Mumbai: Hardening further for the third straight day, the rupee advanced another 18 paise to 68.24 against the dollar in early trade today on sustained selling of the US currency by banks and exporters.

Besides, the dollar's weakness against some currencies overseas supported the rupee. Forex dealers said rebound in domestic stock markets also helped the domestic unit.

Yesterday, the rupee had gained 20 paise to close at 68.42 against the dollar, enthused by budgetary proposals to boost exports. Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex recovered 436.23 points, or 1.89 per cent, to trade at 23,438.23 in early deals.

Fortis Hospitals Bannerghatta wins Nursing Excellence Award at AHPI conclave

Bangalore, March 1, 2016: Fortis Hospitals Bannerghatta Road won the award for Nursing Excellence at the 3^rd Annual Global Conclave of Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI) held in Mumbai recently.

Fortis Hospitals received the prestigious AHPI Healthcare Nursing Excellence Award in recognition of the hospital’s excellence in ‘Nursing through Empowerment’. The conclave themed, ‘Affordable & Safe Health for All’ showcased the collaborative efforts of Hospitals, Pharmaceuticals, IT and Medical Equipment companies and recognized the industry’s best for their persistent contribution towards the society.

It also had comprehensive sessions by various experts who discussed topics like unique ways to make healthcare affordable, improving operational efficiency and effectiveness of hospitals, etc. The event also focused on smart hospitals; planning, implementing and monitoring of patient safety, innovative practices to reduce operational costs and nursing empowerment to improve clinical outcomes. The conclave also provided a practical road map to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through collaborative efforts of all stake holders.

Mr. Vijayarathna, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, said, “We are humbled and extremely proud of our talented and efficient nursing team. Nursing at Fortis Bannerghatta Road aims to provide distinctive, patient centered, inter disciplinary & evidence based care through quality caring relationship resulting in a safe, compassionate and healing environment.

The philosophy that drives a nurse is based on the vision that the hospital will strive with excellence to fulfil the needs of the community in its chosen field of medical treatment. This award honours their efforts and dedication towards the service. We will continue to deliver on our commitment to provide the best services to our patients across the country”.

The AHPI represent a vast majority of hospitals in India. AHPI is registered as an NGO and is working closely with the stake holders, including government of India and various state governments on issues ranging from reforms, taxation, tariffs including rigid price fixation of drugs, insurance and about National Health Assurance Mission.

Chennai: Reacting to the Union budget, DMK President M Karunanidhi today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have "passed the exam as of now" though the absence of expected income-tax concessions has led to a "big disappointment" among the salaried class.

"The budget presented by the Modi-led government has no new tax concessions. While there were big expectations on increasing the income-tax slab, no such thing has been announced. This has led to big disappointment among the tax paying middle classes and salaried persons," he said.

The DMK president referred to a slew of announcements made in various sectors including agriculture and infrastructure among others even as he pointed out that inflation had come down.

"Prime Minister Modi has said that the budget was his exam. Whether he had scored hundred out of hundred and come out completely successful can be said only after the impact and change the budgetary announcements made by (Finance Minister Arun) Jaitley create following their implementation."

"However, it appears that Prime Minister Modi has passed the examination as of now," the former chief minister said.

Addressing school students in his 'Mann ki Baat' programme yesterday, Modi had said: "Friends, your examinations are starting. I too have an examination tomorrow. The country's 125 crore people are going to take my examination," he had said referring to the budget.

PMK founder leader S Ramadoss welcomed the impetus given to education, agriculture and rural development but rued that the tax paying salaried class did not get any sops.

MDMK founder Vaiko said the budget did not meet people's expectations and alleged NDA was trying to 'corporatise' the farming sector, adding allocation to it was not sufficient. "It is contradictory that while the government has announced promoting GM crops, it has today proposed to give a fillip to organic farming," he said.

While there were a few proposals that were welcome, including helping SC/ST entrepreneurs and tax exemption for equipent meant for kidney dialysis, the budget has not "met people's expectations," he said.

காங்கிரஸ் செய்தி தொடர்பாளர் குஷ்பு சென்னையில் நிருபர்களுக்கு பேட்டி அளித்தார். அவர் கூறியதாவது:

தி.மு.க. கூட்டணியில் காங்கிரஸ் கட்சி சேர்ந்துள்ளது. இன்னும் பல கட்சிகள் இந்த கூட்டணியில் இணைய உள்ளன. தி.மு.க. கூட்டணியில் தே.மு.தி.க.வும் சேரும் என்ற நம்பிக்கை உள்ளது.

மத்திய மந்திரி ஜவடேகர் பா.ஜனதா கூட்டணிக்கு வருமாறு விஜயகாந்துடன் பேசி உள்ளாரே?

தே.மு.தி.க. பா.ஜனதா கூட்டணிக்கு நிச்சயம் போகாது. இதில் ஜவடேகர் ஏமாற்றம் அடைவார். அவர் அடுத்த முறை பேச்சு வார்த்தை நடத்த சென்னை வருவதற்குள் தி.மு.க. கூட்டணிக்கு தே.மு.தி.க. வந்து விடும். தே.மு.தி.க. தலைவர் விஜயகாந்த் விரைவில் நல்ல முடிவை எடுப்பார்.

காங்கிரஸ் கட்சியில் தனித்தனி கோஷ்டியாக செயல்படுகிறார்களே? கூட்டணியில் இது பாதிப்பை ஏற்படுத்துமா?

தனித்தனி கோஷ்டி இருந்தாலும் கட்சிக்கு எது நன்மை, எது நல்லது என்று தெரியும். அதை நோக்கி நாங்கள் பயணிப்போம்.

முதல்–அமைச்சர் ஜெயலலிதா ஆர்.கே.நகர் தொகுதிக்கு சென்று புதிய திட்டங்களை தொடங்கி வைத்துள்ளாரே?

தனது தொகுதி என்ற அடிப்படையில் முதல்–அமைச்சர் ஆர்.கே.நகர் தொகுதிக்கு சென்று திட்டங்களை தொடங்கி வைத்துள்ளார். இவ்வாறு குஷ்பு கூறினார்.

Revolutionizing bathroom fittings in India, VitrA, the leading bathroom solutions brand of Eczacıbaşı Building Products Division in Turkey launches its first bathroom fittings store in Chennai, India. Located at Valueline, No. 20 GKS Annexe, Pycrofts Garden Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600006.

Landmark- next to Sankara Nethralya Annexe and diagonally Opposite to ex minister P. Chidambaram's residence, the franchise showrooms displays approximately 2,800 sqft of VitrA products and is a sheer visual treat offering a variety of bathroom solutions of internationally acclaimed standards that have inspired architects and interior contractors across the world.

VitrA’s bathroom products offer its customers some of the most superior quality bathroom solutions. The range of products by VitrA, are technologically advanced yet stylish. VitrA is the only brand in global markets offering every component of the bathroom. The premium bathroom brand now brings this internationally acclaimed range of bathroom solutions to the Indian consumers with its latest offerings of bathroom solutions like Memoria,Istanbul, Metropole, Water Jewels, Nest, T4 collections.

Commenting on the new stores, Mr. Serhan AteşYağız, India Country Manager, Eczacıbaşı Building Products Division said, “With the launch of the new VitrA store, we aim at bringing our internationally acclaimed and innovative bathroom culture to Chennai. VitrA, Eczacıbaşı Building Products brand, has been investing in India in order to build its office and dealers network. We aim to be among the Top 3 global brands of our sector in India with VitrA branded products, currently exported to more than 75 countries.”

As part of its design excellence, VitrA develops products with an impressive portfolio of leading designers. The brand believes in promoting bathroom culture rather than only individual products.With the launch of the new VitrA showrooms, the most exclusive and advanced products and solutions from VitrA have been included here so that the discerning customers are ensured that they find product excellence which leads on a global level.

29 February 2016: The Finance Minister has attempted to present a Budget that will give impetus to the agriculture sector, while maintaining fiscal discipline.

The Budget initiatives address the needs of the Agriculture & Rural sectors:

The emphasis given to Irrigation, Soil Health, increased use of organic fertilisers and developing a Unified Agriculture Marketing e-platform are steps in the right direction. The reduced excise duty on micronutrients will help its wider application. The creation of the dedicated Irrigation Fund with an initial corpus of Rs. 20,000 crores will help to increase the overall area under irrigation over the long term.

The increased allocation to MGNREGA & the announcement of Rs. 5500 Crores under PM Fasal Bima Yojna are welcome moves. The Government is also piloting the Direct Benefit Transfer for Fertiliser to curb leakage. However, the much-anticipated demand of increasing urea prices to help in balanced nutrient use has been given a slip.

The Price stabilization fund created earlier for Sugar, has been now extended to Pulses. We look forward to a similar support in the coming years for other critical crops as well. The Finance Minister has also ensured fund availability for these schemes, through the Krishi Kalyan Cess.

In the Financial Services sector, we welcome the announcement allowing tax deduction in respect of provisioning of bad & doubtful debts. We hope that the amendment of the SARFAESI Act and the Bankruptcy code will strengthen the Financial Services industry. We look forward to the notification of SARFAESI Act on Housing Finance, announced in the last year’s Budget, to be expedited.

There is continued focus on financial inclusion by the announcement of ATMs & Micro ATMs in post offices. The Government’s plan to list Public Sector General Insurance companies in Stock Exchanges will help strengthen the General Insurance Sector.

The announcements for settlement of pending taxation matters will help resolve long overdue cases, and the simplified process of declaration of undisclosed income is likely to bring in new tax payers.

From an infrastructure perspective, the increased focus on construction of roads and highways, creating an enabling ecosystem for Public-Private partnerships for projects and easing the passenger traffic system by creating avenues for more operators, will have a positive cascading effect in the overall economy.

This annual global ideas platform will be held between 17th & 18th March 2016 in New Delhi featuring eminent speakers from India and across the globe.

The India Today Conclave, where the sharpest minds from across the globe converge at a forum to discuss and debate issues from around the world, is back. And like previous years, the India Today Group's signature event, to be held in the Capital on March 17 and March 18, is likely to stir and fuel new ways of thinking.

This year, the idea of clubbing power with play means we are challenging tried and tested notions and reinforcing the idea that the future belongs to those who dare to mix strength with subtlety, inspiration with imagination, passion with playfulness. The Conclave will provide an open platform for communication amongst the finest global experts, be they thought leaders who analyse our age, politicians who determine our headlines, policy makers who shape our future, or entertainers who add some star power to our mundane existence. Star speakers will debate how we will live, eat, work, entertain ourselves and what the future will look, taste and feel like.

The signature event aims at charting a bold new future through free and honest exchange of ideas by bringing together the brightest thought leaders with their ideas, arguments and experiences that allow us to renew, reinvent and re-imagine our present and future.

Speaking on the occasion, Conclave Director Ms. Kalli Purie, said, “This edition of the India Today Conclave is firmly rooted in this millennium and looks ahead rather than at the past. The multi-sensory experience across two days will introduce new ways of communicating, interacting and debating. You will get an opportunity to listen to bright minds and discuss new ideas with old hands; indulge in Mobile Movie Premiers, enjoy book signings from our Author Speakers, hear both sides of the story with our line of peace dialogues, indulge in some Gourmet delights with our special Menus brush shoulders with the best global thought architects and most of all be inspired! Along with a powerful thought flow, the two-day event will also present curated sensory experiences and spell-binding performances by leading change makers that will surely make your participation at the conclave memorable".

Come to India's busiest two days at the India Today Conclave 2016 with the world's best sharing one stage:

* Amal Clooney, Lawyer, Activist and Author

* Philippe Petit, High Wire Artist

* William Henry 'Bill' Andrews, Nobel Laureate, American Molecular Biologist and Gerontologist

* Sheena Iyengar, S. T. Lee Professor of Business, in the Management Division at Columbia Business School & Management Expert

* Nitin Gadkari, Cabinet Minister - Road Transport and Highways & Shipping

* Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) - Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy

* Suresh Prabhu, Cabinet Minister – Railways

* Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State (Independent Charge) - Commerce and Industry

* Dattatreya Hosabale - Joint General Secretary, RSS

* Shabana Azmi - Actor

* Gul Panag, Actor

* Varun Grover, Comedian & Screenwriter

* Pratap Bhanu Mehta, President, Centre for Policy Research & Political Scientist

* Javed Akhtar - Poet, Lyricist and Scriptwriter

* Zoya Akhtar - Film Director and Screenwriter

* Reham Khan, British Pakistani Broadcast Journalist

* Abhinav Bindra, Sportsperson (Shooter) & a World and Olympic Champion

* Laishram Sarita Devi, Sportsperson (Boxer)

* Gopichand Pullela, Former Badminton Player and Coach

* Sunil Khilnani, Director and Professor of Politics, King's College, London

* Shaurya Doval, Executive Director, India Foundation

* Daniel Rye Ottosen, Danish Photographer & a former ISIS hostage

* Azadeh Moaveni, Iranian–American Journalist & Author of Lipstick Jihad

* Daniel Benjamin, American Diplomat and Journalist & Former Coordinator for Counterterrorism in US State Department

* Suchi Mukherjee, Founder and CEO, LimeRoad.com

* Aardra Chandra Mouli, Co-Founder, Director, Aeka Biochemicals Pvt. Ltd.

* Ashwini Asokan, Co-Founder, CEO of Mad Street Den

* Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School & Director, South Asia Institute, Harvard University

* Ritabrata Banerjee, General Secretary, Students Federation of India (SFI)

* Pradyumna Ramesh, History Teacher, Vasant Valley School

* Yaqoob Khan Bangash, Assistant Professor, Forman Christian College

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed repeated adjournments as AIADMK members created a ruckus to demand action against former union minister P. Chidambaram's son Karti on corruption charges in the Aircel-Maxis case.

Soon after the house reassembled at 2 p.m. after three adjournments earlier in the day, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed AIADMK member P. Venugopal to speak.

He alleged that the prime minister was kept in the dark and action was delayed into the Aircel-Maxis deal issue. Soon after he made his statement, the AIADMK members again trooped near the speaker's podium and shouted slogans like "we want justice, take action, take action".

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy said: "It's a matter of corruption and the government is not going to protect anyone." Mahajan said: "I allowed you to speak but this is not fair to disturb the house after speaking. I have done justice."

However, the AIADMK members did not relent and continued with their protest.

Amid the din, Mahajan allowed the members to raise their respective issues. The speaker again urged the agitating AIADMK members not to disturb the proceedings of the house so as to allow other members to speak on the motion of thanks on the president's address, but the noisy scenes continued.

AIADMK members were demanding action against Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram over the recent income tax and enforcement directorate raids, which allegedly revealed that he had built a massive empire through investments across the world. Mahajan then adjourned the house for the day.

Earlier, when the house met at 12 noon after two brief adjournments in the question hour, apart from agitating AIADMK members, the Congress parliamentarians too raised the demand for a privilege motion against union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani.

The Congress members sought to know from the speaker the status of their notices on the privilege motion against Irani. Amid the din, the Speaker laid the papers on the table of the house.

"I have received the notices but those are under my consideration," Mahajan said. As the Congress members didn't relent and AIADMK members continued with their protest, Mahajan adjourned the house till 2 p.m.

Earlier, during question hour, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu also urged the AIADMK members to raise the issue after giving proper notice.

"The issue being raised here is very important. But please go to your seats. Give a notice. The government has no problem in discussing the issue," he said.

The speaker tried to conduct the question hour but the AIADMK members were unrelenting. She then adjourned the house till 11.15 a.m and then again till 12 noon.

Chennai, March 1, 2016: Vistara, India’s fastest-growing full service airline, welcomes Sanjiv Kapoor on board today as its new Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer. Sanjiv will be responsible for managing a wide portfolio of Vistara’s commercial and planning functions, including strategy development, network planning, pricing and revenue management, sales & distribution, product development, branding, marketing and customer experience. Sanjiv will also be responsible for in-flight services and ground operations. He succeeds Giam Ming Toh who is returning to Singapore Airlines on completion of his deputation with Vistara.

Sanjiv joins Vistara with over 19 years of experience in the airline industry, in various leadership and consulting roles. His latest assignment was as the Chief Operating Officer at SpiceJet Limited.

“I am very pleased and excited to join an airline that has the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines as its parents – you simply cannot beat the pedigree. Vistara has already earned an enviable reputation in terms of customer experience, service, and operational excellence, and is well positioned to deliver on the proud legacy of the Father of Indian Aviation, Mr JRD Tata. I look forward to working with Phee Teik and the entire Vistara team with great confidence that together we will fulfill JRD's dream to create an airline that will make India proud”, said Sanjiv Kapoor.

Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara said, “We welcome Sanjiv into the Vistara family. We are entering into a new phase of growth and Sanjiv’s industry knowledge backed by rich Indian and global experience will be valuable in propelling Vistara’s growth. We are keen to leverage his passion for the business and his understanding of India’s market dynamics to grow our presence and build on Vistara’s mission and promise.”

Sanjiv, a native of Kolkata, received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and his BA in Computer Science from Dartmouth College, USA. On the personal front, he is the co-founder of an NGO ‘A Garbage Free India’ that works with local municipalities and schools in India to change public attitudes and clean up India’s streets.

Giam Ming, who has been with the airline since inception and successfully created and established the Vistara brand promise through constant delivery of product and service excellence, will work alongside Sanjiv for a smooth transition until end April’16.

“In Xanadu did Kublai Khan, a Pleasuredome Erect”

Budweiser Music CDs announces the extravagant premiere of the electrifying ‘Sensation’ Music Festival in India

Pleasuredome will shimmy and shimmer India like never before!

India Unites!!

Chennai, March 1^st, 2016: Budweiser Music CDs, the definitive brand for the most extraordinary music experiences, is bringing the world’s leading dance festival, ‘Sensation’ to India for the first time. The event will stir up and then fulsomely shake-up the 30,000 spectators in the Gachibowli Stadium in spiffy Hyderabad. The theme of the event ‘Welcome to the Pleasuredome’, is replete and lavish with nods and hints to decadence and wantonness, and is an ode, for dance done with energy, wit and style. This is EDM at its trippy, buoyant, freest excess.

Sensation has a mandatory, iconic all white dress code- no one can defy that dress code. This version is called Sensation White and the Gachibowli Stadium will be turned into an endless white-oasis. The evening boasts of a star-studded line up of international DJs such as Afrojack, (with his fruity compressors and equalizers), Axwell, Laidback Luke (known for his deep mastery of the art of mixing) and Lost Frequencies. Sensation White’s resident DJ Mr. White will create the perfect vibe during the six-hour show, followed by epic sets by the world - renowned artists.

As the clock countdowns the 24 hours to Sensation, Budweiser Music CDs will unpack a host of events to #TurnEverythingUp. These exciting 24 hours are being packed up by Budweiser Music CDs in ‘White Box’. This ‘White Box’ will disrupt any other experience one may remember from attending a festival, because it’s Budweiser Music CDs who is taking you to an experience of your lifetime, at Sensation! From checking in at the Bud Hotel, where the experience of stay will be elevated, as everyone will be united in Red and White. And then a Budweiser Music CDs road to Sensation pre party will get everyone grooving on the night of 4th March. The morning will see the Bud & Burgers brunch - a gastronomical experience which will keep up the pace till the evening.  

Sensation has now been hosted in a mind-blowing 33 countries with a combined attendance of an unbelievable 2 million people across nations. After Dubai, Amsterdam, New York and Bangkok to name just a few, Budweiser Music CDs, a great arbiter of music is shipping this fabulous show to India. Excited about this association, Kartikeya Sharma, Marketing Director, India South East Asia, AB InBev said “Budweiser Music CDs proudly brings to India - Sensation, a music extravaganza that has enthralled audiences across the world. We believe the electronic music culture in India is at a very exciting stage and bringing the world class International festival Sensation is our effort in giving young Indians a taste of the latest and greatest from the global electronic space. We are confident that we will recreate the same epic experience as in the other countries.”

Check out how Budweiser Music CDs will #turneverythingup

Sensation, originating from the Netherlands, is organized by ID&T which is one of the biggest global dance organizations. ID&T has a 16-year legacy backing the event. India will witness a first of its kind show. Every time one of the superstar DJs takes the stage, another show moment will overwhelm the crowd with theatrical acts, fireworks and lasers.

Take a bow Hyderabad-here’s Sensation!!

Chennai: In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, fishermen have withdrawn their strike on which they were on for the past four days demanding the immediate release of fellow fishermen lodged in Sri Lankan jail.

The fishermen are also urging the government to secure the release of fishing boats detained by Sri Lanka. The fishermen from nine districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry including Nagapattinam Ramanathapuram, Karaikal and Pudukottai will resume fishing from today.

More than 10 lakh fishermen families were affected by the four day strike by fishermen. The fishermen are urging the government to secure the release of twenty seven Indian fishermen still languishing in Lankan jail after they were arrested by Lankan Navy.

The fishermen also want the government to take steps to secure the release of 71 fishing boats detained by Sri Lanka. The fishermen association said that they are not able to sustain the strike as their livelihood is badly affected. Moreover since fishing ban will be imposed next month they cannot continue their strike now.

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will chair a meeting on Wednesday in the national capital to chalk out the strategy ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, at which poll strategist Prashant Kishor is expected to be present.

According to reports, 30-35 state leaders have been called for the deliberations being held at a time when the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has held consultations with DCC presidents and block Congress Committee chiefs on candidates' selection.

AICC General Secretary Madhusudan Mistri has toured several districts for getting a feedback on ways and means to make the organisation fighting fit after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, in which only party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi could get elected from the state.

Kishor was one of the key backroom players for Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the chief minister of Gujarat and also in the last Lok Sabha polls when he was Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate.

Kishor was also the strategist behind Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's campaign strategy in Bihar assembly poll last year.

Students of Miami University visit Great Lakes as part of International Immersion program

March 2, Chennai: The students of University of Miami visited Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, a leading B-School in India. Around 30 students from University of Miami comprising different nationalities visited Great Lakes as part of an international immersion program. The one day visit saw interaction between Miami and Great Lakes students and professors.

The visit was aimed at understanding the current business scenario in India and to gain inputs on management curriculum at Great Lakes, in particular about the unique Leadership Experiential Program - Karma Yoga offered at Great Lakes.

Talking at the inaugural, Dr. Vaidy Jayaraman, faculty at the School of Business, University of Miami, Florida said, “The purpose of this visit is to understand business in India and to provide the Miami students a glimpse of diversity in India in terms of culture, language, education and other aspects. I am positive that this trip is going to be a life-changing experience to the Miami students.”

Dr. Suresh Srinivisan, professor at Great Lakes interacted with the students on Indian Business scenario, gaps and challenges of doing business in India. The Miami students were eager to know more on consumer- driven Indian economy, role of India in IT and services and how Indian legal system works. Dr. Suresh Srinivasan answered their questions with relevant examples and made it more interesting.

Followed by this Q&A session, there was a case study challenge between eight teams which consisted of Great Lakes and Miami students. The students deliberated on the case before the challenge and brought different perspectives to the table. It was interesting to see how a multi - demographic group can collaborate and perform in a situation like this. The arguments were productive and at the end of the session, every student felt the case study challenge helped them understand problem-solving better.

Post the case study challenge, students from Great Lakes performed classical dances and songs from Indian folk-lore to entertain the Miami students. Students from Miami were thrilled and excited to know more about Indian culture and its art forms. Kamil Gil, a student from Miami University said, “I speak for my friends here and we are all amazed at the hospitality of India. This is such a rich and diverse culture. This one day at Great Lakes will be unforgettable. Students here are extremely friendly and knowledgeable. More than anything, we are awe-struck by Great Lakes campus and I would like to thank you all for hosting us here”

As an integral part of this visit, the Miami students visited villages which have been adopted by Great Lakes for its Karma Yoga program. Great Lakes Karma Yoga is a vital part of the Post Graduate Program in Management (PGPM) and Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM). The project is a unique medium for students to connect with ground realities and experientially learn transformational leadership. A one of its kind programs in India, students of Great Lakes have been empowering villagers from 21 villages adopted by Great Lakes around the campus, by aiding them in livelihood skills training. 

The students of Miami University visited these villages and interacted with villagers and Great Lakers to learn more on Karma Yoga program and how Great Lakers have gained knowledge through this project in the form of real life challenges and situations faced.

A student of Miami and a Spain national, Ted explained how he found Karma Yoga activity so fulfilling. “It is amazing to see what Great Lakers have been doing in these villages. This is a unique curriculum and it sure provides a different perspective towards management. It makes a person socially responsible and to be more concerned about the less privileged. I belong to a different part of the world and what is I see here is reality, he added.

New Delhi: Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu on Tuesday unveiled bar codes for unreserved tickets to prevent fraud and a rail auto hub near Chennai.

"This new bar coding system on unreserved rail tickets will stop possible fraudulent activities which will help in more railways revenue," said Prabhu through a video link at Rail Bhavan.

Bar coding facility on unreserved tickets is available at nominated counters in New Delhi and Nizamuddin railway stations. Prabhu also inaugurated the rail auto hub at Walajabad railway station, near Chennai, of the Southern Railway as announced in his rail budget for 2016-17.

"Chennai is our initial step and Indian Railways is further working on how to get more auto transportation onto the railway track," said Prabhu. Spread over 5,000 square metres, the hub has a capacity to load 300 four-wheelers and is located near the Nissan, Hyundai, Ford and Daimler Chrysler auto plants.

Jakarta: A shallow aftershock, measuring 5.8 magnitude, jolted West Sumatra in Indonesia on Thursday morning, the meteorology and geophysics agency said here.

The quake came at 07:10 a.m. Jakarta time with epicentre at 598 km southwest Mentawai islands and with the depth at 10 km under sea bed, Xinhua quoted an official as saying.

Previously another aftershock with 5.2 magnitude also hit the area at 23:08 p.m. Jakarta time on Wednesday with epicentre at 440 km southwest the islands and with the depth at 198 km under sea bed, the official said.

Nay Pyi Taw: An over-five decades-old hydropower station in Myanmar’s Kayah state has resumed full operation following the completion of its all-round rehabilitation project, an official report said on Thursday.

The 168-megawatt (mw) Biluchaung hydropower station resumed service after all six machines with installed capacity of 28 mw each were rehabilitated, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the electric power ministry, during the fiscal year 2015-16, electricity has reached 41 of 114 villages while works are underway to electrify the remaining 73 villages in Kayah state.

The number of villages with access to electricity will total 256 at the end of the current fiscal year in the state which is expected to see 90 percent power coverage in the years to come, the ministry said.

Myanmar has a total of 5,235 mw of electricity from hydropower, natural-gas-fired, diesel-fired and coal–fired plants in 2015-16, up 1,822 mw from 3,413 mw in 2010-11, seeing 34 percent power coverage across the country.

Mumbai: A benchmark index of Indian equities markets, the 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex), on Thursday was trading 189.96 points or 0.78 percent up during the morning session. The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was also trading 0.79 percent up at 7,427.40 points.

The Sensex of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 24,386.67 points, was trading at 24,432.94 points (at 9.20 a.m.) in the early session, up 189.96 points or 0.78 percent from the previous day's close at 24,242.98 points. The Sensex touched a high of 24,454.07 points and a low of 24,383.28 points in the trade so far.

Chennai: The 49 fishermen released by Iran reached Chennai airport on Thursday morning. The Indian fishermen were arrested by the Iranian Coast Guard for crossing the international borders.

"At least 44 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and five fishermen from Gujarat and five fishermen from Dubai who worked for a Dubai fishing company, were on December 1, 2015 arrested by the Iranian Coast Guard because they had crossed the international border. For last 90 days these fishermen were detained in their fishing boats in a place called Dees in the sea at Iran," Father A.Churchill told.

"We have been taking a lot of initiatives for their rescue and release". We approached the government of Tamil Nadu and also the government of India and with the help of both the government these 54 fishermen have been released," he added.

"We were arrested and kept in jail for months. Now that we have been released, we feel happy for this. We thank both Centre and the state government for their efforts to get us out" Jegan Joseph, a fisherman told the media.

Kanpur: Bundled by the financial constrains after their father's prolonged illness, two brothers Sushant Mishra and Tanmay Mishra from Naubasta region of Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for help.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) responded to the letter and ensured the treatment of their father Saroj Mishra at the district hospital.

The PMO has directed the District Magistrate and Medical Officer of Kanpur to take the cognizance of the issue and ensure the treatment of their father Saroj Mishra at the district hospital.

Mishra, a resident of Sanjay Gandhi Nagar locality, is suffering from acute asthma for the past two years and had not been able to take up his private job of tailoring for past six months.

Both children have stopped going to school as the family is unable to pay the fee while the rent of the house is also not paid for past several months.

New Delhi: A day after the Tamil Nadu government said that it has decided to remit the sentence of life imprisonment of all seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and release them, the Congress party on Thursday said that it will oppose the move.

While announcing the decision, the J Jayalalithaa government had said that it has sought the Centre's views on the move.

In a letter to Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary K Gnanadesikan said the state government had received petitions from the seven convicts requesting to release them as they had spent more than 20 years in prison.

The convicts are V Sriharan (alias Murugan), T Suthendraraja (alias Santhan), AG Perarivalan (alias Arivu), Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini. "Nalini has also filed a writ plea in the Madras High Court requesting the government of Tamil Nadu to release her," he said.

"The Government of Tamil Nadu, after taking into consideration the petitions of the seven convicts, has decided to remit the sentences of life imprisonment and to release the seven persons since all of them have already served imprisonment for 24 years," he said. Out of the seven convicts, V Sriharan, T Suthendraraja, Jayakumar and Robert Payas are Sri Lankans.