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Manmohan Singh sends farewell letters to world leaders including Obama, Putin

Posted by Unknown | Saturday, May 10, 2014 | Posted in ,




New Delhi: As he prepares to demit office, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has written farewell letters to leaders of various countries, including US President Barack Obama, former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Singh, who also wrote to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has generally conveyed his thanks to them while recalling how they had worked together all these years, sources said.

Wen has sent his response to Singh. In his hand-written letter, the former Chinese Premier has expressed his admiration for Singh's leadership and helping in fostering better relations between the two countries, the sources said. Singh and Wen met over a dozen times as they enjoyed good rapport. Wen, after demitting office, showed a special gesture of hosting a lunch for Singh when he visited Beijing last year. Recalling their relationship, Wen had remarked that the two leaders had been like "two drivers with steady hands on the wheels, driving in the right direction." Singh and Obama also had three Summit-level talks besides meeting several times on the sidelines of multilateral fora since the US President took over in 2009. Similarly, Singh has met Putin a number of times, including having annual Summits. 

Need Cash Urgently? Here are Your Options

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Short-term business needs and daily requirements can be very easily satisfied by the short-term loans. Short-term loan offerings by banks are generally for a period of one year or less than one year. The benefits of these loans are that they are processed pretty fast unlike traditional loans on homes. Although the globalization and privatization have reduced the time lag in loan processing it still is high as necessary inquiries before proceeding with a loan is essential in case of big loans. Contingencies and immediate fund needs can arise anytime. Short-term loans are extremely helpful in these circumstances. These loans can be given even for a period of three months.

Rationale of short-term loans

Proprietary businesses or retail businesses can require loans that may be on account of purchase of inventories or to meet the working capital requirements. Seasonality of business also sometimes creates situations where a retail businessman has to store stocks for which he might be in need of funds. Payment of bills or creditors is another important rationale behind taking such loans.

Nature of short-term loans

These loans are generally unsecured in nature. This is one of the biggest advantages of such loans. Unsecured in nature means that borrower doesn't have to keep anything in collateral for these loans. However, the payment should be made as per the requirements of the bank or financial institution giving the loan. Failure on the part of a borrower to repay such loan invites a black spot on credit worthiness.

Personal Loans

As the name suggests these loans are for individual needs and expenses. Reducing affordability, lower percentage of salary hikes, higher inflations are some of the key reasons why personal loans are getting so much attention and increase these days. These loans are also popular as they are mostly unsecured barring few instances where a collateral can be asked. The loan rates are generally higher compared to other loan rates that are for a period of 10-20 years. There are five major categories that come under the purview of personal loans.

Loans for Festivals

Family is the foremost priority of many individuals, but sometimes you may not have funds to fulfill your family dreams at the time of festivals. Personal loans provide a helping hand in such situations. The loan amount may differ from the bank to bank. The borrowed amount is to be repaid in Equated Monthly Installments (EMI).

Loan for Marriage

This is most popular in the society these days. Such loans are given considering repayment capacity, age of the borrower.

Borrowing for Purchasing Consumer Durables

Loans are also provided by financial institutions for purchasing consumer durables like TV, Hi-fi music systems and washing machines. The loan value ranges from Rs. 5,000 up to Rs. 200,000 in some cases. The maximum period of repaying the personal loans is a bit higher than short-term loans. These loans can be given for a period of five years.

Loans for Pensions

Retired persons sometimes find it difficult to access funds. These people are given loan under the banner of pension loans. Pension of the person is taken as the base while providing the loans. The loan amount is five to ten times of the last pension drawn by the pensioner.

PC Loans

Loans on personal computers and purchasing of laptops are also covered. Even if any software is required that is covered by the banks under such category.

Things to be Kept in Mind

A borrower is often not conveyed full information at the time of taking these loans. Sometimes the borrower is unaware of the calculation of interest repayment by the banks. Personal loan's interest rates are calculated by two ways: one is the monthly reducing basis and secondly on annual basis. On monthly reducing basis, after paying a principal amount the further interest is calculated on the outstanding balance whereas in case of annual basis, it is on a yearly basis. Loan offers should also be kept in mind. Person should do an enquiry and check the lowest rates of interest and processing charges. Personal loans are at higher interest rates than interest rates on other loans. Therefore, the individual capabilities of repayment should be kept in mind.

When a crocodile attacked Modi!

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New Delhi: When he was a Class 8 student, BJP leader Narendra Modi was attacked by a crocodile while swimming in a crocodile-infested lake in Gujarat, necessitating nine stitches on one foot.


So says yet another biography on Modi, 'Narendra Modi: The Game Changer' (Vitasta), authored by journalist Sudesh K. Verma.

As a young boy, after working in a family tea shop in the morning, Modi would daily reach the Sharmishtha lake near his home in Vadnagar.

According to the book, he would swim all the way to a temple in the middle of the lake, touch the flag on its top and return to the shore. He did this thrice daily. 'Once, Narendra was badly injured when a crocodile hit his left foot with its tail,' the book says.

'A crocodile tail is strong; a hit by it can be fatal. It is like you are struck with a sword. Villagers say there used to be 29 crocodiles in the lake.

'Narendra was an eighth grade student then. He got nine stitches on his left foot near the ankle and was bed-ridden for more than a week. The cut marks are still there on his left foot.'

But Modi was back at the lake within a month, the book says.

The 429-page book is replete with interesting aspects about Modi, some known and some not so well known:

* When Modi was 14, an astrologer predicted that he would do very well in life. According to Mahendrabhai Darji, a Modi friend, the astrologer said: 'This boy will either become a big saint or a big political leader. The whole world will know him.'

* Modi paid Rs.2 as examination fee for the Sainik School in Balachadi in Jamnagar district. But poverty spiked his dreams. 'His father told him the family had no money to send him to Jamnagar and asked him to complete his studies at the local school.'

* Modi sold tea made by his father at the Vadnagar railway station in 'kulhads'. A 'special tea' cost 2 annas and a 'normal tea' one anna.

* During Modi's childhood, eight passenger trains passed through Vadnagar. Their timing was important since he would have to leave the class and run to the tea shop. 'After the train left, he would rejoin his classroom.'

* Modi's father, Damodardas, provided shelter and home to a Muslim boy, Abbas Mohammad Ramsada (Momin), who recalled his stay at Modi's home for one full year and how well he was treated by the family.

* Modi's family house was like a train compartment with 12 by 40 square feet dimensions. 'The floor was not cemented and would be plastered with cow dung paste on a regular basis.'

* Modi has kept minimal contact with the family. No family member has gone to the chief minister's house for any work.

* The Modi family was so poor that they could not arrange for photography at any of their weddings.

* When he became the Gujarat chief minister in 2001, his mother told him: 'Beta, kadi lanch na leis.' (Son, never take bribe.)

* When Modi was young, his mother worked at houses of others to earn extra money... She would also clean utensils.

* Modi left his Vadnagar home for good in 1970. When he returned in 1975, he was dressed like a Sikh for fear of getting caught during the Emergency.

* Modi left college midway in 1968 (before completing graduation) and wandered for about two years. 'He had become too contemplative and turned a recluse.'

* It was after a visit to the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram at Belur Math near Kolkata that Modi went to the Himalayas. 'Nothing much is known about what he did and whom he met during those wandering days.'

* A swami at the Ramakrishna Mission at Rajkot advised him to keep a beard - something that has stayed with him ever since.

* 'For years Modi used to burn his belongings or anything associated with him. This was his way to disconnect with the past.'

* Once Modi saw a baby crocodile at the bank of a lake. It was more than a foot long. He took it home to nurse it but his mother told him to drop it in the lake.

* When Modi could not afford to pay for ironing his clothes, he would keep them under the pillow or mattress at night. In the morning, they looked fresh and ironed.

* Modi acted in plays. He used his acting skills to promote his social commitment.

* Modi's first street protest was a demonstration of Jana Sangh workers outside the US embassy against Washington's arms aid to Pakistan in 1971.

* When Modi shifted to Ahmedabad, he made the canteen of the State Road Transport, run by a maternal uncle, his temporary home.

Saudi Arabia bans import of Indian chili peppers

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Riyadh: Saudi Arabia, the fifth-largest importer of fresh vegetables from India, has banned the import of Indian chili due to the presence of high pesticide residues in it, media reported Friday.

"We have been informed about the Saudi ministry of agriculture's decision to ban chili pepper beginning May 30," Arab News quoted Surinder Bhagat, second secretary of politics and commerce at the Indian embassy here, as saying.

"We are in touch with the Saudi authorities to resolve the issue," he added.

An agriculture ministry official said that the decision to ban the import of chili peppers was made after a sample testing of an Indian shipment found the presence of high level of pesticides, the report said.

"It has been brought to the attention of the authorities here that in recent vegetable consignments from India, there have been interceptions of higher than permissible levels of residues of pesticides," the ministry statement said.

"If the situation persists, the government of Saudi Arabia will take action in the near future," it added.

Following the Saudi government statement, Indian Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) advised exporters to adhere to the this Gulf nation's import requirements and sought the testing of products before they are exported.

"As a region, West Asia is very important to us. We, therefore, do not want to face repercussions from Saudi Arabia, or any other country in the region. Hence, we have advised our members to test export oriented goods carefully before shipping," an APEDA statement said.

The Indian Spices Board said chili peppers are one of India's largest foreign currency earners, and, in the period between April and November 2013, 181,500 tonnes of chili peppers were exported for $3 million.

The European Union (EU) has also temporarily banned the import of Alphonso mangoes and four other vegetables from India May 1.

The decision made by the EU's standing committee on plant health came after 207 consignments of fruits and vegetables imported from India in 2013 allegedly contained excessive pesticide residues.

Mullaperiyar Dam storage to increase under new government: Jayalalithaa

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Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalaltihaa Friday expressed her doubts about the centre setting up a committee to supervise increasing the Mullaperiyar Dam storage level and added the new government will take necessary action.

The new government will be formed after results of the ongoing Lok Sabha election are declared May 16.

In a statement issued here, Jayalalithaa said the state government, while nominating its member, has written to the centre to form a committee to supervise raising the water storage level in the dam to 142 feet.

She said the central and the Kerala governments have to nominate one member each in the proposed panel as ordered by the Supreme Court in its recent judgment on the dam dispute.

The apex court Wednesday struck down the 2006 Kerala act that sought to restrict the water level in the dam at 136 feet.

The chief minister said the state government has already taken preliminary steps towards increasing the dam's storage level.

She also criticised DMK president M. Karunanidhi for remaining silent on the issue when his party was in power both at the centre and in the state.

This May Bring Tears To Your Eyes, But Not To Hers

Posted by Unknown | Friday, May 9, 2014 | Posted in



The slums of India, living under the grim shadows of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment, hide several untold stories; stories of survival, sometimes of passion, sometimes of success, sometimes of ruthless determination, but mostly of wretchedness. 


This PSA by www.waterislife.com draws up a nightmare list of social evils both heartbreaking and mind numbing, a protagonist who is both young and mature, and a setting which is both familiar and difficult to imagine. 

The story traces the life of a young girl whose mother is a sex worker and whose baby brother dies in an accident. She is forced to marry the man who molests, and possibly rapes, her. 

The pithy narration is in the little girl's voice and she begins by telling us in a matter of fact tone that when she was born, she did not cry. Nor did she cry when she found out what her mother did for a living. Not even when she was forced to work as a rag picker did her eyes water. And no, she did not cry when her brother died. In fact, even being married to a monster did not bring tears to her eyes. 

It wasn't because she didn't want to, she says. But because she can't. 

The message at the end of the PSA, telling us how extreme dehydration can make desperate situations seem worse, will leave you stunned. While the save water campaign is not just important but immensely relevant and essential, one wonders whether it trivialises the other social problems shown in the video. What do you think? 

Watch:



SC rejects Subrata Roy's plea

Posted by Unknown | Tuesday, May 6, 2014 | Posted in





New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday rejected the plea by Sahara chief Subrata Roy challenging its March 4 order sending him to judicial custody for not complying the order to return investors money by routing it through SEBI.

Roy and two directors were sent to judicial custody for the failure of group's two companies' SIRECL and SHICL to comply with its order to return investors' Rs.24,000 crore that they had collected through Optionally Fully Convertible Debentures (OFCDs).

Roy will continue to remain in custody as the court has asked his counsel to make a revised proposal to return investors' money to secure his release.

Dismissing Roy's plea, the apex court bench of Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Justice K.S. Khehar said that there is "no merit and same is dismissed".

The court said that after going through the judgment, Roy could make a revised proposal for returning the investors money as a condition to secure his release.

The court said this as senior counsel Rajiv Dhawan drew the attention of the court to Roy' earlier proposal to deposit Rs.10,000 crore.

Of the Rs.24,000 crore, Sahara India Real estate Corporation Limited and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation Limited have already deposited Rs.5,120 crore in December 2012 with SEBI.

Migrant worker from Assam does key role in Malayalam movie

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Kochi: Till recently Sumangal Sinha Rai was just a migrant workers in Kerala, but he has become a bit of a celebrity after doing a significant role in just released Malayalam movie 'Massala Republic.'

Young Sumangal from Assam, who is currently working as a supplier at a cafe in Kochi, has played a prominent role in the satirical entertainer which revolves around the life of migrant labourers.

The story progresses with the ban on pan masala by the state government and how it impacts the migrant labourers from the eastern states, many of whom are addicted to it.

Sumangal's flexibility in adapting to the character and graceful acting has won him wide appreciation.


Visakh G S, director of the movie, said Sumangal took the role assigned to him without any teething trouble to which debutant actors are prone.



"He played the role of a pan vendor. We chose him after an audition test," Visakh told PTI.

Besides 23-year-old Sumangal, many other migrant workers have also appeared in the movie as the theme relates to their life, he said.

Sumangal came to Kerala a year ago to work at a construction site.

Later, he secured a job at a juice parlour in Kochi. As the long shooting schedules cost him the job, he is now working as a supplier at the cafe.

Rumblings in Cong grows shrill

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Thiruvananthapuram: Post-election acrimony in the State unit of Congress assumed a shrill pitch today with KPCC president V M Sudheeran hitting out at prominent woman leader Shanimol Usman for targeting him after she was openly censured for levelling charges against Union minister K C Venugopal.

In a letter to Sudheeran, Shanimol accused him of showing intolerance to criticism, forgetting the fact that he himself had often criticised his seniors, including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Rubbishing the contents of the letter as "baseless and exaggerated", Sudheeran said Shanimol appeared to be acting as a "pawn" in the hands of those annoyed by his firm position on the issue of renewal of licences to over 400 liquor bars in the state.

He said the whole thing smacked of a conspiracy against him and announced a three-member party committee to probe the entire aspects of the development.

The KPCC chief said Shanimol was also frustrated over failure to get a ticket in the elections. Defending the decision to censure her, he said that was the majority view of the KPCC executive.

Shanimol was censured by the KPCC executive last month for making adverse comments against Venugopal, who was the Congress candidate in Alappuzha Lok Sabha seat.

She had demanded an inquiry by a party commission into the alleged nexus between Venugopal and solar case accused Saritha Nair.

Venugopal had refuted the allegation as "totally unfounded.

Fate of 418 closed bars in Kerala uncertain

Posted by Trueline Radio | Monday, May 5, 2014 | Posted in




Thiruvananthapuram: The decision on re-opening 418 bars in Kerala that have been closed since April 1 this year hangs in balance as the ruling party is divided over the issue.

In Kerala, there are a total of 752 bars, out of which 418 are yet to re-open. Liquor is also sold at 383 state-owned retail outlets.

The renewal of the annual bar licences is a routine affair in the state as ahead of every fiscal year, there is an automatic renewal from the state excise department on payment of the stipulated fee (Rs.2.3 million).

But things went for a toss after V.M. Sudheeran took over the reins of the Congress party in Kerala in February.

Sudheeran is seen as one of the leading anti-liquor campaigners in the state. He said the Congress party's policy of introducing prohibition in a phased manner should be taken up and said the first step is to ensure that the availability of liquor is brought down.

He cited a 2011 CAG report that said the 418 bars do not maintain proper standards and that there licences should not be renewed.

"Let discussions at all levels take place on what needs to be done and then a decision can be arrived at," Sudheeran said.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has been playing his cards close to his chest as he knows any wrong move could lead to a severe backlash.

Chandy has decided to take the issue for discussions in the Congress party and also to the United Democratic Front, which is the foremost decision-making body of the Congress-led government here.

But even after several rounds of discussion, there has been no solution. However, grumblings have begun both in his party and in the UDF against Sudheeran.

The recently appointed vice president of the party, V.D. Satheesan, known to be one of the closest aide of Sudheeran, spoke against him which surprised many.

Sudheeran hit back by saying that one cannot bat for the liquor lobby and also be conscious of one's image at the same time.

There is now absence of consensus in the Congress party over the issue and Chandy brushes aside the issue. The party high command might have to intervene to resolve the difference of opinion on the bar licences, it is felt.