We

he StateAPRIL 06 TO APRIL 12, 2015

Vol-03. Issue-28. Bhopal. Monday Page-12 Price-5/-

POSTAL REGD. MP/BHOPAL/4-323/2013-15

Published simultaneously from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

Online edition available at wethestate.com and wethestate.blogspot.in

Image means alot in filmindustry:

Kangana

10

Sunil Narineagain

skips KKR practice session

9

Neither taxterrorism, not

tax haven:Arun Jaitley

Bhopalhopal Municipal Corporation(BMC) has decided to take servic-es of 25 professionals and expertsfrom Ahemdabad Municipal

Corporation (AMC) for making Bhopal asmart city. There is provision of Rs 2 crorefor this purpose. Mayor Alok Sharma madethis announcement in his budget address.Not only smart city, the BMC budget haspromoted the concept of green and heritageBhopal city. To promote non-motorizedtransport (NMT), BMC would revive cycletrack in the city and develop sources forpedestrian in Rs 10 crore. BMC will con-serve heritage structure of Bhopal in Rs 10crore and Rs 5 crore will be spent on remov-ing electric poles. To improve connectivity,mayor has come with a project "Link waybridge" from Ginnori road to Dhobighat forRs 5 crore. Grid separator at Lalghati andSky walk at New Market would be con-structed under a public private partnership.Three foot over bridges of Rs 4 crore atBhopal Talkies, Bus Stand and ChanchalSquare respectively would also be con-structed by BMC. The informal transportsystem would be formalized in Rs 3 crore toprovide safe and secure journey to citizensof Bhopal. BMC budget has earmarked Rs 1crore for conservation of Upper Lake, Rs 30lakh for Lower Lake, Rs 15 lakh forShahpura Lake and Rs 30 lakh for other

lakes of the city. In his speech, Sharma said,"To stop the flowing of sewerage and murkywater into lakes, we have demanded fundsfrom the Centre to prepare a detailed proj-ect report (DPR). But, we have allocated Rs3 crore from our budget to save the lakes ofBhopal." Smart methanisation bio-gas plantwould be set-up to deal with waste andgarbage, he added. Citizens of Bhopal don'thave to deal with papers for payment of var-ious taxes anymore. Smart cards will haveall the information related to taxes, servicesand property for citizens of Bhopal. AlokSharma presented a budget with ample ref-erences to schemes of Modi's choice likesmart card for all citizens, mobile app forservices and complaints, wi-fi zone in MPNagar, services on phone, mobile revenuecollection van, e-library scheme, RO waterplants, skywalk and many more. There is aprovision of Rs 1.20 crore for smart card.Mayor said citizens of Bhopal would availservices and lodge complaint throughmobile app. The Wi-fi hot spot zone wouldalso be established at MP Nagar. A newscheme ‘services on phone' would be startedfor residents. Under this scheme, people cancall plumber, electrician and carpenter overa phone. Mayor said these would be avail-able in each zone for local residents to takecare of their complaints. A mobile revenuecollection van (MRCV) will be started to col-lect revenues from home.

BUjjain

Nearly one lakh houses in Indore andUjjain districts will get piped gas supply with-

in two years as aCNG mother stationis being set up in thecity, Union OilMinister DharmendraPradhan said here. "Innext two years nearlyone lakh houses inUjjain and Indore dis-tricts would get pipedgas supply," Pradhan

said after inaugurating the CNG MotherStation set up by GAIL and HPCL's joint ven-ture, Avantika Gas Limited in Ujjain. CMShivraj Singh Chauhan and Union Ministerfor Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomaramong others were present on the occasion.The 2,000-km long pipeline passes throughMP and the state would benefit from it,Pradhan said, adding even vehicles would getcheaper CNG. Chauhan said that with theavailability of CNG, the prospects of settingup more fertilisers plant in the state hasbecome brighter. He said that planning isunderway to supply piped gas in Mahakaushaland other areas of the state, adding that itwould also help organise the Simhast(Kumbh) Mela in 2016 in a manner free ofpollution. Tomar said on the occasion that theCNG mother station in Ujjain would ensurefurther development of the area.

NEWS MAX

1 lakh homes in Indore,Ujjain to get piped gassupply: Pradhan

Kejriwal’s magic van-ishing: AAP chief’s

dictatorial tendencies come

to the fore

Giriraj remarks:Sonia says narrow mindset,BJP for

ending row

Mukundpur zoo tobe centre ofinternational

tourists’ attraction

6 11

Development of food courtslike Indore's 'ChhappanDukan' to revive culture

She lounge for women Global education fare will

be organized RO water plant at New

Market and MP Nagar e-library at ISBT and

Sadar Manzil. Install automatic timer and

dimer switch in the streetlight

Utility duct policy to dealwith problem of digging ofroads

Lift in the BMC's office fordisabled people

Issuing birth and deathcertificate without anycharge.

5

3

Bhopal to be made smart city, concept ofgreen and heritage city to be promoted

Budgethighlights

RAIPURA team of Director

General of Civil Aviation(DGCA), which inspected theSwami Vivekananda Airportrecently, has pointed out atheightened bird activityaround the runway andadvised the authorities totake preventive steps toavoid a bird hit.

According to sources athree-member team ofDGCA conducted a detailedinspection of the airport'srunways to check for fencingto prevent entry of stray ani-mals into the sensitive take-off and landing areas. Whilethe fences were found to bein order, the team found "toomuch bird activity", whichcould cause a "hit", said

sources. Sources said, theDGCA, on the directions ofthe Civil Aviation ministry,had compiled a list of 18 air-ports in the country that face'wildlife hazard'.

Subsequently inspec-tions are being carried out atall the identified airportsand the authorities are beingadvised to take adequatesteps to ensure safety.Sources said most of airportshave boundary walls butpeople residing in nearby vil-lages or colonies break theseto let their cattle enter andgraze on the grass, posingimmense threat to the safetyof the passengers and theaircraft. Though such activi-ties are against the law andare a cognizable offence

under Section 10(1B) of theAircraft Act, 1934, action isseldom taken against theviolators.

The team has advisedthe authorities to take aproactive role in ensuringthat laws are implementedand ensure that there are noillegal slaughterhouses andgarbage in the vicinity of air-ports. These all lead toincreased bird activity, pos-ing a serious threat to air-craft during approach/takeoff, said officials, Confirmingthe inspection, Anil Rai,director, Raipur airport, said"As far as boundary wall isconcerned, there is no prob-lem and all steps are beingtaken to control animalactivities".

Raipur airport authorities told

at take action to avoid bird hit

Steel city residents supportbiodegradable bagsBHILAI

Citizens of steel city have come outstrongly to support production and use ofbiodegradable bags and return to tradition-al practice of using shopping baskets andbags made from locally available materialssuch as jute and cloth, which are less harm-ful to environment. However, there aremany others who opine that plastic bagswere made for a purpose and the main com-plaint is against the way plastics are used,not its existence. National Green Tribunalhad asked state government to ban anykind of use of polythene. Following this,government had brought about a ban onJanuary 1. Bhilai Municipal Corporation'spublic relations officer Ashok Pahadiya saidthat despite several initiatives and cam-paign against use of plastic bags, generalpublic and shopkeepers were not taking the

c u e f o r c i n gthem to takestricter actionlike imposingf i n e s .EnvironmentConservationBoard chiefchemist DrAnita Sawant said that initiatives and cam-paigns won't succeed until public is awareabout the dangers of plastic bags. "In veg-etable markets, people insist on plasticbags. They use them to throw kitchen wasteat home. Cows and other animals eat thekitchen waste along with the plastic bagsand die. There is no segregation. Plasticbags are not kept aside for recycling andthat is what is causing environmental dam-age," she added.

RAIPURIn a step to combat

human trafficking in

Chhattisgarh, school

education department

has instructed principals

to form groups of girls to

create awareness among

other students and keep

an eye on traffickers.

Now, school girls would be empowered to

take a lead in preventing trafficking of

young girls who are lured with promises of

lavish lifestyle and later trafficked to

metro cities. Confirming the move, school

education department secretary Subrat

Sahoo said that the order has to be imple-

mented with immediate effect. "With

increasing number of cases of children

going missing and becoming victims to

child trafficking, it was realized that tak-

ing this crucial step at school level was

vital to create awareness both among boys

and girls," Sahoo said. The groups would

be responsible to keep a watch on move-

ment of suspicious people in and around

school premises. In case of suspicion, the

group would inform principal and teachers

in their school to take cognizance of the

matter. School principals have also been

asked to inculcate lessons of safety and

precaution, specially among girls, to

understand difference between a well-

wisher and one with malicious intentions.

A similar group of youths have been

working to combat trafficking in Kansabel

block of tribal Jashpur district with the

help of an NGO Jivan Jharna Vikas

Sanstha that also rehabilitates trafficked

children. This group of 30 youths at pan-

chayat-level keep vigil on middlemen and

tip off police and NGOs on getting inputs

about girls being huddled into buses or

trains. Like detectives, the young group

stalks them and give updates on phone sit-

ting at various points. On confirmation,

they inform police.

Many agents and traffickers have

been nabbed in past with the help of this

group. Chhattisgarh has emerged as a

trafficking hub with large number of chil-

dren going missing. While state has intro-

duced Private Placement Agency Act in

2013, police teams are sent to Delhi,

Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir and

states of South India to trace missing chil-

dren and crackdown on traffickers. In

December last year, about 20 traffickers

were nabbed from Delhi and neighbouring

areas while 15 children who went missing

in last few years were rescued.

The groups would be responsible to

keep a watch on movement of suspicious

people in and around school premises. In

case of suspicion, the group would inform

principal.

2 APRIL 06 TO APRIL 12 , 2015 (MP & CG)Chhtissgarh Explore

Schools to formstudent groups tocheck trafficking

RaipurAn empowered commit-

tee headed by the state ChiefSecretary will be constitutedto examine the documentspertaining to the tenders fordevelopment of road infra-structure in Chhattisgarh.

The decision in thisregard was taken during themeeting of ChhattisgarhRoad DevelopmentCorporation (CGRDC)chaired by CM Raman Singhat his official residence. Thestate government has madea provision of Rs 5,183 crorein the 2015-16 budget for thedevelopment of road infra-structure in Chhattisgarh,which is 43 per cent higherthan previous year. Underthe infrastructure develop-ment projects, priority willbe given to upgrade the statehighways into double lane.Moreover, focus will also begiven on upgrading the roadsconnecting district head-quarters to block headquar-ters into double lane. As perthe budget announcement,

the CGRDC in the next threeyears will upgrade toll roadsthrough Public PrivatePartnership (PPP) and 2,000km long roads through annu-ity model. Besides, the actionplan for the proposed road

construction was alsodicussed in the meeting.Public Works DepartmentMinister Rajesh Munat,Chief Secretary Vivek Dhandand other senior officialswere present in the meeting.

C'garh govt to form panel fordevelopment of roads in state

3 APRIL 06 TO APRIL 12 , 2015 (MP & CG)MADHYA PRADESH

BhopalPublic Relations and Energy

Minister Rajendra Shukla along withMinister of State for Tourism andCulture Surendra Patwa visited zoo-cum-wildlife treatment centre comingup at Mukundpur during his Rewavisit.. Patwa directed that pace ofbringing wild animals should be accel-erated by completing remainingworks. Describing the zoo as anachievement for Vindhya region andentire MP, he said that its opening willboost tourism. PR Minister Shuklasaid that white tiger safari and zoo aremajor achievements for Vindhyaregion. With their opening the regionwill become an attraction of interna-tional tourists. This will pave the wayfor local employment and economicgrowth. It was informed that construc-tion of night houses for tigers, whitetigers, lions, panthers, bears etc. has

been completed. Visitor road insidewhite tiger safari, managementbeyond fencing all around, water bod-ies and 6350 meter long wall to enclose100 hectare area have been completed.Construction work of 5 enclosures,hospital and administrative buildinghas also been completed. It is notewor-thy that 100 hectare forest area hasbeen earmarked for establishment ofzoo-cum-wildlife treatment centre,Mukundpur.

Of these, 25 hectare area has beenearmarked for construction of whitetiger safari as per approval of CentralZoo Authority. Construction of zoo is inlast phase. Process is also on to bringwild animals. Tourist will have oppor-tunity to see 3 white tigresses and onewhite tiger, yellow tigers, lions, pan-thers, antelopes, foxes, swamp deer,deer and 463 wild animals of otherspecies in this zoo.

BhopalUnion Home Minister Rajnath Singh

has said that Central government standsby farmers in this hour of crisis. ThePrime Minister has asked all statesincluding MP to provide immediate reliefto affected farmers and send survey reporton crops to the Centre. He said thatCentral government will extend every pos-sible assistance on the basis of surveyreport. Singh took stock of crop loss due tohailstorm at village Khera Tanka inGwalior district and consoled farmerstoday. He was accompanied by Union Steeland Mines Minister Narendra SinghTomar and CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan.

Expressing grief over extensive dam-age to crops by hailstorm, the Union HomeMinister said that he has seen a naturalcalamity of such magnitude for the firsttime. He urged farmers to have patienceand not to lose heart. At village KheraTanka, Rajnath Singh inspected crop lossin the fields of Sarv Devendra, Ram Singh,Jagendra, Sukhlal, Kundan Singh, BharatSingh etc. and consoled them. CMChauhan reiterated that there would beno lack of funds for providing relief to

affected farmers. He said that apart fromall types of relief under provisions ofRevenue Book of Circulars, affected farm-ers will also be provided benefit of cropinsurance scheme. For this, directives

have been given to collectors to undertakecrop cutting experiment. The CM said thatthe state government had distributed Rs.3300 crore relief to natural calamityaffected farmers last year. This year also,

no stone will be left unturned to providerelief to affected farmers. Chauhan saidthat the government has suspended recov-ery of loans from affected farmers.Besides, interest will also be paid by thegovernment for one year. He said that thestate government will provide Rs. 25 thou-sand for marriage of affected farmers’daughters. They would not be bound to gettheir daughters marries at mass marriagefunctions for this amount.

He also reiterated that affected farm-ers will be provided wheat, rice and salt atRe. one per kg and 4 litre kerosene andsubsidised sugar. The CM urged the UnionHome Minister to make efforts thatCentral government relaxes FAQ norms inprocurement of wheat since it would be amajor relief for farmers. Union Steel andMines Minister Narendra Singh Chauhanassured every possible effort for Centralassistance to MP’s farmers. Tomar laudedstate government’s measures in favour offarmers. MLA Bharat Singh Kushwaha,ex-MLA Jawahar Singh Rawat, ZilaPanchayat Vice-President Shanti SharanGautam and large number of farmerswere present on the occasion.

Centre to extend every possible assistance to affected farmers

India's anti-tobaccoface Sunita Tomar dies

Mukundpur zoo to be centre ofinternational tourists’ attraction

Bhind (M.P.)Face of India's anti-tobacco campaign Sunita Tomar passed awayat her native village in Bhind district of MP. 28-year-old Tomarpassed away today, said a doctor at Mumbai's Tata Memorial hos-pital where she was admitted few days ago, amid indication ofrelapse of cancer. Two years ago, she had undergone a surgery fororal cancer at the hospital. She shared her experience in a video,which was used by the government for its anti-tobacco drive towarn people against consumption of smokeless gutkha and panmasalas. Just a few days ago, she had written to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi expressing deep disappointment at BJP MP DilipGandhi's statement in his capacity as chairman of Lok Sabha'sCommittee of Subordinate Legislations that there was no Indianstudy to confirm that tobacco use leads to cancer. "Recently DilipGandhi, chairman of a parliamentary panel wrote to the HealthMinistry asking for the notification on bigger tobacco pack warn-ings to be kept in abeyance. I was shocked that people in such highposts can be so irresponsible. "Bigger warnings can probably savesome innocent lives like mine. You have started to take peoplealong in your 'Mann Ki Baat' where you recently talked about de-addiction. I hope you will also take up the cause of tobacco,"Sunita had written in the letter.

Rajendra Shukla andSurendra Patwa inspected eco-tourism park being constructedat a cost of Rs. 15 crore on anisland in Beehar river in Rewa.The MoS for Tourism expressedhappiness over this achieve-ment of Rewa. He said that thepark will become a touristattraction. A target has beenset to complete this Rs. 15 croreproject by year 2016. It willhave a marriage garden,restaurant and handicraftshops on mainland whileadventure park and children’spark will be constructed on theisland. A suspension bridge willbe constructed near old RTOoffice to go from mainland toisland. Ministers Shukla andPatwa visited city’s famousplace Rani Talab. They soughtinformation about lake’s devel-opment and constructionworks. It was informed thatpark development, pathway,wetland, filter plant, light andother works costing Rs. 4 croreunder Rani Talab LakeConservation Project to beauti-fy and develop the lake spreadon 1200 square meters. Boatingfacility has also been madeavailable.

Rewa to have Rs.15 crore

eco-tourism park

4 APRIL 06 TO APRIL 12 , 2015 (MP & CG)

C’garh to provide 2 lakhdrinking waterconnections

Raipur

Chhattisgarh government has

set a target to provide domestic

water connections to around 2

lakh households in a year under

the National Rural Drinking

Water Programme (NRDWP), it

was officially announced here.

"Around 1.7 lakh tap connections

were provided in the state under

the NRDWP while a target to pro-

vide domestic water connection to

two lakh households in an year

has been set," a government offi-

cial said. As per Chhattisgarh CM

Raman Singh's directives, officials

have been working on a compre-

hensive plan to provide drinking

water on a large scale, he said.

The state government has made a

provision of Rs 862 crore in its

budget for the 2015-16 fiscal to

provide clean drinking water in

Chhattisgarh which is 14 per cent

higher than the previous year's

allocation, he said. With summer

heat on the rise, district collectors

and public health engineering offi-

cials have been asked to look after

public drinking water facilities in

all districts, the official said.

Moreover, they have been directed

to purify water in overhead tanks

as well as maintain hand pumps,

the official said.

RaipurIn wake of the Fabindia incident in

Goa, all district SPs in Chhattisgarh

have been directed to inspect trial

rooms of garment stores and bath-

rooms of hotels to check for hidden

cameras. "A day after a hidden camera

was found in a trial room in the

Fabindia outlet in Goa, all SPs are

asked to check out the trial rooms at

apparel outlets and bathrooms in

hotels in the state," said Rajiv

Srivastava, ADG, CID. The officer said

he has written to SPs asking them to

conduct surprise checks at the trial

rooms of all garment stores and bath-

rooms of hotels and malls. "They have

been asked to take strict action if cam-

eras are found at these places," he said,

adding they are asked to conduct a reg-

ular as well as a surprise check at

these places and ensure that these

places are safe for women. The respon-

sibility of women's safety lies with

police and such inspection are needed

to be carried out at trial rooms and

other places (inside malls and show-

rooms), the ADG said. The directions

were issued after an incident at

Candolim village near Panaji wherein

Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani spot-

ted a hidden camera that was pointed

towards the trial room she used, that

led to a case of voyeurism being filed

and the arrest of four employees.

Fabindia fallout: C’garhcops to comb trial rooms

for hidden cameras

RAIPUR

C’garh govt seeks land in capitalfor construction of museum

Raipur

The Chhattisgarh government has sought land from the

Centre in the capital for construction of a museum which

would showcase tribal culture and heritage of the state.

Sources said that the Urban Development ministry is

actively considering the proposal for setting up of the muse-

um and where land can be provided for it. "The ministry is

considering the proposal of Chhattisgarh government for

construction of a museum, however, the final decision may

require the cabinet's approval," a source said. Officials said

that the museum would require a sizeable plot of land and

the ministry would take a decision based on the availability

of land at suitable locations. A Chhattisgarh state official

confirmed that a proposal had been sent to the Urban

Development Ministry for construction of the museum. "It is

at the proposal stage and once the land is allotted, complete

details can be worked out," a senior official said. Officials

said that the Urban Development ministry has also received

a request from the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose INA Trust

for setting up a memorial for Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

5 APRIL 06 TO APRIL 12 , 2015 (MP & CG)MADHYA PRADESH

BhopalIndustry body Assocham has said that

area under organic farming in MP hasincreased to over 26 lakh hectares in 2014from 4.32 lakh hectares in 2010 but farmershave not been able to reap its benefits."Total area under organic farming in MPhas increased from 4.32 lakh hectares in2009-10 to over 26 lakh hectares in 2014.But, farmers have not been benefited by itas the certified organic farming area undercultivation remained at just 1.48 lakhhectares," an Assocham study, released by DS Rawat, national secretary general, said.Besides, the state government has not beenable to implement its draft policy for organ-ic farming that was formulated way back in2010. As a result, the certification process oforganic farming has not gathered pace, the

study noted. Organic farming provideslivelihood to 1.7 lakh farmers in MP alonebut their income have not increased due topoor certifying facilities. While in otherstates, incomes of farmers practicing certi-fied organic farming have increased 10-fold,the study said.

"Fruits and vegetables account for alion's share of about 40 per cent in theentire organic market and the state pro-duces a huge amount of it but unfortunate-ly most of its remains outside the purview oforganic produce," Rawat said. "Clocking acompounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of15 per cent, global organic food and bever-age market is expected to be more than dou-ble to USD 161 billion by 2018 from an esti-mated value of about USD 80 billion in2013," he added.

BhopalCongress president

Sonia Gandhi has dismissedunion minister GirirajSingh's "racist" remarks asstemming from a "narrowmindset" even as party mem-bers staged protests whilethe BJP sought the matter tobe closed as he hadexpressed regrets. Gandhi,who visited MP to meetfarmers whose crops havebeen damaged in the recentuntimely rains, expressedignorance about theremarks. "What did he say," sheasked reporters in a brief interactionduring her visit, and after havingbeen told, conveyed her disdain.

"It is not appropriate to respondto or comment on people with suchnarrow mindset. This is my answer,"Gandhi said. Singh, who is unionminister of state for micro, smalland medium enterprises, had toldreporters in Patna on Tuesday thathe wondered if former prime minis-ter Rajiv Gandhi had married a non-white Nigerian woman, would theCongress still have accepted her asits president. Singh, who has causedembarrassment to Bharatiya JanataParty earlier also, had to expressregret over his remarks with theparty leadership conveying its dis-pleasure to him. Sources said partypresident Amit Shah had spoken toSingh on Wednesday and pulled himup over the comments. Congressleaders have strongly denounced

Singh's remarks and demanded thatPrime Minister Narendra Modishould dismiss him and apologise tothe nation. Former union MinisterKapil Sibal accused Modi of beingsilent on Singh's controversialremarks. He said that it was part ofBJP's strategy that "intemperatecomments" were made, then some-one from the party conveys disap-proval but Modi remains silent. Healso took a dig at BJP over theparty's good governance pitch."People of the country will decide ifthere will be Giriraj or Ramraj," hesaid. Congress spokesperson SanjayJha accused the BJP of being "casu-al and indifferent" on the issue andsaid Singh was a "repeat offender"."Despite his previous observation onthe campaign trail in 2014 where heasked all non-Narendra Modi sup-porters to leave India and go toPakistan, he was rewarded by a postin the cabinet. "If Modi remains

silent this time as well, he isproviding ammunition tomany others in the party whoare prone to making pedestri-an remarks against Congressleaders," Jha told IANS.Congress workers protested inNew Delhi against Singh'sremark. Holding posters andshouting slogans againstSingh, they demanded thatModi should act against theminister. In Bengaluru, wherethe BJP's three-day nationalexecutive committee meetingis underway, hundreds of

cadres and supporters of the rulingCongress protested on Thursday,demanding that the minister besacked.

The Congress cadres took out arally from their party office, shout-ing slogans against Giriraj Singh,garlanding his portrait withfootwear and burning his effigies. InBihar, a Congress leader filed acourt case against Giriraj Singh.

"I have filed a case in the chiefjudicial magistrate's court againstGiriraj Singh for his racist remarkagainst Sonia Gandhi and for insult-ing and hurting the sentiments ofwomen," said Sanjay Kumar Singh,a Congress leader from Muzaffarpurdistrict. BJP leaders, however, saidthe issue should be treated as closedafter the minister expressed hisregret. Party general secretary RamMadhav said the matter had "ended"with Singh's clarification about thecontroversial comment.

Organic farm area rise in MP didn'tbenefit farmers: Assocham

Giriraj remarks: Sonia says narrowmindset, BJP for ending row

BhopalCM Shivraj Singh Chauhan has advocated holding a national level

debate on making crop insurance scheme farmer-friendly and practical."The crop insurance scheme should be made practical and farmer-friendlyto help those who suffer crop damage due natural catastrophes," Chauhansaid. The CM said he will request the Centre to relax its rules of award-ing compensation to natural calamity-hit farmers on the lines as it hasbeen done by the state government in order to render relief to maximumnumber of farmers. "The current rules of Government of India for award-ing compensation to natural calamity-hit farmers restrict the scope ofrelief to a large number of farmers. In MP, we have changed that by bring-ing amendments in the Revenue Book rules 6-4. Thus, we are able to coveralmost all categories of damages," he said. Chauhan also informed that hehas apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, who in turn hasassured to look into the matter. He said crops under more than four lakhhectare have been damaged in the recent untimely rainfall and hailstorm,and affected over 4 lakh farmers in the state. The crop damage survey thisyear is being done in a more transparent manner by officials of threedepartments, Revenue, Panchayat and Rural Development, Chauhansaid. The survey list will be displayed at the Panchayat office and if anydiscrepancy is found or reported by anyone, survey would be carried outagain in that particular case, he added.

CM calls for debate tomake crop insurancescheme pro-farmers

Raipurilk production is estimated to havereached 65,000 litres per day in

Chhattisgarh with the expansion of dairycooperative committees in the state."Chhattisgarh's average milk collection perday has reached over 65,000 per litre. It hasbecome possible through 627 dairy coopera-tive societies across the state,"Chhattisgarh State Cooperative DairyFederation president Rasik Parmar said.The federation has so far expanded its workin 15 districts of the state. As many as 370new dairy cooperative societies were set upin the past two years taking the total ofnumber of cooperatives to 627 from 257.More than 16,000 farmers have been direct-ly associated with the federation throughthese cooperatives, Parmar said. Moreover,55 more committees are proposed to be setup in the new fiscal 2015-16 with a target toenroll over 4,000 members, he said. "Withthe increase in number of committees, col-lection of milk per day has been increased.Currently, the average milk collection hasreached 64,785 litres," he said. Besides, thefederation's products with brand name

'Devbhog' have received encouragingresponse from the customers, he added.FIR against 10 rice millers for non-compli-ance Chhattisgarh government wouldrecover about Rs 70 crore from a total of 27rice millers in Raipur district and lodge FIRagainst ten of them for failing to delivercustom-milled rice within stipulated time.

"Revenue Recovery Certificate (RRC) hasbeen issued for recovery of about Rs 70crore from 27 rice millers who have failed toreturn rice in lieu of paddy provided to themfor custom milling in given timeframe in thekharif marketing year 2013-14," RaipurCollector Ram Singh Thakur said. Besides,orders have also been issued to lodge FIR

against ten of them, he said. The ricemillers were earlier issued notices for notdepositing rice and an investigation wasalso done in this regard, but even after thatthey failed to comply, the collector said. Thegovernment has directed tehsildars toimmediately recover the dues from the ricemillers, he added.

side, which has dark and cynical per-sonal views about his own colleagues;

a side which does not mind trying to poachthe legislators of another party for forminghis government and has no qualms inreceiving funds for his party from compa-nies, who have no offices at the addressesthey give. One can’t say how much politicalethics Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav,Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha possess; theywho stand expelled from the NationalExecutive of Aam Aadmi Party for raisingtheir voice against certain issues related totransparency in their organisation. It ishowever clear that Arvind Kejriwal does notpossess the moral fibre or the ethical com-pass that is required to clean up the politicsof this country. He is another quotidian pol-luter of this country’s already polluted polit-ical system. The phenomenal rise of AamAadmi Party in a very short span of timeand its steep downfall in public perceptionwithin two months after taking over Delhi isa classic case study for those interested inpolitical analysis. It is horrifying to imagine

a situation where individuals like Kejriwaland parties like AAP emerge on the nation-al scene. It is high time that serious politi-cal forces emerge to tackle this insurgency

of non-serious, inexperienced, unnecessarilyexperimental and immature individualsand parties. The degeneration of values inour political system in the last few decades

has been very fast. The common man’sanger with the current methods of doingpolitics has reached to a level, where theynow reject time tested political parties infavour of political start-ups and believetheir impractical theories of change. TheLok Sabha election of May 2014 and Delhiassembly election of 2015 are examples ofthis psyche in our electorate. The people ofIndia had rejected Congress in May 2014and trusted the Bhartiya Janata Party, hop-ing that Modi will be able to fulfil some ofthe dreams he sold. In only eight months ofModi’s rule people’s hopeful mindset havechanged because of the absence of anymeaningful delivery by the BJP-led govern-ment at the Centre. Chants of ‘Modi-Modi’quickly turned to ‘Kejri-Kejri’ in Delhi. Butin less than two months’ time the electorateis realising that the perception they had ofAAP was inaccurate and unfounded. Aparty, which occupied the common voter’smind space by promising to keep intact thebasic values of politics at any cost, is unableto hide its real face any longer.

6 APRIL 06 TO APRIL 12 , 2015 (MP & CG)EDITORIAL

Kejriwal’s magic vanishing: AAP chief’sdictatorial tendencies come to the fore

Milk production up at 65,000 litres/day in Chhattisgarh

This is the real face of Arvind Kejriwal. After singing the songs of internaldemocracy within political parties (including his own), going to town demanding

transparency in running a political organisation, extolling the importance ofethics in forming governments and crying for transparent means of funding the

political system; we are witnessing the real side of Kejriwal.‘A

M

‘

7 APRIL 06 TO APRIL 12 , 2015 (MP & CG)Commerce

New DelhiA 135-year-old legacy comes to an

end! Like in the case of the telegram,India Post has quietly discontinuedthe traditional money order service,which was an integral part of thedepartment since 1880, facilitatingpan-India door-delivery of funds to apayee from over 155,000 post offices.In an era of instant communications,the traditional money transfer facilityhas made way for an electronic ver-sion, which was introduced in October2008, thanks to the proliferation ofmobile telephony and data communi-cations in the country through theinternet - 18 months after they led tothe demise of the telegram.

"Yes, the traditional money orderas we know it has been discontinued,"said Shikha Mathur Kumar, deputydirector general for finance with IndiaPost based in the national capital."What we have now are electronicmoney orders, or eMO, and instantmoney orders, or iMO, systems,"Kumar said. "Both these are muchfaster and simpler means to remitmoney." The iMO system, according toIndia Post, provides instant moneyorder service for amounts rangingfrom Rs.1,000 to Rs.50,000. Aninstant, web-based system, money canbe remitted by designated iMO postoffices - where an electronic version ofa form is filled along with an identityproof. Once the money is transferredelectronically, along with one of the 33standard messages that can be chosenby the remitter, the payee can visit thepost office and receive the money onproducing a proof of identity. Themoney can also be be credited to the

savings bank of a payee. In the case ofeMO, money is paid at the door-step ofa payee - from Rs.1 to Rs.5,000 - with-in a day, along with 21 standard mes-sages. It is booked at an authorisedpost office and delivered pan-Indiafrom all delivery post offices. This canalso be tracked on the India Post web-site. But for many, especially the sen-ior citizens, the end of the traditionalmoney system - which was withdrawnfrom April - did evoke a sense of nos-talgia and, to an extent, some sadnessas well.

"I would send money throughmoney orders to my family in a villageMP," recalled K. Abdul Hussein, aretired printing manager, now settledin Mumbai. "My folks back homewould wait for it. In fact, the villagepostman was an important man. Butwhat happens now," he wondered.

When the new, electronic system ofmoney order was explained,Abdulhussein told IANS that the movewas expected. "People today have twobank accounts - a salary account and apersonal account. Then there aremobile phones. Everyone has it. So the

old system had to go." A similar senti-ment was shared by R.R. Pandya, aretired 80-year-old banker in Mumbai,who also recalled having regularlysent funds through the traditionalmoney order system to his parents inGujarat. "They were more comfortabledealing with the friendly neighbour-hood postman. You had this option ofsending money with messages. So,during marriages, we would sendRs.11, Rs.21, Rs.51 - along with con-gratulatory messages." For Kanai LalGhosh, a retired teacher in Kolkata,yesteryear memories and contempo-rary India's reality present contrastingpictures. "I'd send funds only by way ofmoney orders to my parents. Now myson does it instantly, from his mobilephone. I presume old ways are redun-dant now."

According to information providedby India Post, the money order systemwas transferred from the official treas-ury department to the Posts andTelegraph Department in 1880 to savepeople the ardour of long journeys theyhad to often undertake to pay revenuesand rent. This was when Rai SaligramBahadur, the second guru of theRadhasoami faith, was the postmas-ter-general of the North-WesternProvinces, based out of Allahabad. Hewas the first Indian to hold that postand money order was one of the manyfirsts he brought to the table. From amere 283 such transactions at thattime, it grew to 108 million by the timethe service was in vogue for 100 yearsin 1980. The numbers dropped toaround 95 million when the eMO andiMO schemes were launched and evenfurther now, officials said.

BhopalRaja Bhoj International Airport, Bhopalshowed a decline in passenger traffic by -11.2%between April 2014 and January 2015. On theother hand, Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport,Indore registered a 19.4% growth in passengermovement and topped the list of 15 non-metrodomestic airports in the country. These factshave come to fore in a recent survey conductedby Airports Authority of India (AAI) at all 15domestic airports across the country. WhileIndore airport tops the list of domestic airportsin passenger movement category, Raja BhojAirport is placed at a distant ninth position.Indore airport also registered highest numberof freight and aircraft movement too. In freightmovement category, Indore recorded 40.6%growth while Bhopal registered 8.1% growth inthe same period. Also, in aircraft movementcategory Indore has registered a 7% increasedespite suspension of some flights by SpiceJet,

while Bhopal has shown a decline of -31.4%.Incidentally, Swami Vivekananda Airport,Raipur stood third in all the three categoriesafter Jammu airport. Airport manager, IndoreVivek Atre said, "Constant increase in all thethree categories mentioned above is because thecity has attracted many businessmen and deal-

ers from across the globe, especially after theGlobal Investors' Summit (GIS). He said whatis noticeable is that passenger traffic went upeven after suspension of three flights bySpiceJet owing to operational reasons inNovember last. Currently 20 flights operatefrom Indore, daily.

Bhopal airport registersdecline in passenger traffic

Flipkart to generate2 million jobs this year

End of legacy: Money ordergoes telegram way

New DelhiE-commerce major Bangalore based firm Flipkart has announcedthat it will generate 2 million jobs in the year 2015 in logistics andwarehousing sector. The fast pace of development of the e-com-merce ecosystem in India will contribute towards the generation ofemployment across sectors. More than half a million jobs are esti-mated to have been created in the e-commerce space last year. Themarketplace model has opened up opportunities in metros andnon-metro cities. With Jaipur and Baroda that have alreadybecome the ancillary industry hubs (cataloguing and packaging),50-60 per cent of the employment is expected to be created in tier IIand III cities. As sellers have played and are expected to play animportant role in creation of jobs across India -- sellers of homeproducts, apparels, mobile accessories and small appliances areexpected to generate the maximum employment.

The growth and expansion of their businesses will generate aminimum of 20-25 jobs per seller this year. 30,000 sellers and overthree crore customers are already registered with Flipkart.Further, in order to open up the e-commerce marketplace model tothe Indian micro industries, it has tied up with various govern-ment bodies like FISME, DGET, NIFT, Ministry of Labour, andDC Handlooms. In addition Flipkart also proposed a range oftraining programmes for small and medium enterprises across 20cities in association with Ministry of Labour to train and guidepeople upgrade their skills. They aim to upgrade the number ofcities covered to 40 in the next 6 months.

Will stand firmagainst LandBill: Sonia

Neemuch: Congress will stand firmagainst the "anti-farmer "Land AcquisitionBill and continue to protest against it, partypresident Sonia Gandhi said here, reaffirm-ing her commitment to the cause of the farm-ers. "The current Land Bill is anti-farmer. Wewill strongly protest it and are firm on it,"Sonia, who had been leading the Oppositiononslaught against the legislation said. "Atpresent Congress is not in power but theparty will struggle for them (farmers) andwill not compromise on the issue," sheasserted. The Congress president demandedthat the land acquisition law enacted by theerstwhile UPA government and supportedby the BJP in 2013 be implemented. Sonia,who visited a number of villages battered byunseasonal rains and hailstorms that led tolarge-scale destruction of crops in MP,demanded that the BJP governments at theCentre and the state help the farmers with-out any discrimination. "I ask the NarendraModi and Shivraj Singh Chouhan govern-ments not to discriminate and help thefarmers," she said after surveying the dam-aged crops and meeting farmers in Neemuchdistrict.

8 APRIL 06 TO APRIL 12 , 2015 (MP & CG)Politics

AhmedabadCalling the Gujarat Control ofTerrorism and OrganisedCrime Bill, 2015 as a "dracon-ian law", various humanrights groups have formed ajoint front named 'GujaratJan Andolan' to protestagainst Gujarat's controver-sial anti-terrorist bill. "Thisgovernment has introducedthis bill to gag democraticrights of the citizens andevery dissenting voice.

Therefore we have formed'Gujarat Jan Andolan' toprotest against this black anddraconian law," city-basedlawyer and member of thefront, Rajesh Mankad, toldreporters here. On March 31,Gujarat Assembly had passedthe Gujarat Control ofTerrorism and OrganisedCrime Bill 2015 (GCTOC) forthe fourth time with a majori-ty in the absence of CongressMLAs, who had staged a walkout in protest. The anti-GCTOC front comprises city-based organisations like Jan

Sangharsh Manch, Darshan,Members of SecularDemocracy as well as religiousgroups like Jamaat-e-Islamiand All India Milli Council,Mankad said. "This law is asunconstitutional and dracon-ian as the MaharashtraControl of Organised CrimeAct (MCOCA) since it will giveall power to the police.Statements made by theaccused in custody before apolice officer would be givenlegal validity under this law,"Mankad said. All India MilliCouncil president MuftiRizwan Tarapuri alleged thatBJP-led government has triedto implement the agenda of

the Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS). "Gujarat hasalways been a laboratory forthe RSS and BJP to test aswell as implement their anti-secular agenda. The BJP-ledstate government is again try-ing to test another move in theform of this bill in Gujarat,"Tarapuri said. "If they succeedin passing this bill in Gujarat,then there is every chancethat they may introduce suchbills in other states of thecountry," Tarapuri said. City-based activist DwarkanathRath representing Membersof Secular Democracy saidthat the BJP-led Gujarat stategovernment wants to sup-

press voices of dissent and hashence introduced this bill."Farmers have been protest-ing against the LandAcquisition Bill as well as theDelhi-Mumbai IndustrialCorridor (DMIC). So the BJP-led Gujarat government hasintroduced this draconian lawwhich would enable the policeto keep any person in custodyfor 180 days and wherephones of any person can beintercepted at will," Rath said.

"After reading GCTOCprovisions, it is clear that thebill has been introduced withthe intention of suppressingall those protesting, in thegarb of controlling organisedcrime," Rath said. GujaratJan Andolan is also set tomake an appeal to GujaratGovernor O P Kohli andPresident of India PranabMukerjee not to sign this bill,he said. City-based activistand lawyer Shamshad Pathansaid that the anti-GCTOCfront would also approach thecourt if the bill became law.

Groups form front to protestagainst Gujarat anti-terror bill

'Maoists encouraging farmersto grow cannabis in Odisha'

Bhubaneswar

The Odisha government

may have successfully con-

tained the Maoist mlitants

in some pockets of the state

but the government is yet

to plug the cannabis culti-

vation which, police

believe, is a major source of

funding for the ultras.

"Whenever we get informa-

tion about ganja (ganja)

cultivation, we destroy the

crops and take action

against the culprits,"

Director General of Odisha

Police Sanjeev Marik said.

He admitted that the

Maoists are directly and

indirectly involved in the

cannabis cultivation and

are encouraging the farm-

ers to do so. The state government has

decided to take a multi-disciplinary

approach to destroying cannabis cultiva-

tion in the state, involving the police, the

excise department and the narcotics con-

trol bureau to chalk out and implement

an action plan on this. Cannabis cultiva-

tion is happening in the state's interior

pockets, particularly in tribal-dominated

districts where Maoists have unleashed

terror among the village communities,

another officer said. Clandestine cultiva-

tion of cannabis is rampant in eight dis-

tricts - Angul, Deogarh, Sambalpur,

Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagara, Gajapati

and Malkangiri, an official said. In fact,

Excise Minister Damodar Rout has

admitted that there are large tracts

under cannabis cultivation in some dis-

tricts. The excise department, with the

assistance of police, forest and

revenue officials, has

destroyed cannabis worth

Rs.2,500 crore in the last four

years, an official said. "The

government is taking steps to

destroy the ganja cultivation

in the state. It has engaged

local people to inform about

such cultivation and action is

being takan against the viola-

tors under the law," Rout told

the assembly. He said 6.6 mil-

lion illegal plants have been

destroyed in eight districts by

Jan 31. In the 2013-14 finan-

cial year, 9.05 million plants

were destroyed, 4.57 millionin

2012-13 and 2.16 million in

2011-12, Rout said. Even

though the police and excise

department have been

destroying the illegal cultivation from

time to time, this is yet to be wiped out.

Now, cannabis is being grown in dense

hilly areas, where police face difficulties

in destroying the crops. Sources said

traders from neighbouring states like

Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and

Chhattisgarh are encouraging farmers

to cultivate cannabis, which provides

better returns than paddy.

Indore

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Convener

Alok Agrawal has said the resignation of its

former leader Medha Patkar won't impact it

politically as she was not active in its affairs

after she lost in the Lok Sabha elections last

year. "After joining AAP, Medha fought Lok

Sabha polls from Mumbai north-east seat.

But, after that she became active in National

Alliance of People's Movements. She was not

active either in MP and or at any other places

in party's affairs. Therefore, her decision to

quit won't impact AAP politically," Agrawal

said. Patkar resigned from AAP recently after

senior leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant

Bhushan were expelled from the party's

National Executive for anti-party activities.

"AAP has reduced itself to 'tamasha'," she

had said in Mumbai after resigning. Agrawal

denied that AAP has been bifurcated in two

groups - Kejriwal and anti-Kejriwal after

ouster of Yadav and Bhushan from the

National Executive and amid the ongoing tur-

bulence within the party.

He said the party was progressing under

Kejriwal and the National Executive and

they have been pressing for issues of public

concern in MP as well. The leader said that

AAP will stage a protest against the proposed

hike in the power tariff on April 12 in Bhopal,

adding that they will hand over a memoran-

dum to CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan against

the impending hike. He said that three power

distribution companies have petitioned the

MP Electricity Regulatory Commission

(MPERC), seeking around 25 per cent elec-

tricity tariff hike in domestic and agriculture

sector which was totally unfair. Agrawal said

it would become extremely uphill for farmers

to bear the hike in power tariff as they have

suffered heavy crop loss due to the recent

untimely rains and hailstorm in the state.

Medha Patkar'sresignation won'timpact AAP: Stateconvener

9 APRIL 06 TO APRIL 12 , 2015 (MP & CG)BUSINESS

Slim chance of RBI rate cut: Experts

Anushka Sharma toendorse Code by Lifestyle

MumbaiActress -producer

Anushka Sharma hasbeen roped in as thebrand ambassador byLifestyle InternationalPvt Ltd for brand Codeby Lifestyle’s wom-enswear range. She saysthe brand reflects hercomfortable yet trendystyle. “Code by Lifestyleunderstands the style

aspirations of urbanIndian women well. Ihave a personal sense ofstyle which is comfort-able and trendy and Ifeel the philosophy of thebrand is similar,” the“NH10? actress said in astatement.

Highlighting Codeby Lifestyle’s vibrantspring summer collec-tion, Anushka shot forthe brand campaign thatis set to be rolled out thismonth. Featuring theactress in a stylishavatar, the campaignaims to emphasise thebrand’s key philosophy,‘Create your Code’.“Anushka flawlesslyepitomises the CodeWoman with her confi-dent persona and indi-vidualistic style.

Neither tax terrorism, nottax haven: Arun Jaitley

MumbaiFinancial industry experts on Monday

ruled out any relief from high interest ratesin the upcoming monetary policy review bythe apex bank scheduled for April 7. TheReserve Bank of India is scheduled toannounce its first bi-monthly policy reviewfor 2015 on April 7. “Governor RaghuramRajan is expected to hold rates this timearound. The focus would be currently on theexternal factors and the US FederalReserves plans for the rate hike in the US,”Jagannadham Thunuguntla, head, funda-mental research, Karvy Group told media.The RBI is widely expected to leave the reporate unchanged at 7.50 percent at its firstmonetary policy review of the new fiscal onTuesday, after two unscheduled rate cutsmade this year.

Gaurang Shah, vice president, GeojitBNP Paribas said that the ability of RBIgovernor to for rate cut is also restrained byunseasonal rains which has extensivelydamaged crops. “The fact that we are wit-

nessing unseasonal rains at such time whichis very critical from cutting and harvestingpoint of view, the fear of food inflation creep-ing up can’t be ruled out since the damage isvery extensive; this may also limit the ratecut expectation any time soon.”

According to Devendra Nevgi, chief exec-utive of ZyFin Advisors the language of theRBI in its outlook statement would be keysignal for any future rate cuts. “The lan-guage that the RBI uses in its outlook state-ment would also be another key trigger for

the markets. Global issues like the financialoutcome in Greece would also be of keyinterest to the Indian markets,” Nevgi toldmedia. “The last times interest rate cut hasstill to be translated by the banks to lowerinterest rates so that consumer demand canpickup. It would be interesting to see howRBI deals with this,” Nevgiadded.Meanwhile, Vinod Nair, head – funda-mental research, Geojit BNP ParibasFinancial Services said that though RBI islikely to keep rates intact there is scope to

surprise the market through cash reserveratio (CRR), Statutory liquidity ratio (SLR)and assessment of future outlook. Accordingto Nair, a 25 basis points cut can be expect-ed by June, as the recent inflation numbersdoes not favour for a rate cut now. “A reduc-tion in CRR will be a continuation of RBI’seffort to release more liquidity to persuadeBanks to bring down lending rates. RBI willbe very keen to understand the performanceof NPA restructuring in Q4 before loweringthe rate,” Nair added.

The CRR has been kept at 4 percentsince 2013, while RBI had brought downSLR by 50 bps in February 2015.Meanwhile, Tuesday’s scheduled review, iscoming after the first full budget presentedby Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposingchanges in the RBI Act, follows two previousunscheduled rate cuts since January whichbrought the repo rate down from 8 percentby 50 basis points to the existing one. Theinterest rate cuts this year came after near-ly two years.

New DelhiIndia will neither promote tax ter-

rorism nor can it become a tax haven,Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said onMonday, assuring a fair compliance win-dow to those with ill-gotten money over-seas to come clean, and a moderate taxregime to obviate such practices.Addressing the annual session of theConfederation of Indian Industry (CII),the finance minister also promised tointroduce the bill on pan-India goodsand services tax in the ensuing parlia-ment session and a recast of laws thatwere preventing decision-makingprocess in bureaucracy.

In the speech that addressed a hostof issues pertaining to the corporate sec-tor, as also some of the contemporarymatters faced by his government, Jaitleyconceded that the present CompaniesAct was posing irritants and that theprevious law proposed on land acquisi-tion was anti-rural India. “We’re not a

tax haven. We don’t expect to be one.India isn’t so vulnerable that everydemand is termed tax terrorism,” Jaitleysaid with his comments coming in thewake of tax notices served on foreignfunds for periods before 2012-13 and oncompanies for acquisition deals madeoverseas. On the issue of black moneystashed by Indians abroad, the financeminister said even though theUndisclosed Foreign Income and Assets

(Imposition of Tax) Bill of 2015 had beentabled by him in the Lok Sabha lastmonth, there was room for changes andwelcomed suggestions in this regard. “Avery reasonable compliance window willcome for those who indulged in suchmisadventure in the past.” The new billcalls for 300-percent penalty on thequantum of black money abroad alongwith rigorous imprisonment of up to 3-10 years for perpetrators.

At the same time, the bill also hassome amnesty provisions to bring suchmoney back from abroad, allowing peo-ple to declare such assets within a pre-scribed time period, pay tax on it andretain the remaining amount. It pro-vides for tax to be charged at 30 percentof the undisclosed assets outside Indiaas also a penalty of 100 percent of suchtax, taking the effective rate of tax andpenalty to 60 percent, leaving room forpeople to retain 40 percent of suchdeclared assets.

Honda Cityreaches 1 lakhsales mark

New DelhiJapanese automobile major Honda Cars India on

Monday reported that its fourth generation Honda Cityhas become the fastest mid-size sedan in India to achievethe 1 lakh sales mark in just 15 months. According to thecompany, with a strong sales momentum throughout theyear, Honda City registered 101,299 units of cumulativesales since its launch in January 2014. “City brand hasbeen the face of Honda in India, enjoying strong leader-ship and popularity in its segment ever since its launch,”said Jnaneswar Sen, senior vice president, marketingand sales, Honda Cars India. “While retaining the tradi-tional set of sedan buyers, the new City has been able toattract a large number of young buyers. Thirty percent ofthe customers have bought the City as their first car,”Sen added. The vehicle was first introduced in India inJanuary 1998. The previous three generations of theHonda City have a cumulative sales of 4.3 lakh units.

Kuala Lumpur

World No.1 shuttler

Saina Nehwal went

down in her women’s sin-

gles semi-final to reign-

ing Olympic champion Li

Xuerui at the $500,000

Malaysia Open

Superseries Premier

here on Saturday. The

Chinese beat the third

seeded Indian in a

marathon match that

lasted an hour and eight

minutes with the top

seed prevailing 13-21,

21-17, 22-20 at the Putra

Stadium. With the win,

World No.3 Xuerui

extended her career

record to 9-2 against

Saina, also ending the

Indian challenge at the

tournament. Xuerui will

take on reigning World

Champion Carolina

Marin in the final, who

beat second seeded

Chinese Shixian Wang

21-17, 24-22 in the other

semi-final. The newly

crowned World No.1 started

in perfect fashion to clinch

the first game in dominating

style. Though the Chinese

matched Saina’s shots till 6-

all, the Hyderabadi stamped

her authority to take flight

and quickly seal the first

game. The second game was

a neck-and-neck fight till 18-

17, in favour of Xuerui, who

held her nerve to win the

last three points and push

the match into the decider.

The third game was an even

more hotly contested one.

Saina held the advantage at

12-17 but the former World

No.1 won five straight

points to close the gap.

Thereon, both shuttlers did

not allow the other more

than a point’s difference.

But at 20-all, the most cru-

cial point of the match,

Xuerui showed the killer

attitude to smash the next

two points and enter the

final.

10 APRIL 06 TO APRIL 12 , 2015 (MP & CG)SPORTS

BCB to compensate PCB for postponing tours

Sunil Narineagain skips KKR practice session

Saina loses in Malaysia Open semis

KolkataKolkata Knight Riders’ star spinner Sunil Narine, who

underwent a repeat test for his suspect bowling action in

Chennnai, skipped the Indian Premier League (IPL) team’s prac-

tice session for the second consecutive day on Saturday. Narine,

who checked in the city on Thursday after his test at the

International Cricket Council (ICC) accredited centre, Sri

Ramachandra University for his suspect action, was missing on

the turf as his teammates led by skipper Gautam Gambhir

slogged hard at the Eden Gardens nets. “He has skipped the nets

not because he is barred or anything like that. Since it’s an

optional practice, and probably he is jet lagged. So he chose to

give it a miss,” a KKR official said. Both the KKR official and a

Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) office bearer refused to com-

ment about the outcome of the test, whose report is yet to be sub-

mitted to the BCCI. The West Indies cricketer was banned during

2014 Champions League Twenty20 for suspect bowling action. He

has been cleared by the ICC after he underwent a test at the

University of Loughborough last month. But the BCCI insisted

that he undergo another test in Chennai. KKR have been on the

warpath with the BCCI on the issue, and threatened to pull out

of the IPL if Narine was not allowed to play.

DhakaThe Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)will compensate its Pakistani counter-part for postponing two tours in 2012.BCB president Nazmul Hassan said thatthey want to end the matter by payingPakistan their due for missing the twotours, adding that the amount couldrange between $100,000 and $300,000.The announcement comes after a three-month impasse between the two boardsafter the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)set conditions for their upcoming tour toBangladesh. “We have no more condi-tions with them. They first demanded 50percent revenue and then said this istheir home series. I told them this is ourhome series. They kept repeating that

we didn’t tour Pakistan. I replied that Idon’t like listening to this in every meet-ing,” Hassan was quoted as saying byESPNcricinfo.

Since the start of the year, the twoboards have made claims and counter-claims on whether the tour is a homeseries for Pakistan or Bangladesh. ThePakistan government had cleared thetour in March. “ICC has a rule for teamsthat don’t tour a country after agreeingto it. I asked them to let us know howmuch we are supposed to pay for thattour. It could be between $100,000 to$300,000,” Hassan said. “Whether theyuse it for plane fare or not, is their con-cern. We will make the one-time pay-ment for missing that tour.”

MohaliBoasting an array of dazzling stroke makersand heady mix of experience and exuber-ance, Kings XI Punjab, having finished run-ners-up in the last edition of the IndianPremier League (IPL), are raring to go onestep better this time. Having faltered todeceive in earlier editions of the cash-richcricket league, Kings XI emerged as theteam to beat in the last edition, riding on thesustained explosive performances fromAustralian dasher Glenn Maxwell and SouthAfrican David Miller. Beside the presence ofseasoned campaigners like aggressive batVirender Sehwag and pacer MitchellJohnson, the exciting Indian contingent ofWriddhiman Saha, Axar Patel and MananVohra made the Kings a force to reckon with.However, Maxwell, who played a key role in

Australia’s world cup triumph, will continueto be the key. Armed with a repertoire ofunconventional shots, Maxwell is known fortaking the attack to the opposition irrespec-tive of the situation. In addition he can bowlright-arm off-spin, bat anywhere in the mid-dle-order and like most Australians is a fan-tastic fielder. Led by the assuring captain-

coach duo of George Bailey and SanjayBangar, the Kings have enough firepower inboth the batting and bowling departmentsthat make them one of the contenders forthe title. With Sehwag and Vijay – the onlyIndians to have cracked two IPL tons each –at the top and the likes of Saha, Bailey,Miller, Maxwell and Shaun Marsh in the

ranks, the Kings arguably have the best bat-ting line-up. Spearheading the bowlingattack, lanky Australian pacer Johnson willhave able support in Sandeep Sharma andShardul Thakur, who with 48 wickets hasemerged as the joint highest wicket taker inthis year’s Ranji trophy. Known for his disci-pline spin bowling, Kings would look up toleft armer Axar Patel, who in the last seasonplayed a pivotal role snatching 17 wickets inas many matches. In Gurkeerat SinghMann, Manan Vohra and Rishi Dhawan, theKings have three promising youngsterswhile they can always rely on Sri lankanThisara Perera, who emerged as a prolificall-rounder in limited-overs cricket lately.His aggressive batting style and ability topick crucial wickets make him a crucialplayer.

Kings XI Punjab gunning for ultimate glory

11 APRIL 06 TO APRIL 12 , 2015 (MP & CG)GLAMOUR

he economics of filmmakingmay have assumed a

greater importance in theBollywood of recent times, butactress Kalki Koechlin, who willnext be seen in “Margarita With aStraw”, says she neither thinks ofcommerce, nor about audienceswhile doing a movie. Asked howshe looks at the commercialaspect of her forthcoming movie,Kalki said: “I never keep com-merce and audience in mind. Ibelieve in my script, and workhard. I don’t think this film is forthe Mumbai audience or festivalaudience…..(if that’s the case)then you (an actor) will fail. “Iwork from my heart. I love intelli-gent cinema and it should gripme.” Directed by Shonali Bose,“Margarita With a Straw” is slat-ed for release on April 17. Themovie has done its share ofrounds at international film festi-vals, and Kalki says the team hasreceived an “amazingresponse”.In the film, Kalki playsa girl with cerebral palsy, and itnarrates her struggle with thenormal activities in her life.Kalki calls it a “brilliant story”.

T

I never keepcommerce, audience inmind: Kalki

Akshay Kumar starts shootingfor ‘Singh Is Bliing’

Anupam Kher’s acting school

announces repertory

eteran actor AnupamKher’s acting schoolActor Prepares has

announced a repertory fromApril 18 to May 2. The actortook to micro-blogging websiteTwitter to show his excitementabout the announcement. “SoHappy & Proud to announce theRepertory Co. of our school@actorprepares. We produceActors NOT strugglers :),”Anupam tweeted. The repertorywill include six plays — “TheMerchant Of Venice” by WilliamShakespeare; “Gimpel TheFool”, a short story by IsaacBashevis Singer; “Panchi AiseAate Ha” by Vijay Tendulkar;and “Teen Behenein,” “Barah”

and “Vivash.” Established in2005, Actor Prepares offerskeen artistes a chance to under-go an intensive professional-level course for specialisedtraining in acting. Students aretrained by in-house facultymembers via practical, theoryclasses, games, exercises andextensively filmed practicals.Additionally, national andinternational celebrities keepcoming on board as visiting fac-ulty and share with studentstheir invaluable on-the-jobexperiences. Guests haveincluded “Slumdog Millionaire”director Danny Boyle and inter-national actor par excellenceRobert De Niro.

‘Perky’ Alia toendorse

Cadbury Perkively and youthful Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt hasbeen roped in to endorse chocolate brand CadburyPerk. She says it’s new campaign ‘Jiyo Lightum

Light’, reflecting her own philosophy of “enjoying thelighter moments of life”. Mondelez India FoodsPrivate Limited (formerly Cadbury India Ltd.)announced Alia’s appointment as brand ambassa-dor in a statement on Thursday. In the commer-cial, the “Highway” actress will be seen in aplayful and a mischievous avatar, bring-ing to life the ‘Jiyo Lightum Light’campaign. “Super excited” to be theface of Perk,” Alia said in a state-ment. “It’s a brand that reflectsmy own playful personality. Whenthe Mondelez India team told meabout the new brand campaign, Icouldn’t wait to get on-board and asexpected, I had a really fun time shooting forthe TVC.” “Perk is all about enjoying thelighter moments of life and my character inthe TVC brings this to life. It was quiterefreshing for me to honestly just be myselfon the shoot day light-hearted and‘perky’.” The campaign is created byOgilvy and produced by Tubelight Films.The ticklish storyline of the commercialbegins with a shot of the 22-year-old enjoy-ing a Perk bar with her girlfriend. The firstbite of the chocolate sparks her naughty sideand she goes on to play an innocent prank ontwo men in the vicinity. Alia was considered a“natural choice” for the brand as she bringsthe ‘Jiyo Lightum Light’ tagline to life so effort-lessly, said Prashant Peres, director, Marketing– Chocolates, Mondelez India Foods PrivateLimited.

Actress Kangana Ranaut, who hasplayed varied roles on the sil-

ver screen, says the imageof an actor drives a

celebrity’s career in theworld of showbiz.“Image means a lot. Itis everything in thebusiness that we arein. The kind of roleswhich you get, peopleidentify with yourroles, and it thenleads to the kind ofbrands you get,”

Kangana said. TheNational Award winner

expressed her views atthe launch of film critic

Anupama Chopra’s book “TheFront Row: Conversations Of

Cinema” here on Tuesday. “Overall thebusiness is completely based on the kind of image that youhave,” she added. Kangana made her Bollywood debut with2006 release hit “Gangster” and since then she has carved aspecial place by delivering exceptional performances in filmslike “Fashion” and “Queen”.

L

V

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has started shooting for Prabhudheva’supcoming directorial venture “Singh Is Bliing” in Patiala. The sequel to the2008 blockbuster “Singh Is Kinng”, will once again have Akshay donning a tur-ban. He will have actresses Lara Dutta and Amy Jackson sharing screen spacewith him. “In Patiala, started the day with Waheguru’s blessings at theGurudwara and now it’s time for day 1 of #SinghIsBliing!,” Akshay, 47, postedon Twitter. The action-thriller, which is expected to release on October 2, willmark Prabhudheva and Akshay’s second outing after “Rowdy Rathore”.Meanwhile, Akshay will next be seen in “Gabbar is Back”. Directed by Krish, theaction drama, which also stars Shruti Haasan, is set to hit theatres on May 1.

Image means a lot in film industry: Kangana

12 APRIL 06 TO APRIL 12 , 2015 (MP & CG)

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Tele/FAX 0755-4292545, Mob. 9425029901 email-editor@wethestate.com RNI No. MPENG/2012/46415 Editor: M.M. BAIG- Responsible for selection of News & Articles under PRB Act, Subject to Bhopal jurisdiction

NATION

Govt reviewing norms to hikecompensation for crop damage: FM

BengaluruFinance Minister Arun Jaitley has said

government is reviewing the norms to raisethe compensation limit to farmers in caseof drought or heavy rains damaging thecrops. Demands in this regard have beenmade by various states. "I am seriouslyreviewing those norms with the expendi-ture department of the Finance Ministryand you will very shortly hear about that,"Jaitley said. Responding to a question onchange in compensation norms to farmersaffected by severe weather conditions likehailstorm or drought, he said, "I am per-sonally in favour of increasing it. We willmake a significant increase in that."Speaking at the conclusion of the NationalExecutive meeting of BJP here, he saidcompensation to farmers affected due tocrop damage was provided by the centralgovernment on the basis of old norms.According to the official data, crop damagedue to unseasonal rains and hailstormshas been reported in 106 lakh hectares in13 states, including Rajasthan, Punjab,Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, MP andMaharashtra, in the current rabi season.The government recently set up an infor-mal group of ministers, headed by HomeMinister Rajnath Singh, to look into theissue of raising cap of financial assistance

given to farmers whose crops have beenaffected due to unseasonal rains and othernatural calamities. Also, the Centre hadasked state governments to render imme-diate assistance to farmers from SDRF(State Disaster Relief Fund) which has

funds to the tune of Rs 5,270 crore for util-isation during the fiscal. The states hadalso been asked to submit a memorandumin case the expenditure was more than theavailable funds. As per SDRF norms, thestate governments can give input subsidy

to farmers at the rate of Rs 4,500 perhectare for rainfed areas, Rs 9,000 perhectare for irrigated areas and Rs 12,000per hectare for perennial crops. The totalcultivable area in rabi season is 600 lakhhectares.

Centre extends food lawdeadline by 6 months

India's first National Skill DevelopmentUniversity to open in Raipur

New DelhiIndia's first National

Skill DevelopmentUniversity will open inRaipur, Chhattisgarh.This was announced bythe Minister of State(Independent Charge)for Skill Developmentand EntrepreneurshipRajiv Pratap Rudy. "Thegovernment is in theprocess of formulating askill development policyunder the initiative ofPrime MinisterNarendra Modi which would be finalized in the next three months,"said Rudy. According to a recent report, the skilled workforce inSouth Korea is 96 per cent, 80 per cent in Japan, 75 per cent inGermany and 70 per cent in Britain. Compared to this, the skilledworkforce in India is only two per cent. Rudy asserted that the gov-ernment's focus is more on skill development so as to generate moreemployable manpower. The current capacity of the skill develop-ment programs is 3.1 million, however India has set a target ofskilling 500 million people by 2020.

Jaipur

The Centre has given sixmonths' more time to thestates for rolling out theNational Food SecurityAct (NFSA), Union FoodMinister Ram VilasPaswan has said. Thedeadline, which hasalready been extendedtwice for implementingthe food law, was endingon April 4. Only 11 statesand Union Territorieshave so far implementedthe National FoodSecurity Act which waspassed by Parliament inSeptember 2013. The rest25 states/UTs have notimplemented it yet. "Thecentral government has

further given six months'time to the states toimplement the NFSA,"Paswan told reportershere. The deadline hasbeen extended for thethird time so that theremaining states adoptand implement the law

within six months, theminister added. The lawaims at providing legalentitlement to 5 kg of sub-sidised foodgrains perperson per month at Rs 1-3/kg to two-thirds of thecountry's population. TheCentre had given stern

warning to remainingstates that it will stopsupply of subsidised APLfoodgrains if they fail tomeet April deadline. Atpresent, the Centre isallocating foodgrains to 11states/UTs as per the newfood law, while the restare getting foodgrainsquota as per earlier PDSnorms. Despite extensionof the deadline twice, only11 states/UTs -- Punjab,Haryana, Rajasthan,Himachal Pradesh, MP,Bihar, Chhattisgarh,Maharashtra, Karnataka,Delhi and Chandigarhhave so far implementedthe Act, some of themfully and others partially.