The month that brings blooming flowers, pleasant weather, cool breeze and freshness everywhere, March is when nature flaunts the best of its hues and vibrancy. Fragrance of fresh flowers, crispy green grass, lush green trees swaying to the tunes of the cool breeze makes this month the most favourable time to travel to some of the most mesmerizing and picturesque landscapes in India. If you are the one to be bit by the travel bug, there are various places in India you must visit in March.

Here are five places in India you must visit in March and things that you can do there.

Chill at Radhanagar beach, Havelock Island (Andaman and Nicobar islands):

Awarded the best beach in Asia in the year 2004, Radhanagar beach is a beautiful and serene paradise where one can relax and spend an evening and admire nature’s beauty while the sun sets.

Spot tigers at Ranthambore (Rajasthan)

For the wildlife lover and photographer in you, this month is the best time to spot tigers and other wild animals at the infamous Ranthambore.

Walk in tea gardens of Munnar (Kerala)

Definitely in the list of one of the five places in India you must visit in March, the lush green tea plantation in Munnar casts a spell on you with its magical aroma as you walk through the tea gardens. Pick a few tea leaves with the natives and appreciate the efforts when you relish the next cup of tea.

Walk through the ruins of Hampi (Karnataka)

South India enjoys the most pleasant weather during this month. Let the pinkish-orange sky accompany you through the centuries old ruins of Hampi, where the fusion of traditions and modern lifestyle can be seen at its best.

Attend Ganga aarti in Rishikesh (Uttarakhand)

Another important entry into the list of five places in India you must visit in March, Parmarth Niketan Ghat is the junction where faith and adventure meet. Ganga aarti is the most mesmerizing thing to witness and a must-do activity while spending an evening in Rishikesh. The dynamic Ganga as well as the natives’ immense faith makes you want to visit this place again and again.

Let the traveler in you spread his wings to take a flight in this beautiful weather to places where March makes them even more magical.

The opening of schools on Wednesday after eight long months proved to be an emotional moment in the Kashmir Valley.

The thrill and excitement was palpable in this summer capital and other places in the Valley as teachers and staff at both government-run and private schools waited eagerly for the arrival of students like they normally did in the past for VIP visits.

Children were seen jostling each other to get out of school buses, bubbling with excitement at the prospect of meeting friends, some of whom they had not spoken with for eight months. 

"I feel as if I am attending the school after years. Nothing has changed inside except that some of our old teachers have been transferred to other places," said Moshin, a class 8 student in a government school in the old city.

Parents are, naturally, relieved the schools have reopened.

"I hope the schools are allowed by everybody to work normally. My son has been awake since 5 a.m. asking his mother to ready his school uniform and tiffin.

"I also appeal to everybody to leave education out of their political agenda. Let schools function normally and let our children study properly so that they appear in exams," said Mushtaq Ahmad, a resident of central Kashmir's Badgam district.

Exams were last held here only for classes 10 and 12, while all others, from the primary stage to class 10, were promoted en masse.

All schools, colleges and universities were closed on July 8 last year, a day after Hizbul commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

What followed was unprecedented even by the standards of the Valley, which has remained plagued by separatist violence since the early 1990s.

There was Valley-wide unrest in which 94 people were killed and thousands injured. Over 150 people are believed to have lost their vision because of the pellets fired by the security forces to control mobs.

The state government's attempts to open schools were strongly resisted by parents concerned about the security of their children, as well as by the separatists who called it a roundabout attempt to bring normalcy to the Valley.

Though colleges and universities started functioning towards the end of last year, schools remained closed due to the unrest till they were officially closed for the winter vacations in December.

Abdul Majid Bhat, living in Rajbagh uptown area of Srinagar city, said the opening of his son's school has marked by festivity in his family.

"I went out yesterday with my son to buy him books, notebooks and other things. It was as if the two of us were out for Eid shopping.

"Today he has gone to his school and I am praying to Allah that what happened last year was a nightmare never to revisit our family," Bhat told IANS.

Ali Muhammad Bhat of Pampore town in Pulwama district said: "I did not go to work today because my daughter went to school after eight months.

"Looking at her sad face all these months had caused depression in my wife. Today, my wife was laughing when I escorted my daughter to school. Kindly leave our children out of politics."

Traffic jams in Srinagar city have always raised tempers of commuters. But Wednesday's snarls, created by school buses carrying children, became a sightseeing experience for many locals.

Happiness, alas, is an occasional episode in Kashmir's general drama of pain and suffering. The re-opening of schools was one such episode.

The opening of schools on Wednesday after eight long months proved to be an emotional moment in the Kashmir Valley.

The thrill and excitement was palpable in this summer capital and other places in the Valley as teachers and staff at both government-run and private schools waited eagerly for the arrival of students like they normally did in the past for VIP visits.

Children were seen jostling each other to get out of school buses, bubbling with excitement at the prospect of meeting friends, some of whom they had not spoken with for eight months. 

"I feel as if I am attending the school after years. Nothing has changed inside except that some of our old teachers have been transferred to other places," said Moshin, a class 8 student in a government school in the old city.

Parents are, naturally, relieved the schools have reopened.

"I hope the schools are allowed by everybody to work normally. My son has been awake since 5 a.m. asking his mother to ready his school uniform and tiffin.

"I also appeal to everybody to leave education out of their political agenda. Let schools function normally and let our children study properly so that they appear in exams," said Mushtaq Ahmad, a resident of central Kashmir's Badgam district.

Exams were last held here only for classes 10 and 12, while all others, from the primary stage to class 10, were promoted en masse.

All schools, colleges and universities were closed on July 8 last year, a day after Hizbul commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

What followed was unprecedented even by the standards of the Valley, which has remained plagued by separatist violence since the early 1990s.

There was Valley-wide unrest in which 94 people were killed and thousands injured. Over 150 people are believed to have lost their vision because of the pellets fired by the security forces to control mobs.

The state government's attempts to open schools were strongly resisted by parents concerned about the security of their children, as well as by the separatists who called it a roundabout attempt to bring normalcy to the Valley.

Though colleges and universities started functioning towards the end of last year, schools remained closed due to the unrest till they were officially closed for the winter vacations in December.

Abdul Majid Bhat, living in Rajbagh uptown area of Srinagar city, said the opening of his son's school has marked by festivity in his family.

"I went out yesterday with my son to buy him books, notebooks and other things. It was as if the two of us were out for Eid shopping.

"Today he has gone to his school and I am praying to Allah that what happened last year was a nightmare never to revisit our family," Bhat told IANS.

Ali Muhammad Bhat of Pampore town in Pulwama district said: "I did not go to work today because my daughter went to school after eight months.

"Looking at her sad face all these months had caused depression in my wife. Today, my wife was laughing when I escorted my daughter to school. Kindly leave our children out of politics."

Traffic jams in Srinagar city have always raised tempers of commuters. But Wednesday's snarls, created by school buses carrying children, became a sightseeing experience for many locals.

Happiness, alas, is an occasional episode in Kashmir's general drama of pain and suffering. The re-opening of schools was one such episode.

The Budget Session of Haryana Assembly on Wednesday witnessed ruckus for over two hours on the ongoing Jat agitation with the Opposition, including the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Congress party held the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government responsible for the continuing protest while the ruling party continued to refute the allegations saying that it is leaving no stone unturned to ensure harmonious and peaceful atmosphere in the state.

With Question Hour ending, discussion began on an Adjournment Motion moved by the former Assembly Speaker and Congress MLA from Beri Assembly constituency, Raghuvir Singh Kadian regarding indefinite protests by Jats at various places in the state.

Speaking on the issue, Kadian pointed out a few examples wherein cases registered under Terrorist Disruptive Activites (prevention) Act, under IPC Section 302 and Section 307 were withdrawn by the governments.

Kadian further stated that the state government should immediately take some decision on the demands put by the agitators including approaching Centre for OBC quota to the community, government jobs to the kin of those killed during previous agitation, withdrawal of cases registered against the community members last year and party action against BJP Kurukshetra MP Rajkumar Saini for openly opposing quota to Jats.

Kadian's arguments were supported by the leader of the Opposition, Abhay Singh Chautala, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhary and others.

The House witnessed ruckus when Chautala alleged that the Manohar Lal Khattar led government had failed to manage the agitation last year, which turned violent resulting into the deaths and damages of properties, however, the ruling benches took a serious note of the allegations leveled by the Opposition.

Coming to shield the Leader of the House, Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu even accused the INLD and Congress leaders of provoking the Jat agitation last year. This led a war of words between the ruling and opposition which lasted for over two hours.

While replying to the opposition's questions on the issue, CM said that earlier the Jat agitators were in the mode of changing the goal posts and their this attitude could make the situation even more complicated.

Khattar also offered constitution of an Assembly Committee to hold talks with the agitators so that the issue could be resolved at the earliest however, the discussion ended fruitless with the INLD and Congress staging walk-outs expressing their dissatisfaction over the reply filed by the leader of the House.

Pakistan's seasoned diplomat Amjad Hussain B Sial today assumed office as the new Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Sial has assumed charge of the office of Secretary General of SAARC from March 1, 2017, according to a press release issued by SAARC Secretariat here.

He has succeeded Nepal's Arjun Bahadur Thapa, who was appointed the Secretary-General in 2014.

The Pakistani turn, which is held by rotation, starts from March 1, 2017, and continues till February 28, 2020.

Sial's nomination was made by Pakistan at the SAARC Council of Ministers in Pokhara, Nepal, in March 2016 and was endorsed by all member states.

He is a seasoned diplomat from Pakistan Foreign Service with over 33 years of career in the diplomatic field.

Before joining the SAARC Secretariat Sial was Special Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.

He has a rich experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy both at Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad and Missions abroad.

Sial had served as Pakistan's ambassador to Tajikistan and permanent representative at Pakistan Mission to the UN.

SAARC is an eight-member regional grouping that comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Last month, Pakistan's Dawn News reported that India was attempting to block on "procedural grounds" the appointment of Sial as SAARC's next secretary general.

Reacting to the report, official sources in New Delhi had said India was not trying to block the appointment, it has only pointed out that "procedural" norms need to be adhered to which was also accepted by other SAARC members.

Even as it released 39 Pakistani civil prisoners and fishermen in a humanitarian gesture, India on Wednesday accused Pakistan of destabilising the situation in Jammu and Kashmir by promoting infiltration and cross-border terrorism and inciting, promoting and glorifying violence and unrest in the state.

"Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and the situation there is our internal matter. The Central Government and democratically elected State Government have led a system-wide effort last year to restore normalcy in the state in the wake of Pakistan-supported violent unrest,’’  Ajit Kumar, Permanent Representative of India to the UN in Geneva, said at the 34th session of the Human Rights Council.

Kumar said it was ironical that Pakistan, which has established a well-earned reputation of being a global epicenter of terrorism, should be talking about human rights. "Terrorism is the grossest violation of human rights.  For the last two decades, the most wanted terrorists of the world have found succour and sustenance in Pakistan,’’ he added.

Pointing out that Pakistan has created terrorist outfits against India, the Indian diplomat said, "This monster is now devouring its own creator.’’ He also pointed out that Pakistan’s "unwarranted references’’ to UN Security Council resolutions were grossly misleading as Islamabad  was required to vacate the parts of  Jammu and Kashmir under its "illegal and forced occupation".

He said the robust and mature Indian democracy has proved once again that it has sufficiently strong and adequate mechanisms to redress any internal difficulties even if they were incited from outside. "As the world’s largest democracy with a high degree of diversity, India remains committed to the idea of a just and equitable society."

Kumar’s hard-hitting remarks against Islamabad coincided with India releasing 21 civil prisoners and 18 fishermen, whose nationality has been confirmed by the Pakistani authorities. They were being repatriated to Pakistan via Attari/Wagah, the MEA said, adding New Delhi attached the highest importance to addressing all humanitarian matters, including early release and repatriation of all eligible Indian civil prisoners and fishermen.

Himachal Pradesh has been able to reduce the dropout rate at the primary school level to less than 1 per cent and the state has achieved 99.9 per cent enrollment in 6-14 years age group, which is the highest in the country.

There has also been a significant improvement in the arithmetic learning levels of students of government schools in Himachal Pradesh as per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), said Himachal Governor Acharya Devvrat in his address at the opening of the budget session of the state assembly on Wednesday.

The budget session will continue till April 7 with a break from March 18 to 26, in between.

Devvrat said 99.79 per cent schools in HP have separate toilets for girls, 99.88 per cent schools have drinking water facilities and 96 per cent schools have electricity connections and 98 per cent have a library.

He said 10,950 Children with Special Needs (CWSN) are admitted in the formal schools to provide them inclusive education.

In addition, 1,822 children with severe and profound special need are being given education with the help of special educators, for which 23 NGOs are getting support.

In a one-hour address, Devvrat enlisted the achievements of the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh over the last four years in education as the top priority.

He said the number of educational institutions to provide quality education have seen a quantum jump in the state to focus on accessibility and equity. It is because of the persistent efforts of the state government that the Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla has been accredited with ‘A’ grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council.

Besides upgrading 154 middle schools, 109 high schools and schools and opening 17 new degree colleges in the rural areas, the government is spending Rs 40 Crore on the construction of new college buildings, he added.

Devvrat said the state government was putting efforts to improve the child sex ratio in the state and has since registered 270 ultrasound clinics to enforce the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PC&PNDT) Act.

“The hill state has shown better health indicators. While the birth rate in HP has reduced to 16.4 in comparison to 21 at the national level, the infant moratlity rate has reduced to 28 against 42 at the national level. The total fertility rate in Himacha is 1.7 as compared t0 2.3 at the national level,” he said.

The Governor said the Institutional Deliveries have increased to 85 per cent in the state. He referred that the state government launched a special campaign for cannabis eradication in August-September 2016 and uprooted cannabis plants from 2,145.75 hectare of land.

Devvrat said to dissuade young people from tobacco use, especially by students, the sale of loose cigarettes and bidis has been banned in the state.

Photo Caption: Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Acharya Devvrat with Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh and leader of opposition and former BJP Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal today, on the first day of budget session of Himachal Pradesh assembly. picture by Lalit Kumar

Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni spoke to Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee about the excessive seam movement during their low-scoring encounter in which Jharkhand beat Saurashtra by 42 runs.

Sent into bat, Jharkhand collapsed for 125 in 27.3 overs but Dhoni's men managed to dismiss Saurashtra for 83 in 25.1 overs to register their third successive victory.

After the customary handshakes, Dhoni headed straight to Mukherjee's dugout and engaged in an animated discussion that lasted about five minutes.

A former CAB joint-secretary, Mukherjee, who is now the curator of the wicket, said Dhoni observed that it was a seaming track on offer. But Mukherjee said that one should not read too much into their discussion.

"Yes he said the wicket seamed a lot but he never came to complain. Even I'm not happy with the wicket. I also felt the ball moved and swung a bit more," Mukherjee told PTI.

"He came to meet me as I was his East Zone coach during his U-19 days. During his previous match I was not here so he came to meet me."

The uneven bounce of the track saw only three batsmen from each camp posting double digits with Jharkhand's Ishan Kishan notching up a solitary half-century.

On the precarious-looking surface, it was the seamers who ruled the roost, grabbing all the 20 wickets on offer.

Mukherjee was in Mumbai for an IPL curators' meeting yesterday as the groundsmen had watered the pitch but before it fully dried up they had covered the pitch.

"It seemed there was some moisture retention that led to ball swinging. It was one of those days. It will be fine by the next match."

Incidentally, Dhoni as Team India captain in the past had criticised the Eden wicket many a times and had termed it "ugly".

Clearly Jharkhand was unhappy with the wicket and Jharkhand coach Rajiv Kumar said: "It's a poor advertisement of one-day cricket. You come to watch batsmen score runs for a one-day match. But here making runs became difficult. It was difficult to bat."

If Jharkhand batsmen had a difficult stay at the crease, Saurashtra faced the worst after being dismissed for 83 with Varun Aaron (4/20) bowling his full 10 overs in one spell from the High Court end.

The odd ball was staying precariously low while the rising deliveries were simply unplayable as he ripped the Saurashtra batting apart.

After Aaron completed his spell, Rahul Shukla (4/32) exploited the conditions from the High Court end to clean up the tail in 25.1 overs.

Aaron, however, chose not to be critical of the surface.

"On this wicket we batted and bowled well. To talk about the pitch, it all depends on how you adapt. Even in International cricket you don't get similar type of conditions everywhere."

The only thing more important than the onscreen chemistry is the offscreen chemistry, bond and respect among the co-stars of a film. Picking the right pulse, Bollywood actress Adah Sharma hailed her Commando 2 co-star Vidyut Jammwal for his life values.

Ahead of the release of Commando 2: The Black Money Trail, Adah expressed her excitement about the film in an exclusive interview to thestatesman.com. She also spoke about her respect for her co-star and what makes her character in the film lovable.

She uttered the word “Phenomenal” when asked how she felt shooting alongside Vidyut, who has carved his space in the industry after displaying stellar action performances in Force and Commando.

"He’s a nice person, a nicer action hero. I can go on and paragraph about how great his action is. It’s there now for the world to see. You see it onscreen, I see it live. He’s honest, he wears his heart on his sleeve and it’s great to be working with a person like him," Adah said.

Vidyut is the new age action hero of Bollywood and was named hottest vegetarian in 2014.

"He looks perfect even when he’s crying. He’s too good looking, it's not fair," she added, teasing the co-star.

The Kerala-born actress has appeared in many Hindi and Telugu language films. Her work in Bollywood films 1920 and Hasee Toh Phasee gave her recognition.

Waiting eagerly for the release of Commando 2, she said, "It’s just three days away so I am extremely excited. From action to romance, to drama, to every single set, every dance move, I loved everything and every part of this film."

Adah smiled when she recalled her first scene in the film. "I watched Commando 2 yesterday. I loved my introduction scene. From the beginning to the last scene of the film, I loved my character. It’s the best role I’ve played yet," she said.

Vidyut, who was sitting next to the actress, joined in saying, "Yeah, I haven't seen such an amazing introduction for an actress in a Hindi film".

In the film, Adah is playing Bhavna Reddy, a Telugu-speaking encounter specialist from Vijayawada.

"Bhavna's accent sounds great in the film. Such accent hasn’t been used in a Hindi film before. She’s entertaining, she’s corrupt and despite being on the mission with Vidyut, she shops, roam around and enjoys the venues," Adah elaborated about her role.

BSP supremo Mayawati on Wednesday attacked the BJP-led central government, alleging discrimination against people from minority communities, and warned the voters that they would face "RSS agenda" if the BJP won the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

"The government has been showing discriminating attitude against people from the minority communities, specially Muslims. Even Aligarh (Muslim University) and Jamia Millia Islamia are being targeted over the issue and are being forced to lose the right of minority universities," she said at a rally in this Uttar Pradesh district. 

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief also warned the voters that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins the election, this party and its central government will work as per the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) agenda. 

Accusing the BJP and the central government of interfering in the Muslim Personal Law and other laws, she said: "As a result of the central government's discrimination against minority community, these people are afraid about their lives, assets and religion." 

The four-time Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also attacked the BJP for exploiting the minorities in the name of "cow protection, Love Jihad, patriotism and culture".

"In the name of terrorism, Muslims and other people from minority community are seen with suspicion. In this situation, it is very difficult to implement Sachar Committee report in the presence of BJP-led government," she added. 
 

French presidential candidate Francois Fillon announced today that judges had summoned him to press charges over an expenses scandal but vowed to continue his campaign.

The 62-year-old conservative former premier was favourite at the start of the year to win the French presidency after clinching the nomination for the Republicans party in November.

But he has since been hit by a series of allegations that he paid his wife Penelope and his children hundreds of thousands of euros over decades for allegedly fake parliamentary jobs.

Fillon said the charges were "entirely calculated to stop me being a candidate for the presidential election." 

"I won't give in, I won't surrender and I won't withdraw," he told a press conference on Wednesday.

French prosecutors launched a full judicial inquiry into the claims last week, increasing pressure on Fillon's campaign which has been in crisis since allegations first surfaced in January.

Fillon has been defiant throughout, insisting publicly that the facts would exonerate him and reminding his party that they have few attractive alternatives to him.

He has accused the media of trying to "lynch" him and believes Socialist President Francois Hollande has encouraged the investigations to discredit him, which would be illegal.

Recent surveys suggest that far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron are the two most likely to progress from the first round of the election on April 23.

Macron is currently shown as the winner of a run-off vote scheduled for May 7.

Fillon campaigned as a sleaze-free reformer ready to administer a "radical" economic overhaul and cut public spending.

He postponed a visit to a key farm show on Wednesday morning and announced the press conference, sending the rumour mill into overdrive amid speculation he would withdraw.

Though employing a family member is not illegal in France, Fillon has not provided evidence publicly of Penelope's work beyond her contracts which show various periods of employment.

"From the start, I have not been treated like anyone else facing the justice system," Fillon said in his statement to reporters, claiming he was the victim of a "political assassination".

"It's not just me they are killing, but the French presidential election," he said.

British-born Penelope, or Penny as she is known, and two of their five children were paid around 900,000 euros (USD 950,000) from public funds from Fillon's office budget, the Canard Enchaine newspaper has reported. 

Listening to happy or peaceful music can make pleasant memories spring into your mind, while sad or scary tunes may invoke negative emotions, a new study has found.

Researchers from McGill University in Canada studied 48 participants, who were made to listen to 32 newly composed piano pieces unknown to them in 30 seconds.

The pieces were grouped into four retrieval cues of music, happy (positive, high arousal), peaceful (positive, low arousal), scary (negative, high arousal) and sad (negative, low arousal).

Participants were then asked to recall events in which they were personally involved, that were specific in place and time and that lasted less than a day.

As soon as a memory came to mind, participants pressed a computer key and typed in their accessed memory.

The researchers noted how long it took participants to access a memory, how vivid it was and the emotions associated with it.

The type of event coming to mind was also considered and whether for instance it was quite unique or connected with an energetic or social setting.

Memories were found to be accessed most quickly based on musical cues that were highly arousing and positive in emotion and could therefore be classified as happy.

A relationship between the type of musical cue and whether it triggered the remembrance of a positive or a negative memory was also noted.

The nature of the event recalled was influenced by whether the cue was positive or negative and whether it was high or low in arousal.

"High cue arousal led to lower memory vividness and uniqueness ratings, but both high arousal and positive cues were associated with memories rated as more social and energetic," said Signy Sheldon from McGill University.

Researchers found that a greater proportion of clear memories were recalled when highly arousing positive cues were played in a blocked fashion.

Positive cues also elicited more vivid memories than negative cues. In the randomised condition, negative cues were associated more vividly than positive cues, researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Memory and Cognition.

The Himachal Pradesh Administrative Tribunal has settled 8,882 cases which comprise 7,853 fresh cases and 1,029 cases received from Himachal Pradesh High Court since February, 2015.

A spokesman of the Administrative Tribunal said here on Wednesday that as many as 21,004 cases were filed during last two years, which included 14,606 fresh cases and 6,398 that were transferred from Himachal Pradesh High Court.

He said 167 Contempt Petitions, 12 Review Petitions, nine ex-petitions and 4,160 miscellaneous applications were also disposed off.

Tribunal had decided to take up the oldest matters pre-2009 on priority basis by the Division Benches on every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to clear the pendency, he added.

Unhappy with the authorities over their demands and grievances, Jat protestors on Wednesday announced non-cooperation after the Holi festival (March 13) and taking their stir to Delhi from Thursday.

All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti leader Yashpal Malik said the Jats — who resumed their agitation on January 29 — will take their protest to New Delhi from March 2.

Under their non-cooperation plan, members of the Jat community have been asked to stop paying electricity and water dues and stop supply of milk and other essentials like vegetables to the national capital.

Meanwhile, the Haryana assembly on Wednesday discussed the ongoing Jat agitation.

Indian National Lok Dal leader Abhay Singh Chautala, who moved an adjournment motion during the Budget session, said the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party were trying to play politics on reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to the Jats of Haryana.

Chautala said the state's BJP government had failed to implement the community's demands even after agreeing to them last year.

Apart from reservation, the Jats are demanding jobs to the next of kin of those killed in violence in the agitation last year, compensation to those injured, withdrawal of cases against them and action against officers who ordered action against the Jats.

Violence during the Jat agitation in February 2016 left 30 people dead and over 200 injured. Government and private property worth hundreds of crores of rupees was damaged. 
 

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will be visiting Kathmandu on Thursday to deliver the keynote address at the Nepal Investment Summit 2017, it was announced on Wednesday.

Apart from the summit, Jaitley will hold high-level political interactions in Nepal, including with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and others.

He will pledge the Indian commitment for Nepal's development endeavours and is expected to announce some measures that will benefit Nepal, said Nepal's Industry Minister Nabindra Raj Joshi.

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's President Jin Liqun is also participating in the summit, Joshi added.

Joshi said that around 250 institutional and individual investors from 24 countries, including India, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia, France, Italy, Japan, the US, Russia, Canada, Britain, South Korea, Finland, Iran, Turkey and Vietnam have confirmed their participation in the summit.

The highest number of participants in the summit are from China, and comprise representatives of 89 top companies. Similarly, representatives of 21 companies from India, 20 from Sri Lanka, 14 from Malaysia, 13 from Japan, 12 from Canada, 10 companies from Hong Kong, eight companies each from Britain, South Korea and Vietnam, seven companies from Russia and six companies from the US will participate in the summit.

Likewise, some 300 domestic investors, policy-makers and experts will also participate. The Ministry has expected commitment for investment of approximately Rs 100 billion from different investors during the summit.

To execute the outcome of the summit, Nepal plans to form the Policy Reform Committee, the Project Bank Revision Committee, the Industrial Promotion Committee and the Comprehensive Coordination Committee for the effective implementation of the commitments and the decisions made at the summit.

The government has asked all banks to provide mobile banking facility to all customers by March 31 in a bid to push digital transactions.

"What we have asked the banks to do is to enable all customers who have mobiles for mobile banking… We are asking banks to run a nationwide campaign up to March 31 to ensure that every customer who has a mobile phone is enabled for mobile banking," Electronics and IT Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters here.

She added this is part of the government's efforts to boost the digital payment system.

"The reason is earlier mobile banking wasn't such a priority. And therefore, many customers may not have said they want mobile banking services. But today, they want it… This is to ensure that whoever wants to do mobile banking but has not been enabled, should be enabled by March 31," she said.

Sundararajan said customers who are using UPI or BHIM app should automatically be enabled for mobile banking.

"We have said that any customer who accesses UPI or BHIM they should automatically be enabled for mobile banking because it means they want mobile banking," she said, adding the banks have been asked to enable this.

The government has been aggressively pushing payments through digital platforms, especially after announcing its demonetisation exercise on November 8.

Former US President Barack Obama is getting closer to making his public reappearance in politics, his friend and former Attorney General Eric Holder said.

Holder said on Tuesday he's been talking to Obama about ways, including fundraising and interacting with state legislators, that could help the new National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), which Obama asked Holder to chair last year, Politico reported.

"It's coming. He's coming," Holder said, speaking to reporters at a briefing for the new group. "And he's ready to roll."

The NDRC was set up by the Democrats to prepare for the changes in 2021 that will see US states redraw their Congressional and state legislative lines. The group stated that it intends to "fight back and produce fairer maps" in the redistricting process.

Holder said Obama "will be a more visible part of the effort".

He said that fighting Republican gerrymandering would be a "primary concern" for Obama after his presidency, reported the New York Times.

"He thinks, and I think, that this is something that threatens our democracy," Holder said. 

"We have a system now where politicians are picking their voters, as opposed to voters making selections about who they want to represent them."