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Amit Shah, Smriti Irani slam Rahul in Congress bastion
BJP’s top leaders descended on “Nehru-Gandhi family bastion” Amethi today, with party chief Amit Shah questioning Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi over development in his Lok Sabha constituency and slamming him for mocking Gujarat’s development. Shah, union minister Smriti Irani and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath targeted Gandhi here while he was attacking the Union government in Gujarat, the poll-bound home state of the BJP chief and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a public meeting here, Shah said Modi and Adiyanath will ensure all-round development of Amethi as also rest of the state. “You have trusted a family for 60 years, now trust BJP and Modi and you will not feel betrayed,” Shah told the people of Amethi where Irani lost to Gandhi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Amethi is known all over the world as a “Nehru-Gandhi family bastion” but there has been no development, he said. He said there were two models of development here — a “Nehru-Gandhi model” and the “Modi model”.
How many women are there in RSS? Rahul, but ‘shorts’ remark sparks row
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today seemed to suggest that the RSS discriminates against women but his poser whether any woman is ever seen in its ‘shakas’ (assembly) wearing shorts sparked condemnation by the BJP. Addressing a gathering of students in Vadodara on the second day of his election campaign in Gujarat, Gandhi said that in contrast, women work at every level in the Congress.
Union minister and senior BJP leader Smriti Irani slammed Gandhi’s remark as “indecent.” “The BJP’s thinking is that till women are silent they are good, when they start speaking up they try to shut them (women) up.” “Their organisation is the RSS. How many women are there in the RSS… Have you ever seen any woman in ‘shakhas’ wearing shorts?. I have never seen,” Gandhi said in a sarcastic tone, adding, “In the Congress you will see women at every level in the organisation.”
Techies to face tough time: IT companies set to sack more staff soon
The Indian IT industry, which employs around 4 million people, is likely to witness another round of lay-offs in the next 6-12 months, with people in the senior slab likely to be affected the most, according to an Experis IT Employment Outlook Survey. “The collective number of lay-offs that the IT giants are contemplating is way higher than what the Indian IT industry has ever witnessed and this trend is likely to continue for the next 6-12 months,” Experis said in its outlook for the period between October 2017 and March 2018. According to Experis, a ManpowerGroup company, the Indian IT industry is looking at adjusting its talent pool considering major hiring in the junior and mid-level, while contemplating lay-offs in the senior slab. The Indian IT industry has already witnessed a slowdown in hiring with the intake slowing down, impacted by the twin disruptions of technology and overall market sentiments.
Narendra Modi government disinvestment drive set to buck trend; see what is on cards
The Centre started the practice of keeping annual disinvestment targets seven years ago, but hasn’t met these in any year since; the trend, however, will be bucked this year. If the transactions already initiated and the plans laid out sufficiently early in the year materialise — in all probability they would — the budgeted disinvestment revenue will be easily met if not surpassed in FY18. FE has computed the revenue from sale of government stake in companies in the current year to be upwards of Rs 73,000 crore as against the budget estimate of Rs 72,500 crore. A windfall from the planned sale of the government’s entire equity stake in oil refiner/marketer HPCL to state-run explorer ONGC is the primary reason the overall disinvestment target looks set to be achieved this fiscal without mush hassle. A handsome amount of `34,000 crore will reach the coffers due to this transaction alone while the reinsurer GIC Re’s initial public offering (IPO) will fetch around Rs 10,000 crore. A new diversified, 22-stocks exchange-traded fund (Bharat 22) is sure to do well and garner at least `10,000 crore.
Railways takes big step under Piyush Goyal to shut printing presses; big redeployment of staff in offing
The Indian Railways has decided to close down all the printing presses it owns and redeploy the staff employed in these units to other departments.The move is part of the railways’ strategy to exit activities which are no longer integral to its functioning. “All printing presses owned by the railways will be closed and staff will be redeployed. The railways runs 14 printing presses,” said a ministry of railway official requesting not to be named.The decision was taken during the marathon meeting called by railway minister Piyush Goyal of Railway Board members and general managers of all 17 railway zones. These printing units are mostly very old and have outdated machinery, and with increasingly less requirement of paper-based communication they have ran out of favour.“Traditionally, a lot of paper such as forms were used by the railways. But now these are getting automated and the quality of these presses are also very poor, given their vintage-era machines. These are moribund 19th century units which are not required any more,” said a former railway employee requesting not to be named.
Unrelenting Jaypee homebuyers now want builder to take this big step fast
Homebuyers of Jaypee Wish Town in Noida have written to the amicus curiae representing them in the insolvency proceedings at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). They have demanded that the developer submit Rs 15,000 crore in the Supreme Court to ensure the project’s completion. Homebuyers have demanded that all the flats be completed and handed over to them by December 2018. They have also requested that an escrow account be created with the buyers for the protection of funds that are to be deposited by buyers to the builder in future. The amicus curiae team includes senior counsel Shekhar Naphade and Shubhangi Tuli, advocate on record. “We have communicated to the amicus curiae that the insolvency proceedings have to first consider the buyers’ interest, as they are the victims in this insolvency bargain. Buyers’ investments have to be protected,” Krishan Mitroo, a member of Jaypee Wish Town Noida Buyers Association, said.
