Chennai: DMK president M Karunanidhi Tuesday expressed confidence that Vijayakanth-led DMDK will join their coalition for May 16 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls and rejected suggestions of any stalemate in finalising the tie-up.

Speaking to reporters at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam here, Karunanidhi chose to make cryptic remarks when asked if the DMK-DMDK alliance "had been finalised." Quoting a Tamil saying which refers to efforts fructifying in a particular initiative, Karunanidhi said things were proceeding smoothly with DMDK.

"Definitely there is confidence," he said when asked if DMDK, actively being pursued also by BJP and the four-party People's Welfare Front (PWF), will join the DMK-Congress combine. Karunanidhi denied there was any stalemate in his party striking an electoral pact with DMDK but declined to elaborate.

He said he had not invited any other party to join the DMK-led alliance. The Congress had last month firmed up its electoral pact with DMK and had left the job of bringing DMDK to the alliance with the Karunanidhi-led party.

The DMK had walked out of the UPA in 2013 after being a key constituent for nine years citing the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. The party is facing a make or break elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly this year. The DMK had lost all elections since 2011 to arch rival AIADMK and had drawn a blank in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Karunanidhi, who along with his son and party Treasurer Stalin had conducted "interview" of ticket aspirants for 12 days starting February 22, said 4,433 persons had appeared for it. The party had received Rs 12.37 crore by way of "application cost", he added.

Chennai, March08, 2016: Aasife Biriyani today announced ‘The Great Biriyani Challenge’, a biriyani eating competition open to one and all. The competition will take place on Thursday, March 29, 2016 at Aasife Biriyani’s Palavakkam outlet (No 112, ECR Road, Palavakkam, Chennai).

All non-vegetarian biriyani enthusiasts above 18 years of age can enrol themselves for the contest by logging onto aasifebiriyani.com and fill in the registration form.

Registrations will be open from March 9th to March 24th, 2016.

30 lucky participants will be picked from among the registrations who will fight-eat it out for the winner, runner-up and the second runner-up prizes. At the Grand Finale, participants will be given 20 minutes to eat as much Biryani as they can without spilling. Spilling would lead to disqualification.

The winner, runner-up and the second runner-up will get cash prizes worth Rs. 10,000/-, Rs.5,000/- and Rs. 3,000/- respectively.

Chennai: In a bid to reach out to the voters of Tamil Nadu ahead of the May 16 Assembly polls, PMK's Chief Ministerial candidate Anbumani Ramadoss will hold seven meetings in seven cities where he will discuss his party's strategy for state's growth and take questions from people.

The interactive meetings, titled 'Tamizhaga Valarchi Patri' (About Tamil Nadu's Growth), will include PMK's pet theme, of that of implementing prohibition, the party said today.

Ramadoss will hold meetings in Vellore, Salem, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Chennai and discuss with the people issues concerning urban development, agriculture and total prohibition, it said.

In the meetings scheduled between March 10 and 16, he will also talk in detail about how government departments had 'suffered' in the last 50 years, where the state was alternatively ruled by DMK and AIADMK, it said.

VCCircle PE-VC Outlook Survey 2016 Reveals Waning Investor Interest in E-Commerce Start-ups

While 62% of investors are raising fresh capital, the survey has found that there’d be increased focus on profitability rather than valuations of companies in 2016

New Delhi, 8th March, 2016: VCCircle Network, India’s leading publisher of start-up and private equity news, data and information, and an integral part of global diversified media, news, education and information services group, News Corp, has today released the findings of the VCCircle PE-VC Outlook Survey 2016. This is the first such survey on venture capital and private equity investments in India for the year 2016.

This survey, which has been released as a pre-cursor to the VCCircle India Limited Partners Summit 2016 scheduled to take place on 9^th - 10^th March, 2016 in Mumbai, has pointed to the waning investor interest for ecommerce start-ups and has indicated a general consensus among private equity and venture capital investors that valuations of companies will drop and investments by limited partners will moderate.

The survey confirms recent trends mapped by VCCEdge, the financial data and research platform of VCCircle. Angel, seed and Series A stage venture funding transactions that peaked with 100 deals or one every seven hours in November halved to just 51 last month in the first month of 2016. This is the lowest level in 15 months, as per data collated by VCCEdge.

Highlights from the VCCircle PE-VC Outlook Survey 2016:

Lower Valuations making exits difficult

* About 92 per cent of venture capital investors believe valuations for Series B, C and D rounds will drop.

* About 62 per cent VC and PE investors believe exit valuations will come down or remain flat this year.

* About 92 per cent believe more strategic investors will do deals this year. Close to 62 per cent of the VC firms who participated in the survey believe the most relevant exit channel in the current year will be sale to strategic investors while the remaining 38 per cent believe it would be secondary sale to other VC/PE investors.

Circumspection in Fund raising and Allocation

* About 62 per cent of PE and VC investors said they will raise funds this year and57 per cent said they will do more deals this year than in the last year

* A majority of the survey participants feel allocations from limited partners will stay flat or decline. 38 per cent of survey participants felt that allocations from limited partners will stay flat and 19 per cent predicted a drop. The remaining 43 per cent believed that allocations from limited partners will increase.

The Start-up radar: Focus on Profitability rather than rising valuations

* 46 per cent of VCs believe that the defining theme for this year for Indian start-ups will be ‘increased focus on profitability’. About 31 per cent think it will be ‘mergers & acquisitions and consolidation’ while 23 per cent predict it will be ‘shutdowns, job cuts and scaling down of operations’.

* Nearly 70 per cent of the VCs believe the seed stage will see the most activity in the current year and 77 per cent are of the view that the average deal size will be between $1 million and $5 million.

* 46 per cent of survey participants have indicated their interest in investing in start-ups in the consumer service and product space with only 23% showing interest in investing in the e-commerce space.

Explaining the import of this survey and what it portends for 2016, Mr. Sahad P V, Founder, VCCircle Network said, “The survey has predicted more challenges for start-ups in 2016. While mid­stage venture funding deals had hit a speed bump a few months ago, early­stage funding had remained robust keeping hopes alive for start-ups looking for initial financing support. However, if the first month of 2016 is anything to go by, even angel and seed­stage investors seem to have tightened their purse strings. The VCCircle India Limited Partners Summit 2016 would give us insights into how Asia focused deal makers are recalibrating their strategies and shifting their focus to survival strategies, profitability, and mergers & acquisitions and consolidation of their holdings in India.”

Methodology: This is the result of a questionnaire sent to heads and partners of Asia focused PE and VC firms. The survey elicited responses from 21 firms over a span of eight weeks (Jan-Feb 2016). Some of the questions on startups and early stage investments were specific to VC respondents.

New Delhi: DMK today sought an "immediate" response from the Centre on Tamil Nadu government's request for the release of seven life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. "State Government of Tamil Nadu has written a letter to the Home Secretary, requesting him for the release, which the State Government has remitted.

"The sentence of those seven life convicts -- Santhan, Murugan, Perarivalan, Nalini, Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran, who have been languishing in the prison for more than 24 years, has been remitted and they are to be released," Tiruchi Siva said during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha.

Amid sloganeering by Congress members and interruptions by AIADMK members, Siva said the state government has written to the Centre for its views because Section 435 of the Criminal Procedure Code requires it to consult the Centre.

"I request the Central Government to respond to the request of the State Government...The release of the seven life convicts is very, very imminent...I think the Central Government's views are required immediately... They have to respond. I want the response of the Central Government," the DMK member said.

He said a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court while modifying its earlier interim order of July, 2014 has allowed the state governments to exercise their powers of remission to release life convicts.

In another Zero Hour mention, A Navaneethakrishnan (AIADMK) said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has written a letter to the Prime Minister raising objection to the review petition filed before the Supreme Court by the central government regarding the entrance examination for medical admissions.

"The Central Government shall not interfere in state autonomy...There is no entrance test in Tamil Nadu for medical admissions...Poor students will be affected. "We request the Central Government to withdraw the review petition and not introduce any entrance examination for medical admissions," he said.

Chennai: The Election Commission has submitted in the Madras High Court that addition and deletion of names in voters list is a continuous process and will go on till the last date of withdrawal of nominations of candidates.

The poll panel gave the affidavit on a petition by DMK seeking appointment of Central government officials as electoral registration officers and booth-level officers, as it apprehended large-scale inclusion of and deletion of names in the voters list.

Counsel for DMK P Wilson submitted that the EC has not correctly handled preparation of voters list. At least 25,000 bogus voters still exist in each constituency which is going to be a deciding factor in the coming elections, he contended.

Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan, who appeared on behalf of the EC, submitted, "Before the poll, a list of absent, shifted and dead electors would be prepared and sent to the respective polling stations and all such identified persons till five days before the poll are brought to the list."

Even on the polling day, agents of candidates can challenge and verify the genuineness of the voters and prevent impersonation at the time of poll, he submitted.

When the consul for DMK submitted that the ink blot on the finger can be rubbed and removed, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M M Sundresh, in its order, said, "All that we would like to say in this behalf is that the EC can look into this aspect" and closed the proceedings.

Making it clear that it is not the function of the court to interfere with the working of the Election Commission, which is an independent body with best reputation to carry out the electoral process fairly, the judges said, "We want to make it clear that though the jurisdiction of the court over the EC exists, we have no doubt that every endeavour will be made by the EC to uphold its own reputation and see to it that a fair and transparent elections are held in Tamil Nadu."

"We are emphasising here that we would not like to encourage repeated monitoring of the electoral process on aspects which are to be dealt with by the EC unless some violation of any normal law is specifically pointed out to us. This is also a caution for other litigants who may be contemplating filing of petitions," the judges said.

New Delhi: The Congress Party on Friday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who made tall claims prior to the Lok Sabha polls, has presented two gifts Non-Returning Indian (NRI) Lalit Modi and Non-Repaying Indian (NRI) Vijay Mallya to the nation.

Congress leader Randeep Sujrewala alleged that there was a direct involvement of the BJP-led NDA Government in Mallya fleeing the nation without any hindrance.

"The CBI registers an FIR against Vijay Mallya on July 29, 2015. They carry all the investigations, but do not arrest him. On October 12, 2015, the CBI issues a lookout notice at all the airports in which it was written that Mallya should be detained. On November 23, 2015, the agency without any reason amend that notice and converts it into an information notice and not into a detention notice," Sujrewala told the media here.

"This matter raises some serious questions. Was there the involvement of government in helping Mallya to run out of this country? Why was the lookout notice of the CBI amended? Why is the Finance Minister and all his officials trying to justify themselves? The Modi Government should answer as to who helped Mallya to flee? How is his government going to recover the debt from Mallya?" he asked.

Meanwhile, Mallya today rubbished claims that he had absconded from the country.

In a series of tweets, the liquor baron said he is an international businessman, who travels from India frequently, and added that he is not an absconder. Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, yesterday accused the NDA Government of helping Mallya escape India.

"This government is part and party in the criminal conspiracy in him fleeing the country. Without the help of the government, he could not have escaped," the Congress leader said.

" Vijay Mallya is not a needle that can't be found. He is a tall and well-endowed man who can be seen from 1 km away. He doesn't travel alone; instead he is always accompanied by 'hoors' and he disappears?" he said.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday brushed aside a plea by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to direct Mallya to appear personally before the court to force him to come back to India. The case will be next heard on March 30.

The SBI, which leads a consortium of 17 lenders to King Fisher Airlines, declared Mallya wilful defaulter last month. Besides the SBI, United Bank of India (UBI) and Punjab national Bank (PNB) have also declared Mallya as wilful defaulter.

Chennai: A farmer in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur district was mercilessly beaten up by some police officials and bank loan recovery agents, footage of which has gone viral on social media.

In the video, farmer is seen dragged and thrashed by police officials while he is making efforts to release himself. The National Human Rights Commission has now issued notice to the chief secretary and DGP of the Tamil Nadu state.

“NHRC takes serious view of reported brutal assault on an indebted farmer by bank officials and police in Tamil Nadu,” NHRC was quoted as saying by ANI.

Chennai: AIADMK and its arch rival DMK today took pot shots at each other over the recent interviews held by the parties for choosing candidates to contest the May 16 Assembly election. In its mouthpiece, 'Dr Namadhu MGR,' AIADMK published a recent photo of DMK chief M Karunanidhi interviewing his son and party treasurer M K Stalin for contesting the poll.

A sitting MLA from Kolathur constituency here, Stalin is expected to contest again from the same seat. AIADMK, without naming DMK, said "only in a party that is being run for a family by the family will such miracles happen." It also alleged that the interview was just an attempt to hoodwink the nation.

"See how democracy is being distressed in the power hungry family," it said. It also published a scanned news report of DMK's announcement in 2008, naming party patriarch Karunanidhi and Stalin for top party's honour - Periyar and Kalaignar Awards.

DMK, in its daily "Murasoli," through a caricature ridiculed the candidates' interview held recently by Jayalalithaa. It asked whether anybody has "seen in person" Jayalalithaa holding interviews.

"Has any media outlet -print or visual- released images or footage after (directly) going for the interview,?" it asked.

It also made a claim vis-a-vis the AIADMK interview and said only interviews held by Karunanidhi could qualify as real interviews. "Only those held by our chief Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) by inviting each and every aspirant can be interviews," it said.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today said the Centre should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line with the island nation as a settled issue as the constitutionality of the 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged in the Supreme Court.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she noted that Tamil Nadu fishermen who were in traditional waters of Palk Bay were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy yesterday and that the right historically enjoyed by them to fish in these waters was now being repeatedly infringed upon by the Sri Lankan Navy.

"I reiterate the Government of Tamil Nadu's stand that the Government of India should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line with Sri Lanka as a settled question as the constitutionality of 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged on extremely valid and legal grounds in the Supreme Court," she said.

The CM said the prayer before the apex court was to declare the 1974 and 1976 agreements along with the Executive Order of 1976 as null and void in the absence of required mandatory constitutional amendment and to restore Katchatheevu to India and restore traditional rights of the fishermen.

Noting that fishing boats and gear were not released by the island nation with the fishermen and suffered severe damage due to long periods of disuse and exposure to heavy monsoon, she said, "The poor fishermen will be subjected to a huge permanent loss with damage of their only means of livelihood".

"I request that the fishing boats and gear of our fishermen impounded in Sri Lanka be restored in a refurbished condition at the earliest", Jayalalithaa said.

She requested the PM to direct the officials concerned in the External Affairs Ministry to take "proactive" action through diplomatic channels for the immediate release of 72 fishermen and 78 fishing boats,along with a mechanised fishing boat that were apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy.

Kolkata: Indian opener Rohit Sharma said there will be a lot of expectations from pacer Mohammed Shami, who is trying to work his way back into the national team after a long lay-off due to injury.

On Thursday, Shami donned the Indian colours after almost a year and bowled well against the West Indies in a World Twenty20 warm-up game here at the Eden Gardens. He returned figures of 2/30.

The 26-year-old had his knee operated on last year after the 50-over World Cup in Australia, and has struggled to make it to the team due to lack of proper recovery. He was also part of the Asia Cup squad, but had to pull out at the last minute. Though he lacked pace, Shami stuck to a great length and line.

"It's never easy for a fast bowler to come back from a knee injury. He's worked really hard. It was his first game after the injury and he did pretty well. He has been working really hard all this while. He executed the plans really well. He bowled bouncers, yorkers, slower ones. That's what we expect from him. He was one of the main bowlers till the last time he played for India, so there will be expectations on him," Rohit told reporters here after a blistering unconquered knock of 98.

"He was working real hard at the nets yesterday, trying to get his rhythm back. He just wanted to go out in the park and play. It's about to have a feel the conditions and the atmosphere. Once he got in the groove, he bowled well with the new ball and did well with the old one."

Rohit also stated that India have been doing well in the last few series because they have ticked the right boxes. India have won 10 out of their last 11 Twenty20 matches, winning two series in a row -- against Australia and Sri Lanka -- before lifting the Asia Cup.

"We have done well in our last three tournaments and we are not winning just because of one department. We are winning because of our bowling, batting and fielding has been superb," Rohit said after India's 45-run triumph.

The prolific willower said that they were not taking the warm up games lightly and that it was great to have a feel of the home conditions before the main round of the World T20.

"It (the win) shows we're not taking practice matches lightly. We treat them as good as a league game. The feel of the World Cup, coming here and playing in India and getting that feel, was important. We did all that," he said.

He praised the bowlers and Ajinkya Rahane who took four outstanding catches on the field after failing with the bat.

"Our bowlers did the job for us. Everyone got to bowl. In batting also most of them got the chances, except Virat (Kohli) and MS (Dhoni) but they have played a bit of cricket before this. Fielding effort was also very good. Rahane was brilliant on the field. We've one more practice match left. We are happy," he said.

Rohit who has had a love affair with Eden since his early days spoke of his delight saying "it has been a happy hunting ground for me.

"I love playing here. It's been happy hunting ground for me. I love coming here and playing. It's been good always but that does not mean I score always. I've to bat well to score runs and I was happy with the way it went for the team. It's a typical Kolkata pitch, there was no change in it," he said.

New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the successful launch of PSLV-C32 carrying the navigation satellite IRNSS-1F.

"I extend my hearty congratulations to you and your entire team at the Indian Space Research Organisation on the successful launch of PSLV-C32 carrying IRNSS-1F, India's sixth navigation satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)," Mukherjee said in a message to ISRO chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar.

"Today's achievement demonstrates, once more, India's increasing space capabilities," he said. Mukherjee wished ISRO officials great success in all of their "future endeavours". The IRNSS-1F was put into orbit on Thursday.

New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Majeed Memon on Friday suspected 'connivance' on part of the NDA Government to help liquor baron Vijay Mallya flee the nation and said that the entire episode was just another case of former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi.

"As far as Vijay Mallya case is concerned, there was a noise on the floor of the House in the Rajya Sabha yesterday. Leader of Opposition Shri (Ghulam Nabi) Azad did raise this point that how could he run away when there were serious allegations of huge money due to him. And if such a person can slip away from the country, it is only a failure of the administration.

So, the government treasury benches were not able to give a satisfactory answer. None the less, the House has expressed its anxiety and anguish on this development of his disappearance suddenly and making himself beyond the reach of law," Memon told ANI.

"It seems there was connivance in helping him slip out.There are proceedings against him, the law will take its own course although it will be very difficult now for the process of law to reach him since he is outside the jurisdiction of India and this is another case of Lalit Modi," he added.

Meanwhile, Mallya today rubbished claims that he had absconded from the country.

In a series of tweets, the liquor baron said he is an international businessman, who travels from India frequently, and added that he is not an absconder. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, yesterday accused the NDA Government of helping Mallya escape India.

"This government is part and party in the criminal conspiracy in him fleeing the country. Without the help of the government, he could not have escaped," the Congress leader said.

" Vijay Mallya is not a needle that can't be found. He is a tall and well-endowed man who can be seen from 1 km away. He doesn't travel alone; instead he is always accompanied by 'hoors' and he disappears?" he said.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday brushed aside a plea by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to direct Mallya to appear personally before the court to force him to come back to India. The case will be next heard on March 30.

The SBI, which leads a consortium of 17 lenders to King Fisher Airlines, declared Mallya wilful defaulter last month. Besides the SBI, United Bank of India (UBI) and Punjab national Bank (PNB) have also declared Mallya as wilful defaulter.

Chennai: Speaking at the women's wing conference Thursday night, DMDK chief Vijayakanth said his party would go it alone for the upcoming Assembly elections, scheduled for 16 May.

While his wife Premalatha went hammer and tongs at the Dravidian majors, the AIADMK and DMK, Vijayakanth kept the suspense on till the end of the programme. He announced thrice that his party would go it alone for the 2016 Assembly elections.

Earlier, there had been talk among political circles that he would align with the DMK or the BJP. Busting all such rumours, the Captain said he was not aligning with any party for the upcoming elections.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today said the Centre should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line with the island nation as a settled issue as the constitutionality of the 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged in the Supreme Court.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she noted that Tamil Nadu fishermen who were in traditional waters of Palk Bay were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy yesterday and that the right historically enjoyed by them to fish in these waters was now being repeatedly infringed upon by the Sri Lankan Navy.

"I reiterate the Government of Tamil Nadu's stand that the Government of India should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line with Sri Lanka as a settled question as the constitutionality of 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged on extremely valid and legal grounds in the Supreme Court," she said.

The CM said the prayer before the apex court was to declare the 1974 and 1976 agreements along with the Executive Order of 1976 as null and void in the absence of required mandatory constitutional amendment and to restore Katchatheevu to India and restore traditional rights of the fishermen.

Noting that fishing boats and gear were not released by the island nation with the fishermen and suffered severe damage due to long periods of disuse and exposure to heavy monsoon, she said, "The poor fishermen will be subjected to a huge permanent loss with damage of their only means of livelihood".

"I request that the fishing boats and gear of our fishermen impounded in Sri Lanka be restored in a refurbished condition at the earliest", Jayalalithaa said.

She requested the PM to direct the officials concerned in the External Affairs Ministry to take "proactive" action through diplomatic channels for the immediate release of 72 fishermen and 78 fishing boats,along with a mechanised fishing boat that were apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy.

~ 2 Global Brands, 2 Fashion Destinations and one Extraordinary Shopping Experience! ~

12^th March, 2016: DLF Place and DLF Promenade - the premium lifestyle destinations of the city, bring an irresistible shopping festival for its customers, starting from 12^th March till 3^rd April 2016. It is for the first time that the two most loved global fashion brands - Forever21 and Marks & Spencer have come together for an incredible shopping experience.

Wash away your shopping blues with the amazing deals offered by the malls. Shop at the mall and win vouchers from Forever 21 and Marks & Spencer and a stylish bag! The excitement does not end here; weekly winners will get premium vouchers from the brands.

Enjoy additional perks along with the above benefits from the exclusive loyalty card. Sign up for loyalty program and get shopping vouchers, F&B vouchers, a stylish bag and movie tickets and much more!

*Next time on your visit to DLF Place and DLF Promenade, please visit the concierge for more details on the shopping festival

Dates: 12th March-3rd April, 2016

Time: 11am to 9pm

Venue: DLF Place, Saket

Entry Free

New Delhi: Amid the controversy surrounding liquor baron Vijay Mallya, employees of his now defunct Kingfisher Airlines wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a 'humanitarian' appeal, seeking his intervention in safeguarding the interest of the employees.

Highlighting their humanitarian plight as they have not been paid their dues including salaries and statutory dues like the Provident Fund and Gratuity, the employees state in the letter that they are also being hounded by Income Tax notices although the tax default is from the side of the Airlines

"Our present laws which were supposed to protect the employee's interest have become redundant and are failing to solve the purpose that they were meant to serve. The best example would be that some of our colleagues who could afford legal fees went to courts and were awarded decrees in their favour even after which it did not translate into actual dues, thereby making a mockery of our justice system. Others are still fighting for their dues in the winding up petitions in the Hon'ble Karnataka High Court," the letter said.

Asserting that there were about 7000 direct as well as indirect employees who were affected by the closure of Kingfisher Airlines, the employees in the letter said that the majority of them cannot even afford to fight it out in the courts, adding that their attempt to appeal on humanitarian grounds was even opposed by the councils of various parties including the banks.

The employees go ahead to say that they have lost all hopes as he legal system has failed them miserably and as a result 'the common, law abiding citizens are suffering and bearing the brunt of it'.

"On behalf of all the employees of erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines we request you for your immediate intervention in the matter helping us recover our hard earned dues," the letter said.

Appealing to the government if it can pay the dues of the employees 'Ex Gratia' and recover from the company and the management of KFA along with the dues of the banks, the employees stated that there have been instances in the past where the government has paid the employees be it in the times of sugar cane mills or cotton industries.

"Sir the govt has enough avenues to recover the dues and can afford the unfortunate delay that it would take now. But the employees cannot bear any further delays. The whole world seems to have forgotten about us and misplaced its priorities in larger scheme of thoughts when it comes to banks and others," the letter said.

In conclusion, the employee's reiterated their plea for a government intervention to secure their rightful and legitimate dues at the earliest as "justice delayed would be justice denied".

* Only home UPS in Indian market with 90% efficiency

* 4-star energy ratings by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)

Chennai, 12 March 2016: Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd., India’s leading power back up solutions provider, today announced the launch of ‘Falcon HBU’- one of the most technologically superior home inverter in Indian market. It is powered by a special transformer which is created to minimize energy losses owing to its compact design.

Falcon HBU, compared to ordinary inverters,gives you 25% more efficiency and extra 45 minutes* of backup time. For the first time in the history of power backup industry in India, a home UPS is so efficient that it has been granted 4-star energy ratings by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). It is the only home UPS in Indian market that gives 90% efficiency.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. KunwerSachdev said, “Su-Kam has been instrumental in strengthening and upgrading the inverter and UPS industry in India.The 4-star rating recognizes the focus on energy efficiency and quality that is the core to all our products and technologies.I am glad we have met the threshold limits and received a 4-star rating for Falcon HBU. This recognition will inspire us to work towards more energy efficient products and technologies.” 

“Falcon HBU is an ideal solution designed to meet the lighting requirements of a household.”, he added.

Few features that make Falcon HBU the best and smartest Home UPS in India:

Mobile app & Bluetooth facility: We have already incorporated Bluetooth in the upcoming version of the Falcon HBU which can be operated and controlled through a mobile app.

Lowest No Load Current = Savings: Did you know that your home inverter/UPS needs electricity to keep itself functioning? Even if there is no electrical appliance connected to it, the UPS will still continue to consume a good amount electricity which adds to your electricity bills. Falcon HBU has been designed to take care of this problem – it takes very little electricity as compared to ordinary inverters.

Automatic Temperature Compensation: Like most of Su-Kam's products Falcon Plus is also intelligent to detect change in outside temperature and reduce or increase the boost charging voltage of battery. This results in long battery life.

Low Harmonics: The compact transformer inside Falcon HBU not only makes it highly efficiency but also reduces harmonics. High harmonics are like ripples that interfere with battery charging and harm your battery life. That is why Su-Kam has created Falcon HBU to minimize harmonics and give clean and pure DC power to your battery. It increases battery's life.

DT6S Six Stage Charging: Falcon HBU gives multi-stage charge (spread across 6 stages) to batteries which keeps your battery healthy. Whereas ordinary inverters can only do 3 stage charging.

No Noise UPS: The superior technology in Falcon HBU makes it totally noiseless. This combined with quick switchover time means that you will not realize power cut. Falcon HBU will switch itself on instantly when it detects power cut and is so quiet that you do not get to know if it is on.

Shows Exact Backup Time: The first of its kind UPS has an interactive system which helps the user to see the exact back up time left and regulate the load.

For more information about this product, visit:  http://bit.ly/FalconHBU

Su-Kam’s everlasting spirit and drive to bring about continuous innovations in technology and quality products has paved the path for changing the face of the power back up industry and for other players to follow in line. With focus on quality Su-Kam offers inverters& UPS with high level of energy efficiency.

Also, Su-Kam is the first company in the power back up industry in India to set up an in-house R&D unit that manufactures highly advanced power back up products and technologies and changed the face of the inverter& UPS industry. The Su-Kam R&D centre was recognized by the Central Government's Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in the year 2002.

Chennai: Putting up a brave face after his party's sustained efforts to rope in the DMDK into its alliance failed, DMK Treasurer M K Stalin Friday said the decision of the Vijayakanth-led party to go it alone was not a setback for his party. "Definitely, it (DMDK decision) is not a setback for us," he told reporters here replying to a question.

Stating that his party chief M Karunanidhi had extended invite to DMDK several times as it would be good (to take on the AIADMK), he said, however, "It is their right to accept or decline the invite." "It is their (DMDK's) right (to decide). We cannot and will not like to interfere in their right," he said.

Ending the suspense, DMDK yesterday decided to go it alone in the May 16 Assembly polls, which could result in a six-cornered contest with the others being AIADMK front, DMK-Cong, BJP, four party bloc PWF and PMK.

DMDK leader and Vijaykanth's wife Premalatha, however, said like minded parties that seek an alternative to both the AIADMK and DMK were welcome to hold talks with the party chief.

The invite is seen as an olive branch to both the BJP and PWF provided they choose to accept the primacy of DMDK as the senior partner.

Exceptional diamond jewelry brand NIRAV MODI to host an exhibition in Hyderabad for the first time on 15th and 16th March

~ A favourite amongst the Celebrities, around the globe such as Sonam Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Kate Winslet. NIRAV MODI to host its solo exhibition at Park Hyatt~

~ Taking Indian heritage and craftsmanship global, NIRAV MODI has recently launched boutiques in New York and Hong Kong~

Hyderabad, March 12^th 2016: NIRAV MODI will celebrate its first exhibition in the city- with a collection of exceptional jewels which combine the purest and most sparkling diamonds, elegant designs and expert craftsmanship to celebrate every woman’s beauty.

The jewels will be showcased for the very first time in Hyderabad on 15^th and 16^th March, 2016 at the Park Hyatt, Hyderabad.

Lauded at international auction houses like Christie's and Sotheby's, NIRAV MODI creations have earned the distinction of being recognized among the best in the world.

NIRAV MODI has dressed A-list celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif and Sonam Kapoor and recently Mira Rajput, The launch of the New York boutique saw Hollywood superstar Naomi Watts and supermodel Coco Rocha in NIRAV MODI jewel along with the recent red carpet appearance of one of Hollywood’s celebrated actresses Kate Winslet, in Nirav Modi jewels at the Oscars, this year.

NIRAV MODI has a global retail presence with boutiques in Delhi, Mumbai New York and Hong Kong, and the brand plans to open 2 more boutiques in Hong Kong, 1 in Macau, 1 in London on Old Bond Street and 1 in Bangalore, India.

Each jewel in every NIRAV MODI collection brings together the best of the rarest and finest stones along with the brand’s patented cuts (Mughal Cut^TM, Ainra Cut^TM and Endless Cut^TM   and the new introduction Jasmine Cut^TM), set in a signature style of using minimal metal which creates a stunning play of light, bringing out the maximum sparkle of the diamonds and creating an ethereal effect, while also making the jewels lighter and more comfortable to wear.

The brand was founded by Mr. Nirav Modi himself, who was born into a legacy of diamonds spanning three generations. Born and raised in Antwerp, the Diamond Capital of the world, by his diamantaire father and interior designer mother, Mr. Modi truly enjoyed the best of both worlds – jewellery and art from a very early age.

What truly sets the brand apart is that their jewels speak a sophisticated savoir faire style that expresses art, femininity and elegance. Whether it is the Embrace collection which is crafted from hundreds of moving parts that provide exceptional flexibility and comfort, the Celestial collection which pays homage to the shimmering night sky, the Mughal collection that recreate the era’s art and architecture with its specially developed petal shaped diamonds, the Lotus collection that finds its inspiration from Claude Monet’s masterpiece “Water Lilies”, a series of oil paintings or the Luminance collection inspired by the different intensities of light, every jewel possesses a distinct persona and has a story to tell.