High alert has been issued, the Char Dham Yatra has been suspended

Rains lash Uttarakhand: 50 missing, 25 dead

Business Standard

During the British Raj what was the Lal Kitab and who used to circulate it. Established in the late 60s, this brand uses Mount Rainier in the US as its testing ground. The brand uses the mountain as a location for its product innovation, durability and reliability tests. Name the brand. Who is the official connectivity provider to the F1 racing organisation (Formula One World championship Limited)? This company was set up in the 1870s by an Italian engineer at the age of twenty-four for the production of rubber articles. It began fromÂ making insulated telegraph cablesÂ toÂ underwater telegraph cables to theÂ first bicycle tyres. Name the company and a unique distinction it holds today. One of India's oldest bookstores (set up in the 1900s) was supposedly used by the Naxalite movement in the 1970s as a message drop-off point. They would slip notes into particular books for other members of their group. Name this store that has now become a retail chain. This firm's baseline reads "Out

The Strategist Quiz (#309)

India continues to face challenges in attraction and retention of skilled employees similar to their Asia Pacific counterparts, despite variable economic conditions

Managing skilled labour

The Supreme Court has issued seven "general directions" to be followed when a state government supersedes elected managing committees of cooperative banks and other financial bodies. This has become necessary, stated the court, "in view of the mushrooming cases in various courts challenging orders of supersession of elected committees." The order was passed while dismissing the appeal of the Madhya Pradesh government against the high court judgment in the case of supersession of the board of directors of District Cooperative Bank Ltd, Panna. The joint registrar of cooperative societies superseded the board after issuing a show cause notice containing 19 charges.  The directors challenged the supersession as it was done without consulting Reserve Bank of India.  The court directed reinstatement of the board of directors for the full term. Among the general directions are supersession should be ordered only in rare circumstances, the committees should not be penalised for short-comings a

Supersession of elected committees

Within days of a new government taking charge of Karnataka earlier this month, S R Patil, a 65-year-old man, was sworn in as minister of information technology and bio-technology. Two powerful voices in the business world attacked him - 60-year old Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw from the biotech world, and not-much-younger Mohandas Pai. Their grouse: Patil was too old for the job.Patil, barely a day into his new role felt pre-judged, and sulked about how his predecessors had been even older.  Following widespread outrage, the celebrated critics apologised to Patil.Just a day later, 66-year-old Narayana Murthy returned to head Infosys, once India's most-envied listed company, as its executive chairman, his under-30 son in tow as his "executive assistant". His return ran counter to all notions built up about Murthy and Infosys: that Infosys was an institution not synonymous with its founders; that Murthy had built a true institution and had moved on unlike other "lala" promoters; and that blood was

Positive fallacies of Murthy, Shaw, Pai and Patil

There can be no alternative in the country without the Left and it is in touch with Sharad Yadav and other anti-Congress, anti-BJP parties, CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said today."An alternative front cannot be formed by merely announcing it. Such a front can only become successful if it is built on the basis of alternative policies and a common programme. There has to be alternative policies which can provide relief to the masses," Yechury told reporters. Asked to comment on CPI (M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's observation that formation of an alternative front is a tough challenge as there are various parties splintered on the basis of religion and caste, Yechury said, "Yes that's true."But, I feel that regional parties too are under pressure from their support base to look for alternative policies," he said."Without the Left, there can't be alternative policies. We are in touch with Sharad Yadav and other anti-Congress, anti BJP parties," he said. 	When asked about t

'Alternative to BJP, Cong impossible without Left'

Press Trust of India

People normally pray for good rain. But in a few villages of Chhattisgarh this year, it is a different story.

Farmers pray for no rain, literally

WBMDTC set to clock profit after 35 years

Finance Act, 2012, introduced the concept of Advance Pricing Agreements (APA). APAs are common in other developed countries.An Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) is an agreement between the taxpayer and the tax authorities on the pricing of international transactions between the taxpayer and its associated enterprises (AE). An APA provides certainty on the pricing to be adopted for the covered intercompany transactions. Further, a bilateral/multilateral APA eliminates the risk of potential double taxation arising from controlled transactions.The government has framed rules for APAs. Rule 10H is a very interesting rule which deals with pre-filing consultation. Every applicant is required to apply for pre-filing consultation. Pre-filing consultation shall, among other things, (i) determine the scope of the agreement (ii) identify transfer pricing issues (iii) determine the suitability of international transaction for the agreement (iv) discuss broad terms of the agreement.An assessee has an

Rule 10H on pre-filing consultation: A unique feature of Advance Pricing Agreements

In 2003 around 11 per cent of the total 57 seats was won uncontested, mostly by the ruling Left candidates. In 2008 the percentage of uncontested seats came down to 5 per cent. This year the nomination process for the first two phases of three phase panchayat elections have just been concluded. Already, 15 per cent seats of the first phase and 7 per cent of the second phase went uncontested.The nomination process for the third and final phase will be over on 17 June. The Opposition apprehend that this time the number of uncontested seats would surpass even the record of 2003 election. To avoid this state election commission and the opposition parties had demanded adequate deployment of central paramilitary forces from the beginning of the nomination process, but the state government did not oblige. Now that the Calcutta High Court has clarified  that "there can be no controversy that primacy in such matters vests in the state election commission", the commission might move court again

Number of uncontested seats rising due to terror

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) today effected large scale organisational changes to prepare the party for 2014 polls. As per the reshuffle, Odisha congress observer Jagdish Tytler has been replaced by B K Hariprasad, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka.Apart from Odisha, Hariprasad has been directed to look after Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh affairs of Congress.The party's organisational changes came just ahead of Central cabinet reshuffle. Speculation is rife about the Balasore MP Srikant Jena, who is currently minister of state for chemical and fertiliser and statistics and programme implementation being elevated to cabinet rank.

Hariprasad new Cong observer

BS Reporter

Advance ruling is binding on the applicant and on the commissioner of Customs, Excise and Income Tax and the authorities subordinate to them in respect of the applicant

Appeal against Advance Ruling before HC

Barely a week after Biju Janata Dal (BJD) staged a rally in New Delhi voicing concern over the Centre's discrimination against Odisha in providing financial assistance, the state Congress today hit back saying that the ruling party was misleading the public by giving wrong information."The BJD chief Naveen Pattnaik staged a drama in Ramleela Maidan in Delhi by spending huge amounts of money and taking thousands of BJD workers in seven special trains and criticised the Centre's step motherly attitude towards Odisha. But as per authenticated statistics, out of 28 states in India, Odisha got the highest Central per capita aid," said Jayadev Jena, president, Pradesh Congress Committee.Quoting figures released by the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability, a New Delhi-based think-tank, Jena said, the per capita Central aid to Odisha stood at Rs 1,688, followed by Andhra Pradesh (Rs 1,333) and Haryana (Rs 1,165).He alleged that the Centre has never neglected when it came to assistin

BJD claim on central bias misleading: Cong

The construction of the proposed integrated titanium plant by Saraf Agencies Private Limited (SAPL) near Chhatrapur in Odisha's Ganjam district has hit another roadblock with the land losers of the project demanding fresh agreement with them before commencement of the project work.The land-losers' welfare association has submitted a memorandum to the additional district magistrate, Ganjam in this regard. They also stalled the construction work of the project on Friday.The Kolkata-based company had decided to set up the plant near Chhatrapur on its own after break up its joint venture agreement with Russian partners. Around 260 acres of land, including 230 acres private land, had been acquired for the project about five years back. Nearly 300 people of 4 villages - Tikiria Berhampur, Kanamana, Chandrapada and Mayipatna had lost their land for the project."We want a fresh agreement with the company. New agreement is required as five years has elapsed since the first agreement in 2008," s

Titanium plant land losers want fresh pact with promoters

In an effort to expedite the establishment of the Xavier University, the state higher education department has asked the management authorities of the institute to submit a status report on the proposal at the earliest.In a letter to the Director, Xavier Institute of Management (XIM), the department has asked for the time schedule for completion of phase wise construction works and opening of various streams of the varsity.M Kissan, additional secretary, state higher education department, has south to know whether an administrative office of the university is functioning in Bhubaneswar and to share the details of the office address and office bearers.In addition, the department has also asked for the details of the progress made in development of infrastructure of the university and status on the formation of the board of governors.The letter has urged the university authorities to intimate the department about the setting up of endowment funds.The university, coming up at Nijigarh in

State govt seeks details on progress of Xavier University

Only those unapproved colonies or buildings constructed before April 1 will be considered under the policy. This would be a big relief to about 5,000 colonies and 0.2 million individual plot-holders or building owners across the stateThe Punjab cabinet yesterday approved the policy for regularisation of unauthorised colonies and buildings under the Punjab Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2013.Only those unapproved colonies or buildings constructed before April 1 would be considered under this policy.Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office said this would be a big relief to about 5,000 colonies and two lakh (0.2 million) individual plot holders or building owners across the state. The policy focuses on bringing all unauthorised colonies/buildings into the planning framework and to regularise development, which would further facilitate the smooth implementation of master plans across the state to ensure urban development in a holistic manner.Apart from thi

Punjab to regularise unauthorised colonies

Odisha Power Generation Corp (OPGC) and NTPC Ltd are facing coal shortages at their coal-fired power plants in the state

OPGC, NTPC plants facing critical coal stock

In Andhra Pradesh, around 2,500 mechanised boats, 40 trawlers and over 10,000 catamarans are engaged in sea fishing with a total  shrimp catch at 40,000-45,000 tonne and 300,000 tonne of fishIn a major jolt to the mechanised boat operators and their marine catch, the seafood exporters of Andhra Pradesh have expressed their inability to take the former's material as exporters are now inclined towards procuring aqua-cultured shrimp, according to the Andhra Mechanised Fishing Boat Operators Welfare Association."Over the last several years, we have depended only on the seafood exporters to sell our shrimp catches. Now, they are not coming forward to take our material, at a time when there is a huge demand for marine shrimp in the international market," the association said.In Andhra Pradesh, around 2,500 mechanised boats, 40 trawlers and over 10,000 catamarans (small fishing boats) are engaged in sea fishing with a total  shrimp catch at 40,000-45,000 tonne and 300,000 tonne of fish."Tradi

Crisis grips Andhra mechanised marine boat operators

As part of its six-point programme on EE and EC (energy efficiency and energy conservation), the Andhra Pradesh government is planning to notify  the energy conservation building code (ECB code) for enhancing energy efficiency in all large buildings such as multiplexes, malls and hospitals, according to chief secretary and chairman of the State Energy Conservation Mission SECM) PK Mohanty."AnÂ ECB Code is in the offing forÂ incorporatingÂ energy efficiency components. The code will beÂ applicable to all non-residential buildings with more than 1,000 square metre of plot area or 2,000 square metre of built-up area, whichever is higher.Â Initially, a single-star energy conservation shall be made mandatory in respect of all these structures. Certification of energy conservation for these buildings will be issued by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)-empanelled architects," he said here on Sunday.The state government will be finalising a 'Green Factory Building Code' for promoting energ

AP set to notify GO on energy conservation building code

Liberty Videocon General Insurance Company Ltd, a joint venture between US-based Liberty Mutual Insurance Group and Videocon Industries Ltd, is targeting to achieve a premium of Rs 100 crore this year.The company expects to break-even in six years of operations, said a senior official from the company.The company, which had launched its operations with commercial products on January 2013 and motor insurance in February 2013, is also expected to expand its geographical presence from the present eight branches to 25 branches during the second year of operations.It has branches in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Chennai.Speaking to the reporters here, Roopam Asthana, CEO and director of Liberty Videocon, said: "Considering that the general insurance companies break-even at a gross premium of Rs 1,200 crore, the company expects to reach the mark in six years' time. The capital base of the company would be around Rs 600 crore by that time".Presently, the co

Videocon Insurance JV targets Rs 100-cr premium this year

The plant has been delivered ahead of the schedule and the entire output will be allotted to the Tamil Nadu state utilities at Rs 5.50 per kilowatt hourOPG Power Ventures has commissioned a new 80 Mw thermal power plant in Chennai. The company in a statement said the Chennai III plant has been synchronised and has become fully operational and the commercial sales have now begun.The power producer has agreed to supply the plant's entire output to the state utilities in Tamil Nadu at Rs 5.50 per kilowatt hour.According to OPG, the Chennai plant has been delivered ahead of the schedule and within the estimated budget. Chennai III is a replica of the two other plants on the site, and the company says the total capacity of the Chennai plant is now 234 Mw.Overall OPG's total operating capacity now stands at 270 Mw and it has a further 472 Mw in advanced construction.OPG is operating and developing power projects in India under the group's captive model with 270 Mw in operation. For the year

OPG Power commissions 80 Mw Chennai thermal unit

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