Heena Sharma Blog

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is in Abu Dhabi to attend the foreign ministers' meet of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) states where she is expected to raise the issue of terrorism, amidst Indo-Pak tensions following the Pulwama terror attack. Swaraj will attend the inaugural plenary of the two-day meeting on Friday. It is for the first time that India has been invited to a meeting of the OIC, an influential grouping of 57 Islamic countries, as the guest of honour. India's engagement with the OIC comes in the midst of escalating tension between India and Pakistan. The ties strained further after Indian fighter jets bombed terror group Jaish-e - Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday. Pakistan carried out a retaliatory aerial raid on Wednesday. Pakistan, a member of the OIC, tried to get Swaraj 'disinvited' from the Abu Dhabi meet following India's air strike on the terror camp in Pakis...

Pakistan on Thursday announced that it will release an Indian Air Force pilot who was captured on Wednesday after an aerial combat between the two countries’ fighter jets along the Line of Control. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the release of IAF pilot will be a "peace gesture". The worst military standoff between the two rival neighbours began on Tuesday when India’s external affairs ministry said the country’s air force jets had launched airstrikes against terrorists inside Pakistan. The target was a camp run by Jaish-e-Mohammed which claimed responsibility for the February 14 suicide car bombing in Pulwama, Kashmir, which killed 40 members of India’s paramilitary CRPF. On Wednesday, Pakistan claimed it had downed an Indian jet. Article Source -> Business Standard

The Income Tax Department will "only" issue refunds via the e-mode into bank accounts of taxpayers beginning next month and they should link PAN with their accounts, the taxman said in its latest public communication. The department said refunds will be sent to bank accounts as it will issue "only e-refunds from March 1, 2019." Link your PAN (permanent account number) with your bank account toget your refund directly, swiftly and securely, the department said in a public advisory issued Wednesday. It added the bank account could be either savings, current, cash or overdraft. Till now, the department used to issue refunds to taxpayers either in their bank accounts or through account payee cheques, in a case-to-case basis depending on the category of taxpayers. The communication added taxpayers can check if their bank account is linked with their PAN by logging onto the e-filing website of the department-- https://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in It...

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched its own payment aggregator system, IRCTC iPay , a step which will help promote government's Digital India initiative. A statement from the railways' catering and ticketing arm said the exclusive digital payment gateway will provide an improved online digital payment convenience and ease of doing business to passengers availing online travel related services through the IRCTC website. "With the launch of IRCTC iPay, the passengers will not need any third-party platforms as the IRCTC iPay provides payment options like credit card, debit card, UPI Unified Payment Interface, International Card. The option of IRCTC prepaid card cum wallet, auto debit shall also be available shortly," the statement said. Under this new arrangement, IRCTC will have full control of the payment system because of its direct relationship with acquiring banks, card networks and other partners. "This will ...

The railway recruitment board (RRB) is expected to release the RRB Group D result, cut-off marks and merit list today. The results will be of students who appeared in the RRB recruitment exams conducted from September to December. Though there is no official confirmation from the Board, officials had reportedly said that the RRB Group D results will be declared before March. According to reports, the RRB Group D result will be released in PDF format. Once announced, the pdf containing the RRB group D result 2018 will be available on all RRB websites. Candidates, who appeared in the RRB exam 2018, can keep a tap on their phones to know as and when the RRB declares the Group D results. The RRB will be notifying the candidates through SMS and emails. How to check RRB Group D Results 2018 (when declared): Step 1: Visit the RRB website of your zone. Step 2: Click on the notification on RRB Group D results Step 3: Download the result According to the NDTV, over 1.17 cror...

India’s per capita gross domestic product (GDP) can rise an additional 13% by 2031 if family planning policies are actively prioritised, according to a new study. This can also prevent 2.9 million infant deaths and 1.2 million maternal deaths and save households Rs 77,600 crore (20%) of out-of-pocket health expenditure on childbirth and child hospitalisation, it added. Currently, family planning gets barely 4% of India’s National Health Mission allocations and this share has been stagnant for several years. ‘ Cost of Inaction in Family Planning in India: An Analysis of Health and Economic Implications’ a study by Population Foundation of India, assessed the cost benefit analysis of family planning interventions at the national level and in four populous states--Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. These together make for 37% of the country’s population. Article Source -> Business Standard

The harrowing time that he faced in the wake of a chat show controversy has "humbled him a little bit", feels opener KL Rahul , who now values his India cap more than ever before. Both Rahul and Hardik Pandya were provisionally suspended for their loose comments on women during a popular chat show. Their bans were later revoked pending inquiry. The off-field controversy erupted after Rahul endured a dismal run in the four-Test series in Australia but he is back in the national team after finding his feet with the India A side. "It was a hard time no doubt. I mean, as a player, as a person, everyone has to go through difficult times and it was my time to go through that and I like I said it gave me time to reflect on my game, on myself. I have always been someone who takes things as it comes," said Rahul after the second T20 International . India lost the short series 0-2 but Rahul made a successful comeback with scores of 47 and 50. After he was sent ba...

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday claimed that two Indian MIGs crossed the Line of Control and they were shot down, as he offered to defuse tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours and resolve the issues through talks. "Our action was only intended to convey that if you can come into our country, we can do the same. Two of their MiGs were shot down (in the ensuing action)," Khan said in a live TV address. His comments came minutes after the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi said that Pakistan Air Force targeted military installations in India in response to Indian counter-terrorism operations but their attempts were foiled successfully though one Indian pilot is "missing in action". Noting that all wars are miscalculated, and no one knows where they lead to, Khan said that better sense must prevail and the two sides should act with wisdom. Read More Article Source -> Business Standard

With a networth of $54 billion, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has broken into the global top 10 richest billionaire list complied by Hurun Research. "The only Asian in the Top 10, Ambani's wealth is based on telecom, retail and energy, and bucked the poor stock market trend in India last year," Hurun Research said in a statement. The Hurun Global Rich List 2019 is topped by Amazon chief Jeff Bezos for the second year in a row, while the senior Ambani is placed 10th with a network of Rs 3.83 trillion, thanks to a rally in RIL shares, which had topped the Rs 8-lakh-crore-mark last month. Ambani owns almost 52 percent in Reliance. Anil Ambani, held in contempt of court by the Supreme Court last week for not paying up Ericsson Rs 540 crore, has lost over $5 billion, from $7 billion seven years ago to $1.9 billion this year, even though both the brothers got off with more or less same amount of inherited wealth. "Having started off similarly a...

A video clip shot on a sparse rooftop of what looks like a low-rise apartment block shows a young Indian man swaying while lip-syncing a song praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi . Describing himself as a proud Indian with the online identity “garrytomar”, he is wearing ear-studs and shows a beaded necklace under a partly unbuttoned shirt in the 15-second clip. "Modi has single-handedly trounced everyone ... Modi is a storm, you all now know," goes the Hindi song, posted on Chinese video mobile application TikTok , the latest digital platform to grip India's small towns and villages ahead of a general election due by May. Created by Beijing Bytedance Technology Co, one of the world’s most valuable start-ups potentially worth more than $75 billion, TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with various special effects. It is becoming hugely popular in rural India, home to most of the country’s 1.3 billion people. Social media platforms such as Face...

South Korean electronics major Samsung is gearing up to launch the Galaxy M30 on February 27 at 6 PM. The India-first smartphone will be the third device in the M-series . The other two Galaxy M20 (review) and the Galaxy M10 (review) were launched in January 2019. Some of the key features include a triple rear camera module, Infinity-U shaped notch screen, 5,000mAh battery, and the Exynos 7904 processor, according to Samsung. The recent Instagram post by the company also confirms that the phone will come with a 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant. The post also confirmed that the phone will have a microSD card slot for storage expansion, supporting up to 512 storage chip. Though the Galaxy M10 and the Galaxy M20 sport a TFT LCD screen, the Galaxy M30 would feature an AMOLED display of fullHD resolution with a 6.4-inch screen estate. Like other M-series phones, the M30 will also be able to stream video content from Netflix and Amazon Prime Videos in high definition, tha...

Maruti Suzuki India Wednesday launched the 2019 edition of its hatchback Ignis with updated safety features priced between Rs 4.79-7.14 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The new Ignis is now equipped with co-driver seat belt reminder and high speed alert system along with reverse parking assist system as standard features across all variants, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said in a statement. Under new safety regulations, these features will become mandatory for all passenger vehicles manufactured from July 1 this year. Already, the earlier version of the model comes equipped with dual front airbags, ABS (anti-lock braking system) and EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution), seat belt pretensioners with force limiters and ISOFIX child seat restraint system, as standard fitments, it added. "Taking passenger safety to next level, we have loaded Ignis with more safety features. These will be offered as standard across all variants," MSI Senior Executive Director (Marketing a...

After launching the Honor Band 4 fitness band, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei’s sub-brand Honor introduced in India the Honor Watch Magic – a smart wearable that functions both as a watch and a fitness band . The watch is made of steel and comes in black and silver colour options, priced at Rs 13,999 and Rs 14,999, respectively. Design The Watch Magic has a solid build with a CNC-processed bezel on the top, and laser-engraved markings on the lower side. These engraved markings, along with an accentuated red colour marking on the bezel and menu button, go well with the dual colour textured strap that the watch comes with. However, the sweat-proof strap has a silicone rubber on the bottom that might not suite suit everyone, especially those with skin sensitive to allergies. Thankfully, the watch is water resistant (5ATM/50 meters) and is designed so that it does not accumulate water for a long time. Display The watch has a 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen, which is big e...

If your high-end Android phone allows you to capture amazing pictures but the storage always disappoints, SanDisk has just answered all your prayers. At the ongoing Mobile World Congress (MWC 2019) in Barcelona, the company introduced the world's first 1TB microSD card. Aimed at the current generation of smartphones, which boast multiple cameras and high-resolution video capturing, but lack sufficient in-built storage options, the 1TB SanDisk Extreme UHS-1 microSDXC card is claimed to feature higher speed transfer speeds and larger capacity for capturing and moving massive amounts of high-quality photos and videos on smartphones, drones and action cameras. The 1TB microSD card reaches speeds of up to 160MB/s. You can now transfer files in nearly half the time over standard UHS-I microSD cards available in the market. Read More Article Source -> Business Standard

Yusuf Azhar , who headed the Balakot-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp destroyed by Indian fighter jets in a pre-dawn strike Tuesday, is wanted by the CBI in the IC-814 hijacking case with a pending Interpol red corner notice against him since 2000, officials said. The red corner notice was issued on the request of the CBI against seven accused in the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane from Kathmandu to Kandahar in southern Afghanistan on December 24, 1999 -- Yousuf Azhar, Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter, Sayed Shakir and Abdul Rauf, they said. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, while briefing the media on the "intelligence-led operation" on the Pakistan-based terror group's biggest training camp in Balakot, said the facility was headed by Yousuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghouri. Brother-in-law of Jaish chief Masood Azhar, Yousuf Azhar with red corner notice number A-565/6-2000 and Rauf with notice number A-566/6-2000 are key conspira...

The government has convened an all-party meeting Tuesday evening where External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will brief the leaders of opposition parties on the pre-dawn air strike operation by the Indian Air Force against Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) terror camps in Pakistan, sources said. They said the meeting has been convened at 5 PM at Jawahar Bhawan which houses the ministry of External Affairs. Leaders of various parties are expected to participate. In a swift and precise air strike following the Pulwama attack , India bombed and destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp in Pakistan early Tuesday, killing a "very large number" of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders, officials said. Giving details of the operation at a news conference here, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said credible intelligence was received that the JeM was planning to carry out other suicide attacks in India after the Pulwama bombing on a CRPF convoy 12 days ago th...

Hours after Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and bombed terrorist camps in Pakistan, India’s foreign secretary, Vijay Gokhale, said this was an “absolutely necessary” attack on the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist group, which was readying for a major terrorist strike in India. “ In an intelligence led operation in the early hours of the day, India struck the biggest training camp of JeM in Balakot . In this operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated,” Gokhale said. Stressing the value of this target, Gokhale stated: “This facility at Balakot was headed by MAULANA YOUSUF AZHAR (alias USTAD GHOURI), the brother-in-law of MASOOD AZHAR, Chief of JeM (capitals in original).” Qualifying those claims of success, the statement also said: “As the strike has taken place only a short while ago, we are awaiting further detail...

Laser Egg 2+ is a smart air quality monitor from the stable of China-based healthcare start-up Kaiterra. Priced at Rs 12,995, this air quality monitor measures both the total volatile organic compound (TVOC) and particulate matter in the air. Being a smart device, it can be connected with iOS and Android devices via the Kaiterra app. It can also be a part of a connected device ecosystem (IoT). However, it works only with Apple HomeKit, and does not support any other platforms such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa. The Laser Egg 2+ has a cone-like design with a flat face, featuring a 2.6-inch colour screen, and a protruding back. It has a no-frills design, with a power and mode button on the top, air inflow passage and micro USB charging port on the tail, and two tiny legs on the bottom that keep it stable on flat surfaces. The Laser Egg 2+ can either be used as a standalone device or as a part of connected home ecosystem with Apple HomeKit. Setting it as a standalone devic...

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday lauded the pilots of the Indian Air Force after air strikes on Pakistan. "I salute the pilots of the IAF," he tweeted. Gandhi also put out the Indian flag along with his tweet. The Congress also tweeted, lauding the role of the Indian Air Force in keeping Indians safe with its consistent and determined effort. "We salute the @IAF_MCC for their consistent & determined effort to keep Indians safe. Jai Hind," the Congress said on its official Twitter handle. Article Source -> Business Standard

Monsoon rains in India are expected to be normal in 2019, the country's only private weather forecasting agency said on Monday, raising prospects of higher farm and economic growth in the $2 trillion economy. There is a more than 50 percent chance that India will get normal rainfall and only a small probability of excessive rainfall, Jatin Singh, chief executive officer at Skymet, said. India defines average, or normal, rainfall as between 96 percent and 104 percent of a 50-year average of 89 cm for the entire four-month season beginning June. The monsoon season delivers about 70 percent of India's annual rainfall and is key to the success of the farm sector in Asia's third-biggest economy. Article Source -> Business Standard

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei on February 24 introduced a foldable mobile device called the Huawei Mate X at the Mobile World Congress 2019. The device was introduced soon after South Korean electronics major Samsung showcased its foldable mobile device, the Galaxy Fold. Though other smartphone makers are also expected to foray in to this new category of foldable device, it makes one wonder if this is going to be the next big thing in the smartphone domain? Let’s find out: What are foldable mobile devices There is a long history of clamshell form factor devices. For example the Moto Razr phone was once a fad but the new form of foldable devices are nothing like previous generation phones. Unlike the conventional clamshell design where the screen is on one side and most of the hardware on another, the new category of mobile devices have a foldable screen, giving them a distinct identity. Why foldable design As seen at the unveiling event of the Samsung Galaxy Fol...

A film on menstruation, set in rural India, titled Period . End of Sentence, has won the Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category at the 91st Academy Awards. Award-winning filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi has directed the short film, which has been produced by Indian producer Guneet Monga's Sikhya Entertainment. The film came to into being as a part of The Pad Project, started by students at the Oakwood School in Los Angeles and their teacher, Melissa Berton. I'm not crying because I'm on my period or anything. I can't believe a film on menstruation won an Oscar, Zehtabchi said in her acceptance speech. She also gave a nod to Monga. Guneet Monga - know that you have been empowering women all over the world fight for menstrual equality, she added. Dedicating the award to her school, Berton said the project was born because her students in LA and people in India wanted to make a human rights difference. I share this award with the Feminist Majority Fou...

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram Monday termed the PM-KISAN scheme as "cash for votes" and said it was BJP's "desperate attempt" to placate debt-ridden farmers with "crumbs" of Rs 17 per day per family. The former finance minister also said the scheme showed that the BJP was living by the "truth that desperate times require desperate measures". The Rs 75,000 crore scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gorakhpur on Sunday by transferring the first instalment of Rs 2,000 each to over one crore farmers. The scheme was announced in this year's Interim budget whereby the central government announced that it will provide Rs 6,000 per year in three instalments to 12 crore small and marginal farmers holding cultivable land up to up to two hectares. "PM launches ' Cash for Votes ' scheme. After driving farmers into debt and acute distress, the BJP is desperately trying to placate them with crumbs of ...

The Galaxy M10 from the stable of South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung is one of the two smartphones that the company recently launched as part of its India-first Galaxy M series . With the M series, Samsung has brought the much-needed fresh perspective at a time when it has been losing its market share to Chinese brands like Xiaomi and Huawei. The M series phones are designed and priced specifically for the demanding Indian audience. While the Galaxy M20 (Read the review here) is a clear all-rounder in its segment, can that be said for its younger sibling as well? Let’s find out: Design The Galaxy M10 is similar to the M20 in looks, albeit with some modifications. For one, the latter has a uniform unibody design on the back, no fingerprint sensor, and a compact rear-camera module with dual lenses. Similar to the M20, the Galaxy M10 is also made of plastic. The rear panel wraps itself all the way from the back to around the frame on the sides. The glossy nature of...

A Delhi court on Monday granted bail to journalist Priya Ramani , who was summoned as an accused in a defamation case filed by former Union minister M J Akbar after she levelled allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal granted the bail on a bond of Rs 10,000. The court had earlier directed Ramani to appear before it after noting that the allegations made against Akbar were "prima facie defamatory" and he denied all the accusations as "false and imaginary". Ramani accused Akbar of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago when he was a journalist. He has denied the accusations. His name cropped up on social media as the # MeToo campaign raged on in India last year. Akbar, who resigned from the Union Council of Ministers on October 17, was in Nigeria when his name came up. Multiple women came out with accounts of alleged sexual harassment by him when he was a journalist. Read More Article Sou...

Four out of five abortions in Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are induced using a drug or a combination of drugs, according to a new study. While this medical method of abortion (MMA) has a success rate of 95%-98% if administered properly and before nine weeks of gestation, the study found that the lack of medical supervision has resulted in a significant number of botched abortions in India. Incomplete abortions after the use of pills caused 65% of complications in women seeking post- abortion care in Assam, 59% in UP and 51% in Bihar, stated the report. The method was legalised in India by amending MTP act in 2002 to strengthen access to safe abortions up to seven weeks and it is still considered one of the safest and most effective measures. The report ‘The Incidence of Abortion and Unintended Pregnancies in Six Indian States’, published on November 13, 2018, provides data for Assam, Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, which together account fo...

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) does not consider all complaints when it comes disclosure of sexual harassment complaints. Business Standard wrote to Irdai for data on sexual harassment complaints through an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Of the three financial regulators that we reach out to, Irdai was the promptest in providing the data, without any need for subsequent appeals. However, there were certain mismatches between the annual report figures, and those provided in the RTI reply. (See Chart -1 Complaints at IRDAI) “ The discrepancies referred by you about the information provided under RTI and the annual reports are due to the time lag between the complaint filed with ICC (internal complaints committee), recommendations of the ICC sent to the HR department, final action taken, and the publication of the information in annual report according to timelines given by the department concerned,” said Irdai ...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday laid a wreath at the National Cemetery in Seoul and paid tribute to the fallen soldiers, including those who died in the Korean War . Prime Minister Modi arrived on a two-day visit to South Korea on Thursday to strengthen India's strategic ties with the country. On the first day of his visit, Modi unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the prestigious Yonsei University in Seoul along with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "PM Narendra Modi laid a wreath at the National Cemetery of Republic of Korea that entombs remains of 165000 martyrs and paid homage to the fallen soldiers," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. Established in 1956, the Seoul National Cemetery is reserved for Korean veterans, including those who died in the Korean independence movement, Korean War and Vietnam War. The prime minister was also accorded a ceremonial reception at the offici...