Daily News (In Short)-2-September-2015

#* Sheena's father surfaces, says hang Indrani if guilty

A week after the sensational Sheena Bora murder case grabbed the spotlight, Siddhartha Das, who claims to be her biological father, on Tuesday came out in the open and said Indrani Mukerjea should be hanged if found guilty.
"As far as television reports are concerned, there is a chance that Indrani murdered Sheena. If that is true, I want her (Indrani) to be hanged or whoever else involved in the crime. I want justice for Sheena. Indrani was always greedy and extremely ambitious By Soudhriti Bhabani in Kolkata woman. She always had a craving for an affluent life," Das told reporters in Kolkata.
A small-time private firm employee, Das revealed that he was in a live-in relationship with Indiani when she was in college in Shilong in 1986. He also admitted that both Sheena and Mikhail were his children. Sources said Das used to work as a manager at Garima Artwork."I am ready to cooperate with the police. If they want me to come to Mumbai to facilitate the process of investigation I am ready for that. But I have no financial capacity to go to Mumbai on my own. I work in a small private firm," he added.
The duo used to stay at Indrani's house in Shillong.
"I never married Indrani officially. We started living-in from 1986. Sheena was born in 1987 and Mikhail a year later. We parted ways in 1989. After that I had no relation with her. I never met her too… Yes, I spoke to Sheena once when she was in Class 10. Sheena had called me saying "where are you?" and "how are you?" That was the first and last time I spoke to my daughter, but I never met Mikhail," Siddhartha said.
Das is currently living with his wife and 17-year-old son at a rented two-room flat at Durganagar (near Swarnamoyee School) in Kolkata's adjoining North 24-Parganas district.
"Whatever happened between us dates back to over 25 years now. I don't remember anything. Please let me lead a normal life," he urged reporters humbly.
Asked why he was dumped by Indrani, Das said Indrani should be asked as she had deserted him because of his financial instability. He said Indrani was never a very "caring mother". "I could understand that in two years of our relationship," he said.
Das also claimed that he was ready to go for a DNA test if need be. "If the Mumbai police wants me to cooperate, I am ready to do that. If they need anything from me, I will help them," he said, pointing out that he is not a part of any conspiracy.
While appearing before the reporters, Das covered his face and donned a cap. He never showed his face before the camera saying: "I work in a small private firm. My neighbours also know me. I have a family too. I have no connection with Indrani anymore. That is a closed chapter now. So please don't disturb me and my family like this. I beg of you. If this continues, unnecessarily my social life would be in problem and this would lead to further embarrassment."
Das informed mediapersons that he was in Arunachal Pradesh and used to work as teacher there. He came to Kolkata in 1998 following a major accident and started living with his family since then.

#* J-K: Security forces clash with militants in Sopore gunfight

Security forces engaged militants in a gun battle in Rafiabad area of northern Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said.
 
Two militants are believed to be holed up in a house at Ladura in Rafiabad. Personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group of police exchanged fire with the militants.
 
Reports suggested the gun battle erupted soon after police received information about the presence of two local militants, including Imitayaz Kandoo of Sopore, a close aide of Qayoom Najar, the disbanded Hizbul Mujahideen militant.
 
Sources said foreign militants too might be present in the area.
 
According to police, Kandoo was involved in some killings in Sopore and carries a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head.
 
In recent weeks, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a spike in militant violence that coincided with a downturn in ties between India and Pakistan. Planned talks between the national security advisers of the two countries recently collapsed amidst diplomatic acrimony.
 
Pakistan-backed militants have carried out several attacks in recent weeks. Last week, three militants were killed in gun battles. Two Pakistani militants were recently captured alive in Jammu and Kashmir.

#* As markets plunge, Govt gives relief on tax that worried foreign investors

The government has decided to waive the retrospective imposition of a minimum alternative tax (MAT) on foreign institutional investors, a move aimed at settling a thorny issue that had shaken investor confidence in recent months. The clarification by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley came at a hurriedly called press briefing late this evening after the benchmark BSE Sensex tanked by 587 points or 2.2 per cent to touch a 12-month low on concerns over flagging economic growth and sell-off in the global markets.The government has decided to waive the retrospective imposition of a minimum alternative tax (MAT) on foreign institutional investors, a move aimed at settling a thorny issue that had shaken investor confidence in recent months.
The clarification by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley came at a hurriedly called press briefing late this evening after the benchmark BSE Sensex tanked by 587 points or 2.2 per cent to touch a 12-month low on concerns over flagging economic growth and sell-off in the global markets.
Watch Video: A P Shah Panel Recommends No Retrospective MAT On FIIs – What This Means
In August, FIIs sold shares worth a record Rs 17,000 crore as the domestic bourses faced heavy volatility on concerns over weakness in the Chinese economy.
Jaitley said the government had endorsed the recommendations of a panel set up to examine the issue and said he would make the necessary legislative amendment in the winter session of Parliament.
Accepting the report of the AP Shah committee, Jaitley clarified that MAT would not be levied retrospectively on capital gains of foreign institutional and portfolio investors (FIIs and FPIs) prior to April 1, 2015.
“Today, I have accepted the report of the AP Shah committee. What applies post April 2015, that is no MAT on capital gain on FIIs, will also apply on pre-April 2015,” he told reporters here. In the Union Budget 2015-16, Jaitley had already clarified that FIIs will be exempt from the MAT levy from April 1, 2015. Until the ministry moves to amend the I-T Act, it would, in the interim, convey to field formations through a circular that it has decided to accept the recommendation. “It will be issued tomorrow,” Jaitley said, adding that earlier tax demands would not be pursued further.
Tax experts have hailed this decision, calling it a bold step considering that it could prune government revenues at a time when the finance ministry is trying to trim the fiscal deficit. The decision is also expected to lead to higher foreign investment inflows into the country even as experts have renewed a call for the government to bring in a clarification on the applicability of MAT on all foreign companies other than FIIs and FPIs.
In his briefing, Jaitley asserted that “confidence amongst investors would be a consequence of this move”. “But it will also clarify the ambiguity in law. Contrary to the perception that we were trying to apply a law retrospectively, we weren’t trying to do that.” He also added that the 68-page report is the final draft of the panel and that based on its recommendations, the government would move amendments to Section 115JB of the Income Tax Act, 1961 in the upcoming Parliament session.
According to the report made public today, the Shah panel has recommended that an amendment to Section 115JB of the Income Tax Act, 1961, “clarifying the complete inapplicability of the MAT provisions to FIIs/FPIs or CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) may issue a circular clarifying the complete inapplicability of the MAT provisions to FIIs/FPIs.” An official statement issued after the briefing said that through the amendments to the I-T Act, the government intends to clarify that MAT provisions will not be applicable to FIIs and FPIs not having a place of business or permanent establishment in India, for the period prior to April 1, 2015.
“With this clarification the whole issue of levy of MAT will be resolved in favour of the tax payer. FIIs who had approached the High Court may now consider withdrawing their writ petitions filed earlier. This development will definitely cheer the investor community and will help promote India as a favourable investment destination,” Suresh Swamy, partner, tax and regulatory, PwC India, said.
Traditionally, foreign investors were not subject to MAT on capital gains, an argument that was made by FIIs following the tax notices which were sent to the FIIs demanding tax worth over Rs 602 crore. However the department had cited the Castleton case for sending the notices. In 2010, Mauritius-based investment firm Castleton Investment had approached the Authority for Advance Rulings on the issue. The tax tribunal, in 2012, ruled that even foreign companies are subject to MAT. The case was challenged by the company in the Supreme Court and is scheduled for hearing on September 29.

#* It's only about vikaas: In Bhagalpur, Modi reveals how he wants to take down Nitish

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his series of pre-election rallies in Bihar at Bhagalpur on Tuesday, he seemed determined to push the election agenda on two issues — development and good governance. Ironically, these two issues were once the calling card of incumbent chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Modi responded to the bitter attack of the Grand Secular Alliance, where Nitish Kumar shared the dais with Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sonia Gandhi for the first time, by changing his line of attack. Unlike his previous rallies where he launched scathing personal attacks on Nitish Kumar about his DNA and other things, he toned down the rhetoric, but was unsparing in his criticism of the latter his his grand alliance. Modi's calculated gamble was to snatch the development agenda, Nitish Kumar's most potent card, from him and paint him as an ideological opportunist because of the company he keeps.
PTI image.There is little doubt that for the past two months, Modi has been setting the agenda to which Nitish Kumar responds. PTI image.
Knowing fully well that a section of socialist leaders within JD (U) has been greatly upset over Kumar's alliance with Sonia Gandhi, Modi particularly referred to the September 30 Patna rally and called it an insult to socialist leaders Ram Manohar Lohia and Jay Prakash Narayan who defined and personified anti-Congressim as a political credo. Referring to Nitish Kumar's repeated invocation of Jay Prakash's name, Modi asked him: "Why were you sitting next to persons responsible for arresting JP." That must have hurt Nitish Kumar badly.
The grand coalition, he said,  had no vision except to attack Modi.
If one goes by the profile of the crowd, Modi's rally was dominated by youth who were responsive to his calls throughout. The attendance at the rally was equally strong as the coalition's Patna rally, if not better. The venue, Airport Maidan in Bhagalpur, is four times the size of Gandhi Maidan in Patna. The crowd was certainly different. In Bhagalpur, people who attended the rally belonged to an upward mobile social strata that included even OBCs. This was the precise reason why the crowd in Bhagalpur was very responsive.
It will be naive to arrive at any conclusions going by the turnout of rallies in Bihar, the most densely populated state after Kerala. Yet Modi's rallies in Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Saharsa and Bhagalpur gave a clear indication that he retains his electoral charm in Bihar. What is particularly interesting is the fact that he has been focussing on his development and governance agenda without losing sight of the relevance of caste in Bihar. This was evident as only Ram Vilas Paswan was given the privilege of speaking before Modi. Paswans constitute a significant chunk of the electorate in and around Bhagalpur.

Modi also effectively countered Nitish Kumar's campaign that he is an outsider who remembers Bihar only during election. He recalled how he reached out to the people of the state every time there was crisis — Kosi river flooding and the Nepal earthquake which caused damage in adjoining districts of Bihar. In an emotional appeal, he said, "Only those who forget need to be reminded. I have never forgotten Bihar," he said much to the delight of the audience.
More importantly, Modi's show made it clear that he has taken it upon himself to steer the state assembly election. His repetition of 25-years of misrule by Lalu-Rabri-Nitish Kumar has counted out over seven years of BJP-JD (U) alliance rule with Sushil Modi as its leader. This may be a cause for worry for Sushil Modi.
For the past two months, Modi has been setting the agenda forcing to Nitish Kumar to respond. He is selling the dream of powerful and prosperous Bihar which used to be Nitish Kumar's clarion call. Nitish Kumar has countered it by offering his own package for turning Bihar into a developed state. But given the way he frittered away the advantage (the installation and expulsion of Manjhi) and the consequent anti-incumbency, he is facing a crisis of credibility. For Modi, Bihar is a new chapter where he intends to play significant role to retain his national stature.

#* Google logo gets redesigned with new ‘Product Sans’ typeface

Google is refining its famous logo as it prepares to become a part of a new holding company called Alphabet. The revised design unveiled Tuesday features the same mix of blue, red, yellow and green that Google has been using throughout its nearly 17-year history, though the hues are slightly different shades. Google also invented a new typeface called “Product Sans” that is meant to resemble the simple printing in a grade-school book. It will replace a serif typeface that Google has been using in its logo for more than 16 years. The “e” in the company’s name will remain slightly tilted to reflect Google’s sometimes off-kilter thinking.
Although this will be the sixth time that Google has changed its logo since Larry Page and Sergey Brin formed the company, this marks the most noticeable redesign since it dropped an exclamation point that appeared after its name until May 1999. “I am sure this is going to upset a lot of people because everyone freaks out when a company like this makes a shift like this,” said Wally Krantz, executive creative director at brand consultants Landor. Krantz, though, applauded the change because he believes it gives the company a “fresh” look. Google is donning the different look as it embarks on a new era. The Mountain View, California, company is pouring so much money into so many far-flung projects that have little or no connection to its main business of online search and advertising that it’s getting ready to place everything under the Alphabet umbrella. Under this setup, Google will retain search, YouTube and most of the biggest divisions while smaller operations such as Nest home appliances, life sciences, drone deliveries and venture capital investments will operate as individual companies. All will be overseen by Alphabet, whose CEO will be the Google co-founder Page. Alphabet hasn’t revealed what its logo will be yet, but the holding company isn’t expected to be officially operating for a few more months. Google believes its new logo will provide a more versatile identity suited “for a world of seamless computing across an endless number of devices,” the company said in a Tuesday blog post. The overhaul also will change the appearance of the letter “g” that Google uses as its shorthand logo on the smaller screens of smartphones and other mobile devices. The “g” will now be capitalized and displayed in color instead of being kept lowercase and white. A swirl of dots in Google’s colors will also appear when a spoken command for information is being processed or one of the company’s other services is performing a task.Although this will be the sixth time that Google has changed its logo since Larry Page and Sergey Brin formed the company, this marks the most noticeable redesign since it dropped an exclamation point that appeared after its name until May 1999.
“I am sure this is going to upset a lot of people because everyone freaks out when a company like this makes a shift like this,” said Wally Krantz, executive creative director at brand consultants Landor. Krantz, though, applauded the change because he believes it gives the company a “fresh” look.
Google is donning the different look as it embarks on a new era.
The Mountain View, California, company is pouring so much money into so many far-flung projects that have little or no connection to its main business of online search and advertising that it’s getting ready to place everything under the Alphabet umbrella.

#* Indian Railways’ monthly season tickets, platform tickets soon to go paperless

Monthly season tickets and platform tickets will soon go paperless as railways is planning to launch a mobile-based application for the same shortly.
Paperless monthly season tickets and platform tickets in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata are to be launched in next few days, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu here today said while launching the paperless unreserved ticketing system for Delhi-Palwal suburban section here.
Prabhu also launched two other IT-based initiatives – cash/smart card-operated ticket-vending machine at the New Delhi Railway Station and a mobile app for freight operation monitoring named as ‘Parichaalan’.
“There are about 75 lakh passengers who use monthly season tickets in Mumbai out of our total 2.3 crore daily passengers,” Prabhu said, adding, “similarly a good number of passengers travel on monthly season tickets in Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi also.”
He said the move to go paperless is part of the government’s ‘Digital India’ initiative which not only saves the use of paper but also reduces the load on booking counter.
The IT-based mobile application for tickets will make paper manufacturers unhappy but passengers happy as it will save a lot of time for them, he said.
The paperless unreserved ticketing sytem in Delhi-Palwal section covers 11 stations over 57 km of distance.
The app, which is for both Android and Windows-based platforms, can be downloaded from Google Play Store or Windows Store by the user.
The application provides necessary on-screen alerts to guide the passenger during the booking process.
Payment for the ticket is done through the “railway wallet” feature in the app. After booking the ticket, the passenger will get ticket confirmation screen, which will contain limited information about the ticket.
Earlier, the mobile app for paperless unreserved ticketing system was introduced between Egmore and Tambram suburban sections in Chennai under Southern Railway zone on a trial basis in April. Then it was replicated in Western Railways between Churchgate and Dahanu section.
Developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) “utsonmobile” – the paperless unreserved ticketing feature in mobile application aims to eliminate the need for printing of unreserved tickets.
Prabhu said railways will sign an agreement with ISRO for using geospatial technology and satellite images in the rail sector.
As per plan, railways will use remote-sensing technology at unmanned level crossings to warn road users and also for other usage such as mapping of stations and rail routes in partnership with ISRO.
He said cash/smart card operated ticket-vending machine (CoTVM) which was made operational at the New Delhi station will be installed at other stations also.
CoTVM is an unmanned self-operated kiosk which can be used by passengers themselves to buy unreserved tickets through currency/coins as well as smart cards. These kiosks have easy graphical interface for ticket transaction so that the user can operate these machines.
The kiosk accepts currency/coin of all denominations of Rs 5 and above. The machine does not accept soiled/cut/glued/taped/colored notes and accepts currency notes of Gandhi series.
CoTVMs aims to reduce queue length at existing ticket counters by providing an alternate unmanned ticketing solution and mode of payment.
Prabhu said both passenger and freight business are important for railways and the ‘Parichaalan’ mobile app for freight operators will help in real-time decision-making.
‘Parichaalan’, a user-friendly app, represents data in a pictorial and graphical manner that is easily comprehensible and also makes the information dynamic and current in nature in the freight sector.

#* Flipkart acquires payment services firm FX Mart

Bengaluru: India’s largest e-commerce firm Flipkart has bought payments services start-up FX Mart Pvt. Ltd, which holds a prepaid wallet licence, so as to add a payment service on its platform and on that of its unit Myntra.

Singapore-registered Flipkart Payments Pvt. Ltd paid Rs.45.4 crore for a majority stake in FX Mart, according to documents available with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). Two senior Flipkart executives also joined the board of FX Mart, the documents show.

FX Mart owns a coveted prepaid licence issued by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The licence will allow Flipkart to offer a digital wallet on its app and avoid paying a cut to external wallet providers.

The licence can also potentially help Flipkart increase the proportion of cashless transactions.

A majority of shoppers still prefer paying cash for online purchases, which creates operational headaches for e-commerce companies.

With FX Mart’s licence, Flipkart, which has been a laggard in payments, plans to launch a payment service on its app as well as Myntra’s within the next three months, four people familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The company also plans to offer the payment service on third-party sites and apps later, they added.

A Flipkart spokesperson declined to comment. FX Mart managing director Amit Narang declined to comment.

Payment technology is a key function in e-commerce. Yet, because of a combination of lack of focus by e-commerce companies, limited utility for shoppers, unreliable Internet connectivity and regulatory hurdles, there are few large payment companies.

The current market leader is Paytm (run by One97 Communications Ltd), followed by a host of smaller firms such as Oxigen Services India Pvt. Ltd and One MobiKwik Systems Pvt Ltd. India has several other payment services start-ups, including Citrus Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd, PayU Payments Pvt. Ltd, CCAvenue and Zaakpay.

“Payment has been one of the most difficult problems to solve in e-commerce,” said Harish H.V., partner at Grant Thornton. “But it is an essential part of the user experience and it’s important for an e-commerce company to have a reliable payment and convenient payment service in order to offer an end-to-end solution to customers.”

Paytm potentially got a vital break earlier this month, when its founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma became one of the 11 recipients of an in-principle approval for a payment bank licence issued by RBI. The licence will allow recipients to provide basic savings, deposit, payment and remittance services to shoppers, significantly increasing the utility value of owning a digital wallet.

Other large e-commerce companies have also been trying to build payment products. Cab-hailing service Ola (ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd) said last Monday that it would offer Ola Money, a personal wallet, on other e-commerce platforms. Snapdeal (run by Jasper Infotech Pvt. Ltd) is also working on a payments product of its own and plans to launch it this year, people familiar with the matter said.

#* Indian Cricket team triumphs Sri Lankan lions after 22 years

Indian cricket team today did what was unthinkable for many. They won the test series in Sri Lankan soil after 22 long years. The victory was made sweeter by the fact that they lost the first test and then fought their way back to the win by 2-1.

 The captain of the ship- Virat Kohli said after the win:

“It’s a magnificent milestone for a young team winning here after 22 years. I am told that no Indian team has won a Test series coming back from being 0-1 down. So we have created a bit of history,”

 
It’s first series win for the new captain after getting chosen for being the leader. After this Win many have started believing in Virat being a successful heir for the previous test captain “captain cool” M.S. Dhoni.

India first gave a target of 386, and then stopped the lankans on 268, it’s their first victory since June, 2011 on overseas. The last win came against West Indies.

However the win was not so easy for Indian’s. The Lankans proved why they are called loins. Lanka was 3 wickets down when the 4th day ended. India took 2 quick wickets in the morning of 5th day but after that Mathews (110) and debutant Kusal Perera (70) started fighting back for their team. At one point it seem like India may not get his victory today but then Ashwin broke the last hopes of Lanka and took the 6th wicket and then it was clear who was winning.

#* AAP coming up with Obama-style tracker

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government may not have modelled its poll campaign on the lines of the US presidential campaign that was followed by the BJP managers, but the party has decided to adopt an accountablility monitor used for Obama.

The Delhi government is collaborating with Stanford University to create a manifesto tracker, which is expected to be launched in December, a senior government official privy to the decision told HT.

The online tracker will help people to update and rate the government on the parameters of how much it has succeeded in delivering on its key poll promises.

The official said the university would provide the technical know-how to the government and the tracker would function as a feedback mechanism for the decision and policy makers.

The US tracker was replicated by a group of Egyptian activists who had created the ‘Morsi Meter’, for the new Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.

“The manifesto tracker will keep an eye on the promises made by the AAP in its election manifesto. But we are making it better. Ours would be a two-way system in which the government will also use the tracker to let people know the development on the projects it has been undertaking. This will truly democratise the political system, make the government accountable to the people and elevate politics above just winning elections,” said Roshan Shankar, advisor to the Delhi government. 

Apart from telling people whether a particular promise has been fulfilled or not, the tracker would also provide information as to why the promise has not been kept or the reasons for delay.

“It will be integrated with the Delhi government’s website and all notifications regarding implementation of our policies would be put up on the tracker,” said a senior Delhi government official. Citizens would also be able to post their grievances with regard to the manifesto promises. “For example, if somebody has not been able to avail the benefit of half power bills promise — which we have delivered on — they may write to us,” the official said.

Soon after coming to power, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had asked all departments to work on the 70-point action plan, as promised by AAP in its manifesto.

#* New Rs 1,000 notes with more security features on anvil

New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon start issuing Rs 1,000 notes with enhanced security features. 

The notes would come with the rupee symbol and inset letter 'L' with numerals in ascending size in number panels. RBI officials have said that the objective is to increase security features for such legal tender.

As per the RBI annual report for 2014-15, notes of denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 together accounted for approximately 85 percent of the total value of banknotes in circulation at the end of March 2015. 

In volume terms, notes of Rs 10 and Rs 100 together accounted for 54 percent during the period ending March 2015.

The new Rs 1,000 notes that will be issued are in the Mahatma Gandhi Series- 2005. Such currency with numerals in ascending size in numbering panels have already been put in circulation for 100 notes earlier.

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