The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) for capacity augmentation of navigation on National Waterway-1’s (Ganga river) 1,380-km Haldia-Varanasi stretch.

According to a cabinet communique, the Rs 5,369 crore project, which is expected to be completed by March 2023, will bring down the logistic cost in the country and lead to major infrastructure development like multi-modal and inter-modal terminals, roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) facilities, ferry services, and navigation aids.

The JMVP will create an alternative mode of transport that will be “environment friendly and cost effective” and generate “huge” employment, it said.

“NW-1 development & operations will lead to direct employment generation to the tune of 46,000 and indirect employment of 84,000 will be generated by vessel construction industry,” said the release.

The World Bank has provided technical assistance and financial support to the project, which will cover states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced the JMVP in his July 2014 Budget speech to enable commercial navigation of at least 1,500 tonnes vessels in Ganga.

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has pledged a loan of $375 million (Rs 2, 512 crore) for the project while the Indian government will incur expenses of Rs 2,556 crore – to be sourced from budgetary allocation and proceeds from bond issue.

Private sector participation in the project under Public-Private Partnership mode will be Rs 301 crore.

City football giants Mohun Bagan on Wednesday announced the appointment of Shankarlal Chakraborty as the head coach for the rest of the I-League season after the previous incumbent, Sanjoy Sen, resigned on Tuesday night.

Chakraborty was anointed from the assistant coach’s job to take the reins of the team struggling at fifth position in the points table after four games without a win.

“The club management have decided to elevate Mr. Sankarlal Chakraborty, as the Head Coach for the remainder of the 2017-18 season. Mr. Chakraborty has been there with the team since July 2014,” a statement from the club said.

Chakraborty was at the helm of affairs during Mohun Bagan’s Calcutta Football League (CFL) campaign as well. The green and maroon brigade finished second to arch-rivals East Bengal, who went on to win their record eighth title.

Currently in the I-League, East Bengal lead the charts under coach Khalid Jamil and the challenge for Chakraborty would be to arrest the freefall his club is witnessing at the moment.

Sen, who helped Mohun Bagan win the I-League in the 2014-15 season, stepped down from his position after Tuesday’s harrowing 1-2 defeat at the hands of lowly Chennai City FC. Despite having the numerical advantage for close to an hour, Mohun Bagan failed to score and were lacklustre to say the least in the second half.

In the previous three home games also, Mohun Bagan have been winless, managing three back-to-back draws.

Colombia’s Junior de Barranquilla football club have announced the signing of Peru international centre-back Alberto Rodriguez and forward Vladimir Hernandez for the 2018 season.

Rodriguez joins the club from Peruvian first division outfit Universitario, while Hernandez has parted ways with Brazil’s Santos, Junior said on their official Twitter account on Tuesday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Former Sporting Lisbon defender Rodriguez, who has been capped 71 times for Peru’s national team, spent just one season at Universitario following his December 2016 transfer from their Peruvian rivals Melgar.

Hernandes, capped once for Colombia, endured a frustrating 2017 in Brazil, managing just one goal in 27 matches for Santos.

Junior finished sixth in Colombia’s 2017 aggregate standings, which collates results from the Apertura and Finalizacion tournaments.

Dil Chori Sada Ho Gaya, the latest song from Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, has become a popular number among the listeners and topped the chart busters on New Year.

The song has been composed by Yo Yo Honey Singh and the singer has even rapped for the song making it even more popular as fans had been craving for Honey Singh’s party songs for so long.

The chartbuster song had garnered 10 million in just 20 hours of its release only on YouTube and has grossed more than 35 million views and is still counting.

Yo Yo Honey Singh, who has rapped and composed the party anthem, took to his Twitter and tweeted about the same: “#DilChori has crossed 40 Million plus views across youtube. Much love and respect for all your love and support…. https://t.co/C4KjJCrpyc”

The song has hit on the right note with the fans and is one of the most played songs in Discos and cafes that is making everyone groove on its tunes.

The song is a remix of the original song of the same name sung by popular Punjabi singer, Hans Raj Hans.

True to his style Yo Yo has delivered yet another desi dance number with ‘Dil Chori…’ from Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety.

Work in courts in 20 districts of Uttar Pradesh remained suspended on Wednesday after the state bar association declared a strike over the removal of a statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar from the Ghaziabad court compound a day ago.

The Bar Associations of Baghpat, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Shamli, Noida and several other districts joined in the agitation, said Ghaziabad Bar Association President Rakesh Tyagi Kakra.

The lawyers on Wednesday put up a photo of B.R. Ambedkar at the same spot from where the statue was removed just hours after it was installed.

The police later removed the photo as well, leading to a clash between the police and the lawyers.

Finally the matter was resolved after the civic administration intervened. A request application was submitted to the administration for approval of installing the statue.

However, the Bar Association declared a day’s token strike.

The police has registered an FIR against 17 members of the Bar Association here for illegally grabbing public land and installing statue without government permission.

The FIR was lodged in Kavi Nagar police station by the Collectorate against executive members of the Bar Association.

“The approval of the district administration was a mandatory formality which was not sought prior to the statue’s installation, so the statue was removed,” said Additional District Magistrate Gyanendra Singh.

Updating about the injuries to his players, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Tuesday night said that forward Gabriel Jesus could miss up to two months with the knee injury he sustained against Crystal Palace. He also informed that Kyle Walker, who appeared to be in discomfort as he left the pitch during City’s match against Watford, would be checked.

Earlier, riding high on Raheem Sterling’s fastest goal of the Premier League season, Manchester City beat Watford 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Guardiola was quoted by www.mancity.com saying, “Gabriel will be out for between four to six weeks, or a little bit longer, but hopefully as soon as possible. As for Kevin, he told me he wanted to play tonight. He was in pain because it was a kick he received, but if he wants to play, I want him to play. Nothing will change my opinion about his quality, everyone knows about his quality. Kevin wanted to play. Everyone will try to follow his desire.”

Talking about David Silva, the manager said, “We are very happy David Silva is back with us. We don’t know how long he will be with us, but you saw again today he essential player for us. David is free to stay or to leave whenever he needs to. It depends.”

There have been instances of some Rohingya Muslims obtaining Aadhaar, PAN and voter cards, but there is no report of providing accommodation to the illegal migrants, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said there have been no specific reports that some people were providing illegal accommodation to Rohingyas. However, instances of some Rohingyas having obtained documents like Aadhar, PAN and voter cards through fraudulent means have been reported, he said in reply to a written question.

The minister said as and when such instances are detected, the respective state governments and other authorities concerned take necessary action for cancellation of such documents along with other action.Rijiju said as per an estimate, around 40,000 Rohingyas are living in India.

Actress Emily Blunt says she takes “aggressive action” to fight Hollywood’s gender pay gap. “I took it on as my personal responsibility to make sure that I don’t feel shortchanged or less than… Especially in this new climate, I think that it’s okay to reclaim the words ‘making an aggressive deal’ as a positive,” vanityfair.com quoted Blunt as saying.

She added: “Usually, people are making so much money off your back that it comes down to a sort of justice thing for me. I make it a point to not be too concerned with ‘I hope they think I’m a team player’. The people who are calling and making the deals are business affairs. It’s not the producer. “It’s people who are billed to f**k you up. To shortchange you… In a way, because we are inundated with those types of stories now, it has created a much safer climate to ask for what you want.”

She is known for “The Girl on the Train”, “Into the Woods”, “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Edge of Tomorrow”. The star lives in Brooklyn, New York, with husband and actor John Krasinski and their daughters Hazel and Violet.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction, operation and maintenance of two-lane bi-directional Zojila Tunnel with Parallel Escape (Egress) Tunnel.

According to the cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the construction of the tunnel will provide all weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh and bring about all round economic and socio-cultural integration of these regions.

“The project has strategic and socio-economic importance and shall be an instrument for the development of the economically backward districts in Jammu and Kashmir,” said an official statement.

According to the government, the construction period of the project is seven years which shall be reckoned from the date of commencement of construction. The civil construction cost of the project is Rs 4,899.42 crore.

The main objective of the project is to provide all whether connectivity to strategically important Leh region in Jammu and Kashmir which at the moment is limited to at best six months because of snow on the passes and threat of avalanches.

Actress Priyanka Udhwani has quit the show “Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai” and is looking forward to do something new.

“The time has come to say goodbye to my show. I got to learn so many things from the talented people of the show,” Priyanka, who joined the TV drama in 2014, said in a statement to IANS.

On why she left “Yeh Rishta…”, she said: “As an actress, I wish to perform. I don’t want to just join the crowd and stand still. I think nothing was left for me in the show. The story has now shifted to the other family.

“Even Anshul Pandey, who played my husband, has left the show. I continued for a while as I am emotionally attached to it. But it’s high time to look forward to something new,” she added.

“I want to do lead roles or play a very strong character in a show,” said the “Humko Deewana Kar Gaye” actress.” and is looking forward to do something new.

“The time has come to say goodbye to my show. I got to learn so many things from the talented people of the show,” Priyanka, who joined the TV drama in 2014, said in a statement to IANS.

On why she left “Yeh Rishta…”, she said: “As an actress, I wish to perform. I don’t want to just join the crowd and stand still. I think nothing was left for me in the show. The story has now shifted to the other family.

“Even Anshul Pandey, who played my husband, has left the show. I continued for a while as I am emotionally attached to it. But it’s high time to look forward to something new,” she added.

“I want to do lead roles or play a very strong character in a show,” said the “Humko Deewana Kar Gaye” actress.

There are many debuts every year but only a selected few makes a significant impact with their performances. Debuts are meant to be special and in order to make an impact with your first film you need a strong script, a good director and most importantly a prominent production house.

If you have all these aspects, then the chances of your debut making an impact slightly improves, but ultimately it all comes back to the one thing– your performance.

While 2017 had some decent debuts from the likes of Saba Qamar and Aadar Jain, 2018 looks much more promising as many star kids are all set to make their silver screen debut in the coming time.

Let’s check out a list of actors, who are leaving no stone unturned  for their big Bollywood debuts.

Sara Ali Khan

From her workout routine to her first look from the sets of Kedarnath getting viral, this star kid is all geared up for her big debut in Abhishek Kapoor’s upcoming film. Sara’s debut is one of the most anticipated debuts of 2018, as fans are already in awe of the actress and has flooded the social media with their fandom for the her. Sara, 23, will be paired opposite Sushant Singh Rajput in the upcoming romantic-adventure-drama.

Janhvi Kapoor

Coming from one of the most prominent Bollywood families, Janhvi has a legacy to fulfill and what better way to make your debut than going for Dharma Productions. Like Sara, Janhvi is another  debutante fans are eagerly waiting to see on the big screen. Janhvi has been extensively prepping for her upcoming film Dhadak, which also stars Ishaan Khattar. It’ll be interesting to see how this beautiful actress will make an impact with her debut film.

Mouni Roy

Considered as one of the most popular and hottest television actresses of the tinsel town, Mouni Roy is all set to make her big debut in Excel Entertainment’s Gold. Mouni has got the looks and the skills to nail her debut opposite Akshay Kumar. The actress has already impressed everyone with her performance in Naagin and everyone is really looking forward to this hottie’s big debut in 2018.

Karan Deol

He is the son of Sunny Deol and the first thought that comes to your mind is that he will make his debut in an action-packed film. Well, that’s not true as Karan is all set to make his debut in a rom-com titled Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, which will be backed by his father. Acting is in his roots and he has already worked as an assistant director on Yamla Pagla Deewana. Fans have to wait for some time to see this young lad making his debut in 2018.

Ahaan Shetty

His sister made a successful debut in Hero and it’s time for Ahaan to tell he is no less by making his debut in Sajid Nadiadwala’s untitled film. While many speculate the genre he’ll be choosing to make his debut, many have already given their verdict that he’s the next big thing in Bollywood. But fans and critics have to wait for a while to agree on this as nothing for his debut has been finalised yet.

Special mention: Ishaan Khattar

Ishaan has already impressed everyone with his performance in Beyond the Clouds. So, technically it’s not a debut, but indeed it’ll be a Bollywood debut to look forward to. Brother of Shahid Kapoor and son of veteran actor, Rajesh Khattar, Ishaan alongside Janhvi has become the talk of the town ever since the release of the first poster of the film (Dhadak), which gives a sneak peak about Janhvi and Ishaan’s chemistry. He’s prepping for his debut film really hard and fans have already showered their love on this young heartthrob.

The hard-bought peace between Kumar Vishwas and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) brass came to an end on Wednesday over naming of three candidates to the Rajya Sabha minus the poet-politician.

Kumar Vishwas was quick to express his displeasure before the mediapersons and also took to Twitter.

Kumar Vishwas shared a video on his Twitter account, saying: “Sabko ladne hi pade yudh, chahe Raja Ram ho, ya Gautam Buddh (Everybody had to fight their battles be it Lord Ram or Gautam Buddha).”

“सबको लड़ने ही पड़े अपने-अपने युद्ध
चाहे राजा राम हों, चाहे गौतम बुद्ध” 🙏 pic.x.com/cY2z8ikygd

— Dr Kumar Vishvas (@DrKumarVishwas) January 3, 2018

While taking a jibe at Delhi CM, Vishwas told media in Hindi, “(Arvind) Kejriwal ne mujhe muskurate hue kaha tha, maarunga par shaheed nahi hone dunga. Mera nivedan hai ki shav ke saath chhedchhad na karein, ye yudh ka niyam hota hai (A smiling Kejriwal had said that he will kill me, but will not let me a martyr. My request now is to release the body, it’s a rule of war).”

“I congratulate Arvind today that I accept my martyrdom,” he said. “Main jaanta hu aap (Kejriwal) ki icchha ke bina hamaare dal mein kuchh hota nahi. Aapse asehmat reh ke wahan jeevit rehna mushkil hai (I know that nothing happens in the party without Kejrwal’s wishes. It’s difficult to survive in the party if one disagrees with you),” he said.

The relations between Kejriwal and Vishwas had nosedived after the latter questioned Delhi CM’s strategy for pandering to ‘Khalisatni elements’ accommodate during Punjab Assembly elections. Vishwas had also disagreed with Kejriwal’s criticism on surgical strike carried out by Indian armed forces last year.

The AAP on Wednesday named its three Rajya Sabha candidates from Delhi — Sanjay Singh, businessman Sushil Gupta and chartered accountant ND Gupta.

Addressing the media, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said: “Sanjay Singh, ND Gupta and Sushil Gupta are the final names for the three Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi.”

The decision was taken by AAP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence.

The elections for three seats from Delhi will be held on 16 January.

The last date to file nominations for the three Rajya Sabha seats in Delhi is 5 January.

Actress Michelle Williams says her forthcoming film All the Money in the World is a “feminist piece” as it explores what “it is like to be a woman in a mans world”.

All The Money In The World revolves around oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. It follows Getty’s grandson John Paul Getty III, who was kidnapped by an organised crime regime, and his mother Gail’s (Williams) attempts to convince his wealthy grandfather to pay the ransom.

“It’s a suspenseful drama of course, but I also think it’s a feminist piece. It explores what it’s like to be a woman in a man’s world,” Williams said in a statement.

“She innately understood that in order to really be taken seriously, she had to gather all her faculties and powers to fight to keep control, so that she could have a seat at the table. There are so many scenes in which she is dismissed, marginalised, kept on the outside because she is a woman,” she added.

The actress says she loves “those kinds of characters, tough nuts who are real and complicated with spikey little bits”.

“Gail (her character) cannot fall apart, she has to keep her eye on the prize, but the route to achieving that changes day by day, as the situation morphs, often based on events and people well beyond her control,” she added.

The film, brought to India by PVR Pictures, will release in the country on Friday.

Liam Neesons The Commuter will release in India on January 19.

PVR Pictures will be bringing the action-thriller to India, read a statement.

After the worldwide success of Unknown, Non-Stop and Run All Night, director Jaume Collet-Serra and Neeson have reunited again for The Commuter.

The movie also stars Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson and Sam Neill. The project revolves around a man’s quest to prevent disaster on a packed commuter train.