Asian Lite News Archive

Category: INDIAN NEWS

  • Column- Currency Corner

    —

    in , ,

    Vatsal Srivastava says whatever the budget be, equities set for short-term breather  As one would expect, Indian equities have decided to take a breather before the big budget announcement day (July 10). It is a clear case of profit booking as the sharp sell-off in the small-cap and mid-cap space came on the back of…

  • India to achieve 6% growth

    —

    in , ,

    Indian economy will grow 5.4-5.9 percent in 2014-15: Survey Projecting India’s growth at 5.4-5.9 percent, the annual report card on the state of the country’s economy said price rise remained a cause for worry, while calling for a complete rehaul of the subsidy regime and increasing tax revenues. The Economic Survey for 2013-14 tabled in…

  • Modi tightens grip on BJP

    —

    in , , ,

    Modi aide Amit Shah is new BJP president  Amit Shah, a close aide to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was Wednesday named the BJP’s new president, only two months after leading the party to a spectacular win in the Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh. A former home minister of Gujarat, Shah — presently a general…

  • US diplomat headed to India for talks

    —

    in , ,

    A top US diplomat is headed to India to prepare the ground for their strategic dialogue ahead of the first summit meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reset India-US ties. Deputy Secretary of William J. Burns “will be the highest-level Administration official to visit since the inauguration of the new…

  • Indian Railways see future in Budget

    —

    in ,

    Bullet trains are set to become a reality in India with the first service between Mumbai and Ahmedabad as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government sought to make Indian Railways – one of the world’s largest – run like a “commercial enterprise but serve like a welfare organization”. In the railway budget presented to parliament Tuesday,…

  • India & Britain to broaden economic engagement

    —

    in , ,

    Economic pattnership between India and Britain remained the focus of discussion as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Tuesday exchanged notes on a “broad canvas” of issues with her visiting British counterpart William Hague here. “There were discussions on a broad canvas of issues. The external affairs minister focused on economic ties as these are robust,”…

  • Gandhi statue@Parliament Square

    —

    in , , , ,

     British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Chancellor George Osborne unveil plan for a Gandhi statue at London’s Parliament Square. Other prominent statues in the square are that of Churchill and Mandela   British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Chancellor George Osborne have announced plans for a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the inspiration for non-violent civil rights movements around the world,…

  • Hope rail budget meets expectations: Gowda

    —

    in , , ,

    Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda began presenting the rail budget in Lok Sabha Tuesday, promising to serve the social obligations of the ministry, but with an eye on financial viability and the need to maintain and upgrade the network. “Everybody feels there are solutions to meet the challenges that the Indian Railways faces,” the minister…

  • BrahMos supersonic cruise missile test a success

    —

    in , ,

    India Tuesday successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a defence base in Odisha, an official said. It has a range of 290 km and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kg. The missile was launched from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur in Balasore district, about 230 km from here.…

  • Indian joins Rockefeller Foundation board

    —

    in , ,

    Ravi Venkatesan, former chairman of Microsoft India and currently founder and chairman of Social Venture Partners India, a network of philanthropists addressing social problems, has joined The Rockefeller Foundation’s Board of Trustees. The appointment of Venkatesan, who is also a venture partner at impact investor Unitus Seed Fund, was announced Monday by The Rockefeller Foundation,…

  • PICS: Monsoon in Mumbai

    —

    in , ,

    Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, comprises seven islands. Monsoon always brings miseries to millions of Mumbaikars. A picture story  

  • UK seeks better ties with India

    —

    in , , ,

    The whole world watched India undertake the largest election in the history of mankind, and we have not stopped watching. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic victory and his bold plans for India’s future have grabbed the world’s attention. The Indian people have given their government a mandate for change and for reform that could be…

  • Hague & Osborne begin India Visit

    —

    in , ,

      Britain’s Chancellor George Osborne and Foreign Secretary William Hague will begin a two-day trip to India on Monday. They are looking to open up investment opportunities for UK firms in India’s defence and infrastructure sector, and attract Indian investment into Britain reports BBC. The visit comes as a new government led by Narendra Modi…

  • SC won’t stall army chief’s appointment

    —

    in , ,

     The Supreme Court Monday refused to suspend Lt.Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag’s appointment as the next Indian Army chief, as sought by an officer who contended he had a better claim. “There is no reason for us to stay,” Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel told counsel R.K. Anand for petitioner Lt.Gen. Ravi Dastane.…

  • Life for lawyers killers

    —

    in

    A Mumbai court Monday awarded life sentence to a watchman convicted of molesting and murdering a woman lawyer, Pallavi Purkayastha, two years ago. Sajjad A. Pathan alias Mogal, 23, worked at the Himalayan Heights apartments here when he stabbed to death the 25-year-old woman Aug 9, 2012. The victim was the daughter of a senior…

  • Congress fights for post in Lok Sabha

    —

    in ,

    Congress chief Sonia Gandhi Monday said her party was the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha and hence was entitled for the post of the Leader of Opposition in the lower house. The Congress, with 44 members, is the second largest party in the Lok Sabha. However, it falls short of the 10…

  • A review of India’s deficits

    —

    in , ,

    Amit Kapoor and Sankalp Sharma look into India’s various deficits.   Over the past few years, we have heard of all sorts of deficits that have been ailing India. The most recent one has been a ‘rain deficit’ with monsoon expected to be less than normal according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). While the lack…

  • World awaits Modi’s first budget

    —

    in , , ,

    Gyanendra Kumar Keshri  says high hopes from Modi government’s first budget on Thursday  Amid high expectations from the common man and corporate India, the maiden budget of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government Thursday is expected to extend tax relief to the salaried class and unveil steps to spur investment and growth, even as fiscal situation remains…

  • Jaya seeks action on fishermen’s issue

    —

    in , ,

    Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa hoped the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi would take an “early and decisive action” to resolve the issue of Sri Lankan naval attacks on the Indian fishermen. She requested the Centre to “initiate immediate efforts to find a permanent and pragmatic solution to this livelihood issue of our…

  • 2,200 Indians to return from Iraq

    —

    in ,

    Nearly 2,200 Indians in Iraq’s non-conflict areas wish to return home, with 117 of them set to reach the capital after midnight Sunday, it was announced Sunday. The external affairs ministry said the government was buying tickets for some 1,600 of the 2,200 while the air fare for the other 600 were being paid by…

  • Minister leaves car for injured couple

    —

    in , , ,

    Here is an example. An Indian  minister gives his official car for accident victims, takes auto to attend Iftar Karnataka Health Minister U.T. Khader came to the aid of an old couple, involved in an accident, sending them to a hospital in his official car and himself taking an auto to reach his destination. “The…

  • Modi to attend BRICS in Brazil

    —

    in , , ,

    In his first participation in a global meet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the sixth summit of BRICS countries in Brazil July 14-16 where reforms of the UN Security Council and issues like the BRICS development bank and climate change are likely to be taken up. It will also be his first meeting as…

  • Jaya seeks better ties withSingapore

    —

    in , , , ,

    Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa told Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam that there could be synergy between his country and the Indian state on key projects. In a statement issued in Chennai, the Tamil Nadu government said Shanmugam had called on Jayalalithaa at the state secretariat. During the meeting, Jayalalithaa, citing…

  • A mountain named Mt. Sinha

    —

    in , ,

     Arun Kumar writes about Akhouri Sinha, an Indian-American research scientist, was looking for some information to write a few words on the death of his team leader on an expedition to Antarctica in the seventies. To his surprise, he found a Wikipedia entry dated May 17, 2012, saying a 990-metre high mountain at the southeast extremity of Erickson…

  • EDUCATION – Chalo Delhi, not Oxford

    —

    in , , , ,

    Shradha Chettri says institutions across the national capital are offering courses to mould social entrepreneurs, medical experts and disaster management experts, to name just a few, as the rush for students from all over the country to study in Delhi continues. Fancy pursuing distinctive areas of study to create a niche for yourself? Institutions across…

  • Asian illegal migrants concern EU

    —

    in , , , , , ,

    Kavita Bajeli-Datt meets EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström in Brussels. The EU wants to discuss illegal migration with Modi government. In 2012, EU member-states returned around 12,000 Indian citizens found to be staying irregularly. Afghanistan (33,500) and Pakistan (29,000) are the two top countries from where illegal migrants were found staying illegally in EU. The European…

  • AAPI to help Indian medical system

    —

    in , , , , ,

    Arun Kumar interviews Dr. Jayesh Shah, who handed over charge to the new AAPI President Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar  One of the largest ethnic organisations in the US, representing about 100,000 Indian doctors settled here, is working on a plan to help India improve its health services in a coordinated fashion. The outlines of the plan were…

  • Dalai Lama greeted on birthday

    —

    in ,

    Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Sunday greeted Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on his 79th birthday and wished him a long and healthy life. Presenting a bouquet on behalf of the chief minister to Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay at a function here, Transport Minister G.S. Bali said the spiritual leader’s message of…

  • MIXING WITH THE MONEY MANDARINS

    —

    in , , , , ,

    DAILY DOSE BY Bikram Vohra I wasn’t very good at money matters when I was a youngster. And I wasn’t very good with money matters when I was middle aged. Now, as I totter into antiquity I am still not very good with money matters. Guess I am constant. In fact, I was well into…

  • COMMENT: Indian cricket team in the UK

    —

    in , , , , ,

    Veturi Srivatsa in his columns Just Sportsays Nobody can complain about unfamiliar conditions any more  Every time the Indian cricket team goes on a tour of England, the wailing about blustery conditions, green tops, on which only English bowlers seemed to get wickets for the asking, used to be a routine. Some used to add…

  • And quiet flows the Ganges

    —

    in , , ,

    Anjali Ojha says Sabarmati model not enough for cleaning the holy river Ganges A new ministry to tackle the cleaning of the Ganga may not really change its fate, nor can the “Sabarmati model”, experts say, adding that legislative provisions are needed to ensure that the river’s glory is restored. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi…

  • Modi & Saffron Brigade

    —

    in , ,

    Amulya Ganguli analysing the initital days of the Modi government. Modi prevails over saffron traditionalists  The Hindutva fundamentalists may be slowly realising that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory is unlikely to help their cause as much as they would have liked. For instance, any sense of elation which they felt when Narendra Modi said during the election campaign…

  • Indian nurses land in Kochi

    —

    in , ,

     A special Air India flight with 183 people on board, including the 46 nurses freed by insurgents in Iraq, arrived here Saturday noon, officials said. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy reached the airport to receive the nurses, where a special immigration desk has been set up. The plane had earlier landed in Mumbai for refuelling…

  • Indian nurses’ ordeal ends

    —

    in , , , , ,

    All 46 Indian women nurses seized by Sunni insurgents in Iraq were freed Friday after intense diplomatic efforts, and were set to return to Kerala Saturday morning. In what appeared to be a sudden change of mind, the militants told the nurses Friday morning after breakfast that they should be ready to move to Erbil, the…

  • Phone apps aid Genxt Muslims

    —

    in , , , ,

    Mohit Dubey  says the market is flooded with new apps for the young Muslims to follow their religion Hard pressed for time in today’s fast-paced world, keeping track of religion and its day-to-day rituals is not an easy task. Cutting across religious lines, this seems to be a niggling problem for the Genxt devout, in…

  • Modi to walk Vajpayee’s path

    —

    in , , ,

    Making his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after taking office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday inaugurated the Katra-Udhampur rail link and pledged to realize the dream of Atal Bihari Vajpayee to restore peace in the troubled state. Addressing a public meeting after flagging off the train from Katra, at the foothills of the Mata…

  • UK leaders due in Delhi

    —

    in , , ,

    British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Foreign Secretary William Hague  and Chancellor George Osborne a are due in India to cement bilateral ties. They will hold meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley. Hague and Osborne will be the first to arrive in India…

  • All Indian nurses freed in Iraq,back Saturday

    —

    in , ,

      All 46 Indian women nurses seized by Sunni insurgents in Iraq were freed Friday and will fly to Kerala Saturday morning, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced. The chief minister said in a telephonic interview from New Delhi that he will be in Kochi to receive the nurses Saturday when they return in a special…

  • MEMSAHIBS AND MANNERS

    —

    in , , , , , , ,

    It is one of those ‘we live abroad so when we visit we notice it’ things for which us NRIs get a lot of stick. But some things do sort of hit us differently. Like whenever I come home to Delhi I am appalled at the way people speak to domestic help, part time, full…

  • PM Modi arrives in Jammu & Kashmir

    —

    in ,

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here Friday morning on a day’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir. The prime minister’s special aircraft landed in the technical area of Jammu airport. He was received by Governor N.N. Vohra, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, state Minister for Higher Education Muhammad Akbar Lone, state Chief Secretary Muhammad Iqbal Khandey, state…

  • US to sell Harpoon missiles to India

    —

    in , ,

    The US government has notified the US Congress of its plans to sell to India 22 anti-ship missiles at an estimated cost of $200 million, saying it would help strengthen the US-India strategic relationship. The Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency, which handles foreign arms sales, said it had delivered the required certification notifying Congress of…

  • ISIS moves Indian nurses from Tikrit

    —

    in , ,

    Sunni insurgents Thursday shifted all 46 Indian nurses from a hospital in Tikrit in Iraq, injuring a few of them in the process, officials said. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the nurses were on the move in three buses to an unknown destination, believed to be Mosul, a stronghold of the insurgents who have…

  • NOT READY FOR DEPARTURE 

    —

    in , , , , ,

    DAILY DOSE By Bikram Vohra So we are in the holding area and the boarding for the flight is announced and the disembodied voice says rows 15 to 30 please board first, the rest please await the next announcement.Naturally, this is ignored. What part of that do passengers fail to understand? It is 15 to…

  • SPECIAL REPORT- Indian Property market

    —

    in , , ,

    Vinod Behl says rising delivery defaults push demand for ready-to-move homes  Amid rising property prices, high loan rates and rising delivery defaults, home buyers are increasingly opting for ready-to-move properties to ensure safety of their investment. Though most of these delays are due to adverse market conditions resulting in slowdown in sales, in some cases…

  • Goa Newsletter by M Nagvenkar

    —

    in , ,

    Mayabhushan Nagvenkar says warring Goa Congress is now going for its own jugular Goa’s most bitter political war is strangely a one-party affair.Battered and bruised in the state elections in 2012 and the general elections this year, the Congress appears to be going for its own jugular, with the top leaders increasingly hurling venom-laced lances at…

  • Punjab Newsletter by Jaideep Sarin

    —

    in , ,

    Jaideep Sarin is asking will Amritsar get the best of Amarinder, Jaitley?  The electorate in Amritsar may have preferred former Punjab chief minister and Congress leader Amarinder Singh over BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley, now the country’s powerful finance and defence minister, in the recent Lok Sabha polls. Residents of the Sikh holy city and the…

  • India, US keen to expand strategic partnership

    —

    in , ,

    India and the US Thursday expressed a desire to revitalize their relationship and expand their strategic partnership. US Senator John McCain met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and conveyed the keen desire in the US to work with him to revitalize the India-US strategic partnership, an official release said here. He also conveyed the expectations in…

  • Airports on top alert in the UK

    —

    in , , , ,

    Security at British airports has been increased followings warnings from US experts that two terrorist groups are developing a bomb that could bypass existing safety measures, Sky News reported. US Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson said he had tasked officials to “implement enhanced security measures in the coming days at certain overseas airports with direct flights…

  • Kerala Newsletter by Sanu George

    —

    in , , , ,

    Sanu George from Thiruvananthapuram reports that thattu dosha, omplate: the latest fad in Kerala street food Ever heard of combining a dosa and an omlette? Welcome to the steaming hot thattu dosha and omplate, the latest fad in Kerala street food. And, it’s a complete meal – for all of Rs.25! Put this to changing times…

  • The fate of rupee in limbo

    —

    in , ,

    Vatsal Srivastava in his column Currency Corner says Jaitley’s budget mustn’t sell rupee short  The Iraqi crisis and the possibility of an oil supply shock have shown how quickly things can change in the foreign exchange market. The global macro risks that have merged out of the Middle East in recent weeks have pushed crude prices…