LIVE! Andhra, Telangana top in ease of doing biz ranking

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Mon, 31 October 2016

Andhra, Telangana top in ease of doing biz ranking

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21:27

Non-Subsidised Prices of LPG cylinders hiked by Rs 38. 50 from midnight today. LPG cylinder to now cost Rs 529 in Delhi.

20:30 Cop killed by SIMI men was preparing for daughter's wedding

Head Constable Ramashankar Yadav, killed by SIMI men for escaping from jail in Bhopal, was a doting father who was excited over forthcoming marriage of his daughter but the tragedy has now pushed the family into profound grief.

"Ramashankar was happy and excited over his 24-year-old daughter Sonia's wedding scheduled for December 9," his nephew Vijay Shanker Yadav said.

Ramashankar, who had earlier suffered a heart attack, was busy making arrangement for the wedding, he said.

"My uncle was busy making arrangements for his daughter's marriage. But as fate had it, we got the news of his killing by SIMI men this morning," Vijay said.

Ramashankar's two sons -- Shambhunath (36) and Prabhunath (32) -- are in Army, who are currently posted at Guwahati and Hissar, respectively.

20:25 Over 30 injured in Kashmir clashes

Over 30 people, including three officers of security forces, were injured on Monday as intense clashes rocked a village in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, officials said.

The clashes erupted shortly after police assisted by Army and CRPF cordoned off Rohomu village for house-to-house searches, the officials said.

As the security forces launched the search operation, the local residents came out on the roads and started protesting, leading to clashes, the officials said.

About 30 people were injured in the clashes as security forces fired dozens of teargas shells and used pellet guns to restore law and order, they said.

Six of the pellet victims, including two girls, were brought to SMHS hospital in Srinagar for specialised treatment, the officials said.

Train journeys could soon be safer as scientists of IIT Kharagpur have successfully tested a new tool for electronic railway interlocking system which prevents trains from colliding into each other.

The tool suite is developed by the Computer Science and Engineering Department of the institute in collaboration with Research, Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Service Improvement Group (SIG) of the Indian Railways.

Prof Pallab Dasgupta, lead researcher of the project, said since errors in the application logic of interlocking systems may have catastrophic consequences, this development has potential to minimise the chance of such errors.

"In the proposed approach, the yard layout is used as a reference for automatically generating a list of safety properties, which are then proven on the application logic using back-end model checking tools. The generation of the formal properties is specifically tailored to the combination of relays used in that yard," he said.

The tool has already been successfully tested in several railway yards, Dasgupta claimed.

The Indian Institute of Technology researchers said this project has the potential to be further extended to study and develop optimum traffic operation plans, alternative plans for emergencies.

The Indian Railways, through RDSO, has awarded 12 research projects to IIT Kharagpur's Centre for Railway Research in the area of analysis and design of rolling stock, infrastructure, operations and maintenance.

Judicial ethics should never be compromised as aberrations could bring disrepute to the entire justice system, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur said on Monday, asking the judges to introspect about the public perception regarding their rectitude.

"We need to introspect about public perception about our rectitude. It is painful to see sometimes aberrations occuring at some level or the other which bring a disrepute to entire justice system," the CJI said at an event to celebrate 50th anniversary of the establishment of Delhi High Court.

"I think Delhi High Court has achieved much, but in terms of ensuring that such incidents (aberrations) do not happen, there is much more to be done. I only hope that brother judges at all level take extra care not to give any room for any doubt or anything that is not in tune with judicial ethics and professional rectitude," Justice Thakur said.

The function was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi High Court Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice B D Ahmed and other judges of the apex court and high court.

The CJI said financial constraints cannot stand in the way of making access to justice a reality which cannot be achieved if people have to wait for years for their cases to be decided.

"Financial constraints cannot stand in the way of making access to justice a reality. That is absolutely in tune with our Constitutional philosophy that access to justice should be a reality and it cannot be a reality if people have to wait for years and years for their cases to be decided," he said.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have jointly topped the ease of doing business ranking while Gujarat has slipped to the third position in the list prepared by the World Bank and Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.

Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana occupied the fourth, fifth and sixth slots, respectively in the index based on degree of implementation of DIPP's 340-point Business Reform Action Plan.

The Action Plan includes reforms on 58 regulatory processes, policies, practices, or procedures spread across 10 reform areas spanning the lifecycle of a typical business. These are mainly single window clearance, tax reforms, labour and environment reforms, dispute resolution and construction permit.

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

As per the latest 2016 Index, those in the list of top 10 states in India providing a better climate for businesses include Jharkhand (7th), Rajasthan (8th), Uttarakhand (9th) and Maharashtra (10th).

Among other major states, Odisha occupied 11th slot, followed by Punjab, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.

See the graphic (left) to know more.

Three infiltration bids by heavily-armed terrorists, aided by cover fire by Pakistani troops, were foiled in the past 36 hours along the International Border in Hiranagar sector of Jammu and Kashmir, BSF said today.

There have been six infiltration bids in the past 12 days along IB in Jammu frontier, it said, adding Pakistan has been relentlessly trying to push heavily-armed militants into India with nefarious intention of disturbing peace and cause causalities of security forces in the hinterland.

"There were three attempts of infiltration by groups of terrorists which have been successfully foiled by the alert BSF troops in the face of danger to their lives," BSF DIG Dharmendra Pareek said in Jammu.

He said the attempts were made on Saturday and Sunday under the cover of heavy cross-border firing and shelling by Pakistani Rangers in Hiranagar sector of Kathua.

18:42

Woman killed in Pakistani shelling in Mendhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir: Police.

18:18

India and Palestine today signed the Memorandum of Understanding for setting up of Palestine-India Techo Park in Ramallah.

17:29 Schools burnt in Kashmir: HC calls for preventive measure

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Monday took suo-moto cognisance of schools being burnt in the valley and directed the authorities of all concerned districts to take all preventive and protective measures for school buildings from unknown enemies of education.

The division bench of the High Court directed Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Brij Raj Sharma, Director General of Police K. Rajendra Kumar and Director School Education, Kashmir to issue necessary instructions to all the Deputy Commissioners, SSPs and CEOs of concerned districts to take all preventive and protective measures as shall be necessary for saving school buildings from unknown enemies of education.

The bench also directed the three top officers to remain present during the next hearing on November 7.

Three schools have been set on fire in the last 24 hours In Jammu and Kashmir.

A government school was set on fire yesterday by unidentified people in Anantnag. This is the third school to be burnt in the state since yesterday.

Taking a swipe at Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh for alleging that 'someone' was behind the escape of SIMI terrorists, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday said the former has lost his 'mental balance' after second marriage and hence it would be pointless to aggravate the issue by commenting on his ridiculous remark.

"Digvijaya has made so many statements, which are wrong and ridiculous. He had also said something about Hemant Karkare (IPS officer) being killed by the RSS. After the second marriage, he seems to have lost his mental balance and, therefore, there is no point in further aggravating his mental tension by commenting on his remarks," Swamy told ANI.

Earlier, the Congress leader said the repeated instance of prisoners escaping from jails across the country suggested a larger 'conspiracy'.

"It is a serious issue. First SIMI activists fled the Khandwa Jail. Now, they have fled from the Bhopal jail. I have been reiterating that RSS activists and other similar organisations are behind the anti-Muslim riots in the country. It should be probed whether there is someone behind this or not," Singh told reporters here.

Eight terrorists of the banned group SIMI, who escaped from the Bhopal Central Jail after killing a guard, were gunned down in an encounter by the state police.

Thirty-three miners are trapped inside a coal mine after a gas explosion in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing on Monday, according to city officials.

The condition of the trapped miners is unknown, according to a statement posted to the city press office's official Weibo social media page.

The explosion happened at about 11.30 pm ET (9am Monday) in Chongqing's Yongchuan district, when 35 miners were in the mine, the statement said.

Two were able to escape, leaving 33 trapped underground. The cause of the explosion is under investigation, the statement said.

17:14

Govt releases assistance of Rs 1093.34 cr towards first instalment for repair and permanent restoration of damaged public buildings in J&K

15:45 4 SIMI men killed today learned bomb-making in UP's Bijnor

Four of the eight SIMI men, who were killed in the encounter near Bhopal today, had learned bomb-making in Bijnor and escaped from there after an accidental explosion.

According to police sources, an explosion occurred in a house in Jaatan colony here on September 12, 2014. By the time police reached the spot, the six persons living in the house had escaped.

The six persons, who were living in the house, were identified as SIMI activists Aslam, Ejaz, Zakir, Amzad, Sallu alias Salik and Mehboob.

On investigation it was found that the SIMI activists were trying to make bomb with matchstick heads when the explosion occurred. Mehboob was injured in the incident.

While Aslam and Ejaz were killed in an encounter in Telangana on April 3, 2015, Zakir, Amzad, Salik and Mehboob were killed this morning by Madhya Pradesh Police near Bhopal. Superintendent of Police Ajay Kumar Sahni said a case of sedition and under other serious charges is pending against them.

Highlights of PM Narendra Modi's address at the 'Run for Unity' event in New Delhi:

"History will not forgive those who did not honour Sardar Patel."

"Every Indian dreams of an India which is strong & self-reliant."

"India must stand united on all fronts and then the country will touch skies of prosperity."

"The iron man of India, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, stood beside Gandhiji in his fight for freedom and helped the mass movement. He transformed the movement for independence into a 'Jan Andolan' with 'Jan Shakti'"

"From Kashmir to Kanyakumari when the train runs, it doesn't need permits from states. This was possible due to Sardar Patel."

"Every Indian should do their bit to unite the India, overcome the different barriers."

"There are many forces working in our country to divide us, at such a time it's important to be careful and stay united."

15:14

An Army jawan has lost his life in ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Rajouri

14:57 India once again explains to China why it deserves NSG seat

India and China on Monday held "substantive and constructive" discussions on India's bid for NSG membership during the second round of talks between their top nuclear experts in Beijing.

Following the first such meeting in New Delhi on September 13, India and China continued their discussions on the NSG issue in Beijing on Monday when JS (Disarmament and International Security) Amandeep Singh Gill met Director General of Department of Arms Control Wang Qun, sources said.

"The talks were substantive and constructive. The engagement will continue as per the directive of the leadership," sources said.

During the talks, India once again asserted to the Chinese side that its implementation of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty principles was "second to none".

Monday's talks come ahead of a possible informal consultations in next two months on India's membership in a NSG panel, headed by Argentine Ambassador Rafael Grossi.

In the June Plenary of NSG in Seoul, despite strong American support, China stonewalled India's bid to get entry into the group on the grounds that it was a not a signatory to the NPT.

Wang, who was the Chief negotiator for China in the South Korea meet, had told reporters that signing of the NPT "is a must", maintaining that the rule has not been set by China but by the international community.

14:53

Two Army jawans injured during ceasefire violations by Pakistan in Mendhar's Bala Kote, shifted to Udhampur Command Hospital, reports ANI

14:50 Kerala declared drought-hit: Govt to approach Centre for aid

The Kerala government on Monday declared the state as drought-hit in view of the sharp decrease in rainfall during the South West Monsoon and said that Centre would be approached for necessary assistance to meet the emergency situation.

Kerala Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan made the announcement in the Assembly while replying to a notice seeking adjournment motion moved by Congress-led UDF opposition on the serious situation prevailing in the state due to the sharp decrease in rainfall.

The state Disaster Management Authority had been entrusted to seek necessary additional funds from the Centre to tide over the crisis, he said.

The UDF wanted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to meet and appraise Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the seriousness of the situation to receive more funds to address the concerned issues.

"According to IMD figures, there has been a sharp decrease in rainfall to the tune of 34 per cent during the South-West monsoon. There has also been a sharp decline in rainfall during North-East monsoon also," Chandrasekharan said.

"So, the government has declared the state as total drought-hit. A high-level meeting, chaired by chief minister was convened on October 13 to discuss steps to be taken to meet the emergency situation," he said.

MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan on encounter of SIMI men:

"Want to congratulate our forces, but we are looking at this very seriously. Prisoners escaping is a serious matter."

"Locals played a crucial role as well, they updated us about the location and all other info."

"This is a serious matter therefore investigation will take place, further action will be taken based on the findings."

"I spoke to HM Rajnath Singh, I spoke about how NIA should carry out the investigation in the matter. HM agreed."

Citing "heightened management risk" following the ouster of Cyrus Mistry as Chairman of Tata Sons, Brickwork Ratings has revised outlook of Tata Steel to negative while as revised the ratings of its NCDs worth Rs 6,500 crore.

The revised rating however continues to place the company in the 'high degree of safety' category with regard to the services to debt.

"Brickwork Ratings revises rating to 'BWR AA' (BWR Double A) with Negative Outlook from BWR AA+ (BWR Double A Plus), (Outlook: Stable) for unsecured the Non-Convertible Debenture (NCDs) Issues of Rs 4,000 crore," said a regulatory filing issued by Tata Steel.

Brickwork Ratings also revises rating to 'BWR AA-' (BWR Double A Minus) Outlook: Negative from BWR AA (Outlook: Stable) for the unsecured subordinated perpetual Debt Issues of Rs 2,500 crore of Tata Steel Ltd, it added.

"Essentially the Rating reflects heightened management risk and the current stage of lack of clarity at group level management that may impact strategic decision making at Tata Steel Ltd," Brickwork said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's allegation at an event commemorating the 50th year anniversary of Delhi HC attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that judges' phones are tapped, was rebutted by the government at the same platform.

The Delhi Chief Minister, alleging government interference in judges' appointments, said at a function: "I heard that judges phones are being tapped and they are afraid to talk. This is wrong and must not be allowed."

"I have seen two judges say that 'don't talk on phone, it is being tapped'. I said phones of the judges can't be tapped. If any judge has done something wrong, even then phone tapping shouldn't happen. There are many other ways to gather evidence."

This prompted immediate response from Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who said: "I have been Communication Minister for two years and I wish to deny with all the authority at my command that the phones of judges have been tapped in India at all."

Prasad also asserted that the commitment of his government to the independence of the judiciary is "complete and irrefutable."

Pakistani troops on Monday violated ceasefire by indulging in firing and shelling along the Line of Control in the twin frontier districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Pakistani troops indulged in unprovoked ceasefire violation from 0900 hours in the Balakot sector using 120 mm and 82 mm mortars, automatic and small arms," an army officer said.

He said our troops are responding to the firing appropriately and befittingly.

Pakistani Army fired and shelled on the forward posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Mendham sector of Poonch district. They also violated ceasefire in several areas of Rajouri district this afternoon, the officer said.

There was firing and shelling of mortar bombs in Mankot and Balakote areas along the LoC.

A lull had prevailed along the International Border since 2100 hours after ceasefire violations by Pakistani rangers on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid rich tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 141st birth anniversary.

The day is being celebrated as 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' (National Unity Day).

"I bow to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary. We recall his rich contribution to India,' PM Modi said on his official Twitter handle.

PM Modi also offered floral tributes at Sardar Patel's statue at Patel Chowk in Delhi's Parliament Street.

13:32

Andhra Pradesh, Telangana top the ease of doing business list prepared by DIPP and World Bank.

12:57 SIMI men were unarmed when cops killed them: MP HM

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh tells NDTV: "SIMI members used jail utensils as weapons. Then didn't have guns, police had no choice, but to kill them."

The remarks, however, contradicts the statement made by Yogesh Chaudhary, IG Bhopal on SIMI terrorists.

He said, "We located the 8 inmates, they fired on us, and all of them were killed in cross firing."

12:04 Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh hospitalised

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was rushed to Indira Gandhi Medical College hospital early Monday morning after complains of viral infection and intensive cough, affecting his sleep during late night hours.

IGMC's Senior medical Superintendent Dr Ramesh Chand said "I had received a call from CM's son Vikramaditya Singh around 1 am informing me about CM's health, cough problem and uneasiness, which was due to some viral infection."

Chief Minister was shifted to IGMC immediately and admitted for medical intervention.

"The condition has improved after some medication. CM also had breakfast and he also slept a while. The doctors are keeping a close watch on his health condition," said Dr Chand.

Eight SIMI terrorists who earlier today fled from Bhopal Central Jail have been killed in an encounter, reports ANI.

The eight terrorists had escaped from the Central Jail in Bhopal in the wee hours, killing a security guard and scaling the prison wall with the help of bed sheets, following which some officials responsible for jail security have been suspended.

They were identified as -- Amzad, Zakir Hussain Sadiq, Mohammad Salik, Mujeeb Shaikh, Mehbood Guddu, Mohammad Kalid Ahmed, Aqeel and Majid.

This was the second major jail break by operatives of banned SIMI in three years after the sensational escape by seven members of the group from a jail in Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh in 2013.

A nationwide alert had been sounded for the hunt of the eight SIMI men. All states neighbouring Madhya Pradesh has been specifically told to remain alert and keep special vigil along their borders with Madhya Pradesh.

The central security agencies were particularly anxious as four of the seven SIMI activities, who escaped from a jail in Khandwa October 1, 2013, could be arrested only after three years and during the period of their hiding, the terrorists were involved in multiple incidents of terror and a bank robbery. While in hiding, the SIMI men were allegedly involved in terror activities in several states including Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

11:39

Fresh ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in Mendhar sector of Poonch district today: Army

11:38 Gunmen try to enter Pak school, open fire

Two armed men tried to enter a school in Pakistan's Punjab province today and opened fire, injuring a school guard, but their bid was thwarted by security personnel.

Panic and fear gripped as two armed men tried to enter a private school in Haroonabad area of Bahawalnagar, Express News reported.

According to reports, the men opened fire as they tried to enter the school. However, heavy contingents of police reached the site and the gunmen fled.

All students were safely evacuated from the school. The school guard was reportedly injured during the gunfire.

Reuters reports: Federal investigators have secured a warrant to examine newly discovered emails related to Hillary Clinton's private server, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday, as a prominent Democrat accused FBI Director James Comey of breaking the law by trying to influence the election.

The warrant will allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation to examine the emails to see if they are relevant to its probe of the private email server used for government work by Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.

Comey came under heavy pressure from Democrats on Sunday to quickly provide details of the emails, as Clinton allies worried the prolonged controversy could extend beyond the November 8 election and cast a shadow over a Clinton transition if she wins the White House.

Comey's disclosure of the email discovery in a letter to Congress on Friday plunged the final days of the White House race between Clinton and Republican Donald Trump into turmoil. Clinton had opened a recent lead over Trump in national polls, but it had been narrowing even before the email controversy resurfaced.

Read more HERE

A cargo plane carrying four people was reported missing in a remote, mountainous area of Indonesia's easternmost Papua province, an official said Monday.

The Turbo Caribou PK-SWW left the town of Timika at 10:57 pm on Sunday for the remote district of Ilaga, but had not shown up after its last contact less than an hour after it took off, said Indonesias search and rescue agency chief, Henry Bambang Soelistyo. The plane was scheduled to land at 3:22 am on Monday.

Soelistyo said a rescue team was sent to search for the plane, which was carrying two pilots and two passengers with cargo, including construction materials. He said fog, bad weather and dense jungle terrain were hampering search efforts.

Air flight is the main source of transportation in Papua, the second biggest of Indonesia's more than 17,000 islands.

A thick blanket of smog engulfed the national capital a day after Diwali festivities, leading to poor visibility conditions across the city.

The weather office reported shallow to moderate levels of fog in many parts of the city. Safdarjung observatory recorded visibility at 200 metres.

The formation of smog -- the combination of smoke and fog -- can be attributed to last night's incessant fireworks during the festivities.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 15.5 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year, while the maximum is likely to be around 31 degrees Celsius.

The sky will be clear in the later part of the day, an official said.

Humidity was recorded on the higher end of the scale at 94 per cent at 8:30am.

Thousands of villagers today bid a tearful adieu to BSF jawan Nitin Subhash Koli, who was killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in the Macchil sector along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

Koli was cremated with full military honours at his village Dudhgaon in Sangli district of Western Maharashtra this morning. State ministers Chandrakant Patil and Sadabhau Khot were among those who paid tributes to the martyr.

Earlier, his body was taken to his home and later kept at the Karmveer Chowk to enable people pay their last respects.

The 28-year-old Koli, who was martyred on October 29, was planning to visit his family in his native village after Diwali.

Koli hailed from a farming family in Dudhgaon village in Miraj tehsil. He is survived by parents Subhash and Suman, younger brother, wife Samapada and two sons -- Devraj (4) and Yuvraj (2). He had come home around six months ago and was to come on leave again on November 5.

Before he joined BSF in 2008, Koli worked as a manual labourer to pay for his education till the 12th standard and also to financially support the family. Recently, he had helped his brother to buy a van so that he could start a small business, a family member said.

10:03 Modi tweets Gujarati new year greetings

The Gujarati community all over the world is today celebrating their new year, ie, Bestu Varas. The community celebrates the New Year after Diwali to mark the beginning of a new fiscal year.

Greeting people on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet hoped that the New Year will bring happiness, prosperity and good health for the people.

"Today, a day after Diwali, Gujaratis mark the start of a New Year. Saal Mubarak to Gujaratis across the world. May this be a joy filled year," the prime minister tweeted.

The day is of special significance for traders and businessmen as it marks the beginning of a financial year for them and hence, new ledgers are opened on this day.

09:59 5 jail officials suspended for SIMI jailbreak

The Madhya Pradesh government on Monday suspended five officials of the Bhopal Central Jail after eight terrorists of the banned group Students Islamic Movement of India escaped in the wee hours today.

State Home Minister Bhupendra Singh confirmed the news about the same.

It is reported that the terrorists escaped at around 2 am using bed-sheets as a rope."The incident happened around 2 am. The terrorists used blankets and bed-sheets. They overpowered the two officers in charge and then opened the locks," Arvind Saxena, superintendent of police said.

The prisoners chose Diwali night for their escape, when people across the country celebrate by bursting crackers.

An extensive search operation has been launched for them in Bhopal and other places.

Eight activists of the banned SIMI escaped early today from the Bhopal Central Jail by killing a security guard and scaling the prison wall with the help of bed sheets.

"Eight SIMI activists escaped around 2-3 am by killing a jail security guard," DIG Bhopal Raman Singh said.

The Students Islamic Movement of India activists also killed a jail security guard and later scaled the jail walls with the help of bed sheets, he said. They killed the guard by slitting his throat with a steel plate and glass after overpowering him, the DIG said.

Further details are awaited, he said, adding that a hunt has been launched to nab them.

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