Free WiFi services have been provided to 50 lakh passengers at 115 railway stations across the country and the railways propose to provide such facility in running trains too later, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Friday.

Replying to a question during Question Hour, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said the execution of WiFi facility at 400 railway stations has been entrusted to RailTel Corporation, a subsidiary of the Railways, without any fund allocation by the government.

"The number of passengers using the WiFi services at all stations was approximately 50 lakh in the month of February at 115 stations so far provided with WiFi service," he said.

A total of 400 railway stations will be covered in the first batch and the criterion adopted to instal the service depended upon the volume at stations.

Prabhu said WiFi facility, being a public service, was not just provided to railway passengers but also to all visiting the stations, including a large number of students.

"Of course, there is also a proposal to provide it in running trains," he said responding to a query from a member, adding that the facility is available in some trains already.

"We will try to give it in most trains," he said.

Prabhu claimed that the use of WiFi at stations was being regulated by guidelines issuing by Department of Telecom and no case of violation of these guidelines has been reported.

"All DoT guidelines are followed so that no website banned by DoT can be opened," he said.

The Railway Minister also claimed that the facility as provided by Google was according to them "the biggest and fastest public WiFi in the world".

To another question on whether the stations in the east would be covered, he said, "Because the Sun rises in the East and we cannot ignore the East."

In reply to a question on provision of solar powered panels on rooftops of trains, he said the Railways have provided solar panels on rooftops of 19 narrow guage in Norther Railway and 4 broad guage non air-conditioned coaches in service for use of electrical energy generated in train lighting system on a trial basis, which would save a total of Rs.41,000 crore over a period of 10 years.

"Indian Railways have embarked upon a mission to save Rs.41,000 crore over a period of 10 years through efficient energy management and power procurement," he said.

Leading brands of some of the drugs used for treatment of cardiac diseases and diabetes are up to 10 times higher than generic medicines, government said on Thursday.

"Yes, it is a fact that some branded medicines are many times costlier than generic medicines," Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh L Mandaviya said in a reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

The average price of leading brands of cardiac treatment drugs such as Amlodipine 5 mg and Atenolol 50 mg film coated tablets, Ramipril 5 mg tablets and Losartan 50 mg and Hydroclorothiaze 12.5 mg tablets is 10-8 times costlier than the generic medicines in Jan Aushadhi Kendras, he added.

In the diabetes drugs segment the average price of leading brands of some medicines is also higher between 10-3 times the MRP of generic drugs in Jan Aushadhi Kendras, Mandaviya said.

While leading brands of Glimepiride 2 mg tablets are available for Rs.50 for a 10 tablets pack size, the generic medicine is available at Rs.5.05 in the Jan Aushadhi Kendras, he added.

On the other hand, Metformin HCL 500 mg tablets leading brands are 3 times higher than the generic medicines in the Jan Aushadhi Kendras, Mandaviya said.

In the antibiotic segment also the leading brands of some of the medicines are higher up to 4 times, he added.

The leading brands of Ofloxacin 200 mg tablets are priced at Rs.52.60 for a 10 tablets pack while the generic medicines are available at Rs.14.80 in Jan Aushadhi Kendras, Mandaviya said.

He also said that "the group of secretaries have made several recommendations for promotion of generic medicines".

Ahead of the Assembly polls results, BSE Sensex closed higher by 17 points on Friday while the Nifty 50 rose by 8 points to 8,935.

The markets firmed up following investors' positive reactions to the exit polls result.

At around 2.30 pm, the BSE Sensex traded lower by 34 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 28,895, while the Nifty 50 falls 11 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 8,916.

In the morning, the Sensex climbed over 146 points in opening trade on heavy fund inflows. While Nifty rose 48.70 points, the gauge gained 27.19 points. 

Ahead of the Assembly polls results, BSE Sensex closed higher by 17 points on Friday while the Nifty 50 rose by 8 points to 8,935.

The markets firmed up following investors' positive reactions to the exit polls result.

At around 2.30 pm, the BSE Sensex traded lower by 34 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 28,895, while the Nifty 50 falls 11 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 8,916.

In the morning, the Sensex climbed over 146 points in opening trade on heavy fund inflows. While Nifty rose 48.70 points, the gauge gained 27.19 points. 

Tablets for teachers to track students' progress, 10,000 new classrooms, 400 special libraries and pre-primary classes are among the big-ticket promises the AAP government made as it allocated Rs.11,300 crore to education sector in this budget.

Continuing its trend of allocating the biggest share of the budget to the sector, the government, which had increased the outlay for education by 106 per cent in 2015, allocated 24 per cent of the total outlay for 2017-18.

"We have succeeded in creating huge infrastructure in the form of construction of new schools, new classrooms, sports grounds, clean toilet facilities in the last two years. 24 new schools will start in this year," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said in his Budget speech.

Besides this, he said, construction of 10,000 new classrooms will be started in the next financial year.

"Our government has also decided to introduce pre-primary classes in 156 government schools in 2017-18, with upgraded infrastructure facilities," he said.

Sisodia, who is also the Education Minister, announced that tablets will be given to all government teachers to help them maintain data and other information on students.

"It will save the time of teachers being wasted in doing paper works. We have also planned for expansion of NSIT, DTU and IIIT so that more students can be accommodated in these institutes," he said.

Apart from setting aside Rs.182 crore for upgrade of computer laboratories and installing more terminals, another 100 crore has been allocated for construction of libraries and procurement of books.

"400 new libraries are to be opened in the government schools for Class VI to X in which books of stories and poetry will be provided as per the age and interest of the children so that reading habits may be developed amongst the students," he said.

Sisodia also said bananas and boiled eggs will be added to mid-day meals served to students till class VIII in all government schools for which Rs.55 crore has been allocated.

For the first time, girl students of classes IX-XII will also be served mid-day meals from next month, he said.

The government has also proposed that it will open Delhi's first pharmaceutical university in the city.

For the schools operating in two shifts, there will be two computer labs for which Rs.182 crore have been allotted. The government will start Punjabi, Urdu clubs in all schools along with art and music classes.

Sisodia also announced setting up of five schools of excellence and a teachers' training centre under the aegis of Ambedkar University. Ten early childhood centres will also come up as a pilot project and for that Rs.4 crore has been set aside.

Tablets for teachers to track students' progress, 10,000 new classrooms, 400 special libraries and pre-primary classes are among the big-ticket promises the AAP government made as it allocated Rs.11,300 crore to education sector in this budget.

Continuing its trend of allocating the biggest share of the budget to the sector, the government, which had increased the outlay for education by 106 per cent in 2015, allocated 24 per cent of the total outlay for 2017-18.

"We have succeeded in creating huge infrastructure in the form of construction of new schools, new classrooms, sports grounds, clean toilet facilities in the last two years. 24 new schools will start in this year," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said in his Budget speech.

Besides this, he said, construction of 10,000 new classrooms will be started in the next financial year.

"Our government has also decided to introduce pre-primary classes in 156 government schools in 2017-18, with upgraded infrastructure facilities," he said.

Sisodia, who is also the Education Minister, announced that tablets will be given to all government teachers to help them maintain data and other information on students.

"It will save the time of teachers being wasted in doing paper works. We have also planned for expansion of NSIT, DTU and IIIT so that more students can be accommodated in these institutes," he said.

Apart from setting aside Rs.182 crore for upgrade of computer laboratories and installing more terminals, another 100 crore has been allocated for construction of libraries and procurement of books.

"400 new libraries are to be opened in the government schools for Class VI to X in which books of stories and poetry will be provided as per the age and interest of the children so that reading habits may be developed amongst the students," he said.

Sisodia also said bananas and boiled eggs will be added to mid-day meals served to students till class VIII in all government schools for which Rs.55 crore has been allocated.

For the first time, girl students of classes IX-XII will also be served mid-day meals from next month, he said.

The government has also proposed that it will open Delhi's first pharmaceutical university in the city.

For the schools operating in two shifts, there will be two computer labs for which Rs.182 crore have been allotted. The government will start Punjabi, Urdu clubs in all schools along with art and music classes.

Sisodia also announced setting up of five schools of excellence and a teachers' training centre under the aegis of Ambedkar University. Ten early childhood centres will also come up as a pilot project and for that Rs.4 crore has been set aside.

Popular Television show Bin Kuch Kahe, which airs on Zee Channel, whose lead protagonists Sameer Arora and Shamata Anchan are melting the hearts of Indian television audience with their unusual onscreen chemistry! 

According to sources close to them, the duo not only share an interesting chemistry on screen but have a great camaraderie off screen as well.  

Talking about their chemistry,Sameer says, "We sometimes fight over petty things like who will give his/her close up shot first or whose tea spot dada should get first, especially when he shows up with only one cup (laughs). The direction team, specially the chief AD  has infact praised us for the sharing a similar on & off screen, which is so natural."

Leading lady, Shamata also had some really good things to say about her chemistry with Sameer.

"I met him at the workshops for our show prior to the shoot. We instantly connected during our scene rehearsals & made ourselves comfortable for the shoot. I love pulling his leg & joking around with him. We have a friendly relationship. What I particularly love about Sameer's character Kabir is that he's a thorough gentleman, caring & a suave guy. He takes care of my character Myra's family for which I eventually start respecting. I believe his character is similar to that of Mark Darcy from the novel Pride And Prejudice," the actor shared.

It would interesting to see how these characters finally fall in love in the show Bin Kuch Kahe.

Popular Television show Bin Kuch Kahe, which airs on Zee Channel, whose lead protagonists Sameer Arora and Shamata Anchan are melting the hearts of Indian television audience with their unusual onscreen chemistry! 

According to sources close to them, the duo not only share an interesting chemistry on screen but have a great camaraderie off screen as well.  

Talking about their chemistry,Sameer says, "We sometimes fight over petty things like who will give his/her close up shot first or whose tea spot dada should get first, especially when he shows up with only one cup (laughs). The direction team, specially the chief AD  has infact praised us for the sharing a similar on & off screen, which is so natural."

Leading lady, Shamata also had some really good things to say about her chemistry with Sameer.

"I met him at the workshops for our show prior to the shoot. We instantly connected during our scene rehearsals & made ourselves comfortable for the shoot. I love pulling his leg & joking around with him. We have a friendly relationship. What I particularly love about Sameer's character Kabir is that he's a thorough gentleman, caring & a suave guy. He takes care of my character Myra's family for which I eventually start respecting. I believe his character is similar to that of Mark Darcy from the novel Pride And Prejudice," the actor shared.

It would interesting to see how these characters finally fall in love in the show Bin Kuch Kahe.

The world's oldest known crocodile eggs laid some 152 million years ago have been discovered in the cliffs of Portugal.

The remarkably well preserved eggs give an insight into the "mother croc" that laid them, researchers said.

They are similar to the eggs of modern crocodiles, suggesting crocodile eggs have changed little in shape in the last 150 million years.

Palaeontologists say the prehistoric crocodile ancestor would have spanned two metres, based on the size of the larger eggs.

"The fact that they are from the Late Jurassic makes these eggs the oldest crocodilian eggs known so far," said Joao Russo of Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal.

"This new discovery from Portugal extends the knowledge of this type of egg by approximately 40 million years," said Russo.

Crocodilians arose some 200 million years ago, when they prowled the land with early dinosaurs.

The eggs were laid by a group called crocodylomorphs, close relatives of "true" crocodiles, 'BBC News' reported.

"The fossil record tells us that crocodiles and their relatives (forming the larger group of crocodylomorphs) were much more diverse in the past, with different feeding habits, ecological niche distribution or morphology," Russo added.

The eggs were found over a number of years during excavations of a dinosaur nest near the village of Lourinha, north of Lisbon. They were found in several clutches and appear to be of two different types.

The world's oldest known crocodile eggs laid some 152 million years ago have been discovered in the cliffs of Portugal.

The remarkably well preserved eggs give an insight into the "mother croc" that laid them, researchers said.

They are similar to the eggs of modern crocodiles, suggesting crocodile eggs have changed little in shape in the last 150 million years.

Palaeontologists say the prehistoric crocodile ancestor would have spanned two metres, based on the size of the larger eggs.

"The fact that they are from the Late Jurassic makes these eggs the oldest crocodilian eggs known so far," said Joao Russo of Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal.

"This new discovery from Portugal extends the knowledge of this type of egg by approximately 40 million years," said Russo.

Crocodilians arose some 200 million years ago, when they prowled the land with early dinosaurs.

The eggs were laid by a group called crocodylomorphs, close relatives of "true" crocodiles, 'BBC News' reported.

"The fossil record tells us that crocodiles and their relatives (forming the larger group of crocodylomorphs) were much more diverse in the past, with different feeding habits, ecological niche distribution or morphology," Russo added.

The eggs were found over a number of years during excavations of a dinosaur nest near the village of Lourinha, north of Lisbon. They were found in several clutches and appear to be of two different types.

‘Hum saath saath hain.. (We are together). The banner displayed by jawans at the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) base in Shimla sector showed solidarity with Constable Vikram Jeet Singh, 28, who has surprisingly soldiered his way to the small screen.

Giving a stiff competition to singers from across the country, the ITBP Constable has reached the top 16 in a reality show ‘Rising Star’ on TV. 

His dream is to reach atop the list now, with ITBP officials, his colleagues and people (his voters) fully backing him in the endeavour.

“Along with my job in ITBP, I want to pursue my passion of singing as a playback singer. The two jobs require sensitivity that I possess,” Vikram Jeet told The Statesman.

The ITBP Constable returned on Friday after successfully completing the second round of the show in Mumbai and was received with gusto by the ITBP personnel here.

“In forces, we encourage the sportsmen a lot. So why not a singer?,”said an ITBP official, who too joined Vikram Jeet's welcome.

Vikram Jeet belongs to a family of soldiers in Barnoti village in Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir and joined the ITBP ten years ago.

His father retired as Subedar from SSB and his three brothers are presently serving in Indian Army.

Vikram Jeet picked up singing from one of his brothers, who used to sing in childhood.

“A couple of years ago, my hobby of singing turned into my passion,”said Vikram Jeet, who motivates self by singing patriotic songs while free.

The ITBP constable had casually applied on-line for screening for the show last year and he got selected after auditions at Chandigarh. “Although I was quite nervous when I went to perform first time as my competitors were all professional singers. But a live chat with my higher ups and friends in ITBP in Shimla from there boosted my morale. Since then, there is no looking back,” said Vikram Jeet.

The soldier looks for peaceful place or serenity of the temple on the ITBP campus for singing practice after the duty hours in routine. “Only hard work will take me nearer to my dreams,” he said, as he prepares for the next round of the show slated later this month.

‘Hum saath saath hain.. (We are together). The banner displayed by jawans at the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) base in Shimla sector showed solidarity with Constable Vikram Jeet Singh, 28, who has surprisingly soldiered his way to the small screen.

Giving a stiff competition to singers from across the country, the ITBP Constable has reached the top 16 in a reality show ‘Rising Star’ on TV. 

His dream is to reach atop the list now, with ITBP officials, his colleagues and people (his voters) fully backing him in the endeavour.

“Along with my job in ITBP, I want to pursue my passion of singing as a playback singer. The two jobs require sensitivity that I possess,” Vikram Jeet told The Statesman.

The ITBP Constable returned on Friday after successfully completing the second round of the show in Mumbai and was received with gusto by the ITBP personnel here.

“In forces, we encourage the sportsmen a lot. So why not a singer?,”said an ITBP official, who too joined Vikram Jeet's welcome.

Vikram Jeet belongs to a family of soldiers in Barnoti village in Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir and joined the ITBP ten years ago.

His father retired as Subedar from SSB and his three brothers are presently serving in Indian Army.

Vikram Jeet picked up singing from one of his brothers, who used to sing in childhood.

“A couple of years ago, my hobby of singing turned into my passion,”said Vikram Jeet, who motivates self by singing patriotic songs while free.

The ITBP constable had casually applied on-line for screening for the show last year and he got selected after auditions at Chandigarh. “Although I was quite nervous when I went to perform first time as my competitors were all professional singers. But a live chat with my higher ups and friends in ITBP in Shimla from there boosted my morale. Since then, there is no looking back,” said Vikram Jeet.

The soldier looks for peaceful place or serenity of the temple on the ITBP campus for singing practice after the duty hours in routine. “Only hard work will take me nearer to my dreams,” he said, as he prepares for the next round of the show slated later this month.

The overall automobile sales in India rose marginally in February signalling revival in the industry that was hit hard by the currency pullback in November last year.

With demonetisation impact steadily waning, overall sales across categories rose 0.94 per cent to 17,19,699 units in February compared to 17,03,736 in the same month last year.

In December 2016, the overall automobile sales growth had touched a 16-year-low at 12,21,929 units, down 18.66 per cent, from 15,02,314 units in December 2015.

In January, the auto sales across categories had registered a decline of 4.71 per cent to 16,20,045 units, from 17,00,141 in January 2016.

"We are now witnessing steady recovery in the industry.

Impact of demonetisation is steadily waning and we expect the impact to gradually fade away in the next 1-2 months," SIAM Director General Vishnu Mathur told reporters here.

According to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), domestic passenger vehicle sales rose 9.01 per cent to 2,55,359 units in February, from 2,34,244 a year ago.

"As dealers stocked up inventory in January itself, February sales are slightly on the lower side," Mathur said.

He, however, added that recovery is happening in both urban and rural areas and the industry is on the path to achieve close to a double-digit growth in the segment in the current fiscal.

Domestic car sales also ticked up to 1,72,623 units as against 1,64,559 in February last year, up 4.9 per cent.

During February, market leader Maruti Suzuki India saw its car sales rise by 1.59 per cent to 88,541 units as against 87,149 in the same month last year. The company's utility vehicle sales jumped over two-fold to 17,863 units as against 8,484 in February last year.

Rival Hyundai Motor India reported an increase of 2.17 per cent in its domestic car sales at 33,149 units compared with 32,442 in the year-ago period. Its utility vehicles sales came in at 9,178 units as against 8,274 last year, up 10.92 per cent.

Utility vehicle major Mahindra and Mahindra saw its sales in the utility category decline 13.63 per cent to 19,529 units last month. Its car sales were at 97 units compared with 217 last year, down 55.29 per cent, as per the SIAM data.

Total two-wheeler sales in February declined marginally to 13,62,045 units compared to 13,62,177 in the year-earlier month.

The figure for motorcycles last month read 8,32,697 units as against 8,59,582 a year earlier, down 3.13 per cent. 

In its first year, the Aam Aadmi Party government spent Rs.29 crore in releasing advertisements outside Delhi which was "beyond" its responsibility, a CAG report has found.

Also, advertisements worth Rs.24 crore released by it were in violation of financial propriety and Supreme Court regulations, stated the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Friday.

The audit found that in several instances, work of the government was projected as the AAP's achievements through the use of its symbol "broom" and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's name.

"On test check of records, audit observed that expenditure of Rs.24.29 crore was incurred on advertisements and publicity campaigns that were not in conformity with the generally accepted principles of financial propriety or the guidelines on content regulation approved by the Supreme Court.

"Over 85 per cent of expenditure of Rs.3.40 crore incurred in one specific publicity campaign pertained to advertisements released outside Delhi which was beyond the responsibility of the Delhi government," it said.

The Arvind Kejriwal government had allotted a whopping Rs.522 crore for advertisement and publicity in 2015-16 budget, which was later revised to Rs.134 crore.

Barcelona’s 6-1 hammering (6-5 on aggregate) of PSG at the Nou Camp is set to go down as one of the biggest comeback in the UEFA Champions League history.

There have been plenty of reversal of fortunes over the years and surprises could be in store, though. 

The game, however, is set and hopes are high. While fans are waiting with bated breath, here are The Statesman’s top five:

Manchester United vs Bayern Munich (1999)

The ‘original’ comeback at the Nou Camp, the 1999 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich will forever be etched in footballing folklore. What many don’t know is that the two sides had met each other twice that season itself, in the group stages with both games ending in draws!

Alex Ferguson’s side were missing the suspended midfield duo of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes for the season-ending finale and after going behind as early from as the sixth minute from a Mario Basler free kick, seemed destined to be runners-up as the clock ticked. 

United’s never-say-die spirit was channeled by the two substitutes, namely Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who scored two goals in injury-time to leave the Bayern’s players shell-shocked and literally unable to carry on. While both the goals came from corners and they weren't exactly pretty, they got the job done and perhaps even more iconically, enable Manchester United to become the first and only English club to complete the Treble (English Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League).

Monaco vs Real Madrid (2003/04)

Real Madrid may have won the Champions League way more times than anybody (11 in all ), but after winning their 9th title in 2002, they had some rotten luck in the continental competition.

And after comprehensively beating unfancied Monaco 4-2 in the first leg, looked odds on to reach the semifinals. And why wouldn't they be? For their side housed the superlative talents of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Ronaldo (The Brazilian) in one power-packed starting XI.

And after going ahead 1-0 on the night thanks to Raul’s 36th minute strike, there seemed to be no stopping Los Blancos. Up stepped future Barcelona player Ludovic Giuly and Madrid reject Fernando Morientes to put a spanner in the works. While the diminutive Frenchman scored two, including the final goal in the 68th minute, it was Morientes’ second-half goal which really put Madrid’s Galacticos policy under the scanner. 

Tied 5-5 on aggregate, Monaco went through on the contentious away goals rule as they went on a dazzling run to the final that made even the harshest of critics stand up and applaud.

Deportivo vs AC Milan (2003/04)

In the Champions League, where the margins are very fine indeed, a lead of two goals is more than enough on most occasions. Three? Forget about it.

But Deportivo believed when most of the world had written them off after defending champions AC Milan had demolished them 4-1 in the first leg of the quarterfinal. Three goals in a span of eight minutes had seemingly sealed the deal in the Italian giants favour but the Spaniards had other ideas.

Equalling the tie by half time after goals from Walter Pandianin, Juan Carlos Valeron and Ablert Luque had got on the scoresheet, Milan were struggling and Deportivo smelt blood.

Gonzalez Fran then climbed off the bench to score a historic fourth goal in the 76th minute to complete the comeback. Until Barcelona obliterated the record books on Wednesday, the Branquiazuis historic triumph was considered the gold standard comeback of all two-legged ties in Europe.

Liverpool vs AC Milan (2004/05)

Poor AC Milan. The only team to feature twice in the list and that too on the losing side!
And if they felt bad after their loss to Deportivo, nothing could have prepared them for the second-half storm that hit them in Turkey.

Liverpool fans still and in all probability will always sing about the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ no matter how many Champions League titles they add to their kitty and it is hard to begrudge them.

Trailing 3-0 at half-time to an AC Milan side that had the evergreen Paolo Maldini in defence, the combative Gennaro Gattuso and the silky Andrea Pirlo in midfield, with the sharpshooting duo of Hernan Crespo and Andriy Shevchenko up top, the odds were against Liverpool before the game started.

Up stepped a player called Steven Gerrard (Name rings a bell?) and took the game by the scruff of the neck starting a remarkable revival which saw the English side score three goals in a span of six minutes. 

This game had it all, including a nerve-racking penalty shootout which was won by the brilliant-on-the-night Jerzy Dudek's hands. His famous final save off Shevchenko is an iconic image–arguably, the mother of all comebacks in a final.

Chelsea vs Napoli (2011/12)

The most recent game on the list and one which was perhaps the most extraordinary, considering the circumstances, Chelsea’s great victory over Napoli is probably their most famous night in Europe barring their triumph in that season’s final.

Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani had ripped Chelsea to shreds in the first-leg of the their round-of-16 tie and Napoli looked certain to qualify after a 3-1 advantage seemed too much for the London club to overhaul.

To make matters worse, trigger-happy owner Roman Abramovic had fired manager Andres Villas Boas and replaced him with Robrerto Di Matteo, a fans favourite as a player but a virtual unknown as a manager.

Didier Drogba got them off to a good start in the second leg and when captain John Terry scored one early in the comeback, Chelsea’s improbable comeback was on. However, Gokhan Inler scored one against the run of play to complicate matters and while Lampard’s penalty forced the game into extra time, the game was not destined to go to penalties.

Branislav Ivanovic forever endeared himself to the Chelsea faithful with a 105th minute goal deep in extra time to ensure the Blues made the last-eight after a remarkable double-legged tie.

A Kerala Congress MP on Friday alleged that the PMO was not giving appointment to an all-party delegation led by chief minister Pinayari Vijayan who wanted to raise the issue of drought in the state.

Speaking during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, K Suresh, member from Mavelikkara constituency in Kerala, claimed that the state was eligible for 40 lakh metric tonnes of rice, but the Centre has reduced the quota by 10 lakh MT.

"The situation has been aggravated by drought in Kerala," he said.

The chief minister has convened an all-party meeting to address the issue and sought an appointment with the PMO.

"But the PMO did not give an appointment to the chief minister," Suresh said, leading Congress and other opposition MPs to attack the government over Suresh's claim.

The Treasury Bench protested against the MP's claim and demanded that the remarks be expunged.