Incessant rain and untimely snowfall in the plains on Thursday caused a flood-like situation in Jammu and Kashmir, even though the Met office said there would be overall improvement in weather from Friday.

Faced with untimely fresh snowfall in the plains and continuous rains during the last three days, the divisional administration on Thursday ordered closure of all schools in the Kashmir Valley till Monday.

Most water bodies in the valley including rivers, lakes and streams were swollen.

The flood control department on Thursday alerted all its staff to be present at their places of posting round the clock so that the water level in local rivers, lakes and streams can be continuously monitored.

Authorities said the water level in Jhelum River at 1 am on Thursday was a metre below the danger mark at Sangam in south Kashmir, Ram Munshibagh in Srinagar and Asham in north Kashmir.

Reports, however, said Ferozepur stream in north Kashmir Baramulla district had breached its bank and entered some of its villages.

"Teams have been rushed to these areas to organise relief and rescue," police said.

"There would be gradual decrease in snow and rainfall activity from Thursday afternoon and improvement in weather will start from tomorrow (Friday)," Sanam Lotus, Director of the J&K Met department told IANS on phone from Delhi.

"Therefore, there is no need to panic, but at the same time, people living in low lying areas might face inconveniences due to water logging and problems allied with it," he added.

Met office had issued an adverse weather advisory which ends Thursday evening.

It had also forecast the likelihood of landslides on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in addition to hailstorm and windy gales during this period.
 

Maharashtra Public Service Commission has released the MPSC answerkey for the candidates applied for preliminary exam 2017 on the official website www.mpsc.gov.in.
MPSC 2017 preliminary examination took place across the state on April 2.

Candidates trying to get MPSC answer key 2017 have to visit the official website and follow the given instruction to download and take a print out. Before entering the MPSC official website candidates are advised to keep important information including the name of the exam, paper set and question number.

MPSC candidates facing any issue may reach the Maharashtra MPSC exam controller and Joint Secretary via post service at the given address Floor 5 1/2, 7 and 8, Cooperage Telephone Exchange Building, Maharshi Karve Road, Cooperage, Mumbai – 400021.

Along with this it has been informed by the MPSC official to send their query related to MPSC answer key before April 12, 2017.

Always a roller-coaster ride, the English Premier League is without a doubt the most entertaining football competition in the world.
 
The Statesman lists the major talking points from Gameweek 31 below, which created a flutter and not just on social media below:
 
Have Manchester United completed the worst unbeaten run in history?
Jose Mourinho’s men haven't lost in the league since October. A stat that will bring unbridled joy to the Red Devils faithful, right? You couldn't be more wrong. For United have drawn 10 games since then, of which eight have been at Old Trafford (The Theatre of Dreams). So despite having talents such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial at their disposal, United seem to be unable to finish off games. They have scored 43 goals in 29 games so far, a tally which is the lowest by a considerable margin among the top seven teams in the league. So unless they find a way to start scoring on a regular basis, they might as well kiss Champions League football good bye.
 
Liverpool’s ‘small team’ woes continue
Give Liverpool a match against a top-six side every weekend and they will waltz to the title. The stats back it up as well. Jurgen Klopp’s men have lost five games this season and the teams that have bested them are: Burnley, Hull, Leicester City, Swansea and Bournemouth.
After dismantling Everton on the weekend, they were supposed to beat Bournemouth. Yes, they were missing Sadio Mane, but a team challenging for the top-four spots shouldn't let one man’s absence affect them so. And despite overturning a deficit, the Reds were unable to hold on for the win, as the Cherries fought back to ensure Liverpool dropped points at Anfield.
 
Is Slaven Bilic’s time at West Ham United over?
 Five losses back-to-back. Winless in seven games. Five points from the drop zone. Any way you look at it, West Ham’s 2016-17 season is not going according to plan. A far cry from the “Challenge the established clubs for the European spots” target they had set prior to the season and they will be lucky to finish in the top 10. Slaven Bilic is a good manager, but it is obvious his methods are failing. The Hammers' shooting accuracy is pathetic and after Dimitri Payet’s acrimonious departure, they do not have a player the team can be built around.
Perhaps, a managerial change in the summer will bring about a change in fortunes, but will the board wait till then as the Hammers slump brings them closer to relegation than they would prefer?
 
Chelsea still favourites to win the title despite Spurs’ late comeback
After Crystal Palace had stunned them on the weekend, Chelsea had to make a statement against Manchester City in midweek. And they did, running out 2-1 winners on the night, thanks to a brace from the mercurial Eden Hazard. With their seven-point lead intact despite Tottenham’s remarkable comeback (Three late goals by Mauricio Pochettino’s men!) and some relatively easy fixtures ahead of them, the Blues are looking good to win their second title in three years.
 
 Leicester City and Jamie Vardy: Better late than never!
Along with Tottenham, Leicester City are the form team in the Premier League. Yes, the same team that sacked their manager Claudio Ranieri as recently as February! On a roll since then, the Foxes have won their last five games on the trot. With striker Jamie Vardy finding his shooting boots once again (five goals in as many games), Leicester are on the verge of breaking into the top half of the table, a far cry from the time they were flirting with relegation. Credit must be given to caretaker manager Craig Shakespeare, who has revived a team that seemed shorn of all confidence, not so long ago and if they continue in the same vein, he may even be given the job full-time!

In a major development to the Babri Masjid demolition case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday told the Supreme Court that conspiracy charges against BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and others must be revived.

The CBI told the top court that 14 persons, including BJP leaders, acquitted of the charges under criminal conspiracy, should be tried in Lucknow Court.

The CBI has challenged the Allahabad High Court order in May 2010 confirming the lower court's decision to drop conspiracy charges against the BJP veterans.

Earlier in the week, the top court had asked all parties to file their response in the matter. The apex court had said that it will hear the matter in two weeks time.

The lawyer appearing for the CBI told the top court that 195 witnesses had already been examined in the Lucknow trial court and approximately 300 more are to be examined.

The lawyer further said that in the Rai Bareilly Court, 57 witnesses had already been examined and 100 or more are likely to be examined over the issue.

Former Test captain Alastair Cook is relishing playing alongside the “next generation” of England leaders as he bids to secure his place in the 2017/18 Ashes squad for Australia.

Opening batsman Cook, England's all-time leading Test run-scorer, resigned as skipper in February after a 4-0 series loss in India late last year following 17 series in charge.

Joe Root succeeded Cook with dynamic all-rounder Ben Stokes his deputy.

“It's a very exciting time,” Cook told Sky Sports on Wednesday. “It's kind of the next generation of leaders, obviously with Ben as well, pushing that team forward.

“I hope I can score enough runs to justify my place at the top of the order.”

The 32-year-old Essex left-hander enjoyed arguably both his greatest personal cricket success and disappointment in Australia.

During England's victorious 2010/11 Ashes tour under Andrew Strauss he scored a mammoth 766 runs, including three hundreds, at an average of 127.66.

But as captain Cook presided over England's 5-0 series loss in 2013/14, where he managed just 246 runs at 24.60.

“As players you'd love to get on that plane and be part of an Ashes squad,” said Cook, who also led England to home Ashes series wins in 2013 and 2015.

“I've had some pretty dark moments as a player (in Australia) but also a very special tour in 2010/11, which is repeatable.”

He added: “There's no doubt we can win that series.

“Australia at home will be favourites — they're a very hard side to beat at home — but if you look through our team now there's a lot of strength there.”

Cook is convinced he quit the captaincy at the right time after the India whitewash.

“I was pretty clear, leaving that tour, that my race was run as captain,” he said. “I felt the team needed a change of voice, a change of direction.

“We lost too many games (in 2016) for the talent we've got in that side.

“When you start those questions nagging, as soon as your mind is not quite on it, it is time to be honest with yourself.”

Cook had hoped to play in Essex's County Championship opener against Lancashire starting on Friday.

But earlier on Wednesday England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said he had been ruled out of the match with a hip injury.

His absence is understood to be a precaution against aggravating an injury which is not thought to be serious at this stage.

The match would have seen Cook and Lancashire paceman James Anderson, England's leading Test run-scorer and wicket-taker respectively, in opposition.

Cook will now have to wait until Essex's match against Somerset at Taunton next week to make his debut for the season.

“Cook has been receiving treatment for the problem for several weeks. A scan this week has ruled out serious injury, but he will undertake an injection in the upcoming days to help settle his symptoms,” said an ECB statement.

No longer involved in international limited-overs cricket, Test specialists such as Cook are not due to represent England again until the opening match of the South Africa series at Lord's on July 6.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday condemned the killing of a Muslim man in Alwar and said the government should take strict action against those responsible for the brutal and senseless attack.

"We expect the government to take strict action against those responsible for the brutal and senseless attack," Rahul said in a series of tweets.

"When government abdicates responsibility and allows lynch mobs to rule, tragedies of immense proportion follow. Shocking breakdown of law and order in Alwar," he added.

Pehlu Khan, a 50-year-old man, died on Monday in Alwar, Rajasthan, after being brutally beaten up by a group of self-proclaimed 'gau rakshaks'. Khan was a part of a group of men that was transporting cows in a highway in Rajasthan's Alwar on Saturday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated the BJP workers on the ocassion of party's Foundation Day, stating that party's efforts to serve poor and marginalised will continue.

"Guided by the Mantra of Antyodaya, our efforts to serve India especially the poor & the marginalised continue with great vigour," Modi said in a tweet.

In a series of tweets, Modi recalled the hard work of generations of Bharatiya Janata Party workers stating that they built the party brick-by-brick with the endeavour to serve society.

Expressing his gratitude to the people, Modi said: "It is a matter of pride that people across India & across all sections of society have placed their trust in BJP."

"Before my day-long Jharkhand tour, going to BJP Headquarters to offer tributes to our inspiration, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyayaji on BJP's Sthapana Diwas," he added.

Originating from Bharatiya Jana Sangh founded in 1951 by Syama Prasad Mookerjee, BJP claims to be the largest political party in the world with 112 primary members.

The Jana Sangh, after the Emergency in 1977, merged with several other parties to form the Janata Party. The Janata party dissolved in 1980 with the members of the erstwhile Jana Sangh reconvening to form the BJP.

At present, BJP is ruling in the Centre and 17 states, of which 13 are with party Chief Ministers and 4 with alliance partners.

NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson is set to add another feather in her record-breaking cap. Already poised to break the record for cumulative time spent in space by a US astronaut, Whitson is set to extend her mission with an additional three months at the International Space Station.

NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, signed an agreement to extend Peggy Whitson's stay on the space station into Expedition 52, the US space agency said in a statement on Thursday.

"This is great news," Whitson said. 

"I love being up here. Living and working aboard the space station is where I feel like I make the greatest contribution, so I am constantly trying to squeeze every drop out of my time here. Having three more months to squeeze is just what I would wish for," she added.

This is Whitson's third long-duration stay onboard the space station. 

She launched on November 17 with 377 days in space already under her belt, and on April 24 will break Jeff Williams' standing US record of 534 cumulative days in space. 

In 2008, Whitson became the first woman to command the space station, and on April 9 will become the first woman to command it twice. In addition, she holds the record for most spacewalks by a female.

The new agreement between NASA and Roscosmos allows Whitson to add three months to record-breaking mission at the space station.

Rather than returning to Earth with her Expedition 51 crew mates Oleg Novitsky of Roscosmos and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency), in June as originally planned, Whitson will remain on the space station and return home with NASA's Jack Fischer and Roscosmos' Fyodor Yurchikhin. 

That landing is targeted for September, NASA said.

"Peggy's skill and experience makes her an incredible asset aboard the space station," said Kirk Shireman, NASA's International Space Station Program Manager. 

"By extending the stay of one of NASA's most veteran astronauts, our research, our technology development, our commercial and our international partner communities will all benefit," Shireman added.

With the relaxation in exit policy norms, nearly 20 road assets worth around Rs.12,327 crore have been monetised during the past 24 months, says a report.

Sponsors in around 20 road assets involving a total cost of Rs.12,327 crore have monetised their assets as against around Rs.7,000 crore in the preceding 50 months, says a report by domestic agency Icra.

“Asset sales in the road sector have picked up over the last 24 months with the relaxation in exit policy,” it said, adding three out of the 20 of these assets are state road projects and the remaining are national highway projects.

Out of the 17 highway projects, 16 were awarded before 2009 and are the direct beneficiaries of the policy decision on relaxation of the exit policy for projects awarded before 2009 in May 2015.

In May 2015, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs relaxed the exit policy for projects awarded before 2009, allowing 100 per cent equity divestment by the developers as against 74 per cent earlier.

This move not only attracted private equity players who are more comfortable when they own 100 per cent stake in projects, but also enabled the unlocking of additional 26 per cent of the developers' equity invested in about 5,600 km of national highway projects in the PPP model, Icra said.

This can result in freeing up of around Rs.4,500 crore of equity that can support equity contribution towards building 1,500 km of national highway projects in PPP mode.

“In about 31 per cent deals, the return to developers is negative, indicating loss on investment. Developers with a weak credit profile are the ones who disposed of their assets at a loss as liquidity took precedence over profit-making for them,” Icra's K Ravichandran said.

He said the projects with highest returns are secondary sale transactions wherein the sponsors are private equity investors.

“With the increase in headline inflation and the continued healthy growth in traffic, the toll collections are expected to grow by 10-11 per cent over the next two years. As the valuations have improved following a favourable outlook on toll collections and decline in interest rates, the asset sales are expected to gather further momentum,” he added.

Brookfield Asset Management of Canada, Canadian Pension Funds, Macquarie Australia, I Squared Capital of the US (Cube Highways), Abertis Infraestructuras of Spain and IDFC Alternatives are the major investors currently looking for assets in the sector, the report said.

Global pension funds are also increasingly looking at acquiring road assets and staying invested for the long term, Ravichandran said.

M&A opportunities in the road sector are the highest among various infra sub-sectors with around 88 operational national highways projects totalling 7,192 km with a total project cost of Rs.69,327 crore and a median operational track record of four years, Icra said.

The Indian Railways could meet up to 25 per cent of its energy demand from renewable energy sources like wind and solar power, said a study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) on Wednesday.

According to the study released here by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal, the railways would achieve the target of 5GW of solar power by 2025.

"Indian Railways would need an investment of $3.6 billion to meet the 5GW target," said the study titled 'Decarbonising the Indian Railways: Scaling Ambitions, Understanding Ground Realities'.

Of the total 5 GW solar power, about 1.1 GW would come from rooftop solar power plants.

"We want Indian Railways to become a green engine of growth… We have set up a target of electrifying the entire network of Indian Railways in next ten years with at least 90 per cent of track electrification in next five years," Prabhu said.

The Railway Minsiter said that the ministry is looking to add 1,000 MW of solar and 200 MW of wind energy, of which 36 MW has already been commissioned. 

"Railways have come out with a commendable plan called Mission 41K where they are looking at a saving of INR 41,000 crore through the electrification of railway lines," said Union Minister for Power Piyush Goyal, who also holds the Coal, New and Renewable Energy, and Mines portfolio.

The minister said that the Railways' decision to domestically source the equipment will largely benefit the domestic industry. 

"I am glad that Indian Railways have joined the energy efficiency programme and have tied up with Energy Efficiency Service Ltd (EESL) to have 100 per cent LED lights. Today we are supplying power at reduced rate of 60 to 70 per cent than what it was three years ago even at peak demand," Goyal said.

EESL is the organisation responsible for implementing the Modi government's ambitious LED light scheme.

The Indian Railways announced their 1GW solar target in 2015 and had achieved about 37MW of wind and 16MW of solar power across railway operations until March 2017.

Three northeastern states — Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim — topped the country in the just-concluded 2016-17 fiscal in providing work under a flagship rural jobs scheme while two others — Manipur and Assam — are at the very bottom in its execution, an official report has revealed.

While the rest of the country lags, Congress-ruled Mizoram topped for the first time in providing jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) — a staggering 88.43 person days per household — during the fiscal that is almost double the national average of 45.21 days.

Left-ruled Tripura, which until fiscal 2015-16 had occupied the top spot for seven consecutive years, dropped to second position with 79.88 person days per household in the last fiscal.

The Himalayan state of Sikkim, like in the previous year (2015-16), kept its third position with 66.77 person days per household during the fiscal.

According to a performance report of the Union Rural Development Ministry, Tripura, Mizoram and Sikkim had provided 94.46, 68.95 and 66.98 days of jobs in the fiscal.

In sharp contrast, two other northeastern states — Manipur and Assam — were at the very bottom among India's 29 states by providing only 20.94 and 29.38 days of jobs, respectively, between April 2016 and March 2017.

The MGNREGA, which is considered a pioneering rights-based legislation in the world, was introduced in February 2006 by the then Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.

It mandates 100 days of work in a financial year to at least one member of each rural household — but this has never been achieved in any state. The scheme aims to generate rural assets and create rural infrastructure like roads, ponds and water reservoirs.

The average wage rate was Rs 161.87 per day per person in the last financial year.

"Of the total works, women workers on an average got 55.98 days of jobs across the country in the last fiscal. Of the 262,252 gram panchayats all over India, no job was given in 19,434 gram panchayats in 2016-17," said the performance report, available with IANS.

The northeastern states' repeated success in providing work is attributed by experts to the lack of any other such scheme and absence of major industries in the region.

"Most of the northeastern states have no state government-run rural jobs schemes to provide viable employment to the needy workforce. These states also lack major employment-oriented industries," Tripura (Central) University's Rural Management and Development Department head Jayanta Choudhury told IANS.

"In Tripura, due to good governance, efficient implementation and good work-wise and ward-wise monitoring also contributed to the success of MGNREGA," he added.

Choudhury, who has written books on rural development in the northeastern states, said that implementation of centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) is also good in some of these states.

India's northeastern region, comprising eight states and home to 45.58 million people (2011 census), has limited employment opportunities due to the absence of medium and big industries, projects and job-centric ventures.

Allocation of funds and timely release of the central share of funds under MGNREGA is also a big issue in the northeast.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government is trying to scuttle MGNREGA even though his Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has been demanding 200 days of work in a year under MGNREGA.

"The present central government is gradually curtailing the allocation of funds under the MGNREGA to close the rural job scheme," Sarkar said in Agartala.

"In the outgoing financial year, Tripura has provided around 80 man-days of rural jobs per household under the MGNREGA, but in the current financial year (2017-18), as per the indication of central allocation, the state would be able to provide only 38 to 42 man-days of jobs per household under the scheme," he added.

A senior ministry official, who recently visited Tripura to study the implementation of the schme in the state, denied the central government had planned to scuttle it.

"MGNREGA is an act, it cannot be shut or tailored by the government without the approval of parliament," the official told IANS, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

To demand the required allocation so that Tripura could provide more than 90 days of jobs, Sarkar asked state Rural Development Minister Naresh Jamatia and the three members of parliament from the state to meet Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi at the earliest.

"We have already communicated to the union Rural Development Minister about our desire to meet him. We expect that the proposed meeting is likely to be held next week," Jamatia said.

Demanding tough action against Air India and other airlines for banning Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad from flying, Shiv Sena party MPs on Thursday disrupted Parliament and demanded a discussion on the issue in the House.

Chanting anti-Air India slogans, Shiv Sena MPs demanded a discussion on the issue in the House to push for its demand to revoke the flying ban against Gaikwad.

"Gaikwad must be allowed to give his statement," Shiv Sena MP Anandrao Adsul said in Lok Sabha.

Earlier Shiv Sena MPs had approached Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju seeking his intervention into the matter, but they failed to get any assurance from him.

The goon MP had on March 23 assaulted an Air India staffer for seat issues. Air India and four other airlines had banned Ravindra Gaikwad from their flights.

Legal proceedings have been initiated against Apple by the Australian Competition and Consumer Authority (ACCA) for refusing to repair Error 53-affected devices which have been previously touched by a third party repairer.

Error 53 appears when a device fails a security test. This test was designed by Apple to check whether Touch ID works properly before the device leaves the factory.

According to a report in news.com.au on Thursday, the proceedings in the Federal Court in Melbourne against Apple allege that the company made false, misleading, or deceptive representations about consumers' rights under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).

"The ACCC is seeking penalties of up to $1.1 million per breach, injunctions, declarations, compliance programme orders, corrective notices, and costs," the report noted.

The move comes after an investigation into reports relating to "Error 53", which bricked some iPads or iPhones after consumers downloaded an iOS update.

The error is a result of change in connection between the "Touch ID" fingerprint recognition and other components of the device.

Many devices bricked by Error 53 were previously repaired by a third party and Apple refused to repair such faulty devices on the grounds that an unauthorised party had touched them.

"If the screen or any other part on your iPhone or iPad was replaced somewhere else, contact Apple Support about pricing information for out-of-warranty repairs," Apple Support team wrote on their official website.

ACL entitles consumers to certain free remedies if products do not comply with "consumer guarantees" around quality and suitability.

"Consumer guarantee rights under the Australian Consumer Law exist independently of any manufacturer's warranty and are not extinguished simply because a consumer has goods repaired by a third party," Rod Sims, Chairman Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, was quoted as saying.

China should not hesitate to answer “blows with blows” if India chooses to play dirty by allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh, the Chinese official media said today.

Two English newspapers — China Daily and Global Times — have launched a scathing attack on India after Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said that Arunachal Pradesh    — which China claims as part of Southern Tibet — is “an inseparable part of India”.

Taking exception to Rijiju's remarks, the papers said India is using the Dalai Lama as a “diplomatic tool” against China for its “vice like veto” against India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and UN ban on Jaish-e- Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.

“New Delhi not only allowed the 14th Dalai Lama to visit Southern Tibet, a historical Chinese territory India has illicitly occupied and refers to as 'Arunachal Pradesh', but the spiritual leader of 'Tibetan independence' was also escorted on the trip by India's junior minister of home affairs,” the state-run China Daily said in its editorial.

“To Beijing, that is a double affront,” it said.

“Rijiju might think himself cute in borrowing a line from Beijing's diplomatic representations, but he has ignored the fundamental distinction here: Like Taiwan and any other part of China, Tibet is a part of the Chinese territory no matter whether New Delhi agrees or not,” it said in an editorial.

“Southern Tibet, on the other hand, was stolen from China by his country's former colonial master taking advantage of China's internal strife. Should he have any questions regarding the status of Southern Tibet, Rijiju can consult the historical archives,” it said.

“Neither the 'McMahon Line', by which New Delhi justifies its actual control of Southern Tibet nor the present-day 'Arunachal Pradesh' has Beijing's endorsement. In other words, Indian occupation of the area is legally untenable. Using it as leverage, therefore, is not just unethical, it is outright illicit,” it said.

“Despite the historical dispute, the China-India border area has by and large remained peaceful recently, particularly since Beijing and New Delhi began to get serious about border talks,” it said.

“If New Delhi chooses to play dirty, however, Beijing should not hesitate to answer blows with blows,” the paper said.

The aggressive editorials came after China yesterday lodged a protest with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale here over the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit to the area.

The Dalai Lama is currently on a nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

In its editorial, the ruling CPC-run Global Times criticised Rijiju for accompanying the Dalai Lama during his visit to the state.

“The Dalai Lama has been to the disputed region before, but what makes this trip different is that he is received and accompanied by India's Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju. When China raised the concern over the visit, Rijiju commented that China shouldn't intervene in their 'internal affairs',” it said.

“New Delhi probably overestimates its leverage in the bilateral ties with China. The two countries in recent years have continuously strived to improve their relationship and the peace on the border area has been maintained,” it said.

“India has benefited from the good momentum of bilateral relationship as much as China. If New Delhi ruins the Sino- India ties and the two countries turn into open rivals, can India afford the consequence?,” the tabloid, known for striking aggressive nationalistic postures, said.

“With a GDP several times higher than that of India, military capabilities that can reach the Indian Ocean and having good relations with India's peripheral nations, coupled with the fact that India's turbulent northern state borders China, if China engages in a geopolitical game with India, will Beijing lose to New Delhi?” it said.

“China considers India as a friendly neighbour and partner. China has never provoked bilateral disputes or made any pressing demand on India over the Dalai Lama. New Delhi should respond to Beijing's goodwill with goodwill,” it said.

“The Dalai question became one of the problems that upset the Sino-India relationship,” it said.

“When India emphasises the relationship with China, it would place a tight control on the Dalai. When it has a grudge against China, it may prompt the Dalai to play certain tricks as a signal sent to China,” it said.

Stating that India is dissatisfied with China over the NSG and Azhar issues, it said some Indians also called for boycott of Chinese goods.
“The Dalai's visit to Arunachal Pradesh this time is seen as New Delhi using the monk as a diplomatic tool to put pressure on China,” it said.
 

Commerce Ministry on April 5 said it has spent Rs.2,454 crore under various plan schemes, which is 99.45 per cent of the allocation — the highest in last five fiscals.

In 2012-13, 98.02 per cent of the allocation was spent for plan schemes, while the figure was 96.86 per cent in 2013-14, 96.50 per cent in 2014-15 and 98.54 per cent in 2015-16, an official statement said.

“During the financial year 2016-17, Department of Commerce has expended Rs.2,454.58 crore under plan schemes which works out to 99.45 per cent of the final plan allocation. This achievement is the highest in last 5 financial years,” the statement said.

Besides, the Commerce Ministry has achieved 100 per cent implementation of PFMS in all its autonomous bodies, PSUs and Trade Promotion bodies all over India in the last fiscal.

“This enables Just-in-Time release of funds to these organisations thereby preventing unnecessary parking of funds,” it said.

Public Financial Management System (PFMS) tracks fund disbursement and ensures that state treasuries are integrated with the Centre for smooth fund flow.

PFMS was to be extended to all offices, autonomous bodies and PSUs under the control of Commerce Ministry.

With regard to transfer of grants and subsidies to beneficiaries electronically through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), the statement said that 7 organisations — Tea Board, Coffee Board, Spices Board, Rubber Board, Tobacco Board, APEDA and MPEDA — were selected for DBT implementation by March 31.

“DBT was successfully implemented in all these organisations by March 31. All the beneficiaries under these schemes, have been linked with Aadhaar in most cases. Department of Commerce has thus achieved the target of 100 per cent in DBT implementation by the stipulated timeline of March 31,” it said.

IIT-Kharagpur is expected to induct the first batch of MBBS students in its medical college by 2020-21, after its hospital starts operation three years earlier.
“The first phase of construction of Dr B C Roy Institute of Medical Science & Research will get over by June this year and we are working towards making the hospital operational from 2018,” IIG-KGP Deputy Director Prof Sriman Kumar Bhattacharyya said on Thursday.
“Then, as per regulation, we can start offering MBBS programme in another three-year time in 2020-21,” said Bhattacharyya, in-charge of setting up the Medical College.
In the first phase of construction, the hospital and ancillary building were getting ready, while in the second phase, residential towers for doctors, students and support staff will be undertaken, he said.
The Dr B C Roy Institute of Medical Science & Research is coming up in Balarampur area adjoining IIT-KGP campus on an 18-acre land.
The Union HRD ministry has allowed IIT-KGP to start the hospital with 400 beds and has sanctioned Rs 150 crore.
As per plan, the hospital would later have 750 beds, he said adding that the project would cost around Rs 230 crore and there were plans to raise the rest of the funds through donations.
About healthcare facilities, Bhattacharyya said, “We will be collating details of the patients by videographing and with their permission can disseminate it to a doctor abroad. So if a patient wants to seek the opinion of a doctor in the US, he/she can easily do it.”
Currently the institute is busy procuring equipment for cardiology, neurology, orthopaedics, diagnostics, pathology and Out-Patients Department.
IIT-KGP is also in the process of setting up a society to run the hospital and the medical college.
“As per rule, IITs cannot offer medical courses. So this project will work as a special purpose vehicle. We will not run it directly but create a registered society. IIT-KGP will sign an MoU with the society so that functioning of the hospital can be in sync with IIT system,” he said.
IIT-KGP is ensuring that the hospital is run on no-profit-no-loss mode.
IIT-KGP has been running the School of Medical Science and Technology from 2001.