Every so often, life serves up a reminder of why we don't just quit social media entirely. Today's reminder comes in the form of a Twitter game.
Twitter user Green Chyna put together an incredibly clever "choose your own adventure" story that casts you as Beyoncé's personal assistant. The goal? Survive the day without getting fired!
As you read through the thread, choices come up that branch the story in one direction or another. Most of the options end with your fictional assistant being shown the door. But there's a narrow line you can toe, decisions you can make that'll preserve your not-an-actual-job just a little while longer. Read more...
While plugging plug a mouse, a phone, or a thumb drive into your computer, you try to stick the USB into its slot, only to find it stopping prematurely. You flip it around, but it still won't go in. So you flip it back to the original position and it slides in without a hitch.
We've all been there, and the inventor of the USB sees our pain.
Ajay Bhatt, the leader behind the IBM team that gave us the USB in the mid-'90s, revealed in an interview with NPR Friday that he is well aware of the annoyances the public has with USB, or Universal Serial Bus, but there's a reason it's designed the way it is. Read more...
Back when I was on dating apps in my twenties, I made sure to never post my zodiac sign in my profile. As a Virgo, I was worried people would use my astrological sign — which has a reputation for being bossy — against me.
Many of the profiles I viewed didn’t include this kind of information either. But astrology has boomed in the past few years, especially among millennials. It's not uncommon to see people post their signs –- sun, moon, and rising — in their online dating profiles. Bumble, a popular dating app, even allows users to search for matches based on their astrological sign.
And while posting your zodiac sign in your profile carries risks (not everyone, for example, wants to date "steamy" Scorpios), astrologers like Christopher Renstrom, author of the upcoming book Astrology: Here and Now, believe that posting your sign in your profile could be a very good thing –- both for people who believe in astrology and even more casual fans. Read more...
Before deepfakes and alternative facts, the online world was already telling us fibs. In our series Lies the Internet Told Me, we call 'em all out.
If you and the version of yourself that you present to the world online went for a drink together, would you even know each other?
Let's be honest: In this vast anonymizing realm we call the internet, we all lie a little. Not just on the small stuff, though there is a lot of that; we also tell more intangible lies about the biggest thing we have to talk about, our identity. We smooth over nuance to fit ourselves into checkboxes. We adhere to our "personal brand," which doesn't always reflect our truths. On Facebook we tell many lies of omission, often without realizing. Read more...
Every day ofPride Month, Mashable will be sharing illuminating conversations with members of the LGBTQ community who are making history right now.
Ahem: may I present to you the man responsible for casting Blake Lively as Serena Van Der Woodsen on Gossip Girl.
Iconic teen characters aside, David Rapaport is paving the way for all kinds of actors to pursue their dreams. The 40-year-old casting director, who is gay, has been getting attention for his inclusive casting choices. Recently, for example, he's been on a queer superhero streak, casting Ruby Rose as a lesbian Batwoman and Nicole Maines as television's first transgender superhero in Supergirl.Read more...
If you thought an electric scooter was an outlandish way to travel, you better hold on — you haven't seen anything yet. This summer, it's all about balancing your way down the street on various one-wheeled personal vehicles.
These remote-free vehicles are all electric and use self-balancing tech to hurtle you surprisingly fast toward your destination. All of the products are different, but to me, most of them felt like learning to ski or snowboard for the first time. Crouch, stay low to the ground, and look forward.
The Kiwano KO1+ one-wheel scooter, which features a giant wheel and handle bar, came out earlier this year and is a beast of a machine. The electric device can go up to 15 mph, and its thick wheel can handle tough terrain. You ride the scooter by standing on foot pegs on the side of the wheel; just push on the battery and go. Like most self-balancing devices, the scooter responds to your body positioning. Move forward and it accelerates, lean back to slow down. Read more...
So, do you have any plans for the Fourth of July? If not, why not gather up your buddies and host a LAN party. With so many great deals around, we think you should treat yourself to a new gaming rig.
Dell is currently offering 38% off their Dell Inspiron gaming AMD Ryzen 7 2700X desktop, which comes with 16GB of RAM and an AMD RX 580 graphics card. Portability more your style? Well, you can save 42% off this Dell New Vostro 15 7000 Intel Core i7-9750H laptop. Beefy enough to run the latest titles without a problem.
TL;DR: The 2017 iPad Pro is still one of the best tablets you can get, and the 12.9-inch model is on super sale. Save $399.01 and get the 256 GB model for $679.99 or save $500 and get the 512 GB model for $779.99.
June 21 was National Selfie Day, and we're here to remind you that friends don't let friends take iPad mirror selfies.
Other than that, you can do just about anything with the iPad Pro: create graphic design projects on your commute, edit work spreadsheets from home, watch movies, or connect a keyboard. When iPadOS comes out, it'll be even closer to feeling like a real laptop.
The 2017 iPad Pro is still one of the best tablets you can buyperiod, and PCMag (owned by Mashable's publisher, Ziff Davis) has a pool of factory unlocked 2017 12.9-inch models (WiFi + 4G LTE) for seriously cheap. Read more...
TL;DR: The fun and innovative Toybox 3D Printer is on sale for $314.99, a savings of $154.
It's downright impossible to separate kids from their phones, tablets, and video games these days. Despite our best efforts, technology runs their lives just like at one point toys ran ours. Heck, you're probably unlikely to see anyone under 30 at Toy Story 4.
Rather than fighting it, sometimes it's best to lean in and fight tech with tech — but with an educational twist. The Toybox 3D Printer lets kids join in on the fun of 3D printing while piquing their curiosity in science and technology at the same time. Read more...
TL;DR: The handy Geekey Multi-Tool is 58% off, dropping the price to $22.99.
You may say that your smartphone is the only thing you need when you're out and about, but can it pop open a beer bottle? Split a knot? Tighten screws? Scratch a lotto ticket? Cut a box?
The answer is a resounding no.
But you know what does? The Geekey Multi-Tool, an accessory that combines multiple functions into a tool that can fit inside your pocket. It's currently on sale for 58% off.
Image: Carve design / mashable composite
To say that the Geekey is versatile would be a severe understatement. Measuring at only 2.76 inches in length, it can perform an impressive number of everyday tasks. Designed to be part of your everyday carry, it features a multi-fit screwdriver, protractor, ruler, can opener, and wire stripper. Each functionality is thoughtfully designed to be of use on the regular, so it does away with features that would serve no purpose in real life. Read more...
TL;DR: These online courses can help keep your brain sharp, plus you can name your price. Find them all in the Mashable Shop.
A lot of people use money as an excuse for not going back to school. Makes sense. If you're an average college-educated American, you're likely still paying college loans. But going back to school is *so* last decade. Nowadays, you can learn any skill worth knowing online on the cheap.
Take your pick of these five bundles that will arm with you a wide spectrum of new skills. And don't worry about money, you get to name your price. Pinky promise! Read more...
TL;DR: An all-inclusive two-year Private Internet Access plan is available for just £2.77 a month, saving you over £120.
There are three key pillars of protection when it comes to a VPN, and if your service of choice doesn't tick off all three, you need to look elsewhere.
A VPN should provide online security, identity protection, and complete anonymity. Nowadays, most VPNs actually provide more than this, but these are the essentials. If you aren't getting this from your VPN service, then what exactly are you paying for?
Private Internet Access ensures you get the essentials, with a bunch of other extras. This VPN service is powered by a tier-1 multi-gigabit private network, that makes sure your data is encrypted, your IP Address is hidden, and your location is changed. You can also unlock restricted content with this service, like US Netflix content from the UK. Read more...
To prepare for the worst, the Tobe Zoo in Japan put a staff member in a lion suit.
In the event of an earthquake or some other incident that leads to lions escaping their enclosure, the zoo is prepared to handle the situation, according to a translated article from the local news agency Mainichi News Group. Using nets and an air gun (it'd be a tranquilizer gun in a real escape), the zoo held a mock lion escape Saturday with a person in a lion costume running around trying to get out. It caused quite the scene.
Meanwhile, the real lions at the zoo were mildly concerned — if at all — with the silly humans re-enacting their potential great escape. Read more...
While everyone on the ground is stressing about self-driving cars, the future of flight is also moving more toward autonomous planes, as seen at the 2019 edition of the Paris Air Show.
The air show is one of the biggest aerospace events annually and everyone from established names to newer companies showed off concept craft and prototype vehicles.
It's June 22, the first Saturday after the official start of the summer season. And just like they do every year, revelers gathered in New York's Coney Island for another round of Mermaid Parade celebrations.
Since 1983, the annual Mermaid Parade has come to Coney Island every summer with three major goals (according to the FAQ): to "bring mythology to life for local residents who live on streets named Mermaid and Neptune"; to "create self-esteem in a district that is often disregarded as 'entertainment'"; and to "let artistic New Yorkers find self-expression in public."
Those are big ideas, but the reality of how it all plays out is evident year after year. Tens and hundreds of thousands visit the southern Brooklyn neighborhood dressed in garish colors, sparkling sequins, and so, so, sooooooooo much glitter. Read more...
We just can't stay away from our phones, even in the car.
The drive safety app Drivemode looked at driving data from 2.7 million U.S. drivers using Android phones between Jan. 2018 and April 30, 2019 and found that over 167 million miles and 13.3 million hours, Americans use their phone for a better part of an hour in the car on average.
Keep in mind, only drivers who had the Drivemode app on their phones were tracked, so these are already fairly connected users who are probably more likely to use a smartphone for various activities in the car. But still, in an hour the average driver surveyed spends some quality time using tech on the phone. During this time they drive about 20 miles at 45 mph, on average. Let's break it down. Read more...
Well, here we are. It's June 2019 and the latest edition of the World's Ugliest Dog competition was decided on Friday. And the winner is... Scamp the Tramp.
Congratulations to the 2019 #WorldsUgliestDog Contest WINNER Scamp The Tramp! 🏆 Charming the judges with her beauty and talent Scamp The Tramp pulled in front of the pack, taking this year’s crown at the #SonomaMarinFair! pic.twitter.com/8DfRXlBdkW
— Sonoma-Marin Fair (@SonomaMarinFair) June 22, 2019
Found and rescued in Los Angeles an hour before he was set to be euthanized, this funny-looking little fellow has turned out to be a Very Good Dog! According to his bio, he's spent the past seven years working as a pet therapist, inspiring children and seniors both with his distinctive look. Read more...
Attention power users: Netflix is testing a new feature that'll allow you to watch videos without disrupting your work.
According to Engadget, the streaming video service is testing a "pop-out player" that shrinks the video player into a smaller window. Basically, it's picture-in-picture mode on desktop.
Following Engadget's initial report on the experimental feature, Netflix responded to the tech site with an image featuring "it's only a test" text.
Mashable reached out to Netflix for further clarification on the pop-out player, but didn't receive a response by publishing time. If Netflix replies, we'll update this story. Read more...
Volkwagen's electric race car took on one of the toughest courses in the world — and set a record.
The VW ID.R with two electric motors took on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife 12.9-mile lap through Germany earlier this month and finished faster than any other all-electric vehicle had ever done: 6 minutes and 5 seconds.
That's an average speed of 128 miles mph and faster than the previous electric record by 40 seconds.
In 2018, the same ID.R vehicle set a record at Colorado's Pikes Peak course — an uphill climb that took 7 minutes and 57 seconds on the 12.42-mile course. The same French racing driver Romain Dumas was at the wheel in both races. Read more...
The company confirmed to Business Insider it has a technology program called "Missed Scan Detection" that uses AI-equipped cameras to "track and analyze activities at both self-checkout registers and those manned by Walmart cashiers."
The goal with the cameras is to detect when items aren't scanned at checkout. If the cameras see an item hasn't been scanned, it sends a checkout attendant to provide assistance. Read more...
If 'Bond 25' is indeed Craig's final turn in the franchise, a broken ankle and reports of on-set unrest don't inspire much confidence that it will be an improvement on 2015's Spectre
These marvelous sandals from Chaco don't sacrifice comfort for style. Get the cushioned support your feet really need without giving up the look and simplicity of sandals.
A few summers ago, Stefano Piraino was walking along the rocky shoreline on a small island off the coast of Sicily when he spotted a washed up jellyfish. Naturally, he tore a piece off and popped it into his mouth.
Professional Smite player David "Allied" Hance was beloved by the gaming community — his family didn't realize how many people's lives he touched until after his tragic death.
One of the things that helps any employee stand out is their commitment to their growth. This SkillSuccess All-Access Pass: 1-Yr Membership gives you access to 1,000 online video courses from hundreds of top experts across fields ranging from business to technology, and more. Get access now for 80% off, just $49.
Data science helped Amherst Holdings CEO Sean Dobson make a fortune in the housing crash. Now he's deploying A.I. to profit from properties that most investors wouldn't touch.
Col. Khalid Wardak, second right, the police chief of Ghazni, and Col. Abdul Mobin Mohabati, right, the commander of the Afghan Army brigade based in Ghazni.CreditMujib Mashal/The New York Times
KHWAJA UMARI, Afghanistan — The battle for control of an Afghan district is often fierce, involving car bombs, airstrikes and raids that destroy government buildings and leave a trail of bodies.
But the Afghan military's routing of the Taliban two weeks ago from Khwaja Umari, a district about 10 miles from Ghazni City, capped a rare period of relatively good news for a military demoralized by years of high casualties and territorial loss.
More proactive security forces, borne of a generational shift to younger leaders, have been credited with denying the Taliban any major new gains at a crucial time of peace negotiations. The forces have ruthlessly used commandos and airstrikes to bleed the insurgents, waging what has been a more flexible and adaptive counterinsurgency compared to the older ways, when the forces remained less mobile and largely defensive.
The strategy, even if not significantly reducing the casualties of Afghan forces, seems to be slowing the insurgents' momentum.
Whether the Afghan forces can hold the district from falling again to the Taliban, whose fighters lurk on its edges and still fire mortars on government soldiers, will be a test of whether the military pressure is just the result of a savvy use of force or will translate into deeper changes.
WNU Editor: Those who are covering the Afghan war very closely are telling me the same thing .... that the new younger commanders are making a difference on the ground. Is this sustainable? Ask me that question next year.
#UPDATE US President Donald Trump pledged to hit Iran with "major" new sanctions as Tehran warned Washington that any attack would see its interests across the Middle East go up in flames https://t.co/vNzZfkuEw8
French Air Force Patrouille de France team performs at the 53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
WNU Editor: The above picture came from this photo-gallery .... Paris Air Show (Reuters).
Last night, DARPA launched 3 balloons from Cumberland, Maryland, in a flight test for the Adaptable Lighter Than Air prgm. Over next few days, ALTA will demonstrate capability for wind-borne navigation of a lighter-than-air vehicle over extended ranges. https://t.co/Og8dWCvszcpic.twitter.com/NjUB6Got94
Sadly, those strange orbs floating above Kansas City weren't from outer space.
UFOs are having a bit of a moment right now. This week, Politico revealed that several Senators were briefed by the Pentagon about UFO sightings for unknown reasons, with President Trump admitting that he, too, was also in the loop. ("Do I believe it? Not particularly," Trump said.) And on the same day we questioned the government's renewed interest in mysterious aircraft, the National Weather Service in Kansas City stoked even more curiosity with a tweet alerting locals to two suspicious white orbs hanging out in the sky:
US national security adviser to meet with Netanyahu, discuss Iran with Russian and Israeli counterparts
US National Security Adviser John Bolton landed in Israel on Saturday ahead of an unprecedented trilateral meeting in Jerusalem of top security officials from the United States, Israel and Russia.
Bolton will discuss regional issues with his counterparts, Meir Ben-Shabbat and Nikolai Patrushev. Iran's efforts to entrench itself militarily in Syria and the escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington are expected to top the agenda.
DUBAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would impose fresh sanctions on Iran but that he wanted to make a deal to bolster its flagging economy, an apparent move to defuse tensions following the shooting down of an unmanned U.S. drone this week by the Islamic Republic.
On Thursday, an Iranian missile destroyed a U.S. Global Hawk surveillance drone, an incident that Washington said happened in international airspace. Trump later said he had called off a military strike to retaliate because it could have killed 150 people.
Tehran repeated on Saturday that the drone was shot down over its territory and said it would respond firmly to any U.S. threat.
Speaking in Washington on Saturday before heading to the U.S. presidential retreat at Camp David, Trump indicated the government was taking a diplomatic path to put pressure on Tehran by moving to impose new sanctions.
The cost of the Canadian navy's new surface combatant ships has further increased because of delays and changes in the size of the ship, according to a new report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
The PBO puts the latest cost estimate of the Canadian surface combatant ships at $70 billion, some $8 billion higher than its previous estimate from two years ago.
"The difference in these estimates is due to new information on project specifications provided by the Department of National Defence; in particular, ship construction will begin later (increasing inflation costs), the ship will be larger than assumed in the previous report (increasing real construction costs), and we exclude the cost of spares beyond the initial two years (reducing real program costs)," the report from Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux noted.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reads a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump, in Pyongyang, North Korea in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on June 22, 2019. KCNA via REUTERS
* "Kim Jong Un said that he would seriously contemplate the interesting content," the state news agency reported. * Additional details about what was in the dispatch were not provided. * Trump has walked a controversial line in his relationship with Kim, at times expressing affection for the North Korean dictator while at other times threatening Pyongyang if it does not comply with his demands.
North Korea's Kim Jong Un received a personal letter from President Donald Trump, the communist dictatorship's state media reported over the weekend.
Kim said the letter "is of excellent content," according to the Korean Central News Agency. Additional details about what was in the dispatch were not provided.
"Kim Jong Un said that he would seriously contemplate the interesting content," the state news agency reported.
The White House could not be immediately reached for comment.
ISNA news agency says Jalal Haji Zavar confessed to spying for the US spy agency in return for money.
Iran has executed a "defence ministry contractor" convicted of spying for the US Central Intelligence Agency, according to the semi-official news agency ISNA.
"The execution sentence was carried out for Jalal Haji Zavar, a contractor for the defence ministry's aerospace organisation who spied for the CIA and the American government," ISNA reported on Saturday, quoting the Iranian military.
ISNA said he was convicted by a military court and that he was executed at an unspecified time at the Rajayi Shahr prison in the city of Karaj, west of the capital, Tehran.
It's the first time voters are electing a successor to a democratically elected president in the West African state, whose history has been strewn with military coups. A former general is heavily tipped to win the vote.
Voters in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania went to the polls on Saturday to elect a new president as Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz prepares to step aside after serving two five-year elected terms.
Some 1.5 million people in the West African state are entitled to vote in the presidential election. Preliminary results are expected at the start of next week.
Economic issues dominated the election campaign, with the outgoing president largely credited with stabilizing the country after seizing power in a 2008 coup. Abdel Aziz was later elected as president in 2009 and 2014 in a vote boycotted by the main opposition parties.
"Everyone is in deep fear of having their own identity exposed," one demonstrator said.
HONG KONG — College student Naida Lam didn't think much about her digital privacy until June 11.
It was the night before massive protests in Hong Kong against a law that would allow suspects to be extradited to mainland China.
Like many students, Lam, 20, had been using the encrypted messaging app Telegram, participating in group chats that were used to plan and coordinate ahead of the demonstration.
But that night, Hong Kong authorities arrested the administrator of one of the largest of these groups.
For Lam it was a wake-up call.
"When my friends told me that another group's administrator got arrested, immediately I feared that something will happen in the group I was in," Lam said. "I left the group and changed all my privacy settings."
WNU Editor: Today's free ebook is On the Edge of the War Zone: From the Battle of the Marne to the Entrance of the Stars and Stripes by Mildred Aldrich. Published in 1917, it is a personal diary detailing the experiences of Mildred Aldrich, an American author, living behind the front lines in northern France during World War One. She was awarded the Legion d'Honneur in 1922 for influencing popular opinion in the United States in favour of joining the Allied war effort against Germany. The link to download this ebook is here.
U.S. ships and other assets in the region are still reportedly on alert for possible strikes on Iranian targets.
U.S. President Donald Trump says American forces were "cocked and loaded" to strike targets in Iran overnight, but that he called off the operation because he felt estimates that there would be approximately 150 Iranian casualties was not a proportional response to the loss of an unmanned aircraft. This comes as Iran, which admits to shooting down the U.S. Navy RQ-4 Broad Area Maritime Surveillance-Demonstrator drone, or BAMS-D, says it refrained from destroying a manned aircraft that it claims violated its airspace around the same time.
Trump explained his decision in a series of Tweets on June 21, 2019. In doing so, he confirmed a story earlier in the day from The New York Times, which had first reported on the abrupt shift in plans, citing anonymous sources. Other outlets, citing other unnamed individuals, had already added weight to the report that the U.S. military had been about to strike Iran, before receiving an order to stand down.
From Arirang News: When Kim Jong-un's closest aides greeted the Chinese leader at Pyeongyang Sunan International Airport on Thursday, Kim Yo-jong was at the front of the pack.
The North Korean leader's sister, who also serves as a senior Worker's Party official, was the 7th person in line composed of key figures to shake hands with President Xi. Standing next to her was high-ranking general Kim Yong-chol.
This is different from Kim Yo-jong's previous role when she was in charge of protocol...usually appearing before the official schedule.
For instance, prior to the North Korea-U.S. summit in February in Hanoi, she took care of preparations at Dong Dang station in Vietnam before Kim Jong-un appeared in front of the crowd.
It's worth noting that she didn't appear in public for around 50 days until recently at a gymnastics and arts performance ... after the talks in Hanoi collapsed, which raised speculation she'd been disciplined or sidelined.
However, her elevated role within the regime's power structure was strongly implied when North Korea expressed condolences to South Korea over the death of former first lady Lee Hee-ho. Kim Yo-jong came to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom... along with another senior North Korean official to hand over flowers and messages to South Korean security officials.
She was escorted by bodyguards, confirming her high status, considering that deputy directors generally aren't protected by guards.
As for Kim Yo-jong's replacement in terms of protocol, Hyon Song-wol, who heads the North's Samjiyon Orchestra, was at the airport for President Xi's arrival. She was spotted with Kim Chang-son, Kim Jong-un's protocol chief.
WNU Editor: In my opinion .... and regular readers know that it is one that I have had for a long time .... she is the second most powerful person in North Korea.
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and China's President Xi Jinping reached a consensus on "important issues," and agreed to build on their countries' friendly relations "whatever the international situation," North Korean state media reported.
Xi left the North Korean capital Pyongyang on Friday after a two-day visit, the first by a Chinese leader in 14 years. State-run news agency KCNA issued a report on Saturday of the results of the visit.
China is North Korea's only major ally and Xi's visit was aimed at bolstering the isolated country against pressure from United Nations sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes and stalled denuclearization talks with the United States.
The tenth international meeting on security has just concluded in the Russian the city of Ufa. The forum has been under-reported, but it represents one of the few global examples of multilateral meetings between high-level representatives of countries that are in conflict. Hundreds of representatives from as many as 120 countries attended the meeting over three days to discuss humanitarian crises, hybrid warfare, terrorist threats and ways to recover from armed conflict.
Mario Draghi just announced more stimulus could come, which immediately dropped the Euro against the Dollar, making it unfairly easier for them to compete against the USA. They have been getting away with this for years, along with China and others.
President Donald Trump has already given the global economy trade wars. Now there are signs he may be gearing up for a currency war, too.
With a series of tweets on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) aimed at the European Central Bank and an announcement by Mario Draghi, its president, that he was prepared to cut interest rates further below zero in response to Europe's slowing growth, Trump made a rare American presidential intervention into another economy's monetary policy.
"Mario Draghi just announced more stimulus could come, which immediately dropped the Euro against the Dollar, making it unfairly easier for them to compete against the USA. They have been getting away with this for years, along with China and others,'' he tweeted. Later, he added: "German DAX way up due to stimulus remarks from Mario Draghi. Very unfair to the United States!''
WNU Editor: There are some who are saying that there is no currency war, and certainly not against the U.S. .... Despite Trump's Claims, There's No Currency War Against the U.S. (Bloomberg). The problem with this claim is that countries in the EU, China, Japan are lowering their interest rates to near zero, and they are doing so in order to boost their economies.
Three reports from the Pentagon very accurately describe the rapid growth and modernization of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. U.S. Department of Defense
The Pentagon has released three very detailed reports this year on the Chinese People's Liberation Army. They are exceptional sources at a critical time in the modernization of China's military.
Last month, the Department of Defense (DoD) released its annual report Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2019. Also known as the China Military Power Report (CMPR), it joins two other major DoD publications produced this year that focus on People's Republic of China (PRC) military affairs: the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA's) China Military Power: Modernizing a Force to Fight and Win (January 2019) and Chairman Xi Remakes the PLA: Assessing Chinese Military Reforms (National Defense University Press, February 2019). With these three publications, DoD has placed into the public domain an impressive amount of information and analysis about the Chinese military.
WNU Editor: A must read for China watchers. The three publications are the following:
Released on 3 May 2019 by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2019, is an annual publication required by the U.S. Congress in the National Defense Authorization Act of FY 2000. Thus, there is a statutory requirement for DoD to publish this report, as well as congressional guidance on some of its content. A Pentagon spokesman referred to it as "…the authoritative statement from the United States government on military and security developments involving China." Consequently, the judgments, analyses, concerns, and policy statements in this document merit special attention.
The second publication, DIA's China Military Power: Modernizing a Force to Fight and Win, is a new product in a new series. According to the report's preface, in 2017 DIA began to produce a series of public domain reports that provide "overviews of major foreign military challenges" faced by the United States; the subject of the first one was Russia. Next in the series was Global Nuclear Landscape 2018, followed a year later by China Military Power.
The third major DoD publication in 2019 is an edited volume—Chairman Xi Remakes the PLA: Assessing Chinese Military Reforms. At 736 pages, this tome is the first (and still the only) full-length, scholarly, English-language study focused exclusively on the post–2015 PLA reforms and reorganization.
The Trump administration's willingness to take on Iran, China and Russia -- in the economic and diplomatic sphere at least -- raises the question of whether even low-intensity conflict can eventually lead to a crisis. The apparent abolition of war in our globalized world has been replaced by what Austin Bay called in his book Cocktails from Hell "a hazardous form of peace". The danger is that such conflicts may boil over. The first flashpoint may be Iran.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. drone Thursday amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the collapsing nuclear deal with world powers ...
Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon that Iranian reports that the drone was shot down over Iran "are categorically false." He said the drone was flying in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman near the area of the recent tanker attacks when it was shot down. He claimed the Guard fired a surface-to-air missile at the drone from a location near Goruk, Iran.
WNU Editor: Richard Fernandez is correct in his assessment that Iran is slowly being strangled in the low-intensity conflict with the U.S.. With oil exports now at around 400,000 barrels per day (bpd), the Iranian government's main source of income has dried up. They can't win unless they try something new. But the problem for Iran is that their options are limited, and time is against them. Closing oil traffic will hurt U.S. allies in Asia, but it will have devastating consequences on our rival, China. Will Iran be willing to risk their friendship with China .... their number one customer? As I said, Iran's options are limited, and provoking a war with the U.S. will not earn them any friends.
A Ghader missile is launched from the area near the Iranian port of Jask port on the shore of the Gulf of Oman during an Iranian navy drill, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. Iran says it has tested advanced anti-ship missiles in the final day of a naval drill near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for one-fifth of the world's oil supply. State TV says "Ghader", or "Capable", a missile with a range of 200 kilometers (120 miles), was among the weapons used Tuesday. It says the weapon can destroy warships. (AP Photo/Jamejam Online, Azin Haghighi)
In the hours after Iran is said to have downed a $125 million U.S. surveillance drone over international waters with a surface-to-air missile, despite Tehran's vehement denials, President Trump gave the green light to retaliatory military strikes before later ordering a halt amid the alarming spike in tensions.
The inflammatory incident – which comes on the heels of escalating rhetoric between Washington and Tehran and other apparent sabotage vessel attacks – has many U.S. lawmakers and officials still fearing that some form of a military confrontation may be inevitable. But just how capable is Iran when it comes to fighting back and what lurks inside the country's shadowy arms arsenal and how is the Iranian military structured?
WNU Editor: Missiles will be the primary weapons used in such a conflict, which is probably the reason why the US Navy's main assets are still outside of the Persian Gulf .... US aircraft carrier deployed over Iran remains outside Gulf (Navy Times/AP).
* US Cyber Command on Thursday launched an operation against an Iranian spy group, despite President Donald Trump's last-minute scrapping of a direct military strike, former intelligence officials said in a Yahoo News report. * The Iranian group is believed to have supported the limpet mine attacks against two tanker ships earlier last week, which resulted in the US increasing its military posture against the country. * The group reportedly tracked and targeted both military and civilian vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. * Trump has given significant autonomy to CYBERCOM, the US military's command for cyber-related operations, and authorized it to conduct offensive attacks against foreign adversaries during his presidency
United States Cyber Command on Thursday reportedly launched an operation against an Iranian spy group with ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, despite President Donald Trump's last-minute scrapping of a direct military strike, former intelligence officials said in a Yahoo News report.
The Iranian group is believed to have supported the limpet mine attacks against two tanker ships earlier last week, which resulted in the US increasing its military posture against the country. The group reportedly tracked and targeted both military and civilian vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
As US-Iran tensions, can crude importers defend their interests?
U.S. President Donald Trump says he might take military action against Iran to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon. But he has indicated he won't necessarily jump in to protect international oil supplies from the Middle East if they are under threat from the Islamic Republic.
The position, articulated by Trump in an interview with Time magazine on June 17, should not come as a surprise, even if it appears to be at odds with the Pentagon beefing up aircraft carriers and troops in the Middle East in recent weeks, citing a threat from Iran.
As Trump spelt out in the interview, the U.S. is no longer as dependent on oil from the Middle East as it was, thanks to burgeoning domestic production.
Air Force General Paul Selva, vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, emphasized the message a day later, pointing out that China, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea were heavily dependent on supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz, and needed to protect their interests. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made similar comments.
The argument that the Gulf of Oman, where six oil tankers were attacked in the space of a month over May and June, is not as strategic to the U.S. as it is to countries in Asia, cannot be faulted. The U.S.'s crude import volumes, including those from the Middle East, have plummeted since its shale renaissance sent domestic output rocketing from around 2012.
Meanwhile, China, India, Japan and South Korea, Asia's four largest oil consumers, secure up to half their crude requirements from the Middle East. If seaborne shipments of oil from that region -- a majority of which pass through the narrow Strait of Hormuz adjoining Iran -- are disrupted, it would be nothing short of disastrous for these countries.
WNU Editor: India has already deployed warships to protect its oil tankers .... India Deploys Warships To The Persian Gulf (June 21, 2019). Will China, Japan, and South Korea where half of their crude requirements come from the Middle East follow suit? I am willing to bet that if there is another oil tanker attack, the answer will be a yes. This is a massive shift on how the world views the Middle East. When Iran was America's problem, much of the world was less than supportive. Flash forward to today, President Trump is making Iran the world's problem. I call this smart strategy and policy.
TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces are preparing to evacuate hundreds of staff working for Lockheed Martin Corp and Sallyport Global from an Iraqi military base where they work as contractors, three Iraqi military sources said on Friday.
Nearly 400 contractors from the two firms are getting ready to leave Balad military base, which hosts U.S. forces some 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, over "potential security threats", they said, without saying what those threats might be.
The U.S. military denied any planned evacuation from the sprawling Balad base, which last week was hit by three mortar shells. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
WAR fears have been sparked as the US ambassador to the Philippines believes attacks in the South China Sea may trigger the Mutual Defence Treaty with the US.
THE EU faces an unprecedented leadership crisis following this week's contentious summit in Brussels - as EU leaders begin to turn on French President Emmanuel Macron.
PRESIDENT Donald Trump has said that Iran must not have any nuclear weapons as he vows to implement even more sanctions on Tehran amid rising tensions between the two countries.
THE CHERNOBYL nuclear disaster in April 1986 resulted in mass evacuation and left the area surrounding the plant looking like a post-apocalyptic world.
DONALD Trump said America was "cocked and loaded" as he ordered a deadly strike on Iran - minutes before he called the mission off. The President had demanded retaliatory action in response to the downing of a US drone.
ANGELA MERKEL's party is continuing its haemorrhaging of votes, with a shock poll revealing sister parties CDU and CSU have been overtaken by the Greens.
WASHINGTON — Iran has increased its offensive cyberattacks against the U.S. government and critical infrastructure as tensions have grown between the two nations, cybersecurity firms say.
In recent weeks, hackers believed to be working for the Iranian government have targeted U.S. government agencies, as well as sectors of the economy, including oil and gas, sending waves of spear-phishing emails, according to representatives of cybersecurity companies CrowdStrike and FireEye, which regularly track such activity.
It was not known if any of the hackers managed to gain access to the targeted networks with the emails, which typically mimic legitimate emails but contain malicious software.
The cyber offensive is the latest chapter in the U.S. and Iran’s ongoing cyber operations targeting the other, with this recent sharp increase in attacks occurring after the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the Iranian petrochemical sector this month.
Tensions have escalated since the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran last year and began a policy of “maximum pressure.” Iran has since been hit by multiple rounds of sanctions. Tensions spiked this past week after Iran shot down an unmanned U.S. drone — an incident that nearly led to a U.S. military strike against Iran on Thursday evening.
“Both sides are desperate to know what the other side is thinking,” said John Hultquist, director of intelligence analysis at FireEye. “You can absolutely expect the regime to be leveraging every tool they have available to reduce the uncertainty about what’s going to happen next, about what the U.S.’s next move will be.”
CrowdStrike shared images of the spear-phishing emails with The AP.
One such email that was confirmed by FireEye appeared to come from the Executive Office of the President and seemed to be trying to recruit people for an economic adviser position. Another email was more generic and appeared to include details on updating Microsoft Outlook’s global address book.
The Iranian actor involved in the cyberattack, dubbed “Refined Kitten” by CrowdStrike, has for years targeted the U.S. energy and defense sectors, as well as allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, said Adam Meyers, vice president of intelligence at CrowdStrike.
The National Security Agency would not address discuss Iranian cyber actions specifically but said in a statement to The Associated Press on Friday that “there have been serious issues with malicious Iranian cyber actions in the past.”
“In these times of heightened tensions, it is appropriate for everyone to be alert to signs of Iranian aggression in cyberspace and ensure appropriate defenses are in place,” the NSA said.
Iran has long targeted the U.S. oil and gas sectors and other critical infrastructure, but those efforts dropped significantly after the nuclear agreement was signed. After President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal in May 2018, cyber experts said they have seen an increase in Iranian hacking efforts.
“This is not a remote war (anymore),” said Sergio Caltagirone, vice president of threat intelligence at Dragos, Inc. “This is one where Iranians could quote unquote bring the war home to the United States.”
Caltagirone said as nations increase their abilities to engage offensively in cyberspace, the ability of the United States to pick a fight internationally and have that fight stay out of the United States physically is increasingly reduced.
The U.S. has had a contentious cyber history with Iran.
In 2010, the so-called Stuxnet virus disrupted the operation of thousands of centrifuges at a uranium enrichment facility in Iran. Iran accused the U.S. and Israel of trying to undermine its nuclear program through covert operations.
Iran has also shown a willingness to conduct destructive campaigns. Iranian hackers in 2012 launched an attack against state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco, releasing a virus that erased data on 30,000 computers and left an image of a burning American flag on screens.
U.S. Cyber Command refused to comment on the latest Iranian activity. “As a matter of policy and for operational security, we do not discuss cyberspace operations, intelligence or planning,” Pentagon spokeswoman Heather Babb said in a statement. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Despite the apparent cyber campaign, experts say the Iranians would not necessarily immediately exploit any access they gain into computer systems and may seek to maintain future capabilities should their relationship with the U.S. further deteriorate.
“It’s important to remember that cyber is not some magic offensive nuke you can fly over and drop one day,” said Oren Falkowitz, a former National Security Agency analyst. It takes years of planning, he said, but as tensions increase, “cyber impact is going to be one of the tools they use and one of the hardest things to defend against.”
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Saturday unveiled a $50 billion Palestinian investment and infrastructure proposal intended to be the economic engine to power its much-anticipated but still unreleased “deal of the century” Middle East peace plan.
The scheme, which calls for a mix of public and private financing and intends to create at least a million new jobs for Palestinians, was posted to the White House website ahead of a two-day conference in Bahrain that is being held amid heavy skepticism about its viability and outright opposition from the Palestinians. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday reiterated his rejection of the proposal and the conference.
The so-called “Peace to Prosperity” workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday will also take place amid heightened regional tensions over Iran that threaten to overshadow its goals.
With no official participation from the two main protagonists, Israel and the Palestinians, and scant enthusiasm from others, continued uncertainty and strong doubts over the plan’s political vision and the distraction of potential U.S.-Iran conflict, expectations are decidedly low. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner faces high hurdles in building support for the initiative.
The 10-year plan calls for projects worth $27.5 billion in the West Bank and Gaza, and $9.1 billion, $7.4 billion and $6.3 billion for Palestinians in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, respectively. Projects envisioned include those in the health care, education, power, water, high-tech, tourism, and agriculture sectors. It calls for the creation of a “master fund” to administer the finances and implementation of the projects that is says are akin to the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe after World War II.
The plan foresees more than doubling the Palestinian gross domestic product, reducing the Palestinian poverty rate by 50 percent and cutting the sky-high Palestinian unemployment rate to nearly single digits, according to the documents, which do not specify exactly how the projects will be funded.
It also calls for linking the West Bank and Gaza with a modern transportation network, including high-speed rail service. Such ideas have been floated in the past in previous peace proposals but have run into Israeli security concerns.
“Generations of Palestinians have lived under adversity and loss, but the next chapter can be defined by freedom and dignity,” the White House said, calling the plan “the most ambitious international effort for the Palestinian people to date.”
But an already tough sell that has vexed U.S. administrations for decades is made tougher not least because Trump and his aides have refused to endorse a two-state solution to the conflict that has long been seen as the only viable path to lasting peace. They have also suggested they are open to unilateral Israeli annexation of occupied territory in the West Bank. And, officials say there is no intention of discussing either issue or the most contentious parts of their proposal to end the long-running conflict.
Thus, the core political issues that are key to resolving the dispute, such as borders, the status of the holy city of Jerusalem, Israel’s security and the fate of Palestinian refugees, will not be raised. Such matters, U.S. officials have said, may have to wait until the fall, after Israeli elections, leaving numerous questions that potential investors almost certainly want answers to before making even tentative financial commitments.
Palestinian leaders, angered by what they and their supporters see as blatant U.S. bias toward Israel, want nothing to do with the workshop and will not participate. The Palestinians have called for mass demonstrations against the conference on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
“The plan cannot pass because it ends the Palestinian cause,” Abbas said on Saturday. “We are not going to attend this workshop, the reason is that the economic situation should not be discussed before a political situation, so long as there is no political situation, we do not deal with any economic situation.”
Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said a “political horizon” is essential for any Palestinian cooperation. “Our cause is a political one and should be dealt with as such. It is a strategic mistake and the American administration is committing daily mistakes against the Palestinian people. Without Palestinian approval, there is no value to any meeting, and without a political horizon, no one will deal with any effort. This conference was born dead just like the deal of the century.”
In Gaza, the rival Hamas militant group has also condemned the conference. “In one voice, we say no to the Manama workshop and the deal of the century,” Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said. He appealed to Bahrain’s king to “take a brave, strong, authentic Arab decision not to host this workshop” and called on Arab countries to cancel their planned participation.
Complicating the Bahrain meeting is the fact that it coincides with a pledging conference in New York for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, a 70-year-old institution that the Trump administration has defunded and wants to eliminate entirely. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, already provides health, education and other services to millions of Palestinians.
Its supporters suspect the administration purposely scheduled the Bahrain conference to conflict with its event, noting that Kushner’s peace plan partner Jason Greenblatt has publicly called for UNRWA’s dissolution. Greenblatt argued last month that the agency perpetuates Palestinian victimhood, abets anti-Israel sentiment and is an inefficient drain on funds that could be better directed.
Regardless of American intent, the dueling meetings are likely to leave donors, particularly European nations, in an awkward position: torn between supporting an established international organization or a mystery concept being put together by a U.S. administration that has in two years reversed a half-century of American Middle East policy.
Since Trump took office, he has recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv, downgraded the consulate devoted to Palestinian issues, shut down the Palestinian office in Washington and slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance to the West Bank and Gaza.
Such steps have made Kushner’s prospects for success in Bahrain even slimmer, according to experts.
“This is trying to dangle some benefits to the Palestinians to accept terms they already rejected,” said Shibley Telhami, a Mideast scholar and the Anwar Sadat professor for peace and development at the University of Maryland. “A lure to get the Palestinians to accept the unacceptable is not going to work. It’s impossible.”
Although Washington’s Gulf Arab allies are supportive of the plan, Israel’s immediate neighbors have been more reluctant to embrace it.
Jordan has stressed its longstanding vision that it shares with the Palestinians. But it would send a low-level delegation to Bahrain “to listen to what’s being proposed,” said Jordanian foreign ministry spokesman Sufian al-Qudah. A finance ministry official is heading the Jordanian delegation.
Al-Qudah reiterated Amman’s position that a two-state solution, with a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders and a capital in east Jerusalem, “is the only way to resolve the conflict and achieve security, stability and comprehensive peace in the region.”
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has summoned the United Arab Emirates’ top envoy to Tehran to protest the neighboring Arab nation’s allowing the U.S. to use a base there to launch a drone that Iran says entered its airspace.
The Saturday report by the official IRNA news agency said Iran issued a “strong protest” to the UAE diplomat, saying Iran does not tolerate the facilitation of foreign forces that violate its territory.
The U.S. says its RQ-4A Global Hawk was shot down Thursday over international waters, not inside Iranian airspace.
On Friday, Iran summoned Swiss Ambassador Markus Leitner to hear Iran’s protest over the alleged violation. Switzerland looks after U.S. interests in Iran. Tehran and Washing have had no diplomatic relations since 1979.
Iran says the U.S. drone was a “very dangerous provocation.”
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Find out what role asset managers play in the real estate markets. Learn how real estate portfolios are selected and why entrepreneurial skills are important.
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Delhi Polytechnic Results 2019 – Today’s latest news from the Directorate of Training and Technical Education. The DTTE is set to announce the results for Delhi CET 2019. Hence, the result has been declared at 4.00pm onwards. Check your Delhi CET Exam Result from our webpage. The exam body will declare the rank of qualified students only. No hard copy of the scoreboard will be sent to the candidates through post. Every Individual should download the scoreboard through Online only.
Delhi Polytechnic Results 2019
The board has conducted the examination for Engineering and Non-Engineering Polytechnic courses. Hence, the board has now released the result for the students who got qualified. Moreover, Candidates can check their results from the below-given link. Delhi organizes this exam for selecting students for admission in engineering & non-engineering polytechnic courses. Various polytechnic colleges in Delhi give admission to students on the basis of CET Delhi scores. Here we are providing details about CET Delhi Result 2019.
Common Entrance Test has been conducted on 08th June & 09th June 2019. They had conducted the exams in the Delhi Polytechnic University, New Delhi. Moreover, the examiners can download the results from the direct link given below. Candidates are offered admission based on the merit ranking in the test and a minimum fulfillment of eligibility conditions prescribed for each test. Check more details about the Delhi Polytechnic Results 2019 from this page.
Delhi Polytechnic Result | CET Result – Click Here
Candidates can also use the answer key to calculate their rough marks. As per the marks obtained in the exam, the authority prepares a merit list. To get eligible for admission, general candidates have to secure a minimum 10% marks (5% marks for SC, ST, OBC & PWD candidates).
The Cutoff marks will be released in the month of June 2019. So, Candidates do check with the Official Website to get the Cutoff marks. As the colleges have limited seats, the cut off will help to select the most deserving candidates for admission
Delhi CET Exam Merit List 2019
Students have to secure more marks than the cut off marks to be eligible for admission. The institute-wise cut off marks for various branches of engineering will be released by the officials for shortlisting students for admission. The factors that will decide Delhi CET cut off are difficulty level of the entrance exam, a total number of students appeared the examination, seat availability and candidate's performance in the entrance exam. Candidates will have to fulfill cut off criteria to get admission in the various polytechnic institutes. Various institutes will also release their cut off marks for the candidates. On the basis of merit list candidates will be informed for the counseling.
Steps to download Results of CET Examination 2019
Reach the below given “Download Delhi CET exam result 2019”
Enter the CET Enroll Number.
Enter the Application Number and Security PIN.
Click on Proceed to view the CET Result.
Now, the Delhi CET result will appear on the screen.
Download or take a printout of the result for further reference.
Important links to download Delhi CET Exam Result 2019
South Western Railway Recruitment 2019 – An advertisement has been circulated by the Karnataka Government for the South Western Railway Recruitment. Around 179 Vacancies are allotted for Goods Guard, Station Master & Jr. Clerk-cum-Typist Posts. These posts are to fill Job Vacancies by the Online Application process. The Online Application for the Recruitment in South Western Railway will start from 24th June 2019 and ends up by 15th July 2019. Candidates those who want to get into the Railway Jobs can use this opportunity and get into the South Western Railway. Scroll down and get complete details about the Railway Vacancies in the below section of this page.
Enrol for the best into Railway Recruitment 2019-20. South Western Railway has announced job offers by this month of July 2019. Those of interested can check for the post wise vacancy details on this page. Satisfied candidates can check for the eligibility criteria which undergoes educational details and age limit. Eligible candidates can submit your application form in the below-listed format. Important dates and links that are necessary for processing the application form are listed below for the reference of the job seekers. Check down with the complete details for Jobs in South Western Railway from the below section.
South Western Railway Recruitment 2019-20 Details
Name of the Board
South Western Railway (SWR)
Name of the Posts
Goods Guard, Station Master & Jr. Clerk-cum-Typist
South Western Railway Vacancy 2019 – Category Wise
Name of the Post
UR
SC
ST
OBC
Total
Goods Guard
11
03
01
05
20
Station Master
22
06
03
11
42
Junior Clerk-cum-Typist
58
18
09
32
117
Grand Total
179
South Western Railway Recruitment 2019-20 – Eligibility Criteria
Before applying for Recruitment notification released by the South Western Railway, candidates must make sure that they are ensuring all the eligibility conditions listed for the Goods Guard, Station Master & Jr. Clerk-cum-Typist Vacancies. If any mismatch is found then candidate's candidature would be rejected by the authority. Check all the educational qualifications and age limit for the respected post. Get complete details such as selection process, salary pay and application fee for the Jobs of South Western Railway.
Educational Qualification:
For Goods Guard & Station Master – Completion of Degree from a recognized university or board.
For Jr Clerk-cum-Typist – Completion of 12th Standard with good aggregate scoring.
For detailed information, candidates can refer to the Official Notification of the South Western Railway Recruitment (link given below)
Upper Age Limit:
General Candidates – 42 years.
OBC Candidates – 45 years.
SC/ ST Candidates – 47 years
Age Relaxation:
For SC/ ST candidates – 05 years
PWD/ Ex-Servicemen candidates – 10 years
For OBC candidates – 03 years
Pay Scale Salary:
Candidates can refer to the official notification to know about the pay scale details.
Application Fee:
There is No Application Fee for the candidates who are applying for the Jobs in South Western Railway.
Selection Process for South Western Railway Recruitment:
Applicants will be selected for the South Western Railway Recruitment based on the performance in
Computer Based Test
Typing Test
Document Verification
Medical Examination
Points to be noted before filling the Application Form:
Candidates should have proper Mobile Number and Email ID. As that all the information will be sent through the Mobile or Email. There will be NO Paper report sent.
Any intimation through Email or Mobile Text about the document upload, then candidates should upload the documents by the end of the day.
In case of no Email seen in the inbox, then check through the Spam folder.
After filling the Application form click on the PREVIEW button. Candidates can view the completed application through the Preview button before the submission process.
Once the Application form is submitted there is no option for alternation.
On the Submission of the Application by the Applicants, the same will be sent to the respective division/units.
The members of the Headquarters/ Divisions/ Units will verify and notify the application is ELIGIBLE/ INELIGIBLE and submit it to RRC Online for future process. Thereafter, no further verification process will be done.
And Only ONE Application can be registered.
After the Submission of one application form for one post, candidates can apply for any other vacancies if they wish with the same Email ID and Mobile Number details.
How to Apply ONLINE for South Western Railway Recruitment 2019?
Go through the official website
Hit on "Notification" tab.
Select and hit on an application link for South Western Railway Jobs.
Read all the details from Oficial Notification.
Now hit on an application link provided
If you are a new user go for “New Registration” Tab or log in with the username and password
Fill all the asked details of the Online Application form in the correct manner.
Hit on the "Submit" button.
Take a print out of filled application form for future use.
Important Links of South Western Railway Recruitment 2019-20
Important Dates of South Western Railway Notification 2019
South Western Railway Application Dates
Starting Date to Apply
24th June 2019
Last Date to Apply
15th July 2019
Why choose South Western Railway as Careers?
South Western Railway has some of the busiest routes in the country, operating around 1,700 services each weekday.
They employ more than 4,500 people, and their challenge is to ensure that the right people are in the right place and that we deliver the high levels of service our customers expect.
South Western Railway offers a wide range of rewarding careers, from working at the forefront of the business on and around the platform to keeping their trains moving, to administrative jobs and operational jobs including train drivers.
The headquarters of South Western Railway is located at Hubballi and comprises three divisions namely Hubballi, Mysuru, and Bengaluru.
The fourth division at Kalaburgi will come up shortly and preparations of work have already begun. The zone came into existence on 1 April 2003.
MIDHANI Recruitment 2019: Apply Online for 22 Charger Operator, Crane Operator, JOT- Turner, Forge Press Operator & NDT Operator posts. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) has released a precious opportunity to recruit 22 Charger Operator, Crane Operator, JOT- Turner, Forge Press Operator & NDT Operator Vacancies in their Respective Company. Willing candidates can apply for the posts through Online Mode within the last date of 13th June 2019.
The job hunters can check the eligibility and can Start applying from Now to use this opportunity. Thus, the eligible candidates who are ready to apply, stay tuned with our page to get the needed information.
Candidates should have completed with 7th Class with a minimum of 04 years experience in the relevant field.
Crane Operator:
Applicants should have passed with SSC or equivalent with a minimum of 5 years relevant post qualification experience.
JOT- Turner:
Qualification should be SSC+ITI (Turner) with 2 years post qualification experience in Turning operations/ works on lathe machines.
Forge Press Operator:
SSC+ITI or Diploma in Engineering with a minimum of 5 years post qualification experience in operation of hydraulic forge presses of 1500 Ton or higher capacity.
NDT Operator:
Diploma (Metallurgy/ Mechanical) or B.Sc with NDT- Level II certification in ultrasonic testing. Should have minimum 7 years of post NDT qualification experience.
Age Limit:
Assistant Level II Posts – 30 years
Assistant Level IV Posts – 42 years
MIDHANI Jobs Salary:
Name of the Posts
Scale of Pay (Rs) (with IDA pattern)
Charger Operator
18000-3%
Crane Operator
20000-3%
JOT- Turner
Forge Press Operator
21900-3%
NDT Operator
Selection Process:
Written Test.
Practical Test.
Trade Test.
Application Fee:
Application Fee for All Candidates – Rs. 100/-
How to Apply ONLINE for MIDHANI Recruitment 2019?
Click on to the Apply Online link given in the below page.
The recruitment pages will open.
On the left click on "Apply MIDHANI Posts".
A New Registration page will open with mandatory particulars.
Fill the respected details that are asked and complete the registration.
Once done check for the filled details & pay the application fee(if necessary).
And then hit on the Submit tab.
The webpage will generate you a User ID & Password.
Log in with the filled details that are asked for to confirm your application.
The User ID & Password can be used for Department login too.
Applicants do take a print out of the completed application form for future reference.
Points to be Noted:
After successful completion of the Online Application, candidates need to take a print out of the completed application.
The Hard Copy of the completed application should be submitted during the time of the Selection Process.
The application should be submitted strictly 'ONLINE' by logging on to Midhani website given above. The website will be kept open between 1000 Hrs on 12.06.2019 till 1700 Hrs on 13.07.2019 for this purpose.
Only Indian Nationals may apply.
Important Dates for www.midhani.gov.in Recruitment 2019
Starting Date to Apply
12th June 2019
Last Date to Apply
13th July 2019
Important Links for Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited Recruitment 2019
MIDHANI Recruitment 2019: Apply Online for 07 Assistant (Electric Arc Furnace, Induction Melting Furnace, Crane & Ladle) posts. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) has released a precious opportunity to recruit 07 Assistant IV & II Vacancies in their Respective Company. Willing candidates can attend the Walk-In Written on 02nd July 2019 on 8.30 AM on the Venue. The MIDHANI Recruitment 2019 Notification released for the Assistant Iv & Assistant II is completely based on a Contractual Basis. Interested with the completion of Diploma Engineering will also be considered for the Vacancy. And this article will list you the complete details about the Jobs in MIDHANI.
NOTE–Period of engagement for all the above posts will initially be for 1 year and extendable by one more year depending on the performance and company requirement.
Eligibility Criteria for MIDHANI Careers 2019
Educational Qualification:
Assistant-L-II Ladle – Candidates should have passed with SSC.
For other posts – Aspirants passed with ITI are eligible.
Experience:
Assistant Electric Arc Furnace & Induction Melting Furnace Post
04 years of Experience in the Melting of Steel
Assistant Crane Post
04 years of Experience in the Crane Operation
Assistant Ladle Post
04 years of Experience in the Ladle Preparation
Age Limit:
Assistant Level II Posts – 30 years
Assistant Level IV Posts – 35 years
MIDHANI Jobs Salary:
Name of the Posts
Scale of Pay (Rs) IDA Pattern
Assistant – L-IV Electric Arc Furnace
Rs. 24090/-
Assistant-L-IV Induction Melting Furnace
Assistant-L-IV Crane
Assistant-L-II Ladle
Rs. 22000/-
Selection Process:
Walk-In Written Test.
Trade Test.
Application Fee:
No Application Fee for the candidates who are appearing for the Assistant Post.
How to Apply for MIDHANI Recruitment 2019?
Download the MIDHANI Recruitment 2019 Notification for the 07 Assistant Posts and read all the details listed in. Eligible candidates can check in for the Walk-In Written on the respective dates. Candidates those who are under the eligibility criteria can attend the Interview on 02nd July 2019.
Venue:
To, Corporate Office, MIDHANI, Hyderabad – 500058.
Points to be Noted:
Candidates should mandatorily bring all the original certificates and testimonials with one set of photocopies in support of date of birth, educational qualification, experience, category etc with 2 recent passport size photographs.
Candidates, who fulfil all the required parameters and QRs shall only be allowed to appear for the written test.
Those who pass on with the Written Exam will be shortlisted for the Trade Test on the same day. If the Trade Test cannot be conducted on the same day it will be conducted on the next day.
The appearance of the candidates for written test will not entitle them to claim for contract engagement for the aforesaid posts. Candidates will be debarred ab-initio at any stage of the recruitment process in case they do not fulfil the essential eligibility criteria.
The medium of selection tests will be English only.
The posts are on contract basis only and do not provide any claim for permanent absorption.
Candidates are required to possess a valid email ID and contact mobile number for communication. MIDHANI will not be responsible for bouncing of the e-mail sent to the candidates.
Important Dates for www.midhani.gov.in Recruitment 2019
Walk-In Written Date
02nd July 2019 @ 8.30 AM
Important Links for Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited Recruitment 2019
Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited as MIDHANI is proud to say that they are the only producer of Titanium in India. This is the only company which has the Modern Metallurgical Facilities and Technical Competence. MIDHNAI is a company of specialized metals and metal alloys manufacturing. The company located in Hyderabad in the state of Telangana. MIDHANI is certified with ISO 9001:2015& AS 9100:2016. It is a company of Public Sector Undertaking(PSU). The manufacturing company is under the Administrative Control of Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
MRB Hall Ticket 2019 – For Candidate’s attention, Tamilnadu Medical Recruitment Board Admit Card has been released by the Higher Officials. The board has announced the Admit Card for 2345 Staff Nurse Posts. Aspirants do check the entire article to know the details about TN MRB Hall Ticket 2019. The MRB Hall Ticket has been released on 14th June 2019.
TN MRB Admit Card 2019
Candidates who have applied for the post of Tamilnadu Staff Nurse Recruitment Exam can get the MRB Admit Card from the end of the webpage. Moreover, the TN Medical Recruitment Board has cleared their words that they will not send any hard copy of the call letter to the applicants. Hence, all the candidates should download the MRB Hall Ticket for Staff Nurse 2019 through Online Mode only.
Required things to Check-in MRB Hall Ticket for Nurses
The exam date has been scheduled by the TN Board. Hence, Aspirants need to download the admit card before the examination. MRB Hall Ticket is an entrance ticket to enter the exam hall. Applicants who had applied for the post and interested to attend the exam can download the TN MRB Hall Ticket from this article. Do check with the details in the admit card before downloading it.
Name of the Applicant.
Exam Date, Time & Centre.
Post Applied for.
Application or Registration Number
Father Name and
Important Instructions.
TN MRB Staff Nurse Exam 2019
TN MRB exam for Staff Nurse will be held on 23rd June 2019. So, Candidates who applied for the exam must prepare for the exam going to be held tomorrow. Hence, Aspirants make sure to cover all the syllabus given by the board. Because each and every candidate should clear the MRB Staff Nurse Exam with the eligible scoring announced by the board. Prepare well and appear for the examination by following the listed instructions in the MRB Hall Ticket 2019. All the Best for the TN MRB Staff Nurse Examination 2019.
Things needed to Download MRB Hall Ticket 2019
While appearing for the examination every candidate should carry the www.mrb.tn.gov.in 2019 admit card. Download it from the end of the section. Hence, get the hall ticket for the Staff Nurse exam. Download the admit card on today itself because the exam is going to be conducted tomorrow. It’s an important one to carry any one of the admit card along with the MRB Admit Card 2019.
Aadhar Card
College ID
Ration Card
Driving License
PAN Card
Voter ID
Any Valid ID Proof Issued By Gazetted Officer
Bank Passbook
Passport
How to Download MRB Hall Ticket 2019-20?
Click on “TN MRB Nurse Admit Card” Link.
Enter the Application Number, DOB.
Enter the Captcha given.
Now Login to get the admit card.
An Admit Card page will be available on the screen.
Fill all the mandatory details.
Click on to the download option and download the admit card.
AP SI Previous Papers free Pdf is available here. Aspirants can download Last 5 years Andhra Pradesh SI, SCT Model Question Paper. In addition to that, You can also get APPSC Stipendiary Cadet Trainee SI Old Question Papers Pdf. However, the candidate who applied for SI Vacancies 2018-19 can refer to Andhra Pradesh Police Communication SI Exam Papers on our site as well the official site of State Level Police Recruitment Board AP i.e., slprb.ap.gov.in.
AP SI Previous Papers Pdf
We have provided the AP Police SI Exam Previous Papers along with Solutions in this article. So, the interested candidates who applied for SI jobs in AP can download them for free of cost. Get all the Sub-Inspector Model Question Papers with just one click. However, click on the enclosed links below to download the Practice papers of AP Police Exam. Check the Last 5 years Andhra Pradesh SI old Question Papers to get a clear idea of the exam pattern. However, check the Syllabus and Exam Pattern before going to attend the Exam. Aspirants can also check the AP SI Syllabus along with Exam Pattern on our site from the link at the end of the article.
AP Police Recruitment Board has recently announced the Recruitment Notification to fill up 6194 Vacant Positions. So, the candidates who are interested in AP Police Jobs can apply for the Posts if they are eligible. Check your eligibility criteria, selection process, etc. from the AP Police SI Recruitment 2018-19 Official Notification. According to the Notification, AP Police department is inviting applications for various posts of Sub Inspector, Constable, ASI & Other. So, the eligible candidates can apply for these Andhra Pradesh SI(SCT) vacancies before the last date.
AP SI Previous Papers – Old Exam Papers Details
Andhra Pradesh Police Recruitment 2018 – SI, Constable & Other
Job Designation
SCT, Warders & Firemen, Constable & SI & other Posts
Aspirants who applied for Police Jobs in AP should start the preparation for the AP SI Written Exam as early as possible. Download the Andhra Pradesh Police SI previous papers pdf, Last year question paper, of AP Police Department for free. Therefore, The contenders can download the AP Police SI Previous Question papers Pdf from our page along with Answer Keys. Hope our Material will be very helpful for the candidates to get a good score and to solve the questions in much less time. So, people can answer the objective as well as descriptive questions quickly. Interested candidates can Download the AP Police previous papers below and make use of them.
Download AP Police SI Previous Papers – Old Question Paper Pdf
Andhra Pradesh Police SI Exam Pattern and Syllabus details
First of all, Every Applicant should know the Syllabus and Exam Pattern without fail before appearing any exam. The AP Police Exam pattern will give a brief idea about the Exam to the candidate. Therefore, by knowing the AP Sub Inspector Syllabus, the preparation Process will become much easier. Along with the Andhra Pradesh Police SI Syllabus and Exam Pattern, the candidates can also check the AP SI Previous papers Pdf above. We have given SI Exam pattern in a tabular form for an easy view. Hence Aspirants can have a look at the below table.
AP Police Department will conduct the below test for the selection of SI jobs. Aspirants can check the following Hiring process.
Preliminary Written Test.
Physical Measurements Test (PMT)
Physical Efficiency Test (PET)
AP SI Exam Pattern
Papers
Subjects
No of Questions
Marks
Paper I
English
–
100
Telugu
–
100
Paper II
Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning / Mental Ability
200
100
General Studies
100
100
Paper 1 is of Objective type paper with MCQ’s.
Paper 2 is of Descriptive type.
For complete AP Police Syllabus details find the syllabus link below.
Related links to the AP Police SI Exam Model Paper Pdf
But, We are not giving any assurance for the appearance of the same questions in the Andhra Pradesh Sub Inspector SCT Exam. These are just the SI Exam model questions which are given for reference. So, the candidates can answer the questions quickly. Interested candidates can download the AP Sub Inspector Model papers and make use of them. Check the official site enclosed below for more details.
GSSSB Previous Papers for Supervisor Instructor, SI, Social Welfare Inspector, Work Assistant, and other Maru Gujarat Posts is available here. The Candidates who are looking for Supervisor Instructor vacancies can apply for GSSSB Supervisor Instructor Posts 2019. However, in this article, we see the details about GSSSB Previous Year Question Paper Pdf.
GSSSB Previous Year Question Papers
Applied for the GSSSB Supervisor Instructor & Other Jobs and looking for the previous year question papers. Then you are in the right place. Here the aspirants can get the Maru Gujarat Model Question Papers. Job Seekers are advised to make use of GSSSB Previous Question Papers pdf and practice well to clear the written Examination. Gujarat Old Papers helps the applicants in their preparation. However, by Referring to the Maru Gujarat Old Paper one can know the kind of questions going to come in the examination. However, find the respective link below and download the free Pdf.
GSSSB Previous Question Papers – Maru Gujarat Old Paper Pdf
Description
Details
Name of Board
Gujarat Secondary Service Selection Board
Post Names
Supervisor Instructor, Sub-Inspector, Social Welfare Inspector & Other
Interested candidates can also go through the GSSSB Exam Syllabus 2019 to get an overview of the exam pattern. Also, download the syllabus pdf from the given link and prepare well for the examination.
Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board Supervisor Instructor Exam Question Papers are available now to download. Hence the candidates who applied for GSSSB Supervisor Instructor jobs can check these previous papers with answers. Download GSSSB Previous Papers Pdf from the below links. Also, refer the official website of Gujarat SSSB i.e. ojas.gujarat.gov.in for more details about the various posts in GSSSB Recruitment.
GSSSB Supervisor Instructor Previous Papers
Maru Gujarat Supervisor Instructor Previous Papers Pdf is available here to download for free. If you are searching for GSSSB Supervisor Instructor Question Papers? Then you are in the right place. Here you will be able to get the complete detailed information regarding Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board Supervisor Instructor model papers, exam papers, etc. The Aspirants can check the information related to GSSSB Supervisor Instructor Exam Pattern, Selection Process for having an idea about GSSSB Notification & Recruitment 2019.
Gujarat Subordinate Services Selection Board has released the notification for the recruitment of Supervisor Instructor (Mechanical, Electrical, Information Technology, Civil, Fabrication, Automobile, Garments, etc) – class III. There is high competition for this recruitment. So, practice well using all the GSSSB previous papers, model papers & study materials provided in this article.
The Aspirants who are interested in this post in Maru Gujarat need to check the syllabus & exam pattern at first, before starting to prepare for the exam. Hence, we have provided the exam pattern details of GSSSB exam in the below section of the article. Having knowledge about the exam pattern helps in understanding the competition level of the exam & also in time management skills. However, the complete details regarding GSSSB Supervisor Instructor exam pattern are given below.
GSSSB Supervisor Instructor Exam Question Paper Pattern
GSSSB Exam Pattern 2019 will help to know the structure of the examination. so, check the exam pattern for both the Preliminary exam and the Mains exam. The information like subject names, number of questions asked, maximum marks allotted, time duration, etc.. are given in the below table. You can find two tables below, out of which one is of Prelims exam and the other one is of Mains exam.
GSSSB Supervisor Instructor Selection Process:
Prelims Examination
Mains Examination
Personal Interview
GSSSB Supervisor Instructor Prelims Exam Pattern
Subject Name
Marks Allotted
Exam Duration
Gujarati
15 Marks
90 Minutes
General Studies, Mathematics, Reasoning
20 Marks
Technical Education
60 Marks
English Translation
5 Marks
Total Marks
100 Marks
The GSSSB Prelims Exam will be for 100 marks.
The time duration for the exam is 90 minutes.
GSSSB Supervisor Instructor Mains Exam Pattern
Subject Name
Marks Allotted
Exam Duration
Gujarati
20 Marks
120 Minutes
English Translation
10 Marks
General Studies, Mathematics, Reasoning
30 Marks
Technical Education
90 Marks
Total
150 Marks
Gujarati Language exam is taken in both Prelims and Mains Exam
The GSSSB Supervisor Instructor Mains Exam will be for 150 marks.
The time duration for the Mains exam is 120 Minutes.
GSSSB Supervisor Instructor Model Papers Pdf
The candidates can check the direct link to download Maru Gujarat Subordinate Services Selection Board Supervisor Instructor Model papers, Question papers below. Just by clicking on the link, you will be able to download the GSSSB sample papers pdf. You can also save these previous papers in the drive for future requirement. Try to make the best use of study materials provided for the better preparation of the GSSSB Exam.
Gujarat Secondary Service Selection Board is going to conduct the written Examination. The Maru Gujarat Exam date is yet to be announced. Hence, keep visiting our page we will update details soon the board made live. Also, find the GSSSB Sub Inspector Exam Model Question Paper Pdf.
Applied for the Sub Inspector Vacancy, then download the Old Model Papers and start preparation. Hope our material helps the candidates in scoring more marks in the written. click on the link given below to visit our main GSSSB SI Previous Papers Page. Later, aspirants need to click on the links to download Sub Inspector Prelims, Mains Exam Model Question Paper Pdf. However, here is the overview of Prelims and Mains Exam Syllabus.
GSSSB SI Prelims Previous Papers – Syllabus Topics
Looking for the GSSSB Previous Papers for Social Welfare Officer, Social Welfare Inspector Exam 2018. Then you in the right place. Here we uploaded the Maru Gujarat Previous Year Question Papers for Social Welfare Officer, written examination. Hence, let’s check the GSSSB Model Papers, Study Material details in the sections below. Also, download the GSSSB Previous Papers Pdf from the direct links given.
GSSSB Previous Question Papers details
Description
Details
Post Name
Social Welfare Officer & Other
No of Vacancies
118
Category
Previous Papers
Direct Download links for GSSSB Old Question Papers with Answers Pdf
Check GSSSB SWO Syllabus and Exam Pattern for the Written Exam going to be held on 0-10-2018. However, we updated the latest and updated GSSSB Syllabus and Exam Pattern details. Hence, click on the link and download the free GSSSB Syllabus 2018 pdf for free.
The candidates who are looking for the Gujarat State jobs are already applied for the GSSSB Recruitment. And those applicants now searching for the Maru Gujarat Previous Papers over various sites. So for those candidates, we are providing the GSSSB Staff Nurse Previous Papers below. Hence check the below links and download subject wise GSSSB X-Ray Technician Previous papers. Start preparing the old questions in the Maru Gujarat Work Assistant Exam Papers to score more marks.
There are many benefits while preparing the GSSSB Question Papers. Those are: the candidates will get an idea about the nature of questions that are going to ask in the current year exams. Also, you can analyze the level of complexity of the previous year exam and hence prepare a tight schedule covering all the topics will give a good score. Also, check the official website of Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board i.e. ojas.gujarat.gov.in for more details about the recruitment.
GSSSB Junior Pharmacist Previous Papers Pdf
Gujarat SSSB Model Papers for Work Assistant, X-Ray Technician, Staff Nurse
Board Name
Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board
Name of the Posts
Junior Pharmacist, Staff Nurse, Work Asst & Other Posts
Total No. of Posts
1548 posts
Category
Previous Papers
Mode Of Application
Online
Official Website
ojas.gujarat.gov.in
GSSSB Question Papers – Staff Nurse, Jr Pharmacist, Work Assistant
In this recruitment, the number of vacancies is 1548 posts. Hence the competition will be high for those huge vacancies. Therefore to beat this heavy competition, the applicants need to do more hard work. Prepare with the GSSSB Staff Nurse Previous Papers will help you to gain more marks.
Also, for your exam preparation, we are providing the GSSSB Exam Syllabus below. Check the exam pattern and syllabus before starting the preparation, will give you an idea about the examination.
Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Exam Pattern 2019
General Knowledge
English
Gujarat Language
Technical Ability
Subject Related Questions
GSSSB Junior Pharmacist Previous Papers
The GSSSB exam has objective type MCQs.
And these questions are from general topics and subject related topics.
There will be an interview after qualifying the written test.
Download GSSSB Previous Year Question Papers
Providing information about the Gujarat SSSB Staff Nurse Model papers is only for the reference purpose. Hence the candidates can refer these Previous papers of GSSSB exam for better preparation. Also, check the official website of Gujarat Subordinate Services Selection for more details about the Staff Nurse, Work Assistant, Junior Pharmacist, and other posts.
SBI Clerk Previous Papers for prelims and mains exams is available here. Candidates who are in search of SBI clerk previous papers can find on our page. Also, check the prelims and mains SBI Clerk exam pattern 2019 and online CBT exam date details in the sections below. Aspirants can find the direct download link for SBI Clerk previous papers with answers in the sections below.
SBI Clerk Previous Papers
SBI Clerk Question Paper is available to download for free of cost on our page. Aspirants can download the paper just by click on the pdf links given. Hence, come let’s check the complete SBI Clerk Notification details and download the old question paper with answers pdf and start the preparation.
State Bank of India has given the notification to fill clerk’s vacancies every year. This year it is 8653 vacancies all over India. Hence, there will be a huge number of job seekers who are going to apply for the State Bank Clerk vacancy. It is estimated that approximately the vacancy to applications received ratio will be 1:1000 and is increasing year by year. Hence to face this competition one should need a perfect and planned preparation. Check the Overview for State Bank of India Clerk Recruitment 2019 and find the model question paper which helps in scoring marks in these examinations.
Aspirants who are going to appear for the tuff Banking Exams like SBI Clerk needs the best preparation. As the SBI Clerk Question Papers are part of the preparation. We are here to help you guys in finding the last 5 years SBI Clerk previous year question papers. However, check the syllabus and exam pattern before going to the SBI Clerk old model question paper pdf.
SBI Clerk Prelims, Mains Exam Question Paper Pdf
Looking for the State Bank of India Clerk Recruitment exam question paper for prelims and mains. Find the direct download links in the section here. Aspirants can download the SBI Clerk Question paper for free of cost here.
Download the SBI Clerk Previous Year Paper and start your preparation. We advise referring all the SBI Clerk Previous Year paper to get a good score. As the previous year papers help in knowing how the question is given. Also, helps in analyzing the toughness of the question paper.
Last 10 Years SBI Clerk Previous Year Question Papers
State Bank of India Clerk Recruitment is done every year. As a huge number of job seekers are going to apply every year. SBI conducts the prelims and mains examinations. State Bank Clerk Selection process undergoes three levels. Where the candidate has to face the prelims, Mains and Interview round to get the job.
Hence, here is the SBI Clerk Prelims and Mains exam syllabus and test pattern details. Check the complete details and note the areas you need to concentrate more. However, download the SBI Clerk Question Paper and start your preparation. The direct links for Prelims and Mains SBI Clerk Question paper are given the section following.
SBI Clerk Prelims Exam Paper Pattern
S.No
Sections
Marks
Time
1
English Language
30
1 hr
2
Quantitative Aptitude/Data Interpretation
35
3
Reasoning Ability
35
Total
100
SBI Clerk Mains Exam Paper Pattern
S.No
Sections
Marks
Time
1
Reasoning
40
2 hrs
2
English Language
40
3
Quantitative Aptitude
40
4
General Awareness
40
5
Computer Knowledge
40
Total
200
Both Prelims and Mains are computer Based Written Examinations.
Where questions will be objective type multiple choice questions.
Negative marking will be there for the wrongly answered questions.
State Bank Clerk Exam Preparation Tips
Refer the complete SBI Clerk Syllabus for both prelims and mains.
Check the Exam Pattern and marks for each section.
Note the areas to concentrate and prepare a plan.
Refer the SBI Clerk Previous Year Paper, Model Question paper.
Also, list our the important sections and also time-consuming sections.
Spend some of your valuable time for reading newspapers and magazines. Allocate your time wisely.
Update yourself with all the current affairs and shortcuts and new formulas.
The revision has to be done regularly.
Time management is very important.
Take SBI Clerk Mock tests/Practice Test before appearing for the Examination.
Indian Post Office Previous Papers for Postman, Mailguard, MTS, Gramin Dak Sevak, Postal Assistant/ Sorting Assistant, etc. Aspirants who are looking for post office exam model question papers can get on our page. Download the free pdf from the links given in the section below. Also, find the exam pattern and written exam date details in the article below.
Post Office Exam Question Paper
Applicants who are in search of the Indian Postal Department Exam Old papers, you are at the right place. Because here, recruitment.guru is providing the Post Office Postman, MTS, Mailguard, GDS, etc previous year question papers. We provide the free download link for the post office exam model question paper in the sections below. Candidates can make use of these papers in the preparation and score more marks.
The candidates who applied for the Indian Postal Circle jobs can begin the preparation from now. The preparation part takes a significant role in cracking the postal job successfully. Applied candidates must have proper preparation to grab the opportunity. Interested aspirants can start their preparation after downloading the Indian Post Office previous papers given below. We have enclosed the free downloading links for Indian Postal Circle exam old papers pdf. Aspirants can also find the answers for all the Postal Circle exam model question papers given below.
Indian Postal Circle Recruitment announces the exam date for the respective vacancy written test on their official website. We update the details on our page immediately when the board announces. Hence, keep checking our page for more updates on exam dates and mock test details. Check the complete exam pattern details for the written exam in the section below.
Indian Postal Circle Exam Pattern Details
The candidates applied for the post office recruitment are shortlisted based on their performance in the written test. Applicants who scored the minimum qualifying marks are only eligible for the further rounds of selection. Hence, we advise those who appearing for written to get knowledge over the written exam by referring to the exam pattern details.
Knowledge of Indian Postal Circle exam pattern helps the candidates understanding the way question paper is going to be. Also, gives an idea over subjects need to cover to clear written. Generally, Indian Post Office written test will have questions on GAT, Mathematics, English and Local Languages. Here is an overview of the written exam paper pattern for the Postman, Mailguard, GDS, MTS, etc.
Postal Assistant/ Sorting Assistant Exam Pattern 2019
Paper
Subject
Marks
Duration
Paper-I
Part A – Post Office Guide
50
120 Mins
Part B – General Awareness/ Knowledge
50
Paper-II
Translation from English to local language & vice versa, Letter writing
50
45 Mins
Paper-III
Skill Test
25
15 Mins
It will consist of Objective Type Questions
The language of the question paper will be bilingual i.e. Hindi and English
Indian Post Officer Written Exam Pattern Details
Part
Subject
Questions
Marks
A
General Knowledge/Reasoning/Analytical Ability
25
25
B
Mathematics
25
25
C (1)
English
25
25
C (2)
Regional Language
25
25
Total
100
100
The question paper will have objective type multiple choice questions.
Each part will carry an equal number of marks.
The maximum time duration for the written test is 90 mins.
Find the topic wise Indian Post Office Exam Syllabus in our page.
Post Office Exam Model Question Paper Download
The last 5 years exam model papers for Indian Postal Circle are given here. Applicants can find free downloading links of the Indian Post Office Question Papers in the tabular section below. Candidates can practice these Post Office exam questions and answers and prepare well for the main examination. Practice more Indian postal circle previous papers for better preparation and increasing your understanding levels. The question and answers given will be at the level of educational qualification mentioned in the notification.
Hence, we advise the candidates to practice more model papers and prepare well. The papers given below are only for reference purpose. Don’t expect the same question and answers to come in the main examination. Use these papers only for practice purpose and prepare well. Hope the Indian Postal Circle previous papers given below helps the candidate in preparation and in scoring marks. Interested can check the official website of Indian Postal for more details.
Indian Post Office Previous Year Question Papers Pdf
IDBI Bank Recruitment 2019 Notification – 600 Assistant Manager Vacancies:
IDBI Bank Recruitment 2019-20 Notification – Apply Online 600 Assistant Manager Vacancies: IDBI Bank Limited Company Released the IDBI Recruitment 2019 Notification Recently. The IDBI Bank Recruitment 2019 Notification is to fill up the 600 Vacancies of Assistant Managers. Candidates freshers & experienced who are waiting for the IDBI Bank Careers 2019; they can apply for the Vacancies before the Last Date through its official website www.idbi.com. The Online Application for IDBI Bank Jobs 2019 can be submitted from June 2019 to July 2019. So aspirants who interested in these IDBI Bank Jobs 2019 Vacancy; they can find the details like Eligibility, Selection, How to Apply, etc here.
Eligibility Criteria for IDBI Bank Recruitment 2019:
Candidates who want to apply for the IDBI Bank Recruitment 2019 Notification; they have to satisfy the Eligibility Criteria as per the Bank Officials. Aspirants can get all details like Age Limit and Educational Qualification here.
Below are the list of IDBI Bank Requirements 2019:
Educational Qualification:
Passed Graduation from a recognized University
Age Limit:
Minimum Age Limit – 21 Years
Maximum Age Limit – 28 Years
i.e. a candidate must have been born not earlier than 02.06.1991 and not later than 01.06.1998 (both dates inclusive)
Age Relaxations:
Category
Relaxations
Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe
5 years
Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer)
3 years
Persons With Benchmark Disabilities as defined under "The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2 0 1 6 "
10 years
Ex-Servicemen, Commissioned Officers including Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/ Short Service
5 years
Persons ordinarily domiciled in the state of Jammu & Kashmir during the period 01.01.1980 to 31.12.1989
5 years
Persons affected by 1984 riots
5 years
IDBI Bank Recruitment Process:
Online Test
Personal Interview
Application Fee:
Rs.150/- (Intimation Charges Only) for SC/ST/PWD
Rs.700/- (Application Fee + Intimation Charges) for All Others –
IDBI Assistant Manager Salary:
Rs.42,020/- to Rs.51,490/- per month
Exam Centres:
State/UT/NCR
Centre
Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam
Arunachal Pradesh
Itanagar
Assam
Guwahati
Bihar
Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Muzzafarpur, Patna, Purnea
Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Bhilai, Bilaspur, Raipur
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Surat and Jamnagar
Jamnagar Daman & Diu
Delhi NCR
Bahadurgarh, Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Greater, Noida and Gurgaon
Candidates who want to apply for the IDBI Bank Recruitment 2019 Notification; they have to satisfy the Eligibility Criteria as per the Bank Officials. Aspirants can get all details like Age Limit and Educational Qualification here.
Below are the list of IDBI Bank Requirements 2019:
Educational Qualification:
Passed graduation from a recognized university with 60% marks as a minimum (% marks for SC/ST/PWD)
Must have proficiency in computers.
Age Limit:
Minimum Age Limit – 21 Years
Maximum Age Limit – 28 Years
Age Relaxations:
Category
Relaxations
Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe
5 years
Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer)
3 years
Persons With Benchmark Disabilities as defined under "The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2 0 1 6 "
10 years
Ex-Servicemen, Commissioned Officers including Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/ Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) who have rendered at least 5 years military service and have been released on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from the last date of receipt of application) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency or physical disability attributable to military service or invalidation.
5 years
Persons ordinarily domiciled in the state of Jammu & Kashmir during the period 01.01.1980 to 31.12.1989
5 years
Persons affected by 1984 riots
5 years
IDBI Bank Recruitment Process:
Aspirants who have applied for the Bank Jobs Notification; they will be selected based on the below tests.
IDBI Bank Executive Recruitment 2019 – 300 JobVacancies
IDBI Bank Recruitment 2019-20 – Apply Online for 300 Executive Job Vacancy: IDBI Bank Limited Company invites online applications from eligible Indian citizens for the post of 300 Executive Jobs. Candidates fulfilling the eligibility criteria may apply online through the link provided below. Starting date to apply for IDBI Bank Jobs will be updated soon. Last date to submit your online application form for IDBI Bank Notification is 15th April 2019.
IDBI Recruitment 2019 Notification Details:
Name of the Bank
IDBI Bank Limited Company
Name of the Posts
Executives
No. of Vacancies
300
Application Mode
Apply Online
Job Category
Bank Jobs
Starting Date to apply
Updated Soon
Last Date to apply
15th April 2019
Date of Pre-Examination training for the SC/ ST/ OBC applicants at all centers
IDBI Bank Careers 2019 – Category wise Vacancy Details
Name of the Category
Number of Vacancies
Unreserved (UR)
137
SC
45
ST
22
OBC
81
EWS
15
PWD (VH)
03
PWD (OH)
03
PWD (HH)
03
Total
300
IDBI Recruitment 2019-20 Eligibility Details:
Below are the list of IDBI Bank Requirements 2019:
Educational Qualification:
Passed Graduation or its equivalent from a recognized university with minimum 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PWD)
Those who are in the final year of their Graduation or final Semester may also apply provisionally with the condition that, if called for Document Verification and Pre Recruitment Medical test, they will have to produce proof of having passed the Graduation examination on or before April 15, 2019
Age Limit:
Selection procedure for IDBI Bank Executive Jobs 2019 is as follows,
Minimum Age Limit: 20 Years
Maximum Age Limit: 25 Years
The applicant must have been born not earlier than 02 March, 1994 and not later than 01 March, 1999 (both dates inclusive)
Age Relaxations:
Category
Relaxations
Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe
5 years
Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer)
3 years
Persons With Benchmark Disabilities as defined under "The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2 0 1 6 "
10 years
Ex-Servicemen, Commissioned Officers including Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/ Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) who have rendered at least 5 years military service
5 years
Persons ordinarily domiciled in the state of Jammu & Kashmir during the period 01.01.1980 to 31.12.1989
5 years
Persons affected by 1984 riots
5 years
Selection Process:
Aspirants who have applied for the Bank Jobs Notification; they will be selected based on the below tests.
Online Test
Personal Interview
Application Fee:
Candidates should pay Rs. 150/- (Intimation Charges) for SC/ ST/ PWD Categories.
Candidates Must pay Rs. 700/- (Application fee + Intimation Charges) for all other Categories.
Fees once paid will not be refunded or adjusted.
Application Fee Must pay through online by using Debit Cards (RuPay/ Visa/ MasterCard/ Maestro), Credit Cards, Internet Banking, IMPS, Cash Cards/ Mobile Wallets.
Pay Scale:
1st Year – Rs.22,000/- per month
2nd Year – Rs.24,000/- per month
3rd Year – Rs.27,000/- per month
Note: These executives shall not be entitled to draw any allowances such as DA, HRA, etc
IDBI Bank Careers 2019 – 40 Chartered Accountant Job Vacancies
IDBI Bank Recruitment 2019-20 – apply Online for 40 Manager, AGM (Grade C) and DGM (Grade D) Vacancy: IDBI Bank Limited Company invites online applications from eligible Indian citizens for the post of 500 Assistant Managers. Candidates fulfilling the eligibility criteria may apply online through the link provided below. Starting date to apply for IDBI Bank Jobs is 26th March 2019. Last date to submit your online application forms is 8th April 2019.
IDBI Recruitment 2019 Notification Details:
Name of the Bank
IDBI Bank Limited Company
Name of the Posts
Chartered Accountant (Manager, AGM (Grade C) and DGM (Grade D))
IDBI Bank Careers 2019 – Category wise Vacancy Details
Name of the Posts
Category
Manager (Grade B)
General – 03
AGM (Grade C)
General – 04, OBC – 01
DGM (Grade D)
General – 17, SC – 04, ST – 02, OBC – 08, EWS – 01, PWD – 00
Total
40
IDBI Recruitment 2019-20 Eligibility Details:
Candidates who want to apply for the IDBI Bank Recruitment 2019 Notification; they have to satisfy the Eligibility Criteria as per the Bank Officials. Aspirants can get all details like Age Limit and Educational Qualification here.
Below are the list of IDBI Bank Requirements 2019:
Passed Graduation with first class in any stream (preferably in commerce) from a recognized board
Possess Chartered Accountant Post graduation degree in relevant field
Additional Information: MBA, ICWA will be preferred
Experience: 12 Years as an officer in commercial banks/FI (s)
Manager – Treasury (Grade B):
Passed Graduation with first class in any discipline from a recognized board
Candidates possession additional qualification of MBA/CFA/Professionals with Diploma or certificate in treasury will be preferred
Expected Specialization: Direct Dealings in Financial Products & Markets/ Treasury or Trade Finance Operations in Forex functions
Experience: 02 Years Treasury of which at least the recent 01 year should be as Treasury Forex Dealer/Forex Sales or Trade Finance Officer
Manager – Risk Management:
Passed Graduation with first class in any discipline from a recognized board
Candidates possession additional qualification of MBA/CFA/MA/CAIIB/PRIMA or risk management certification would be preferred
Experience: 02 Years of experience in banking
Manager – Corporate Banking (Grade B):
Passed graduation with first class in any discipline from a recognized board
Candidates possessing the additional qualification of ICWA/02 years full time MBA would be preferred
Desirable to have certification in Credit program from NIBM, IIBF, Moody’s, IIBM, NISM, KPMH, etc.
Age Limit:
DGM FAD (Grade D): 35 to 45 Years
DGM Taxation (Grade D): 35 to 45 Years
AGM FAD (Grade C): 28 to 36 Years
AGM Taxation: 28 to 36 Years
Manager FAD/Taxation (Grade B): 25 to 35 Years
For Manager – Treasury (Grade B): 25 to 35 Years
For Manager – Risk Management: 25 to 35 Years
Manager – Corporate Banking (Grade B): 25 to 35 Years
Age Relaxations:
Category
Relaxations
Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe
5 years
Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer)
3 years
Persons With Benchmark Disabilities as defined under "The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2 0 1 6 "
10 years
Ex-Servicemen, Commissioned Officers including Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/ Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) who have rendered at least 5 years military service and have been released on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from the last date of receipt of application) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency or physical disability attributable to military service or invalidation.
5 years
Persons ordinarily domiciled in the state of Jammu & Kashmir during the period 01.01.1980 to 31.12.1989
5 years
Persons affected by 1984 riots
5 years
Selection Process:
Aspirants who have applied for the Bank Jobs Notification; they will be selected based on the below tests.
Preliminary Screening
Candidate’s qualifications, suitability, and experience
Group Discussion (GD)/Interview
Application Fee:
Candidates should pay Rs. 150/- (Intimation Charges) for SC/ ST/ PWD Categories.
Candidates Must pay Rs. 700/- (Application fee + Intimation Charges) for all other Categories.
Application Fee Must pay through online by using Debit Cards (RuPay/ Visa/ MasterCard/ Maestro), Credit Cards, Internet Banking, IMPS, Cash Cards/ Mobile Wallets.
Pay Scale:
Deputy General Manager, Grade 'D' – Rs.33,600/- to Rs.53,900/- per month
Assistant General Manager, Grade 'C' – Rs.42,020/- to Rs.51,490/- per month
Manager – Grade 'B' – Rs.31,7050/- to Rs.45,950/- per month
The IDBI Bank (आई.डी.बी.आई) was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to provide credit and other financial facilities for the development of the nascent Indian industry. The central government is the owner of this bank and the employees will be called as central government personnel. It is one of the public sector banks in India and is a nationalized bank that must be treated on a par with OSE and other nationalized banks in accordance with the notification of the Ministry of Finance of February 26, 2013.
Currently, the government has a 77% stake in IDBI Bank. For the first quarter of the current fiscal year 2017-18, the bank reported a net loss of Rs.853 crore compared to a gain of Rs.241 crore during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2016-17, the bank had reported a loss of Rs.3,200 crore. Although the reported loss was lower than the previous quarter, the bad loans continued to increase. In the quarter ended September 2017, the bank recovered with a loss of Rs.198 crore compared to a loss of more than Rs.2,000 crore in the previous quarter. The bank is expected to generate profits in the near future.
By Andy MukherjeeTwo months after India's oldest private-sector airline grounded its last plane, and with even a water-bottling firm threatening to drag the carrier into bankruptcy, a consortium of lenders led by State Bank of India can finally stop pretending that a white knight is coming.With the insolvency tribunal taking Jet Airways India Ltd. under its wing on Thursday, there may be one more abortive attempt to sell it whole. But now that lessors have taken most of the fleet, employees have all but given up on back wages, and the country's aviation market has moved on, liquidation is the most practical solution. Little will be recovered from financial and operational creditors' claims, which may add up to more than 140 billion rupees ($2 billion), according to local media reports. Jet, as Monty Python might have observed, isn't exactly a Norwegian blue, pining for the fjords. It's a dead parrot. Banks killed it with kindness.If only they had seen that founder Naresh Goyal wasn't able to cover costs, and was using borrowed money to keep the full-service airline afloat amid intense competition with low-cost rivals. One refusal from them to lend more without fresh equity from 51% owner Goyal, his 24% partner Etihad Airways PJSC, or the public, would have hastened the default that finally occurred in January. Even then, creditors could have produced a new controlling shareholder in an out-of-court process if they'd wrested control of the board from Goyal rather than waiting until late March. The airline could still have survived even if that had failed, with banks supplying working capital through an in-court bankruptcy process. 69900028 A new owner wouldn't have made creditors whole, but any offer would have been better than the chump change they will get from liquidation of a grounded carrier. So why didn't SBI and other creditors act earlier?They probably never believed Goyal, a survivor of several tight corners in the last 25 years, was going to crash land this time. After they did wake up to that possibility, they still dithered. Banks are already swamped by $200 billion-plus of soured corporate debt. Every exposure taken to the bankruptcy tribunal means more money to be set aside from profit, which has been in short supply at Indian lenders lately.Also, the 2016 law has already been so badly abused by owners trying to stall the sale of prized assets that banks are starting to treat in-court insolvency more like a mortuary than a hospital. However, if only basket cases come to the tribunal, or lenders start using the process as a cover for deals with people hiding from the law, they won't have a tool left to deal with the next downturn in the credit cycle. 69900030 Prime Minister Narendra Modi can count the insolvency regime as among the more significant achievements of his first term, before the draconian cash ban of November 2016 derailed the economy. His government even empowered the central bank to resolve some of the most egregious cases of bad debt.That reform momentum has faded, though. When the Reserve Bank of India, on its own initiative, tried to get more soured loans more speedily into in-court insolvency, the judiciary said it was acting beyond its powers. Modi's second five-year term has just begun. He would send an encouraging signal to global investors by once again pushing taxpayer-funded banks to use the bankruptcy law, and well before errant borrowers start pushing up the daisies.As the bungling of Jet Airways shows, no insolvency law will do any good to a financial system that has too much respect for capitalists and too little for capitalism.
BENGALURU: Infosys shareholders continue to fret over Panaya's future as many of them sought clarity on the Israeli subsidiary's growth opportunities from the company's management at the 38th annual general meeting. Panaya acquisition was a major bone of contention for corporate governance battle between Infosys founders and Vishal Sikka-led management. Later, the software services exporter put them up as assets for sale since they did not add enough financial value to Infosys' business. Infosys declassified Panaya and Skava since it failed to find the right buyers. Panaya was bought by Infosys in 2015 for $200 million and saw two rounds of write-down in valuation. While a set of shareholders asked for explanation on certain accounting numbers of Panaya; others asked about the prospects of Panaya and the company's decision to refocus on integrating it with existing service lines."The management has already provided for Rs 850 crore towards Skava and Panaya. Why the investigation report relating to these entities has not been made public. What will happen to the new investment," asked Tamal Kumar Majumadar, one of the shareholders.ET first reported last week about Infosys' renewed investment in Panaya and appointment of a new CEO. Infosys chief executive officer Salil Parekh said the company is repurposing Panaya solutions into other business segments. "We are looking at how we are going to refocus and repurpose the activities within those businesses that will help in the areas that we are now looking to grow the company in.we have assigned senior members of the leadership team one each for Panaya and Skava to look at those and try to see how we can combine these in retail , consumer products and manufacturing segments," Parekh told shareholders.
If you are filing ITR-1 this year, then there are several procedural changes you should know. Being aware of these changes will make it easier for you to file your income tax return.Here are the changes that you must know.Addition of new tab for section 80GGAThis year in the online form of ITR-1, a new tab for section 80GGA has been added. If you wish to claim deduction under section 80GGA, then you are required to enter the details in the new tab. Section 80GGA provides deduction for the donations made towards scientific research/rural development. However, individuals with business income cannot claim this deduction.Chartered Accountant, Naveen Wadhwa, DGM,Taxmann.com says, "Any individual who wishes to claim this deduction will be required to furnish additional information - relevant clause under which deduction is claimed, name and address of the donee, PAN of donee and amount of donation made in cash and any other mode. The new schedule seeks detailed information to rule out false claims in ITRs."Remember, donations in excess of Rs 10,000 in cash are not allowed as deduction. Also, 100 percent of the amount donated is eligible for deduction under this section.Changes in reporting of exempted incomesIn last year's ITR-1, you were required to report exempted incomes under the head 'Taxes Paid and Verification'. However, this year, these incomes will have to be reported under the tab, 'Computation of income and taxes'. Wadhwa says, "This is now a coherent replacement as it belongs to income schedules only."In addition to that, last year, while reporting exempted incomes, you were required to report tax-exempt portion of allowances such as HRA (house rent allowance) received from your employer, under this head. This year, tax-exempt portion of allowances received will be reported while filling salary details in ITR-1.Validating your bank account on e-filing website for faster credit of tax refundsThe income tax department has decided to issue only e-refunds from March 1, 2019. E-refunds will be issued to only those bank accounts that are validated on the e-filing website and are linked with filer's PAN. If your PAN is not linked with your bank account or your bank account is not validated on the e-filing website of the income tax department, then it is likely your tax refunds will be delayed.Choosing of verification option When filing ITR-1 in the previous year, while selecting details such as ITR form, assessment year and so on, you were also required to choose the ITR verification option with which you will be verifying your ITR. However, this year, this option has been moved under the 'Taxes Paid and Verification' head. Once the ITR-1 form on the website is filled with all the required details, then you will have to choose the option with which you want to verify your ITR. Wadhwa says, "Earlier, verification method was asked at the time of selecting or uploading the relevant ITR form. This is now a logical placement of 'Verification' options."However, if you are filing your ITR using Excel utility, i.e., by uploading an XML file, then you are required to choose the verification option while selecting details such as ITR form as mentioned above.Detailed break-up of donation made under section 80GIf you have made any donations in FY 2018-19, then you will be required to provide the detailed break-up of how much of it was in cash and how much using banking channels. "This has been done to curtail the misuse of section 80G for donations made," adds Wadhwa.Under section 80G, you can claim deduction for donations made to certain notified funds, charitable institutions or notified institutions set-up by the government.Lesser information is pre-filledIn a departure from the previous year, this year there is less pre-filled information while filing ITR-1 online on the e-filing website. Wadhwa says, "Up to last year, when TDS details were imported from tax passbook (Form 26AS), the fields of Salary Income and Income from Other Sources were also filled with the gross payments subjected to such TDS. This year, the data is imported only in TDS Schedules and not in the income schedules. It appears that the department has deliberately disabled this practice because of two reasons - first, if an income field is pre-filled with certain numbers, the taxpayers might get afraid from changing it and certain income would not be reported in ITR. Second, this year, additional information is required to be disclosed for the income to be reported in ITR 1/ITR 4, thus, it would not be possible for the department to pre-fill the relevant field."
Nirmala Sitharaman's first budget could well be bold, reformist and decisive. First-time finance ministers have rarely had her luxury: the political vantage of a stable majority government that has returned with a mammoth mandate.So, there's little chance that when Sitharaman rises to present the budget on July 5, it will be a populist one. She might make allowance for a few doles of gratitude to micro industries, farmers, defence personnel and certain geographies that helped better the ruling party's victory from good to grand. Apart from that, it's likely to be a prudent balancing act.The main challenge for Sitharaman is time, or rather the lack of it. She has had about three weeks from the time she took over as FM to the customary halwa ceremony on Saturday to mark the printing of budget documents. She lost no time in between in calling for crowd-sourced ideas through social and conventional media — a first.ET Magazine visited eight industrial hubs across the country, spanning several sectors, to figure out the wish lists of businesses and to take stock of their concerns, even those not strictly pertaining to the budget. We travelled to the bicycle town, Ludhiana, in the North and the knitwear capital, Tiruppur, in the South, to diamond city Surat in the West and to tea hub Darjeeling in the East. We also went to Andhra Pradesh's steel city Visakhapatnam, Uttar Pradesh's labour-intensive brass city Moradabad, Uttarakhand's only major industrial town, Rudrapur, and Madhya Pradesh's mini-Mumbai, Indore.We received wide-ranging inputs. A greater thrust on infrastructure and removing the bottlenecks in GST, even though the latter is not exactly in the budget's domain, seem to be pan-Indian wishes. Others are specific to regions or sectors. Darjeeling tea producers want an anti-dumping duty on tea imports from Nepal. The Ludhiana bicycle cluster is awaiting a big financial booster. Vizag Steel expects to do better business if Sitharaman takes a generous approach to infrastructure, real estate and automobile. And what do the 4,000-plus namkeen factories of Indore want from the FM? Read on.Steel Dreams- Visakhapatnam, the steel city of Andhra Pradesh, expects an infrastructure and logistics push from the Union budget- By Shantanu Nandan SharmaThe massive Sardar Patel statue in Gujarat shares something in common with the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu — the sinews of both have been strengthened by steel from Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, also called Vizag Steel, run by a Navratna company, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL). Other landmarks, including the Tarapur Atomic Power Station, Mumbai's Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh, have also used steel produced in this coastal city of Andhra Pradesh. Visakhapatnam, according to the 2011 Census, has a population of 17.2 lakh, with one-fifth of them directly or indirectly dependent on the steel industry. No wonder the financial capital of Andhra Pradesh is now better known as steel city. Other major industries include shipping, petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Home to one of India's busiest cargo ports, Visakhapatnam is also the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command.ET Magazine interviewed half a dozen senior executives and workers in the city's steel and shipping sectors on what they expect from the Union budget to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 5. Their demands are largely a mix of direct budget benefits and sops to other industries which, in turn, will help the steel and shipping industries grow."The budget must consider incometax exemption for setting up container freight stations, logistics parks et al. A bigger thrust on ease of doing business is the need of the hour," says G Sambasiva Rao, managing director of Sravan Shipping Services, a city-based company with a turnover of Rs 185 crore (2018-19). He then lists other pressing needs which may not necessarily figure in Sitharaman's first budget. For example, Rao insists that the arterial road from the port to the industrial park should be decongested by building 40-60-ftwide service roads. Other demands include fine-tuning of the goods and services tax (GST) and some kind of protection from being regularly harassed by income-tax officials. Rao is also president of the Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation.For the steel industry, the recent string of problems began with China, Japan and South Korea dumping excess steel in India after the US raised import tariff. 69907729 "The budget must consider income tax exemption for setting up container freight stations, logistics parks et al. A bigger thrust on ease of doing business is the need of the hour" G Sambasiva Rao, 59, MD, Sravan Shipping Services.The concerns are understandable, as imposition of higher import duties on steel may not be possible once India signs the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) — a free trade agreement likely to be concluded later this year between the 10 ASEAN nations plus India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The steel industry wants to be kept out of the purview of the forthcoming trade pact. From the budget, the sector is hoping only indirect sops. For example, if Sitharaman decides to extend some incentives to infrastructure, real estate and automobile sectors, the demand for steel will instantly grow. 69907786 Vizag Steel now produces 5 million tonnes of saleable steelVizag Steel which produces 5 million tonnes (MT) of saleable steel annually (2018-19), plans to be a 20 MT plant by 2032-33. India presently produces just over 100 MT of steel as against China's 800 MT.While the company's target is ambitious, it needs to woo new clients or receive more work from its existing customers such as Larsen and Toubro, Siemens, AFCONS Infrastructure, Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland. That's why the steel sector will be closely watching the budget.By October, the Vizag Steel will begin a new plant in Uttar Pradesh's Lalganj, near Rae Bareli, which is expected to produce 100,000 train wheels annually. It was recently visited by representatives of South Korean majors Posco and Hyundai Steel, giving rise to speculation that they may invest in the expansion of the plant through a public-private partnership mode. Now, Vizag Steel is sitting on a mammoth 8,100 hectare land bank."Our plant needs to have its own iron mines. That will minimise production cost and increase profitability. Also, the Centre must give its nod to fill 4,500 existing vacancies," says J Ayodhya Ramu, a trade union leader at Vizag Steel. 69907703 Visakhapatnam is known for its steel and shipping industriesPopulation: 17,28,128 (2011 Census)Major Industries: Steel, shipping, petrochemicals Budget Expectations: Steel industry expects budget sops for infrastructure and auto, which will push demand for steel Announcement of the Chennai-Kolkata dedicated rail freight corridor passing through the steel cityDiamond out of rough- A year and a half after the Nirav Modi scam cast a shadow, Surat's diamond industry wants banks to ease lending norms and the government to lower taxes-By G SeetharamanJust as we begin talking to Sanjay Chheta, partner of Amrut Gems, about the processing of diamonds, he asks for the blinds in the room to be rolled up. Across a glass partition, we see at least two-dozen young men looking at three-dimensional models of rough diamonds on desktop screens, deciding how these precious stones should be cut. On the floors below, the gems are laser-cut on the basis of these designs and then polished, either manually or with a machine.These young men are among the 450 workers in this unit, which looks like a residential building from outside, owned by Amrut Gems, a diamond processing company. This is one of 7,000 such units in Surat, a south Gujarat city synonymous with diamonds and textiles. Around 90% of the world's rough diamonds are said to be cut and polished in Surat. Diamond exports from India totalled $23.8 billion or Rs 1.7 lakh crore, in 2018-19.Surat, Gujarat Population: 44,66,826 (2011 Census) Major Industries: Diamond cutting and polishing, textiles Budget Expectations: Reduce GST on job work on diamonds from 5% to 1.5-2% Find ways to increase bank lending to diamond units 69907873 There are around 8 lakh people working in diamond companies in Surat, where a diamond ex-change is being built to rival the Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai. The Surat exchange will have a constructed area of 6.6 million sq ft, three times the size of its Mumbai counterpart.However, ever since diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi of Gitanjali Gems were accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank of Rs 14,350 crore in early 2018, banks have become wary of the diamond industry. "After the scam, we decided to immediately repay 90% of our loans even though we had time. Banks have become a lot stricter in lending," says Chheta.In January, ET reported that the State Bank of India, the largest lender to diamond companies, had set a cap of Rs 1,000 crore per borrower and imposed restrictions on companies exporting to countries other than the US and in Europe. 69907890 "After the Nirav Modi scam, we decided to immediately repay 90% of our loans even though we had time. Banks have become a lot stricter in lending to diamond companies" Sanjay Chheta, 42, partner, Amrut Gems."We don't ask for land like other sectors and we are a non-polluting industry. The government should do something about bank lending to our industry," says Babulal Gaudani, a former vice-president of the Surat Diamond Association (SDA). While neither the government nor the Reserve Bank of India can issue explicit directions to banks to lend to the sector, they can informally tell banks to assess the credit risk of borrowers in the industry appropriately.Besides an increase in bank lending, diamond makers are also seeking a cut in the goods and services tax (GST) on work outsourced to a third party in the making of a diamond. It's now 5% and should be reduced to 1.5-2%, says Babubhai Gujarati, president, SDA. In 2018, the government slashed the GST rate for polished diamonds from 3% to 0.25%.Gaudani says Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a good understanding of the sector and its issues from his time as chief minister of Gujarat between 2001 and 2014. 69907915 A diamond-processing unit in Surat The immediate demands of the sector may not find a place in the upcoming Union budget, but Gaudani is hopeful that the government will attend to the issues sooner than later. "Diamonds are a huge foreign exchange earner for India and it's important for the government to protect the industry," he says. 69907933 "Diamonds are a huge forex earner for India and the government should protect the industry" Babulal Gaudani, 63, former VP, Surat Diamond Association.Wear, not tear- The apparel sector wants a fillip to garment exports and affordable housing for its workers- By Indulekha AravindTiruppur, Tamil Nadu Population: 4,44,352 (2011 Census) Major Industries: Knitwear and allied industries Budget Expectations: Increase the Technology Upgradation Fund for textiles Low-cost housing and ESIC hospital for workersIn the garment hub of Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, which produces more than 55% of the country's knitwear, June is a time of middling business. The festival rush is still a few months away, when employees have to work longer hours to complete orders that have to be shipped out on time. But the first three months of 2019-20 point to a promising year — the industry is optimistic about clocking growth of over 15%, having recovered from the twin blows of demonetisation and GST. Manufacturers say the revenue target of Rs 1 lakh crore by 2022 that the cluster had set for itself looks achievable. Yet, they sound aggrieved."The Tiruppur knitwear cluster employs nearly 6 lakh people directly, with people coming to work from as far as Assam. In today's market scenario, the garment sector is the best bet for employment generation," says Raja M Shanmugham, president of the Tiruppur Exporters' Association (TEA) and founder of apparel exporter Warsaw International. "This industry can create millions of jobs but it needs to be promoted and given due attention by the government," he says at his first-floor office in the leafy neighbourhood of Sheriff Colony. 69908087 "We have been asking for an ESIC hospital for years. We also need crèche facilities for women with small kids" S Tamilchelvi, 37, Knitwear factory employeeManufacturers rue that over the years, policymakers have given the industry short shrift. A favourite quip in the city, located 50 km from Coimbatore, is that every time garment industry representatives travel to New Delhi to meet senior bureaucrats, they have to explain that Tiruppur is not the same as Tripura.The Tiruppur cluster is made up of over 20,000 micro, small and medium enterprises in knitwear and allied sectors, which clocked revenue of Rs 26,000 crore in the export market and around Rs 24,000 crore in the domestic market last year, according to TEA. To achieve its target of doubling this by 2022, manufacturers say they need more labour and, importantly, the infrastructure to support them. With at least half the workforce from outside Tamil Nadu, both industrialists and trade unions have been asking the government to provide housing for workers. "There should be proper housing for workers and their families," says Shanmugham."Affordable housing is a big problem. It's something we have been demanding from the government for years," agrees M Chandran, vice-president of the Tamil Nadu unit of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). With countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam overtaking India in the apparel sector, thanks to their free trade agreements with the US and Europe that reduce import duty to zero, Tiruppur's manufacturers hope that India, too, might be able to hammer out a similar trade deal that would boost its garment exports."With wages in China increasing, Indian cotton garments are becoming more competitive again," says CMN Muruganandan, chairman of Gomatha International. 69908046 The Tiruppur cluster is made up of over 20,000 micro, small and medium enterprisesOther demands from the industry include R&D units and an ESIC (Employees' State Insurance Corporation) hospital, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced but on which work is yet to start. "We pay a huge sum as ESI every month, workers need to benefit from that," says R Senthil Kumar, CEO of Premier Export Corporation.Workers are also seeking higher wages and crèches at units employing over 100 women. "I am happy at my workplace but factories should have crèches for women workers with small kids," says S Tamilchelvi, a CITU member who works as a garment checker. 69908074 At least half the workforce in Tiruppur is from outside Tamil NaduKumar says the government should restore the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme for textiles and the rebate on state levies, which were reduced to Rs 700 crore in the interim budget from Rs 2,300 crore for 2018-19, and to Rs 1,000 crore from Rs 2,164 crore respectively. "The tech upgradation scheme should be restored and the funds disbursed fast," says Kumar.With India's share of the global apparel market one-tenth of China's and with even smaller countries like Vietnam racing ahead, the industry is keen to catch up. "We are struggling to be on a par with global competitors. The orders we are now getting are spillovers. We have to be in a position where we can grab the orders first," says Shanmugham. 69908058 "The garment sector can generate millions of jobs but it's not given enough attention by policymakers" Raja M Shanmugham, 55, president, Tiruppur Exporters' AssociationReading the tea leaves- Darjeeling wants an anti-dumping duty on tea from Nepal, and an infrastructure overhaul to boost tourism- By Sruthijith KKNamoshkar," estate manager Shubashish Roy booms, feigning obsequiousness. "It's a great pleasure to see you after 72 hours." The target of his sarcasm and scorn is Arjun Chhetri, his head clerk at the Arya Tea Estate, a spectacular 120-hectare tea plantation on the misty, sun-kissed hills of Darjeeling. Chhetri, who had been absent without leave for three days, scratches his head with the affected sheepishness of the familiar headmaster-truant schoolboy routine — both parties know nothing is about to change. This exchange represents a key woe in the Rs 850 crore industry that employs about 57,000 permanent workers and makes one of the world's great teas.Work in Darjeeling's Britishera tea plantations is not what it used to be. At Rs 176 per day (before provident fund deductions), wages are so low that more than half of the permanent workers don't bother showing up, as they can find more remunerative work outside. 69908183 Darjeeling's tea gardens employ about 57,000 permanent workersWest Bengal's minimum wages don't apply to tea plantations, where the wages are a part of the benefits, which include housing, rations of food supplies and firewood, medical facilities and myriad others stipulated by law. Managements say that the wages plus benefits mix is competitive. Workers say that the benefits exist mostly on paper.They neither receive them fully nor on time. They would rather get the state's applicable minimum wages in cash, which would be nearly twice what they get now."Absenteeism in the plantations is now more than 50%. We can't find people to work in the gardens. It's a severe crisis," says Sandeep Mukherjee, principal advisor, Darjeeling Tea Association, whose members are plantation owners of most of the 87 tea gardens protected by the Geographical Indication tag, a trade protection for produce originating in a certain area.The area's most influential workers' union leader says this is just the tip of the iceberg. "If you think 50% absenteeism is bad, wait for a couple of years. If minimum wages are not implemented, it will be 100%. Nobody wants to work in the plantations under these conditions," says Balam Tamang, a local leader of the Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union, affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which has been agitating for a separate Gorkhaland state carved out of the districts of North Bengal.Plantation wages are fixed through tripartite negotiations between labour unions, the state labour department and the DTA, which represents the plantation managements. DTA's Mukherjee says managements are happy to pay the minimum wages if the benefits are taken away. But that would mean amendment of several legacy Central and state laws implemented at various times since 1852, when the first plantations were set up on these verdant hills.If labour issues have been hanging like a dark cloud over the gardens for years, the owners are alarmed by a new threat ¡X the entry of tea from Nepal. The districts of Nepal bordering Darjeeling enjoy roughly the same topography, soil and climate as the vaunted region. This means the difference in taste is discernible only to true connoisseurs. This is being seen as an existential threat.India and Nepal allow for free movement of goods. So tea produced a few kilometres away from Darjeeling can be sold in the domestic market at much lower prices because Nepal's gardens don't have the socio-economic protections for workers that India mandates. Mukherjee of DTA says the market erosion due to the interloper is 15-18%. The domestic market is one thing. For years now, the quantity of ''Darjeeling tea'' sold in India has been many times what is annually produced in Darjeeling ¡X some 9 million kilograms. What the industry is particularly upset about is the muscling in on the lucrative international market.Some 60% of the tea produced in Darjeeling is exported. When production ground to a halt in 2017, due to a threemonth shutdown as part of Gorkhaland agitations, traders overseas started promoting tea from Nepal as Himalayan Tea. This rival is already eroding their negotiating power in the export market.The DTA wants the government to impose an anti-dumping duty on tea from Nepal, along the lines of what was done with jute from Nepal in 2017, to protect domestic industry.If the tea industry exudes a sense of being under siege, Darjeeling's largest employer, the travel and tourism industry, is feeling the pinch as well. An estimated 1,00,000 people find employment in this sector.Like all of India's hill stations, Darjeeling town has become decrepit and overcrowded, with traffic jams, dangling electricity lines, overflowing sewage channels and acute water shortage. Some 600 hotels dot the town. Parking is a nightmare. Taxi hubs are overrun by touts. 69908205 "Customers are paying for Darjeeling tea and consuming Nepal tea, exposing themselves to harmful pesticide residues" Sandeep Mukherjee, 52, principal advisor, Darjeeling Tea Association"The infrastructure dates back to the 1970s. Population has since exploded but the infrastructure has stayed the same. The residents of this place get municipal water for one hour in a week. Tourists are spending too much time stuck in traffic jams,'' says Suresh Periwal, MD of Clubside Tours and Travel, who has been in the business for 40 years.Periwal says that as a destination, Darjeeling and nearby areas are massively underperforming. The place gets about 5-6 lakh domestic tourists each year, but only 30,000 of them are high-spending foreign tourists. "That's less than 0.3% of the foreign tourist arrivals in India.'' He says awareness about Darjeeling is low overseas and the region has been ignored in the government's Incredible India campaign. "We have tremendous potential.But the roads need to improve and the Bagdogra airport needs to become an international airport.'' 69908252 Darjeeling produces some 9 million kilograms of tea annuallyBrass Stroke- Moradabad's cottage brassware industry is gasping for breath; it awaits a budget booster- By Prerna KatiyarIt is 65 degree Celsius inside the room and Arshad Ali, covered in soot, is finishing up a brass pot meant for export. He doesn't have a face mask or gloves to shield him from the heat of the hissing furnace.Ali makes Rs 300 a day and in May, ahead of Eid, brass workers like him slogged for 20 hours a day to earn a little extra. "We can't even afford to fall sick," he says.Here, in the brassware sweatshops of Moradabad, most houses double up as one-room factories — families are busy melting copper, zinc and lead in coal-fired furnaces to produce the shiny alloy used to make utensils and other products.The side effects of running such mini brass factories that emit carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are all too apparent. "Tuberculosis, asthma, cancer, cough and allergies are common among workers and their families. Children are forced to inhale the toxic fumes," says ST Hasan, the new MP from Moradabad, who is also a doctor. He says the only solution to check these ailments is to shift the brass factories outside the city.The Uttar Pradesh government did propose to shift all such hazardous, home-based factories to the city's outskirts. But, as of now, a new arrangement is not yet ready although existing units are being hastily shut down. "We are not opposing the shift. But where is the new facility? Do they want us to die of hunger?" asks Ashok, who runs a brass-making unit. Over 75% of Moradabad's population depends on making brass."Work on setting up a Special Economic Zone in Moradabad started many year ago and it was supposed to become a platform for all brassmaking units. But today, the hub is struggling to bring in companies,"Meanwhile, the brassware industry -the economic lifeline of the city - continues to decline. What has stayed constant is the health hazard.Moradabad is one of the 14 cities in India with the worst air quality, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. "We need a good melting system on the outskirts of the city to reduce pollution,"says Hasan. In the Peerzada locality, artisans are waiting outside their home-factories for electricity to return. "There are no fixed hours for power cuts.Electricity rates are also high. We have to use generators to keep the work going,"says Fahim, who runs one such brass unit. "The government should give some power subsidy for our ailing industry." Mohammed Fakir, a daily wager sitting next door, nods in agreement. The missing middle finger on his left hand narrates another story. "I lost the finger on a polishing machine. Don't we have the right to a pension or a free health checkup amid such health hazards?" he asks. Brassware is made in four stages here: moulding-casting, finishing-polishing, engraving and enamelling. 69908360 "I lost my finger on a polishing machine. Don't we have the right to a pension or a free health checkup?" Mohammed Fakir, 47, daily wager at a brassware factoryBut rising production cost due to expensive raw materials is forcing many to leave the profession and try menial jobs.Some blame also goes to the pollution board, says Mohammed Akhlaq, owner of Bharat Handicrafts. The board is closing down homebased units, rendering artisans jobless, he says. "The police raid our houses. Sometimes they take money; sometimes our papers." He also said margins of brass makers have become less due to intense competition, demonetisation and goods and services tax.Shahabuddin, who makes brass gate lamps, still does not understand GST. "Rafta rafta aa rahaa hai samajh (Slowly, it is making sense). What I have understood so far is that we receive input credits quite late."Agarwal of Udyog Bharati, too, has a GST grievance. "If the government spots a mistake in GST functioning, it is covered up under initial technical glitch'. But if a trader makes a mistake while filing returns under the new tax system, he is forced to pay a penalty." 69908376 Many houses in the city double as brass factories with coal-fired furnacesPedal on Growth-Amid stagnant growth, bicycle manufacturers and parts makers want a plan to promote the use of cycles and sops for tech upgrade- By Ishani DuttaguptaLudhiana, Punjab Population: 6,18,879 (2011 Census) Major Industries: Bicycles, garments Budget Expectations: Incentives to help bring down prices of entry-level units Reduce the 18% GST on raw materials, and 12% on finished bicyclesUnlike China's bicycle manufacturing hub Wangqingtuo, there is little on display in Ludhiana to show that the city is India's bicycle centre, producing an estimated 1.8 crore units every year.However, the flyover on Grand Trunk Road in front of Avon Cycles, India's second largest bicycle maker, is decorated with paintings of cyclists in lush green parks and on clean roads. The art highlights Avon's efforts to beautify the city. It also points towards the bicycle industry's wish list for the government."Cycles are a mode of transport for economically weaker sections and symbolise social empowerment. And ours is a city of entrepreneurs making cycles and cycle parts, giving employment to thousands not only here but in other cities and towns also where people assemble bikes at selling points," says SK Rai, managing director of works at Hero Cycles, India's largest cycle company with a turnover of around Rs 2,100 crore.This is why the All India Cycle Manufacturers' Association (AICMA), representing all large cycle companies, says it is pushing the Central government to set up a bicycle development council along the lines of similar bodies for shipping and surface transport industries."Bicycles impact 48% of households, according to the 2011 Census — a lot more than motorised transport. We hope the FinanceMinistry will unveil a national plan for the bicycle industry and provide funds to promote this short-distance travel option, as being done in many other countries," says KB Thakur, AICMA's secretary general.While companies are not sure whether the Union budget next month will address their concerns, the demand in Ludhiana, which is being developed as a smart city, is that there should be dedicated bicycle tracks here for the safety of riders."Cities around the world have public bicycle sharing systems and our government should also include this in its smart city project. There are massive health and environmental benefits in promoting the use of bicycles as seen globally," says Rai of Hero Cycles.His company has signed a deal with the Punjab government to develop a 100-acre industrial park, called Cycle Valley, near Ludhiana. "We are inviting other companies as partners for this project, including some hi-tech players from China. Central schemes to develop the infrastructure for this project will help us scale up," says Rai.Presently, the biggest buyers of Ludhiana's cycles are the state governments of West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, where cycles are given free to school students. 69908422 Production line at the Hero Cycles plant on GT Road in LudhianaEven though a revision of good and services tax rates is not part of the budget, the 2,300 or so small and medium enterprises engaged in making bicycle parts in the city want the 18% tax on raw material and 12% on finished bicycles to be reduced."We also want credit-linked capital subsidy and a technology upgradation scheme to help us take on cheap import of cycle parts from China, especially for high-end bikes," says Inderjit Singh, president of United Cycles & Parts Manufacturers Association, and proprietor of Navyug Engineers that makes wheels parts, hubs and chain wheels.Echoing the wish list of the bicycle industry in Ludhiana, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal hopes Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addresses the issue of job creation in the city, also home to a massive garment and hosiery industry. So will incentives for the commoner's ride find a place in Sitharaman's first Union budget? Many in Ludhiana certainly hope so. 69908433 "We have taken up the issue of creating safe and convenient infrastructure for cyclists with government many times. We are willing to fund a bicycle track in Ludhiana if the government unveils a plan" Onkar Singh Pahwa, CMD, Avon Cycles- Rishi Pahwa (L), joint MD, Avon Cycles.Making GST less taxing- Indore's entrepreneurs want a simplified GST and less red tape in setting up food factories- By Malini GoyalIndore, Madhya Pradesh Population: 32,76,697 (2011 Census) Major Industries: Namkeen, textiles, pharma, automobile, agri-trading Budget Expectations: Simplify GST. Multiple slab rates and a complicated compliance system have created a nightmare Boost liquidity. Simplify licensing process for setting up food factories.With its well laid-out roads and visibly good upkeep, Indore, a tier-2 city, may make headlines for being India's cleanest. But Madhya Pradesh's most populated city, which is an education hub with an IIT and an IIM, is also a busy commercial and financial hub often called mini Mumbai. The city boasts multiple industrial hubs, including Pithampur and Dewas, which host manufacturing facilities of companies like Tata, Kirloskar, John Deere and Arvind Mills. It now has a smart city tag as well.Indore is known for something lip-smacking as well — street food and snacks. Anurag Bothra, secretary, Namkeen Mithai Association, says there are 4,000-plus small namkeen factories in Indore. "There were many more. But demonetisation and GST forced them to close down," he says. Over the last decade, some of these household namkeen manufacturing units have undergone a big change.Adhering to the guidelines of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, a lot of investment has gone into automating the manufacturing and packaging processes. For example, in 2007-08, Bothra's Om Namkeen introduced automatic fryers and packaging which have not only improved the production process but also increased the shelf life of its products. Not surprisingly, its turno-ver has grown five-fold to `40-odd crore. It also has contract manufacturing orders from companies like Parle, which have pushed up its material turnover to Rs 100 crore.He has two demands from the upcoming budget. "The government told us one nation, one tax. All I am asking for is one shop, one tax," says Bothra. For example, he does not get any GST rebate on categories like kachori and samosa that are sold at his retail outlets but his namkeens get the rebate. "GST is so complicated that it has made our lives very difficult," he adds.Not too far away, Deepak Daryani is the managing director of Asha Confectionery, a Rs 400 crore company with 1,400 employees. Starting from a humble 10 x 14 ft workshopcum-house at Nanda Nagar in 1984, he now has a sprawling factory spread over 6.2 lakh sq ft, equipped with a dental clinic and a beauty parlour for workers. "Personal hygiene of the workers is very important in our line of business. This helps us maintain it," says Daryani, who also distributes over 4,000 sanitary pads among its 600-plus women workers. 69908513 Indore has over 4,000 small namkeen-manufacturing units. Over the last decade, some have invested in automating the manufacturing and packaging processesThe factory, which is almost fully automated, churns out a range of confectionery that gets sold in markets like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Among his many budget wishes, the three big ones are measures to boost liquidity, simplify licencing process to set up food factories and to support employers in rolling out housing for workers. "The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana can easily partner with employers to offer housing to workers," he says.Ramesh Khandelwal, who trades in sugar and dairy products, also represents over 1,000 wholesale kirana merchants as president of the Ahilya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Indore. After demonetisation and GST, traders are still suffering from poor liquidity which has severely constrained their business. "The government has made GST so complex and compliance so difficult that businessmen, many of them not very educated, are struggling and have been reduced to being clerks. We request the government to make it simple," he says. 69908480 "The government said one nation, one tax. We would be happy if we got one shop, one tax" Anurag Bothra, 38, secretary, Namkeen Mithai Association, & proprietor, Om NamkeenLabour Pangs- Auto ancillary units say doing away with complexities in labour laws and easing of GST rates can give a spurt to growth- By Prerna KatiyarUniform and simpler labour laws are what automobile ancillary companies in Rudrapur want from the government. "Right now, multiple forms have to be filled," says Shreekar Sinha, HR and administrative head of Endurance Technologies, which supplies auto parts to Bajaj, Hero, Honda and Yamaha. "A single comprehensive form should be made available covering all labour and other applicable laws for the convenience of the industry. Compilation should be made simpler. Like 'one nation, one compliance'."He welcomes the reduction of the rate of contributions under the Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948, from 6.5% to 4%. The government had in June reduced employers' contribution from 4.75% to 3.25% and employees' contribution from 1.75% to 0.75%. Sinha says this would lead to ease of doing business but reiterates the need for a common compliance form under labour laws.Most business executives in this industrial hub about 280 km northeast of Delhi say the government should cut the goods and services tax (GST) on motor vehicles from 28% to 18%. "This will help in bringing down vehicle costs and lead to an increase in demand, which has been at a low in the last one year," says an executive of Ashok Leyland on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to journalists.Ashok Leyland's plant in the vicinity of Rudrapur had recently announced a production cut. The Hinduja Group's flagship firm said it would close its plant in Pantnagar — an integrated axle machining and assembly facility — for six days from June 24 to adjust production as sales were down."The auto industry is facing a slump right now," says Gajendra Singh, HR head of Varroc Engineering, an automotive component manufacturer and supplier for Bajaj, Ashok Leyland and Tata. "Car sales are down. The cost of raw materials and overall GST on the sector must come down to spur growth."Automobile industry representatives say a discrepancy in the GST regime has been hurting them. "While we pay input cost to our supplier, we have to assume that he has paid his dues. There is no way to check if our vendor has paid the amount to the government or not. If he hasn't, we are made liable for this non-compliance. This must change," says Sinha of Endurance Technologies.Rudrapur saw rapid industrial development after the State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltd was established in 2000. More than 400 companies — primarily in the sectors of automobiles, fast-moving consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and textiles — have units in the region.Parle Agro, an FMCG major that claims to be the market leader in mass product glucose biscuits, says the GST on the product is a high 18%. "Parle G (the glucose biscuit brand) is a mass product. It is not a premium biscuit and is the cheapest product in the segment. 18% GST is too high. No correction has been made since the launch of the new tax regime. The tax rate has gone up by 3-4% from the pre-GST regime. It must be cut down to at least 12%," says Sandeep Pandey, plant head of Parle Agro at Rudrapur. Referring to the operating margin of pharma companies, a representative of the industry says: "The government ought to fix a profit margin of, say, 10-20% for pharma companies. This will help cut the prices of medicines. Right now their operating margins are very high."Ajay Tiwari, HR head of Shirdi Industries, which specialises in plywood, laminate boards and particle boards, says the industry needs special incentives to thrive due to certain geographical factors. "Uttarakhand does not have a port. Raw materials have to be brought in from outside via road or rail. Finished goods, again, have to be transported to other states. This inflates transportation costs. There should be a transport subsidy. Similarly, electricity charges must be brought down." 69908754 Rudrapur, Uttarakhand Population: 1,40,877 (2011 Census) Major Industries: Automobile, FMCG, plywood, agribased industries Budget Expectations: Uniform labour laws, lower GST, subsidy on power and transport costs
NEW DELHI: India on Saturday asked its airlines to avoid flying in the over-water area of Tehran (Iran) airspace with the Strait of Hormuz that connects Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman at its heart. Iran's territorial boundary extends up to 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) from its coastline to over-water and the shooting of a US military drone near the Strait of Hormuz has dramatically escalated tensions here. While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) advisory does not bar Indian airlines from transiting Iran over-land, the latter are seeing if that also can be avoided. The impact on Indian carriers will be limited to some of Air India's flights on way back from the West (including Saudi Arabia, Europe and the US) to India and IndiGo's Doha-Istanbul-Doha. AI's west-bound flights will not be impacted."On the way back, they will need to reroute over Muscat, adding to flying time by 20-25 minutes. Similarly, Doha-Istanbul-Doha sector of IndiGo will be affected," said a source. Airlines have indicated to the regulator fares of affected flights could see a rise by Rs 500. The new detour comes on top of the already longer routes flights between the west and south Asia, with Delhi at its heart, are taking after Pakistan closed its airspace since February 27. While they may add to travel time, better safe than anything else. The DGCA on Saturday afternoon tweeted: "All Indian operators in consultation with the DGCA have decided to avoid the affected part of Iranian airspace to ensure safe travel for passengers. They will reroute flights suitably." All Indian operators in consultation with DGCA have decided to avoid the affected part of Iranian Airspace to ensur… https://t.co/OR8om6wnI8— DGCA (@DGCAIndia) 1561199880000 A senior regulatory official said: "We issued the advisory to airlines early on Saturday morning. They are working out revised routings and will submit the same to relevant authorities. The first batch of flights affected by this advisory will be the ones flying back to India from Saturday evening after which all departures and arrivals will have to follow the 'avoid Tehran over-water airspace advice'." Comforting passengers, Air India chairman Ashwani Lohani said: "(There will be) no substantial effect on AI flights. Details (are being) being worked out for rerouting incoming flights." The US Federal Aviation Administration had on Friday issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) saying: "All flight operations in the overwater area of the Tehran flight information region (FII) above the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman only are prohibited until further notice due to heightened military activities… in the region, which presents an inadvertent risk to US civil aviation operations and potential for miscalculation or mis-identification." US mega carrier United has already suspended both its India flights due to closure of en route airspaces of Iran (partially) and Pakistan. Lufthansa said its group airlines "have been proactively flying around the Strait of Hormuz since June 20. From June 21, the area will be expanded again noticeably." Abu Dhabi-based Etihad said it has "suspended operations through Iranian airspace over the Straits of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, and will use alternative flight paths on a number of routes to and from Abu Dhabi until further notice".
Hemlata Gujar does not remember having milk during her childhood. Her father was a driver in Kolhapur in western Maharashtra and her family was too poor to afford it. Naturally, she did not care much for milk until she got married and became pregnant with her first daughter at age 22. Her doctor then advised her to start drinking milk to shore up her protein intake. The habit stuck. Gujar, now 42, has a glass or two every day.Today, dairy is an essential part of her family's diet, as it is for most Indians. She buys a litre of buffalo milk, which is fattier and pricier than cow milk, daily. It costs her around Rs 60 but she also makes curd and ghee from it.69907417 Dairy is a marker of a family's financial status, says Gujar, sitting outside the kirana store she runs with her husband, Ashok, in Patas, a village 70 km east of Pune. Her younger daughter is also behind the counter but is glued to TikTok on her phone. The store is stocked with grocery essentials, including milk pouches, chips, cola and Maggi. "You can tell whether a family is well-to-do or poor by looking at how milky their chai is," she says. This is true in several parts of the country. In rural Punjab, the size of the lassi glass could be a similar giveaway of one's economic standing.Indians have exhibited a strong preference for dairy products due to historical and cultural reasons. The country is the world's largest producer of milk, which is an important part of the diet given its nutritious value. And, as Gujar says, a family's dairy intake rises along with its income. Studies, too, establish this trend. This love for dairy products is set to grow if numbers are to be believed.69907418 India's per capita income has risen two-thirds in the past 10 years to Rs 92,565 in 2018-19, adjusting for inflation. But unlike in other countries, where a higher disposable income would mean an increased meat consumption, India has seen a growth in dairy intake as disposable income grows. The growth in dairy products is set to far outstrip growth in meat consumption in India, cementing dairy's status as the primary source of animal protein.The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2018 estimated India's per capita consumption of fresh dairy products — like milk, curd and buttermilk — in 2017 to be 84 kg, among the highest in the world. It is 53% higher than the global average. The 2019 report is yet to be released and the latest Indian government data on food consumption is from 2011-12. India's per capita fresh dairy intake grew 44% between 2007 and 2017. Our dairy consumption is projected to rise 38% between 2017 and 2027, reaching 116 kg, nearly twice the global average.69907468 Consumption of poultry meat, on the other hand, grew at 62% in 2007-2017. But it is projected to grow only 24% in 2017-2027, even though it is the second most preferred meat after fish. While the growth in fish consumption is likely to halve to 6%, pork and mutton intake may remain the same by 2027. Beef and buffalo meat, which fell by half in 2007-2017, will see a 20% jump by 2027. Projections are not available for eggs and cheese. Butter consumption, which was at just 3.22 kg in 2017, will increase by a quarter in the decade, say the OECD and FAO.Dairy products make up 12% of the daily protein consumption of Indians, according to an analysis of the 2011-12 National Sample Survey. The list is topped by cereals like rice, wheat and millets, shows an analysis of the study by research collective Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia. Pulses make up 11% of our protein consumption; eggs, meats and fish contribute just 2%.Around 70% of Indian women and 78% of Indian men eat meat or fish, according to the 2015-16 National Family Health Survey. But only 6% of them have it daily, compared with nearly 45% who have milk or curd every day. We don't consumer meat so frequently, when compared with the rest of the world. For instance, India's per capita poultry meat consumption in 2017 was 2.1 kg, seven times lower than the global average.69907469 Meat does not figure as prominently in the Indian diet as in other countries, says Devesh Roy, a senior research fellow with the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health. "Take (mutton or chicken) biryani, for instance. More than half of it is rice." Meat is almost always an accompaniment to our meals and not the centrepiece.Another Patas resident and a neighbour of the Gujars, Rupali Khade, says, "We usually eat chicken or mutton on Sundays, but not if there is a festival on that day. But there is no such restriction on dairy." She clarifies that her family does not consume meat or eggs on three days of the week or during festivals like Navratri or Ganesh Chaturthi or during three months of the Hindu calendar, like Shravan.69907470 Roy adds that another advantage dairy has over meat is availability. While grocery stores in cities stock frozen meats, that is not an option in places in Patas. Even meat eaters usually frown upon buying rice or salt from a shop that sells meat, especially on those days when they do not eat meat, says Ashok Gujar, the kirana store owner.Despite the wide distribution of milk, it is quite "income- and price-elastic," says RS Sodhi, managing director of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which owns the Amul brand. That means the demand for milk varies depending on changes in prices and incomes.Among the factors responsible for the rise of dairy consumption, the most important is what people think of milk, even if they are not entirely aware of the nutrients in it.J Samba Murthy, head of the dairy division at Hyderabad-based Heritage Foods, says companies do not have to do much work to convince people about the health benefits of milk. "What we have to highlight is the quality of milk that they buy."While there are several national dairy brands like Amul and Mother Dairy and regional brands like Aavin, Milma and Nandini, three-fourths of the dairy market are unorganised. Spurred by the success of the Amul dairy cooperative movement in Gujarat, the Union government in 1970 launched Operation Flood, a nationwide dairy development programme to make India self-sufficient in milk. India is now the world's largest producer of milk, accounting for more than a fifth of the global output in 2018.69907471 The high rate of consumption of dairy in India is despite a wide prevalence of an inability to fully digest lactose, the sugar found in milk. A 2009 study of 153 healthy individuals in Bengaluru and Lucknow by the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences found that 88% of those in Bengaluru had low lactose tolerance, compared with 66% in Lucknow.Interestingly, Hemlata Gujar's elder daughter Pratiksha, whom Hemlata was pregnant with when she started drinking milk regularly, is lactose-intolerant. Dairy consumption is higher in north Indian states than in southern states. A study published by the UKbased journal, The Lancet, in 2017 pegged the global lactose malabsorption rate at 68%.Most Indians cannot imagine a life without milk, which is essential to their daily diets and also special occasions since so many sweets are made with milk or milk products. While Indians might have more chicken and fish and other protein sources in the coming years, it is dairy products that are going to dominate the dining table.
The benchmark equity indices BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty declined over half a per cent during the week gone by amid fears over India's retaliatory tariffs on US goods, ongoing NBFC crisis, soaring crude oil prices and concerns over poor progress in monsoon. The Sensex slipped 0.65 per cent to 39,194 for the week ended June 21. The index was at 39,452 on June 14. Similarly, the NSE Nifty dipped 0.84 per cent to 11,724 from 11,823 during the same period. Below are the top stocks and sectors that buzzed through the whole week:Top Nifty gainersICICI Bank: Shares of ICICI Bank rallied 3.12 per cent to Rs 430.80 on June 21 from Rs 417.75 on June 14. During the week, ICICI Bank and IndoStar Capital Finance entered into sourcing and servicing arrangement to partner in extending credit to small and medium fleet owners to purchase used and new commercial vehicles. Under this partnership, IndoStar Capital Finance will originate and service the customers through the entire loan life-cycle including sourcing, documentation, collection and loan servicing and in turn, ICICI Bank will provide funding to these customers.Power Grid: Shares of the company advanced 2.72 per cent to Rs 199.90 for the week ended June 21. Power regulator CERC has allowed state-owned transmission utility PowerGrid to offer towers to telecom companies for BTS (base trans-receiver station) installation to improve mobile connectivity, especially in remote rural areas. The move will not only address the issue of deficiency of telecom coverage in the country, particularly remote areas, but this segment could also be a money spinner for Power Grid. Besides, the power distribution utilities will get a share of income, which would eventually reduce the tariff burden on consumers. Top Nifty losersUPL: Shares of agrochemicals maker UPL dropped over 11 per cent to Rs 890.10 during the week. According to HSBC Global Research, UPL appears at risk due to its global diversified exposure, but the near-term impact should be non-material.Yes Bank: The private sector lender remained under pressure after Moody's Investors placed the bank's ratings under review for a possible downgrade citing it high exposure to the struggling NBFC and realty sectors. The agency said the ongoing liquidity pressures on finance companies will negatively impact the credit profile of Yes Bank, given its sizeable exposure to weaker companies in the sector. The scrip declined 4.74 per cent to Rs 109.60 on June 21 from Rs 115.05 on June 14.Stocks that rallied up to 21%As many as 12 stocks on the BSE500 index managed to deliver over 5 per cent returns to investors during the week gone by. The list featured stocks such as Hexaware Technologies (up 21 per cent), Suzlon Energy (10.17 per cent), Oberoi Realty (7.86 per cent), Syndicate Bank (7.56 per cent) and Dr Lal Pathlabs (7.21 per cent).23 scrips that crackedMore than 20 stocks on the BSE500 plunged in double digits during the past five trading sessions. Jain Irrigation (down 33 per cent), Eveready Industries (down 21 per cent), Graphite India (down 19 per cent), SREI Infra (down 15.86 per cent) and Manpasand Beverages (down 14.42 per cent) stood among companies that went down over 10 per cent during the week. IPO updateIndiaMart InterMesh, an online marketplace for business products and services, on Friday said it has raised more than Rs 213 crore from 15 anchor investors by allotting 21,95,038 equity shares at a price of Rs 973, the upper band of its IPO which will open on June 24. ICICI Mutual Fund, HDFC Mutual Fund, SBI Mutual Fund, Birla Mutual Fund, Hornbill Capital Advisers LLP are among the 15 anchor investors.Stocks @fresh all-time highAs many as nine stocks on the BSE500 hit their fresh all-time highs during the week. The list included some of the blue-chip stocks such as Titan Company, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance and Tata Consultancy Services. SRF, Godrej Properties, PI Industries, City Union Bank and Maharashtra Scooters also scaled new life peaks.Scrips at fresh life lowsOn the BSE500 index, The New India Assurance, General Insurance Corporation of India, Manpasand Beverages, Laurus Labs, Central Bank of India, Reliance Communications, Jet Airways, SH Kelkar, Reliance Power, Vodafone Idea, Eris Life and Reliance Infrastructure reeled and touched new all-time lows.Sectoral updateSector-wise, the BSE Consumer Durable, Realty and Power rallied more than 1 per cent during the week. However, the BSE Telecom, Auto, FMCG, Healthcare and Oil & Gas indices weakened between 1 per cent and 2.20 per cent.Jet AirwaysShares of beleaguered aviation firm Jet Airways remained highly volatile during the week. On the NSE, the scrip jumped over 100 per cent in a day on Thursday. Still, it settled the week 11.70 per cent lower at Rs 72.50. Jimeet Modi, CEO, Samco Securities & StockNote said, "This week gone by saw the biggest speculative displacement in stocks like Jet Airways, which were fundamentally weak but witnessed spine-chilling movements on both directions. The reasons? Demand-supply mismatch, greed and fear, hopes and expectations – a clear reflection of emotional responses from investors all at once."
By Eric Lam and Vildana HajricBitcoin breached $10,000 for the first time in about 15 months, recouping more than half of the parabolic increase that introduced mainstream investors to the digital asset before the bursting of the cryptocurrency bubble."The bounce back of Bitcoin has been fairly extraordinary," said George McDonaugh, chief executive and co-founder of London-based blockchain and cryptocurrency investment firm KR1 Plc. "Money didn't leave the asset behind, it just sat on the sidelines waiting to get back in." 69900814 The largest cryptocurrency rose by about 5 per cent to around $10,500, according to prices compiled by Bitstamp available on the Bloomberg terminal. Bitcoin reached an all-time high of $19,511 in December 2017, capping a 1,400 per cent surge that year, only to be followed by a 74 per cent collapse in 2018.The coin reached a near-term low of about $3,100 in December and languished around the $3,300 to $4,100 range for several months, before getting a bid at the beginning of April. It hasn't looked back from there.In contrast with last year, there are now signs of renewed mainstream interest in cryptocurrencies and the underlying blockchain technology, most prominently Facebook Inc.'s Libra. The social-media giant is working with a broad group of partners from Visa Inc. to Uber Technologies Inc. to develop the system, which has already attracted attention and criticism from politicians raising privacy and security concerns.
BENGALURU: IT czar and chairman of tech giant Infosys Nandan Nilekani Saturday said the company was fully aligned with its growth strategy and that he was very optimistic of things going well."Absolutely, stability is not a question. I think a way beyond that. The company is fully aligned. Salil Parekh, CEO and MD of the firm, has come in and articulated a great strategy," he said."You can see that in numbers - the company is growing very well, people are very motivated," he said in response to a question whether stability was back at the company.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 38th annual general meeting of Infosys, he said, "So Im very optimistic, things are going well."Nilekani was appointed as the chairman to steer the tech giant in August 2017, after months of acrimony between founders and the then management led by R Seshasayee (chairman) and Vishal Sikka (CEO and MD).The IT major held its 38th AGM Saturday that was attended by hundreds of shareholders from the city and different parts of the country.Responding to a question related to Panaya and Skava businesses by shareholders, Parekh during the AGM said as stated in the financial report and results, Panaya and Skava were not being held as assets for sale.He said, We are now looking at how we are going to re-focus and repurpose activities within those businesses that will help in the areas that we are now looking to grow the company in and thats the activity that is starting.""We have assigned the senior members of the leadership team one each for Panay and Skava, who are spending a lot of time with addition to their roles trying to see how for example we can combine these in what we are doing in terms of retail or manufacturing segment," he said."We hope to have better results from this focus in short and medium-term," he added.Infosys had earlier too indicated that it has dropped plans to sell Panaya and two other subsidiaries Skava and Kallidus after it failed to find any potential buyers.In April last, Infosys had announced its plan to sell Panaya - the Israeli firm whose acquisition became a contentious issue between the founders and the erstwhile management led by Vishal Sikka - along with Kallidus and Skava.It expected the sale to be completed by March 2019.A whistle-blower report in 2017 had alleged wrongdoings by Infosys and some officials in the USD 200- million acquisition of Israeli automation technology firm Panaya by the Bengaluru-based IT services firm.An internal audit committee set up by Infosys found no evidence supporting the whistle-blowers allegations.However, Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy had demanded that the full report by Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher on the whistleblower allegations be made public.Later in October 2017, the Infosys board - under its new chairman Nandan Nilekani -- gave a clean chit to the controversial Panaya acquisition, saying there was no merit in the allegations of wrongdoing.Responding to investors regarding investigation report on Panaya not being made public, Nilekani said, The investigation report is a confidential document and many statements given during the process was given by people on the assurance of expectation of confidentiality. So the board is very comfortable with the decision to keep it as it is."Earlier in his address to the AGM, Nilekani said Infosys was embracing the Live Enterprise vision and continuously changing to prepare for the new world."In fact, in the past year, we have done much to progress on this path. We've been working relentlessly to rebuild our 2,00,000-plus people organisation to operate with the speed and flexibility of a start-up, he said."Guided by the strategy articulated by Salil Parekh, we focussed on increasing our relevance to clients and building greater business model resilience, Nilekani said, On behalf of the board, I want to assure you all that we will do everything we can to build on the advantages and harness the vitality of this high-energy management team that is inspiring thousands of charged Infoscions to move forward and take the world with them."Our aspirations are ambitious and execution plans bold. Our motivation and commitment to take it forward is founded on the generous guidance and support of our partners, clients, co-founders and governments of the several countries and states that we operate in, he added.
SIT formed to probe Gujarat's Banaskantha family murder case On Friday late night, a four-member SIT has been formed to probe the gruesome murders of a family after members of the Chaudhari community started a protest outside community health centre
Cases of hepatitis on rise: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation As per reports around 100 to 120 cases of hepatitis have been reported this year till now, wheras 94 cases were reported last year.
Understanding what creates acute encephalitis syndrome Investigators are considering a link between the consumption of Litchi fruit in malnourished children and the incidence of low glucose early in the morning, causing children to suffer from brain dysfunction.
Sting that is ailing Bihar Over 160 kids die in less than 2 months due to acute encephalitis syndrome. The sudden spike in cases exposes the lackadaisical approach of primary health centres in addressing the issue and mounts pressure on hospitals
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation prepares to beat Malaria, inspects wards, raise awareness After 284 cases of Malaria reported in May, civic body identifies mosquito breeding spots
Hurriyat's readiness to talk a good sign: J&K Guv Satya Pal Malik He also hailed Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq for speaking on drug menace. Malik said Hurriyat's proactive role in addressing social issues is welcome.
Mumbai's Dharavi slum beats Taj as travellers' choice Asia's largest slum, Dharavi featured in Hollywood movie 'Slumdog Millionaire', following which it attra-cted a large number of foreign tourists.
Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy's uncle to helm Tirupati board The state's special Chief Secretary Manmohan Singh issued the government order, appointing Reddy, who is also YSRCP's general secretary, as chairman of the TTD board.
