Mukesh Ambani

Reliance Jio

What will Chairman Mukesh Ambani announce tomorrow?

A major Reliance Jio announcement is expected tomorrow from RIL Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani.

Reliance Jio announcement: What will chairman Mukesh Ambani announce tomorrow?

A big Reliance Jio announcement is on the cards on December 1. Reliance Industries Limited’s Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani will be addressing the employees and stakeholders of the company and the event will be broadcast live at 1.30 pm on the company’s social media channels.

Reports have indicated Reliance Jio’s Welcome offer, which gives customers free unlimited voice, video calling, SMS and unlimited daily data could be extended to March 2017. However, a TRAI order had said that Reliance will have to end the Jio 4G Welcome offer by December 4.

Interestingly, a Jio spokesperson said the Jio Welcome Offer or JWO “benefits of free unlimited Voice and data will be available to all subscribers up to December 31, 2016”. But, the “JWO will be available to new consumers for subscription till December 3, 2016,” the spokesperson said. This means new customers who buy a Jio SIM post December 3 won’t be able to get the free offer and will have to try out the paid tariff plans.

But given the level of interest in Jio, Mukesh Ambani’s announcement tomorrow will be closely watched. Reliance Jio already has over 50 million subscribers in just 83 days since the service went live. The company has set a target of 100 million subscribers.

Jio’s entry in the market has sparked a data war with rivals Airtel, Vodafone offering extra data and slashing prices for their consumers in order to retain them. With Reliance Jio, there is another service called Jio Fiber which is much-awaited. Jio Fiber is promising 1GBps speed for wired broadband in home, and is already being tested in some parts of India.

In fact as IndianExpress.com had reported, Jio Fiber will not just promise high-speed internet, but will also have a very strong content play just like the Jio smartphones. It will offer a wide variety of television channels, movies, and games, all bundled together.

While the Jio launch has seen people line up to get SIMs, there are issues with speeds and call connectivity that have cropped up since the number of subscribers went up. Since Reliance Jio is entirely a 4G LTE based network, high-speed internet is crucial to its success, but post the launch it has found it difficult to maintain this.

In October, Speedtest app maker Ookla’s data had shown that they saw a significant jump in the number of speed-tests being done on Jio 4G LTE network from January to September 2016. Speedtest’s data also showed that Reliance Jio’s mean average speeds have been declining since it got more users on board.

According to the data, speeds for “4G capable phones actually decreased 23% month-over-month from 11.31 Mbps to 8.77 Mbps, continuing a downward trend for 2016.” The report also adds that Reliance Jio’s claims of 135Mbps as average speed across the board are still a dream, and that even the “top 10% of tests averaged out at 17.77 Mbps in September.”

Declining speeds aside, Reliance Jio has been seen as a great disruptor in the Indian smartphone and data market. According to research firm IDC, India has seen a boost in 4G smartphone shipments with Jio’s entry.

Reliance has not yet confirmed what it will be announcing at tomorrow’s big event, but no doubt the Jio side of the story will be closely watched from all quarters.

Im Proud to be Indian

National Anthem must be played before movies in theaters, rules Supreme Court

Further, the bench said people must show respect to the national anthem and the national flag and called it “imperative” to show them honour and respect.

The court also stated that everyone present in the cinema halls must rise and pay respect to the National Anthem.

TO INSTILL “committed patriotism and nationalism”, the Supreme Court Wednesday ordered that “all the cinema halls in India shall play the national anthem before the feature film starts and all present in the hall are obliged to stand up to show respect to the national anthem” as a part of their “sacred obligation”. Discarding notions of “any different notion or the perception of individual rights”, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy added that the movie screen shall have the image of the national flag when the anthem is being played and that doors of the halls will remain shut during the anthem so that no disturbance is caused.

“The directions are issued, for love and respect for the motherland is reflected when one shows respect to the National Anthem as well as to the National Flag. That apart, it would instil the feeling within one, a sense committed patriotism and nationalism,” said the bench, giving 10 days for compliance with its direction.

According to the top court, “a time has come, the citizens of the country must realize that they live in a nation and are duty bound to show respect to National Anthem, which is the symbol of the constitutional patriotism and inherent national quality.”
The court order, however, does not entail any penalty or punishment for not standing when the national anthem is played and hence, it remains to be seen how public authorities and those managing private cinema halls would ensure the direction is followed “in letter and spirit.”

Issuing a string of interim orders on a PIL filed by a retired engineer from Bhopal, Shyam Narayan Chouksey, the apex court further prohibited “commercial exploitation” of the anthem for incurring commercial benefits or using an abridged version of it, while adding the anthem cannot be dramatized and used in variety TV shows.

Also read | Standing up for Anthem: Between choice and convention

“It is because when the National Anthem is sung or played, it is imperative on the part of every one present to show due respect and honour. To think of a dramatized exhibition of the National Anthem is absolutely inconceivable…when the National Anthem is sung, the concept of protocol associated with it has its inherent roots in national identity, national integrity and constitutional patriotism” it held.

Recording a submission by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi that the national anthem has to be respected, the bench also retrained printing or displaying the national anthem or a part of it on any object and in “such a manner at such places which may be disgraceful to its status and tantamount to disrespect.”

In making this order, the bench referred to Article 51(A) (a) of the Constitution, which states that “it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem”.

Even as this constitutional provision is not enforceable and has to act as a guiding principle, the top court said: “From the aforesaid, it is clear as crystal that it is the sacred obligation of every citizen to abide by the ideals engrafted in the Constitution. And one such ideal is to show respect for the National Anthem and the National Flag.”

1000😎😎😎😎😎

Rs 1000 notes: Here is what’s new and how it will make a difference

Here's all you need to know about the security features on the new Rs 1000 notes.

These banknotes will also have the year of printing ‘2016’ printed on the reverse.

The Reserve Bank of India will soon issue Rs 1000 denomination banknotes with the inset letter ‘R’ in both the number panels.

The banknotes will also have on the obverse, all the other security features, including ascending size of numerals, bleed lines and enlarged identification mark as well as the signature of RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan.

These banknotes will also have the year of printing ‘2016’ printed on the reverse.

The design of these banknotes notes to be issued is similar in all respects to the Rs 1000 banknotes in circulation. All the banknotes in the denomination of Rs 1000 issued by RBI in the past will continue to be legal tender.

Here’s all you need to know about the security features on the Rs 1000 notes:

* Ascending size of numerals in numbering panels – Numerals in both the numbering panels of banknotes will be in ascending size from left to right, while the first three alpha-numeric characters will remain constant in size.

* Bleed lines – The banknotes of Rs 500 denomination will have five angular bleed lines in three sets of 2-1-2 lines on the obverse in both, the upper left and the right hand edge of the banknote.

* Rs 1000 banknotes will have six angular bleed lines in four sets of 1-2-2-1 lines on the obverse in both, the upper left and right hand edge of the banknotes. These will facilitate identification of these notes by visually impaired persons.

* The existing identification mark (circular-shape in Rs 500 and diamond in Rs 1000) near the left edge of the banknote has been enlarged.

No More Exchange

[Breaking] No more exchange of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes after midnight.........

The Narendra Modi government announced today that there will be no over the counter exchange od Rs 500 and Rs 1000 after midnight today.

According to a Press Information Bureau release, after due consideration of all relevant aspects, the Central Government decided that there will be no over the counter exchange of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes after midnight of November 24.

“The Central Government has been reviewing the issues related to the cancellation of legal tender character of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.  The government has also been receiving various suggestions in this regard. After due consideration of all relevant aspects, the following decisions relating to certain operational aspects of the scheme have now been taken,” the release said. These include,

1. It has been observed that over the counter exchange of the old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination has shown a declining trend. It has further been felt that people may be encouraged and facilitated to deposit their old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes in their bank accounts. This will encourage people who are still unbanked, to open new bank accounts. Consequently, there will be no over the counter exchange of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes after midnight of November 24, 2016.
2. The government had also permitted various exemptions for certain transactions and activities wherein payment could be made through old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. It has been decided that all these exemptions, with the additions and modifications as detailed below, may be continued for a further period from the midnight of November 24 upto and inclusive of December 15, 2016.
(a) Payments for the transactions under all the exempted categories will now be accepted only through old Rs 500 notes;
(b) Payment of school fees up to Rs 2000 per student in central government, state government, municipality and local body schools;
(c) Payment of fees in central or state government colleges;
(d) Payments towards pre-paid mobile top-up to a limit of Rs 500 per top-up;
(e) Purchase from Consumer Cooperative Stores will be limited to Rs 5000 at a time;
(f) Payment of current and arrear dues to utilities will be limited to only water and electricity. This facility will continue to be available only for individuals and households;
(g) Considering that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways have continued the toll-free arrangement at the toll plazas up to December 2, 2016, it has been decided that toll payment at these toll plazas may be made through old Rs 500 notes from December 3, 2016, to December 15, 2016.
(h) Foreign citizens will be permitted to exchange foreign currency up to Rs 5000 per week. Necessary entry to this effect will be made in their passports. (Necessary instructions in this regard will be issued by the RBI.)

New 1000 & 500 notes issued by Reserve Bank of India

RBI introduces new currency features in Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday said it will shortly put into circulation banknotes in the denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 incorporating three new/revised features.

The Bank note of Rs 500, Rs 1,000 will have a special feature which includes ascending size of numerals in the number panels, bleed lines and enlarged identification mark.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday said it will shortly put into circulation banknotes in the denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 incorporating three new/revised features.

The features will include ascending size of numerals in the number panels, bleed lines and enlarged identification mark, it said.

The RBI had recently put into circulation R500 banknotes with numerals in ascending size in number panels, but without bleed lines and enlarged identification mark. It has now added two more features to aid the visually impaired in easy identification of banknotes, apart from securing them against counterfeiting.

“The current banknotes will be without inset letter in the number panels. The notes will bear signature of Raghuram G Rajan, Governor. The year of printing (2015) appears on the reverse. Except for these features, the overall design of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes have been retained,” the central bank said.

The apex bank said the numerals in both the numbering panels of banknotes will be in ascending size from left to right, while the first three alpha-numeric characters will remain constant in size.

The banknotes of Rs 500 denomination will have five angular bleed lines in three sets of 2-1-2 lines on the obverse in both, the upper left and the right hand edge of the banknote.

Similarly, Rs 1,000 banknotes will have six angular bleed lines in four sets of 1-2-2-1 lines on the obverse in both, the upper left and right hand edge of the banknotes. These will facilitate identification of these notes by visually impaired persons, RBI said in the press release.

The existing identification mark (circular-shape in Rs 500 and diamond in Rs 1,000) near the left edge of the banknote has been enlarged.

New Visa Policy

Govt approves new visa policy to attract foreigners, boost trade...

NEW DELHI: 

Seeking to promote medical tourism and attract more business visitors, the Union cabinet on Wednesday expanded the scope of e-tourist visa to include purposes such as short-term medical treatment, business trips and conferences. With the enlarged scope, the e-tourist visa will be rechristened the e-visa and shall allow the holder dual entries for tourism and business purposes and three for medical treatment.

As per the Cabinet decision cleared by the Modi government, the e-visa scheme will be extended to 8 more countries, taking the total number of nations that enjoy the facility to 158.

E-visa will now have a validity of 60 days and can be applied for by foreign nationals up to four months ahead of the visit.

"The Union Cabinet has given its approval for liberalisation, simplification and rationalisation of the existing visa regime in India and incremental changes in the visa policy decided by the ministry of home affairs in consultation with various stakeholders," said a government release issued after the Cabinet meeting.

"The approval will facilitate entry of foreigners for tourism, business and medical purposes. This is expected to stimulate economic growth, increase earnings from export of services like tourism, medical value travel and travel on account of business and to make 'Skill India', 'Digital India', 'Make in India' and other such flagship initiatives of the government successful," it added.

Tourists, businessmen or people coming for treatment or to attend conferences will be covered under the new category of visa, which was first mooted by the Commerce Ministry following a suggestion by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to boost services trade.

Medical tourism in India alone is estimated at USD 3 billion and projected to grow to $7-8 billion by 2020, according to a PTI report.

Notebandi

 

'Notebandi' leads to nasbandi in UP: several opt for procedure to earn cash

While the efficacy of vasectomy - or nasbandi, as it is popularly called - in family planning across India is still debatable, there is little doubt that the population control measure is a political tool that has been used time and again. The term still evokes harrowing memories of the Emergency for many.

Now, the note ban has brought nasbandi back into focus with a spike in a number of people turning toward this sterilisation technique in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur.

EARNING MUCH-NEEDED CASH

The Poorva Post, a Delhi-based weekly magazine focusing on the Eastern UP, recentlyreleased a video highlighting this trend. The publication claims labourers rendered unemployed after the 8 November demonetisation move are opting for nasbandi in large numbers to earn some cash.

Also read - The dead and their currency notes: The human cost of sudden demonetisation

The Poorva Post report cites sources from a private clinic in Gorakhpur to state that labourers are coming in large numbers to undergo vasectomy operation. These are the same people who were earlier hard to convince to adopt family planning measures under the National Health Mission (NHM).

According to Poorva Post, over 38 daily wage labourers have undergone vasectomy operations in this Gorakhpur clinic alone since 8 November.

A team leader working in the clinic has confirmed that the number of nasbandi cases has sharply risen after demonetisation. Since the cash crunch has left many labourers with no source of income, they are left with no other option but to sterilise themselves for easy money.

It is worth noting that the government pays Rs 2,000 to each person coming to a government hospital fornasbandi in UP. The incentive for such an operation in any private health institute is Rs 1,000. Presumably, the lure of this money is attracting the poor towards sterilisation after the note ban.

The analysts believe the number of nasbandi cases in other government and private health centres of Gorakhpur district could be much higher.

A SIMILAR STORY ELSEWHERE

It appears the trend is not restricted to Gorakhpur. The story of Aligarh's Puran Sharma (35) has attracted media attention during the past three days. Desperate for cash, Sharma got himself sterilised, but his handicapped wife could not get it done. The payment for the female contraception operation is only Rs 1,400.

Puran says that a local social health activist (ASHA) told him he could get some cash by doing nasbandi. He is the sole breadwinner of his family, but has been jobless for the past three weeks.

Sugar Daddy

Live updates as case of 'sugar daddy' worth £20m accused of murdering his 'personal escort' continues....

The trial of a millionaire property developer who denies murdering a beautician he paid £10,000 a month to be his personal escort continues today.Wealthy Peter Morgan, who was worth £20m, is accused of murdering 25-year-old Georgina Symonds, who had worked as a burlesque dancer before becoming a high-end prostitute.On day two of the trial yesterday, the jury at Newport Crown Court were told that he wrapped her body extensively in plastic sheeting and tape and a metal bar was used to lift her body into the boot of his Porsche.The jury was then shown footage of Morgan arriving back at Beech Hill Farm in Usk where he removed Ms Symonds’ body from the boot and carried it into the barn.

Peter Morgan denies murder

Prosecutor William Hughes QC said: "Mr Morgan drives off and goes about his normal business. He goes to his office and goes to Lloyds Bank in Abergavenny.”The court that the couple met on dating website Plenty of Fish.Morgan described himself to police as Ms Symonds’ “sugar daddy” and spoilt her.He said he gave her a £1,000 a week to pay for her car, BMW, which he insured.

Georgina Symonds (Photo: WALES NEWS SERVICE)

The trial has heard that the 54-year-old married father of two had been in relationship with mum-of-one Georgina for three years.William Hughes QC told the jury the murder was "premeditated" and well planned.“After killing Georgina he went to great lengths to move her and conceal her body and cover his own tracks for some time after the killing itself," he said.The court heard Morgan plotted to kill Georgina after suspecting she was about to break off their affair.

The trial continues...........

Where is this Flight MH370???

Malaysia MH370 search - 9th April

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 04: Photo provided by Australian Department of Defense Australian vessel "Ocean Shield" conducting search operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on April 4, 2014. The search leader hunting for missing Malaysian flight MH370 said that no submersible onboard the Australian vessel "Ocean Shield" would be deployed unless the ship detects more credible signal

Department of Defense shows the Australian vessel "Ocean Shield" conducting search operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on April 7, 2014. The search leader hunting for missing Malaysian flight MH370 said that no submersible onboard the Australian vessel "Ocean Shield" would be deployed unless the ship detects more credible signal

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 07: Photo provided by Australian Department of Defense shows the Australian vessel "Ocean Shield" conducting search operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on April 7, 2014. The search leader hunting for missing Malaysian flight MH370 said that no submersible onboard the Australian vessel "Ocean Shield" would be deployed unless the ship detects more credible signal

Graphics on a TV screen shows pinger locator detections during the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, during a media briefing at Dumas House in Perth April 9, 2014. Australian officials said on Wednesday that two new "ping" signals had been detected in the search for the missing MH370, injecting fresh confidence into the search that had been struggling with a lack of information

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force P3C crew receive instructions before departing to Pearce Airbase to continue search operations of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 at Subang Airbase near Kuala Lumpur April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Samsul Said (MALAYSIA - Tags: DISASTER TRANSPORT SOCIETY)

15-Year-Old Sushma Verma, Daughter Of A Sanitation Worker, Is India's Youngest PhD Student

In a country where more than 35 per cent of girls are discouraged from studying and going to school, young prodigy Sushma Verma from Lucknow has a different story to tell! At age 7 when most of us were barely able to dedicate 30 minutes to studying, Sushma had already completed her 10th. At the young age of 13, she had enrolled herself in college and was getting her Master’s Degree in Microbiology from Lucknow University.

And now, at the age of 15, she has achieved yet another milestone by becoming the youngest Indian to have been enrolled as a PhD student at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) in Lucknow—a course where her classmates are probably eight to nine years older than her, at least!

Truth is that there are many bright, exceptional students hailing from poor families but there is only one Sushma Verma. In 2007, she entered the Limca Book of Records as the youngest student to clear the class X exam. At age 10, she was already sure of her career path and wanted to be a doctor for which she gave the Uttar Pradesh Combined Premedical Test (UCPMT). University rules, however, prohibited her from pursuing her academic goals and her result was withheld.

Wise and way matured for her age, Sushma told The Times of India in an interview, “A person should always be judged by his or her talent and potential, not by age. I desperately wanted to become a doctor but now I have to wait till I turn 17 — it’s a huge disappointment for me.”

What’s also truly amazing is that this kind of badassery runs in her family. Her older brother, Shailendra, proved his mettle when he became the youngest computer science graduate in India at the age of 14 in 2007. However, what has truly made all her accomplishments special is the fact that she graduated from the same college where her father works as a sanitation worker. Her 51-year-old father Tej Bahadur was in fact a daily wage worker before Vice-Chancellor of BBAU college Dr R C Sobti helped him get a job on campus as a sanitation supervisor, so that he could support his daughter and rest of the family.

It’s rather obvious that Sushma is an inspiration for every student alike. The nation is truly in awe of her spectacular achievements. And if children like Sushma are India’s future pioneers, then rest assured ‘India Shining’ is more of a reality, less of a dream!