Union Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned Rs.98.35 crore for a Heritage Circuit in Assam under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.

This amount which has been sanctioned for development of the Tezpur, Majuli and Sivasagar circuit under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, Union Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, Mahesh Sharma announced following a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal here on April 2 night.

The first instalment of Rs.19.67 crore against the sanctioned amount was released by the Centre on March 31, 2017.

The scheme also includes development of a composite tourist infrastructure in Majuli comprising a centre near Kamalabari ghat, log huts, watch towers, cafeteria, elevated walkway, solar illumination, landscaping, etc, worth Rs.61.26 crore, development of Ranghar, Joy Sagar and Talatal Ghar in Sivasagar and Kanaklata Udayan and Bamuni Hills in Tezpur.

Development of this heritage circuit will give a tremendous boost to Tourism in Assam against the background of the publicity received during the Namami Brahmaputra festival.

The Union Tourism Ministry has decided to transfer the rights of Brahmaputra Ashok Hotel, which is presently managed by the ITDC, to the Assam government and all necessary modalities to formalise the transfer will be executed within the next 15 days.

The Tourism Ministry has also decided to work collectively to enlist Majuli in the coveted list of World Heritage Site and has already engaged the Archaeological Survey of India to prepare the dossier for submitting it to the UNESCO.

The Union Tourism Ministry has also sanctioned Rs.2 crore for the Namami Brahmaputra festival organised for the first time by the Assam Government to glorify the river Brahmaputra as well as to promote globally tourism, economy and civilization of the state.

The Chief Minister also expressed his gratitude to the Centre for this gesture and has expressed hope that the Tourism Ministry will continue to provide support in developing Assam as a prime tourist destination.

The Government of Assam has also submitted a memorandum to the Union Tourism Minister on various issues concerning development of tourism sector in the state.

In the wake of recent racial attacks on Nigerians in Greater Noida, African envoys on Monday condemned the incident and expressed deep concern over India not doing enough post the attack.

Calling the incidents 'racial, xenophobic acts', they sought international inquiry into the matter.

"No known, sufficient and visible deterring measures were taken by India," the heads of African missions said in a statement.

"These reprehensible events, both outstanding and unresolved cases against Africans, were not sufficiently condemned by the Indian authorities," the statement added.

The African envoys held a special meeting to review the attacks and agreed to call for an independent investigation by the Human Rights Council and also to report to the African Union Commission.

Expressing deep concern over a series of attacks on Nigerians in Greater Noida, the country on March 30 summoned the Indian High Commissioner and asked for the arrest of the attackers immediately.

Three Nigerian students were attacked during a fight that broke out on March 28 when local residents were holding a candlelight march against the death of a class 12 student who died of drug overdose. The local residents have alleged that the student, Manish Khari, was drugged by the Nigerians, who lived nearby.

Her performances across television and films brought her immense critical acclaim but the actress Neena Gupta says except for a few projects, she was not offered the kind of roles she wanted to do on the big screen.

Neena featured in films like Gandhi, Mandi and the 1994 release Woh Chikri which won her a National award for the best supporting actress 

"Yes there are a lot of regrets. I understood, it is not just because of me but also that this medium (film) needs a lot of other things besides being talented. It's your PR, your destiny to choose the right projects," Neena told when asked if she regrets on not being seen on the big screen as much as she had hoped.

"Once I said no to a very good project because I didn't believe in that story. But, if I had worked with that person, things would've been different. A whole lot of actors do this, people have refused films which have gone on to become hits," she adds.

The 57-year-old actress says one cannot be shy in the film industry and expect good work to come at the doorstep.

"It depends on how pushy you are and I am basically a very shy person. I cannot go to somebody and say I want work.

You can't be shy and say I am a great actress and people will call me. I was from Delhi, didn't know this place and there was nobody to teach us," she says.

The actress worked with the best of art house directors like G Aravindan and Shyam Benegal and also went on to star in popular TV series like Saans" and Siski, both of which she also directed.

"I don't do what I don't like. I want to do so many things which I am not offered also

. Like the kind of work Shabana and others are doing. One movie I was called but they didn't take me and I felt bad. But I had to do few things earlier because I needed money.

"Now I am settled, I am married so I can make that choice. I don't say 'I only want to do this' I say 'I can't do this.'" 

The actress has now ventured into the digital space second time with the recently released short film, Khujli".

Directed by Sonam Nair and produced by Terribly Tiny Talkies, the 15-minute film narrates the story of a middle aged couple who try to rekindle their sex life.

"Web series is kind of liberating. There are so many people who come to Mumbai to work and now there is a platform ready. The results are immediate, you don't have to wait for two years for the movie to release.

"Like we shot nearly 10 days back for Khujli and now the film is online too. I didn't want to do full time 30-day work so web series is good that way. I really enjoy this space." 

In the short film, she stars opposite Jackie Shroff and Neena says both of them were in sync with what the script required out of them.

"There were some date issues which were happening so I thought Jackie won't be able to do it. But it finally happened and I am glad because both us were hooked on to the script. It is a topic we rarely talk about here," she says.

Her performances across television and films brought her immense critical acclaim but the actress Neena Gupta says except for a few projects, she was not offered the kind of roles she wanted to do on the big screen.

Neena featured in films like Gandhi, Mandi and the 1994 release Woh Chikri which won her a National award for the best supporting actress 

"Yes there are a lot of regrets. I understood, it is not just because of me but also that this medium (film) needs a lot of other things besides being talented. It's your PR, your destiny to choose the right projects," Neena told when asked if she regrets on not being seen on the big screen as much as she had hoped.

"Once I said no to a very good project because I didn't believe in that story. But, if I had worked with that person, things would've been different. A whole lot of actors do this, people have refused films which have gone on to become hits," she adds.

The 57-year-old actress says one cannot be shy in the film industry and expect good work to come at the doorstep.

"It depends on how pushy you are and I am basically a very shy person. I cannot go to somebody and say I want work.

You can't be shy and say I am a great actress and people will call me. I was from Delhi, didn't know this place and there was nobody to teach us," she says.

The actress worked with the best of art house directors like G Aravindan and Shyam Benegal and also went on to star in popular TV series like Saans" and Siski, both of which she also directed.

"I don't do what I don't like. I want to do so many things which I am not offered also

. Like the kind of work Shabana and others are doing. One movie I was called but they didn't take me and I felt bad. But I had to do few things earlier because I needed money.

"Now I am settled, I am married so I can make that choice. I don't say 'I only want to do this' I say 'I can't do this.'" 

The actress has now ventured into the digital space second time with the recently released short film, Khujli".

Directed by Sonam Nair and produced by Terribly Tiny Talkies, the 15-minute film narrates the story of a middle aged couple who try to rekindle their sex life.

"Web series is kind of liberating. There are so many people who come to Mumbai to work and now there is a platform ready. The results are immediate, you don't have to wait for two years for the movie to release.

"Like we shot nearly 10 days back for Khujli and now the film is online too. I didn't want to do full time 30-day work so web series is good that way. I really enjoy this space." 

In the short film, she stars opposite Jackie Shroff and Neena says both of them were in sync with what the script required out of them.

"There were some date issues which were happening so I thought Jackie won't be able to do it. But it finally happened and I am glad because both us were hooked on to the script. It is a topic we rarely talk about here," she says.

Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez has introduced her beau Dominican-American former professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez to her mother, thereby taking their relationship a step forward.

The If you had my love songstress was spotted smiling and strolling down the street in New York City with Rodriguez on April 2, and they were joined by her mother, reports aceshowbiz.com

Lopez had previously met Rodriguez's sister. The couple has been spending time together in Bahamas, Miami and New York. 

The outing came after Rodriguez opened up about his relationship with the Shades of Blue star last week. 
 

Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez has introduced her beau Dominican-American former professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez to her mother, thereby taking their relationship a step forward.

The If you had my love songstress was spotted smiling and strolling down the street in New York City with Rodriguez on April 2, and they were joined by her mother, reports aceshowbiz.com

Lopez had previously met Rodriguez's sister. The couple has been spending time together in Bahamas, Miami and New York. 

The outing came after Rodriguez opened up about his relationship with the Shades of Blue star last week. 
 

Giving more time to Delhi Police to investigate the Unitech home buyers cheating case, a Delhi court has extended the custody of Unitech Managing Director Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra.

“Police custody of two Unitech promoters in alleged fraud case involving real estate project extended by three days,” reports stated on Monday.

Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra were arrested by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police on Saturday for allegedly cheating home buyers.

The two are accused of duping buyers who had booked flats in Unitech’s Greater Noida residential project.

Home buyers alleged that Unitech did not complete the project on time and did not refund their money along with interest.

Nearly 90 people had invested Rs.35 crore in the project but never got their flats, according to reports.

Meanwhile, reacting to reports, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Monday sought clarification from Unitech on the arrests.

Italian striker Mario Balotelli helped Nice come from behind to beat Bordeaux 2-1 at home, while Lyon missed a penalty and conceded a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw against 10-man Rennes in the 31st round of French Ligue 1 football championship.

Third-placed Nice on Sunday snapped their two-game drawing streak, and were provisionally four points adrift of Monaco, and one point behind defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, reports Xinhua news agency.

Nice conceded an early goal just nine minutes into the game, as Gaetan Laborde finished a left-foot shot through the legs of goalkeeper Yoan Cardinale. Balotelli, who notched just two league goals going into 2017, tied the game on the 12-yard spot kick seven minutes later, before Valentin Eysseric got the upper hand for Nice in the 27th minute.

In Rennes, Lyon had an opportunity to break the deadlock in the fifth minute after they were awarded a penalty when Rennes defender Ramy Bensebaini blocked Sergi Darder's shot with his arm. Rennes were reduced to ten men after Bensebaini was shown a red card.

However, Lyon top scorer Alexandre Lacazette, who recently failed to make the French national squad, missed the chance to improve his scoring account after his spot-kick was blocked by Rennes goalkeeper Benoit Costil onto the post.

Lyon still managed to build a lead on forward Maxwell Cornet's shot in the 52nd minute, but they could not convert it into three points as Firmin Mubele equalised for Rennes with eight minutes remaining.

Lyon stand at 16 points behind Nice at fourth place, a huge gap for them to close in their contest for a top three finish this season.

"We should have picked up three points, and it made this draw feel like a loss," said Lyon head coach Bruno Genesio.

In other action, Lorient took on a 1-0 home win against Caen to move up from the bottom of the table, but they are still desperate for more points to avoid relegation.

Also on Sunday, Montpellier lost to Toulouse 0-1 and Nantes edged past Angers 2-1.

Finally, the famous wrestler John Cena has popped the question to his long-term girlfriend Nikki Bella during WrestleMania 33 at the Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida. 

Wrestler and Hollywood celebrity 39-year-old Cena and Nikki Bella won the mixed tag team match over The Miz and Maryse on Sunday night after which he got down on one knee for Bella.

“I have been waiting so long to ask you this. Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace, ‘Will you marry me?” he asked Bella who said 'yes' with teary eyes as the proposal took her by surprise.

The couple shared a sweet moment as the crowd cheered with joy.

Cena tweeted: “It is such an honour to stand next to the woman I love, @BellaTwins, at @WrestleMania.” The tweet hinted at this surprise proposal.

 Bella’s sister Brie congratulated them as she tweeted: “Happy tears!!! They always felt married to me but to see it…wow!!! Welcome to the family @JohnCena.”

 The duo had been planning to get married since a year after undergoing treatment for Bella’s injured neck.

Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission has made an announcement for the candidates planning to apply for UPPSC recruitment 2017 examination.

As per the latest updates, UPPPSC is planning to fill 529 vacancies for different posts in 2017. Interested candidates are advised to apply for UPPSC recruitment examination before April 18, 2017 on the official website www.upsc.nic.in, uppsc.up.nic.in.

Officials have opened the UPPSC registration in English and Hindi language for the candidates.

It has been added that UPPSC will recruit Statistical Officer (General Recruitment): 2 posts in Forest and wild Life Department U.P, Lecturer: 53 posts U.P Special subordinate educational service (Women Branch), Registrar: 12 posts Uttar Pradesh State University (Centralized) Service, Lecturer: 408 posts in Government Degree Colleges of Uttar Pradesh, Scientific Officer: 54 posts Forensic Science Laboratory UP

Candidates are advised to read all the UPPSC recruitment 2017 document before sending the application.

Rapper Baadhsah has released the first track from his new album titled 'Mercy', which he has exclusively dedicated to his fans. The video also features Lauren Gottlieb.

"It's been long since I have released something on my own. My last was 'DJ waley babu' which is still getting played at clubs and parties and since then, my fans have been consistently asking me for new music," Badshah was quoted as saying in an interview to a media house.

Meanwhile, Badshah's song became the third most viewed video on Youtube. The rapper took to Twitter to thank his fans for their love and support.

Lauren Gottlieb, who is seen in a ravishing look in the video, also tweeted about Badshah's new song.

"There's only 1 song I have stuck in my head right now……@Its_Badshah #MERCY

In a major development to the Aircel-Maxis case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday submitted a report to the Supreme Court on alleged violation of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) rules by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram.

The top court will hear the matter on May 2.

Earlier in February, the top court had asked BJP leader Subramanian Swamy to provide evidence to back his plea for a probe into Chidambaram's role into the case.

Swamy had accused Chidambaram of breaching rules in permitting Malaysian firm Maxis to acquire 100 per cent stake in Aircel through FDI in 2006.

"In Aircel-Maxis case, P Chidambaram illegally permitted sale of 100 per cent shares of an Indian company, Aircel, to a Malaysian company (Maxis) when legally, the limit was 74 per cent. That Malaysian company, through many other companies, gave a bribe to Karti," Swamy was quoted as saying by a news agency.

(With inputs from agencies)

Rio Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik has got married to grappler Satyawart Kadian in a grand wedding ceremony in her hometown here.

The marriage ceremony was held on Sunday and was attended by two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and senior Indian National Lok Dal leader Abhay Singh Chautala, among others.

Sakshi (24) and Kadian (23) had got engaged in October last year, two months after she won the Olympic medal.

Sakshi had ended India's painful wait for a medal at the Rio Olympic Games last year by clinching the bronze in the 58kg category, pulling off a sensational 8-5 victory over Aisuluu Tynybekova in the play-off bout.

Kadian won a bronze medal at the 2010 Youth Olympics and clinched silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Many sports personalities took to Twitter to congratulate Sakshi.

Among those to congratulate her included cricketer Virender Sehwag, boxer Vijender Singh, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, shuttler Saina Nehwal and para athlete Deepa Malik.

Fire broke out at a hosiery factory at Bankra in Howrah district this Monday morning.

Since the employees had not reported for work when the fire broke out, no one suffered burns, Fire Brigade sources said.

The fire was first noticed in stacks of hay piled on a plot adjacent to the three-storeyed building, housing the factory.

Four fire tenders rushed to the spot and doused the flames.

The extent of loss is yet to be ascertained.

Actress-turned-writer Twinkle Khanna wants director Karan Johar to make a sequel to his 2010 acclaimed-film My Name is Khan and title it as My Name is Khanna.

Twinkle joked that she would make a comeback if Johar would cast her in the follow up of Shah Rukh Khan starrer.

It all began when the 44-year-old filmmaker lauded Twinkle on Twitter for her appearance in a mobile phone ad.

"So… @mrsfunnybones you nail it with your words and now your excelling in front of the camera… You go girl!!!" 

To which, Twinkle, 43, replied, "Hmm… Since you are so impressed can I suggest a sequel to My Name is Khan add two alphabets call it My Name is Khanna and cast me." 

Johar was quick to respond to Twinkle's suggestion as he said, "Darling you rejected my first offer ever!! Now I am hurt forever…" 

Twinkle had declined to play a role in Johar's debut directorial Kuch Kuch Hota Hai which later went to Rani Mukherjee.

Eruditus Executive Education on Monday said it has raised $8 million (Rs.52.36 crore) in its series B round from Bertelsmann India Investments.

The company plans to use the funding to add new programmes with existing and new university partners as well as expand its geographical footprint to China, Latin America and Europe, the executive education programmes provider said in a release.

"Bertelsmann is a great partner given its global footprint, its expertise in education and its success in scaling business by working closely with the founding team," Eruditus co-founder and Director Chaitanya Kalipatnapu said.

Eruditus has collaborated with top business schools such as INSEAD, Harvard Business School, Wharton, Tuck, MIT Sloan and Columbia Business School in bringing their professional development programs to India, Asia and the Middle East.

It also partners with EMERITUS Institute of Management to provide online courses to middle managers.

"Demand for high-quality educational services particularly in the business sector is growing fast in India and South East Asia. Eruditus meets this demand with classroom, online and blended-learning offers, giving more people access to global business education," Pankaj Makkar, MD at Bertelsmann India Investments, said.

Eruditus Executive Education had earlier raised an undisclosed sum in its Series A round of funding.

Australian premier Malcolm Turnbull is likely to make his first official visit to India next week to further build on relations with India during talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in areas like trade, defence, education and skills sector.

Turnbull will be accompanied by his Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham who is leading the 'Australia India Skills Mission' comprising a strong delegation of education experts, official sources said.

Turnbull's office did not divulge details of the official programme, saying "Prime Minister's travel arrangements could not be revealed until an official announcement is made".

The visit will be an opportunity to further build relations with India which may include discussions on trade, defence, education and skills sector.

Modi invited Turnbull to India last year during the G-20 Summit in China.

Turnbull, 62, became Australia's Prime Minister on September 15, 2015.

Craig Jeffrey, Director of Australia India Institute (AII), a Melbourne-based think-tank, said the two leaders (Turnbull and Modi) will have a natural affinity as both placed a premium on youth, jobs and innovation.

He said that the visit was a crucial moment for reflecting on the complementary strengths of higher education in India and Australia.

"Flow of people and ideas knit Australia and India together. Now is the time to capitalise on these connections," Jeffrey said.

Australia India Business council (AIBC) national chair Sheba Nandkeolyar attached great importance to the upcoming trip. "A visit by another Prime Minister is highly regarded in India. This implies that Australia means business and India is viewed as a strategic partner," he said.

She further said the delegation will be an opportunity to establish stronger links with Indian counterparts and gain a deeper understanding of the Indian training market and the challenges it faces in educating and skilling its large population.

"We have several AIBC delegates in this mission and while there may be no FTA (free-trade agreement) – there will be certainly a lot of bilateral business opportunities that will unfold both for Australia & India," she said.

She said that the bilateral business engagement between the two sides had grown in recent years and there was an upsurge in the trade figures.

"Australia has a lot to offer beyond the traditional areas of the trade relationship hinging on Minerals & Energy.

Proudly both countries already enjoy a strategic Defence Partnership with regular visits from both end," Nandkeolyar, who hoped for more agreements to be signed during the visit, said.