Asian Lite News Archive

Category: INDIAN NEWS

  • Telangana erupts in celebrations

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    Celebrations broke out across Telangana as it came into being as the 29th state of India on Monday. ‘Jai Telangana’ rent the air as the region comprising 10 districts erupted in celebrations to mark the fulfilment of nearly 60-year-old dream of the people. Bursting of firecrackers, unfurling of the national flag, distribution of sweets and greetings…

  • Knight Riders bags IPL title

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    The Kolkata Knight Riders clinched their second Indian Premier League (IPL) title by defeating Kings XI Punjab by three wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Sunday. Put in to bat, Kings XI were powered to a massive total of 199/4 by wicketkeeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha who hammered an unbeaten 115 from just 55…

  • Telangana birth at midnight

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    Telangana is all set to be born as the 29th state of India at the stroke of Sunday midnight. Telangana supporters have planned gala celebrations. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which spearheaded the movement for separate state and will form the first government in Telangana Monday, has painted Hyderabad pink – the colour of its…

  • Teesta water share should be fair: Hasina

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    Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her country needs Teesta river water and it is India’s duty to ensure a fair share of it, a media report said. “It is the Indian government’s responsibility. This is not my headache, but theirs. Talks will continue. I need that water,” Hasina said, reported bdnews24.com. In a press…

  • Progress Report – Modi’s First Week

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    Prashant Sood says Modi drives the agenda as some ministers court controversies . While there have been some questions of Modi’s choice of ministers and portfolios – Smriti Irani getting human resource development and Jitendra Singh being appointed minister of state in prime minister’s office – the government has been dogged by controversies in its first…

  • Amulya Ganguli column- Rahul’s failures

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    Amulya Ganguli says Congress cannot paper over Rahul’s failures  Despite Sonia Gandhi’s advice to Congressmen to avoid “public acrimony”, rumbling of discontent about the party’s miserable performance in the recent elections have continued. It will be a mistake, however, if the party tries to brush aside the prevailing sense of helpless anger within the organization as an…

  • Modi abolish all GOMs, EGOMs

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    Doing away with one of the relics of coalition politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday abolished all 30 ministerial groups to ensure that his colleagues heading various portfolios take faster decisions with more accountability.There were nine empowered groups of ministers (EGOMs) and 21 groups of ministers (GOMs) in operation. They were to take decisions on…

  • India to build 100 smart cities

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    The NDA government would kick-start building 100 smart cities, as envisaged in the BJP’s poll manifesto, union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said Friday. “Our mission is to build 100 smart cities across the country with GIS (Geographic Information Systems)-based town planning, using the latest technology and infrastructure, integrated waste management and advanced transport…

  • Why West Bengal not in Modi list

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    Biswajit Choudhury writes on the missing of West Bengal representation in the new cabinet  The absence of representation in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet for West Bengal, where the BJP won two seats, was depressing enough to provoke op-eds on the Bengali character. A fascinating study of how regional politics shapes development in India (The Regional…

  • Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Column- Modi victory

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    Congress ‘communalism’ derailed UPA, says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in his column in Asian Lite, the top newspaper for NRIs and Indian diaspora Sri Sri Ravi Shankar “What appears is not and what does not, is.” This ancient saying aptly describes the Indian political scenario. The Congress-led UPA claims to be secular; peel a few layers and you…

  • US looks for more trade with India

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    With a new Indian government in place, key areas of growth and business opportunities in the US-India commercial and business partnership have been highlighted by trade bodies of the two countries. ‘Growing Opportunities for US-India Trade and Investment’ were highlighted at a seminar organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Indo-American Market…

  • India records 4.7% growth

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    India’s economy expanded at 4.7 percent in the entire 2013-14 financial year, marking a second straight year of below 5 percent growth, official data released showed. The expansion was slower than an official estimate of 4.9 percent and higher than 4.5 percent growth a year earlier. This is the second consecutive year of below five percent…

  • India to build 100 smart cities

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    The NDA government would kick-start building 100 smart cities, as envisaged in the BJP’s poll manifesto, union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said. “Our mission is to build 100 smart cities across the country with GIS (Geographic Information Systems)-based town planning, using the latest technology and infrastructure, integrated waste management and advanced transport system,”…

  • 12 lakh for a good biz idea

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    Business incubation centres in every DU college offers 12 lakh  each to students with innovative business ideas Every college in Delhi University will now have businees incubation centres which will grant Rs.12 lakh each to students with innovative business ideas, the varsity vice chancellor said. The step follows a memorandum of understanding the varsity signed with…

  • Spelling Bee Win sparks racism

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    Washington-based journalist Arun Kumar says Indian-American wins in spelling contest stirs racial comments    As two youngsters of Indian descent spelled history by jointly winning the coveted Scripps National Spelling Bee for a record seventh year in a row, they also stirred storm of racially charged comments in the US. The fact that Sriram Hathwar and Ansun…

  • US Sikhs hire Hillary strategist

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    American Sikhs have hired a political consultant, who served as a strategist for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, for the first-ever exploration of creating positive perception about Sikhs among Americans. Geoffrey Garin, who also served as the pollster and strategic advisor to Priorities USA, the super PAC supporting President Barack Obama’s re-election in 2012, will…

  • Bad weather hits Delhi

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    A sudden squall Friday evening took Delhiites by surprise disrupting road, rail and air traffic as well as Metro services and led to three deaths in the national capital. The dust storm accompanied by heavy showers led to a drop in the soaring temperature but not before it left in its wake broken tree branches,…

  • Kick the Butts

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    Shradha Chettri looks on sedation clinics, the answer to tobacco addiction? May 31 is World No Tobacco Day. Asian Lite, top Asian newspaper for NRIs and Asian diaspora regularly carries health related articles. Keep reading As tobacco is the cause of 40 percent of cancer cases in India, experts say banning it alone won’t help.…

  • Punjab’s artefact sold cheaply

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    Jaideep Sarin says a heritage scam brewing in Chandigarh. An iron manhole cover bearing the master plan of Chandigarh by its founder-architect Le Corbusier was sold as “junk” for a paltry Rs.100 ($1.70) by the authorities here. It fetched a whopping $21,000 (Rs.830,000) at a Christie’s auction in New York in 2007. Asian Lite, the best…

  • Minister Naik gets warm welcome

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    Union Tourism Minister Sripad Naik was given a warm welcome during his first visit to Goa after being inducted into the Narendra Modi government.  A large number of BJP workers thronged the Dabolim airport to receive Naik, who was elected to Lok Sabha from North Goa, reports PTI. Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar, BJP state…

  • Major shake up in Indian media

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    Asian Lite, best newspaper for the Indian diaspora, looks into the recent development in Indian media industry. Reliance to acquire Network 18 and veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta is leaving Indian Express Reliance Industries will acquire a majority stake in Network18 and its subsidiary TV18. In another development in the media industry, Shekhar Gupta is rumoured…

  • Amway CEO arrested and jailed

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    Amway India managing director and CEO William S. Pinckney, arrested by police from Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district, was Thursday taken into custody by a police team from Khammam district where a court then sent him to jail for 14 days. Pinckney was later shifted to Warangal central jail. Earlier, the head of the direct-selling firm…

  • Oil producers seek Modi help

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     Biswajit Choudhury looks into the issues at Indian oil industry. After the new government came to power, Indian oil producers tell Modi what went wrong.Asian Lite, newspaper for NRIs and International Indians, will carry regular business features from India   India’s top hydrocarbon producers, under the banner of the Association of Oil and Gas Operators (AOGO), have…

  • Hussain’s rare paintings in London

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    For the first time, the final nine paintings by the celebrated Indian artist, M.F. Husain (1915- 2011) will go on public display at the V&A this summer. The Indian Civilization series comprises eight monumental triptych paintings, each measuring 12 feet wide by six feet high, which represent Husain’s vision of the richness of Indian culture…

  • EU experts to review mango ban

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    The European Commission will send a high powered delegation of scientific experts to India in September to check the measures that have been put in place by India in order to get the ban lifted on Indian Alphonso mangoes. Keith Vaz, the Indian origin MP, visited Brussels on Wednesday  and met Dacian Ciolos, EU Commissioner for Agriculture, and…

  • Modi sets 100-day timetable

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    Taking steps to fulfil his avowed agenda of good governance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday asked his ministers to come up with a plan of action for the first 100 days, lay thrust on efficiency and delivery in their work and give quick response to representations from states and public representatives. Modi, who assumed charge…

  • Sahara to sell UK, US assets

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    The Sahara group told the Supreme Court that it was selling its three prime properties in London and New York to raise money to secure the release of Subrata Roy and two other directors, Asian Lite, top newspaper for Indians in the UK, reported. The court, however, asked Sahara to place before it the communication it…

  • Modi will keep his Varanasi seat

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and give up the Vadodara seat in Gujarat, party leaders said Thursday. Modi had told the electorate of Varanasi that if he won the election, he would prefer Varanasi over Vadodara. After leading the BJP to a huge victory nationwide, Modi…

  • Kerry congratulates Sushma

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    US Secretary of State John Kerry called up External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to congratulate her on ministerial posting and discussed “re-energising strategic” ties, an official said Thursday. Kerry called up Sushma Swaraj late Wednesday night. It was the first congratulatory call that she received from one of her counterparts around the world. “The US…

  • Students throng to get US visa

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    Asian Lite, NRI newspaper for the South Asian diaspora, reports that over 1,000 throng US consulate in Mumbai on ‘Student Visa Day’ Amid a festive, campus-like atmosphere, over a 1,000 students thronged the US Consulate here to secure visas for pursuing higher education in America on the “Student Visa Day” on Wednesday, an official said.…

  • Gold has a bearish bias

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     Vatsal Srivastava in his column Currency Corner for Asian Lite, the best in the league of Asian newspapers in UK, says  Gold has a bearish bias The futures contracts for August delivery in the COMEX gold in the New York commodities exchange was trading at a 15-week low of $1,265 per ounce, down $25 from its open. There…

  • Varanasi ghats to get new life

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    The newly installed Modi-government has sanctioned Tourism Ministry INR 18 crores for development of the ghats at Varanasi, and the construction of jetties along the Ganga river. While Modi has assigned the task of cleaning the Ganga river to Uma Bharti,  Minister of Water Resources, River Development, it is tourism minister Shripad Yesso Naik’s job…

  • SAARC pin big hopes in Modi

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    Member nations of the South Asian regional grouping Saarc lay big hopes in the new Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with their respective media Wednesday reflecting the region’s collective optimism over India’s new leadership. Prospects of peaceful times and improved bilateral relations were the main theme in media reports following Modi’s meetings Tuesday…

  • Watch-dog for social media

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    This is why Goa never fails to entertain and impress. If there is a problem, there must be a solution. While we had a group of 20 fighting the good fight for freedom of speech which would translate into freedom for Devu Chodankar, a new set of voices is making itself heard in Goa, says…

  • War of words over Irani’s qualifation

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    The row over allotment of the human resource development ministry to “non-graduate” Smriti Irani continued Wednesday as the Congress and the BJP poured in comments on various media forums either defending or lambasting the actor-turned-politician. Congress leader Rashid Alvi said that it was a “fact” that the 38-year-old Irani was not a graduate. He said there…

  • Article 370 row marching forward

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    The row over Article 370 of the Constitution escalated Wednesday, with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asking the central government to come clean on the “stakeholders” it was talking to and the RSS stressing the state would remain integral part of India. Abdullah Wednesday asked the central government to come clean on the…

  •   Admit! We are racists

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    A new study reveals that 30% of Brits admit to harbouring some level of racial prejudice, leaving the lows of the early noughties behind. New data from NatCen Social Research’s British Social Attitudes survey shows that 30% of Brits describe themselves as either “very” or “a little” prejudiced against people of other races. This figure…

  • Bickering begins over Article 370

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    Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday asked the central government to come clean on who are the “stakeholders” it was talking about on the contentious issue of revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution. His comments came a day after Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh stirred…

  • US applauds Modi-Sharif meeting

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      Welcoming the meeting between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, the US said it supported all efforts to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the two neighbours. “We continue to welcome any and all steps India and Pakistan take to strengthen and deepen their dialogue and cooperation,” State Department spokesperson…

  • Indian spice exports increase

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    Boosted by the significant export of mint, chilli and seeds, the Indian spice industry has achieved a growth of 41 percent in the last quarter. This period witnessed a total export of 571,680 tonnes of spices and spice products valued at Rs.9,433 crore as against 449,926 tonnes valued at Rs.6,696 crore ($1,232 million). “The steady growth…

  • Black money takes centre stage

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      In its first decision after taking charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government Tuesday announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe black money, mostly stashed abroad. The decision was taken in the first meeting of the union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Modi. Addressing a media conference after the cabinet meeting…

  • Action packed day for Modi

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      It was an action-packed Day One for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From holding “good and substantive” meetings with leaders of seven SAARC countries, including his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, to announcing an SIT to investigate about black money stashed abroad, the 63-year-old leader set a scorching pace after formally assuming office Tuesday. The Bharatiya…

  • Kejriwal to be released

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    Aam Aadmi Party leader  Arvind Kejriwal was on Tuesday set to walk out of jail as a Delhi court ordered his release from Tihar jail after accepting the personal bond filed by his advocate in a criminal defamation complaint filed against him by Nitin Gadkari. Prashant Bhushan informed the court that Kejriwal has agreed to…

  • Sharif promises peace

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    Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Tuesday that he desired to take forward the peace process he had initiated with then Indian leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Sharif told his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at a meeting here that “I intend to pick up the threads of the Lahore peace declaration” of 1999. He told the…

  • Meet the Badals!

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    Punjab’s ruling elite – the Badal family – is a ministry in itself. Monday’s inclusion of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, wife of Punjab’s powerful Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and daughter-in-law of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, as a cabinet minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has ensured that…

  • PM Modi takes charge

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally took charge of his office on a pleasant Tuesday, and his very first act was to announce ex-gratia to victims of a train disaster in Uttar Pradesh. Modi, who took oath as prime minister Monday evening, drove from the Gujarat Bhavan where he is staying to reach the Prime Minister’s…

  • Diaspora pins hopes on Modi

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     Sandeep Datta looks on the expectations of the Indian diaspora across the world. He says Modi faces sea of expectations from diaspora, India-watchers    With Narendra Modi taking over as prime minister, a host of expectations, recommendations and advice is pouring in for the BJP leader from overseas Indians. Balesh Dhankhar, president of Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP)’s…

  • Corporate India Optimistic

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    Gautam Adani was there and so were the Ambani brothers, Anil and Mukesh, as a galaxy of corporate leaders marked their presence among the 4,500 guests at the grand inauguration ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi . Never has such a gathering of corporate leaders converged for the oath-taking of a new Indian prime minister, perhaps…

  • India welcomes new PM

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  • Nawaz renews peace mission

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    Upon arriving in New Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of India’s incoming premier Narendra Modi , Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he is looking forward to his meeting with Modi, Express News reported on Monday. In an interview with an Indian television channel, Nawaz said the meeting is crucial for both countries. He also added that ties between…