News Digest: 354 dalit, adivasi groups suggest overhaul of schemes to finance ministry

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Tuesday, January 19, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		354 dalit, adivasi groups suggest overhaul of schemes to finance ministry Fed up of the current welF fare schemes meant to uplift them, which they see as ill-conceived, 354 dalit and adivasi groups from across India have proposed a new approach towards allocation of resources. They have submitted a detailed document to the finance ministry asking for the emphasis to shift from "survival" and "welfare" to real "economic empowerment". Agencies fear ISIS 'lone wolf' attack during Hollande visit The central security establishment feels the hreat of a "lone wolf" attack by an Islamic State-inspired element is real, given the out it's appeal among net-savvy Indian youth. The Republic Day is seen as a crucial period when ISIS sympathisers may try to register their presence. Villagers pee in open, fined Rs 500 each Two Bijnor villagers on Monday earned the dubious distinction of being the first in the area to be fined Rs 500 each for urinating in public. The fine was imposed by the panchayat of Mithan Kunwar Pratap village under the Panchayati Raj Act. More India News»

		Business
		Baleno No. 1 premium compact, beats i20 The battle between Maruti Suzuki and rival Hyundai is getting intense. Maruti’s premium compact ‘Baleno’, within months of launch from a new retail format Nexa, has overtaken Hyundai’s best-seller ‘Elite i20’. AirAsia ties up with ICICI to offer promo fares Low cost airline AirAsia has tied up with ICICI Bank to offer promotional fares. ICICI credit and debit card holders can now avail an exclusive 20% off on the base fare of their booking on AirAsia India, AirAsia Berhad and Thai AirAsia flights from Monday till January 31, 2016. Domestic air travel grew 20% in 2015 Thanks to oil prices crashing last year leading to low airfares, domestic air travel grew by 20.3% in 2015 over 2014 with 8.1 lakh people flying. Also, December, 2015, saw over 77 lakh flying within the country — the highest ever monthly domestic travel. More Business News»

		Environment
		Climate extremes threaten Australia's wine industry Winemakers in Australia's oldest growing region fear a ruined harvest after heavy rainfall, while vineyards in the country's west are under threat from bushfires, undermining efforts to recover from a near decadelong run of lower exports. Prabhu outlines Railways' environment-friendly measures Railways minister Suresh Prabhu has outlined various environment-friendly measures being taken by the public transporter to provide low cost sustainable transportation to the country. Revised standards for CETPs to check water pollution The Center has notified revised standards for Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs), operating at various industrial clusters in the country, to minimise water pollution. More Environment News»

		World
		Avalanche kills 5 French Foreign Legion soldiers An avalanche in the French Alps swept away a military unit training in the backcountry, killing five soldiers from the French Foreign Legion and injuring several others Monday, officials said. Big fight: Clinton, Sanders spar over healthcare, guns It was nowhere as raucous or toxic as the Republican ruckus but Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders duked it out in the final Democratic debate before inner-party polling in February to decide the nominee for the presidential election, sparring over healthcare, gun control, and other domestic issues that animate the American discourse. Putin hosts Qatar's ruler for Syria-focused talks Russia and Qatar sought to narrow their differences on Syria on Monday, a week before the scheduled Syrian peace talks in Geneva. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Aftab needed permission for 'KKHH 3'? Yes, Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 is an adult comedy (replete with sexual jokes and more), but it was interesting to hear that Aftab Shivdasani, who has done such films in the past, (that too an outrageous one like Grand Masti) needed permission from his lovely wife Nin Dusanj to do this role. Nawazuddin Siddiqui's wife files counter FIR On Sunday, a woman called Hina Shaikh filed an FIR against Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui at the Versova Police Station in Mumbai, alleging him of physically assaulting her over a parking dispute. Bollywood celebs and their tattoos Many of our Bollywood celebs too have their own tattoos and their own reasons behind getting inked. Read on to know... More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Water ice found on comet's surface Researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have identified two large patches of water ice on the surface of comet 67P, perhaps the most studied comet in history. Multiple sclerosis patients may walk again A new treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) has enabled some patients to walk again by “rebooting“ their immune systems. Scientists successfully revive animal frozen 30 years ago Scientists have succeeded in bringing a frozen animal back to life after 30 years, it has been reported. More Science News»

		Sports
		We need brave youngsters in the side: Dhoni The likes of Barinder Sran and Manish Pandey are going through a trial by fire in just their debut series but Dhoni feels there is nothing unfair about putting them up against a rampaging Australia. Chris Gayle smashes 12-ball fifty to equal world record West Indies batsman Chris Gayle smashed fifty from 12 balls for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League on Monday to match India's Yuvraj Singh's record for the fastest half-century in Twenty20 cricket. Wizards beat Lancers 8-6 in thrilling HIL opener Uttar Pradesh Wizards eked out a dramatic 8-6 win over Kalinga Lancers in a high-scoring thriller with two goals coming in the final minute as the fourth edition of Hockey India League made a sensational start under new field goal rules on Monday. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Apple Watch 2 may not launch in March: Report All those waiting for the next-generation of Apple Watch may have to wait a little longer. Zen Cinemax 2 Review: A 3G smartphone at an affordable price Zen launched its smartphone Cinemax 2 priced at Rs 4,199. We bring you a detailed review of the smartphone with its pros and cons. 20 top online master's programmes for engineers US News & World Report recently published its 2016 list of the best online graduate engineering programmes by looking at student engagement, faculty credentials and training, student services and technology, peer reputation, and admissions selectivity. Here's over to the top-20 online engineering programmes for grad students. More Technology News»

		Education
		CA success rate dips by 2.5% After a steady rise in the success rate of students in the final chartered accountancy (CA) exam in the last three chances, the performance of students dropped in the November 2015 exam. With 595/800, Chennai boy ranks 1st in CA exams A chartered accountancy aspirant from Chennai, James John Britto, topped the CA final examinations that the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) held last November and December last year in the results declared on Sunday. ICAI declares results of the CA final and the Common Proficiency Test James John Britto R of Chennai emerged first in the all India ranking for the CA Final exam conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in India (ICAI) in November, 2015. The results of this exam were declared on Sunday. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		16-yr-old held for cell theft on train A 16-year-old boy was arrested by the RPF on Monday, six days after he robbed a cellphone from a female commuter in a running train, leaving her injured. Shia outfits to celebrate 30th anniversary today On Tuesday, a group of Shias in the city will commemorate the establishment of two three decade-old NGOs Alimaan Charitable Trust (1981) and Imaan Foundation (1987). The organizations have been involved in charitable work in the field of education, medical treatment, housing, rehabilitation of widows, orphans, destitutes and victims of calamities. Court acquits rape accused as 'victim' professes her love A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSOA) court recently acquitted a 35-year-old man charged with raping a minor after finding that the “victim” had a consensual relationship with the accused and was in fact above 18 years. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Kejriwal's PA asked me to get off stage before ink incident: Cop On a day when the Aam Aadmi Party said the ink thrown on chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday part of a deep-rooted conspiracy and that the CM wasn’t being adequately protected, one of the cops from Kejriwal’s security detail told his seniors that he was asked to step down from the dais when Kejriwal was addressing the gathering in Chhatrasal stadium on Sunday. Odd-even over, it's back to traffic jams on manic Monday Chaos is the new normal on the capital’s roads, and this was proved in no uncertain way when traffic returned for the first week day of normal driving after the lifting of the odd-even restrictions. SC tells Bassi to protect lawyers in Sabarimala case he Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Delhi Police commissioner to provide adequate security to two lawyers who recently received threats to their life for filing a PIL challenging the traditional ban on entry of women in the age group of 10-50 years into Sabarimala temple in Kerala. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Pongal waste on beaches down Pongal is the time of the year when the city generates far and away the largest amount of garbage. During the three days of celebra tions, beaches that draw lakhs of visitors from across the city are littered with all kinds of trash. Jaya Bachchan to open BIFFes; Thithi 1st film From screenings and workshops to interactions and lectures, the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) has much on offer for the film aficionado. Govt to regulate laying of cables, digging roads If the government has its way , soon you will have lesser trenches to negotiate while walking on the footpath. The plan is to regulate laying of optic fibre and other cables in public places and put an end to indiscriminate digging of roads. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		No takers for AP red sanders auction The cash-strapped AP go vernment did not get bids for the red sanders logs it has put up for auction The government expected to make abo ut Rs 400 crore from the sale of 2,868 ton nes of red sanders through internatio nal auction. NTR Ghat lies in bad shape: Revanth With the political atmosphere slowly picking up heat in the city in the run up to the GHMC council elections on February 2, opposition parties appear to be grabbing at any issue that might come in handy for them. 'Dr Death' infamous even back home in AP Indian American psychiatrist Dr Nagareddy Narendra Kumar, who earned notoriety as `Dr Death' for allegedly prescribing overdose of highly regulated drugs, does not enjoy good reputation even back home in Andhra Pradesh. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Tamil Nadu emerges pioneer in land record digitisation Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra are the three pioneering states in digitizing maintenance of property registration, revenue, and town and country planning documents, says a book, `Property Registration, Land Records and Building Approval Procedures Followed in Various States in India' released recently . Low solar radiation intensity in state hits power output Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has so far commissioned projects generating 418.9MW of solar power after signing MoUs with several companies to generate 1200MW. MK appears in court with entourage As expected, DMK president and former chief minister M Karunanidhi made a political spectacle of the defamation case filed against him by the Tamil Nadu government. Around 1,500 lawyers and party cadres descended on the Madras high court campus even as he chose to appear before the principal sessions court on Monday . More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		CERS requests govt to reduce electricity duty Consumer Education Research Society (CERS), a city-based consumer organization, has requested the state government to reduce the electricity duty. In order to ease the burden on electricity customers, CERS has proposed a reduction in electricity duty in the range of 2.5% to 5% for various categories of consumers. 'Calculating time important part of maintaining history' As the ‘new year’ of 2016 has been ushered across the globe, as per various calendars prevalent in India and Gujarat, the time denotes very different timeline. 'Evaluate education system in context of sustainable development goals' It was the role of education in achieving these goals and creating awareness about environment at large that had motivated Centre for Environment Education (CEE) to organize three-day international conference ‘Education as a Driver for Sustainable Development Goals’ that concluded on January 13. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		TOI@ Magh mela: 'Tilaks' catch fancy of visitors, pilgrims Tilaks sported on the foreheads by saints, seers and even pandas have caught the imagination of millions of devotees and pilgrims, who have taken a holy dip in the ongoing pious month of Magh and sought salvation on the banks of Ganga in the ongoing Magh Mela. Stamp on legendary poet Pant sold out within two weeks In an overwhelm-ing response that shows the popularity of legendary poet Sumitranadan Pant even 38 years after his death, nearly 3 lakh commemorative stamps on him were sold out within two weeks of their release. Devotees go hi-tech, submit 'Ram Naam' through app Keeping pace with the technological advancements and showing its concern for the green cover, the Ram Naam Bank at Magh Mela campus has launched an app for devotees to write `Ram Ram' on their mobile and submit electronically at the bank. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		In an environmental-friendly move, first cycle sharing station to come up in Bhubaneswar In a first of its kind initiative, a group of youth in association with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) will start ‘Parikrama’- a cycle sharing system from January 23. Commuters in the city would get bicycles for the cheapest and environment-friendly ride by depositing their identity proof and Rs 100, which is refundable. Naveen wants Odisha to be among top 3 states for start-ups In tune with the Narendra Modi government’s ‘Start-up India’ movement, the Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha plans new policy to encourage entrepreneurs. Bonda couple to raise developement issues with Modi Dhabalu Sisa, 41, and his wife Samari, 46, belonging to particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) Bonda of Malkangiri district are all excited and they have every reason to be because they are attending this year's Republic Day parade in New Delhi. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		After Ratlam Lok Sabha loss, MP BJP cheers victory in milk federation polls Concerned over recent loss of Ratlam Lok Sabha seat bypolls and defeat in five municipal councils, the Madhya Pradesh BJP on Monday called a press conference to claim they have won the Ujjain Dugdh Sangh polls. Sand mafia opens fire at cops in Datia Two days after sand mafia threatened forest guards in Gwalior, the mafia now attacked a police team in Datia on Saturday when the cops challenged illegal mining of the mineral. Foggy weather delays flights at Bhopal airport State capital witnessed season’s first fog on Saturday that delayed morning flights at Raja Bhoj airport here. According to weatherman, visibility at the airport was hardly around 50 m that resulted in flights delay by two to five hours. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Agriculture bodies come together to start pan-India movement Farmers' organizations have decided to start a pan-India movement to save small and marginal farmers who are falling prey to vicious cycle of debt and committing suicide. Badal calls AAP 'passing fad' Punjab chief minister Parkash SIngh Badal on Sunday said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had received an overwhelming response to its rally at Maghi Mela because "sometimes people like new things". Assures private hospitals of solution to CLU problem Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has promised doctors that the state government would look into the issue of regularizing buildings of private hospitals that have come up in residential areas without getting the change of land use (CLU) certificate. More Chandigarh News»

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