The Central government has selected five Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) of Haryana for the 'Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar-2017'.

Apart from this, Bhalkhi Gram Panchayat of district Rewari has been selected for 'Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar-2017'.

An official spokesman said that the five PRIs included Jind Zila Parishad, Kalanaur Panchayat Samiti and Bhainsru Kalan Gram Panchayat of district Rohtak, Dhani Laxman Gram Panchayat of district Bhiwani and Khurdban Gram Panchayat of district Yamunanagar.

He said that the awards would be given on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day in Lucknow on April 24. These awards are being given to panchayats of various states for better performance in e-Enablement and better working during the year 2015-16, he added.

Actress Jacqueline Fernandez played the damsel in distress in the 2016 superhero film "A Flying Jatt". Now, she wants to take a step forward and be a superhero herself. She wants to gain powers of Captain Planet to make the environment "safer, greener and cleaner".

"If I could be a superhero, I would love to be Captain Planet. He is one superhero I have grown up watching and always loved the fact that with everything he did, he was making the environment safer, greener and a cleaner space," Jacqueline told IANS in an interview.

If not the superhero, she is now a "green warrior".

RAW Pressery, a cold pressed juice brand, announced Jacqueline as an investor aka 'Green Warrior' on Monday. She has invested a sum of Rs 3.5 crore in the brand.

"In a world flooded with highly processed and unhealthy junk, RAW Pressery is the light at the end of the tunnel. It's where healthy meets tasty and also gets you sexy. What the brand does is help us feel healthier, happier and closer to nature while sipping on juice that's all fruit," she said.

"I'm partnering for change as the 'Green Warrior'. And also, hope to add more green ninjas to my team to make the world a cleaner, greener, leaner and of course a happier place," she added.

Her role as a 'Green Warrior' gives her an opportunity to impact people's well-being. 

"Me and my green ninjas wish to use our influence to change the lives for all those around us. We wish to fight for having the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. Making the world healthier one juice at a time," she said.

Is that all she does for her svelte figure?

"I do a lot of exercises. By exercise I mean, I indulge in a lot of activities through the day that keep me fit. It's either pilates or yoga or even cardio that covers most my workout routine," said the "Dishoom" actress.

Many go green with envy on seeing her figure, but she does have some favourites within the film industry. 

Asked who has an hourglass figure in Bollywood, the Sri Lankan beauty said: "I think Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif have the best bodies in the industry today." 

Any sinful food habit she has that she wants to get rid of?

"I have always been a conscious eater and don't really indulge in anything that needs to get out of my diet," she said.

As for films, she is tied up with "Judwaa 2" and "Drive".

"'Drive' has been going great so far, I think the combination of Tarun (Mansukhani), Sushant (Singh Rajput) and me is working out pretty well. With regards to 'Judwaa 2', everyone knows how Varun (Dhawan) is," she signed off.

At least five persons were killed and four others injured when a small airplane crashed near a supermarket in a residential area on the outskirts of the capital city of Lisbon on Monday, local media reported.

The crash took place around 11 a.m. (local time) near Lido supermarket at Tires in the town of Cascais killing five people — including a Swiss pilot and three French passengers on board and a Portuguese truck driver on ground. Four others were injured in the crash.

The Swiss-registered plane, which arrived in Portugal on Friday and was flying to Marselille in France, exploded in the air and crashed shortly after taking off from the Tires airport, Xinhua news agency reported.

Fire and smokes were seen rising on the scene after the plane crashed into a truck beside the supermarket. Around 50 rescue workers were taking part in the rescue operation.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was on the site and the rescue operation was underway in the residential area.

A five-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) on Monday visited Nagaland for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation in the wake of floods and landslides in the state during 2016, a official statement said.

The central team along with the Nagaland State Disaster Management Association officials also briefed Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on how the natural calamities caused the damages in the state

During the meeting, Liezietsu said Nagaland is a resource crunch state totally dependent on the Centre, and disasters are an unexpected chapter which draw considerable amount from the state exchequer.

Noting that the soil in Nagaland is young which makes it more prone to landslide than the neighbouring states, he said the damages caused by rainfall here are often overlooked since our soil does not retain the rain water. This destroys not only Nagaland's crops but also its roads.

Moreover, he said, floods in the Brahmaputra river in Assam are also caused by the rainfall in Nagaland.

The Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates on Monday won the two Jammu and Kashmir legislative council seats, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate lost in a surprise development.

Balbir Singh of the Congress won the council seat polling 31 votes. He was supported by the National Conference. He polled 12 votes of the Congress, 15 of the National Conference (NC) and four votes of Independent legislators.

BJP candidate Vikram Randhawa and PDP candidate Abdul Qayoom Dar polled 29 votes each.

As per the laid down procedure after the BJP and the PDP candidate were tied at 29 each, the winner was decided by draw of lots, in which BJP's Vikram Randhawa won.

The electoral college for the state legislative council, which is the upper house of Jammu and Kahmir's bicameral legislature, comprises members of the state legislative assembly, which has 87 elected members and two nominated members, all of whom are eligible to vote in these elections.

An official announcement about the result is expected shortly in Jammu where votes were cast and counted in the council election on Monday.

The Delhi Congress on Monday released the first of its three-part election manifesto for the upcoming civic polls, announcing a slew of measures for the upliftment of the urban poor, including setting up of a Department of Urban Poverty Alleviation.

"The party would also introduce health and accident insurance for daily-wage labourers in Delhi if it comes to power in the civic polls," Delhi Congress Chief Ajay Maken told reporters here.

Maken said it was only the first phase of the party's election manifesto and that it would announce the rest of its "plans and roadmap" for Delhi's development in two more phases on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Tomorrow (Tuesday), we would release our manifesto on urban infrastructure, which would talk about house tax, parking issues and other matters of developed areas of Delhi.

"It would be followed by our 'youth manifesto', which would be launched day after tomorrow (Wednesday) near the Delhi University," Maken said.

Municipal polls for 272 wards would be held on April 23 and the results would be declared on April 26.

Dismissing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a minor player, Maken said it would be a straight contest between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Talking about his party's proposed schemes for urban poor, especially daily-wage labourers, Maken said the municipal corporations under the Congress rule would ensure three months' salaries for them in case they did not find work.

"For domestic workers, which are one of the most neglected sections, we would create a helpline number. We would also establish a comprehensive system for their formal registration, their verification and ensure their welfare," he said.

Maken also promised to issue five lakh licences for street vendors, so "they don't have to pay bribes every day to set up their stalls".

"For unauthorised colonies, we would set up a separate development fund worth Rs 2,000 crore," he said.

The Congress leader said all this would be accomplished by boosting the revenue inflow of the three — East, North and South Delhi — municipal corporations.

"We have done elaborate analysis and made concrete plans to boost revenue of the three civic bodies by an additional Rs 5,200 crore every year," he said.

In the run-up to the April 23 civic polls, the Delhi Congress has earlier released its roadmaps for sanitation, public health and education.

It promised to transfer all municipal hospitals to the Delhi government in exchange for primary healthcare centres, saving Rs 652 crore every year.

It also promised improving education standards and infrastructure as well as filling vacancies of teachers in municipal schools.

Holders Real Madrid are in pole position to qualify for the UEFA Champions League final four. They, however, have to be wary of a Bayern Munich backlash when the sides meet for the second leg of their quarterfinal tie on Tuesday.

Last week, Los Blancos trumped 10-man Bayern 2-1 at the Allianz Arena but in the Champions League anything is possible and Bayern’s stars will go all out to avoid an embarrassing exit.

However, barring a miracle, the 11-time champions (Madrid) look set to continue their quest towards becoming the first team to defend the Champions League in its current format.

Real Madrid 

What Madrid will have to remember is that Bayern had a majority of chances prior to Javi Martinez’s dismissal and the Bavarians are unlikely to be as profligate as they were for the second game in a row.

And with Gareth Bale looking doubtful for the second leg with a calf complaint, Zinedine Zidane will have to see who starts in place of the Welshman alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Either Lucas Vazcq or Marco Asensio are expected to get the nod, but the onus will be on Ronaldo to repeat his first-leg heroics a second time round.

Ronaldo has been undergoing his worst-ever goalscoring season at Los Blancos but managed to prove crucial with two priceless away goals. It proved that despite being 32, he’s not finished yet.

Like Bayern against them, Los Blancos are a little short in centre defence and while captain Sergio Ramos and Nacho did a fine job in the first-leg, should Robert Lewandowski return for Bayern, they might be in trouble.

Even without the Pole, Bayern are a top side and will be desperate to find a vital early goal, which means they will be fast out of the blocks. Which may just play into the hosts’ hands, as they prefer to hit their opponents on the counter.

What they are saying: “You make your own luck. It’s in our DNA to fight until the end at Real Madrid,” enthuses Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane (as per www.realmadrid.com)

Injury doubts: Raphael Varane (Achilles), Pepe (Ribs), Gareth Bale (Calf)

Suspension Alert: None

Bayern Munich

Uncomfortable questions regarding the size and quality of Bayern’s squad were raised in the aftermath of their first-leg defeat which left them on the brink of exit from the continental competition.

Critics have a point, as Robert Lewandowski’s replacement, Thomas Mueller, was playing like a headless chicken at the Allianz Arena. The German striker who has been warming the bench for a majority of the season was clueless in attack and Carlo Ancelotti may just have to rush the Pole back for this tie.

Bayern’s other concerns are at the heart of their defence as with Martinez suspended, Jerome Botatenng and Mats Hummels both major injury doubts, there is a bit of a crisis at the back. David Alaba could slot in at centre back but should neither Hummels or Boateng be fit to start, Ancelotti’s team will be in trouble before the tie has begun.

Arjen Robben was bright in the first leg, but he cannot do it all on his own and the likes of Franck Ribery need to step up and support the Dutch winger. Should Bayern score an early goal, the complexion of the tie will suddenly shift in the away side’s favour and that is what Ancelotti will urge his side to do.

What they are saying: “It won't be easy, we're the underdogs, but we'll have a chance to win in Madrid," insists Bayern captain Philipp Lahm (as per AFP)

Injury doubts: Mats Hummels (Ankle), Jerome Boateng (Adductor), Robert Lewandowski

Suspension Alert: Javi Martinez

Super Stat: Real Madrid have never failed to progress after winning the first leg away from home in the Champions League.

Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik, gymnast Dipa Karmakar and actress Alia Bhatt are among the 53 Indians on Forbes' list of super achievers from Asia under the age of 30.

The Forbes' 2017 "30 Under 30" Asia list features 300 impressive young entrepreneurs — 30 in each of the 10 categories — from all walks of life, pushing the boundaries of innovation.

The categories include entertainment, sports, healthcare, science, finance and venture capital, retail, social entrepreneurs and enterprise technology. 

Indians is second only to China on the list, which has 77 honourees. 

Sakshi Malik, 24, became the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal when she bagged a bronze at Rio 2016. 

Hailing from the North Indian town Rohtak, Malik faced a lot of local opposition of her desire to wrestle when she took up the sport at age 12, noted Forbes.

Dipa Karmakar, 23, became the first Indian female gymnast to ever compete in Olympics, also at Rio, where she came fourth. 

Alia Bhatt, 24, acted in 13 Bollywood movies, with at least six of them grossing well over $15 million worldwide. 

India's first paralympic swimmer, coach and Arjuna award winner Sharath Gayakwad was also in the list. He has won 96 medals till now. 

Twenty-five-year-old Srikanth Bolla is featured in industry, manufacturing and energy category of Forbes' list. 

Bolla was born blind into a family of farmers in India and "went on to become the first international blind student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)", where he studied business management. 

Post-MIT, Bolla chose to return to India where he set up Bollant Industries in Hyderabad, a company that employs and trains differently-abled individuals to manufacture eco-friendly and compostable packaging. 

Ankit Kawatra, 25, founder of Feeding India, is also on the list. Feeding India aims to solve the country's hunger problem by providing free meals through volunteers and donation centres. 

The list also includes 26-yera-old Trisha Shetty of SheSays, an Indian non-profit that empowers the country's women to act against sexual violence by providing education, legal, medical as well as psychological support. 

The youngest Indians on the list are brothers Sanjay, 15, and Shravan Kumaran, 17, who five years ago founded GoDimensions that has developed seven apps so far. 

Their work includes creating the goDonate platform for sharing excess food, clothes and furniture with those in need. 

The list also includes Kavin Bharti Mittal, 29, founder of instant messaging service Hike. A product of London's Imperial College, Mittal is the son of Airtel founder Sunil Bharati Mittal. 

It also features 29-year-old Vaishnavi Murali, founder of Eikowa Art, an India-based online art gallery curating works from many of the country's contemporary artists. 

Indian-American author, screenwriter and filmmaker Kovid Gupta is also among the many others on the list.

Colleges, universities and other higher education institutes in Kashmir will remain closed on Tuesday following the unprecedented protests by students across the valley, authorities said.

All examinations scheduled for Tuesday have also been postponed, an official said.

Internet facilities were also suspended on Monday to prevent uploading of pictures from the protests by youths on the social media.

At least, eight people were killed and five others injured in three separate incidents of bomb explosions and firing in Pakistan on Monday, local Urdu media reported.

Dawn News said a four-year-old boy was killed while his two playmates were injured when a bomb exploded near them in Quetta in southwest Balochistan province.

Police said the kids were playing outside their home when the incident happened.

Police officer Izzat Ali was quoted by Xinhua as saying that they were investigating the motive behind the explosion.

In a separate incident, in Karak district of the country's northwest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, three people, including a woman, were killed and two others injured in a militant attack.

Police said the victims were on their way home after attending a hearing at a local court when some militants sprayed bullets at their vehicle and fled the scene.

The injured people have been shifted to a nearby hospital.

In the third incident, in Nowshera district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, four people were killed when some assailants forced entry into their home and opened fire at them.

No group has claimed any of the attacks yet.

Police cordoned off all the three areas for investigation following the incidents.

She made her Bollywood debut with Salman Khan and collaborated with Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn in multiple films and Sonakshi Sinha says she has learnt a lot about her craft while working with these stars.

When asked if she is happy with the way her career has shaped up post her debut Dabangg, Sonakshi says her initial films helped her establish herself as a commercial heroine.

"It has been a great journey. My first film put me in the spot as a quintessential Hindi film heroine, a commercial heroine. After that, I kept getting such films. I really enjoyed them. Whatever I have learnt, I have learnt on the job through these films," she told in an interview here.

"Working with these people who have so much experience and who have been in the industry for so long was good for me.

There was so much to learn and take back from them. Working with them has shaped me as an actor. A certain following is there because of the films that I have done." 

Besides helping her with acting, Sonakshi, 29, says her films with the stars has also instilled a confidence in her to carry a movie on her shoulder like she did in Akira and the upcoming Sunhil Sippy-directed Noor, releasing this Friday.

"Today, I feel that I can shoulder the entire film because of the love that I received for being a part of those films. Working with such stars was not planned but everything has fallen into place for me and now I am able to do things that I have always wanted to do." 

Talking about Noor, in which Sonakshi plays a journalist, the actress says she is happy to be finally getting to play a normal, relatable character and not someone over-the-top like her previous outings.

"It is very fresh. It is a space that I have not been a part of before. It is a real character. Usually my characters in my films are very larger-than-life, unrealistic to an extent, not that I have not enjoyed those. But it was refreshing to play someone so real and relatable." 

Last year's release Akira saw Sonakshi play an action girl in her first solo lead and the actress says the film has made her more hungry for such characters.

"With 'Akira', I have tasted blood. Now, I really want to do films that really push me. That is there on my mind. Even 'Noor' is right up there. As an actor, it is my pleasure to play these parts. I want to do roles that challenge me, satisfy me and keep me engrossed in my work." 

This is Sonakshi's seventh year in the film industry and the actress has seen both success and failure. She says she has learnt from her mistakes but she does not dwell on them as she believes in moving on.

"I believe one should make mistakes and learn from them.

Even I have made mistakes like everyone. But instead of dwelling on them, I learn from them and move on. I have understood that I should not do certain things.

The CBI on Monday filed an FIR against 13 persons, including senior leaders of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, in the Narada sting footage case.

"The list of FIR includes all 12 persons who were purportedly seen receiving money in the Narada sting operation footage. Trinamool Congress MP Aparupa Poddar's name is also included in the list of FIR," agency spokesperson Devpreet Singh said.

Among those whose names figure in the FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation are Trinamool Vice President and Rajya Sabha member Mukul Roy, the party's Lok Sabha members Sougata Roy, Sultan Ahmed, Kakali Ghosh Dastidar, state ministers Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, city mayor and state minister Sovan Chatterjee and former minister Madan Mitra.

The Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI preliminary inquiry into the Narada sting footage case exactly a month back, on March 17, and asked the federal investigation agency to submit the report within 72 hours.

The Trinamool appealed to the Supreme Court on March 21, challenging the High Court' order.

However, the apex court refused to interfere with the high court order, but extended the deadline for the preliminary probe to one month.

The controversy erupted in election-bound West Bengal in March last year when Narada News portal uploaded a series of video footage purportedly showing a number of high-profile Trinamool leaders, including former and present ministers, MPs and state lawmakers, receiving money in exchange of favours to a fictitious company.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Dilip Pandey in a letter to BJP President Amit Shah on Monday said that the BJP-ruled municipal corporations in the city have become a den of corruption.

"I am writing this letter with deep anguish as your party had been spreading lies to hide its corruption in MCDs and misleading the public…the MCDs have become a den of corruption," Pandey wrote in the letter.

Pandey also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of making false promises in its manifesto ahead of civic polls even when it failed to fulfil the promises it made in the previous municipal elections.

"I challenge you and your party to name even a single work done by the BJP-ruled municipal corporations which the public had praised and on which you can take pride. MCDs did nothing. All the three municipal corporations have failed to utilise even 40 per cent of the money allocated for sanitation and hygiene works," the AAP leader said.

Attacking Shah over his promise to abolish corruption from the municipal corporations, Pandey said that the BJP had been ruling the civic bodies for the last 10 years but the corruption, instead of going down, has only increased. 

"You are not able to curb corruption, as a study shows that around 30 per cent residents of the city have to pay bribes to get their work done in municipal corporations. Not only this, but your MCDs also stop our MLAs from doing developmental work through their MLALAD (MLA Local Area Development) fund," Pandey wrote in the letter.

Hitting out at the BJP, Pandey said that the BJP had failed to complete the promises it had made in previous municipal elections even though it "dared" to make new promises in the upcoming civic polls.

Pandey said in its manifesto the BJP promised to get funds directly from the central government for municipal corporations but according to the 74th amendment of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, all kinds of grants for local bodies can be obtained from the central government only though the state government.

"…if you can get the grants for MCDs bypassing the state government, then why did you not take this step till now? You fail to pay the salaries of sanitation employees and play with the health of Delhi people," Pandey said in the letter.

The elections to the North, East and South Delhi Municipal Corporation are scheduled for April 23 and results will be announced on April 26.

An apex corporate tribunal on Monday dismissed a plea filed by Cyrus Mistry's investment companies to waive off a regulatory bar on them, so that they can continue their legal suit against the Tata Sons.

Besides, the main petition which was filed against Tata Sons was also rejected.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) here dismissed the plea filed by Mistry's investment companies — Cyrus Investment and Sterling Investment Corp — the order on which will be released on Friday, April 21. 

Under the current rules, only a shareholder with more than 10 per cent effective shareholding can file a minority interest petition with the NCLT.

However, the Companies Act empowers the NCLT to waive off this requirement for a petitioner to hold at least 10 per cent of the total issued share capital of the company to qualify for filing a minority interest petition.

The NCLT had ruled against the maintainability of the petition filed against Tata Sons, which cited governance lapses and compromise of minority shareholder interests after Mistry was ousted as Chairman of the holding company of the industrial conglomerate. 

On October 24 last year, Tata Sons' Board ousted Mistry as its Chairman and appointed Ratan Tata as Interim Chairman.

Pakistan faced major embarrassment at the 11-nation meet on Afghanistan hosted by Moscow with Kabul sharply attacking Islamabad for its ‘duplicity’ in dealing with terrorism.

The 14 April meeting was attended by senior officials from Russia, China, Pakistan, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The US, which too was invited for the meeting, did not attend it, calling it a unilateral attempt by Moscow to assert influence in the region. Incidentally, the meeting took place a day after the US dropped one of its most powerful non-nuclear bombs on IS targets in Afghanistan.

Pakistan was also cornered for its open endorsement of involving the Afghan Taliban in talks aimed at reconciliation in Afghanistan. In an indirect endorsement of India’s stand, the meeting reiterated that any peace process in the embattled nation should be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned and that the countries of the region must support the regime in Kabul in its quest for sustainable peace. India is also believed to have reiterated that the Taliban must eschew violence and affirm its faith in the Afghan Constitution as a pre-condition for its participation in any peace talks.

According to Indian sources, Ashraf Haidari, senior representative of the Afghan Foreign Ministry, made a veiled reference to Pakistan’s direct interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and its continued support to radical and extremist forces working against the unity of Afghanistan. "Afghanistan rejects duplicity and selectivity in defining terrorism. This means that regional counter-terrorism efforts must mirror those of national counter-terrorism action plans adopted for implementation by Afghanistan’s neighbours, including Pakistan,’’ he told the meeting.

In recent days, senior Afghan officials have repeatedly accused Pakistan of continuing to nurture ‘safe havens’. At the ‘Heart of Asia Conference on Afghanistan’ in Amritsar in December last year, President Ashraf Ghani had himself spurned Pakistan’s aid offer to his country, saying Islamabad could use the same money for dealing with terrorism emanating from the Pakistani territory. This was the the third such interaction, hosted by Russia, which is also reported to be in touch with the Taliban and positioned itself as a broker in Afghanistan. The first meeting in December last year was attended by representatives of Russia, China and Pakistan, upsetting both Afghanistan and India. Kabul called that meeting 'illegal', saying a solution to the Afghan imbroglio could not be found without the involvement of the duly elected Afghan regime. Moscow included India, Afghanistan and Iran in the second meeting held in mid-February, making it a six-nation gathering. The US and Western powers, which have troops stationed in Afghanistan, however, continue to be the missing stake-holders in the initiative taken by Moscow.

Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) charged Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misleading public by accusing Congress of tampering the voters list to hijack the civic elections. HPCC general secretary Naresh Chauhan said the BJP having run out of issues was resorting to false gimmicks.

Terming the missing names of voters from electoral rolls grave for the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections, he demanded for serious efforts to rectify the same at the earliest.

Chauhan said, “It is the duty of the state election commission and the district administration to prepare the voters list, the state government and the Congress party has no role to play in the preparation of the same.”

He stated that it is a matter of serious concern and the District Election Officer should take steps to remove the irregularities.

Chauhan stated that they too have received complaints of missing names from the electoral rolls that have been prepared by the upcoming Shimla Municipal Corporation elections. The missing of names of thousands of voters, he alleged was an administrative error.

Telecom regulator TRAI has constituted three subgroups in areas like licencing, regulations and orderand service quality, to identify and weed out obsolete regulations and order.

The entire exercise is likely to be completed in next 2-3 months, a senior TRAI official said.

The official, who did not wish to be named, said that the three advisors of TRAI — Sanjeev Banzal (Networks, Spectrum and Licensing), Vinod Kotwal (Financial & Economic Analysis) and Asit Kadayan (Quality of Service) — are heading the individual subgroups.

“The idea is to identify obsolete regulations that have already outlived their purpose,” the official said.

The subgroups, which also include industry representatives, will jointly examine and identify regulations and tariff orders that are out of sync with the times.

One such area of this could be paging where services and related regulations have become outdated and are no longer relevant. Similarly, there may be regulations related to technology, like CDMA, which may be looked at during the review.

Industry representatives from Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Reliance Jio, Idea Cellular, Telenor and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd are some of the members of the subgroups.

Also, industry associations like Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI), Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI) and ISP Association of India are involved in the exercise.

Earlier this year, TRAI Chairman RS Sharma had said that once the regulations are identified through a joint exercise with the industry, the regulator will take up their suggestions along with other issues that have been identified for review this year.

Among others issues, TRAI will be carrying out public consultation in areas such as developing a new framework for tariffs in evolving the communication sector, next-generation public protection and disaster relief communication networks, review of national numbering plan and review of Universal Service Obligation fund.