Government to strengthen public sector banks by infusing bonds and launching regulatory reforms (recapitalization), the piling up of bad loans and NPAs is hurting public sectors banks. In June 2017, the share of bad loans was around 10% of the total loans disbursed by the banking system. 

Simultaneously, the gross non-performing assets had grown by nearly 190% (~8 lakh crore) in December 2017 from ~3 lakh crore in March 2015. As a result, banks’ credit growth is now at an all-time low since 1951. This will have repercussions on the real estate sector in the short to mid-term:

• Cash-starved developers face further heat:

The current banking crisis has pushed several banks into hyper-vigilance about disbursing loans. The few leading developers who have good previous track records are unruffled, but banks are refraining from lending to smaller developers. This inevitably puts pressure on such developers, who are already cash-starved and under immense pressure to complete their ongoing projects.

Under RERA, builders need to complete their project on time to avoid penalties. As a result, they are either being wiped out or seeking alternate funding via private equity or other NBFCs which offer to fund at significantly higher interest rates (nearly 18%-21%, as opposed to bank loans which come at 11%-13%). This extra burden will inevitably be passed on to prospective homebuyers in the form of increased property prices. 

• A setback for affordable housing:

Despite being accorded infrastructure status by the Government, affordable housing projects are likely to suffer due to the ongoing banking mess. To avoid a further crisis, most banks have laid down stringent lending norms; as such, banks are refusing to fund even projects that fall under the affordable housing category due to the mounting NPAs in previous years. This could seriously derail the Government’s ambitious project ‘Housing for All by 2022’ mission.

• Impact on property prices:

With banks being extra cautious and literally pulling out of the property market, private equity players and other financial institutions have come to the rescue of several Indian developers. The current numbers indicate that nearly 75% of the funding in real estate is via the PE route. These options are eventually expensive for developers who, in turn, pass the buck to property buyers by increasing property prices. If banks proactively extended credit to developers at subsidized rates, it would eventually help keep a check on property prices as well.

• Property cycle stagnation:

With banks shying away from lending to developers, the property cycle may grind to a halt across cities. There are several under-construction projects that need funding for completion. For instance, NCR has maximum project delays due to the severe cash crunch. With banks refusing to give funding to many developers there, these players are unable to complete their projects. If banks offered them credit, their projects would be completed and the development cycle could resume – which would ultimately lead to a faster revival of the sector.

On the Positive Side

The recent crisis is paving the way for several structural changes within the Indian banking system. For instance, the RBI unveiled a new charter of rules early this year for recognizing defaulting loans and ways to resolve the crisis. More so, the passing of the NPA ordinance in 2017 empowered the RBI to directly intervene in bad loans and thereby go some ways in resolving the NPA deadlock. An overall reduction in bad loans will eventually encourage banks to issue fresh loans to credible players. With a healthier banking system, the economy can also begin firing on all cylinders again. 

(The opinion expressed by author is personal.)

[Directed & Produced: Bimal Roy/ Story & Screenplay: Ritwik Ghatak/Dialogue: Rajinder Singh Bedi/Cinematography: Dilip Gupta/ Editing:  Hrishikesh Mukherjee/ Lyrics: Shailendra/Music:Salil Choudhury/Playback: Lata Mangeshkar,Mukesh,Mohd Rafi and Manna Dey/ Starring: Dilip Kumar,Vyjayanthimala,Pran,Johnny Walker,Jayant andTarun Bose]

Three years after Devdas (1955) had lit the marquee, Bimal Roy took up two lightweight stories both starring Dilip Kumar- Madhumati and Yahudi (1958), huge twin hits at the box-office. Ritwik Ghatak drafted his story in to the script for Madhumati with Rajinder Singh Bedi contributing the dialogues. It was the only celluloid collaboration between Roy and Ghatak that led to Bimal Roy’s biggest commercial success.  After Do Bigha Zameen, Bimal Roy was criticized for the Kishore Kumar starrer Naukri and Madhumati. Madhumati proved to be Roy’s biggest hit ever. The film was the 5^th biggest film of the 50s. 

Dilip Kumar in his autobiography recollects that when Bimal Roy gave him the first narration, along with Ritwik Ghatak, the actor could sense Roy’s passion. There were others who dampened the coals by telling Roy that it was a risky film with reincarnation in layers that might be difficult for the viewer to absorb. But there was others like his editor Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who egged him on to experiment with a genre that offered wonderful cinematic prospects.

Madhumati walked away with nine Filmfare Awards of a total 15 awards that were given away at the 6th Filmfare Awards including Best Film, Director, Music (Salil Choudhury), Best Supporting Actor (Johnny Walker), Best Female Playback (Lata Mangeshkar), Best Editing (Hrishikesh Mukherjee)  Best Dialogue (Rajinder Singh Bedi), Best Art Direction (Sudhendu Roy) and Best Cinematographer(   Dilip Gupta).The Filmfare it truly deserved, that for story, went to Pt. Mukhram Sharma for Sadhna (1958). 

In 1958, Vyjayanthimala was nominated twice for the Filmfare Awards for two hits released within a month of each other – Madhumati and Sadhna. She won the Filmfare for B.R. Chopra’s Sadhna but Madhumati took Vyjayanthimala to stardom. Dilip Kumar had two releases in 1958 – Madhumati and Yahudi. Both were directed by Bimal Roy, but he was pipped to the best actor’s post by his friend Dev Anand for Kala Pani.

Madhumati was the first Indian film to be launched abroad. A bashful Bimal Roy created a sensation by performing the muhurat ceremony of Madhumati in front of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Theatre in Czechoslovakia. Dilip Kumar faced the camera, while Soviet actress Tatyana Konjuchova, switched on the camera. Polish actress Barbara Polonska acted as clapper-boy.

Salil Chaudhary’s reputation as a composer had stood the test of fire in his debut film Do Bigha Zamin he had also authored the story of the film to boot but Bollywood’s populist industry labelled Salil Chowdhury a flop music director. Bimal Roy worked in tandem with Sachin Dev Burman and Salil Chowdhury. SD Burman was busy composing music for Sujata when Madhumati was on the drawing board and was for Salil Chowdhury to compose! But the rumour mills were doing overtime that Dilip Kumar, Madhumati’s hero, was vehemently opposed to Salil Chowdhury as a composer.Salil Chowdhury and Shailendra were stumped, the thespian’s resistance questioned their talent, but the two buoyed by Bimal Roy’s unlimited faith created history. After the release of Madhumati, the Salil Chowdhury signed no less than nineteen films.

Salil Choudhary used Assamese folk tunes in most songs, like Chad gayo paapi bichua, Zulmi sang ankh ladi or Ghadi ghadi mora dil dhadke. The film was an all-out triumph for Salil Choudhury is a fact that Lata Mangeshkar counts Aaja Re Pardesi from Madhumati as among her ten best songs ever. She confesses to love all the songs of Madhumati and recounted in an interview that it was a special day when the theme song, Aaja Re Pardesi was recorded as Shailendra gave her flowers and the reticent Bimal Roy not given to any praise came forward to congratulate her. The perfectionist that Bimal Roy was had reshot Aaja re pardesi because he was not happy with the results. 

Mubarak Begum (1936-2016) the legendary playback unfortunately could never cash on the success of a blockbuster like Madhumati. Her number, Hum haal-e-dil sunaenge, in Bimal Roy’s Madhumati (1958) is still remembered even 60 years later. She continued to live in penury in a small house of the Behrampauda area in western suburb of Jogeshwari in Mumbai, with an ailing daughter and a son, who worked as a chauffeur. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh had sanctioned her a flat in Jogeshwari from the Chief Minister’s discretionary quota, with lyricist Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi raising the money for her flat.

Dilip Gupta (1911-99) had Mickey, Goofy and the Three Little Pigs singing a farewell song for him in a cartoon short personally drawn by Walt Disney when he was returning to India in 1935 after working for Disney in Hollywood. Dilip Gupta attended the New York Institute of Photography, worked at the Paramount Studios with Clark Gable and Greta Garbo, and trained himself in animation at Disney’s studio.

He received the first Filmfare trophy for cinematography for Madhumati and mentored Radhu Karmakar, Taru Dutt, Aloke Dasgupta, Apurba Bhattacharya, V Prabhakar, A K Bir, Barun Mukherji and Balu Mahendra as his students at FTII. Dilip Gupta himself had a great guru at New Theatres, as Nitin Bose.

Bimal Roy had decided to shoot ‘Madhumati’ (1958) at Ranikhet, near Nainital. This was rare as noir films were shot indoors, to give an image of ominous. As there were no monitors in those days, when the developed prints arrived many rushes were found to be foggy. Since a reshoot at Ranikhet would puncture the budget, a set was created inside the Aarey Milk Colony, Igatpuri, a forested area near Mumbai. To keep the film within the budget, Roy gave up his director’s fees. Similarly Bimal Roy had shot the Kumbh Mela to be used as part of a feature film Amar Kumbh ki Khoj, which sadly never got made. Incidentally the ambiance of the crowd in the Kumbh film was utilized as the ambiance sound of the mela scene of Madhumati by Bimal Roy! 

Bimal Roy’s marshalling of talent whether in extracting convincing performances, evocative cinematography, edgy editing or the evergreen musical score by Salil Choudhury to recreate mood and ambiance makes the film more than a riveting tale of reincarnation and revenge. The standard clichés that are in a typical Hindi Film Potboiler – A sprawling haunted mansion, hero learning of his past life, the naive and innocent village belle and the lecherous zamindar lusting after the damsel do not run away from Bimal Roy’s steely grip and he uses these elements to his film’s utmost advantage. 

Madhumati is the grandmother of such famous reincarnation films as Milan, Mehbooba, Karz, Karan Arjun and Kudrat.

NEW DELHI: The two-week long  “Harimau Shakti” joint military exercise with Indian and Malaysian troops testing their preparedness in jungle warfare, culminated in the rainforests of Malaysia on Friday.

The second phase of the exercise gained momentum with both Army units getting together in gathering intelligence on the enemy and then planning and executing the final assault.

The exercise between Indian and Malaysian Armies concluded with a closing ceremony at the tropical rainforests of Hulu Langat. The grand finale was a tactical operation on conduct of attack on enemy camp.

“The information collected over the past five days through various operations had resulted in the contingents identifying the movement, routes and activities of Malaysian Revolutionary Army and develop a coherent intelligence picture. The joint command post established by the two contingents went on overdrive in collating and synthesising the available information and disseminating the orders to sub units,’’ Indian Army spokesperson Col Aman Anand said here.

The field craft, and battle craft drills practiced during the cross training phase were put to great use and the contingents were able to achieve their aim while maintaining surprise, the spokesperson said. The entire planning process was a true reflection of the joint operational capabilities that the contingents have achieved in a short span of time.

The exercise involved movement of troops to their locations at night under respective party commanders and deployment their locations with no loss of surprise. The final blow on enemy was swift, well-coordinated and violent to ensure that the target was decimated in no time.

The final attack on the enemy target was witnessed by Brigadier General Abdul Malik Bin Jiran, Colonel Anirudh Chauhan, Defence Attache  Malaysia and Colonel Aman Anand, PRO Army.

In his closing address, the Commander complimented the troops from both the contingents for their exemplary conduct, high morale and tactical acumen throughout the exercise. He also remarked that the Contingents would have learned by sharing their knowledge and experiences. He also complimented the Indian contingent for assimilating and understanding the nuances of jungle operations as per Malaysian doctrine and fighting shoulder to shoulder with their Malaysian Counterparts.

Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia Mridul Kumar also visited the exercise area and complimented the troops on successful completion of the joint training exercise. He was highly appreciative of the high spirits and exemplary drills shown by the Contingents under challenging conditions and inclement weather. The rain gods poured but could not dampen the spirit of the brave soldiers from India and Malaysia.

The professional acumen, operational abilities, battle drills and physical endurance displayed by the contingents over the last fortnight were of extremely high std and was an apt reflection of the level of interoperability achieved during the exercise. The contingents from Indian and Malaysian Armies have been able to share their experiences in counter insurgency operations and learn from each other.

The future editions of Exercise Harimau Shakti will surely take this legacy forward and will ensure that the two nations continue to maintain close defence ties in ensuring peace and security in the region.

While Malaysian Army showcased its strength in the emphasis on tactical operations and basic soldiering skills, expertise in jungle survival and ability to live off the land and an eye for ground and ability to use natural resources for operational requirements, the Indian Army’s strength lay in its ability to quickly absorb the battle drills and procedures of jungle operations as per Malaysian doctrine, exceptional firing skills exhibited during cross training phase and displayed physical and mental endurance.

The exercise also played a key role in enhancing defence relations between the two nations as well as strengthening interoperability and joint operational capabilities in conducting jungle operations.

NEW DELHI: Education is one of the most pressing problems that various stakeholders such as the government, non-profits, policy-makers, and entrepreneurs are trying to tackle. Entrepreneurs must focus on solving one challenge in a scalable way and that would be enough to drive growth for startups in the education sector.

Coaching classes still hold an iron grip on exam preparations, but this is another industry that could soon get ‘disrupted’. Traditionally, preparation has been associated with a classroom where a group of students is tutored by a teacher. New startups want to break the group study model, which they say doesn’t work for most students. Seeing the potential of edtech and using it for the exam preparation model, many startups have emerged which claim to prepare students competitively for such exams. 

Currently, the test preparation market size stands at over 18 Mn students, with an annual growth rate of 20-25%. At an average ticket size of INR 10000, the market value currently stands at around INR 18,000 crore.

The test preparation market is currently dominated by classroom coaching which is highly unorganized and students are often deprived of best resources due to geographical constraints. Online preparation is an answer to this. The market opportunity in this sector is huge and the ecosystem is conducive to cater to online consumption of content and resources.

India has one of the largest education systems in the world with a network of more than 1 million schools and 18,000 higher education institutions. Added to that, more than 15 million students prepare for competitive exams (IIT JEE, CAT, Banking, etc) every year. With that number, test Preparation indeed is one of the most lucrative business models and today, there is a sizeable number of students and parents who’re willing to make that effort to go beyond traditional methods of doing it.

Securing government jobs is the best option considered by most of the students in India. And it has been continuing for ages. Students in tier II and III cities and rural areas tend to prioritize public sector job as it gives a sense of security, dignified social life and enhances the chances of getting desired life partner along with hefty dowry.

Ever since the government-service exams have gone online, the selection of students from Tier 2 and 3 cities has dropped down. It is not because of lack of knowledge of the candidates but due to the teething issues related to shift to computers. The efficiency of students fell from 65/100 to 35/100 when they shifted to digital mode, due to lack of exposure to computers. Many college graduates in these areas find it hard to operate a computer. The strategy to attempt exam changes as the mode shifts from offline to online. In an offline exam, all the questions are available at once, while in the online pattern you can see only one question at a time.

To gauge the craze of government job, just look at the number of aspirants for positions opened for railways. Of 90,000 vacancies, about 25 million (2.5 crores) have applied for vacant positions. It essentially means that 277 candidates competing for a single post. 

While this craze must die to get rid of unemployment and prosperity of the nation, it’s an opportunity for tech-oriented education startups to thrive. Scope for companies who are helping students in preparing government jobs is phenomenal.

Online learning cannot replace the traditional classroom, it will definitely complement it with better reach, analysis, personalization and will increase the competitiveness of examinations by providing a level playing field for aspirants of small towns who were earlier deprived of best resources. Also, since Indian students are much used to self-study, a learning platform in India has to integrate well with the traditional classroom rather than being an alternate.

As many as 251 Gross Polluting Industries (GPI) have been closed under Namami Gange Programme and closure directions have been issued to non complying polluting industries.

Addressing a press conference, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari said the government hopes to clean 70 to 80 percent Ganga by March 2019.

The Minister said, real time monitoring of pollutions is being done in 938 industries. 211 main ‘nallas’ have been identified which are causing pollution in Ganga and 20 modular STPs are being deployed to treat nalla water. Regular review meetings with all the states government officials, contractors, consultants are being done and obstacles regarding DPR’s, Tendering Process, finalisation of design, Payment to contractors are being removed for speedy completion of Projects. 

Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharti said that almost all the 4470 villages on the bank of Ganga are now Open Defecation  Free (ODF) and the government was working on the strategy of ODF plus.

She said measures like Solid-Liquid waste management, tree plantation, making villages and towns plastic free and awareness programmes are being adopted.

Namami Gange, an integrated Ganga Conservation Mission, is an umbrella programme with the aim to integrate previous, currently ongoing and new projects planned as part of the programme at an indicative cost of Rs. 20,000 crore. The programme is to be implemented over a period of five years ending on December 2020. ‘Namami Gange’ approaches Ganga Rejuvenation by consolidating the existing and ongoing efforts and planning for a comprehensive action plan for future.

Under the Namami Gange programme, a total of 195 projects have been sanctioned for various activities such as sewage infrastructure, ghats and crematoria development, river front development, river surface cleaning, institutional development, biodiversity conservation, afforestation, rural sanitation, and public participation.

As many as 102 projects, of 195 were sanctioned for creation of 2369 MLD new sewage treatment plants (STPs), rehabilitation of 887 MLD of existing STPs and laying/rehabilitation of 4722 km sewer network for abatement of pollution in river Ganga and Yamuna. Till date 24 projects have been completed which has created 217 MLD STP capacity, rehabilitated 62 MLD STP capacity and 1879.5 km of sewer network has been laid.

Presently, 45 sewage infrastructure projects are under execution. These projects envisage creating 841 MLD sewage treatment capacities. Another 33 projects are under various stages of tendering. In a paradigm shift in sewage sector in the past one year, works on two STP projects (50 MLD in Varanasi and 82 MLD in Haridwar) have been started under Hybrid Annuity PPP mode (HAM). Other projects sanctioned under HAM are Naini, Jhusi, Phaphamau, Unnao, Shuklaganj, Mathura, Kanpur, Mirzapur, Gazipur and Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh; Digha, Kankarbagh and Bhagalpur in Bihar; Howrah, Bally and Tolly’s Nalla (Kolkata), Kamarhati and Baranagar in West Bengal. These sewage management projects will take care of the current gap in sewage treatment and will also sustain the sewage treatment for future.

Among some of the new initiatives that have been taken by National Mission for Clean Ganga are “One City One Operator” as part of which STPs in 7 towns (Kanpur, Allahabad, Mathura, Patna, Kolkata, Howrah-Bally, Bhagalpur) are being integrated and tendered with Hybrid Annuity based projects. Four have already been tendered (Kanpur, Allahabad, Mathura and Kolkata. The focus under Namami Gange programme has been on 10 major towns contributing almost 64% of total sewage discharge. Apart from that performance evaluation of existing STPs have been completed in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and project engineers for Haridwar and Varanasi projects have been appointed. Besides, annual inspection of GPIs through technical institutions in a time bound manner along with close monitoring of milestones is being done. New projects are being taken up on tributaries.

For River Front Development, works at 152 ghats and 54 crematoria are in progress and expected to be completed by 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs. 683.32 crore. Patna River Front Development project worth Rs 254.52 crore is at advanced stage of completion (more than 85% work done). Under this, 20 ghats and 6.6 km of promenade are being developed among other services that include toilets, bathrooms, changing rooms etc. Pathri ghat in Patna which was developed under Namami Gange programme won 2A Asia Architecture Award 2016. One project of RFD at Chandi ghat in Haridwar involving a cost of about Rs. 50 crore is 68% complete.  

As many as 44 Real Time Water Quality Monitoring Station (RTWQMS) are operational under Namami Gange programme to keep water quality check. As abatement of industrial pollution which has been a prime focus of National Mission for Clean Ganga, survey of all 938 Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) was conducted. Out of 938 GPIs, 251 were closed and closure notices were given to non-complying GPIs.

Eleven trash skimmers have been deployed at Haridwar, Garh Mukhteshwar, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna, Sahibganj, Nabadwip, Howrah, Delhi and Mathura-Vrindavan.

On rural sanitation front, all 4465 villages on the bank of river Ganga have been made Open Defecation Free (ODF) and 10,83,688 Individual Household Toilets have been constructed. Five State Ganga Committees and 48 District Ganga Committees on main stem of River Ganga, constituted for effective monitoring of projects and activities.

Five crore plants are being planted along Ganga basin as part of the afforestation drive involving an amount of Rs. 112 crores intended for preventing erosion of soil and groundwater recharge in the Ganga basin. A comprehensive bio-diversity conservation programme is being undertaken through Wildlife Institute of India involving a cost of Rs. 25 crore. Afforestation campaign with public participation has been taken up.

A Composite Ecological Task Force with headquarters at Allahabad and three companies of 100 men each is being raised with Territorial Army. They would be taking up plantation, public awareness, patrolling of river fronts and monitoring of river pollution. 

In Uttarakhand, 31 projects have been sanctioned out of which 13 have been completed and in 18 work is under progress. The projects in Kirtinagar, Tapovan, Uttarkashi, Rishikesh are likely to be completed by June 2018, projects in Joshimath, Srinagar, Haridwar network by Nov 2018 and projects in Badrinath, Chamoli, Nandprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnprayag, Haridwar (Interception and Diversion work) by December 2018.

In Uttar Pradesh, 30 projects have been sanctioned out of which eight have been completed and work is under progress on nine projects. Three tenders are under evaluation and 10 under tendering. The completed projects include  projects in Allahabad (completed in year four 2015, 2016) and four projects (Garhmukteshwar, Kannauj, Anupshahar and Narora) in April 2018. The projects which are likely to be completed are  [Allahabad Dist C and Dist E (Additional) by May 2018, Moradabad by June 2018, Varanasi (JICA- Dinapur) by July 2018, Kanpur (Sismau nala), Allahabad Dist A by October 2018 Allahabad Dist B and Varanasi (Ramana) by December 2019. Tenders are under evaluation for Chunar and Mathura. The projects under tendering are Bithoor, Ramnagar, Unnao, Shuklaganj, Kanpur (Pankha), Allahabad (Jhusi, Naini, and Phaphamau), Farrukhabad.Mirzapur, Ghazipur, rehabilitation of existing STPs in Allahabad

In Bihar 20 projects have been sanctioned out of which work is under progress on 10 projects while four are under evaluation and six under tendering. The locations where work is under progress are Buxar and in various zones of Patna. In Barh, Sultanganj, Mokama,

Naugachia tenders have been received and evaluation is in process whereas tenders are to be floated for Bhagalpur, Digha and Kankarbagh zones of Patna.

In Jharkhand, two projects are under progress in Sahibganj where a 12 MLD STP, 55 km Sewer are being constructed. The project is likely to be completed by December 2018. Another project in Rajmahal of creation of 3.5 MLD STP, 34 km sewer has recently been awarded and likely to be completed by June 2019.

There are 15 projects in West Bengal that have been sanctioned out of which two have been completed; work is under progress on four projects while four others are under tendering. For five projects tenders have to be floated.

NEW DELHI : Union Minister of Electronics & IT and Law & Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad said today that for the Indian Government, freedom of media is integral to polity, duly recognized by the Constitution and reinforced by Judiciary in series of judgements. Addressing the 15th Asia Media Summit here today, the Minister said that the media has full right to inform, circulate, criticize, advice and counsel. The rights of Media under the Constitution are also subject to reasonable restrictions.

Dwelling upon the issue of Ethical Journalism, the Law Minister said that it must be fair, true, properly presented highlighting sights and counter sights and empowering the consumers of news in a decent and independent fashion. The Minister wondered whether the media today, under the garb of sensationalism, paid news, fake news, too much of other insidious practices is addressing to this large issue. This is a matter of debate, the Minister added.

Supporting the principle of self-regulation by the media, Mr. Prasad said that the IT act mandates that the content going through the intermediary is not dangerous, libellous and does not impinge upon the security and integrity of the country nor should it encroach upon the copyrights. On sanctity of privacy, the Minister noted that the Supreme Court had upheld privacy as part of the Fundamental Rights. But, he added that the plea of privacy cannot become a shield for the corrupt and the terrorists. The Minister elaborated that on the issues of terrorism, propagation of hatred and communalization and on the issue of promoting extremism, there has to be a global consensus that needs to be properly enforced.

Dwelling on the challenges of social media, He said that the Government is committed to the freedom of press but there is a need to segregate the real from the dangerous. He said many in the Government today had fought against the emergency where freedom was trampled upon. The Minister said that the Government respects social media as it empowers the common man but the language used sometimes in this medium is a cause of concern.

Mr. Prasad further said that the internet cannot become a tool of neo-imperialism. Referring to internet as one of the finest creations of human mind, he said that it cannot remain the monopoly of a few. He said that if Internet has to be global, it must have linkages with local ideas and culture.