ZURICH, Oct 27: FIFA president Gianni Infantino has tested positive for COVID-19.
The governing body of world soccer said Tuesday that Infantino has mild symptoms and “has immediately placed himself in self-isolation and will remain in quarantine at least for 10 days.”
People who have come into contact with the 50-year-old Swiss lawyer in recent days have been informed “to take the necessary steps,” FIFA said.
Infantino has travelled little during the coronavirus pandemic, but he attended a signing ceremony at the White House last month to mark normalised relations for Israel with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Infantino’s infection comes as Switzerland reports a spike in COVID-19 cases. Switzerland has reported 127,000 cases this year, with more than 23,000 since last Friday. (AP)
MUMBAI, Oct 27: The Reserve Bank on Tuesday asked all lending institutions, including non-banking financial companies, to ensure that the scheme of waiver of interest on interest for loans up to Rs 2 crore for the six-month moratorium period is implemented by November 5, as decided by the government.
Last Friday, the government had announced the scheme for grant of ex-gratia payment of difference between compound interest and simple interest for six months to borrowers in specified loan accounts.
The lending institutions have been asked to complete the exercise of crediting the amount in the accounts of borrowers by November 5.
Housing loans, education loans, credit card dues, auto loans, MSME loans, consumer durable loans and consumption loans are covered under the scheme.
The scheme mandates ex-gratia payment to certain categories of borrowers by way of crediting the difference between simple interest and compound interest for the period between March 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020 by respective lending institutions.
“All lending institutions are advised to be guided by the provisions of the Scheme and take necessary action within the stipulated timeline,” the RBI said in a notification.
In a tweet, office of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said “RBI advises all lending institutions to be guided by the provisions of the scheme for grant of ex-gratia payment of difference between compound interest & simple interest for 6 months to borrowers in specified loan accounts & take necessary action within the stipulated timeline”.
The finance ministry had issued the operational guidelines on October 23, in the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s direction to implement the interest waiver scheme.
The apex court on October 14, directed the Centre to implement “as soon as possible” interest waiver on loans of up to Rs 2 crore under the RBI moratorium scheme in view of the COVID-19 pandemic saying the common man’s Diwali is in the government’s hands.
As per the scheme, the lending institutions shall credit the difference between compound interest and simple interest with regard to the eligible borrowers in respective accounts for the said period irrespective of whether the borrower fully or partially availed the moratorium on repayment of loan announced by the RBI on March 27, 2020.
The scheme is also applicable on those who have not availed the moratorium scheme and continued with the repayment of loans.
The lending institutions after crediting the amount will claim the reimbursement from the central government.
The RBI had announced a moratorium on repayment of debt for six months beginning March 1, 2020 to help businesses and individuals tide over the financial problems on account of disruption in normal business activities. (PTI)
Mumbai, Oct 27: EV maker Kinetic Green is looking to set up a manufacturing facility for electric golf carts besides a battery swapping unit at an investment of Rs 1,750 crore in Andhra Pradesh, a top company official said.
Kinetic Green Energy & Power Solutions, which is a part of the Pune-based Kinetic Group, had in February 2018 announced setting up of a joint venture with Tonino Lamborghini in India for design and manufacture of premium segment golf carts and other electric off-road vehicles.
“We are exploring the possibility of setting up a unit in SEZ for the golf cart project. It is in the proposal phase. It is a combination of a unit in SEZ and we are also looking at investment in setting up battery swapping (infrastructure) to promote electric three-wheelers irrespective of the brand,” Kinetic Green founder and CEO Sulajja Firodia Motwani told PTI in an interaction.
She said the company has submitted a proposal to the Andhra Pradesh government, and it is awaiting the government’s response.
Motwani said the two projects– setting up a manufacturing facility for electric golf carts and a battery swapping unit — entail an investment of Rs 1,750 crore.
“For Lamborghini , we are looking to set up a plant in SEZ because that will allow us to have an attractive export opportunity,” she said adding that separately, the company is looking at setting up a battery swapping unit for three-wheelers.
“We are looking at these opportunities as part of our proposal,” Motwani added.
She said Andhra Pradesh is the largest three-wheeler market in the country but only for the high-speed three-wheelers.
“There is no e-rickshaw market there. So, if you have to penetrate in the high-speed market you have to have battery swapping (facility) because then the vehicle becomes very attractive.”
Kinetic Green plans to set up the battery swapping infrastructure in the key cities of Andhra Pradesh so that three-wheelers can be sold in a large number, Motwani said.
“The network that we are looking at is not only for our three- wheelers but for any brand,” he added. (PTI)
NEW DELHI, Oct 27: Mumbai-based video-making platform InVideo on Tuesday said it has raised around Rs 110 crore in series A round of funding led by Sequoia Capital India.
The round also saw participation from Tiger Global, Hummingbird, RTP Global and Base, the company said.
“This fresh capital injection will allow us to continue our mission to build a world-class technology solution, expand at scale and help more individuals and businesses create unique videos that fit their needs in the easiest way possible,” InVideo CEO and co-founder Sanket Shah said in a statement.
InVideo was launched in April 2019 by Shah and Harsh Vakharia.
The platform claims to have over 8 lakh users from more than 150 countries who have created videos in over 75 languages.
“We believe the global SaaS companies of tomorrow are going to be built from India. And with their stellar product, design and tech capabilities, InVideo is well-placed to become the platform of choice for video creation in a potentially USD 10 billion (about Rs 73,700 crore) market,” Sequoia Capital India LLP, vice president, Prateek Sharma said. (PTI)
New Delhi, Oct 27: The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) benefits for 2019-20 at the earliest.
All our members are reeling under the financial stress as it has become difficult for them to manage anymore and survive without any earnings in the past 7 months, IATO said in a letter to the PM.
“For 2019-20, SEIS has not been announced by the government during this difficult time, whereas our members have already spent the funds for marketing, promotions to compete with our neighbouring countries, anticipating that SEIS will be given to tour operators,” IATO President Pronab Sarkar said.
Without the support of SEIS benefits, tour operators shall not be able to perform and compete with their neighbouring countries and attract more foreign tourists to India, he added.
“May we, therefore, request your good office that our following request may kindly be considered on priority to help the tourism industry — To announce the SEIS scrips for 2019-20 at the earliest, and to increase SEIS scrips percentage from seven per cent to 10 per cent for the tour operators/travel agents,” the letter said.
SEIS benefits are being given to the tourism industry based on their foreign exchange earnings under the Foreign Trade Policy. (PTI)
WASHINGTON, Oct 27: Scientists have confirmed, for the first time, the presence of water on the sunlit surface of the Moon, a discovery which indicates that water molecules may be distributed across the lunar surface, and not limited to the cold, shadowed places as previously thought.
Using NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), the researchers, including those from the University of Hawaii in the US, detected water molecules (H2O) in Clavius Crater — one of the largest craters visible from the Earth, located in the Moon’s southern hemisphere.
While earlier studies of the Moon’s surface, including those conducted during the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-1 mission, detected some form of hydrogen, the NASA scientists said these were unable to distinguish between water and its close chemical relative, hydroxyl (OH).
Data from the current study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, revealed that the Clavius Crater region has water in concentrations of 100 to 412 parts per million — roughly equivalent to a 12-ounce bottle of water — trapped in a cubic meter of soil spread across the lunar surface.
As a comparison, the researchers said the Sahara desert has 100 times the amount of water than what SOFIA detected in the lunar soil.
“Prior to the SOFIA observations, we knew there was some kind of hydration. But we didn’t know how much, if any, was actually water molecules — like we drink every day — or something more like drain cleaner,” said Casey Honniball, the lead author of the study from the University of Hawaii.
Despite the small amounts, they said the discovery raises new questions about how water is created and how it persists on the harsh, airless lunar surface.
“We had indications that H2O — the familiar water we know — might be present on the sunlit side of the Moon. Now we know it is there. This discovery challenges our understanding of the lunar surface and raises intriguing questions about resources relevant for deep space exploration,” said Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Whether the water SOFIA found is easily accessible for use as a resource remains to be determined, the researchers added.
According to the scientists, SOFIA offered a new means of looking at the Moon, flying at altitudes of up to 45,000 feet.
They said the modified Boeing 747SP jetliner with a 106-inch diameter telescope reaches above 99 per cent of the water vapor in the Earth’s atmosphere to get a clearer view of radiation from the universe in the infrared wavelength.
Using its Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST), the researchers said SOFIA was able to pick up the specific wavelength unique to water molecules and discovered a relatively surprising concentration in the sunny Clavius Crater.
“Without a thick atmosphere, water on the sunlit lunar surface should just be lost to space. Yet somehow we’re seeing it. Something is generating the water, and something must be trapping it there,” Honniball said.
The scientists believe several forces could be at play in the delivery or creation of this water.
One possibility they said could be from micrometeorites raining down on the lunar surface, carrying small amounts of water, which may deposit the water on the lunar surface upon impact.
The researchers hypothesised that there may also be a two-step process whereby the Sun’s solar wind delivers hydrogen to the lunar surface and causes a chemical reaction with oxygen-bearing minerals in the soil to create hydroxyl.
Meanwhile, they said radiation from the bombardment of micrometeorites could be transforming that hydroxyl into water.
Commenting on how the water was stored on the lunar surface, the scientists noted that the water could be trapped into tiny beadlike structures in the soil that form out of the high heat created by micrometeorite impacts.
Another possibility is that the water could be hidden between grains of lunar soil and sheltered from the sunlight –potentially making it a bit more accessible than water trapped in beadlike structures, they noted in a statement.
“It was, in fact, the first time SOFIA has looked at the Moon, and we weren’t even completely sure if we would get reliable data, but questions about the Moon’s water compelled us to try,” said Naseem Rangwala, SOFIA’s project scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in the US.
“It’s incredible that this discovery came out of what was essentially a test, and now that we know we can do this, we’re planning more flights to do more observations,” Rangwala added. (PTI)
Dr. Dushyant Pradeep
It’s a very well-known fact that nothing is constant in this world and the only constant in life is a change. The said fact is very true for this present era of modern or digital world that grows and evolves in various different ways. The technology has shown its power to transform our lives as we know it and the traditional classrooms have been influenced by the variance of this technology in our life. This has created a war of words to decides the benefits of the either system of education i.e. either the New or Modern or Smart or Digital system is beneficial or the old tradition education system. Let’s understand the difference between digital and traditional educational system.
As we all know the Traditional education has been imparted in schools since centuries across the globe in classrooms using the tools of a blackboard / whiteboards, chalkboard, textbooks, assessments, and assignments. The students took admissions in these physical schools and attended classes across the week. These classes were controlled and monitored by the teachers who stood at the head of the class and gave out instructions for the students to follow their instructions. It has a face to face interaction between the student and mentor.
But in case of digital/smart education system, a variety of digital tools ranging from smartphones, tablets, laptops, projectors, starboards, digital textbooks, etc. are used for instructions and illustrations.In this system the main focus is using audio-visual tools to engage the student. The physical assignments as in traditional system are now being relieved by the digital or online assignments.In this smart education system, the mentor or educator is a guide who helps the students to navigate their learning process via independent learning systems such that they are customized and personalized to suit the learning style and pace of the student. The digital learning classrooms do not need the students to attend them physically as learning can take place mainly online. The student can attend and learn the course anytime, anywhere at a self-paced manner.
Advantages of Digital System
* Flexibility
In a traditional education system, students have a constant pressure to keep up with co-students and perform at a speed that they may not be comfortable in.As on the other hand, a smart education system is characterized by the flexibility which allows all the students to learn at their own pace, without reviewing the topics repeatedly andclearing the doubts with the teachers.
Also,digital education allows the learners to learn at a place of their choice or can customize to a suitable learning environment. Instead of sitting in a physical classroom with multiple distractions an online system has the flexibility to create an environment that is best conducive to the learning of students. This can range from learning while sitting at their place or creating a home learning environment with soft-focus music and even stocking up of tea.
* Economical
The traditional schooling has a few mandatory fees that every student must have to pay, related to using classroom space, school resources and equipment. But these dues are not applicable to an online course and with the right tools and software, a learner can enjoy large discounts on the courses that they have applied for.
* Courses
The present education systemis not bound by space or time constraints. This is the prime reason that they can offer their students a larger number of courses compared to traditional educational institutes. Thus, a smart learner has access to a larger number of courses that they can take at any time anywhere at their convenience for the expansion of their learning.
* Communication between Teacher and learner
The biggest benefits of taking the digital system is that it offers students multiple channels of communication with the teachers. Instead of waiting to speak with the teacher after class or taking a special appointment for clearing doubts, the online students can clear their doubts by mailing the teacher or chatting with him on the messaging boards, access to teachers, experts, and student guides increases their confidence in the subject.
This is also especially suitable for introverted students who are too shy to ask questions in class.
* Interactive System
Students of an online course can join any online study groups and collaborate with their peers to learn faster and better. This not only broadens their learning but opens their minds to new thoughts and ideas related to their subject. Online learners thus get an understanding of new trends in the subjects of their interests and stay updated at all times through collaboration with peer learners.
Disadvantages
* Social Isolation causing lack of social learning
Social learning refers to the elements of learning where the students learn by interacting with each other. The peer network becomes a support system that not only helps in learning but also shapes the character of the students as they learn to share and respect others. However, the smart learning system allows for only limited indirect interaction with other students and this may often lead to isolated students
* Extracurricular activities
In a traditional learning system, the extracurricular activities give the students, offers the students plenty of opportunities to showcase their hidden talent to others. This boosts their self-confidence and helps in personality development.
The capabilities of the present generation are slowly evolving due to the numerous opportunities that online education system offers to the learner. The new generation of smart and digital education offers the students multiple intelligent education systems that use visual techniques together with technology to present information in a more effective and interactive manner. This enhances the capabilities of next-generation learner students to improve their understanding and learning. This way of smart learning also helps the students retain what they learnt for longer periods of time.Today, access to technology broadens minds due to the variety of information available to the learner. In a world where traditional classroom systems are considered boring, the Smart learning system transforms learning into a fun and exciting adventure.A smart education goes a long way in preparing the child and imparting skills for a future workspace.
Online learning can be a very rewarding experience. Because not only does it allows the learners to continue learning without giving up due to their career. It also allows them to interact with other students and peers around the world. With so many factors to consider, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question which one is better. Taking living situation, learning style, and career goals into consideration will help you make a decision that fits your individual circumstances. But there is no question that online learning has caught up and even surpassed traditional learning on many metrics.
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
New Delhi, Oct 27: Hindustan Media Ventures Ltd (HMVL) on Tuesday said its board has approved investing up to Rs 6 crore in digital platform for college admissions ReviewAdda to pick 10.71 per cent stake.
Under the proposed investment, basis the existing capital structure of ReviewAdda, the company will acquire either equity shares or convertible equity linked instruments which can be converted into equity shares equivalent to 10.71 per cent equity stake in ReviewAdda, HMVL said in a regulatory filing.
“The board of directors of Hindustan Media Ventures… Approved the proposal to invest up to Rs 6 crore in equity shares and/or convertible equity linked instruments of ReviewAdda,” it stated.
ReviewAdda owns and operates www.Reviewadda.Com which help admission seekers in selecting and applying to various colleges and universities.
HMVL on Monday reported a 77.8 per cent decline in its consolidated net profit to Rs 4.41 crore for the second quarter ended September.
The company had posted a net profit of Rs 19.86 crore in the July-September quarter a year ago, it said.
Its revenue from operations was down 31.92 per cent to Rs 131.21 crore during the period under review, against Rs 192.74 crore in the corresponding period of the previous financial year, the company said. (PTI)
Kamal Sangra
Behind every great fortune lies a great crime– Honoré de Balzac
Vigilance Awareness Week is being observed by the Central Vigilance Commission since 2000 with a view to promote probity in public life and achieving a corruption free society. The week beginning October 27 shall see numerous activities revolving around this year’s theme: ‘Satark Bharat, Samriddh Bharat’ (Vigilant India, Prosperous India). The Central Vigilance Commission is of the considered view that corruption is a serious unethical practice that undermines trust and confidence in public officials and that public confidence can only be gained by promoting integrity in governance. Looking back, ‘Eradicate Corruption – Build a New India’ and ‘Integrity – A way of Life’ has been the theme of the Awareness Weeks in the year 2018 and 2019 respectively. Evidently, twenty years on, corruption continues to remain at the centre stage in Vigilance Awareness Week year after year.
Vigilance Awareness Week
This year the week coincides with some significant happenings globally and back home wherein the issues pertaining to corruption are being debated robustly. It has come at a time when abrogation of Article 370 and the newly formed Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh completes one year of their formation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah may be recalled having said that special status of the erstwhile state of J&K was the root cause of corruption. Globally, US elections are less than a fortnight away in which US President Donald Trump in his speeches has been attacking his Democratic challenger Joe Biden saying he is a ‘disaster’ and a ‘corrupt’ politician while Biden is charging Trump with the same.
Despite the fact that vigilance awareness week is being celebrated every year, corruption in different areas of administration has not shown any relent. J&K continue to rally amongst the top corrupt states and UTs in India and this ranking has not shown any downward trend though different political parties remained on the scene all this while. The reason is simple. The crusade against corruption continues to target and focus on the middle and lower rung tainted Government officials but the political-bureaucratic-business elite remain untouched.
Let’s take a stock of the efforts made by successive Chief Ministers in tackling the menace of corruption in J&K. Mufti Mohd Sayeed started the process of dismissing middle and lower ranks tainted government officials. Gulam Nabi Azad in 2007 called for a social sanction against people responsible for inducement of corruption and underlined the need for a legislation to deal with such elements. Omar Abdullah in January 2009 began by paying a surprise visit to police station Gandhi Nagar Jammu and suspended the Munshi for not updating the Roznamcha. Mehbooba Mufti dismissed 63 middle and lower ranks Government officials after being booked by anti-graft bodies in different cases. Former Governor N. N .Vohra in 2008 had expressed his concerns over the menace of corruption and had called for restoring the trust of the people in the administration by making it more transparent and corruption free. Ten years later, his successor Satya Pal Malik during his brief stint as Governor J&K showed his serious concern at every platform and admitted, “those in power, be it political, administrative or business live like Mughal emperor Jahangir and the poor mule owner of Kashmir even doesn’t have a sweater to wear.” He even called corruption as one of the main causes of terrorism.
One can infer that successive Heads of J&K though honestly felt concerned about the issue of corruption but, unfortunately, erred in their understanding of the Government’s role in eliminating the same. Almost everyone agrees that corruption is rampant but ignores to fix the fundamental responsibility of the same on the Government. Their rhetorical statements doesn’t soothe the sufferings of the commoners visiting patwarkhana, police stations, municipal offices, courts and other Government offices for their day to day needs where they encounter corrupt officials one way or the other.
The incumbent Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha too has observed that corruption free and transparent, accountable, people-centric governance is the priority of the present dispensation. There is no monosyllabic answer how he would ensure transparency and accountability in his desired people-centric governance but there is a thumb rule ‘corruption never takes place in isolation and it flows from top to bottom’ which he must keep in mind while formulating the policies and assessing the performance of the departments.
While considering the way forward, first and foremost, there must be a ‘Will’ to deliver and the crusade against corruption has to be ruthless irrespective of rank and the status of a person. With those having accumulated disproportionate wealth or misused their official positions in the past must be punished as there is no deterrence if past corrupts goes scot-free. We must bear in mind that a corrupt produces more corrupt and unpunished corrupt undermines public trust as well. The drastic reforms and legislations to fight corruption must be made as there has not been a single case of a politician, bureaucrat, businessman or a man in uniform who has been transparently investigated, effectively charge sheeted and fairly prosecuted in J&K.
It’s also important to bear in mind that corruption thrives in a legal flux; any lapse in investigation always go in favour of the corrupt. Almost all the 63 officials declared deadwood and prematurely retired by the Government few years back joined back after their termination orders were struck down by the courts on various grounds. Many tainted officials facing serious charges of corruption have even been elevated and given prime postings by successive Governments ignoring the honest and dedicated public servants.
Investigating agencies must bear in mind that big fishes always float in the influential and privileged deep water of power where politicians and bureaucrats have absolute discretion in the ‘decision’ making process in which middle and lower rung officials have no say at all. Making lower or middle rung officials as accused may give some media glare but the menace of corruption through the political-bureaucratic-business elite will continue to thrive. Had the previous dispensations gone beyond the cosmetic measures of handling corruption, we wouldn’t have had to ride on the bumpy roads, we wouldn’t have seen the bridges collapsing, we wouldn’t have seen elitists running to private hospitals for Covid-19 treatment, we wouldn’t have seen riches turning to fake NPAs for enjoying the loan settlements. There is still a hope but only if we succeed in going beyond the ritualism.
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
NEW DELHI, Oct 27: Sharing best practices, knowledge and engaging investors from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member nations will help strengthen startup ecosystem, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.
Launching the India-SCO Startup Forum, he said creativity, innovation and disruption will be the new mandate in the emerging future.
The minister said the new unique concepts that startups come up with will get a much larger engagement through this forum.
“Sharing our best practices, knowledge, engaging corporates and investors from all the member nations, monetising and mobilising capital, setting up incubators, providing exposure and scale with market access will certainly help the worthy ideas of our startups’ innovations,” Goyal said.
SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) members are China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
He added that this forum is an opportunity for all the member nations to share and learn from their experiences.
Speaking at the event, Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Guruprasad Mohapatra said that since the launch of the startup India initiative in 2016, over 35,500 startups are recognised by the government, and they are in 590 districts of 28 states and 8 UTs.
He said the forum will lay the foundation for multinational cooperations and engagement among the member states to develop and strengthen their startup ecosystem collectively.
The forum would help in empowering the local startup ecosystem, and enable access to investors and corporates in startups.
The forum was jointly launched by industry body CII and DPIIT. (PTI)
