Raise CVD on gold dore to 9% & keep excise duty on gold refined bars at 9.25%: ASSOCHAM plea to FinMin

New Delhi, Akash Dwivedi। Apex industry body ASSOCHAM has urged the Centre to raise countervailing duty (CVD) on gold dore to nine per cent and keep excise duty on refined bars made from gold dore at 9.25 per cent. “This is required in order to restore balance between refineries in excise paying areas vis-à-vis excise exempt areas, since refineries are located almost equally in both areas, as such there would be no revenue loss and it will continue to keep refineries in excise paying areas viable,” said The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) in a communication addressed to Union Finance Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley. While India imports about 800 tons of gold annually, the share of domestic refining using mine dore as feedstock has increased steadily from five per cent in 2012-13 to 25 per cent in 2015-16. “The advantage of dore refining over importing finished gold is that value addition gets done within the country thereby generating employment, saving foreign exchange and generating tax revenues as direct taxes are paid to government on the refining income,” highlighted the ASSOCHAM letter to FM. There is ample opportunity to grow refining capacity further across the nation, which will only add to ‘Make in India,’ and simultaneously move up the quality chain,” it added. This turnaround has come about since 2011-12, when government permitted import of mine dore, maintaining an aggregate (CVD plus excise) one per cent duty differential between duty on the raw material/bars manufactured from mine dore and that on import of finished gold. In the Budget for current fiscal, the Finance Ministry has notified an increase in CVD on mine dore from eight per cent to 8.75 per cent, increase in excise duty on refined gold bars manufactured from mine dore from nine per cent to 9.5 per cent and excise duty exemption under existing area based exemption on refined gold stands withdrawn. So far as impact on refineries in excise paying area is concerned, their gross margin gets reduced to half i.e. from one per cent to 0.5 per cent thereby making them unviable. Besides the gross margin for refineries in excise-exempt areas also stand reduced from two per cent to 1.25 per cent, thus creating a significant balance in favour of excise-exempt refineries.

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Fire incident at National History Museum in FICCI premises

NEW DELHI, An unfortunate fire incident occurred at the top floor of the National History Museum in FICCI premises late last night. The fire has been controlled. Luckily, no one was present inside the building when the incident occurred. Federation house, which is the FICCI office building, and FICCI auditorium were not affected by the incident. We thank the Delhi Fire service for the quick response in bringing the situation under control. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

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NITI AAYOG TO SPELL OUT POLICY TO UPGRADE INDIAN RETAIL TRADE

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has gone through statement of Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog,appeared in media about " Brick & Mortar Business will be dead by 2023". The views expressed therein by him regarding adoption of technology by Brick & Mortar Shops timely will enable them to remain in the market seems to be an advise for future mode of business in India. It is sad that retail trade which is called as backbone of economy has been neglected so far by one and all and circumstances and policies are being crafted in a way that it dies it's natural death and market is taken over by MNCs. Such love towards MNCs is beyond any doubt speaks mindset of the policy makers. Creating an hype of necessity of FDI in retail trade and in e commerce is a part of sinister agenda of a particular lobby which is working against domestic trade and want to create several East India Companies once again to capture our trade. We will not let this happen at any cost and prepared to fight it out tooth and nail. However, up gradation and modernisation of retail trade is all the more necessary and it was expected that Govt will initiate any step in this direction but so far Govt has failed to take any step to protect retail trade but Having an eye on future mode of business, the CAIT has already launched a nationwide campaign among trading community across the Country on the above subject as also adoption of Digital payment in association with MasterCard and HDFC Bank. However, we feel that support policies from the Government is the need of the hour for encouraging the brick & mortar shops for adoption of technology on one side and also an awareness drive among the Consumers to prefer Digital payments. It will also help in curbing flow of black money in different sectors and at different levels. Since Mr Kant has come out with a bold statement, it is imperative upon the Niti Aayog to draw such policies especially when it's CEO is forecasting future style of business in India.

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आईपीएल की खुमारी से जुड़ी पेवल्र्ड भी रिटेलरों और वितरकों के लिए पुरस्कार योजना शुरू की

नई दिल्ली, 14 अप्रैलः भुगतान सुविधा देने वाली कंपनी पेवल्र्ड आईपीएल की क्रिकेट खुमारी में शरीक होते हुए इसी तर्ज पर अपनी पेवल्र्ड प्रीमियर लीग (पीपीएल) के तहत रिटेलरों और वितरकों के लिए पुरस्कार योजना की शुरुआत की है। पीपीएल प्रदर्शन के आधार पर पुरस्कारों के साथ रिटेलरों के विशाल नेटवर्क को प्रोत्साहित करने के लिए सेल मोर, स्कोर मोर एंड रिडीम मोर योजना (अधिक बेचो, अधिक अंक जुटाओ और अधिक फायदा उठाओ योजना) का शुभारंभ किया है। यह योजना 14 अप्रैल से शुरू हो रही है और इस साल के जून के आखिर तक तीन महीने चलाई जाएगी। समूचा देश क्रिकेट (आईपीएल) की दीवानगी में मग्न है, ऐसे में रिटेलरों (पेवल्र्ड के) को मोबाइल फोन से लेकर कार तक जीतने के लिए पक्के/गारंटीयुक्त पुरस्कार पाने का अवसर रहेगा। इसके सभी रिटेलर अगले तीन महीने तक पेवल्र्ड प्रीमियर लीग 2016 में हिस्सा लेंगे। पेवल्र्ड के सीओओ प्रवीण धबाई कहते हैंः “हम तकरीबन 65,000 रिटेलरों के विशाल नेटवर्क के जरिये ही संचालन कर रहे हैं और पीपीएल के तहत पूरे देश में मौजूद हमारे सभी रिटेलरों को शामिल किया जाएगा। यह एक उत्साहवर्धक योजना है जिसमें रिटेलरों को उनके प्रदर्शन के आधार पर कई सारे तोहफे दिए जाने का प्रावधान है। इस योजना के लिए हमें पहले ही उत्साहवर्धक प्रतिक्रियाएं मिल रही हैं।” पीपीएल में हिस्सा लेना बहुत आसान है। जो कोई रिटेलर/वितरक पीपीएल-पेवल्र्ड प्रीमियर लीग 2016 में हिस्सा लेना चाहता है, उन्हे सिर्फ एक टोल फ्री नंबर पर काॅल करना होगा।

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Organised by 4G Global Performers & managed by Prishika Entertainment

~ Presented their students performances & gave awards and certificates to their performers New Delhi: 4G Global Performers, a unit of 4G Global Institute of Performing Arts & Education LLP, celebrated the success of being awarded and recognized as the Best Institute of Music, Dance & Performing Arts by ASIA EDUCATION SUMMIT 2016. 4G Global Performers, a unit of 4G Global Institute of Performing Arts & Education LLP, one the premiere Institutes in India, is known for its quality education, best facilities & to provide strong platform to multi-talents in the field of western & classical music, dance, fine-arts, education and fitness. The celebration show was organised by 4G Global Performers, managed by Prishika Goswami, director of Prishika Entertainment and sponsored by Bollywood IGN and Atul News 24. The event was held on April 24th at ISKCON Auditorium in New Delhi. The grand show compiles various performances by versatile students of the institute. The performances comprised of vocals, dances, guitar performances along with single and duet casio performances. The performers were having no age bar. They include from small kids to house wives. It was attended by students along with their parents, alumunees, partners and contributor of the event. Affiliated to Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad (a recognised university by state governments & Educational bodies for Indian Classical Music & Arts), 4G Global Performers have 4-Centres across Delhi/ NCR and is poised to expand its wings around the Globe. They have trained over 10,000 Students & created maestros out of it.

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खेल तो अब शुरु होगा फिल्म का दिल्ली में हुआ जोरदार प्रमोशन

नई दिल्ली,25 अप्रैल,आकाश द्विवेदी।अपकमिंग मूवी खेल तो अब शुरु होगा के प्रमोशन का कारवां राजधानी दिल्ली पहुंचा । प्रमोशन के लिए पहुंची फिल्म कि पुरी स्टार कास्ट रुसलान मुमताज़, देवशी खंडुरी, रोहित पाठक, खुशी शर्मा, डायरेक्टर कुणाल वी सिंह और प्रोड्यूसर महेश नरुला यहां मीडीया से मुखातिब हुए और फिल्म से जुडे अपने एक्सपीरियंस शेयर किए । फिल्म कहानी बैंक की लूट और लव स्टोरी के चारो तरफ घुमती है । रुसलान मुमताज़ ने फिल्म में एक बैंक चोर कि भुमिका निभाई है और अपने प्यार को किसी भी हाल में पाना चाहता है। 6 मई को रिलीज़ होने वाली इस फिल्म में लव, एक्शन और थ्रिल का भरपुर डोज़ है । इस फिल्म से रुसलान मुमताज़ बड़े परदे पर काफी समय के बाद वापसी कर रहे हैं, यह फिल्म प्रोड्यूसर महेश नरुला कि ड्रिम प्रोजेक्ट है। फिल्म की स्टार कास्ट को फिल्म के काफी उम्मीद है और सब का मानना है कि फिल्म बॅक्स औफिस पर कमाल करेगी।इस फिल्म के बारे में कलाकारो ने बताया फिल्मब इंडस्ट्री ही लोक कला और लोक संस्कृति को पुनर्स्थापित करने का एक सटीक माध्यम है, जिसके माध्यम से लोक कला और लोक संस्कृति को संरक्षित किया जा सकता है।हम लोगों ने ऐसी फिल्म बनाई है जो न सिर्फ लोक संस्कृति से जुड़ी है बल्कि इसे पूरा परिवार एक साथ बैठ कर देख सकता है।

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संगीत नाटक अकादेमी 2015 के लिए अकादेमी पुरस्कांर की घोषणा की।

नई दिल्ली,25 अप्रैल,आकाश द्विवेदी।संगीत, नृत्यए एवं नाटक की राष्ट्रीय अकादेमी-संगीत नाटक अकादेमी की महापरिषद की 20 अप्रैल को अगरतला, त्रिपुरा में सम्प न्न- बैठक में प्रदर्शन कला की मूर्धन्य विभूति । सी.वी. चंद्रशेखर को अकादेमी का रत्न- सदस्यी (अकादेमी फेलो) चुना गया। संगीत नाटक अकादेमी की रत्न 6 सदस्य्ता अकादेमी का सर्वोच्चम एवं विशिष्टक सम्मा न है जो एक अवधि में 40 गिनी चुनी कला विभूतियों तक ही सीमित रहता है। सम्प्रनति संगीत नाटक अकादेमी में 40 रत्ने सदस्यल हैं। अकादेमी की महापरिषद ने संगीत, नृत्यी, नाटक, पारम्पतरिक,लोक,जनजातीय संगीत, नृत्यम,रंगमंच और पुतुल कला और प्रदर्शन कलाओं में समग्र योगदान,विद्वत्ताम के क्षेत्र में वर्ष 2015 के संगीत नाटक अकादेमी पुरस्कार (अकादेमी अवार्ड) के लिए 43 कलाकारों का चयन किया। इन 43 कलाकारों में 2 संयुक्तर पुरस्काोर भी शामिल हैं।संगीत नाटक अकादेमी रत्नअ सदस्यकता (अकादेमी फेलो) 1954 से तथा अकादेमी पुरस्काषर (अकादेमी अवार्ड) वर्ष 1952 से दिये जा रहे हैं। ये सम्मावन न केवल राष्ट्री य स्तार पर उच्त् म गुणवत्ताे एवं उपलब्धियों के प्रतीक हैं अपितु कला जगत में प्रदर्शन, प्रशिक्षण एवं विद्वत्ताप के माध्य्म से उनके अथक योगदान की भी पहचान कराते हैं।

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DIPP appointing new examiners to speed up examining of patents, designs and trademarks applications: DIPP Secy.

NEW DELHI, 25 April,akash dwivedi: The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has laid down the roadmap for expediting the process of examining the applications of patents, designs and trademarks by appointing additional 458 new examiners and 263 contract examiners at various levels to clear the backlog. DIPP was making a conscious effort to bring down the timelines of examination of patents and trademarks to match them with the international standards. The applications were now being reviewed on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis. This was stated by Mr. Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, DIPP, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, while inaugurating a conference on ‘Intellectual Property: A Key Enabler for Strengthening India’s Business Landscape’ organized here today to commemorate the World Intellectual Property Day 2016, by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in association with Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and Intellectual Property Office (IPO). Mr. Abhishek said that DIPP was committed towards creating a highly transparent, e-enabled, efficient and accessible IP ecosystem in India that would provide legal certainty to the industry. He informed that the patent rules were being amended and start-ups were being given a heavy discount in patent fees and provided with free consultation to encourage entrepreneurship in the country. He said that IP was a critical element for protecting creativity and innovation. A strong IPR regime would create a suitable climate for foreign investors and would give them the much-needed assurance that their patents, designs and trademarks were being protected. India had received a record FDI in the last year; hence, a resilient IPR regime would attract more investors to the country. He added that a robust IPR system would also encourage new technology to come to India. Mr. Rajiv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, DIPP, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, said that IP and IPR had the power of unshackling the barriers faced by the economies around the globe. DIPP was committed towards ensuring a robust IPR regime for the country with a balanced outlook. He added that the IPR regime in India is being developed keeping in mind the interest of the businesses and the needs of the society. Dr. A Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI, said that the year 2016 marked a step forward for India in its IP history with the Indian leadership adequately recognizing the crucial role that intellectual property played in fostering innovation, accelerating growth and enhancing business competitiveness. Initiatives such as Make in India, Start-up India, Imprint India, and Digital India are further reinforcing this vibrant vision. Mr. O P Gupta, Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademark, Government of India, chaired a session on ‘Securing IP Edge for Business Growth and Competence’. The session focused on Startup India, Launch of (SIPP) Scheme for Start-Ups; IP audits, Patent Mapping, IP sensitive business models; and Identifying modes of Commercializing such as licensing, pooling, trading, prototyping, acquisitions& mergers. As a part of the World IP Week, FICCI organized an Annual Slogan & Poster Making Competition for all age groups across the country from April 13 to 20, 2016. The objective of the youth-focused competition was to instill respect for copyright among the youngsters by showcasing the issue of piracy which is eating away the genuine revenue of the copyright industry, thereby affecting the culture of creativity.

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Banks’ loss is NBFCs gain as risk aversion by govt lenders on rise: ASSOCHAM-PwC

With the public sector banks battling the mounting non-performing assets (NPAs) and losing their risk appetite, the non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) have a big growth opportunity knocking at their door, a joint ASSOCHAM-PwC paper stated “With the ongoing stress in the public sector banks due to mounting bad debt, their appetite to lend (especially in rural areas) is only going to deteriorate, thus providing NBFCs with the opportunity to increase their presence,” the paper noted. The stressed assets of the banks, mostly in the public sector, are estimated to have touched Rs 10 lakh crore at the end of the fourth quarter of the just concluded fiscal 2015-16. In the backdrop of a large exposure of the banks in the sectors suffering the most such as steel, infrastructure, power, their risk aversion is understandable. However, the ASSOCHAM-PwC paper said having scripted a great success story, their contribution to the economy has grown in leaps and bounds from 8.4 per cent in 2006 to above 14 per cent in March 2015. In terms of financial assets, NBFCs have recorded a healthy growth—a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19 per cent over the past few years—comprising 13 per cent of the financial assets and expected to reach nearly 18 per cent by 2018–19. “Moreover, with the banking system clearly constrained in terms of expanding their lending activities, the role of NBFCs becomes even more important now, especially when the government has a strong focus on promoting entrepreneurship so that India can emerge as a country of job creators instead of being one of jobseekers ,” ASSOCHAM President Mr Sunil Kanoria said. The success of NBFCs can be clearly attributed to their better product lines, lower cost, wider and effective reach, strong risk management capabilities to check and control bad debts, and better understanding of their customer segments. Not only have they shown success in their traditional bastions (passenger and commercial vehicle finance) but they have also managed to build substantial assets under management (AUM) in the personal loan and housing finance sector which have been the bread and butter for retail banks. “Going forward, the latent credit demand of an emerging India will allow NBFCs to fill the gap, especially where traditional banks have been wary to serve. Additionally, improving macroeconomic conditions, higher credit penetration, increased consumption and disruptive digital trends will allow NBFC’s credit to grow at a healthy rate of 7%–10% (real growth rate) over the next five years,” it said. Gradual economic recovery and proposed regulatory changes (scrapping of old commercial vehicles [CVs] and Bharat Stage [BS] VI pollution norms) will lead to an uptick in the overall CV segment, which in turn will drive growth in the pre-owned CV sector. In its foreword, the PwC said, in order for the NBFCs to realise their true potential in the economy, the regulatory framework must succeed in walking the thin line between under-regulation and over-regulation. With this objective, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has brought about a spate of reforms in the NBFC regulations. Regulations for smaller NBFCs which do not have systemic importance have been rationalised while, that for systemically important NBFCs have been continuously strengthened to make them at par with the global standards

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Earth Day was observed by Delhi Government

Earth Day was observed by Delhi Government on Friday at the Delhi Secretariat. On the Spot Poster Competition on Odd-Even Scheme and Air Pollution was organized among the students. Environment Minister, Sh. Imran Hussain graced the occasion and gave away prizes to the participants. Students from DAV, Pushpanjali Enclave performed a Nukkad Natak on Odd-Even & Air Pollution It is important to note here that the Delhi Govt. has established more than 2000 Eco-Clubs in various schools and colleges for sensitizing budding citizens of the society about the various aspects of environment protection and control of pollution in various forms. Speaking on the occasion Sh. Imran Hussain appreciated the efforts of School children and their parents in making Odd Even Drive of Delhi Government a success. The Minister informed that implementation of Odd Even drive, massive tree plantation, regular review of the action taken by stakeholder Departments against violators found indulging in burning of dry leaves, waste material, plastic etc. in open as well as the owners and builders violating dust control measures while carrying out construction activities has helped in checking air pollution. Sh. Hussain also informed that neighboring states have been requested to regulate the operation of 4000 Odd brick kilns. Neighboring states have also been requested to restrict burning of agriculture residue as the pollution does not recognize geographical boundaries and such instances of burning increase the air pollution in the entire National Capital Region. The Minister also encouraged the children as well as appealed to citizens of Delhi to lend a helping hand in the efforts of Govt. of Delhi for reducing the ill effects of pollution and protecting the environment.

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Green Infrastructure Investment Coalition and Terra Watt Initiative released Solar Investment Statement supporting International Solar Alliance Finance Goal

NEW YORK/LONDON 22 April 2016: Global investor associations and the Green Infrastructure Investment Coalition (GIIC), representing over USD 60 trillion of assets under management, have pledged their support for the International Solar Alliance (ISA) objective of mobilizing USD 1 trillion investment in photovoltaic power generation assets in member countries by 2030. In a Solar Investor Statement released at the Terrawatt Initiative (TWI)/International Solar Alliance, “Trillion Dollar Opportunity” Roundtable in New York on April 22nd the groups have undertaken to support the swift mobilization of billions in capital for solar investments. On the release of the Solar Investor statement, Dr A Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI and GIIC Member stated that “GIIC has the potential to galvanize long term funds which would be a significant game changer for solar energy applications. TWI and GIIC can together mobilize quantum investments that can match the needs and expectations of the International Solar Alliance.” The joint goal of GIIC and TWI is to create investment structures that meet the risk and yield requirements of institutional investors, and the promotion of suitable financial instruments that will accelerate investment in solar to the capital levels the International Solar Alliance is seeking to achieve. FICCI along with 11 other organizations formed the Green Infrastructure Investment Coalition at COP 21 Climate Summit in Dec 2015 at Paris. The Coalition aims to bring together investors, governments and development banks to help increase the flow of institutional investor capital to green infrastructure investments around the world. In January 2016, FICCI signed a MoU with Terrawatt Initiative (TWI) seeking for a global common market of affordable solar power during the sidelines of the visit of President of the Republic of France, in presence of Hon’ble Finance Minister of France H. E. Mr. Michel Sapin. Accelerating solar and other low carbon finance opportunities requires institutional investors, including insurance companies and pension funds to work with stakeholder groups in establishing common goals. In this reference, a strategic alignment driven by the partnership between TWI and the GIIC around ISA solar objectives is a signal to global investors around the massive opportunities in solar energy and long term solar commitments. In the run- up to this, FICCI under the aegis of GIIC and in partnership with the Climate Bonds Initiative is organizing high-level Roundtable Sessions to discuss the practical aspects of accessing international Green Finance pools, with a specific focus on Green Bonds in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Smart Cities in first week of May at New Delhi. As one of the founding members of GIIC, Fiona Reynolds, CEO of PRI, a leading international responsible investment organisation reaffirmed that “PRI is committed to supporting signatories who are looking to address climate change in their portfolios. In transitioning to a low carbon environment, a move towards green infrastructure investments is a sensible response for investors. The PRI believes that the Green Infrastructure Investment Coalition can bring solar investment opportunities and investors together and become a key component of a low carbon investment strategy.” Mindy Lubber, President, Ceres and Director of INCR said that “Scaling up global investment in solar power is critical to achieving the Clean Trillion goal of expanding clean energy investment by an additional $1 trillion per year -- the level needed to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming to well below two degrees Celsius. Through this important new initiative solar power deals can be structured to provide attractive investment opportunities that meet the needs of institutional investors.” Shaun Tarbuck, CEO of ICMIF an insurance federation representing insurers in 70 countries, with collectively, US$9 trillion under management and one of the founding members of GIIC stated that “Accelerating solar finance opportunities requires institutional investors, including insurance companies and pension funds to work with stakeholder groups in establishing common goals. Having alignment between the Terrawatt Initiative and the GIIC around ISA solar objectives is a signal to global investors around long term solar commitments”.

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Today the Government is talking about uncontrolled tariff buses but tomorrow the effect may fall on local taxies & auto who too will demand uncontrolled tariff plying-Satish Upadhyay

New Delhi, 22nd April. Reacting on the announcement of Premium Bus Service made by Delhi Government, Delhi BJP President Shri Satish Upadhyay has said that now it is clear that Kejriwal Government is bent upon breaking down D.T.C. and to take back Delhi to the Blue Line phase better known as Killer Lines. It also appears that Kejriwal Government is eying upon passing on the present individually plying Chartered Bus Services business to the corporate sector, obviously with some nefarious collusion. Shri Upadhyay has said that when Kejriwal Government came to power it showed the dreams of bringing more DTC Buses but it made no effort to increase the buses and today’s announcement of premium bus service the Kejriwal Government’s passion for Corporate sector stands exposed. It is beyond apprehension that on one hand Government wants to reduce traffic on the roads while on the other it is announcing hundreds of uncontrolled buses. Howsoever idealistic announcement the Government may make today but ultimately the days of blue line buses rushing around seem to be coming back. Today the Government is talking about uncontrolled tariff buses but tomorrow the effect may fall on local taxies & auto who too will demand uncontrolled tariff plying ultimately making travel costly for the common man.

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North DMC would raise revenue of approximately Rs. 8000 crore in 2016-17

akash dwivedi,Standing Committee Chairman of North Delhi Municipal Corporation Mr. Mohan Bhardwaj today said that the total revenue of the civic body for the financial year 2016-17 would be Rs. 8000 crore rather than Rs. 6000 crore as estimated due to steps taken by the Corporation. He said that for commercial utilization of various municipal properties complexes, shopping complexes, car parking, multi-storey buildings would be developed at Model Town, Azadpur, Dhaka, Minto Road, etc. He said these properties would be leased out for additional revenue. Mr. Bhardwaj said that as per the recommendations of 3rd and 4th Finance Commissions, the Corporation is due to receive total funds of more than Rs. 1000 crore upto financial year 2016-17. He said that it is expected that Rs. 1000 crore can be raised by concluding the process of making the municipal properties freehold in this financial year. He said that reform in property tax collection is also likely to improve financial condition of the Corporation. Mr. Bhardwaj said that North DMC would set an example by becoming financial independent municipal body.

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BSF ORGANISES ANNUAL GOVERNING BODY MEETING OF TEAR SMOKE UNIT

Akash Dwivedi,The 37th Annual Governing Body Meeting of the Tear Smoke Unit (TSU) of Border Security Force was held at BSF HQrs, New Delhi today under the chairmanship of Sh K K Sharma, IPS, Director General, Border Security Force. The meeting was attended by senior officers from BPR&D, CRPF, MHA, Delhi Police, State Police, Ordnance Factories Board, Ministry of Finance. Sh. Anil Kumar, IPS, IG (Provisioning) welcomed the delegates and Shri Edwin John Bennet, DIG/General Manager, Tear Smoke Unit presented the report on TSU highlighting the achievements. In his inaugural address, Sh. K K Sharma, DG BSF informed that, the Tear Smoke Unit established in Tekanpur, Gwalior has completed more than 39 years of momentous service to the Nation and has come a long way since its humble beginning in May 1976. DG BSF congratulated the management of TSU for continuing with the past tradition of ensuring highest standards of quality, timely production, introducing innovations and improvement in the field of non-lethal munitions. Indigenous production of non-lethal munitions by TSU has nullified countries dependence on foreign munition. Shri K K Sharma, DG BSF further informed that, TSU has lived up to its expectation and achieved the record production of 5.1 lakh nos. of Tear Smoke Munitions in 2015-16, which shows the efficiency of the motivated unit to achieve higher goals. TSU is a ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 14001 : 2004 Certified unit producing 20 types of non-lethal munitions matching global standards and cater for the 100% requirement of all State Police and Armed Forces of the country. In 2015-16 Police Forces have lifted more than 5.03 lakh non-lethal munitions and the major chunk by Police from Gujarat and J&K. TSU provides wide range of products which enable law enforcing agencies to handle various challenging law & order situations. Products broadly include lachrymatory munitions, Stun munitions, impact munitions and customized munitions for special operations. As the products are Bio-safe, non-lethal and complying to international standards, timely and proper utilization of these munitions have saved valuable human lives and crores worth public assets. TSU is having a dynamic and dedicated R&D division which has successfully designed and developed, flash-bang with irritant, high volume chilli spray, Single shell triple effect grenade and customized colour Smoke grenades of yellow, Green and Red for multifarious use. Tear Smoke Unit, Tekanpur also has displayed their products in the last exhibition “India International Security Expo-2015” at PragatiMaidan New Delhi in Oct 2015 and also in BSF Golden Jubilee Exhibition at JawaharLal Nehru Stadium, Lodhi Road New Delhi in Nov 2015.

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Heart Care Foundation of India celebrates World Earth Day 2016

New Delhi, April 22,akash dwivedi, Heart Care Foundation of India, a leading national non-profit organization jointly with Indian Medical Association, the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India today celebrated World Earth Day. On the occasion, various inter school activities were organised at H.M.DAV Sr. Secondary School, Daryaganj, the co-host school. The theme for this year’s celebrations was “Caring Mother Earth” and students from 20 schools were seen participating in competitions including slogan writing, painting and model display. The underlying message of the event was the importance of preserving one’s environment and its close link with living a healthy life. Speaking at the event, Dr K K Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India and Hon. Secretary General, Indian Medical Association said, “We at Heart Care Foundation of India have been celebrating World Earth Day since almost three decades. This year we have dedicated ourselves to raising awareness about how preserving one’s environment is key to preventing diseases and living a long and healthy life. The 21st century is being faced with environmental emergencies such as global warming, increase in the occurance of natural disasters, changing weather patterns that can have disastrous consequences in the future. It is the duty of every person to live an environment friendly life by saving water and electricity, using solar options where possible and reducing noise pollution. We need to promote good practices such as walking and cycling instead of using cars to move around when possible, using public modes of transport and reducing pollution which is the leading cause of lifestyle diseases in today’s date and age. We are thankful to Ministry of Earth Sciences abd H.M. DAV School for their relentless support and hope that we can together continue to make a difference. Co-host of the event R K Tiwari, Principal, H.M.DAV School, Daryaganj, said, “We are glad to be associated with Heart Care Foundation of India for the event. Children are the future of our country. Considering the serious environmental concerns that the world is facing, it is important to create awareness among them about ways to protect our surrounding. We always believe in propagating futuristic thinking for our students. Today’s activities would make the students think about the various environmental problems and come up with means to tackle them.” Different competitions for students belonging to middle (6th to 8th) and senior classes (9th to 12th standard) were held. Students from middle classes participated in a painting competition and slogan writing. The young artists displayed imagination at its best and their painitngs will be displayed around the school for others to see and learn. Senior school students designed models, created paintings displaying important save environmental practices as well as wrote catchy slogans. Winners from each category were awarded and participation certificates were handed over to each and every participant.

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One River, Many Stories Dia Mirza takes you on a fascinating journey along the Ganges on ‘Ganga- The Soul of India’ on Living Foodz

Akash Dwivedi। Actor and environmental conservationist, Dia Mirza will take viewers of Living Foodz on a breath-taking journey along the vibrant Ganges through ‘Ganga - The Soul of India’, which is slated to launch on May 1. Dia makes her debut on Indian television with the show. The landmark show marks an important milestone for the premium lifestyle channel, which has consistently pushed the boundaries of food and entertainment since its launch in September 2015. Ganga - The Soul of India gives viewers a peek into the fascinating legacy that is shaped by the country’s longest river. It explores all that the river has to offer, including the people, history, mythology, anthropology, adventure, music and of course the cuisine animated by its revered waters. "It is impossible for me to encapsulate in a sentence the boundless joy, the learning, the discovery, the adventure "Ganga -The Soul of India" has brought to my life. For those seeking to define the idea of India, this is the journey to be a part of!”says Dia. “Travelling is an enriching experience that often remains etched in our memories forever. Ganga - The Soul of India will give our viewers a never-before opportunity to experience the culture, history and cuisine offered along the banks of the sacred Ganges through the eyes of Dia Mirza, who is an ardent traveller. We could not think of a better concept and host to marry the ideas of travel and culture in the Indian context.” saysAmit Nair, Business

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Over 50 Indian Pharma Machinery & Equipment Manufacturers to Participate in INTERPHEX 2016

NEW DELHI, 22 April,AKASH DWIVEDI। Over 50 companies from India, ranging from equipment manufacturing to packaging in the pharmaceutical sector will participate in the ‘India Pavilion’ at the International Pharmaceutical Expo (INTERPHEX) in New York (USA) from 26-28 April 2016. The “India Pavilion” is being organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, under the Market Access Initiative Scheme of the Government. Strongly underlining Quality Healthcare for the World, the India Pavilion will be inaugurated in the presence of Ms Riva Ganguly Das, Consul General of India, New York. The INTERPHEX, 2016, is a premier event dedicated to pharmaceutical and biotechnology innovation, technology and knowledge. It has emerged as a crucial platform for showcasing the latest innovation and technologies throughout all phases of the product lifecycle, including pharma manufacturing and processing technology, bioprocess pharmaceutical systems and services. This year the focus will be on the pharmaceutical machinery and equipments manufacturing sector and pharmaceuticals packaging. Welcoming FICCI’s presence at the INTERPHEX 2016, Dr. A Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI said, “This India Pavilion initiative at INTERPHEX 2016 comes at a time when the potential of the pharmaceutical industry in India is attracting global attention and the Government’s “Make in India” programme is gaining recognition in the country and outside. I am sure this initiative will go a long way in creating a strong global brand proposition for the Indian pharmaceutical machinery and equipments manufacturing sector.” The Indian pharmaceutical industry has witnessed explosive growth driven by the pharmaceutical machinery and equipments manufacturing sector which is growing at 14 per cent CAGR. Burgeoning demand for pharmaceutical products within the country and overseas is propelling the growth of the pharma machinery market in India which is now emerging as a manufacturing hub and gaining recognition as a global destination for vaccines, bio-services and increasingly for contract manufacturing, especially biosimilars. “INTERPHEX has established itself as an excellent meeting place for pharmaceutical manufacturers and their suppliers,” said Mr Ajit Singh, Chairman, ACG Worldwide. “It is therefore most appropriate for FICCI to join hands with INTERPHEX to promote the export of products from India,” he added. India currently exports pharmaceutical machinery and equipment to over 80 countries globally, with the USA, UK, Middle East, EU catering as key export destinations. About 800 pharmaceutical equipment and machinery manufacturing units serve the demand of a $ 30 bn domestic pharmaceutical industry. The industry shows high potential with capacity addition for generics production in the country and sales to newer export markets fuelling growth in the pharma machinery market in India. As the global demand for generics continues to grow and more investments are expected to flow in this segment, paving way for a significant expansion of this industry. The ‘India Pavilion’ at INTERPHEX 2016 will showcase the highly diversified strength of the pharmaceutical machinery sector - from companies that manufacture metal detectors for various applications to companies manufacturing tablet compression machine, machinery for ointments, liquids and bioceutical processing equipments, diagnostic instruments, blood screening instruments, high-speed tablet compression machines to unique capsule-fillers capable of filling powders, pellets, tablets and liquids in hard capsules and to companies manufacturing equipments for the pharmaceutical oncology market. There will also be significant representation of pharmaceutical companies in plant design consultancy and related service. An important feature of the “India Pavilion” at INTERPHEX 2016 will be the B2B sessions which will give Indian businesses a platform for networking and business development in the USA, facilitate business alliances and joint ventures among Indian and US companies and identify some focus areas which requires a targeted approach for building commercial linkages.

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CM must call Special Session of Vidhan Sabha to legislate strong laws to curb commercialization of education, exploitation of parents and arbitrary increase in fees by public schools

AKASH DWIVEDI,Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha, Sh. Vijender Gupta today urged the Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal to call a Special Session of the Vidhan Sabha to legislate strong laws to curb commercialization of education, exploitation of parents, arbitrary increase in fees etc. by public schools. Mr. Gupta said that despite Kejriwal Governments’ propaganda, the public schools continue to unscrupulously exploit parents. The Government has so far only issued misleading advertisements and statements but has actually miserably failed to come out with any effective legislation against the exploiting public schools. The Government in its advertisements refers to the Order of the Hon’ble High Court dated 19th January 2016. According to this, the public schools cannot increase fees without prior approval of the Government. But Delhi Government has conveniently hidden the fact that this Order is applicable only to those 200 schools only which were provided land at concessional rates by the DDA. The fact is that there are about 2000 public schools in Delhi out of which only 200 are covered by the above order. It is strange that the Government has made no legislation so far to exercise control over these schools. Therefore, said Mr. Gupta, the parents are under compulsion to be looted by public schools. The last date for depositing fees in private schools is 30th April. Dy. Chief Minister –cum-Education Minister is asking parents not to deposit the increased fees. The parents fail to understand what to do in such a situation. Will Mr. Sisodia be able to safeguard interest of parents who do not deposit increased fees by following his dictate? Mr. Gupta further informed that the Delhi Vidhan Sabha had passed a Bill in November 2015 under the title Delhi Schools [Verification of Accounts and Return of Excess Fees] Bill, 2015. It had stipulated that there will be no action against schools that increase fee but the Government will only examine their accounts. It is contrary to the present stand taken by the Government. Leader of Opposition said that it is essential to call a Special Session to legislate strong laws against all public schools and iron out the contradiction within the pending Bill and the present stand of the Government.

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Telenor celebrates World Book Day by donating around 10000 books for under-privileged children

Food 4 Thought Foundation to use the books to open 25 libraries in the next 100 days NEW DELHI,AKASH DWIVEDI, 2016: To celebrate the love for reading and joy of giving Telenor India did a book collection drive on World Book Day. The campaign, ‘Book for Smiles’, was launched in partnership with Food 4 Thought Foundation and encouraged Telenor employees to support this noble cause by donating books. Around 10000 books were collected across Telenor’s six circles. The books from this collection drive will help Food 4 Thought Foundation, a non-profit organization working to bring social change through books. The foundation will also open another 25 libraries in schools, communities and hospitals across India in the coming 100 days. On this occasion, Pooja Thakran, Chief Communication Officer and Social Responsibility Head, Telenor India said, “With a population where the school dropout rate is the highest and just one-third of the population having access to read, it is important to encourage the habit of reading and make access of good reading material available to the unprivileged. Telenor India organized a book donation drive across all its offices and stores to collect books for their NGO partners to inspire children with interesting reading material and to spread the message of - Knowledge is Power. Every book donated will have an impact on enhancing the literacy levels and instill the habit of reading amongst children”. To increase access to books and promote learning levels among under-privileged children, Telenor joined hands with Food 4 Thought Foundation to collect books. As part of the campaign, collection boxes were placed at over 50 locations including Telenor circle offices and retail outlets. The contributions included new and old books of diverse genres such as education, comics, fiction, children and science. Through this activity of collecting books, the foundation will be able to set up multiple facilities promoting the habit of reading and encouraging children with better knowledge. “We are extremely happy and proud to work with Telenor India on their 'Books for Smile' campaign. We sincerely thank Telenor for supporting our cause and helping the Foundation take a giant leap towards opening multiple libraries in a short span of time and for bringing smiles to a wide range of book lovers. We hope that other corporates also join in for such drives & support the Foundation,” said Madhavi Sharma, director, Food 4 Thought Foundation. As a company focused on promoting child rights through multiple efforts, Telenor India has worked towards building resilience amongst school children through safe online training named WebWise. The company had also made efforts in the past to create awareness on Anti-Child Labour Day and has consistently driven the message of not employing minors as labour. Telenor India initiated the book collection drive last year and distributed 10000 books. In the second year of organizing the Book donation drive, Telenor India employees yet again volunteered & went out collecting books and encouraging children to promote reading habit.

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Yamaha observes Fire Service Week

New Delhi, April 22,Akash Dwivedi, In an effort to promote awareness on fire safety among its employees, India Yamaha Motor (IYM) observed the Fire Service Week during April 14-20th across its plants in Greater Noida, Faridabad and Chennai. The national theme for this year is to “Prevent Fire Accident- Promote Nation’s Development.” For the purpose, IYM organized various activities at its plants and offices. The Fire Safety banners were displayed at conspicuous locations and training on Fire Fighting was conducted for the nominated fire safety coordinators to get them acquainted with the basic fire-fighting equipment. Fire Drills were also conducted with the objective of checking the emergency preparedness & response plan in case of an emergency situation. During Fire Drill, mock scenario of fire is created & emergency plan is rehearsed to check the readiness of the Emergency Response Team. In addition, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Wearing Competition and Fire Safety Quiz were also organized. The activities helped every individual realize the importance of properly controlled Fire and the need to prevent, control, contain & mitigate any untoward incident at the work place. As a responsible Corporate, Yamaha has always laid emphasis on its commitment towards excellence in Safety. Fire Service Week is observed every year in all the IYM plants to enhance Fire Safety awareness among the employees. The Fire Service Week is observed nation-wide during this period in remembrance of the lives lost in the devastating fire that erupted and the explosions that followed on 14th April, 1944 at the Victoria Dock in the Bombay Port and also to prevent fire in all industries.

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