President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said Indian economy was projected to grow by more than 7.5 per cent in the current financial year.

The President noted that for 50 years before independence, the economic growth rate of India was 0 to 1 per cent.

In the 1950s, the growth rate rose to 1-2 per cent, while in the sixties 3-4 per cent and in the 90s, with economic reforms it increased by 6 to 7 per cent, Mukherjee said, while delivering the sixth K S Rajamony Memorial Lecture here.

Speaking on the topic of India@70, he said in 15 years, Indian economy grew more than 7 per cent, making us the fastest growing large economy of the world.

"And as per the indication of the third part of the current year, it is sure to grow more than 7 and a half per cent," he added.

Mukherjee said such a performance could be achieved only because of the hardwork of farmers and workers.

In a first of its kind initiative in India, Asian Development Bank (ADB), the financial institution that provides loans, technical support, grants to its 67 member-countries for their socio-economic development, has launched a secondary and higher secondary education reform and skills development project in the north eastern state of Meghalaya.

The project being implemented with the help of Meghalaya government seeks to "enhance the physical and learning environment of selected schools, support school management and leadership in improving delivery of secondary and higher secondary (SHS) education, provide information and communication technology (ICT) equipment and materials for more effective teaching and learning and support training of SHS teachers”, an ADB report entitled ‘India: Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya’ said.

The aim is to upgrade the infrastructure of 117 or about 20 per cent of the government aided private secondary and higher secondary schools in Meghalaya to National Secondary Education Mission.

Improving the overall learning and teaching environment, improving access for the physically challenged, safety, building additional rooms with facilities like labs, libraries, separate toilets for girls and boys, clean drinking water, better furniture and computers are other objectives of the $125 million project.

The project currently under implementation was launched in September 2014 and it is slated to be completed by 2018. The report of the progress and goals being met at the ground level will take some time to appear in black and white. But experts say it was a timely start to an initiative that came in the wake of reports about drop outs and lack of skills among Meghalaya’s youth that made them largely unemployable both within the state and outside.

It came as a matter of concern for the state government that owing to the poor learning environment and limited capacity at the secondary and higher secondary education level, many students dropped out before completing their education. This came as a setback to Meghalaya which has envisaged education and skill development for enhanced productivity and employability as a thrust area under its 12th five year plan (2012-2017).

“In view of government of Meghalaya’s priorities, the project will enhance the employability of…youths by improving the quality, delivery and access to secondary and higher secondary education and technical and vocational education training (TVET) programs.

It will catalyze PPPs in skills training, strengthen public training institutions, build awareness among the tribal youth, increase participation of women, and strengthen monitoring and evaluation to increase result orientation. The project will reinforce the state government’s efforts in creating a facilitating environment for inclusive growth and combating poverty,” the ADB report said.

In a first of its kind initiative in India, Asian Development Bank (ADB), the financial institution that provides loans, technical support, grants to its 67 member-countries for their socio-economic development, has launched a secondary and higher secondary education reform and skills development project in the north eastern state of Meghalaya.

The project being implemented with the help of Meghalaya government seeks to "enhance the physical and learning environment of selected schools, support school management and leadership in improving delivery of secondary and higher secondary (SHS) education, provide information and communication technology (ICT) equipment and materials for more effective teaching and learning and support training of SHS teachers”, an ADB report entitled ‘India: Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya’ said.

The aim is to upgrade the infrastructure of 117 or about 20 per cent of the government aided private secondary and higher secondary schools in Meghalaya to National Secondary Education Mission.

Improving the overall learning and teaching environment, improving access for the physically challenged, safety, building additional rooms with facilities like labs, libraries, separate toilets for girls and boys, clean drinking water, better furniture and computers are other objectives of the $125 million project.

The project currently under implementation was launched in September 2014 and it is slated to be completed by 2018. The report of the progress and goals being met at the ground level will take some time to appear in black and white. But experts say it was a timely start to an initiative that came in the wake of reports about drop outs and lack of skills among Meghalaya’s youth that made them largely unemployable both within the state and outside.

It came as a matter of concern for the state government that owing to the poor learning environment and limited capacity at the secondary and higher secondary education level, many students dropped out before completing their education. This came as a setback to Meghalaya which has envisaged education and skill development for enhanced productivity and employability as a thrust area under its 12th five year plan (2012-2017).

“In view of government of Meghalaya’s priorities, the project will enhance the employability of…youths by improving the quality, delivery and access to secondary and higher secondary education and technical and vocational education training (TVET) programs.

It will catalyze PPPs in skills training, strengthen public training institutions, build awareness among the tribal youth, increase participation of women, and strengthen monitoring and evaluation to increase result orientation. The project will reinforce the state government’s efforts in creating a facilitating environment for inclusive growth and combating poverty,” the ADB report said.

Bollywood actor Govinda has approached the Bombay High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a 1997 defamation case registered against him in the then undivided state of Bihar.

According to the complaint, the actor in one of the songs in his movie "Chote Sarkar" allegedly made a defamatory reference to the state of Bihar.

Govinda knocked the doors of the high court apprehending arrest in the case since a magistrate court at Pakur in Jharkhand had recently issued a proclamation notice directing him to appear before it on the next date of hearing on March 6.

Apart from Govinda, the case is also lodged against the musician, lyricist and others. The complaint was filed by a lawyer there.

Govinda's lawyer today argued before the high court that the case was mala fide and that the accusations were made to humiliate the actor.

The high court is likely to pass its order on the anticipatory bail plea on Friday.

Bollywood actor Govinda has approached the Bombay High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a 1997 defamation case registered against him in the then undivided state of Bihar.

According to the complaint, the actor in one of the songs in his movie "Chote Sarkar" allegedly made a defamatory reference to the state of Bihar.

Govinda knocked the doors of the high court apprehending arrest in the case since a magistrate court at Pakur in Jharkhand had recently issued a proclamation notice directing him to appear before it on the next date of hearing on March 6.

Apart from Govinda, the case is also lodged against the musician, lyricist and others. The complaint was filed by a lawyer there.

Govinda's lawyer today argued before the high court that the case was mala fide and that the accusations were made to humiliate the actor.

The high court is likely to pass its order on the anticipatory bail plea on Friday.

Launching yet another vitriolic attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused him of making "conditional promises and deals" even with "Ganga maa".

"Modiji keval Ganga maa se wade hi nahi karte, balki Ganga maa se sauda bhi karte hain, kahte hain pahle vote do tab kam karenge. (Modi does not only make promises to the Ganga, but even strikes deals with her, saying first vote for me and then I will work)," the Congress vice president told an election campaign rally here.

"Modi told Maa Ganga that first make him the Prime Minister and then only he will carry out its cleaning works," said Gandhi seeking votes for local party MLA Ajai Rai from Pindara assembly seat under Banaras Lok Sabha constituency.

While attacking Modi for allegedly making "conditional promises" to the people of Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi promised in the same vein if Congress-SP alliance forms government in UP it "will give Rs 20 lakh to youths for starting their own business."

"Modi strikes relationships with the Ganga maa saying he he is beta of Banaras and that Maa Ganga called him to Varanasi," said Rahul and asked, "Does Maa Ganga had only one son and that too from Gujarat?

"Ganga belongs to everyone and not to a single person."

Referring to a slew of PM's alleged promises for Varanasi, Rahul said "Modi had promised Metro rail, did people get it?"

"Modi talked of making making Benaras a Kyoto city, give each house clean drinking water, fly luxury planes over Ganga and to set up a Bhojpuri film city here," said Rahul asking if the city got any of these things till now despite lapse of over three years since he became the PM.

Accusing the Prime Minister of failing in fulfilling his promise of providing jobs to people, Rahul said he did nothing for the farmers and youths, but "waived loans of liquor baron Vijay Mallya and country s top 50 richest families".

"Modi comes here, gives long speeches, shows dreams to people and asks them to make him Prime Minister, make BJP win the UP assembly elections and only then he would provide jobs to unemployed youth, work for the development of the state," said Rahul.

Exuding confidence that Congress-SP alliance would win the UP assembly elections, Gandhi said the polling in the last five phases has shown that voters favoured Congress-SP alliance while "Modi ji lost his smiles had looked sad as if he has already lost the polls."

The Congress vice president further said the Congress-SP alliance will even continue beyond the UP assembly elections.

Launching yet another vitriolic attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused him of making "conditional promises and deals" even with "Ganga maa".

"Modiji keval Ganga maa se wade hi nahi karte, balki Ganga maa se sauda bhi karte hain, kahte hain pahle vote do tab kam karenge. (Modi does not only make promises to the Ganga, but even strikes deals with her, saying first vote for me and then I will work)," the Congress vice president told an election campaign rally here.

"Modi told Maa Ganga that first make him the Prime Minister and then only he will carry out its cleaning works," said Gandhi seeking votes for local party MLA Ajai Rai from Pindara assembly seat under Banaras Lok Sabha constituency.

While attacking Modi for allegedly making "conditional promises" to the people of Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi promised in the same vein if Congress-SP alliance forms government in UP it "will give Rs 20 lakh to youths for starting their own business."

"Modi strikes relationships with the Ganga maa saying he he is beta of Banaras and that Maa Ganga called him to Varanasi," said Rahul and asked, "Does Maa Ganga had only one son and that too from Gujarat?

"Ganga belongs to everyone and not to a single person."

Referring to a slew of PM's alleged promises for Varanasi, Rahul said "Modi had promised Metro rail, did people get it?"

"Modi talked of making making Benaras a Kyoto city, give each house clean drinking water, fly luxury planes over Ganga and to set up a Bhojpuri film city here," said Rahul asking if the city got any of these things till now despite lapse of over three years since he became the PM.

Accusing the Prime Minister of failing in fulfilling his promise of providing jobs to people, Rahul said he did nothing for the farmers and youths, but "waived loans of liquor baron Vijay Mallya and country s top 50 richest families".

"Modi comes here, gives long speeches, shows dreams to people and asks them to make him Prime Minister, make BJP win the UP assembly elections and only then he would provide jobs to unemployed youth, work for the development of the state," said Rahul.

Exuding confidence that Congress-SP alliance would win the UP assembly elections, Gandhi said the polling in the last five phases has shown that voters favoured Congress-SP alliance while "Modi ji lost his smiles had looked sad as if he has already lost the polls."

The Congress vice president further said the Congress-SP alliance will even continue beyond the UP assembly elections.

The Odisha government on Thursday said there is significant reduction in the state's Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) which has dropped to 40 against the national average of 41.

"When our government came to power in 2000, I was personally concerned over the high rate of IMR. Today I am delighted that our IMR rate is better than many other states.

This is a great achievement of our government," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters here.

Patnaik pointed out that when the BJD government came power in 2000, the IMR was as high as 91 deaths per 1,000 births. Then the national IMR was 68.

In 2005, the IMR in Odisha dropped to 65 against the national average of 57, he pointed out.

"Now Odisha's IMR is just 40 against national average of 41 as has been reported in the 4th round of the National Family Health Survey. I thank mothers, self-help groups and all other stakeholders associated with reduction of the IMR in the state," Patnaik said.

The Chief Minister said Odisha has also achieved the highest point decline in the country, which was 56 point since 2000.

"Other indicators related to the IMR are encouraging too. Odisha has achieved a sharp increase in institutional deliveries, family planning and ante-natal care of mothers," he said.

Patnaik said the state has also achieved significant reduction in Under-5 Mortality Rate, anaemia and malnutrition.

In all these indicators, Odisha has performed better than the national average, Patnaik added.

The Odisha government on Thursday said there is significant reduction in the state's Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) which has dropped to 40 against the national average of 41.

"When our government came to power in 2000, I was personally concerned over the high rate of IMR. Today I am delighted that our IMR rate is better than many other states.

This is a great achievement of our government," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters here.

Patnaik pointed out that when the BJD government came power in 2000, the IMR was as high as 91 deaths per 1,000 births. Then the national IMR was 68.

In 2005, the IMR in Odisha dropped to 65 against the national average of 57, he pointed out.

"Now Odisha's IMR is just 40 against national average of 41 as has been reported in the 4th round of the National Family Health Survey. I thank mothers, self-help groups and all other stakeholders associated with reduction of the IMR in the state," Patnaik said.

The Chief Minister said Odisha has also achieved the highest point decline in the country, which was 56 point since 2000.

"Other indicators related to the IMR are encouraging too. Odisha has achieved a sharp increase in institutional deliveries, family planning and ante-natal care of mothers," he said.

Patnaik said the state has also achieved significant reduction in Under-5 Mortality Rate, anaemia and malnutrition.

In all these indicators, Odisha has performed better than the national average, Patnaik added.

Visiting Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday pitched for greater Indian investment in Nepal, saying that India wants partnership with Nepal in various sectors.

Earlier in the day, Jaitley arrived here to deliver the keynote speech at the "Nepal Investment Summit – 2017" and held talks with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and his counterpart Krishna Bahadur Mahara, among others.

In his meeting with Prachanda, Jaitley said that foreign direct investment (FDI) was a key driver for development in countries like Nepal, and assured that India was ready to partner with Nepal in its development aspirations and endeavours.

Prachanda thanked Jaitley for India's support to Nepal for constructing roads, extension of cross-border transmission lines, bridges and the recent approval for the Arun-III project, in which the Indian government has decided to put in over Indian Rupees (IRs) 57 billion.

He further urged India to invest in Nepal's hydropower, tourism and agriculture sectors, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office here.

They also briefly touched upon the political developments in Nepal. Prachanda apprised Jaitley of his government's efforts to ensure implementation of the Constitution and the steps it had been taking for the last seven months in that direction.

"Once the Constitution's implementation begins, Nepal will enter the phase of economic development and prosperity," he told Jaitley.

Delivering the keynote speech at the investment summit, the Indian Finance Minister also assured Prachanda of assistance in various fields.

"India is committed to partner with Nepal in its aspirations for growth, to invest in hydropower, to connect with India's rail network, irrigation, health and education sectors, transmission lines, roads and bridges and others," he said.

India has proposed five cross-border railway lines with Nepal and two direct rail links between Kathmandu and Delhi, and Kathmandu and Kolkata.

While giving a mantra for development, Jaitley said: "Hardworking people of Nepal, the government and the positive policy framework are a great opportunity for investment."

"Nepal can be developed through proper utilisation of natural resources," Jaitley said, adding that there were investment opportunities in Nepal's energy, agriculture, tourism and irrigation sectors. He also said there was scope for investment in cultural and religious tourism as well.

Jaitley also stressed the need for policy reforms for attracting more investment as well as infrastructure development, adding that the state should adopt a durable tax policy for expanding investments.

Visiting Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday pitched for greater Indian investment in Nepal, saying that India wants partnership with Nepal in various sectors.

Earlier in the day, Jaitley arrived here to deliver the keynote speech at the "Nepal Investment Summit – 2017" and held talks with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and his counterpart Krishna Bahadur Mahara, among others.

In his meeting with Prachanda, Jaitley said that foreign direct investment (FDI) was a key driver for development in countries like Nepal, and assured that India was ready to partner with Nepal in its development aspirations and endeavours.

Prachanda thanked Jaitley for India's support to Nepal for constructing roads, extension of cross-border transmission lines, bridges and the recent approval for the Arun-III project, in which the Indian government has decided to put in over Indian Rupees (IRs) 57 billion.

He further urged India to invest in Nepal's hydropower, tourism and agriculture sectors, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office here.

They also briefly touched upon the political developments in Nepal. Prachanda apprised Jaitley of his government's efforts to ensure implementation of the Constitution and the steps it had been taking for the last seven months in that direction.

"Once the Constitution's implementation begins, Nepal will enter the phase of economic development and prosperity," he told Jaitley.

Delivering the keynote speech at the investment summit, the Indian Finance Minister also assured Prachanda of assistance in various fields.

"India is committed to partner with Nepal in its aspirations for growth, to invest in hydropower, to connect with India's rail network, irrigation, health and education sectors, transmission lines, roads and bridges and others," he said.

India has proposed five cross-border railway lines with Nepal and two direct rail links between Kathmandu and Delhi, and Kathmandu and Kolkata.

While giving a mantra for development, Jaitley said: "Hardworking people of Nepal, the government and the positive policy framework are a great opportunity for investment."

"Nepal can be developed through proper utilisation of natural resources," Jaitley said, adding that there were investment opportunities in Nepal's energy, agriculture, tourism and irrigation sectors. He also said there was scope for investment in cultural and religious tourism as well.

Jaitley also stressed the need for policy reforms for attracting more investment as well as infrastructure development, adding that the state should adopt a durable tax policy for expanding investments.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-industrialists policy has led to an unprecedented hike in the price of LPG cylinders and added that now LPG stands for 'Loot, Plunder and Grab'.

"Now, when Modi will mention the word LPG, instead of assuming that LPG stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, the citizens of this country will assume LPG to mean 'Loot, Plunder and Grab'," AAP national spokesperson Raghav Chadha said.

The BJP government had not decreased petrol prices in the country despite the international crude oil prices being at a record low, he charged, adding that this was another instance of hiding the facts and lying to public.

Chadha also flayed the central government for silence over private banks' decision to charge Rs 150 for every transaction after first four free transactions.

"This is not only a scheme with pernicious intent but also disastrous for the economy," the leader said.

"The BJP government also fudged the GDP data for the October-December quarter of the 2016-2017 fiscal year to portray a beautiful picture of an economy that is in a shambles due to the illogical schemes of the Modi government," he alleged.
 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-industrialists policy has led to an unprecedented hike in the price of LPG cylinders and added that now LPG stands for 'Loot, Plunder and Grab'.

"Now, when Modi will mention the word LPG, instead of assuming that LPG stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, the citizens of this country will assume LPG to mean 'Loot, Plunder and Grab'," AAP national spokesperson Raghav Chadha said.

The BJP government had not decreased petrol prices in the country despite the international crude oil prices being at a record low, he charged, adding that this was another instance of hiding the facts and lying to public.

Chadha also flayed the central government for silence over private banks' decision to charge Rs 150 for every transaction after first four free transactions.

"This is not only a scheme with pernicious intent but also disastrous for the economy," the leader said.

"The BJP government also fudged the GDP data for the October-December quarter of the 2016-2017 fiscal year to portray a beautiful picture of an economy that is in a shambles due to the illogical schemes of the Modi government," he alleged.
 

The Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested one person, who is suspected to have issued death threats to veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and his family members on WhatsApp, police sources here said on Thursday.

The development came earlier in the day, barely hours after Bhatt lodged at the Juhu police station a complaint of extortion-cum-death threat against himself, wife Soni and actress daughter Alia from an "unknown person" on Wednesday night.

Mumbai police's Anti-Extortion Cell contacted the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Task Force (STF) which swung into action and zeroed in on the suspect — identified as one Sandeep Sahu.

A Mumbai Police team is expected to go to Uttar Pradesh shortly to take custody of the accused on a transit remand and bring him to Mumbai for further investigations, the sources here said.

According to the 69-year-old Bhatt, the caller allegedly demanded Rs 50 lakh, failing which he would eliminate his wife British-born wife Soni (60) and and daughter Alia (24).

Later, Bhatt tweeted: "A bolt from the blue in the form of an extortion call and threat to my family was nipped in the bud by the Maharashtra and UP Police in tandem. Gratitude!"

Bhatt said he had first received the call on February 26, but dismissed it as an innocuous prank initially.

However, the phone call was followed up with a series of WhatsApp messages and SMSs from a purported gangster who demanded that Bhatt should deposit the money in a Lucknow bank branch, failing which, it would lead to firing on the filmmaker's wife and daughter.

Perturbed by the messages, Bhatt lodged the police complaint on Wednesday.

Earlier, Bhatt had been targeted by a gang of 13 who conspired to kill him but were arrested in November 2014 before they could carry out their plans.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday said the BJP will be "clean bowled" in the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, just like in the Bihar elections last year.

Lalu said he fully understands the pulse of the people. "BJP will be cleaned bowled in assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh like Bihar. Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance will win the polls with majority and form the next government there," he said in tweets.

Lalu taunted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the hike in LPG prices by Rs 86.50, saying that the central government has robbed the common people.

Lalu has been campaigning for Congress and Samajwadi Party candidates in the ongoing assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh since last month.

The former Bihar Chief Minister has repeatedly claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party will be defeated in Uttar Pradesh. Lalu Prasad said BJP leaders had realized there was no Modi wave in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP will also taste defeat in Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand, he said.

While the debate over the best football league in the world rages on, there is no denying that the English Premier League remains among the most unpredictable there is.

And that doesn't bode well for millions of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, who are forced to formulate new strategies as teams buck the trend.

This week has special significance with the season’s first 'double gameweek' on the cards and The Statesman has you covered with a comprehensive article on which players will give you bang for your buck.

The indicators are:

Teams in BOLD are top 4 contenders.

Prices marked with a (+) indicate an increase in Base Price.
Prices marked with a (-) indicate a decrease in Base Price.

Goalkeepers

David de Gea
Team: Manchester United
Fixtures:  Bournemouth (H), Middlesborough (A), West Brom (H) and Everton (H)
Price: 5.4 (-)
Score: 94
Ownership: 33.5%

Why yes: Arguably the safest choice from a top-six club for this Gameweek, de Gea should keep a fourth consecutive clean sheet against Bournemouth at home.

Why no: United are among the many clubs who do not play in Gameweek 28 and the fact that the Spaniard has effectively zero differential prospects will put off most FPL managers.

Defenders

John Stones
Team: Manchester City
Fixtures: Sunderland (A)-Stoke (H), Liverpool (H) and Arsenal (A) 
Price: 4.7 (-)
Score: 46
Ownership: 15.2%

Why yes: City have a double fixture this Gameweek and both their opponents aren't in great form. After being rested for the midweek win over Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup, Stones should start both games and there is a strong chance of one clean sheet at least. Among the cheapest starters in the City backline.

Why no: City have kept just three clean sheets with Stones in the line up and do not play in Gameweek 28. The central defender hasn't had much luck on the offensive front like full backs Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov and isn't a great differential either.

Chris Brunt
Team: West Bromwich Albion
Fixtures: Crystal Palace (H), Everton (A), Arsenal (H), Man Utd (A) and Watford (A)
Price: 5.1 (+)
Score : 75
Ownership: 4.4%

Why yes: Up against an inconsistent Crystal Palace in Gameweek 28, Brunt may just get a clean sheet.
West Brom are among the few sides that play in Gameweek 28 and another factor in Brunt’s favour is that he is always a goal threat since plays as a winger for the Baggies but is classified as defender in FPL.

Why no: Brunt’s defensive colleague Gareth McCauley has been prolific in goal in recent weeks and is marginally more expensive. Palace may be inconsistent but they are a dangerous unit offensively so a clean sheet is not guaranteed. Games after Gameweek 27 get progressively tougher.

Midfielders
Philippe Coutinho
Team: Liverpool
Fixtures: Spurs (H), Burnley (H), Man City (A), Everton (H) and Bournemouth (H)
Price: 8.2 (-)
Score: 95
Ownership: 17.4%

Why yes: The Reds' sole bright spot in the disappointing loss at Leicester City, was Philippe Coutinho. If he is back in form Arsenal could just be ripped apart. Liverpool have been decent against the ‘big’ teams this season and alongside Everton, are the only top-four contending sides that play in Gameweek 28 as well.

Why no: There is a big if surrounding his form, as question marks remain whether the Brazilian can keep scoring on a regular basis. Liverpool on a whole, have been poor since the turn of the year and so has Coutinho. His teammate Sadio Mane may be more expensive, but is much more lethal in front of goal. 

Leroy Sane
Team: Manchester City
Fixtures: Sunderland (A)-Stoke (H), Liverpool (H) and Arsenal (A)
Price: 7.5
Score: 44
Ownership: 1.2%

Why yes: Sane has had a great 2017 and will only get better as he gets accustomed to his teammates at Manchester City. With City playing two sides that leak goals in Gamweeek 27, the young German is an excellent short-term option who won’t break the bank. Can be a massive differential, which is surprising considering he is among the cheapest City midfielders around.

Why no: He did start in the midweek win over Huddersfield Town and manager Pep Guardiola may chose to rest him in at least one of the two games. Teammate Raheem Sterling may be pricier, but arguably is in finer form. 

Forwards

Manolo Gabbiadini
Team: Southampton
Fixtures: Watford (A), Spurs (A), Bournemouth (H) and Crystal Palace (H)
Price: 6.6 (+)
Score: 20
Ownership: 5.7%

Why yes: Forget Aguero, Costa or Kane, Southamtpon’s striker is in unbelievable form at the moment. Expect his price to shoot up if he keeps scoring in the next few games. The 25-year-old striker has arguably the biggest differential from the entire FPL roster.  The next couple of fixtures (barring the Spurs one) are quite inviting too.

Why no: Southampton don’t play in Gameweek 28 and it remains to be seen if Gabbiadini can sustain his form for an extended period.

Fernando Llorente
Team: Swansea City
Fixtures: Burnley (H), Hull (A), Bournemouth (A), Middlesborough (H) and Spurs (H)
Price: 6.3 (-)
Score: 91
Ownership: 5.6%

Why yes: In decent form, the gangly Spaniard has an inviting couple of fixtures ahead. And as a bonus, Swansea are among the few sides that play in Gameweek 28.

Why no: He remains notoriously inconsistent and scores mostly in patches. Gylfi Sigurdsson pulls the strings from midfield for Swansea and if you have the Icelandic midfielder already, Llorente can be skipped.

PS: The Gameweek deadline is 11.30 am GMT/4 pm IST.

The scare of stray dogs echoed in Himachal Pradesh assembly on Thursday. Even as a senior BJP member from Kullu Maheshwar Singh asked the government to declare dogs as ‘vermin’ like monkeys in HP and allow the people to shoot them, Urban Development minister, Sudhir Sharma rejected it.

The minister said that the dogs live close to humans and can’t be compared with monkeys. As also, the government is bound by Supreme Court orders against culling of dogs.

“The government has no option but to stick to the strategy of Anti-Rabies vaccination and sterilisation of dogs of war-footing to control population of stray dogs in the long run. We have already seen a decline in their population as per the census carried out every five years,” he said.

In a calling attention motion in the House, BJP member Maheshwar Singh cited an incident of a dog having chased and bitten more than six persons in Shimla on February 17. He said the monkeys and dogs have become a pain in the neck for the common man, as they suddenly attack and bite the passersby. Singh said the government has remained a silent spectator to the glaring problem of stray dog menace.

In a detailed reply, the Urban Development minister said, while fresh census of dogs in HP is to be carried out this year. According to the 2012 census, the population of stray dogs in the state was 1.75 lakh compared with 2.82 lakh in 2008.
He said the Animal Birth Control Society has so far sterilised and vaccinated 16,820 stray dogs in HP.

Sharma said the civic bodies have been asked to register the pets at the earliest by outsourcing the work, so that the stray dogs and pets could be distinguished. The minister informed that the government is continuously taking steps to control the stray dog menace.

He said, on March 30, 2013, the High Court of Himachal Pradesh had given directions to free Shimla of stray dogs in three months. But, certain NGOs went to the Supreme Court, following which the orders were passed citing Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, wherein no High Court can interfere in the issue.  “So we cannot allow culling of dogs. We can vaccinate them against Rabies so that if a dog bites, it does not harm the person,” he said.

The Shimla MC already has a helpline number 1916, if someone is bitten by a monkey or a dog. The Corporation has a dog catching van as well.

“A Dog House costing Rs.80 lakh was constructed in the Shimla Municipal Limits many years ago, but that too could not function, due to court orders,” he said.