NEW DELHI, Feb 2:  Pumped up by robust demand for content, apps and devices across its platform, search giant Google is set to make “strategic” investments in Android, Chrome, YouTube and Enterprise, among others, to further shore up revenue.

The company, headquartered in Mountain View, California, said last week that consolidated revenue rose 17 per cent to USD 16.86 billion in the October-December quarter, helped by strong demand for content, apps and devices. Net income climbed 17 per cent to USD 3.37 billion.

Google said it will continue to invest in three major areas. These include core ads (search and display advertising) and businesses that demonstrate high consumer success, such as YouTube, Android/Play and Chrome.

It will also invest in new businesses towards driving adoption and innovation like social, commerce and enterprise.

Speaking to analysts last week, Google Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette said the firm will continue to invest for the long term and its infrastructure continues to be a key strategic area.

“Our free cash flow, in consequence of all this, was USD 3 billion. So there you have it, strong results and an optimism that provides us the confidence to fund strategic growth opportunities, including Android, Chrome, YouTube, Enterprise, just to name a few,” he told analysts.

In the fourth quarter of 2013, capital expenditure was USD 2.26 billion, a majority of which was used for production equipment, data-centre construction and real estate purchases.

As of December 31, the company had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of USD 58.72 billion. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Feb 2:  Increased use of the Internet, change of tactics like attacking crowded places, recruitment of educated youths, and coordinated activities by several terror groups in the Indian sub-continent pose serious challenge to the country’s security.

A new book, which profiles in detail 39 such groups in the region — ranging from ISI-backed terror outfits to regional ones and Left-wing extremists, says many of them have started coordinating their activities, including sharing arms supplies and transferring funds.

The pattern of terror strikes in India and elsewhere has also shifted from isolated attacks to bombings of crowded places or public transport systems to spread panic among the people, says the book ‘Militant Groups in South Asia’, brought out by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).

It also points out that the decades-long international efforts in the region in the name of ‘war against terror’, have not only failed to contain the menace of terrorism but aggravated the regional security situation.

Analysing the changing pattern of terror and militancy in the South Asian region, the authors — noted security expert Surinder K Sharma and researcher Anshuman Behera — say these groups “pose a critical challenge to the (Indian) state when they come together and coordinate their activities. These groups often come together to fight a common enemy”.

The book not only profiles major militant groups operating in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries, but also provides information on their prevailing status, sources of finance and weapons and other capabilities. It also gives an assessment of what these groups could be capable of doing in the near future.

The organisations include Indian Mujahideen, Hizbul Mujahedeen, Al Ummah, United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and National Democratic Front of Bodoland in India to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jundullah and the Haqqani network in Pakistan, besides Al Qaeda and the United Jihad Council.

Last year’s killing of prominent TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud and selection of commander Mullah Fazlullah as its chief may affect the future security scenario in Pakistan, as well as in India and Afghanistan, the authors, Sharma and Behera, said.

Noting that a large number of Pakistani unemployed youth were joining TTP and were being ingrained with anti-India sentiments, they said that TTP would soon be dragged into action in Kashmir and other parts of India.

It also expressed apprehension that TTP’s network among radical elements in Pakistani armed forces would make it easy for them to gain access to nuclear facilities in Pakistan or carry out “a commando type attack that might cause widespread dispersal of radioactivity”.

With US-led forces set to move out of Afghanistan, the authors expressed apprehensions about a major upswing in terror activities in the Federally Administered Tribal Area in Pakistan in the coming days.

Regarding JeM launched by Masood Azhar who was released from Indian prison during the 1999 Kandahar hijack, the book says such organisations have lately “resumed full-scale public activities” in Pakistan.

“The ISI has been given the task to train the terrorist outfits like the JeM to use cyber and computer technology” to carry out their terror activities, Sharma and Behera said.

On the ULFA, they said while peace talks were continuing with a major faction but being opposed by the one led by Paresh Barua, “any wrong move during the peace talks would attract a number of cadres from the pro-talk faction to join Barua faction”.

Regarding Maoists, the authors say that overt and covert support of civil societies and frontal bodies has helped the extremists legitimise their ideology.

“Failure of the state in reaching the people and winning their hearts and minds is one of the major factors for the growth of Maoists in many parts of the country,” they said, adding effective and efficient land reforms and development initiatives, apart from security measures, were needed to tackle this problem. (AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI, Feb 2:  EPFO’s apex decision making body the Central Board of Trustee (CBT) will consider a proposal to raise the retirement age of organised sector workers to 60 years for its pension at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

Besides, the CBT in this meeting will also deliberate on a proposal to withdraw two years bonus under the pension scheme provided to subscribers after rendering 20 years of pensionable service.

These proposals are included in the agenda for the CBT meeting scheduled on February 5 to be chaired by Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes.

At present, under the Employees’ Pension Scheme(EPS-95), the subscribers of Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) cease to be a member of the pension scheme and can apply for fixation of his/her pension. Thus, he cannot contribute to the scheme after the age of 58 years.

However, there is no age bar for contributing to the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme (EFF) 1952 and Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) Scheme 1976 run by the EPFO, an official said.

The Finance Ministry in its memorandum to Labour Ministry has proposed these amendments in the EPS-95 after giving its concurrence for providing a minimum entitlement of Rs 1,000 minimum monthly pension under the scheme.

The Finance Ministry is of the view that raising the retirement age for this purpose will help subscribers accumulate a bigger corpus while delaying the pay-out by two years.

The proposal, if approved, would immediately benefit 27 lakh pensioners. At present, there are about 44 lakh pensioners. Of this 27 lakh, including 5 lakh widows, get less than Rs 1,000 a month.

The Finance Ministry has already agreed to pay Rs 1,217 crore during 2014-15 for ensuring minimum pension of Rs 1,000 per month under the pension scheme.

During the meeting the, CBT is likely to approve the proposal for amending the the EPS-95, EPF and EDLI scheme to enhance the maximum wage ceiling to Rs 15,000 per month from Rs 6,500 per month.

At present, EPFO does not cover organised workers under its social sector schemes whose basic wages including basic pay and dearness allowance exceed Rs 6,500 at the time of joining of service.

Besides other things, the trustees will also consider the proposal for computing the pensionable salary. It is proposed to calculate pensionable salary on the basis of average of salary last 60 months instead of 12 months presently.

The pensionable salary is used for fixing pension of the EPFO subscribers after attaining the age of 58 years. (PTI)

KOLKATA, Feb 2:  Noting that museology is a neglected field in the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said Indian Museum in Kolkata, the oldest in Asia, should come forward to lead a change.

“Unfortunately, museology is a woefully neglected field in India. The Indian Museum can and must take a leadership role in this regard. By doing so, it will not only enrich its own collection, but will also help other museums across the country,” Singh said at the inaugural function of the bicentenary celebrations of the museum here.

Calling upon the museum management to see itself as an agent of change and development, the Prime Minister said in order to make a difference the first requirement is to train and develop its personnel.

“As it renews its journey, it should seriously think about its role as a purveyor of knowledge. It is not enough in today’s world to house a collection,” Singh said.

The PM further said that a museum needs to document, study and analyse its own collections, make comparisons with similar collections held elsewhere and build up collaborations with other great museums whose collections reflect and shed light on what it holds.

Highlighting the importance of museums in attracting tourists, he said many great cities are defined by the presence of some outstanding museums as people travel thousands of miles to visit them.

Founded in 1814 by Asiatic Society of Bengal, Indian Museum is the earliest and the largest multipurpose museum in Asia.

The PM released a commemorative postal stamp and a monograph to mark the 200 years of the institution, which is the biggest repository of Indian antiquity and heritage.

He said over time the role and purpose of museums all over the world have undergone transformation and another connotation – a building dedicated to the pursuit of learning or the arts has been added.

“Museum is a collection and also an institution of learning and the dissemination of learning,” Singh said.

Stating that a visit to the museum should be “truly enriching” and a complete experience, Singh said, “This means extensive support in terms of signage, documentation and cataloguing. Museums must become attractive places where visitors can observe and learn in a relaxing atmosphere.”

He stressed on the need for Indian Museum to build up that kind of infrastructure and take its rightful place as one of the great museums of the world and asked the authorities to introduce multi-lingual audio guides that would give visitors a detailed and authentic account of the major items and displays.

“It should be the objective of the museum to become and essential port of call for any visitor to Kolkata, especially those from abroad. It should offer the visitor an exciting and educative prospect of spending a few hours sampling the best of Indian art, sculpture, and other historical artifacts, giving a glimpse of our extraordinary rich traditions,” Singh said.

Noting that the Indian Museum was popularly known as ‘Jaadughar’, Singh said the word ‘Jaadu’ represents both magic and wonder.

“The challenge is to enhance both and make the museum space more alluring, because it is only a magic-like fascination with the wonders that lie within the portals here that will enable the museum to remain relevant for the next 200 years,” the PM said adding that it should be made more lively and interactive.

After inaugurating the newly-renovated campus of Indian Museum, which was closed to visitors since September, the PM also went around the renovated galleries along with West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The Rs 100 crore renovation is funded by the Union Ministry of Culture. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Feb 2:  Hit by five cyclones on its eastern coast last year, India is planning to procure a NASA aircraft equipped with a lab to study wind patterns at high altitude for better prediction of such calamities.

“We are procuring McDonnell Douglas DC-8 aircraft from NASA and we should hopefully get it by 2015-2016. This aircraft has a laboratory within itself and will be helpful in studying wind patterns,” Ministry of Earth Science (MoES) Secretary Shailesh Nayak told.

The government has also tied up with University of Massachusetts, US for research on weather patterns in the country especially in the Bay of Bengal, he said.

“The aircraft will help in gathering data at high altitudes, especially the wind patterns, and to conduct experiments in the aircraft itself,” a scientist at MoES said.

This assumes significance as several cyclones, including the powerful Phailin that left a trail of destruction, had hit the country’s eastern coast last year.

Indian Meteorological Department chief Laxman Singh Rathore had last month said five cyclones including Phailin and Helen had originated in the Bay of Bengal.

A senior scientist from the MoES said that wind is a major factor in determining the atmosphere and despite predictions of cyclones, it was necessary to study wind patterns in depth.

“We know why cyclones take place and the formation process, but it was also important to understand why so many cyclones were hitting the eastern coast,” the scientist said.

NASA uses the DC-8 aircraft as a flying science laboratory. The platform aircraft, based at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in California, collects data for several experiments in support of scientific projects.

Data gathered by the aircraft and by remote sensing have been used for studies in archaeology, ecology, geography, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, volcanology, atmospheric chemistry, cryospheric science, soil science and biology. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Feb 2:  Rishang Keishing, India’s oldest Parliamentarian and member of the first Lok Sabha in 1952, has decided to call it a day after seven decades in public life.

95-year-old Keishing, whose present term of Rajya Sabha ends in April, feels it is time to say goodbye to active politics as he has served enough in public life.

“I think, I have had enough of public life. I have to retire,” Keishing told in an interview.

Having seen various ups and downs in the country’s political scene since freedom struggle, he remembers the day when former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had asked him to join Congress in 1962.

Going down the memory lane, Keishing feels proud that he had the privilege to work with three generations of Nehru-Gandhi family beginning from Nehru till Sonia Gandhi.

A second-time member in Rajya Sabha, the veteran Parliamentarian, who was four times Chief Minister of troubled Manipur and had two tenures in Lok Sabha, says with pride, “I have worked with Pandit jee (Nehru), Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia jee.”

Having been elected on a Socialist Party ticket in 1952 to Lok Sabha, Keishing joined Congress in 1962 — a moment which he narrated clearly with all minute details.

“Pandit Nehru welcomed me with a warm heart. He was an outstanding leader.

Keishing, a former school teacher who hails from Naga- dominated Ukhrul district, plans to devote his retired life in farming, gardening and doing things which he said he could not do earlier due to busy life.

“Gardening is my favourite past time. I will also devote time in horticulture, specially medicinal plants,” he said.

Keishing survived a bid on his life during his tenure as chief minister in 1985 when his convoy was attacked by rebels. Four of his PSOs were killed and several injured in that attack.

He said even though he would retire from active public life, he would continue to remain engage in contributing for the welfare of the northeastern region, particularly his state Manipur.

“Communication network in northeast continues to be poor, primitive farming is still prevalent and total peace is yet to come. I will continue to contribute whatever I could,” he said.

Keishing was felicitated for being the member of first Lok Sabha by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in December 2003 on the occasion of the celebration of 200th Session of Rajya Sabha.

He was also felicitated as a serving Member of Parliament by the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of Rajya Sabha at a function held on May 13, 2012, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Parliament. (PTI)