India

Bodies of 10 soldiers have been found after two avalanches hit Jammu and Kashmir's Gurez since yesterday. Four more soldiers are missing.

The Indian army said rescue operations were launched immediately after the avalanches despite bad weather and heavy snowfall.

Seven soldiers were found alive during searches yesterday. Three bodies were found this morning.

After another avalanche at the same area yesterday, an army patrol moving towards the camp went missing.

Three soldiers including a major were killed and four others were injured yesterday when an avalanche hit a camp in Sonamarg in Ganderbal district.

The avalanche left Major Amit Sagar and four others buried under snow. The injured are being treated.

In another incident, four of a family died after their house was buried under the snow in Bandipora district.

There have been multiple avalanches in Jammu and Kashmir over the past two days.

India's military might and rich cultural diversity were in full display during the dazzling 68th Republic Day celebrations in the national capital which had Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the Chief Guest.

Light rains and overcast skies failed to dampen the enthusiasm of thousands of spectators who witnessed the nearly one-and-half hour-long parade that marched down the majestic Rajpath, India's ceremonial boulevard, amid unprecedented security cover.

A major highlight of the parade was 149-member marching contingent from UAE comprising personnel from Presidential Guards, the Air Force, the Navy and Army. They were led by a band comprising 35 musicians from that country.

Al Nahyan, also Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, was seated next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who wore a pink color 'safa' (turban). The two leaders were seen sharing some light moments.

For the first time a contingent of the National Security Guard (NSG), popularly known as the Black Cat Commandos, was part of the march past. The parade also saw the fly-past of three LCA Tejas Aircraft flying at a height of 300 metres in 'Vic' formation and the Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) developed by DRDO.

The Indian Army's missile firing capability T-90 'Bhishma' tank, Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP-2K, Mobile Autonomous Launcher of the BrahMos Missile System, Weapon Locating Raddar 'Swathi' and Akash Weapons System and Dhanush Gun System were among the main draw in the mechanised columns.

Alongside the Crown Prince, the ceremonial parade was watched by Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and the country's top political and military brass, besides the diplomatic community.

Tableaux from 17 states and Union Territories and six central ministries and departments showcased the varied historical, art and cultural heritage of the country. Goods and Services Tax (GST) was the theme of the tableau of Central Board of Excise and Customs. 21 of the 25 children who won the National Bravery Award also participated in the parade. Four children have received the award posthumously.

The grand finale of the parade was a spectacular flypast by the Indian Air Force which displayed various formations like 'Chakra' and 'Vic' leaving the spectators spell-bound. The 'Hercules' formation comprising three C-130J Super Hercules aircraft also drew loud cheers.

The national capital was wrapped in an unprecedented security cover with thousands of security force personnel keeping a tight vigil to prevent any terror strike or untoward incident during celebrations.

Mobile hit teams, anti-aircraft guns and sharpshooters were deployed to keep a watch on the eight-km-long parade route from Rajpath to Red Fort besides nearby localities.

There were intelligence inputs that terror groups may try to carry out attacks. Delhi Police was sent a special advisory informing them that terror groups might use animals to target crowded areas like important installations, railway stations, etc to create a panic.

Suspected militants attacked an Assam Rifles vehicle escorting tourists, killing two personnel and injuring several others near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border on Sunday.

Militants lobbed several grenades targeting the vehicle at Jagun 12th Mile Barabasti on NH-53 bordering Assam's Tinsukia district in the run-up to Republic Day, a defence spokesman told PTI.

The security personnel retaliated and an encounter followed with sporadic firing still continuing.

The Assam Rifles vehicle and three vehicles of tourists returning from the Pangsau festival have been damaged in grenade explosions, the spokesman said.

The entire area has been cordoned off with combing operations stepped up in the area and tourists are stranded along the highway.

The Pangsau Festival is held along the Indo-Myanmar border in the area.

The Samajwadi Party and the Congress today confirmed they will contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls together.

The Samajwadi Party will field 298 candidates, and the Congress 105, the SP's Uttar Pradesh chief Naresh Uttam said at a joint press conference in Lucknow.

Congress UP unit president Raj Babbar said the alliance will set an example, and that the two parties will strive for the development of Uttar Pradesh and the upliftment of the poor, ANI reported.

The two parties cemented their alliance earlier today. The Congress managed to wrangle 105 seats for itself, even as it appeared that an alliance may not happen. The party wanted to contest as many as 121 seats.

But the two reached a compromise just before Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav released the SP's manifesto today.

At least 39 people were killed and several others injured after the Jagdalpur Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express train derailed near Kuneru station in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday night. Nine coaches and the engine of the train derailed at around 11 pm on Saturday.

Relief and rescue operations were put into force by administration immediately and the railways issued a list of helpline numbers. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu offered condolences to the families of those killed in the accident and said that the investigation to ascertain the cause was started.

The Railways on Sunday suspected a sabotage which led to the accident. The probe will look into possibility of tampering of track, reported news agency PTI.

However, Director General of Police KB Singh told the media that “there is no evidence regarding the involvement of Maoists. We will inquire into the matter and Railway Safety Commissioner will also probe the matter,” he said.

Unnamed railway officials said earlier they suspected sabotage.

At least 7 devotees have died and many more have been injured in a stampede at Kachuberia during Gangasagar fair in West Bengal. The death toll is likely to rise.

The incident occurred while the devotees were trying to board a launch at the Kachuberia ghats. The stampede occurred around 5pm at jetty number 5 of Kachuberia ghats.

Three of the 7 devotees who have died at Gangasagar are from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal's panchayat and rural development minister Subrata Mukherjee has said.

"The rush to get on the last launch caused the accident," the minister said, when asked about the stampede at Kachuberia during Gangasagar fair in West Bengal.

While the state government announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the stampede victims, Prime Minister of India sanctioned Rs 2 lakh for next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.

On Saturday, at least 16 lakh pilgrims took the holy dip at Gangasagar on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and offered puja at the Kapil Muni temple.

Six years ago, seven pilgrims were killed and nine injured, four of them seriously, when a similar stampede broke out at the Gangasagar mela.

In 2010, around four lakh pilgrims had gathered to take a holy dip at the confluence of Ganga and the Bay of Bengal in Gangasagar islands on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti' when the stampede took place.

Lakhs of pilgrims gather at Gangasagar every year on Makar Sankranti to take a holy dip in the Ganges before it merges with the Bay of Bengal.

The Election Commission (EC) on Friday reserved its order on the symbol war between Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav.
 
The hearing lasted for over four hours as the Court heard both sides of the arguments. The decision on which group will get the party symbol will be announced later.
 
The Akhilesh camp was represented by senior lawyer Kapil Sibal who argued that majority of MPs, MLAs and MLCs along with SP delegates are in support of Akhilesh.
 
Both the Akhilesh and Mulayam camp had approached EC last week staking claim over the party symbol - bicycle following a split in the party.

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat said on Friday reacting to the viral video by BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, that the soldier should have had come directly to him rather than publicising the matter.

“Through the media, I wish to reach out to the rank and file of the Army. Whatever complaint they should have, they can address it through the excellent grievance redressal mechanism we have. Anyone irrespective of rank and service can reach out to me directly. We want them to come directly to us rather than through social media”, Gen Bipin Rawat said.
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat tells soldiers he’s ready to hear their complaints

He further said that whoever has any problem should come directly to him. He said that there are suggestion and grievance boxes in the Army headquarters, and these boxes should be used to let the administration know about any such complaints.

“This press conference is very relevant to us, as I would like to reach every jawan through you (media). We are one team and we work as one force to ensure India is secure and peaceful”, he added.

“If a soldier writes to us regarding his grievances, penning down his identity; will ensure that his identity is not made public…is the person is unsatisfied with the actions taken, he can chose other ways (to solve the problem).”

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has been appointed as the Executive Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of Tata group. Chandrasekaran’s appointment is expected to stabilise things in the group that was rocked by the unceremonious removal of former chairman Cyrus Mistry in October last.

Here we take a look at five reasons that makes Chandrasekaran the best choice for the coveted post.

To hold the corporate giant together after a tumultuous last few months, Tata Sons needed to appoint someone who is an insider. Natarajan Chandrasekaran, or Chandra as he is popularly called, has been leading TCS, the most profitable company under Tata banner, since 2009. He was appointed a director on the board of Tata Sons on October 25, 2016. The same board had ousted Mistry.

N Chandrasekaran has a legacy of successes behind him. An MCA from the Regional Engineering College, Trichy in 1987, Chandra has received multiple awards by the business community. The most recent award was “Business Leader award” for Corporate Excellence at ET Awards 2016.

TCS is a perennial cash cow for Tata group, apart from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) led by Ralf Speth, who is a German. TCS revenue jumped three-fold from Rs 30,000 crore in 2010 to Rs 1.09 lakh crore in 2016. In the third quarter of 2016, TCS earned a net profit of Rs 6,778 crore, which was 2.9 per cent up quarter on quarter (Q-o-Q) basis and 10.9 per cent year on year (Y-o-Y) in the third quarter.

Chandra’s international exposure is incomparable in the Tata group. TCS caters to some of the largest international companies in the world including GE, JP Morgan, Wal Mart, Quantas, Cisco and Vodafone.

Chandrasekaran, 53, comes with a proud history of leading one of the biggest tech companies for several years. His presence at the top of Tata Sons may help provide a digital makeover to the entire group, which also happens to be a necessity in present times. Chandra’s experience in digital businesses would come handy, not just for the company but employees also.

Chandrasekaran is known to take risks and tough business decisions. Many times he has disrupted the established norms of business. For instance, he had broken TCS into 23 units for smooth service delivery and operations. This strategy was even adopted by Infosys later.

The biggest risk a company as big as Tata always faces is the loss of face value. The ensuing acrimony after Mistry’s removal has dented Tata’s image as a reliable brand and shaken investors’ confidence. With Chandrasekaran at the helm of affairs, all of this would expectedly change for the good in no time.

Former India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, saying that the country will suffer a loss of Rs 1.5 lakh crore from the note ban and the "worse" was yet to come.
 
"Demonetisation has hurt the country hard. Things have gone bad in the last two months, but worse is yet to come," said Manmohan Singh, addressing the Congress' Jan Vedna Sammelan.
 
"The beginning of the end has come," he added.
 
"Modi's propaganda that the national income of India in the last two years has gone up, has failed... The 7.6 per cent growth rate of country has come to 7 per cent in only a few months as a consequence of steep fall in the GDP of the country," the former Prime Minister, himself a well-known economist, said.
 
Speaking on the issue, Chidambaram questioned claims that a Cabinet meeting took place before Modi's November 8 announcement of demonetising Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes.
 
"According to the records we have been able to access so far, there is no record of a Cabinet meeting on November 8. We are yet to see a cabinet note of the meeting that took place, there has to be some record of the meeting taking place," Chidambaram said.
 
"Ministers were kept prisoners till the Prime Minister announced the demonetisation decision," he alleged.
 
Chidambaram claimed demonetisation was Modi's "unilateral" decision.
 
"Demonetisation was the decision of one person. ‘I am the Fuhrer. I am the leader. I must decide'," he said, mocking Modi and going on to add: "All will have to suffer because of the folly of one person."
 
Pointing out that post-demonetisation the country's growth rate forecast has come down from 7.6 per cent to 7 per cent; Chidambaram said for the loss of every one per cent in GDP growth, the country "will face a loss of Rs 1.5 lakh crore."
 
"I demand that the government pay compensation to the daily wage workers who lost their livelihoods," he said, adding that 45 crore people lost their livelihood for 70 days "due to one man's decision."
 
Chidambaram also dared Modi to put to test his claims of demonetisation putting an end to black money, corruption and fake currency.
 
He also slammed Modi for his push towards cashless economy.
 
"When the Prime Minister talks of a cashless society, he talks of something that never happened anywhere. He has no right to decide that. It's my choice to use cash or card."
 
"I am throwing another challenge to the Prime Minister. In the months of May and June, engineering, medical colleges will open and capitation fee will be taken. Can the Prime Minister assure that the parents need not worry? That no capitation fee will be asked or taken. Can he give that promise?" he asked.