CHANDIGARH, Oct 30: In a relief to bus operators in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered 100 per cent waiver on Motor Vehicle Tax till December 31 for all stage carriage, mini and school buses, while deferring payment of arrears of taxes, without interest and penalty, to March 31, next year.
The move will result in total financial benefit to the transport sector to the tune of Rs 100 crore, according to an official statement.
The chief minister also directed Transport Minister Razia Sultana to discuss and resolve other issues of concern to mini private bus owners by the next week.
The decisions and directives were announced by the chief minister at a virtual conference with various private transport associations in the state. Besides Razia, Finance Minister Manpreet Badal and Transport Secretary K Siva Prasad were present at the meeting.
Though the transport department had initially suggested waiver up to 50 per cent of tax till December 31, the chief minister, responding to the concerns of transporters, overruled the department to announce 100 per cent relief, the statement said.
The transporters were earlier provided 100 per cent relief for two months, till September 30, by the state government.
“The chief minister took note of the problems faced by the transporters, who pointed out that with less than 10 per cent commuters availing the bus services, they were unable to meet even the cost of diesel to run their vehicles.
“Though the state transport and PRTC (state transport), being prime routes, were in demand, private bus operators continued to suffer due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” representatives of the transport associations told the chief minister.
Amarinder agreed with the transporters that their industry, run entirely by Punjabis, needed further support from the state government in the present situation and accepted their demand for total tax waiver till the end of this year, the statement further said. (PTI)
Amarinder extends 100 per cent tax waiver for bus operators till Dec 31
Ruturaj is one of the most talented players going around: Dhoni
DUBAI, Oct 30: A ‘reticent’ Ruturaj Gaikwad took some time to make a mark in the ongoing IPL but he has managed to impress his skipper CSK Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who believes that the young opener is “one of the most talented players going around”.
Gaekwad scored his second straight half-century on Thursday to set up a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders here. He got his chance after CSK decided to field untested players following a disastrous start to the season.
“(The changes) are a conscious effort. We want to give games to people who haven’t played and we need them to grab those opportunities. Ruturaj we’d seen him in the nets, but then he got Covid positive and took 20 days. Unfortunate but he’ll remember this season,” said Dhoni at the post-match presentation.
“He’s one of the most talented players going around. What makes it difficult is he’s not somebody who speaks a lot, so sometimes it becomes difficult for the management to gauge a player.”
Gaekwad, who had tested COVID-19 positive in the lead up to the tournament, has all the shots and his style of play is pleasing to the eye.
Things did not look bright for the 23-year-old after he failed in his first three innings (0, 5, 0).
“Once he started going in the innings, you could see that he was hitting the ball the way he wants to and he was planning. When we made him play the first game, he got out, stepped out.
“It becomes difficult to tell whether it was the pressure that made him step out or whether that’s his natural game. One ball isn’t enough,” Dhoni said about the Maharashtra batsman.
The CSK skipper also praised Ravindra Jadeja for his match-winning cameo, which included two sixes in the final over the game.
“This season Jadeja has been fantastic. He’s been the only batsman in our team who has taken the job of scoring in the last few overs. Not just using his power but through point if the field is up.
“I feel throughout the season we needed someone by his side,” Dhoni added.
The CSK skipper said this was one game where the plans went in their favour and hailed the effort of the players.
“It was one game where the plans went in our favour. Needed a lot of effort from the players. Really glad the coin fell in our favour,” he added.
Asked how important it was to end on a high, Dhoni added: “We haven’t performed in the tournament but we felt it’s important to be relevant in the tournament.”
“That’s what we kept requesting the guys. We said you prepare how you want to, but 3-3.5 hours give your best. We are not in the position to qualify for the next stage but we have had a glimpse of people who can play for us in the coming seasons.”
KKR captain Eoin Morgan said they were probably on the wrong side of the toss.
“We probably played a bit well there. Probably on the wrong side of the toss. Our bowlers gave it everything, but the skills were a bit off. We’ll have to move on quickly.
“I think the score (172/5) was enough. We felt we were right in the game. Probably 165 was par if the wicket and conditions stayed the same. I actually think we had a good batting day.
“One world class spinner (Narine), and the other on the cusp of playing for India (Chakravarthy). They’re fantastic spinners. I can’t fault any bowlers. “Nagarkoti probably didn’t have enough runs to defend (in the final over), would have liked 16-17. He’s a young guy, he’ll take it on the chin and move on,” Morgan said. (PTI)
Steve Smith says ‘no chance’ of playing Big Bash
ABU DHABI, Oct 30: Former Australia captain Steve Smith has ruled himself out of the upcoming Big Bash League to avoid spending more time in a bio-secure environment.
Star Australian cricketers including Smith have been in a bio-bubble since August when they toured England before moving to the protected environment of the IPL in September.
“I’ll be honest with you – absolutely no chance,” Smith told News Corp, highlighting the mental strain on players who have been away from home since August.
Smith’s colleagues David Warner and Pat Cummins are also expected to miss this year’s BBL.
The pull outs, if happen, are in complete contrast to the wishes of Cricket Australia’s broadcast rights holders, Seven and Foxtel, who are desperate for top international players participation in the latter stages of the league.
While making his mind clear, Smith, who is the captain of Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, said he took the decision considering the adverse affect of bio-bubbles, which includes staying away from family for a longer period of time than expected.
“It’s still early days with the bubbles. We don’t know how long it’s going to last for. There’s an uncertainty there,” Smith said.
“It’s just going to be about having open conversations with coaches, general managers, whoever, to ensure that people are keeping their head space in a reasonable place.
“Then there’s obviously going to be questions around selection. If someone takes some time off because they’ve been in the bubble for a long time and then someone comes in and plays well, do they take their spot?”
Smith said a player needs to spend some time normally to get out of the mental trauma associated with a life inside a bio-bubble.
“When guys are starting to find things a bit tough mentally from just living in the bubble, being able to get out – even if it might just be a few days of being normal might be a real help. Those conversations need to be had,” he said. (PTI)
Sumariwalla to be elected AFI chief for third term on Saturday, Anju to be made senior VP
GURUGRAM, Oct 30: Incumbent Adille Sumariwalla will be unanimously elected as Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president for a third term while former long jumper Anju Bobby George will be made senior vice-president during its Annual General Body Meeting here on Saturday.
Ravinder Chaudhary, who has served AFI for a long time in various capacities, will be elected unopposed as the secretary. There will be no contest for other posts also as there are only one candidate for all of them.
Sandeep Mehta, who had filed nominations for the secretary’s post, had withdrawn from the contest. He will now be the senior joint secretary.
Madhukant Pathak will be elected unopposed as treasurer. The AGM also will elect five joint secretaries and eight executive committee members without contest.
AFI Planning Committee head Lalit Bhanot is one of the executive committee members. He was also an executive committee member in the last term.
The two-day AGM is being held “in person” at a plush hotel here with the main agenda being to formally elect one president, one senior vice-president, five vice-presidents, one secretary, one senior joint secretary, five joint secretaries, one treasurer and eight executive committee members.
For the legendary Anju, the lone Indian to win a medal in the World Championships (a bronze in 2003), it will be her highest post in the AFI Executive Committee. She was in the executive committee of last term by virtue of being a member of the Athletes’ Commission.
Anju’s senior vice-presidentship will be the highest post to have occupied by a woman in AFI’s history. She will also be the first woman vice-president of the AFI.
For Sumariwalla, the coming four year term (2020-2024) will be his last as AFI president as the National Sports Code of 2011 allows only three continuous terms as head of a national sports federation. He was first elected as AFI chief in 2012.
The AFI constitution mandates at least a woman among vice-presidents, joint secretaries and executive committee members.
The elections were due to be held in April but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The AFI in May had deferred its elections and extended the term of its office bearers during a Special General Meeting held online.
At that time, the federation had said that elections can only be held “in person” and not online. (PTI)
Lalu did nothing for women apart from installing wife on chair : Nitish
KHAGARIA, Oct 30: Attacking Opposition RJD, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today appealed to people to not “get misled” by those who “ignored” women and backward classes during their rule.
Addressing an election rally at Parbatta here, he said, “They are talking today, but how was the condition of women earlier? They were ignored, nobody paid attention to their issues.”
Attacking his bete noire and jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad, without naming him, Kumar said, “When he was sent to jail, he installed his wife (Rabri Devi) on the chair, but did nothing for the welfare of the women otherwise.”
Prasad, who became chief minister of Bihar in 1990, had anointed his wife on the CM chair after he was sent to jail in 1997 over multi-crore fodder scam cases.
Kumar said when he got the opportunity to work, he gave reservation to women in panchayats and urban local bodies, besides providing quotas to SC, ST and backward classes.
“If Bihar has progressed today, the biggest reason is womens participation. Promoting women is our commitment,” the JD(U) chief said.
Talking about economic empowerment of women, he said his government started the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project (BRLP), locally known as JEEViKA, by taking loan from the World Bank and the initiative has expanded today.
Trying to connect to his women voters constituency, he mentioned prohibition and asked them to cast their votes first and cook later on polling day and also encourage others in their family to vote.
Kumar declared Bihar a dry state in April 2016. On several occasions he had said he took the step on the demand of the women.
He said his government has ensured just development by taking along the SC, the ST, Backward Classes, Extremely Backward Classes and Mahadalits “whom nobody cared about earlier”.
He said, “Earlier even cities did not have electricity, but now we have ended the lantern era and every household gets power now.”
Lantern is th poll symbol of the RJD. “Everybody knows who says what and indulges is what kind of misdeeds. They (the Opposition) neither have the experience to work nor do they want to work. They just indulge in useless talks,” he alleged. (PTI)
Shubhankar Sharma gets off to bogey-free start in Cyprus
PAPHOS, Cyprus, Oct 30: Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma got off to a good start, signing a bogey-free four-under 67 to be placed Tied-18th after the first round of the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open here.
Sharma birdied the fifth and ninth on the first half of the course and then closed with birdies on 17th and 18th.
SSP Chawrasia carded an even-par 71 and was placed T-83rd, needing a solid second round to play the weekend.
Sharma’s 67 equalled the best he has shot since he resumed his European Tour campaign with the Hero Open in August. He has now shot 67 on four occasions.
Sharma has been following a busy schedule with the Cyprus Open being his 12th start in 14 weeks, but his best result has been Tied-26th at the ASI Scottish Open.
American Johannes Veerman and Mitch Waite of England share the lead after carding seven-under 64 in the first European Tour event to be held on the Mediterranean island.
Cyprus became the 50th nation to host the European Tour in its 48-year history.
Waite carded an eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys to sign for a 64 on a low-scoring day, while Veerman joined him on that position after his fifth birdie of the day on the 18th hole, adding to an eagle he carded on the 10th.
In a share of third place on six-under are former Ryder Cup players Jamie Donaldson and Andy Sullivan, Joel Stalter of France and Finland’s Sami Valimaki (both winners on the European Tour this season) and David Drysdale of Scotland. (PTI)
Three losses doesn’t make us a bad team: Rahane
DUBAI, Oct 30: A hattrick of losses might have jeopardized their playoff chances but Delhi Capitals batsman Ajinkya Rahane says the string of defeats doesn’t make them a bad side and stressed on staying positive and playing as a unit in the upcoming matches.
After a dominating show in the first phase, the Capitals suffered three straight losses to slip to the third spot with 14 points in the IPL standings, making their last two league games crucial for their play-off qualification.
However, Rahane said such losses are part and parcel of a tournament as big as the IPL.
“I think we started off really well, won seven out of nine games initially, and then the last three games were not as per what we wanted, but this is going to happen in a tournament like IPL You play 14 league games, it’s a big tournament,” Rahane said during pre-match press conference.
“I think the upcoming two games are really important, and it’s all about staying positive. Three losses don’t make us a bad team. It’s all about playing to our strength and backing each and every individual. As a team, we are really looking forward to playing against Mumbai now and then RCB.”
On Saturday, DC will take on defending champions Mumbai Indians, who have already qualified for the play-off with 16 points.
“Mumbai are a good team, they are a strong team and we know their past as well. I mean, they did so well in IPL. For us, what is important is to play to our strength, what we have been doing, and it’s all about giving our best tomorrow,” said Rahane.
“Each and every individual is capable of winning the game for our team, so I think we should believe in that and believe in our ability. We all know that they play as a unit and we know how strong they are. So, for us, it’s all about playing as a unit against Mumbai Indians tomorrow and play to win.”
Since their loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Capitals have been on a three-day break and Rahane said it was helpful for the team.
“Sometimes it does help, you can actually reflect what went wrong, especially last three games. You can actually think about it and learn from your mistakes. It does help mentally and physically also. You get a break, switch off completely, and think about your own preparations and what your team needs from you.
“I believe in that (the break), it’s all about how you take it. After losing a game, you always learn a lot. In fact, after each and every game, I always believe that you learn something or the other,” he added. (PTI)
India to pursue self reliance, support domestic entrepreneurs : Rajiv Kumar
NEW DELHI, Oct 30: India will pursue self reliance and give domestic entrepreneurs the best possible environment to go forward, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said today.
Kumar while addressing a virtual event organised by industry body FICCI further said India is committed to the global economy and opening trade order.
“We will pursue self reliance, we will give our domestic entrepreneurs the best possible environment to go forward. We will, while attracting FDI, also repose our faith and trust in those who have already invested in India,” he said.
Kumar also noted that the government will give more space to private entrepreneurs, because without them whether domestic or foreign, India will not be able to achieve the kind of sustainable growth that the country wants.
“Yes, we will do all of this, as all other nations have done. But it will be done in the global context. It will be done in India, remaining open.
“It will be done with India trying to regain its share in global and regional production chains, it will be done with the respect to multilateral trading orders, and rule bound orders” he emphasised. Kumar also pointed out that if any support to domestic industry will be given by the government through tariffs then it would have an in-built sunset clause.
“And it will not imply in any sense, any form of isolation or protectionism,” he said.
Kumar also pointed out that the government has introduced production linked incentive (PLI) schemes for 9-10 sectors and in case of 4 sectors, government decisions have already been taken. “The objective of PLI schemes is to incentivise investors in this country to put up globally comparable capacity in scale and in competitiveness,” he said.
Noting that the government has taken COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity Kumar said,”we have rationalised the labour laws, we have liberated our farmers, we have liberalised the FDI scheme.”
He stressed on the need to increase the share of trade in India’s GDP.
“We need to increase spending on health, education,” Kumar said adding human resources, health and welfare will be the centre of India’s growth strategy.
He also said the government is pushing electric mobility in a strong way. (PTI)
BJP MP gives Rs 2.5 lakh to Ladakh boy whose video of saluting soldiers went viral
NEW DELHI, Oct 30: BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday said he has given Rs 2.5 lakh to the parents of a young boy from Ladakh after a video clip of him giving a crisp salute to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel posted in the region went viral.
The video clip of Namgyal saluting a team of ITBP personnel has been widely shared online. It was tweeted by the border patrolling force from its official handle on October 11.
“Namgyal had won the love and respect of an entire nation when a video him giving a crisp salute to the ITBP personnel passing through Shushul in Ladakh emerged,” Chandrasekhar’s office said in a statement.
“Namgyal’s spirit of patriotism encouraged many to call upon for helping the young Ladakh boy to realise his dreams. I have contributed Rs 2.5 lakh for him through Flags of Honour Foundation and a cheque of the same amount has been issued in his father’s name,” the BJP MP said in the statement.
Since its formation in 2009, the Flags of Honour Foundation supported and advocated the cause of the armed forces, the men and women who serve and the veterans who have made tremendous sacrifices for the nation, the statement reads.
In line with this endeavour, Chandrasekhar has sought to reach out to Namgyal’s parents so as to ensure that he shines and some day inspires others to stand tall for the motherland, it said. (PTI)
Facebook using experience from polls in India to stop abuse ahead of US elections
NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said steps taken by the social media giant have helped protect the integrity of more than 200 different elections around the world, including in India, and have also played an important role in stopping abuse ahead of US elections. Noting that next week will certainly be a “test” for Facebook, Zuckerberg said the company will continue “fighting to protect the integrity of the democratic process”.
“These are all changes we’ve made in the last four years — and they’ve helped us protect the integrity of more than 200 different elections around the world, including in the EU, India and Indonesia. And they’ve been important for stopping abuse ahead of next week’s vote in the US,” Zuckerberg said during the company’s earnings call and outlined some of the steps that have been taken.
He added that the company has focused on issues like voter suppression, and has worked closely with experts in the space, including civil rights leaders. Facebook’s security teams were looking for traditional threats like hacking four years ago, but what it ended up seeing was something new — coordinated interference campaigns, using fake accounts, that tried to spread misinformation and discord, he said. “Since then, we’ve built the most advanced systems in the world to find and remove these threats, and it shows in the numbers. In the years since, we’ve taken down more than 100 networks, including from Russia, Iran, and China – and we block millions of potentially abusive accounts every day,” Zuckerberg said.
Zuckerberg explained that the company has taken steps to make ads transparent and anyone who wants to run a political or social issue ad has to go through its authorisation process first.
Between March and September, the company rejected ads 2.2 million times before they could run for trying to target the US without authorisation. For political and social issue ads, Facebook allows users to see who paid for the ad and what audience the ad reached, to make political advertising on the platform more transparent.
“Our policies prohibit misrepresentations of when and how to vote and content meant to intimidate people into not showing up to polling places, like claiming ICE will be there. And we recently expanded these policies to include implicit misrepresentations, like for example, claims that you’ll get COVID by voting in person,” he said.
From March through mid-October, Facebook removed more than 1,35,000 pieces of content in the US for breaking these rules, he added.
“Election integrity is and will be an ongoing challenge… I also know that our work doesn’t stop after November 3rd. So, we will keep anticipating new threats evolving our approach, and fighting to protect the integrity of the democratic process and the right of people to make their voices heard around the world,” Zuckerberg said.
Facebook saw its total revenue grow 22 per cent to USD 21.4 billion in the September quarter, while its net income was at USD 7.8 billion.
Its daily active users (DAUs) base stood at 1.82 billion on average, while monthly active users (MAUs) base was at 2.74 billion as of September 30, 2020.
Zuckerberg also talked about interoperability between Facebook’s family of apps (WhatsApp and Instagram) that allows users to send messages between the apps. (PTI)