Junior Digest

Visakhapatnam : Investments worth over Rs 2.82 lakh crore were commissioned in Andhra Pradesh in the past one year and the state aspires to clock a 15 per cent growth rate next fiscal, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said today.

Inviting businesses to invest in sectors like minerals, infrastructure and railways, Naidu said the state aspires to make it to the list of top 10 states in global rankings for ease of doing business.

“India is growing at 7.2 per cent, Andhra Pradesh’s growth rate is 12.23 per cent. This year onwards, we want to reach 15 per cent… As of today, we are number one in Ease of Doing Business ranking in India by World Bank and DIPP. We want to be among top 10 in the world in ease of doing business,” Naidu said at the Investment Summit here.

The Chief Minister said at the summit last year that the state had signed 328 MoUs worth Rs 4.67 lakh crore, which created employment for 9.58 lakh people. Further, 927 projects have come entailing investments of Rs 5.03 lakh crore with an employment potential of 10.05 lakh.

“So far, we are able to materialise… nearly Rs 659 projects have been cleared and Rs 2.82 lakh crore investments have come to Andhra Pradesh in last one year, this is the biggest investment. No other State has got this investment. We are in close competition with Gujarat,” Naidu said.

Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated with the creation of a separate state of Telangana in June 2014.

As per the World Bank and DIPP report released in October 2016, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had jointly dislodged Gujarat to emerge as the best states to do business in the country.

In 2015 Index, Gujarat featured at the top, with Andhra Pradesh grabbing the second position and Telangana 13th.

New Delhi : President Pranab Mukherjee today batted strongly for simultaneous elections to Parliament and Assemblies and backed the demonetisation drive, two issues on which the Government has focused its attention.

He asked the Election Commission to carry forward the idea of simultaneous polls in consultation with political parties.

In his Republic Day eve address to the Nation, the President also asserted that the country’s strength lies in is pluralism and diversity and that India has traditionally celebrated the argumentative” Indian; not the “intolerant” Indian.

“Multiple views, thoughts and philosophies have competed with each other peacefully for centuries in our country. A wise and discerning mind is necessary for democracy to flourish,” he said.

Mukherjee underlined that strengths of India democracy but cautioned against disruptions in Parliament and State Assemblies.

“We have a noisy democracy. Yet, we need more and not less of democracy,” he said.

But, he said, it is right time to acknowledge that systems are not perfect and those imperfections have to be recognised and rectified.

“The settled complacencies have to be questioned. The edifice of trust has to be strengthened. The time is also ripe for a constructive debate on electoral reforms and a return to the practise of the early decades after independence when elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies were held simultaneously.

“It is for the Election Commission to take this exercise forward in consultation with political parties,” Mukherjee said.

The President said the depth and breadth of Indian democracy sparkles in the regular elections being held in panchayati raj institutions.

“And yet, our legislatures lose sessions to disruptions when they should be debating and legislating on issues of importance. Collective efforts must be made to bring the focus back to debate, discussion and decision-making,” he said.

On demonetisation, the President said it may have led to “temporary” slowdown in economy but will bring more transparency in the system.

“Demonetisation, while immobilising black money and fighting corruption, may have led to temporary slowdown of economic activity. As more and more transactions become cashless, it will improve the transparency of the economy,” Mukherjee said.

New Delhi, Jan 25 : Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli was among the eight sportspersons who were today picked for the prestigious Padma Shri, the country’s fourth highest civilian award.

Besides Kohli, the seven other sportspersons named for the award are Rio Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik, Paralympians Mariyappan Thangavelu and Deepa Malik, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Indian hockey captain P R Sreejesh, discus thrower Vikas Gowda and blind cricket team captain Shekar Naik.

Kohli recently took over as the captain of the Indian cricket team in all the three formats of the game after Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down as skipper of the limited-overs side. The prolific batsman is among the most feared batsmen in world cricket right now.

Sakshi Malik won a bronze in the women’s 58kg wrestling while Thangavelu and Deepa Malik bagged a gold and silver in the men’s high jump T-42 and women’s shot put F53 categories respectively at the Rio Paralympics.

Dipa Karmakar finished fourth in women’s vault gymnastic event in Rio Olympics while Sreejesh was the captain of the Indian hockey side that reached the quarterfinals.

Gowda, the reigning Commonwealth and Asian champion, failed to advance beyond the qualifying round in men’s discus throw in Rio.

The eight sportspersons were among 89 Padma Awardees announced by the government on the eve of the Republic Day.

There were no sportspersons in the list of Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awardees.

New Delhi, Jan 25 :  Suspecting the possibility of sabotage in the recent spate of train derailments, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking a detailed probe by the National Investigating Agency into the incidents.

In a letter dated January 23 to the Home Minister, Prabhu sought an NIA probe into the recent spate of train mishaps and listed six incidents of “possibility of criminal interference by outsiders”.

In the letter, he made a mention of Hirakhand Express derailment near Kuneru station in Andhra Pradesh, two goods trains that went off the track earlier this month on the Koraput-Kirandul section, “cooker bomb” at Ghorasahan station, detection of deep cuts on tracks near Kanpur on January 1 and the obstruction on tracks on a rail bridge between Barauni-Samastipur stations on Monday.

Citing the derailment of Indore-Patna Express in Kanpur in which around 150 people were killed, he said: “Bihar police unearthed a conspiracy to train some persons in the country to tamper with railway tracks to cause train derailments and (their) possible involvement in the accident near Kanpur.”

“Requesting all to be extra vigilant to foil nefarious designs of these anti-people elements trying to subvert system, dastardly inhuman acts(sic),” Prabhu tweeted today.

The minister has also directed railway security personnel to be careful and asked the public to give information of any unusual activity by anti-national elements near stations to law enforcement agencies.

On January 1, Railway Protection Force Director General SK Bhagat had written to the CBI requesting for a probe into the suspected involvement of outsiders in making deep cuts on tracks near Kalyanpur, Mandhana stations near Kanpur.

There is a marked increase in derailments in the recent past with strong indications of “outside interference” on track to derail trains on busy routes, according to railways.

A major mishap was averted last night by an alert loco pilot of Jan Shatabdi Express who saw a 15-feet rail piece on the track and stopped the train near Diwa in Mumbai.

Dubai, Jan 25 :  Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, would light up tonight in tri-colours – saffron, white and green – to mark 68th Republic Day of India.

“Tonight we celebrate India’s 68th Republic Day with a spectacular LED illumination of the Indian National flag on #BurjKhalifa! #India,” the official Twitter account of Burj Khalifa tweeted in both English and Arabic languages.

The building in Dubai, which stands at 823 metres, was named in honour of the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the UAE.

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade tomorrow.

Anyone who cannot respect Dutch customs can leave, the country’s prime minister has warned weeks ahead of the country’s general election.

In a full-page message published in several newspapers, Mark Rutte said “we have to actively defend our values” against those who refuse to integrate or act antisocially.

Allahabad, Jan 24 : The Allahabad High Court today directed the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that no fresh caste certificates are issued to those belonging to 17 Other Backward Classes (OBC) groups which the state cabinet had last month decided to include among the Scheduled Castes.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice D B Bhosle and Justice Yashwant Verma passed the order on a public interest litigation filed by a Gorakhpur-based organisation Dr Ambedkar Granthalaya Evam Jan Kalyan Samiti, challenging the Akhilesh Yadav government’s decision to include the 17 OBC groups in SC catergory.

The move was criticised by opposition parties as a populist step taken by the ruling Samajwadi Party ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.

Appearing on behalf of the state government, Advocate General Vijay Bahadur Singh submitted that the recommendation of the state government has been sent to the Centre for approval by Parliament and in the meantime no fresh caste certificates have been issued in the light of the notification.

The court, while issuing the direction, also asked the state government to file its counter affidavit within two weeks.

Earlier, hearing a PIL raising similar objection over the state government’s move on January 12, the court had sought reply from the state government and fixed February 9 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

New Delhi : “Justice is not blind and nor do the courts wear blinkers,” Delhi High Court has said while coming down hard on a man for keeping his 94-year-old mother “out of her own home” for 16 years by engaging her in litigation over possession of the house built by her.

While imposing costs of Rs 5.3 lakh on the son, Justice Hima Kohli said litigants like him “seem to be harbouring an impression that by engaging in prolonged litigation, they would not only manage to deprive the lawful owner of the right to enjoy her premises, the said litigation will also give them a handle to occupy the same for a song”.

“It is high time that such devious attempts are curbed and clipped,” the court said while directing the son, Harish Relan, to pay the amount within four weeks.

The court said some litigants “remain under a misconception” that since the statue of Lady Justice has blindfolds, “the justice system turns a blind eye to false, vexatious and frivolous claims and defences”.

Clarifying that the blindfold “personifies impartiality and objectivity and signifies that justice should be meted out without fear or favour, regardless of money, wealth, fame, power or identity”, the judge said that “courts are not influenced by the background, connections, status, power or authority of a claimant or a defendant”.

“Similarly, the set of scales (held by the statue) are symbolic of measuring the strength of a case’s support and the double-edged sword is an embodiment of the power of reason and justice that must be wielded either for or against any party,” it said.

The court, in its 53-page verdict, also said that one of the reasons for “docket explosion” was “vexatious, frivolous and mischievous litigation being brought in by litigants, who for their vested interest, make every effort to perpetuate the lis at the costs of the opposite side”.

“The appellant/defendant before this court is a litigant of such an ilk,” it said after noting that Harish had first filed a suit against his mother and siblings seeking one-fifth share in the property at Jungpura in South Delhi that was left to the mother by all of the children in 1999, by way of a relinquishment deed.

Donald Trump has signed an executive order calling for a “large physical barrier” between the US and Mexico – the order will jump-start the process of building the wall, which was one of the President’s primary campaign promises.

“So badly needed. You folks know how badly needed it is as a help… I believe the steps we will take, starting right now, will improve the safety of both of our countries,” Mr Trump said at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “A nation without borders is not a nation. Beginning today, the United States gets back control of its borders – gets back its borders.”

He is also expected to take actions this week to limit legal immigration – including more rigorous restrictions to refugee acceptance (an already intense process) and blocking the issuance of visas to people from Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

“Big day planned on national security tomorrow,” Mr Trump tweeted on Tuesday night. “Amoung [sic] many other things, we will build the wall.”

The President signed the orders during a ceremony at DHS headquarters, honouring the newly confirmed Gen John Kelly as director.

IT major Wipro Limited on Tuesday announced that T K Kurien, Executive Vice Chairman and Member of the Board will retire on January 31, 2017.

The company had announced the elevation of Kurien as Executive Vice Chairman with the appointment of Abidali Z Neemuchwala as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director a year ago. Stating that Kurien has been an integral part of the organization’s leadership for years, Wipro Limited Chairman Azim Premji said he has played a vital role in building and scaling many of Wipro’s successful businesses, besides spearheading the company’s transformation into a future ready organization.

“TK (Kurien) and Abid have worked together over the past 12 months to complete a smooth and effective transition.In the past year, TK and Abid have charted out a new technology roadmap and further deepened our client relationships besides scaling our big bets in automation, artificial intelligence and digital,” Premji said. This seamless transition has allowed TK to advance his retirement from the previously planned date by two months, Wipro said in a release.

Popularly known as TK with in industry circles, Kurien served Wipro as its CEO from February 2011 to January 2016. “I consider myself deeply honored and privileged to have been a part of this organisation. Together, we launched and led businesses to global recognition. We have grown manifold and are today a partner of choice for several marquee names around the world,” Kurien said.

Abidali Z Neemuchwala, who succeeded Kurien as CEO, said it has been a privilege and honor to work closely with TK, calling him an exceptional leader gifted with sharp intellect and an uncanny ability to sense technology trends well ahead of time. “His abiding interest in history and deep understanding of finance gives him a rare perspective beyond the technology landscape. I wish him the very best,” he added.

Nikki Haley was sworn-in as America’s Ambassador to the United Nations, scripting history to become the first from the influential Indian- American community to serve on a Cabinet rank position in any US presidential administration. The 45-year-old former South Carolina Governor Haley was been sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence. Haley, a rising Republican star, was approved overwhelmingly by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with wide bipartisan support, 96-4. She will replace Samantha Power. Haley turned in her resignation as South Carolina governor minutes after she was confirmed as President Donald Trump’s Cabinet pick.

The two-term governor faced questions from Democrats over her lack of experience with global affairs but won plaudits from senators for her handling of prickly issues like Russia and UN actions toward Israel during her confirmation hearings.

She is the first woman to be confirmed to Trump’s Cabinet. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Haley is a proven leader who will be a “fierce advocate” at the UN for American interests.

With this, Haley becomes the first Indian-American to serve in a presidential administration at a Cabinet level position.

While nominating her, Trump had said, “Governor Haley has a proven track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation to move critical policies forward for the betterment of her state and our country.

“She is also a proven deal-maker, and we look to be making plenty of deals. She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage,” Trump had said. Haley has already created history by becoming the first women Indian-American Governor of a US State.

After Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, she is only the second ever Indian-American to be elected as the Governor of a State. Haley would now be replaced by Lt Gov Henry McMaster as governor and will complete her term that ends in 2018. “Governor Haley appears up to the task and seems to understand this as well,” said Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as he voted to approve Haley’s nomination as the next US Ambassador to the UN.

“What Governor Haley lacks in foreign policy and international affairs experience, she makes up for in capability, intelligence, and a track record of building coalitions in South Carolina,” Cardin said.

Once a fierce critic of Trump, Haley in November was selected as the first woman and first minority to serve in the Trump Administration.

The daughter of Indian immigrants from Punjab, Haley had said she wouldn’t support one of Trump’s major campaign proposals to create a registry of Muslims in the US and a ban on Muslim immigration and travel but suggested the administration’s views had changed on the issue.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, whose tenure was to end on January 28, on Monday got a one-year extension.

The nod for the extension of his tenure till January 28, 2018 was given by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, official sources said. A 1977-IFS batch officer, Jaishankar was appointed Foreign Secretary on January 29, 2015 just few days before his retirement replacing Sujata Singh, whose term was abruptly curtailed by the government.

With Jaishankar getting the extension, many senior diplomats including India’s ambassador to Italy Anil Wadhwa (1979-batch) and Secretary (West) Sujata Mehta (1980-batch) will retire without getting a shot at the top position. India’s ambassador to China, Vijay Gokhale, seen as one of the main contenders to replace Jaishankar, is retiring in the end of January 2019. And with Jaishankar getting a one-year term, it leaves Gokhale in the race for the top diplomatic position in the External Affairs Ministry.

The coming month will also see a number of key appointments in the External Affairs Ministry with Vikas Swarup, Additional Secretary and Spokesperson in the Ministry, on his way to Canada as High Commissioner. He is waiting for his official agreement to come from Ottawa which is likely by the month end. The post is lying vacant after Vishnu Prakash retired in October.

Swarup is expected to be replaced by Gopal Baglay, currently looking after (Pakistan-Iran-Afghanistan) in the ministry. Baglay has earlier also had a stint in the XP division of the MEA as Director from 2008 to 2010. In first half of 2017, ambassadorial positions will also open up in several key countries including Germany and Nepal.

The Election Commission on Monday night gave its nod to the Centre to present the Union Budget on February 1 ahead of the Assembly polls, but said no schemes related to these poll-bound states can be announced and the Finance Minister’s speech should not refer to the government’s achievements in these states.

It also reminded the government of a 2009 advisory which said vote-on-account instead of a full fledged budget is presented ahead of elections as per convention. “The Commission hereby directs that in the interest of free and fair elections and in order to maintain level playing field… no state-specific schemes shall be announced which may have the effect of influencing the electors of the five poll going states in favour of the ruling parties,” the EC told Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha.

It also said in the Finance Minister’s speech, the government’s achievements in respect of the five states “will not be highlighted in any manner.” Polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Punjab and Goa will be held between February 4 and March 8.

Referring to the 2009 advisory, the poll panel said it “expects that the advice given by the Commission in that (letter) will also be duly kept in view by the government at the time of the presentation of the Budget for the financial year 2017-18”. In 2009, the EC had said that it would not like to lay down a precept or prescribe a course of action regarding budgets during poll time. “However, it would advise in case of states that are going for Assembly polls that a vote-on-account should be taken,” the poll panel had said.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court had dismissed a plea seeking postponement of Union Budget presentation ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in five states, saying there was no illustration that it would influence voters. The one-page EC letter did not specifically say that the Centre is free to present the Union Budget as per its plan on February one.

The government has maintained that advancing of Budget presentation was necessary as it would ensure that all budgetary provisions are allocated to different sectors from April 1, the beginning of the new fiscal. The Budget is usually presented around last week of February and, as a result, the approval of the Budget spills over to the next financial year, delaying the start of new programmes.

When the opposition had objected to the Budget presentation in 2012 during the Assembly polls to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, Goa, the then UPA government had accepted their stand and postponed presentation of the Union Budget from February 28 to March 16.

The Commission had asked the Cabinet Secretariat earlier this month to respond to a representation by opposition parties urging the poll panel to make the government postpone the Budget till the Assembly polls are over. The Budget session has already been convened from January 31 when the President will address the joint sitting of the two Houses. The Union Budget and the Economic Survey are slated to be presented the next day.

The opposition parties had written to the President and the Commission objecting to the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1 ahead of the Assembly elections and demanded that the government be asked to defer it.

Using data modelling researchers, including those from Boston University in the US, mapped the spread of two types of content: conspiracy theories and scientific information.

“Our findings show that users mostly tend to select and share content related to a specific narrative and to ignore the rest.

“In particular, we show that social homogeneity is the primary driver of content diffusion, and one frequent result is the formation of homogeneous, polarised clusters,” researchers said.

“Our analysis showed that two well-shaped, highly segregated, and mostly non-interacting communities exist around scientific and conspiracy-like topics,” Alessandro Bessi, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Southern California, said.

“Users show a tendency to search for, interpret, and recall information that confirm their pre-existing beliefs,” he said.

This is called “confirmation bias,” and Bessi said it is actually one of the main motivations for sharing content, CNN reported.

Instead of sharing to challenge or inform, social media users are more likely to share an idea already commonly accepted in their social groups for the purpose of reinforcement or agreement.

The findings were published in the journal PNAS.