Tuesday 25 September 2018

Dunkin' is dropping the donuts — from its name

The makeover is part of Dunkin' Brand's efforts to relabel itself as a "beverage-led" company that focuses on coffees, teas, speedy service and to-go food including -— but not limited to — doughnuts.
Dunkin' says that beverages, especially coffee, make up 60% of the company's US sales.
"Our new branding is one of many things we are doing as part of our blueprint for growth to modernize the Dunkin' experience for our customer," said Dunkin' Brands (DNKN)CEO David Hoffmann in a statement Tuesday.

Bids invited for debt ridden Videocon under insolvency resolution process

Resolution professional of debt-ridden Videocon Industries Tuesday invited bids from prospective buyers to take control of the firm, which has interest ranging from consumer electronics to oil and gas. 
Bids invited for debt ridden Videocon under insolvency resolution process
In its heydays, Videocon was known for its consumer durables business. It then diversified into oil and gas, DTH and telecom sectors, with the latter two ventures proving to be unsuccessful. 

The company then sold of its DTH business to Dish TV and telecom business to Airtel. 

The Videocon Group is under investigation for alleged quid-pro-quo over Rs 3,250 crore loan by ICICI bank to it in 2012. The bank had also ordered an independent probe into allegations of 'conflict of of interest' and 'quid pro quo' in bank's MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar's role. 




SoftBank, others book a $5-billion room for OYO at unicorn club

SoftBank Vision Fund, the world’s largest private technology investor, has led an $800 million funding round in hospitality company OYO, in the process vaulting the five-year-old startup into the unicorn club of private companies valued over a billion dollars. 

Joining SoftBank are other existing investors — Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Greenoaks Capital. The fundraise includes an additional commitment of $200 million. The latest round values OYO, which was founded b .. 

Traders give call for Bharat bandh on Friday to oppose Walmart-Flipkart deal

Demanding scrapping of the US-based Walmart’s deal to buy Indian etailer Flipkart, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has given a call for Bharat bandh on September 28. The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has backed the call for nationwide shutdown, terming the deal a backdoor entry of foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail. 

Reliance's Mukesh Ambani earned Rs 300 crore per day over last one year Read more at: //economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/65951656.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Wealth of India’s richest person Mukesh Ambani rose by Rs 300 crore per day over the past one year, according to a report by Barclays Hurun India Rich List 2018. 

With a wealth of Rs 3,71,000 crore, Reliance Industries’ Chairman, Ambani holds the top position for the seventh year running on the back of over 45 per cent rise in the share price of the company. 

His wealth is more than the combined wealth of the next three: SP Hinduja & Family (Rs 1,59,000 crore), LN Mittal &am .. 


Monday 24 September 2018

Indian government proposed Anil Ambani’s Reliance for Rafale deal: Former French President Francois Hollande

In an interview to Mediapart, Former French President Francois Hollande admitted that Indian government had proposed Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence for negotiations with Dassault on Rafale fighter jet.

Dassault Rafale
The Indian government proposed this service group, and Dassault negotiated with Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence, said former French President Francois Hollande.  







New Delhi: In a fresh twist in Rafale case, a French journalist has claimed that the French government under former President Francois Hollande had no choice in the selection of Reliance. In an interview which appeared in Mediapart - an independent left-leaning French online investigative and opinion journal –Hollande on a question about who selected Reliance as a partner and why, said it was the Indian government that proposed Reliance’s name and Dassault had no choice but to take the company given to it.
Hollande further added that his government never had a choice and it was the Indian government that proposed this group for negotiations with Dassault, ANI reported.
source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/francois-hollande-france-india-rafale-deal-rafale-jet-bharatiya-janata-party-dassault-narendra-modi-national-democratic-alliance-anil-ambani-mediapart/288163

India third worst hit in world by terror, after Iraq and Afganistan

Ganpati Visarjan: Thousands Of Dead Turtles, Fish And Water Snakes Washed Ashore At Dadar, Juhu

Ganesh chaturthi, immersion, dead turtle, fish, water snakes, Beach warriors, Juhu, Dadar beach

Another acquisition of TATA Steel

Tata Steel’s another acquisition after Bhushan Steel; to acquire steel business of Usha Martin Limited

Tata Steel Saturday announced that it will acquire the steel business of Usha Martin Limited (UML) for Rs 4,300-4,700 crore.


Tata Steel Saturday announced that it will acquire the steel business of Usha Martin Limited (UML) for Rs 4,300-4,700 crore.
Tata Steel Saturday announced that it will acquire the steel business of Usha Martin Limited (UML) for Rs 4,300-4,700 crore. (Image: Reuters)

Tata Steel Saturday announced that it will acquire the steel business of Usha Martin Limited (UML) for Rs 4,300-4,700 crore. UML, in a stock exchange filing, said the sale of steel business to Tata Steel will help the company in “significant reduction” of its debt.
The deal is expected to be completed in 6-9 months, it added. Tata Steel, in a release, said it has executed definitive agreements for acquisition of the steel business of UML through a slump sale on a going concern basis.
“It is proposed that the steel business of UML will be acquired subject to transaction closing, for a cash consideration of between Rs 4,300-4,700 crore (subject to various transaction adjustments),” the release said. The closing of the acquisition is subject to fulfilment of various conditions under the agreements. At the closing, Tata Steel or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates may carry out this acquisition, it added.
UML’s steel business comprises the specialised 1 mtpa alloy based manufacturing capacity in long products segment based in Jamshedpur, a producing iron-ore mine, a coal mine under development and captive power plants, Tata Steel said.
The transaction and acquisition structure would be determined shortly, it added. Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 27.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) as on March 31, 2018.
Usha Martin is amongst the largest wire rope manufacturers in the world and a leading speciality steel producer in India.  In May, Bamnipal Steel Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Steel, completed the acquisition of controlling stake of 72.65 per cent in Bhushan Steel Ltd (BSL).
Tata Steel had won the bid to acquire debt-laden BSL in an insolvency auction.
source: https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/tata-steels-another-acquisition-after-bhushan-steel-to-acquire-steel-business-of-usha-martin-limited/1322999/

West Bengal: Under-construction flyover collapses at Kakdwip near Kolkata

Is there anyone accountable

This is the third incident of a bridge-collapse in West Bengal in September alone, raising some serious questions on the state administration.

Kakdwip bridge collapse
An under-construction bridge collapsed on Kalnagini river at Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district  |  Photo Credit: ANI
Kolkata: In yet another tragic incident, an under-construction bridge collapsed Kakdwip area of South 24 Parganas district on Monday. As per South 24 Parganas district magistrate Y Ratnakara Rao, there has been no report of any casualty in the incident. "The incident happened on Monday morning. We are waiting for further details," Rao added.
Reports say this bridge was under-construction over the Kalnagini river for the last two years. Meanwhile, a team has been dispatched to the spot to probe the incident.
"Part of the under-construction bridge over Kalnagini river in Kakdwip area collapsed at around 10 am. No one has been injured in the incident," said a state police officer. "The reason of the collapse is yet to be ascertained. Senior officials have reached the spot," he added.
Notably, this is the third incident of a bridge-collapse in West Bengal in September alone, raising some serious questions on the state administration
source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/west-bengal-flyover-bridge-collapse-kakdwip-kolkata-south-24-parganas-district-mamata-banerjee-majerhat-tmc/289085

Nitin Sandesara, The Man Behind Rs 5,000 Crore Loan Fraud, May Have Fled To Nigeria

Nitin Sandesara, the absconding director of a Gujarat based pharma company being probed in a fraud case of Rs 5,000 crore is likely to have fled to Nigeria from UAE where he was arrested last month. 

“There were reports that Nitin Sandesara was detained by UAE authorities in Dubai in the second week of August. The information was incorrect. He was never detained in Dubai. He and other family members probably left for Nigeria much before that,” an official was quoted as saying by Times of India.
Nitin

भारत को लूटो-भारत से भागो, नई योजना आई है क्या प्रधानमंत्री जी!

अमित शाह ने दिल्ली में कहा है कि सौ करोड़ घुसपैठिये घुस गए हैं. जल्दी ही अमित शाह हर किसी को घुसपैठिया बता देंगे. जनता पूछेगी भी नहीं कि अमित भाई, बांग्लादेशी भगा रहे हैं या गुजरात को बदनाम करने वाले जतिन मेहता, नितिन संदेसरा, नीरव मोदी और मेहुल चौकसी को.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing at the ceremony to mark the release of two books on Indian Constitution, at Parliament House Annexe, in New Delhi on November 25, 2016.
प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी (फोटो: पीआईबी)
ऐसा लग रहा है कि भारत से भागने के लिए एयरपोर्ट पर अलग से काउंटर बना हुआ है. जहां से बैंक लूटने वालों को भागने में मदद की जा रही है.
टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया के नीरज चौहान की एक ख़बर गोदी मीडिया से ग़ायब है. भागने वाले नए खिलाड़ी का नाम है कि नितिन संदेसरा. इन पर 5,300 करोड़ रुपये का बैंक फ्रॉड करने का आरोप है.
इनकी गुजरात के वडोदरा में एक कंपनी है जिसका नाम है स्टर्लिंग बायोटेक. अगस्त में ख़बर आई थी कि संदेसरा सऊदी भागा है और वहीं पकड़ा गया है. लेकिन अब ख़बर आ रही है कि संदेसरा ने नाईजीरिया को चुना है. नाईजीरिया के साथ भारत का प्रत्यर्पण करार नहीं है इसलिए वहां से लाने में मुश्किल भी होगी.
यह ख़बर इंडियन एक्सप्रेस में भी छपी है. आप अपने हिन्दी के रद्दी हो चुके अख़बारों को पलट कर देखिए. वहां यह ख़बर छपी है या नहीं. छपी है तो किस प्रमुखता से छपी है.
नितिन संदेसरा अकेले नहीं गए हैं. उनके साथ भाई चेतन संदेसरा, भाभी दीप्तिबेन संदेसरा भी नाईजीरिया में छुपे हैं. सीबीआई ने 5,000 करोड़ रुपये के फ्रॉड के मामले में वडोदरा के नितिन, चेतन, दीप्ति संदेसरा, राजभूषण ओमप्रकाश दीक्षित, विलास जोशी, चार्टर्ड अकाउंटेंट हेमेंत हाथी, आंध्र बैंक के पूर्व निदेशक अनूप गर्ग के ख़िलाफ़ धोखाधड़ी का मामला दर्ज किया हुआ है.
जून महीने में ईडी ने इस कंपनी की संपत्तियों को सील कर दिया था. संदेसरा पर आरोप है कि इसने 300 शेल कंपनियां बनाईं. भारत में और विदेशों में भी. इन सबके ज़रिए 5,000 करोड़ रुपये का लोन इधर-उधर कर दिया गया.
इसके पहले जतिन मेहता 6,712 करोड़ रुपये का गबन कर भाग गया. जतिन मेहता सेंट किट्स की नागरिकता ले चुका है. जतिन मेहता तो 2013 में भागा लेकिन अभी तक नहीं लाया जा सका.
प्रधानमंत्री के हमारे मेहुल भाई( मोदी जी ने एक कार्यक्रम में हमारे मेहुल भाई कहा था) मेहुल चौकसी ने एंटीगुआ की नागरिकता ले ली है. नीरव मोदी के बारे में ख़बर आई थी कि उसने ऑस्ट्रेलिया के पास एक द्वीप की नागरिकता लेने की कोशिश की थी. लेकिन नहीं मिली.
नीरव मोदी और मेहुल चौकसी पर 13,500 करोड़ रुपये के गबन का आरोप है. विजय माल्या का तो पता ही होगा कि 9,000 करोड़ रुपये का बैंक फ्रॉड कर भागने से पहले वित्त मंत्री अरुण जेटली से कुछ सेकेंड मिलकर गए थे.
अरुण जेटली ने भी स्वीकार किया है कि समझौते का प्रस्ताव लेकर आए थे मगर भाव नहीं दिया. यही बात वे माल्या के भागने के दिन भी कह सकते थे. तब कहा जब माल्या ने खुद कह दिया कि जेटली से समझौते का प्रयास किया था.
भागने वालों में ज़्यादातर गुजरात के हैं. नीरव मोदी, मेहुल चौकसी, नितिन संदेसरा, जतिन मेहता. ऐसा तो नहीं कि इन्हें विशेष सुविधा मिल रही हो! मने कह रहे हैं.
ऐसा लगता है कि भारत सरकार की कोई नई योजना आई है. भारत को लूटो, भारत से भागो. भागने वालों पर करीब 35,000 करोड़ रुपये के बैंक फ्रॉड के आरोप हैं.
अमित शाह ने दिल्ली में कहा है कि सौ करोड़ घुसपैठिये घुस गए हैं. जल्दी ही अमित शाह हर किसी को घुसपैठिया बता देंगे.
जनता अब अमित शाह को सुनना बंद करे. भागने के लिए सामान पैक करे. 100 करोड़ के जाते ही अमित शाह अकेले भारत में रहेंगे फिर वे वाकई 50 साल राज करेंगे.
जनता रहेगी नहीं तो पूछेगी भी नहीं कि अमित भाई, बांग्लादेशी भगा रहे हैं या गुजरात को बदनाम करने वाले जतिन मेहता, नितिन संदेसरा, नीरव मोदी और मेहुल चौकसी को भगा रहे हैं.
अमित भाई, पहले जो भारत की जनता का पैसा लूट कर भाग रहा है, उसे तो पकड़िए. कहां तो आप काला धन लाने वाले थे, यहां तो काला धन जा रहा है.
वैसे एक बात है. 50 साल तक चुनाव आप ही जीतेंगे. सभी भारतीयों को बांग्लादेशी बता कर भी आप चुनाव न जीतें तो यह भारत की जनता की बुद्धि का अपमान होगा. वह साबित करेगी कि आप यहां की जनता के बारे में जो सोचते हैं वह सही है. हैं न सर.
यह लेख मूल रूप से रवीश कुमार के फेसबुक पेज पर प्रकाशित हुआ है. 
source: http://thewirehindi.com/58445/sterling-biotech-nitin-sandesara-rs-5000-crore-bank-fraud-fled-to-nigeria/

Friday 21 September 2018

Out Of Rs 336 Cr, UP Govt Has Not Spent Single Penny For Mothers Under PM’s Maternity Scheme: RTI

Maternity Scheme RTI
On December 31, 2016, our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that pregnant women in our country would be given maternity assistance by his government under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). The Modi government’s promise has fallen short as a Right To Information (RTI) has revealed that not even a single rupee has been spent on pregnant women of Uttar Pradesh. These ‘going to be mothers’, who had enrolled themselves under the scheme till August 2018 are still in hope and need of these benefits.

Discrepancies in RTI and Govt data

As per an RTI reply to IANS by the Women and Child Development ministry, a total amount of Rs 2,049 crore was approved by the government for 29 states and seven Union Territories. Uttar Pradesh has received the highest sanctioned amount of over Rs 336 crore from the government, reported NDTV.
The RTI has also revealed that in Uttar Pradesh, which has the highest population and highest fertility rate, a mere number of only 184 women have enrolled for PMMVY. Although, since the launch of the scheme in January 2017, 44 lakh women have been enrolled across the country in 717 districts until August.
Out of the total number of enrolled women, there are more than 34 lakh women who have received payment, but the women in Uttar Pradesh have been kept deprived of the government’s benefit. In a years time, not even a single woman has received any payment under the scheme, the reply shows.
According to a NITI Aayog report of 2016, UP ranks second in fertility rate (children per woman), Bihar which has topped the ranking has a fertility rate of 3.3. Surprisingly, both the state have crossed the ideal fertility rate as mentioned by the Centre, which is 2.4.

The highest beneficiary in Bengal

Among all the states, West Bengal has the highest number of women enrolled in the scheme, and also the highest number of women are benefited from it. Out of the 6.8 lakh, women enrolled, more than 5 lakh pregnant women are beneficiaries. The state was allocated Rs 102 crore from the Centre.
The state with the lowest number of enrollment is Punjab with only 7 women. Out of 7, just 5 women have been given the money. The state was allocated Rs 46.49 crore.
Tamil Nadu has recorded zero enrollment under the PMMVY scheme, and therefore there are no beneficiaries. However, the Centre has released more than Rs. 120 crore to the state in 2017-18.

About the scheme

The scheme was first launched in 2010 under the UPA-II government, as was called Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY). The Modi government last year re-launched the scheme and re-named it as Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). Under this scheme, the first time mothers from across the country are entitled to get Rs 5,000 after delivery of a child in a government hospital. The remaining cash incentive of Rs 1,000 is given as maternity benefit under the Janani Suraksha Yojana.

Aadhaar mandatory for enrolling

However, the government has made Aadhaar compulsory for the women to enrol under the maternity scheme. Under this scheme, mothers above 19-years of age can apply. According to the scheme, partial compensation to women for the wage-loss during birth will also be provided.
According to the WCD Ministry, the cost for the maternity benefit programme is shared by the State and Centre.

The Logical Indian take

There is definitely a goof up in the two data that has been provided. This either means that the Ministry has failed to give a correct reply to the RTI, which shows gross negligence on part of the Ministy or it can also mean that IANS made a mistake in reporting. Whatever the problem might be, it definitely needs a clarification. The UP government should address the issue and give out the correct data.
Source: https://thelogicalindian.com/news/maternity-scheme-rti/

Samara-Amazon acquires Kumar Mangalam Birla's More retail chain

Image result for amazon acquire more
The Aditya Birla Group is selling supermarket chain More to Witzig Advisory Services, owned by Samara Alternative Investment Fund, in a deal that will eventually see Amazon picking up a 49% stake, according to people with knowledge of the matter. 

The deal pegged at about Rs 4,200 crore will give the online giant access to more than 500 physical outposts across the country, albeit indirectly. The Witzig-Samara end of the transaction was made public in an exchange filing on Wednesday. RKN .. 

Gujarat MLAs give themselves 65% hike

Cutting across party lines, the legislators on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill in the proposing to hike their salaries by at least Rs 45,000 a month with retrospective effect from February this year.
Image result for salary hike gujrat
Accordingly, the monthly salary of the MLAs will be increased to Rs 1.16 lakh from the existing Rs 70,727, a rise of about 64 per cent, while those of the Ministers, Speaker, Deputy and of Opposition will go up to Rs 1.32 lakh from Rs 86,000, an increase of about 54 per cent.
The revised salaries come into retrospective effect from February with a disbursal of Rs 6 crore in arrears. The new remuneration structure will put an extra burden of Rs 10 crore annually on the state exchequer.

Uttarakhand House nod to declare cow ‘Rashtra Mata’

In India Cow is important only. forget about girl safety....

uttarakhand, uttarakhand cow protection, beef, cow slaughter, cow smuggling, gauraksha, uttarakhand high court, Trivendra Rawat, uttarakhand cow protection, cow Rashtra Mata, indian express
THE UTTARAKHAND Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on Wednesday to declare cow the ‘Rashtra Mata’ or the mother of the nation.
State Animal Husbandry Minister Rekha Arya, who moved the resolution in the Assembly, said that considering it a request from Uttarakhand Assembly, the Centre must grant the status of mother of nation to the cow.
Opposition Congress also supported the resolution. However, party leaders said in the Assembly that besides conferring the status of ‘Rashtra Mata’, efforts must also be made to conserve and protect the cow and its progeny.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Indira Hridayesh, said, “Giving a very high status to the cow is good, but we often hear that cows are dying in cow shelters across the country due to lack of care and required facilities. The Congress has no problem with the cow being declared Rashtra Mata, but much more needs to be done on the ground to truly respect the cow.”
Arya said, “Our government has been working towards cow protection… we are constructing shelters across the state. Getting the status of Rashtra Mata for the cow is another step towards cow protection.”
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/uttarakhand-house-nod-to-declare-cow-rashtra-mata-5365433/

Virat Kohli scores 'zero' but gets Khel Ratna, Bajrang Punia with 80 points rejected

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and world champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu were named by the Sports Ministry for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. The two will receive the honour on September 25. But the decision has not gone down well with other athletes. 
As per a report in The Times of India, skipper Kohli got 'zero' points by the 11-member panel which decides the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards while Chanu earned 44 points. Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat got a total of 80 points each, were among six others who totalled more than Chanu, but lost out on the award. Despite the marking scheme, the final decision to name the awardees for the country's highest sports award is done by a show of hands.
Kohli did not score any point as there is no criteria that has been set for cricket, which is not an Olympic sport. Selection of cricketers for the award thus often lead to a controversy.
source: http://zeenews.india.com/cricket/virat-kohli-got-zero-by-khel-ratna-panel-but-won-by-show-of-hands-bajrang-punia-with-80-points-dejected-2142542.html

India proposed Reliance for Rafale deal, claims former French President Hollande

Adding fuel to the ongoing Rafale controversy, former French President François Hollande in an interview to a French online investigative and opinion journal said that Dassault Aviation was given no choice but to partner with Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence for the offset clause in the Rafale fighter jet deal. Reacting over this news, Defence ministry of India spoksperson tweeted "The report referring to fmr French president Mr. Hollande's statement that GOI insisted upon a particular firm as offset partner for the Dassault Aviation in Rafale is being verified. It is reiterated that neither GoI nor French Govt had any say in the commercial decision."

Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-proposed-reliance-for-rafale-deal-claims-former-french-president-hollande/videoshow/65903359.cms

India third worst hit in world by terror, after Iraq and Afghanistan: US data

For second year in a row, India is the third largest victim  .. 

Thursday 13 September 2018

Arun Jaitley Faces Flak After Vijay Mallya Says "We Met".

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/arun-jaitley-faces-flak-after-vijay-mallya-talks-of-meeting-who-said-what-1915807Arun Jaitley Faces Flak After Vijay Mallya Says 'We Met'. Who Said What





Opposition parties, on Wednesday, latched on to Vijay Mallya's statement in which he claimed that he had met Arun Jaitley before leaving India, and demanded a probe into the fugitive liquor baron's statement, which was rubbished by the finance minister as "factually false".
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi should immediately order an independent probe into Vijay Mallya's "extremely serious allegations" and Arun Jaitley should step down while the investigation will be carried out.
The claim made by Vijay Mallya, who is facing charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to Rs. 9,000 crore, has triggered a political storm, with the Congress is saying that the government must explain how and why Mr Mallya was allowed to leave India.
Arun Jaitley, however, said he never gave Vijay Mallya an appointment after becoming a minister in 2014, but the liquor baron misused his position as a member of parliament to approach him once in Parliament.

India Is The Hardest Working Country, 69% Say They Are Happy With Working Five-Days A Week

Source: https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/india-is-the-hardest-working-country-69-say-they-are-happy-with-working-five-days-a-week-352899.html

In this rat race, as employment opportunities are going down, perhaps survival rates are going up. A recent survey revealed that India doesn’t shy away from going the extra mile as it emerges to be the hardest working country in the world.

69 percent of Indians said that they would work five days a week even if they had the option of working fewer days a week for the same pay, reported PTI.
Image result for Indian office
With a sample size of 2,772 employees, Future Workplace on behalf of Kronos Incorporated conducted the survey research between July 31, 2018, and August 09, 2018. Full-time and part-time employees living in  Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Mexico, the UK, and the US were surveyed for this study.The study also revealed that 16 per cent of the people in United Kingdom, 17 per cent in France and 19 per cent in Australia are least content with the usual five-day week working standard.

One-Third Employees Will Take A Pay Cut To Work One Day Less In A Week

35 per cent of the employees in the survey said that they were ready to take a 20 percent pay cut to work one day less per week. However, the number varied in each country. 
For instance, Mexico which has the second highest number of people who were happy with the five-day week arrangement also showed that 50 per cent of the country’s workers would take the 20 per cent pay cut arrangement followed by 43 per cent in India and 42 per cent in France.
However, 29 per cent in Canada and 24 per cent in the U.S agreed to take on this measure. 75 per cent of the employees said that they have enough time in the workday to finish their major tasks, whereas 37 per cent work more than 40 hours each week and 71 per cent claim work interferes with their personal lives.
India, workplace, Mexico
On the contrary, 49 per cent clock more than 40 hours each week, followed by 44 per cent in India, 40 per cent in Mexico and 38 per cent in Germany.
Executive Director of The Workforce Institute at Kronos, Joyce Maroney told PTI, "It's clear that employees want to work and do well by their employers, and many roles require people to be present or on call during specific hours to get the job done such as teachers, nurses, retail associates, plant workers, delivery drivers, and nearly all customer-facing roles."
Maroney further said that organizations should help to eliminate inefficiencies and distractions at work so that work quality isn’t compromised. This way, relationships can be strengthened and developed to create scheduling options, including the four-day work week standard.

Rivers, wells abnormally dry up in flood-hit Kerala, govt orders study

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rivers-wells-abnormally-dry-up-in-flood-hit-kerala-govt-orders-study/story-TVDr1Vu2a3KajRbNdA6RiO.html

flood-hit Kerala,rivers dry up in flood hit Kerala,wells dry up in flood hit Kerala
With mercury levels rising and abnormal drying up of rivers and wells reported in flood-hit Kerala, the state government has decided to conduct scientific studies on the post-flood phenomenon in the state.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed the state council for science, technology & environment to carry out studies on the phenomenon after floods across the state and suggest possible solutions to the problems.
A series of issues including soaring mercury level, unprecedented dip in water level of rivers, sudden drying-up of wells, depletion of groundwater reserves and mass perishing of earthworms have caused widespread concern in various parts of Kerala after the devastating deluge last month.
The flood-battered Wayanand district, known for its rich biodiversity, recently witnessed the mass perishing of earthworms, causing concern among farmers who attributed it to the rapid drying up of earth and change in soil structure.
Many rivers including Periyar, Bharathapuzha, Pampa and Kabani, which were in a spate during the days of flood, are now getting dried up and their water level has decreased abnormally.
Besides the drying up of wells, their caving in was also reported in many districts.
The flood had altered the topography of the land in many places and km-long cracks had been developed especially in high range areas of Idukki and Wayanad which had witnessed a large number of landslides.
After floods, drought condition was also predicted by experts in many districts of the southern state.
“The Centre for Water Resources Management has been assigned the task of studying fall in water levels, changes in groundwater and land cracks,” Vijayan, who is under treatment in US, said in a Facebook post.
The topic of biodiversity renovation has been assigned to the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Kerala Forest Research Institute and the Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences, he said.
The study of issues related to roads and bridges had been entrusted with the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre.
The Council was also asked to study separately the structural changes to environment in terms of biodiversity and changes in the habitat of animals and plants and its impacts, the chief minister added.

Health ministry bans Saridon, Corex and 326 other combination drugs

Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/health-ministry-bans-saridon-corex-and-326-other-combination-drugs-2948191.html


The Ministry of Health has banned the production, sale and dispersal of about 328 fixed dose combinations of drugs (FDCs).

This ban will bring an end to a long legal battle between the ministry and the drug manufacturers. The battle, which has been ongoing since 2016, called for these ‘unsafe’ drugs to be banned.





Lenovo M10FHD CASE WITH KEYBOARD