A Confused Mind

The word confusion sometimes makes you spin your head and lose everything. Sometimes it brings you a new idea and gets you on right path.

As I grow older, I have more and more responsibilities and obligations to myself and my dear ones.

Basically I have had a very simple family background that they (my parents) themselves are struggling for their day to day life happening. As I talk to my parents, I get to know that they are still not in a good financial status.

One of the major reasons why I was sent to India was just to relieve their financial burden an extra belly in a family with limited means of livelihood.

Honestly, sometimes I feel that I am nowhere fit in this world. I am like a good guy that lost in a crowd with oh yes I think that I remember that guy but.....Even though I go to work regularly reading a lots about business and idea, a part of me is like where I am now.

Obviously a guy getting close to 30 years old needs to have a decent job and a woman of his taste. Here I am like parachute hanging on the tree. My close and dear ones are worried about my future and a woman that partner with me. They try to hook me up with a desi gal in abroad, so that I have more comfortable life rather than working hard in India with little here and there.

However I am still like I don't know about marriage and need some more times to think. It’s odd times for me. Hopefully that confused mind won't drain my energy and loose temper. Our, believes totally depend on our everyday attitude. Reading and writing stuffs may help me to get on celebration.

A Hole in the Fence

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence....

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The day passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence.”

The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

Friends and loved ones are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Water your relationships with kindness… and they will grow. So be careful little lips what you say…! And you won't chase friendships away.

flight

US defence chief Chuck Hagel assured Malaysia he would consider providing undersea surveillance equipment to boost efforts to locate a Malaysian jet that mysteriously disappeared two weeks ago, Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on Saturday.

“Spoke with Secretary Hagel — the second time in four days — very positive,” Mr. Hishammuddin tweeted.

Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby confirmed Mr. Hishammuddin talked with Mr. Hagel about the search for the Beijing-bound flight MH370.

“Minister Hishammuddin thanked Secretary Hagel for the support being provided by the United States, particularly that of the US Navy, and requested that the US consider providing some undersea surveillance equipment as well,” he said.

“Secretary Hagel assured Minister Hishammuddin that he would assess the availability and utility of military undersea technology for such a task and provide him an update in the very near future.”

Australia is leading dozens of ships and aircraft in scouring a 23,000 sqkm patch of the southern Indian Ocean for possible debris from a missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

aam athmi party

The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday expelled two of its Uttar Pradesh office-bearers, who were caught in an audio sting operation allegedly demanding money from ticket seekers.

Addressing a press conference here, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal announced the sacking of Awadh zone convener Aruna Singh and Hardoi treasurer Ashok Kumar. The AAP acted on a complaint by Lucknow-based Rajesh Kumar, who wanted to contest the election from Mishrikh (SC).

“We received complaints following which we asked for evidence. The party looked at the evidence and found it to be true,” Mr. Kejriwal said, adding that, however, “no transaction was done.”

Flanked by party leaders Manish Sisodia, Yogendra Yadav and Dilip Pandey, he said, “I am sending out a clear and strong message. Whoever tries to give money for ticket should assume that their money will be wasted. The candidate will not get any ticket. We will verify evidence and whosoever is found involved will be out of the party within 24 hours.”

The AAP leader asked the media and also ticket aspirants to conduct sting operations on their mobile phones if they found anyone demanding money. “The audio should be clear and there should be raw footage.”

Asked about the allegations made against party MLA Rakhi Birla, Mr. Kejriwal said these were found to be “untrue.”

In his complaint, Mr. Kumar claimed that he had paid Rs. 5,400 towards Ms. Aruna Singh’s Delhi-Lucknow air ticket, and later she demanded Rs. 10 lakh for the party ticket.

Mr. Kumar said Ms. Singh had told him on February 10 that the Sitapur, Jaunpur, Machhali Shahar, Mohanlalganj seats had already been sold at prices ranging from Rs. 15 lakh and 25 lakh. “Since my seat was primarily rural, she said she would settle for Rs.10 lakh,” he told The Hindu.

Asked why he agreed to pay for her air ticket as it amounted to bribery, Mr. Kumar explained: “She requested me to visit Delhi and procure a flight ticket for her. I bought the ticket in the hope of getting the amount refunded. However, nothing of that sort happened.” Ms. Singh, however, dismissed the allegations as “baseless.”

Panel reapproves

Appraisal committee will vet the nearly 50 new proposals in April

Field trials for ten varieties of GM (genetically modified) food and other crops were revalidated by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the statutory appraisal arm of the Environment Ministry. These included field trials for rice, wheat, maize, cotton and sorghum.

Companies applied for revalidation after their earlier permits lapsed following opposition from States. The revalidations would have to be first approved by the Union Environment and Forests Minister and then the promoter companies would have to go back to the States for a final nod as agriculture is a State subject under constitutional provisions.

The committee, sources said, did not clear any fresh proposals at this meeting and is likely to take up the new cases in the last week of April. There are nearly 50 applications pending before the GEAC for first-time appraisal of GM crops, including several food crops.

The move came after the Union Environment Minister Veerappa Moily did a u-turn on the views of his predecessor Jayanthi Natarajan and approved several trials that the GEAC had given the nod for in its earlier meetings. Ms. Natarajan had taken the view that it was not prudent to go ahead with the trials while the Supreme Court was hearing a case on the subject of field trials and the regulatory regime for GM technology in India. She had put the decision in abeyance while writing to the Prime Minister, expressing her views against immediately going ahead with trials of food crops. But Mr. Moily held, upon taking over, that the apex court had not explicitly ordered any stay against clearing field trials while the case went on.

The move to go ahead with GM technology — especially food crops — has been a subject of hot debate among the scientific community and evoked concerns among civil society groups. It had also created divisions in the government — the Agriculture Ministry, the department of Biotechnology and the PMO on one side and the Environment Ministry on the other. This had also delayed the government’s deciding on its stance on the Technical Expert Committee’s report in the case before the Supreme Court.

The government concurs with Mr. Moily’s view and has been working on putting forth a joint position before the apex court — something Ms. Natarajan had expressed the reluctance to do. More than 100 food crop trials are in the pipeline, in various stages of development, and the UPA’s Biotechnology Regulatory Bill is set to lapse with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha. Thus, the green light for trials, which comes just ahead of the elections, provides hope to major promoters — multinational and Indian — of GM crop technology.

health news

Actor Karan Tacker likes to keep fit through yoga and swimming

“Healthy mind is the source of a healthy physique,” says Karan Tacker, a television actor known for his role in Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai.

The actor says he is not choosy when it comes to food, and does not observe a strict diet. He eats whatever he likes. “Light food is the best thing to keep body active,” he says with a content smile, adding that though he likes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare, he leans towards home made food.

“I am a gym lover and regularly spend my time in gym, and this is my basic mantra — to be active all day long,” Tacker says, adding yoga keeps him energetic and active. “It keeps you mentally peaceful too.”

Emphasising the virtues of swimming, he says, “It is also a good option for exercise…Whenever I get time, I just do swimming.” Asked about his fitness mantra, he says “Be happy and smile”.

Tacker is now hosting Halla Bol, which airs on Bindass every Friday. The 13-episode-long serial is a youth oriented show about women who have fought against eve-teasing and sexual harassment. Based on real life incidents, it features a youth icon in every episode based on real life incidents. “It creates awareness not only among women but also makes men more responsible towards women and society. It’s also my way of contributing to the society,” says Karan.

news

Agriculture and small industries worst hit by recession

The crippling monsoon failure, the crisis in the recession-hit fabrication industry and poor urban infrastructure are dominant concerns among voters of the Tiruchirappalli Lok Sabha constituency that straddles an emerging Tier-II city and a backward agricultural belt.

The constituency spreads over Tiruchi East, Tiruchi West, Srirangam, Tiruverumbur, Gandharvakottai (SC) and Pudukottai Assembly constituencies and has a blend of urban and rural voters.

For all its much-touted advantages of being an education hub and its central location in the State, Tiruchi is widely seen to be lagging behind other Tier-II cities in terms of infrastructure development. Despite promises, the city was not included under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

Plans to decongest the city by establishing an integrated bus stand and shifting the wholesale trade of the Gandhi Market to the outskirts have remained on paper for more than two decades.

“We have lost out on many Central government projects, including the proposed upgradation of the government hospital on a par with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Tiruchi also remains neglected in terms of rail and domestic air connectivity. We need a Member of Parliament who can lobby effectively for the city’s cause,” says M. Sekaran, president, Federation of Consumer and Welfare Organisations.

The poor monsoon over the past three years has crippled farming in rainfed and well irrigated areas in Srirangam, Gandharvakottai and Pudukottai segments.

“With wells and borewells going dry, we have not been able to raise any crop for the past two years in Manapparai area,” says R. Renganathan, district vice-president, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam.

Coconut, mango and banana crops have withered in several acres. Farmers have been forced to sell off some of their cattle owing to fodder and water shortage.

Linking of rivers and remunerative price for agricultural produce remain major demands.

“Let the government just create the irrigation infrastructure and give remunerative prices for our produce, we demand nothing else,” says P. Ayyakannu, State vice-president, Bharathiya Kisan Sangam.

Tiruchi’s claim of being a fabrication hub of the country has also come under threat in recent months.

The 400-odd fabrication units, dependent on the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, have been going through a crisis as orders have been dwindling from the public sector major.

Many small units have closed down. The industry has been seeking a push and demanding preferential treatment to the public sector major so that they could benefit in turn.

The constituency has been a favoured turf of national parties with the Congress and Communists winning four times each in 15 elections since 1957.

The BJP too has had its share of success winning twice in 1998 and 1999.

The AIADMK won the seat for the first time in 2001 by-election only to lose it to the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 2004. The party reclaimed the seat in 2009 when P. Kumar, scraped through in a close finish. Mr. Kumar has been renominated by the party for the 2014 polls.

The DMK, which has won only once in the constituency in 1980, has entered the fray after three decades, fielding NMU Anbazhagan and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) after 1996 has put up S. Sridhar now.

The entry of the DMDK and the Congress (the latter announced Ms. Sarubala R. Thondaman, a member of the Pudukottai royal family, as its candidate on Thursday night) has thrown the field wide open for a multi-cornered fight this time around.

latest news

The benchmark sensex on Friday frittered away most of its early gains on profit-taking in bluechips, including RIL and ONGC, to end with a mere 14-point rise.

After losing 93 points in the previous session, the BSE index sensex shot up by 130 points at the outset before reducing gains to end 13.66 points higher, or 0.06 per cent, at 21,753.75. From last Friday, the index lost 56.05 points even though it hit lifetime high of 22,040.72 on March 18.

Brokers said the market remained volatile as cautious investors and foreign fund managers were seen adjusting their portfolios before the ending of current fiscal year.

“After the initial uptick, the benchmark indices remained lacklustre for the ninth successive trade. However, considerable buying in metal and realty space alongside with rise in cash counters kept market breadth on advancing side,” said Jayant Manglik, President-retail distribution, Religare Securities.

In 30-share sensex, 19 stocks gained while 11 settled with losses. Reliance Industries dropped 2.20 per cent on reports of drop in production at its eastern offshore project.

ONGC fell over 2.6 per cent, Sun Pharma by 1.7 per cent and Bharti Airtel by about one per cent.

The 50-share NSE index Nifty rose 10.10 points, or 0.16 per cent, to end at 6,493.20, after touching high of 6,522.90.

Axis Bank, which tumbled three per cent intra-day, ended 2.69 per cent higher after the government sold 9 per cent stake through block deal trades.

Metal stocks rose on value buying while State Bank of India was up 1.47 per cent on hopes of gaining weight in FTSE index series, market participants said.

The domestic market sentiment was positive on a firming trend in the Asian region and higher opening in Europe as global investors steadied after Federal Reserve’s signal on hiking interest rates.

Sectorally, the BSE Metal sector index gained the most by rising 1.93 per cent, followed by Realty index (1.86 per cent), Consumer Durable index (0.70 per cent) and Power index (0.67 per cent).

latest

The Central Government on Friday sold its 9 per cent stake in Axis Bank, the third largest private sector bank in the country, through a block deal in a price range of Rs.1,313-1,341 per share.

This sale is expected to garner around Rs.5,500 crore with a sale of 4.20 crore shares held by the government through Specified Undertaking of UTI (SUUTI) in Axis Bank.

SUUTI, formed in 2003, is an offshoot of erstwhile UTI, held 20.72 per cent in Axis Bank. Following Friday’s deal, SUUTI’s holding will come down to 11.72 per cent in Axis Bank. Shares of Axis Bank closed 2.69 per cent higher at Rs.1,393.40 on the BSE.

However, shares of Axis Bank fell to the day’s low of Rs.1,313.25, down Rs.44 per share compared to its previous close in early trades. The investment bankers had fixed a price band of Rs.1,290-1,357 for the deal. JM Financial, JP Morgan and Citibank were handling the share sale.

LIC has emerged as the single largest investor, buying over 85 lakh shares at Rs.1,313.25, thereby pumping in over Rs.1,116 crore. New World Fund bought 26.88 lakh shares at Rs.1316.13 per share, Goldman Sachs 23.5 lakh shares at Rs.1,323.57 per share and City Group Global 38.2 lakh shares at Rs.1,316.13 per share. Several other institutional investors also bought shares in the block deal.

PTI reports:

About 4.2 crore Axis Bank shares were sold at an average price of Rs.1,315.13 apiece. This is at a 3.07 per cent discount to Thursday’s closing price. The share sale fetches Rs.5,557 crore to the Exchequer.

“The stock will bounce back on strong fundamentals of the bank. There was demand in the counter and now with the stake sale supply has come,” CNI Research Chairman and Managing Director Kishore P. Ostwal said.

Sources said there would be a six month lock-in period following the share sale.

wiki news 2

13 November 2013, WikiLeaks released the secret negotiated draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Intellectual Property Rights Chapter. The TPP is the largest-ever economic treaty, encompassing nations representing more than 40 per cent of the world’s GDP. The WikiLeaks release of the text comes ahead of the decisive TPP Chief Negotiators summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013. The chapter published by WikiLeaks is perhaps the most controversial chapter of the TPP due to its wide-ranging effects on medicines, publishers, internet services, civil liberties and biological patents. Significantly, the released text includes the negotiation positions and disagreements between all 12 prospective member states.

The TPP is the forerunner to the equally secret US-EU pact TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), for which President Obama initiated US-EU negotiations in January 2013. Together, the TPP and TTIP will cover more than 60 per cent of global GDP. Both pacts exclude China.

Since the beginning of the TPP negotiations, the process of drafting and negotiating the treaty’s chapters has been shrouded in an unprecedented level of secrecy. Access to drafts of the TPP chapters is shielded from the general public. Members of the US Congress are only able to view selected portions of treaty-related documents in highly restrictive conditions and under strict supervision. It has been previously revealed that only three individuals in each TPP nation have access to the full text of the agreement, while 600 ’trade advisers’ – lobbyists guarding the interests of large US corporations such as Chevron, Halliburton, Monsanto and Walmart – are granted privileged access to crucial sections of the treaty text.

The TPP negotiations are currently at a critical stage. The Obama administration is preparing to fast-track the TPP treaty in a manner that will prevent the US Congress from discussing or amending any parts of the treaty. Numerous TPP heads of state and senior government figures, including President Obama, have declared their intention to sign and ratify the TPP before the end of 2013.

WikiLeaks’ Editor-in-Chief Julian Assange stated: “The US administration is aggressively pushing the TPP through the US legislative process on the sly.” The advanced draft of the Intellectual Property Rights Chapter, published by WikiLeaks on 13 November 2013, provides the public with the fullest opportunity so far to familiarise themselves with the details and implications of the TPP.

The 95-page, 30,000-word IP Chapter lays out provisions for instituting a far-reaching, transnational legal and enforcement regime, modifying or replacing existing laws in TPP member states. The Chapter’s subsections include agreements relating to patents (who may produce goods or drugs), copyright (who may transmit information), trademarks (who may describe information or goods as authentic) and industrial design.

The longest section of the Chapter – ’Enforcement’ – is devoted to detailing new policing measures, with far-reaching implications for individual rights, civil liberties, publishers, internet service providers and internet privacy, as well as for the creative, intellectual, biological and environmental commons. Particular measures proposed include supranational litigation tribunals to which sovereign national courts are expected to defer, but which have no human rights safeguards. The TPP IP Chapter states that these courts can conduct hearings with secret evidence. The IP Chapter also replicates many of the surveillance and enforcement provisions from the shelved SOPA and ACTA treaties.

The consolidated text obtained by WikiLeaks after the 26-30 August 2013 TPP meeting in Brunei – unlike any other TPP-related documents previously released to the public – contains annotations detailing each country’s positions on the issues under negotiation. Julian Assange emphasises that a “cringingly obsequious” Australia is the nation most likely to support the hardline position of US negotiators against other countries, while states including Vietnam, Chile and Malaysia are more likely to be in opposition. Numerous key Pacific Rim and nearby nations – including Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and, most significantly, Russia and China – have not been involved in the drafting of the treaty.

In the words of WikiLeaks’ Editor-in-Chief Julian Assange, “If instituted, the TPP’s IP regime would trample over individual rights and free expression, as well as ride roughshod over the intellectual and creative commons. If you read, write, publish, think, listen, dance, sing or invent; if you farm or consume food; if you’re ill now or might one day be ill, the TPP has you in its crosshairs.”

Current TPP negotiation member states are the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei.

Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) - Environment Consolidated Text

15 January 2014, WikiLeaks released the secret draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Environment Chapter and the corresponding Chairs' Report. The TPP transnational legal regime would cover 12 countries initially and encompass 40 per cent of global GDP and one-third of world trade. The Environment Chapter has long been sought by journalists and environmental groups. The released text dates from the Chief Negotiators' summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013.

The Environment Chapter covers what the Parties propose to be their positions on: environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity and fishing stocks; and trade and investment in 'environmental' goods and services. It also outlines how to resolve enviromental disputes arising out of the treaty's subsequent implementation. The draft Consolidated Text was prepared by the Chairs of the Environment Working Group, at the request of TPP Ministers at the Brunei round of the negotiations.

When compared against other TPP chapters, the Environment Chapter is noteworthy for its absence of mandated clauses or meaningful enforcement measures. The dispute settlement mechanisms it creates are cooperative instead of binding; there are no required penalties and no proposed criminal sanctions. With the exception of fisheries, trade in 'environmental' goods and the disputed inclusion of other multilateral agreements, the Chapter appears to function as a public relations exercise.

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks' publisher, stated: "Today's WikiLeaks release shows that the public sweetner in the TPP is just media sugar water. The fabled TPP environmental chapter turns out to be a toothless public relations exercise with no enforcement mechanism."

The Chairs' Report of the Environment Working Group also shows that there are still significant areas of contention in the Working Group. The report claims that the draft Consolidated Text displays much compromise between the Parties already, but more is needed to reach a final text. The main areas of contention listed include the role of this agreement with respect to multilateral environmental agreements and the dispute resolution process.

The documents date from 24 November 2013 ─ the end of the Salt Lake City round. They were requested by the Ministers of the TPP after the August 2013 Brunei round. The Consolidated Text was designed to be a "landing zone" document to further the negotiations quickly and displays what the Chairs say is a good representation of all Parties' positions at the time. The WikiLeaks Consolidated Text and corresponding Chairs' Report show that there remains a lot of controversy and disagreement within the Working Group. The Consolidated Text published by WikiLeaks is not bracketed, as per the IP Chapter released in November 2013, as it is drafted by the Chairs of the Working Group at their responsibility. Instead, the accompanying Chairs' Report provides commentary on the draft Consolidated Text and is the equivalent of bracketed disagreements for the countries that have not agreed on certain Articles, and provides their positions.

Current TPP negotiation member states are the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei. This is the third in the series of Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) leaks published by WikiLeaks.

wikiii

15 January 2014, WikiLeaks released the secret draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Environment Chapter and the corresponding Chairs' Report. The TPP transnational legal regime would cover 12 countries initially and encompass 40 per cent of global GDP and one-third of world trade. The Environment Chapter has long been sought by journalists and environmental groups. The released text dates from the Chief Negotiators' summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013.

The Environment Chapter covers what the Parties propose to be their positions on: environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity and fishing stocks; and trade and investment in 'environmental' goods and services. It also outlines how to resolve enviromental disputes arising out of the treaty's subsequent implementation. The draft Consolidated Text was prepared by the Chairs of the Environment Working Group, at the request of TPP Ministers at the Brunei round of the negotiations.

When compared against other TPP chapters, the Environment Chapter is noteworthy for its absence of mandated clauses or meaningful enforcement measures. The dispute settlement mechanisms it creates are cooperative instead of binding; there are no required penalties and no proposed criminal sanctions. With the exception of fisheries, trade in 'environmental' goods and the disputed inclusion of other multilateral agreements, the Chapter appears to function as a public relations exercise.

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks' publisher, stated: "Today's WikiLeaks release shows that the public sweetner in the TPP is just media sugar water. The fabled TPP environmental chapter turns out to be a toothless public relations exercise with no enforcement mechanism."

The Chairs' Report of the Environment Working Group also shows that there are still significant areas of contention in the Working Group. The report claims that the draft Consolidated Text displays much compromise between the Parties already, but more is needed to reach a final text. The main areas of contention listed include the role of this agreement with respect to multilateral environmental agreements and the dispute resolution process.

The documents date from 24 November 2013 ─ the end of the Salt Lake City round. They were requested by the Ministers of the TPP after the August 2013 Brunei round. The Consolidated Text was designed to be a "landing zone" document to further the negotiations quickly and displays what the Chairs say is a good representation of all Parties' positions at the time. The WikiLeaks Consolidated Text and corresponding Chairs' Report show that there remains a lot of controversy and disagreement within the Working Group. The Consolidated Text published by WikiLeaks is not bracketed, as per the IP Chapter released in November 2013, as it is drafted by the Chairs of the Working Group at their responsibility. Instead, the accompanying Chairs' Report provides commentary on the draft Consolidated Text and is the equivalent of bracketed disagreements for the countries that have not agreed on certain Articles, and provides their positions.

Current TPP negotiation member states are the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei. This is the third in the series of Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) leaks published by WikiLeaks.

Sensex erases early gains to end almost flat

The benchmark sensex on Friday frittered away most of its early gains on profit-taking in bluechips, including RIL and ONGC, to end with a mere 14-point rise.

After losing 93 points in the previous session, the BSE index sensex shot up by 130 points at the outset before reducing gains to end 13.66 points higher, or 0.06 per cent, at 21,753.75. From last Friday, the index lost 56.05 points even though it hit lifetime high of 22,040.72 on March 18.

Brokers said the market remained volatile as cautious investors and foreign fund managers were seen adjusting their portfolios before the ending of current fiscal year.

“After the initial uptick, the benchmark indices remained lacklustre for the ninth successive trade. However, considerable buying in metal and realty space alongside with rise in cash counters kept market breadth on advancing side,” said Jayant Manglik, President-retail distribution, Religare Securities.

In 30-share sensex, 19 stocks gained while 11 settled with losses. Reliance Industries dropped 2.20 per cent on reports of drop in production at its eastern offshore project.

ONGC fell over 2.6 per cent, Sun Pharma by 1.7 per cent and Bharti Airtel by about one per cent.

The 50-share NSE index Nifty rose 10.10 points, or 0.16 per cent, to end at 6,493.20, after touching high of 6,522.90.

Axis Bank, which tumbled three per cent intra-day, ended 2.69 per cent higher after the government sold 9 per cent stake through block deal trades.

Metal stocks rose on value buying while State Bank of India was up 1.47 per cent on hopes of gaining weight in FTSE index series, market participants said.

The domestic market sentiment was positive on a firming trend in the Asian region and higher opening in Europe as global investors steadied after Federal Reserve’s signal on hiking interest rates.

Sectorally, the BSE Metal sector index gained the most by rising 1.93 per cent, followed by Realty index (1.86 per cent), Consumer Durable index (0.70 per cent) and Power index (0.67 per cent).

Govt raises over Rs 5,550 cr from Axis Bank stake sale

The Central Government on Friday sold its 9 per cent stake in Axis Bank, the third largest private sector bank in the country, through a block deal in a price range of Rs.1,313-1,341 per share.

This sale is expected to garner around Rs.5,500 crore with a sale of 4.20 crore shares held by the government through Specified Undertaking of UTI (SUUTI) in Axis Bank.

SUUTI, formed in 2003, is an offshoot of erstwhile UTI, held 20.72 per cent in Axis Bank. Following Friday’s deal, SUUTI’s holding will come down to 11.72 per cent in Axis Bank. Shares of Axis Bank closed 2.69 per cent higher at Rs.1,393.40 on the BSE.

However, shares of Axis Bank fell to the day’s low of Rs.1,313.25, down Rs.44 per share compared to its previous close in early trades. The investment bankers had fixed a price band of Rs.1,290-1,357 for the deal. JM Financial, JP Morgan and Citibank were handling the share sale.

LIC has emerged as the single largest investor, buying over 85 lakh shares at Rs.1,313.25, thereby pumping in over Rs.1,116 crore. New World Fund bought 26.88 lakh shares at Rs.1316.13 per share, Goldman Sachs 23.5 lakh shares at Rs.1,323.57 per share and City Group Global 38.2 lakh shares at Rs.1,316.13 per share. Several other institutional investors also bought shares in the block deal.

PTI reports:

About 4.2 crore Axis Bank shares were sold at an average price of Rs.1,315.13 apiece. This is at a 3.07 per cent discount to Thursday’s closing price. The share sale fetches Rs.5,557 crore to the Exchequer.

“The stock will bounce back on strong fundamentals of the bank. There was demand in the counter and now with the stake sale supply has come,” CNI Research Chairman and Managing Director Kishore P. Ostwal said.

Sources said there would be a six month lock-in period following the share sale.

Mind your health

Actor Karan Tacker likes to keep fit through yoga and swimming

“Healthy mind is the source of a healthy physique,” says Karan Tacker, a television actor known for his role in Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai.

The actor says he is not choosy when it comes to food, and does not observe a strict diet. He eats whatever he likes. “Light food is the best thing to keep body active,” he says with a content smile, adding that though he likes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare, he leans towards home made food.

“I am a gym lover and regularly spend my time in gym, and this is my basic mantra — to be active all day long,” Tacker says, adding yoga keeps him energetic and active. “It keeps you mentally peaceful too.”

Emphasising the virtues of swimming, he says, “It is also a good option for exercise…Whenever I get time, I just do swimming.” Asked about his fitness mantra, he says “Be happy and smile”.

Tacker is now hosting Halla Bol, which airs on Bindass every Friday. The 13-episode-long serial is a youth oriented show about women who have fought against eve-teasing and sexual harassment. Based on real life incidents, it features a youth icon in every episode based on real life incidents. “It creates awareness not only among women but also makes men more responsible towards women and society. It’s also my way of contributing to the society,” says Karan.

The special India drive

The new Santa Fe, which is high on features and equipment, will be assembled in India, writes Hormazd Sorabjee

Korean carmaker Hyundai finally launched the new Santa Fe at this year’s Auto Expo and the wait for the new SUV has been quite long. But this is because the carmaker has been working hard to localise content on the car and bring down costs. The new Santa Fe will be assembled in India from CKD kits but this time around the SUV will use a lot of locally-sourced components. Still, the Santa Fe is not particularly inexpensive. Prices start at Rs. 26.3 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the two-wheel drive manual, while the two-wheel drive automatic costs Rs. 27.33 lakh and the four-wheel drive automatic version caps the range at Rs. 29.25 lakh. So can Hyundai’s new flagship in India justify its near-Rs 30 lakh price tag?

Well, it certainly looks the part. Marginally longer (though a good 45mm lower) than the outgoing Santa Fe, the new version has great presence. There’s a healthy dose of chrome on Hyundai’s trademark hexagonal grille, the swept-back headlight looks very modern and detailing on the bumper is nice too. Even in profile, the Santa Fe manages to hold your attention thanks to its bold shoulder line and interesting glasshouse. Rear styling is neat as well, with a smart cut that arcs across the tailgate. A closer inspection will also have your eyes lock on to the superb detailing on the headlights — the xenon units come lined with LED daytime running lamps. More than anything else, they give an idea of the generous level of standard equipment the Santa Fe comes with.

Open the doors, and you are greeted by a genuinely luxurious cabin. There’s a very pleasing mix of beige and brown plastics that contrast well with the silver accents in the cabin. It’s not only well-styled, it’s a well thought out cabin too. The front seats offer good support while middle row passengers will love the space and comfort on offer. Access to the third row is not all that convenient because the middle seat only slides forward and cannot be flipped forward to ensure easy entry. But once settled in, it is at par with the best seven seaters. There is decent space but, as in other SUVs, it’s not a place you’d like to spend extended periods of time. However, what adds a great deal of versatility to the Santa Fe is that the last row seats fold flat, in addition to which the middle row splits 40:20:40 to maximise luggage space. But perhaps more than this, buyers will be interested in the long list of features standard on the Santa Fe. In addition to the xenon headlamps and touchscreen interface mentioned above, the Santa Fe gets dual zone climate control, air-con vents for all three rows, push-button start, cruise control, a rear view camera and 6 airbags (2 on the 4x2 models).

The driver’s seat also gets 12-way powered adjust but curiously the front passenger seat only allows for manual adjustment. The passenger’s seat does without height adjust altogether and this makes it difficult for shorter passengers to get a good view of the road ahead. There’s no sunroof on any version.

The new Santa Fe may look very different from its predecessor but it uses the same 194bhp, 2.2-litre CRDi engine as the earlier car. Also as before, the engine is one of the strengths of the package. It’s fairly quiet, responsive and offers good performance too. There’s a nice surge of power as you keep the throttle pressed which helps when you want to overtake on the highway. We drove the 6-speed automatic-equipped Santa Fe and found it responsive enough for typical use. However, the gearbox has a tendency to upshift early so it’s best to switch to manual mode on a twisty road.

It’s also on twisty roads that you’d wish the Santa Fe’s steering offered more feel. The steering comes with three modes to alter its weight — even in Sport mode there’s a vagueness in the straight-ahead position and inconsistency in the way the steering piles on lock. Comfort mode is light and best suited to city use. Within the city, the Sante Fe does well to iron out the bumps. Even high speed stability is very good though the softly-sprung Santa Fe does tend to bounce (especially at the rear) and also tends to roll a fair bit when driven fast. What's nice is that save for some tyre noise, the cabin is well insulated from the happenings outside and this (combined with the powerful engine) really helps make the Santa Fe a great cruiser.

The Santa Fe makes a great choice as a family car. And thanks to the excellent space and good seats, you wouldn’t mind being chauffeured in one either. But it may not be smooth sailing for the Santa Fe in India though it is high on features and equipment. But it is pricier than what most people expected it to be. As a result, Hyundai might have a tough time trying to convince buyers to pay so much for its SUV.

drive

The new Santa Fe, which is high on features and equipment, will be assembled in India, writes Hormazd Sorabjee

Korean carmaker Hyundai finally launched the new Santa Fe at this year’s Auto Expo and the wait for the new SUV has been quite long. But this is because the carmaker has been working hard to localise content on the car and bring down costs. The new Santa Fe will be assembled in India from CKD kits but this time around the SUV will use a lot of locally-sourced components. Still, the Santa Fe is not particularly inexpensive. Prices start at Rs. 26.3 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the two-wheel drive manual, while the two-wheel drive automatic costs Rs. 27.33 lakh and the four-wheel drive automatic version caps the range at Rs. 29.25 lakh. So can Hyundai’s new flagship in India justify its near-Rs 30 lakh price tag?

Well, it certainly looks the part. Marginally longer (though a good 45mm lower) than the outgoing Santa Fe, the new version has great presence. There’s a healthy dose of chrome on Hyundai’s trademark hexagonal grille, the swept-back headlight looks very modern and detailing on the bumper is nice too. Even in profile, the Santa Fe manages to hold your attention thanks to its bold shoulder line and interesting glasshouse. Rear styling is neat as well, with a smart cut that arcs across the tailgate. A closer inspection will also have your eyes lock on to the superb detailing on the headlights — the xenon units come lined with LED daytime running lamps. More than anything else, they give an idea of the generous level of standard equipment the Santa Fe comes with.

Open the doors, and you are greeted by a genuinely luxurious cabin. There’s a very pleasing mix of beige and brown plastics that contrast well with the silver accents in the cabin. It’s not only well-styled, it’s a well thought out cabin too. The front seats offer good support while middle row passengers will love the space and comfort on offer. Access to the third row is not all that convenient because the middle seat only slides forward and cannot be flipped forward to ensure easy entry. But once settled in, it is at par with the best seven seaters. There is decent space but, as in other SUVs, it’s not a place you’d like to spend extended periods of time. However, what adds a great deal of versatility to the Santa Fe is that the last row seats fold flat, in addition to which the middle row splits 40:20:40 to maximise luggage space. But perhaps more than this, buyers will be interested in the long list of features standard on the Santa Fe. In addition to the xenon headlamps and touchscreen interface mentioned above, the Santa Fe gets dual zone climate control, air-con vents for all three rows, push-button start, cruise control, a rear view camera and 6 airbags (2 on the 4x2 models).

The driver’s seat also gets 12-way powered adjust but curiously the front passenger seat only allows for manual adjustment. The passenger’s seat does without height adjust altogether and this makes it difficult for shorter passengers to get a good view of the road ahead. There’s no sunroof on any version.

The new Santa Fe may look very different from its predecessor but it uses the same 194bhp, 2.2-litre CRDi engine as the earlier car. Also as before, the engine is one of the strengths of the package. It’s fairly quiet, responsive and offers good performance too. There’s a nice surge of power as you keep the throttle pressed which helps when you want to overtake on the highway. We drove the 6-speed automatic-equipped Santa Fe and found it responsive enough for typical use. However, the gearbox has a tendency to upshift early so it’s best to switch to manual mode on a twisty road.

It’s also on twisty roads that you’d wish the Santa Fe’s steering offered more feel. The steering comes with three modes to alter its weight — even in Sport mode there’s a vagueness in the straight-ahead position and inconsistency in the way the steering piles on lock. Comfort mode is light and best suited to city use. Within the city, the Sante Fe does well to iron out the bumps. Even high speed stability is very good though the softly-sprung Santa Fe does tend to bounce (especially at the rear) and also tends to roll a fair bit when driven fast. What's nice is that save for some tyre noise, the cabin is well insulated from the happenings outside and this (combined with the powerful engine) really helps make the Santa Fe a great cruiser.

The Santa Fe makes a great choice as a family car. And thanks to the excellent space and good seats, you wouldn’t mind being chauffeured in one either. But it may not be smooth sailing for the Santa Fe in India though it is high on features and equipment. But it is pricier than what most people expected it to be. As a result, Hyundai might have a tough time trying to convince buyers to pay so much for its SUV.

Contest wide open in Tiruchi

Agriculture and small industries worst hit by recession

The crippling monsoon failure, the crisis in the recession-hit fabrication industry and poor urban infrastructure are dominant concerns among voters of the Tiruchirappalli Lok Sabha constituency that straddles an emerging Tier-II city and a backward agricultural belt.

The constituency spreads over Tiruchi East, Tiruchi West, Srirangam, Tiruverumbur, Gandharvakottai (SC) and Pudukottai Assembly constituencies and has a blend of urban and rural voters.

For all its much-touted advantages of being an education hub and its central location in the State, Tiruchi is widely seen to be lagging behind other Tier-II cities in terms of infrastructure development. Despite promises, the city was not included under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

Plans to decongest the city by establishing an integrated bus stand and shifting the wholesale trade of the Gandhi Market to the outskirts have remained on paper for more than two decades.

“We have lost out on many Central government projects, including the proposed upgradation of the government hospital on a par with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Tiruchi also remains neglected in terms of rail and domestic air connectivity. We need a Member of Parliament who can lobby effectively for the city’s cause,” says M. Sekaran, president, Federation of Consumer and Welfare Organisations.

The poor monsoon over the past three years has crippled farming in rainfed and well irrigated areas in Srirangam, Gandharvakottai and Pudukottai segments.

“With wells and borewells going dry, we have not been able to raise any crop for the past two years in Manapparai area,” says R. Renganathan, district vice-president, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam.

Coconut, mango and banana crops have withered in several acres. Farmers have been forced to sell off some of their cattle owing to fodder and water shortage.

Linking of rivers and remunerative price for agricultural produce remain major demands.

“Let the government just create the irrigation infrastructure and give remunerative prices for our produce, we demand nothing else,” says P. Ayyakannu, State vice-president, Bharathiya Kisan Sangam.

Tiruchi’s claim of being a fabrication hub of the country has also come under threat in recent months.

The 400-odd fabrication units, dependent on the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, have been going through a crisis as orders have been dwindling from the public sector major.

Many small units have closed down. The industry has been seeking a push and demanding preferential treatment to the public sector major so that they could benefit in turn.

The constituency has been a favoured turf of national parties with the Congress and Communists winning four times each in 15 elections since 1957.

The BJP too has had its share of success winning twice in 1998 and 1999.

The AIADMK won the seat for the first time in 2001 by-election only to lose it to the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 2004. The party reclaimed the seat in 2009 when P. Kumar, scraped through in a close finish. Mr. Kumar has been renominated by the party for the 2014 polls.

The DMK, which has won only once in the constituency in 1980, has entered the fray after three decades, fielding NMU Anbazhagan and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) after 1996 has put up S. Sridhar now.

The entry of the DMDK and the Congress (the latter announced Ms. Sarubala R. Thondaman, a member of the Pudukottai royal family, as its candidate on Thursday night) has thrown the field wide open for a multi-cornered fight this time around.

Caught in sting, two U.P. leaders sacked from AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday expelled two of its Uttar Pradesh office-bearers, who were caught in an audio sting operation allegedly demanding money from ticket seekers.

Addressing a press conference here, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal announced the sacking of Awadh zone convener Aruna Singh and Hardoi treasurer Ashok Kumar. The AAP acted on a complaint by Lucknow-based Rajesh Kumar, who wanted to contest the election from Mishrikh (SC).

“We received complaints following which we asked for evidence. The party looked at the evidence and found it to be true,” Mr. Kejriwal said, adding that, however, “no transaction was done.”

Flanked by party leaders Manish Sisodia, Yogendra Yadav and Dilip Pandey, he said, “I am sending out a clear and strong message. Whoever tries to give money for ticket should assume that their money will be wasted. The candidate will not get any ticket. We will verify evidence and whosoever is found involved will be out of the party within 24 hours.”

The AAP leader asked the media and also ticket aspirants to conduct sting operations on their mobile phones if they found anyone demanding money. “The audio should be clear and there should be raw footage.”

Asked about the allegations made against party MLA Rakhi Birla, Mr. Kejriwal said these were found to be “untrue.”

In his complaint, Mr. Kumar claimed that he had paid Rs. 5,400 towards Ms. Aruna Singh’s Delhi-Lucknow air ticket, and later she demanded Rs. 10 lakh for the party ticket.

Mr. Kumar said Ms. Singh had told him on February 10 that the Sitapur, Jaunpur, Machhali Shahar, Mohanlalganj seats had already been sold at prices ranging from Rs. 15 lakh and 25 lakh. “Since my seat was primarily rural, she said she would settle for Rs.10 lakh,” he told The Hindu.

Asked why he agreed to pay for her air ticket as it amounted to bribery, Mr. Kumar explained: “She requested me to visit Delhi and procure a flight ticket for her. I bought the ticket in the hope of getting the amount refunded. However, nothing of that sort happened.” Ms. Singh, however, dismissed the allegations as “baseless.”

Panel reapproves GM food crop field trials

Appraisal committee will vet the nearly 50 new proposals in April

Field trials for ten varieties of GM (genetically modified) food and other crops were revalidated by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the statutory appraisal arm of the Environment Ministry. These included field trials for rice, wheat, maize, cotton and sorghum.

Companies applied for revalidation after their earlier permits lapsed following opposition from States. The revalidations would have to be first approved by the Union Environment and Forests Minister and then the promoter companies would have to go back to the States for a final nod as agriculture is a State subject under constitutional provisions.

The committee, sources said, did not clear any fresh proposals at this meeting and is likely to take up the new cases in the last week of April. There are nearly 50 applications pending before the GEAC for first-time appraisal of GM crops, including several food crops.

The move came after the Union Environment Minister Veerappa Moily did a u-turn on the views of his predecessor Jayanthi Natarajan and approved several trials that the GEAC had given the nod for in its earlier meetings. Ms. Natarajan had taken the view that it was not prudent to go ahead with the trials while the Supreme Court was hearing a case on the subject of field trials and the regulatory regime for GM technology in India. She had put the decision in abeyance while writing to the Prime Minister, expressing her views against immediately going ahead with trials of food crops. But Mr. Moily held, upon taking over, that the apex court had not explicitly ordered any stay against clearing field trials while the case went on.

The move to go ahead with GM technology — especially food crops — has been a subject of hot debate among the scientific community and evoked concerns among civil society groups. It had also created divisions in the government — the Agriculture Ministry, the department of Biotechnology and the PMO on one side and the Environment Ministry on the other. This had also delayed the government’s deciding on its stance on the Technical Expert Committee’s report in the case before the Supreme Court.

The government concurs with Mr. Moily’s view and has been working on putting forth a joint position before the apex court — something Ms. Natarajan had expressed the reluctance to do. More than 100 food crop trials are in the pipeline, in various stages of development, and the UPA’s Biotechnology Regulatory Bill is set to lapse with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha. Thus, the green light for trials, which comes just ahead of the elections, provides hope to major promoters — multinational and Indian — of GM crop technology.

Malaysia seeks US undersea equipment for plane search

US defence chief Chuck Hagel assured Malaysia he would consider providing undersea surveillance equipment to boost efforts to locate a Malaysian jet that mysteriously disappeared two weeks ago, Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on Saturday.

“Spoke with Secretary Hagel — the second time in four days — very positive,” Mr. Hishammuddin tweeted.

Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby confirmed Mr. Hishammuddin talked with Mr. Hagel about the search for the Beijing-bound flight MH370.

“Minister Hishammuddin thanked Secretary Hagel for the support being provided by the United States, particularly that of the US Navy, and requested that the US consider providing some undersea surveillance equipment as well,” he said.

“Secretary Hagel assured Minister Hishammuddin that he would assess the availability and utility of military undersea technology for such a task and provide him an update in the very near future.”

Australia is leading dozens of ships and aircraft in scouring a 23,000 sqkm patch of the southern Indian Ocean for possible debris from a missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

Pots and pans

An exhibition of cooking ware made of clay

Pots, pans, plates and cups and saucers too…in the many shades of red earth made of clay. The usual exhibition venues are unaffordable hence the potters from the potter community of Kavalamukkatta in Nilambur have put their ware up for sale in the compound of a house in Edappally Toll (opposite Vineetha Theatre). “It is unusual but we have a dedicated set of customers who patronise us,” says Sunil Babu who has brought the clay ware.

On tables, and on the floor, are arranged neat rows of cups, plates, curios and a variety of cookware made of clay. The clay is sourced from fields near the village. All the pots are handmade except the curios which are made using moulds. The utensils look contemporary and modern, not in the least rustic. Some have been modified keeping in mind convenience. For instance the pathiri chatti, which according to Sunil, used to be a concave bowl now has a handle and can also be used to make chapathis. A few other pots too have handles. The water containers (kooja) are heat resistant. “The pot for setting absorbs all the water,” Sunil says. He also custom makes clay-ware.

“These can also be used on the dining table as serving dishes,” he says pointing to a rice dish, an urulilike pot with a cover. Making a dinner set of these pots seems like a good idea in the age of China rejected melamine and plastic crockery. The popularity of the pottery is evident from the number of buyers who do not leave empty-handed.

The pottery is a glazed red which, Sunil says, has been painted using a red soil traditionally used to paint walls. Some are an interesting mix of red and black, the colour is acquired by firing the already ‘baked’ pots with saw dust. It is not just kitchen ware that Sunil has put up on show, there are wall pieces made of terracotta tiles, masks, little clay turtles and the like. The prices of some of thepathirichatti costs Rs. 300, meenchatti Rs. 300 – 450, cheenachatti Rs. 300, cup and saucer – Rs. 200. The exhibition concludes on March 22. Sunil Babu can be contacted at: 9447518053