Monthly Archives: November 2017

Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2017 – Declaration of Final Result

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The following are the lists, in order of merit of 209 (124+75+10) candidates who have qualified on the basis of the results of the Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2017 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission in February, 2017 and SSB interviews held by the Services Selection Board of the Ministry of Defence for admission to the 144th Course of Indian Military Academy, Dehradun; Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala and Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Pre-Flying) Training Course i.e. No. 203 F (P) Course.

There are some common candidates in the three lists for various courses.

The number of vacancies, as intimated by the Government is 150 for Indian Military Academy [including 19 vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ certificates (Army Wing) holders], 45 for Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala Executive(General Service) [including 06 vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ Certificate holders (Naval Wing)] and 32 for Air Force Academy, Hyderabad.

The Commission had recommended 3611,2154 and 650 as qualified in the written test for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy respectively. The number of candidates finally qualified are those after SSB test conducted by Army Head Quarters.

The results of Medical examination have not been taken into account in preparing these lists.

Verification of date of birth and educational qualifications of these candidates is still under process by the Army Headquarters. The candidature of all these candidates is, therefore, Provisional on this score. Candidates are requested to forward their certificates, in original, in support of Date of Birth/Educational qualification etc. claimed by them, along with Photostat attested copies thereof to Army Headquarters /Naval Headquarters /Air Headquarters, as per their first choice.

In case, there is any change of address, the candidates are advised to promptly intimate directly to the Army Headquarters /Naval Headquarters /Air Headquarters.

These results will also be available on the UPSC website at http://www.upsc.gov.in. However, marks of the candidates will be available on the website after completion of its complete process i.e. after declaration of final result of Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) for Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2017.

For any further information, the candidates may contact Facilitation Counter near Gate ‘C’ of the Commission’s Office, either in person or on telephone Nos.011-23385271/011-23381125/011-23098543 between 10:00 hours and 17:00 hours on any working day.

Making mosquitoes self-destruct

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Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed transgenic mosquitoes that stably express the Cas9 enzyme in their germline. The addition of Cas9 will enable the use of the CRISPR gene editing tool to make efficient, targeted changes to the mosquitoes’ DNA.

As proof of concept, the researchers used the system to disrupt cuticle, wing, and eye development, producing completely yellow, three-eyed and wingless mosquitoes. Their long-term goal is to use Cas9-expressing mosquitoes together with another technology — called gene drives — to insert and spread genes that suppress the insects while avoiding the resistance that evolution would typically favor. Aedes aegypti are major carriers of dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and zika viruses, and are rapidly becoming resistant to commonly used pesticides.

Published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the study was led by Omar Akbari, an assistant professor of entomology in UCR’s College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and a member of the university’s Institute for Integrative Genome Biology.

Previous efforts to use genome editing to prevent mosquitoes from spreading pathogens have been hampered by low mutation rates, poor survival of edited mosquitoes, and inefficient transmission of disrupted genes to offspring. Akbari and colleagues developed transgenic mosquitoes that stably express a bacterial Cas9 enzyme in the germline, enabling highly efficient genome editing using the CRISPR system. CRISPR works like a pair of molecular scissors, cutting out and replacing specific DNA sequences based on a ribonucleic acid (RNA) guide. In the paper, the team used the system to disrupt genes that control vision, flight and feeding, resulting in mosquitoes with an extra eye, malformed wings, and defects in eye and cuticle color, among other changes.

Akbari said these strains represent the first step toward using gene drive systems to control mosquito populations and reduce the diseases they spread.

“These Cas9 strains can be used to develop split-gene drives which are a form of gene-drive by which the Cas9 and the guide RNA’s are inserted at separate genomic loci and depend on each other for spread. This is the safest way to develop and test gene drives in the laboratory to ensure no spread into the wild,” Akbari said.

Gene drives greatly increase the odds that a gene or set of genes will be passed on to offspring — from 50 percent to 99 percent. This number can potentially increase to 100 percent when a target gene is disrupted in multiple sites, a technique called multiplexing that has recently been mathematically modeled by Akbari and colleagues at UC Berkley.

Gene drives can be used to bias genetic inheritance in favor of rapidly spreading, self-destructive genes — such as those that disrupt fertility — and could be an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to suppress populations of disease-spreading insects.

“Next steps should be undertaken to identify the regulatory sequences that can be used to express the guide RNAs from the genome, and once these sequences are identified developing gene drives in the species should be turnkey,” Akbari said.

Improving clinical trials with machine learning

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Machine learning could improve our ability to determine whether a new drug works in the brain, potentially enabling researchers to detect drug effects that would be missed entirely by conventional statistical tests, finds a new UCL study published in Brain.

“Current statistical models are too simple. They fail to capture complex biological variations across people, discarding them as mere noise. We suspected this could partly explain why so many drug trials work in simple animals but fail in the complex brains of humans. If so, machine learning capable of modelling the human brain in its full complexity may uncover treatment effects that would otherwise be missed,” said the study’s lead author, Dr Parashkev Nachev (UCL Institute of Neurology).

To test the concept, the research team looked at large-scale data from patients with stroke, extracting the complex anatomical pattern of brain damage caused by the stroke in each patient, creating in the process the largest collection of anatomically registered images of stroke ever assembled. As an index of the impact of stroke, they used gaze direction, objectively measured from the eyes as seen on head CT scans upon hospital admission, and from MRI scans typically done 1-3 days later.

They then simulated a large-scale meta-analysis of a set of hypothetical drugs, to see if treatment effects of different magnitudes that would have been missed by conventional statistical analysis could be identified with machine learning. For example, given a drug treatment that shrinks a brain lesion by 70%, they tested for a significant effect using conventional (low-dimensional) statistical tests as well as by using high-dimensional machine learning methods.

The machine learning technique took into account the presence or absence of damage across the entire brain, treating the stroke as a complex “fingerprint”, described by a multitude of variables.

“Stroke trials tend to use relatively few, crude variables, such as the size of the lesion, ignoring whether the lesion is centred on a critical area or at the edge of it. Our algorithm learned the entire pattern of damage across the brain instead, employing thousands of variables at high anatomical resolution. By illuminating the complex relationship between anatomy and clinical outcome, it enabled us to detect therapeutic effects with far greater sensitivity than conventional techniques,” explained the study’s first author, Tianbo Xu (UCL Institute of Neurology).

The advantage of the machine learning approach was particularly strong when looking at interventions that reduce the volume of the lesion itself. With conventional low-dimensional models, the intervention would need to shrink the lesion by 78.4% of its volume for the effect to be detected in a trial more often than not, while the high-dimensional model would more than likely detect an effect when the lesion was shrunk by only 55%.

“Conventional statistical models will miss an effect even if the drug typically reduces the size of the lesion by half, or more, simply because the complexity of the brain’s functional anatomy–when left unaccounted for–introduces so much individual variability in measured clinical outcomes. Yet saving 50% of the affected brain area is meaningful even if it doesn’t have a clear impact on behaviour. There’s no such thing as redundant brain,” said Dr Nachev.

The researchers say their findings demonstrate that machine learning could be invaluable to medical science, especially when the system under study–such as the brain–is highly complex.

“The real value of machine learning lies not so much in automating things we find easy to do naturally, but formalising very complex decisions. Machine learning can combine the intuitive flexibility of a clinician with the formality of the statistics that drive evidence-based medicine. Models that pull together 1000s of variables can still be rigorous and mathematically sound. We can now capture the complex relationship between anatomy and outcome with high precision,” said Dr Nachev.

“We hope that researchers and clinicians begin using our methods the next time they need to run a clinical trial,” said co-author Professor Geraint Rees (Dean, UCL Faculty of Life Sciences).

Southern Star Horse Show – 2017

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1. The equestrian sport patronized by the Maharajas of Rajasthan has transformed house riding into an adventure & competitive sport at national & international levels. While the equestrian sport is competed in various disciplines at national level, Show Jumping, Eventing and Dressage are the prime competitive events at the Olympics. As a unique initiative, Southern Command has combined the Regional Equestrain League with Southern Star Horse Show with the dual aim of spotting the talent for a medal in Olympics as also to provide a visual treat to the horse lovers of Pune. The event will be conducted at Race Course Grounds, Pune Camp from 16 November 2017 to 19 November 2017.

2. Though the National Equestrian championship has been in existance for many years but Regional Equestrian League (REL) commenced in the recent past. Apart from providing an opportunity and platform to the budding riders of both the civil & the Services to compete at various levels, REL also helps to identify the talent at regional level while simultaneously filtering the meritorious & deserving riders for National Championship in various Equestrian sports. It is pertinent to mention that inspite of the prevalence of Equestrian foot marks in the country for decades, an Olympic podium finish has been elusive for the Nation. Set to realise this elusive dream, the journey started with the country joining the league of Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) thus acquiring the eligibility for competing at International events. Riders like JS Ahluwalia, Mohammed Khan, Hussain Khan & Daya Singh, the first ones to represent India in Olympic, were devoid of medals because of their lack of experience and exposure in cross country phase of Eventing. Determined to make a mark at the International level, the sport infrastructure has now been developed in India & also its awareness has risen manifold.

3. Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), the regulating body of Equestrian sports in India started organising Equestrian sports competitions in India for Show Jumping, Eventing & Dressage. With the strong tent pegging contingent garnering country’s first gold medal in 1982 Asiad, equestrianism was brought to the attention of millions. Though the interest in sport has grown but the medals continue to elude the country in Show Jumping & Eventing. Contributions from Services riders like GM Khan, Indrajeet Lamba, AJ Singh, Rajesh Pattu, Palwinder Singh and civ rider Imtiaz Anees have made a mark at International arena. Imtiaz became the first civilian rider to represent India abroad. With the development of the Equestrian Node, sports infrastructure and provision of quality horses, riders like Rajesh Pattu and Bhagirath Singh were able to remain in contention for individual medals in Asian games in 2002 & 2006. In the last ten to fifteen years the civilian involvement has grown enormously as a result of increased equestrian activity in various regions.

4. It is against this back drop that Regional Equestrian League and Southern Star Horse Show is being organised for Puneities with effect from 16 to 19 November 2017 in which participation by promising riders from all over the country is confirmed. To make it a holistic adventure sports and recreational activity, Army band, Dog show, Air show, free pleasure horse riding etc are also being offered as a onetime opportunity for the spectators. The event would be held with its usual pomp and show everyday from 10 AM to 1 PM & 3 to 5.30 PM at the Race Course Grounds, Pune Camp. It’s time for Puneites to avail this unique opportunity with their families and children to break the monotony and witness an enchanting and entertaining competitive equestrian events.

PM greets the people of Jharkhand on their Statehood Day

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Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has greeted the people of Jharkhand on their Statehood Day.

“झारखंड के स्थापना दिवस पर राज्य की जनता को हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। Greetings to the people of Jharkhand on their statehood day. I pray that Jharkhand continues to scale new heights of progress and prosperity”, the Prime Minister said.

300 Cyber security experts to attend first ever Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team Conference

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The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) under the aegis of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology organizing the Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team (APCERT) Conference from November 12-15, 2017 in New Delhi. This is the 15th Conference of APCERT and first ever conference in India and South Asia and is expected to be attended by 21 economies.

The conference theme is “Building Trust in the Digital Economy”. November 12-14 are closed for AGM and other APCERT meetings. The open session including industry, academia, civil society and Government stakeholders will be held on November 15, 2017 at Hotel The Ashok, New Delhi.

This will be inaugurated by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, and is expected to be attended by over 300 cyber security professionals from the Asia Pacific region, USA, Europe, Industry, Academia, Government and Media.

This conference would cover contemporary topics around strategies of CERTs, Technology and Instruments for building trust in digitally evolving economies and best practices for handling cyber security in mobile and social media.

Curtain Raiser Event held for the Founding Ceremony of International Solar Alliance in Bonn

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A Curtain Raiser Event for the Founding Ceremony of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held at Bonn, Germany on Monday, November 13, 2017.

Speaking at the event, Shri Anand Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India hoped that, in the spirit of affirmative action, developed countries will earmark a percentage of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) towards solar energy projects in developing countries. He suggested that Multilateral Development Banks and other financial institutions provide wholehearted support for solar projects through low cost finance, and research & technology institutions worldwide try their utmost to bring the cost of solar power and storage within the reach of all. Shri Kumar also invited corporates and other institutions to support solar energy development and deployment in every possible manner.

Recalling that the ISA initiative is the vision of Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Kumar reaffirmed Indian Government’s continued support for the ISA. He also spoke about the Government plans to increase the share of renewable energy in India’s energy mix, especially towards achieving cumulative installed renewable power capacity of 175GW by 2022.

Secretary, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, Shri C.K. Mishra, underlined the need for visualising solar energy in the context of sustainable development goals. He emphasised upon the need for arranging technologies, finance and capacity building for solar energy projects, as well as for developing storage technologies. He also suggested that there is a need to work in the areas of renewable power evacuation and application of off-grid solar energy.

Interim Director General of the ISA, Shri Upendra Tripathy, informed that ISA will become a treaty-based international intergovernmental organisation on 6 December 2017. 44 countries have already signed the ISA treaty, and many more are set to join. He spoke on the ISA’s three ongoing programmes: facilitating affordable finance for solar, scaling up solar applications for agriculture, and promoting solar mini-grids in Member Nations. The discussions also covered the ISA’s Common Risk Mitigation Mechanism (CRMM) project, aimed at de-risking investments into solar energy projects in developing countries, and thereby, encouraging flow of funds into the sector.

Speaking at the occasion, H.E. Ségolène Royal, Special Envoy for the implementation of the ISA, Government of France, emphasised upon five key points to accelerate global solar deployment: setting concrete goals, developing and leveraging common tools, enhancing projects, establishing decentralised PV solutions, and forging new partnerships that capitalise on complementary capabilities.

The ISA was jointly launched on 30 November 2015 by Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, and then-President of France, H.E. François Hollande, on the side lines of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties 21 (CoP21) at Paris, France. The ISA is a treaty-based alliance of 121 prospective solar-rich Member Nations situated fully or partially between the Tropics, and aims at accelerating development and deployment of solar energy globally.

President Inaugurates 37th India International Trade Fair-2017

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President Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 37th India International Trade Fair (IITF) -2017, on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that IITF is more than just a trade fair or exhibition. Commencing every year on November 14, it is a showcase of India on the global stage. It is also a symbol of India’s ancient and enduring commitment to international trade.

The President said that instinctively we have been an open society – free to trade winds and cultural exchanges. We have valued a liberal, rules-based international trading order. This is part of our DNA. And this is the legacy that modern India and IITF are building on.

The President said that this year’s IITF takes place at a point when India is recognised as one of the bright spots of the global economy. The world has acknowledged the changed business environment in India and the strides made in ease of doing business. The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax has been a milestone. It has broken down barriers between states. As a result of these efforts, there has been a sharp rise in FDI in the past three years – from US$ 36 billion in 2013-14 to US$ 60 billion in 2016-17, he said.

The President said that 3,000 exhibitors, including 222 companies from abroad, are participating at IITF 2017. Thirty-two of India’s states and Union territories are represented. Institutions that are present range from self-help groups to big business houses, and from small and medium manufacturing enterprises to digital start-ups. IITF is a mini-India. It is a snapshot of the diversity and the sheer energy of this subcontinent.

The President said that the focus of India’s economic reforms and policies is to eliminate poverty and enhance the prosperity of millions of ordinary families. Trade must help common people. They are the ultimate stakeholders. The government of India’s key initiatives – such as Make in India, Digital India, Start-up India, Stand-up India, Skill India, Smart Cities, and the resolve to double farmers’ incomes – are all an attempt to make economic reforms more meaningful to those at the grassroots.

Children’s Day 2017: President Gives Away National Child Awards

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President of India Ram Nath Kovind, presented the National Child Awards on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of Children’s Day.

The National Child Awards include the National Child Awards for Exceptional Achievement that give recognition to children with exceptional abilities and outstanding achievements in the fields of innovation, scholastic achievements, sports, arts, culture, social service and music; National Awards for Child Welfare to institutions and individuals for their outstanding work in the field of child welfare; and the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Awards to individuals for their outstanding contribution towards service for children.

In a message sent to the Ministry of Women and Child Development on the occasion of the Children’s Day, the President said, “Children are the future of our country. We must make every effort to ensure their welfare. We should also make all possible efforts to ensure that children in our country have a safe and happy childhood. Every child is a bud waiting to blossom. By awarding children, we recognise and encourage their talent and potential for nation building. We should also recognise the significant contribution of individuals and institutions who work for causes related to children.”

Later in the day, the President celebrated Children’s Day with students/children from various schools/institutions at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Ileana Once Thought of Committing Suicide!

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Hindi and Telugu actress Ileana D’Cruz revealed that she once thought of committing suicide due to depression and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. However, she had overcome the illness and started feeling better.

Speaking at the 21st World Congress of Mental Health in New Delhi on Sunday, November 5, Ileana told Organising Chairman Sunil Mittal on her fight with depression and Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Ileana was awarded the Woman of Substance Award for her efforts towards raising awareness about mental health at the event. The World Congress was organised by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), a global alliance of doctors, health associations, NGOs, policy experts and other institutions.

She said she was always a very self-conscious person and used to feel low and sad all the time but didn’t know that she was suffering from depression and Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

“At one point, I even had suicidal thoughts and wanted to end things. However, all of it changed when I accepted myself and what I was going through. I think that is the first step towards fighting depression,” she revealed.

Ileana, who shot to fame with Telugu film ‘Pokiri’ and Hindi films ‘Barfi!’ and ‘Rustom’ joins another Bollywood fame Deepika Padukone who had revealed openly about her fight to overcome depression a year ago. Ileana reiterated that people shouldn’t shy away from seeking help for depression.

“It is a chemical imbalance in your brain, and needs to be treated. Don’t sit back and think it will get okay but go get help. Like you have a sprain and go get yourself checked, if you have depression, seek help,” she said.

Ileana said her mother was her biggest pillar of strength throughout the period of depression. Speaking about her fans, “You may look at us actors and think that ‘Oh my God, they are so pretty, so perfect’. But that’s not how it is. It takes two hours to get ready and look like this. Love yourself for who you are and trust me if you are happy from within, you are the most beautiful person and your smile is your best asset.”

She said she wanted to open up about her depression to help those who can overcome similar problem looking at her as inspiration.

Kamal Haasan to launch App Ahead of New Party

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As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to visit Chennai on Monday, actor Kamal Haasan has decided to launch his mobile software app a day after on Tuesday, November 7 – his 63rd birthday just to be in touch with his fans.

At a function to mark the 39th anniversary of his fan/welfare club on Sunday November 5, he confirmed the launch of his new political party but the app comes first. He has appealed his fans to contribute funds for the political party and the mobile app will help in maintaining proper accounts, he said.

Instead of cutting a cake, he said his birthday would be celebrated to cut canals in view of the flooding in Chennai. The actor said wryly that the natural disasters do not differentiate between rich and poor and all should join hands to take preventive measures.

Accusing major parties of suppressing the common man, he said people should not feel threatened but react and do something. Even if there is beating, it could be one or twice but not always like “mridangam” which gets hit again and again.

Otherwise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Chennai on Monday to participate in the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Daily Thanthi newspaper.

Film on 1983 Cricket World Cup Winning set for Release in April 2019

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Upcoming Bollywood film ’83’ on India’s 1983 cricket World Cup victory, will release on April 5, 2019, said producers Reliance Entertainment and Phantom Films in association with Vibri Media and Kabir Khan Films.

Directed by Kabir Khan, the film will feature actor Ranveer Singh as star cricketer Kapil Dev under whose captaincy India achieved the great honour in 1983 first time in cricket history.

The film surrounds on how Kapil Dev, then Indian cricket team defeated West Indies, making the cricket team noticeable among the cricketing world.

Khan said,”As a young school boy, when I watched India win the 1983 Cricket World Cup, I had no idea that from that day onwards cricket in India will change forever. As a filmmaker, for me, the journey to that win, filled with raw energy and sheer passion of that young Indian team, is probably one of the most exciting stories I have worked on. And it’s great to have Ranveer come on board to play Kapil Dev, as honestly, I could see no one else for the role, ever since I started finalizing the script.”

Shibasish Sarkar, COO of Reliance Entertainment, said: “Winning the ’83 cricket World Cup was a very proud moment for us as Indians and we at Reliance Entertainment aim to bring back those glorious moments for the current and future generations through this film.”

Madhu Mantena of Phantom Films and Vishnu Vardhan Induri of Vibri Media said the story was waiting to be told to the nation how it underwent the transformation into a big league cricket playing and winning teams among the cricket-playing nations. The “country needs to know” the story, they added.

2.24 lakh Companies deleted from list by Corporate Ministry

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Based on the massive drive undertaken by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India, around 2.24 lakh companies have been struck-off till date for remaining inactive for a period of two (2) years or more.

Following the action of striking-off defaulting companies, restrictions have been imposed on operation of their bank accounts in accordance with the law. Further, Preliminary Enquiry on the basis of information received from 56 banks in respect of 35,000 companies involving 58,000 accounts has revealed that an amount of over Rs. 17,000 crore was deposited and withdrawn post demonetization. In one case, a company which had a negative Opening Balance on 8th November, 2016, deposited and withdrew Rs.2,484 crore post-demonetization.

Apart from the restrictions on bank accounts, action has also been taken to restrict sale and transfer of moveable and immoveable properties of struck-off companies until they are restored. The State Governments have been advised to take necessary action in this regard by disallowing registration of such transactions.

One company was found to have as many as 2,134 accounts. The information with respect to such companies have been shared with enforcement authorities, including Central Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Department of Financial Services (DFS) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) etc., for further necessary action. Companies have also been identified for inquiry/inspection/investigation under the Companies Act, 2013 and necessary action is underway.

The Prime Minister’s Office has constituted a Special Task Force (STF) under the Joint Chairmanship of Revenue Secretary and Secretary, Corporate Affairs, to oversee the drive against such defaulting companies with the help of various enforcement agencies. The Special Task Force has so far met five (5) times and action has been initiated against several defaulting companies, which is expected to help in the drive against black money.

Separately, action has also been taken to disqualify Directors on the Board of Companies that have failed to file Financial Statements and/or Annual Returns for a continuous period of three (3) financial years during 2013-14 to 2015-16. Around 3.09 lakh Directors have been affected by this action. Preliminary enquiry has shown that over 3,000 disqualified Directors are Directors in more than 20 companies each, which is beyond the limit prescribed under the Law.

Further, in the light of the evidence with respect to abuse of the Corporate Structure through multi-layering, not more than two (2) layers are now permitted beyond the wholly owned subsidiary. This is in addition to the existing restriction which prohibits a company to make investment through more than two layers of investment companies.

In order to address the criminality angle, the Director, Additional Director or Assistant Director of SFIO have been recently authorized to arrest any person believed to be guilty of any fraud punishable under the Act. Under Section 447 of the Act, which defines fraud, stringent punishment including imprisonment up to 10 years is stipulated. Further, reference has been made to the Ministry of Finance to include it as a Scheduled Offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Action is also being initiated against Professionals guilty of fraud and all complaints against them are being reviewed. A High Level Committee (HLC) has been constituted for suggesting revamp of the disciplinary systems of Chartered Accountants, Company Secretaries and Cost Accountants. Further, steps are underway for setting-up National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), an independent body, to test check Financial Statements, prescribe Accounting Standards and take disciplinary action against errant professionals.

With a view to checking the problem of Dummy Directors, action is underway to seed DIN with PAN and Aadhaar at the stage of DIN application through biometric matching for new applications. The same may be extended to legacy data in due course.

Finally, a separate initiative is underway to develop a State-of-the-Art software application to put in place an ‘Early Warning System’ (EWS), which will be housed in SFIO. The objective is to strengthen the Regulatory Mechanism.

Clean Ganga Mission Organises Ek Shaam Ganga Ke Naam

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River Ganga has been an unceasing source of livelihood for more than 40 percent of India’s population. It has been unconditionally providing for our needs and has been the very essence of spirituality. In order to acknowledge the river’s importance and celebrate its magnificence, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) organised a cultural evening – “Ek Shaam Ganga ke Naam” yesterday in New Delhi. On this date in 2008, Ganga was declared as the National River of India.

Intended to evoke Ganga consciousness, the event was attended by hundreds of people from all walks of life including bureaucrats, academicians, researchers, artists, students, teachers, water and river experts, engineers, media, and other stakeholders. The purpose of the evening was to bring all stakeholders together for a wonderful cause of Ganga rejuvenation and forge ahead in unison. Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Amarjit Singh also graced the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga, UP Singh said: “Ganga is not just a water resource; it is linked deeply with the sentiments of millions of people. It is essential to rid the river of pollution. While the government is working hard to rejuvenate the river, the participation of people is of utmost importance.”

The main attraction of the event was an enthralling dance drama – Namami Gange – produced by Padma Bhushan Dr. Saroja Vaidyanathan. The performance, a Bharatnatyam recital, depicted river Ganga’s story with the contemporary relevance. The dance drama while illustrating the endurance the river observes, called for urgency to restore this flowing lifeline to its pristinity. The act beautifully captured the necessity of public participation in clean Ganga campaign, which under Namami Gange programme, has picked up pace. The audience witnessed in awe as the story of Ganga was told in a beautiful way.

The dance drama was preceded by a singing performance on popular songs on Ganga. Partha Purshotam Dutta, his wife Binapani Dutta and their band charmed the audience by presenting the songs in their own unique style.

The evening began with a dance-ballet by the students of Heritage Public School on Namami Gange theme song that has been composed and sung by Trichur Brothers. It depicted an episode of Indian mythology where King Bhagirath does Tapasya to bring Ganga on earth to give salvation to his ancestors and Lord Shiva locks Ganga in his tresses before releasing it only after Bhagirath’s plea. The brilliant performance of the students of 5th to 9th standard left the audience mesmerized.

Not English but mother tongue helps marriages to last longer: Study

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Amid rising number of intercultural marriages, more and more couples use English as the lingua franca but speaking in common native language helped many marriages to last longer, said a new study.

Kaisa Pietikainen from the University of Helsinki, who has studied the interactions of these so-called ELF couples in her doctoral dissertation, says:”It’s often thought that when the partners learn to speak each other’s native languages, they will pick either language as their shared language. But when one is used to speaking a certain language to one another, it becomes difficult to change.”

Usually couples have an open attitude toward language-mixing. Features from other languages become such an integrated part of their ‘couple tongue’ that after a while, they may not even notice when they switch languages, she says.

ELF couples identify mainly as English-speaking couples, but they are also aware of the presence of other languages in their interactions.

“The previously held idea that a lingua franca can’t become a language of identification or that one can’t use it to express feelings doesn’t hold true when it comes to ELF couples.”

Ensuring understanding with creative means Pietikaiinen says that misunderstandings are not very common in ELF couples’ conversation. The couples invest in practices that support understanding, for example, they paraphrase difficult words and check whether the partner has understood them. ELF couples even utilise onomatopoetic expressions and drawing as an aid for achieving mutual understanding.

Silence matters in conflicts

Silence in ELF couples’ conflict interactions does not only mean that the partners disagree or that one is offended by what the other one has said or done. It can also be used to avoid giving self-incriminating answers, or in resisting the partner’s attempt to defuse the conflict with the use of humour.

“These observations have, however, nothing to do with the fact that the partners use non-native English between them. I’m sure these kinds of silences are very familiar for every long-term relationship,” Pietikaiinen adds.

PM Congratulates India Women’s Hockey Team on winning Asia Cup 2017

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has congratulated the Indian Women’s hockey team on winning Asia Cup 2017. Last time in 2004 India Women’s Team lifted the Asia Cup after beating Japan.

“Congratulations to our hockey team on winning the Women’s Asia Cup 2017. India is delighted by their stellar performance.”,the Prime Minister said.

India beat China 5-4 via shootouts to win the women’s Asia Cup hockey title in Japan on Sunday and also qualified for next year’s World Cup as Continental Champions.

Skipper Rani scored the winning goal for India and Savita made a great save in sudden death to ensure India the 5-4 score in the penalty shootout. Earlier, Navjot Kaur scored India’s lone goal in the 25th minute.

When the first quarter ended in a stalemate, Indiaan forwards kept the pressure on China and Navjot Kaur came close to a field goal in the 17th minute but in vain. Again at the 25th minute, she took a clear shot on goal.

With 1-0 lead, India countered China attack and in the third quarter they dominated the ball testing China’s patience. In the final quarter, China won a penalty corner through a successful video referral in the 47th minute.

When both teams are at par, China won their fourth penalty corner with less than three minutes to go for the end.

In the penalty shootout Rani scored twice, Monica, Lilima Minz and Navjot scored a goal each to ensure India reclaimed the Asia Cup title after 13 years. Savita was chosen Goalkeeper of the Tournament and Monica got the Woman of the Match award.