Independence Day goes hitech

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Prasar Bharati wants to give the event greater visibility, both in India and abroad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech will be live-streamed on the Google homepage. Google had done a similar thing during the Trump’s inaugural address in January last year.

When you go to Google search page and search for Independence Day, you will see live stream of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Red Fort.

“Live stream of the Independence Day event from Red Fort is a high viewership event. In order to give it greater visibility, both in India and abroad, we partnered with Google. Apart from YouTube, it will be available on Google homepage,” Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati told The Hindu. On an average 1.5 to 2 million watch the event each year.

This step is part of the ongoing effort from the State broadcaster to increase its digital footprint.

“Doordarshan is usually associated with nostalgia. So by increasing the digital presence we are making younger generation aware of Doordarshan who have never seen an era when there were only two or three channels,” Mr. Vempati added.

Bringing the content online need not necessarily mean more offline audience. Mr. Shekhar said: “That is not a phenomena we can measure. Worldwide we have seen that TV content drives the online traffic, I am not sure we can measure its impact other way. But surely it creates second wave of engagement with the audience.”

Significant changes

The DD has brought in few other significant changes in its Independence coverage. The coverage will open with song by music composer Shankar Mahadevan. And this year, the DD anchors will give introduction from the ramparts of Red Fort.

The All India Radio will also be transmitting translation of Prime Minister’s speech in regional languages in the evening.

GST sop likely ahead of polls in M.P., Rajasthan and Chattisgarh

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MSMEs with a turnover of up to ₹5 crore may be exempted from filing returns.

The run-up to the polls in Gujarat saw a massive rejig of Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates across the board as disenchantment with the regime was at a peak. Ahead of the Assembly polls in three BJP-ruled States — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh — some relief for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is likely. A possible exemption from filing for firms with a turnover of up to ₹5 crore is said to be in the offing.

Senior sources in the GST Council told mediamen that during the last meeting of the Council, it was decided that rate cuts etc. were not the route to take to give relief to the MSME sector; instead exemptions from the GST ambit for firms with a turnover of upto ₹5 crore could be the way to go.

“Several States, specifically Gujarat and Delhi, have asked that exemptions be given for MSMEs with a turnover of upto ₹5 crore, whereas some other States have asked [that] the limit be for firms of upto ₹1.5 lakh,” said a source.

The decision may be announced in the next meeting of the Council on September 28 in Goa — close to polling in the three States, scheduled for the end of the year. Union Minister Arun Jaitley is expected to be back at the helm of affairs at the Finance Ministry by then. At the last meeting of the Council, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal had said all suggestions from various States should be collated and considered.

Madhya Pradesh with 26.74 lakh firms and Rajasthan with 26.87 lakh have a huge MSME presence and the any relief to the sector, currently dissatisfied with cumbersome filing procedures, would be politically important.

“Rate cuts in the context of MSMEs have been dismissed as not workable and these cuts will affect not just these units but bigger suppliers etc. Exemptions from tax and filing procedures will have a more direct impact in terms of giving relief,” said a member of the GST Council.

SC firm on Hapur lynching case wants fresh and fair probe within 2 weeks

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The Supreme Court on Monday did not buy the Uttar Pradesh Police’s version that the Hapur lunching of two men by cow vigilantes, leading to the death of one of them, was a “road rage” incident which turned fatal.

Instead, a Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misr a, ordered the Inspector General of Police, Meerut division, to conduct a separate enquiry into the incident and file a report with the Supreme Court in two weeks.

The court’s order came on a petition filed by the surviving victim, Samiudin, who was brutally assaulted by a mob on the pretext that they were transporting and butchering cows. Qasim Qureishi, a 45-year-old meat trader, died of his injuries after he was severely beaten along with Mr. Samiuddin by the mob on June 18.

The case was brought back to the limelight in a recent expose by the news channel NDTV in which one of the accused is caught on camera talking about the assault on the two men and of even denying water to one of the injured men.

Mr. Samiuddin has urged the court to cancel the bail of Yudhishthir Singh Sisodia, who was allegedly seen talking in the video.

The Bench directed the Uttar Pradesh government to respond to the plea by Mr. Samiuddin, represented by advocate Vrinda Grover, to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising officers from outside the State. The victim sought that the trial be conducted outside Uttar Pradesh for fear of intimidation and the need for fair proceedings.

The Bench, also comprising Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, directed the Superintendent of Police of Hapur district to provide police protection to Mr. Samiuddin if he so requests. The petition has been posted for further hearing on August 28.

India rejects U.K. proposal on DNA tests for ‘illegal migrants’

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India rejected a proposal by the U.K. to use DNA sampling to establish the nationality of illegal migrants living there citing “privacy issues”.

Although a Memorandum of Understanding on return of illegal migrants was initialled after due approval of the Union Cabinet in January by Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, India refused to sign the final pact during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to U.K. in April.

As per the original MoU, security agencies in India were to verify the antecedents of illegal migrants without documents in the U.K. within 72 days and those with documents within 15 days.

If no report was given within the stipulated time frame, the illegal migrant would be deported automatically.

The agreement was put on indefinite hold after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval conveyed that the 15-day limit was unworkable.

Unethical, said India

“In one of the meetings, the U.K. authorities suggested that the nationality of document-less illegal migrants suspected to be Indians could be established by matching DNA samples of their family members living here. We raised objections that this was a breach of privacy and unethical. How do we know that the document-less person is an Indian,” said a senior Home Ministry official who attended the meeting.

According to the British government’s estimates, there are around 1,00,000 Indians overstaying their visa in the U.K.

India has contested this and said that as per their estimate, the number will not be more than 2,000.

Post-April, at least two high-level delegations from the U.K. have raised the issue with India.

During her first visit to India on November 7, 2016, British Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.K. would consider an improved visa deal “if at the same time we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain in the U.K.”

Twists and turns

In January, Union Cabinet approved the contents of a MoU on “return of illegal migrants” to be signed with U.K.

MoS Home Kiren Rijiju, who led a delegation to U.K the same month, signed the MoU.

In April, the pact was expected to be signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to London, but it was not included in the official list of business.

As per the original MoU, the security agencies in India were to verify the antecedents of document less illegal migrants in the U.K within 72 days and those with documents within 15 days. India pulled out of the pact saying the time frame was not feasible.

Cultural bonanza on the eve of Independence Day

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pic for representational purposes only

Education Department of Chandigarh administration is organising a colourful cultural program on the eve of Independence day at Tagore Theater sector 18. This bonanza is scheduled at 3:00 pm onwards on 14th August,2018

 

आज का पांचांग

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🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷पंचांग🌷🌷🌷

विक्रम संवत – 2075
अयन – दक्षिणायन
गोलार्ध – उत्तर
ऋतु – वर्षा
मास – श्रावण
पक्ष – शुक्ल
तिथि – चतुर्थी
नक्षत्र – उत्तरा फाल्गुणी
योग – सिद्ध
करण – वणिज
राहुकाल:-
3:00PM – 4:30PM
🌞सूर्योदय – 05:52 (चण्डीगढ)
🌞सूर्यास्त – 19:02 (चण्डीगढ)
🕉🕉🕉🕉🕉🕉🕉🕉🕉🕉
चोघड़िया मुहूर्त- एक दिन में सात प्रकार के चोघड़िया मुहूर्त आते हैं, जिनमें से तीन शुभ और तीन अशुभ व एक तटस्थ माने जाते हैं। इनकी गुजरात में अधिक मान्यता है। नए कार्य शुभ चोघड़िया मुहूर्त में प्रारंभ करने चाहिएः-
दिन का चौघड़िया (दिल्ली)
चौघड़िया प्रारंभ अंत विवरण
लाभ 10:46 12:25 शुभ
अमृत 12:25 14:04 शुभ
शुभ 15:43 17:22 शुभ
रात्रि का चौघड़िया (दिल्ली)
चौघड़िया प्रारंभ अंत विवरण
लाभ 20:22 21:43 शुभ
शुभ 23:04 00:26 शुभ
अमृत 00:26 01:47 शुभ