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NAMO Sworn In as India's 15th Prime Minister

Posted by Unknown | Monday, May 26, 2014 | Posted in ,


New Delhi: Narendra Modi has been sworn in as India's 15th Prime Minister at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, home of President Pranab Mukherjee, who administered the oath.


Among the almost 4000 guests gathered in the forecourt of the presidential palace, are leaders of eight neighbouring countries, including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is seated next to Mr Modi's predecessor, Manmohan Singh. On Dr Singh's other side is Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan.

Mr Modi's 95-year-old mother Hiraben could not make it to Delhi and watched her son being sworn in as Prime Minister on television at her home in Gandhinagar.

Forty four ministers are being sworn in along with Mr Modi; BJP president Rajnath Singh will be his number 2 in government as Home Minister. Among the top ministers is Arun Jaitley who will be Finance Minister and will also have the additional charge of Defence.

Sushma Swaraj, senior BJP leader, will be Minister for External Affairs. Twenty three Cabinet rank ministers, 10 Ministers of State with Independent charge and 11 Ministers of State will take oath today.

Last night, Mr Modi promised that he would head a lean Cabinet with a focus on "minimum government and maximum governance". He is expected to merge and restructure several ministries.

Swearing In Ceremony Of Narendra Modi: Live

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Breaking Kerala Live:


Courtsey: Zee News

Watch Live Swearing-in-Ceremony of Prime Minister of India and the Union Council of Ministers AT RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN on 26th May 2014 at 5:30 PM IST Onwards

Posted by Unknown | | Posted in


Breaking Kerala Live:


  • Watch Live

    Swearing-in-Ceremony of

    Prime Minister of India and the

    Union Council of Ministers

    AT RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN

    on

    26th May 2014
    at
    5:30 PM IST
                         Webcast by :

                  

Modi swearing-in live on mobile and landline phones

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Just like the Lok Sabha poll campaign of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi, when he was visible on all digital platforms, harnessing the power of Internet like never before, his oath-taking ceremony is no different.

The Prime Minister-designate's swearing-in ceremony on Monday evening can not only be watched on television screens but can also be heard live on mobile and landline phones.



A statement from mobile marketing company VivaConnect has said that the ceremony can be heard live by calling +91 022 4501 4501, IANS reported.

The statement said it was in partnership with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to provide easy access to the oath-taking ceremony.

Users can dial the number 6 pm onward on Monday.

The event is also being telecast live on the Rashtrapati Bhavan website.


I'm carrying message of peace, says Nawaz Sharif after arriving in India

Posted by Trueline Radio | | Posted in ,




Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in India on Monday to attend the oath taking ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi, thereby becoming the first ever Pakistani leader to do so. 63-year-old Modi, who led BJP to an astounding victory in the Lok Sabha polls, last week extended invitation to SAARC leaders including the Pakistan premier.

Sources said it is expected that the Pakistan leader will also give formal invitation to his counterpart for a visit. The News last night reported that Sharif met his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif along with others in Lahore and discussed the visit. "The premier said Pakistan wanted the resolution of all issues with India, including Kashmir, Sir Creek, water and trade, and it wanted to establish a relationship on the basis of equality for peace in the region," the paper said, citing unnamed sources. In the meeting, Sharif said the government's decision to release arrested Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture and giving back the confiscated fishing boats for the first time in the history of the two sides was aimed at improving the ties.

No breakthrough is expected during the visit but it will provide the two leaders an opportunity to cultivate personal relations which go a long a way in reducing tensions. Pakistan has avoided repeated reference to Kashmir before the visit which was in contrast to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf's Agra trip of 2001 when he announced that the disputed region will be the central focus of the summit.

In another major development, Pakistan has so far not dropped any hint that Sharif will meet the Kashmiri leaders which is also a departure from the established tradition. Musharraf's high tea party by Pakistan High Commission in 2001 where the APHC leaders were invited had created a storm and almost rocked the entire trip.




111-year-old US man Alexander Imich crowned as world's oldest by Guinness

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A 111-year-old US parapsychologist 
man has been crowned the world's oldest living man by the Guinness World Records.


Guinness announced Dr Alexander Imich, a parapsychologist and retired chemist, from the New York City as the new oldest living man.

The latest record was verified after the previous title holder Arturo Licata of Italy passed away last month aged 111 years and 357 days.

Imich was born in present-day Czestochowa, Poland, which was then part of the Russian Empire, on February 4, 1903.

In 1951, he and his wife, Wela, immigrated to the US from the Soviet Union and Imich has lived in Manhattan alone since she passed away in 1986, Guinness said.

While his own longevity has surprised even himself, Imich credits his life to good genes and an overall moderate, healthy lifestyle by which he has eaten very leanly his entire life.

Imich's passion and curiosity about parapsychology shaped his motto, which is that one should "always pursue what one loves and is passionate about."

Robert Young, Senior Gerontology Consultant for Guinness World Records, verified the latest achievement by utilising Imich's birth record, immigration papers and university records.

Stuart Claxton, a Guinness World Records Official, visited Imich in his home in Manhattan's Upper West Side to present him with his official plaque.

Imich's history and recognition encompasses a variety of milestones, Guinness said.

"He is both the oldest living war veteran and the first 'oldest living man' to hold a doctorate," Young said.

Misao Okawa of Japan, who is aged 116, is currently recognised by Guinness as the world's 'Oldest Living Person' overall. She was born on March 5, 1898 and lives in Osaka.

The greatest fully authenticated age to which any human has ever lived is 122 years, 164 days by Jeanne Louise Calment of France, said Guinness.


To celebrate Modi assuming office, Free "Namo fish" in TN

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Chennai: After ‘NaMo tea stalls’ and mobile fish stalls of a similar moniker used for campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls, the state BJP has hit upon the idea of distributing ‘NaMo fish’ free of cost to the public on May 26, the day Narendra Modi assumes office as Prime Minister.


“We will give a kilo of fresh fish free of cost to the public on May 26 as part of celebrations to mark our leader Modi assuming the office of the Prime Minister,”S Satishkumar, State president of BJP’s fishermen wing told PTI.

Fish varieties to be distributed include popular ones like ‘Sankara’ and ‘Kola’ and would be given to 200 persons, he added.

Using a collective term “NaMo fish” to denote several varieties, the BJP leader said each beneficiary would be given one popular variety.

During the LS poll campaign, apart from the popular ‘Namo tea stalls’, the TN BJP held a novel election drive -‘NaMo’ mobile fish stalls—to reach out to the electorate.

These stalls were set up in cargo vans through which BJP campaigned that the ‘inaction’ of the UPA regime had resulted in no safety for fishermen of Tamil Nadu, with frequent attacks and arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy.

BJP had also promised a separate ministry for the welfare of fishermen and all issues affecting them during electioneering.

End to Ambassador era: Hindustan Motors suspends production of iconic Ambassador car

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New Delhi: Nearly, seven decades after the first Ambassador rolled out, Hindustan Motors has suspended production of the iconic vehicle, citing lack of demand and the growing debt.


The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange, citing "very low productivity, growing indiscipline, critical shortage of funds, lack of demand for its core product ... and large accumulation of liabilities".

“The company’s best efforts to revive the unit have failed. Given the circumstances, it has no alternative but to declare suspension of work at the plant with effect from May 24, 2014,” a spokesperson from the CK Birla Group company said in a statement on Saturday.

Modeled on British Morris Oxford III, the Ambassador was the first car to be made in India, and once held huge share in India’s passenger vehicles market of the ‘70s and early ‘80s but lost its lead when companies like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Ford came to India, relegating it to a mere ‘sarkari’ (government) vehicle.

The design of Ambassador, easily the most recognisable car on India's roads, has not changed in nearly sixty years. Though still used as a taxi in some Indian cities, the Ambassador has long been a preferred choice of a dwindling share of bureaucrats and politicians, usually in white with a red beacon on top and a chauffeur at the wheel. Though it is still the official vehicle for some of the country’s elite, including the Army chief and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, a lot of politicians have moved on to SUVs and sedans from the likes of Mercedes Benz, Audi and BMW.

From a high of 24,000 units a year in the mid-1980s to under 12,000 a decade later, Hindustan Motors was able to sell about 2,200 Ambassadors in the fiscal year ended in March 2014, a tiny share of the 1.8 million passenger cars sold during the year in India, according to industry data.

In the final days of the Uttarpara plant, the 2,600-odd workers were manufacturing just five cars a day; while Maruti Suzuki manufactures 5,000 vehicles daily.

Industry watchers say chances of revival of the "grand old lady" of the Indian car market are slim. 

it would be difficult for the "grand old lady" of the Indian car market to make a comeback. HM has been referred to the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) which is meant for sick units. 

“Efforts to find strategic investors have not materialized and the company faces a critical shortage of funds. The company’s efforts are falling short of the large liabilities that have been accumulated,” the statement issued by HM.

BJP launches mission 71+ in Kerala

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Kochi: It seems the BJP has finally decided to make a political impact in Kerala through an intense campaign. The Kerala unit has unravelled ‘Mission 71+, ’ an initiative to win 71 seats out of the 140  seats in 2016 Assembly election. Following Mr Modi’s successful election strategy, the BJP Kerala cadre has opted for Facebook as the main campaign platform.


The mission was launched after the declaration of the election results and within 10 days, 20,000-odd BJP and RSS activists had joined hands. The party has also plans to form a ten-member team of journalists to rebrand the image of the party and is all set to rope in several top journos.

The BJP has created two separate Facebook pages and a group to spread the message. The tag line of the promotion is “Let us work together to make mission 71+ Kerala a reality. Join Mission 71+ and support Kerala BJP.”

The pages were launched immediately after Mr Modi won the majority. The party claims that the Left parties have almost lost their power in the state which is evident in the six percent vote share they got in the last polls. BJP supporters also hope that the decay of the Left and the Congress parties will fuel the growth of the BJP in the state. It has posted several posts exposing the groupism in the Congress and Left parties.

According to top sources, the BJP is planning to enhance the visibility of the party’s activities in the media. For this, it has approached several like-minded senior journalists also. Sources hinted that a cell will be formed soon for promoting the party in the state.

What it takes to be an Army wife

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BY: SUBHA SUNNY

I got baptised into the Army six years ago, when I got married to a ‘fauji’. While my husband reported for duty soon afterwards, I sat at home, my heart brimming with nervous anticipation of the dinner parties, ball room dance events and other exciting stuff that made for the “royal life” of Army officers and their wives (which they show in TV as part of the “Do you have it in you?” promotional ad). But my excitement was short-lived, because soon I realised that life in the Army was no ball-room dancing. It is very demanding and comes with its pleasures as well as pains.


At first I felt like a fish out of water. I had lived and studied on a university campus for five years before marriage, attending classes wearing T-shirts, shorts or pyjamas and even bathroom slippers. And here I was, in the Indian Army, among the best-dressed and finest ladies one can ever find.

The most important lesson I learnt was ‘humility’. Even on a bad day, if there is a social event you may have to attend by compulsion. Your humility is put to test when you have to put on a cheerful face at the party, even if you are frowning inside. There is no room for impatience or arrogance here.

Packing and unpacking household stuff during posting in and posting out, usually once every two years, can be really frustrating. We ‘live out of the box’. And when your husband is attending a course, it becomes all the more hectic, with frequent movement from one place to another. I have lived in three make-shift arrangements plus a modified field area (near a forest), the same year my daughter was born, since my husband was undergoing training at that time. All that travelling without getting rest post partum, cleaning up the ‘quarter’ which was teaming with insects and other creepy-crawlies, a baby in my hand but no help from a busy husband, and no other help around, was nerve-racking. It tested my physical and mental strength. But over the years, I have learned to cope.

There is such a time in every Army wife’s life when her husband is in field tenure, foreign posting or on exercise. You double up as both father and mother to your children. You have to manage everything on your own. Even if you want to crib eloquently about your problems to your faraway husband on the phone, you may not do it because you feel he shouldn’t be bogged down by your worries. He needs peace of mind to do his duties well, amid difficulties and danger. You know he is a soldier first and a husband only next. Then there is always the fear looming at the back of your mind over your husband’s safety. There is the inevitable long wait for his safe return, which is a test of patience.

There are so many of us ladies who have given the go-by to career opportunities for the sake of being with our husbands. Many of us are content teaching in schools nearby. The more enterprising ones amongst us might find a 9-to-5 job in the private sector locally. It may be less than satisfactory, and sometimes may not fetch enough money for even the monthly expeditions to the beauty parlour. You still may have to depend on your husband for pocket money. But at least you get to remain engaged for the day. I have met many highly qualified women who have left good jobs for the sake of being there for the husband and children.

We have learned to live in any kind of situation that life in the Army throws at us. For us, home is where the Army sends us. And behind every strong soldier, there is an even stronger braveheart — who is the Army wife.