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The amount sought for making investment in Air India is part of the first supplementary demands for grant presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Air India, which is grappling with tremendous financial stress, was allocated Rs 2,500 crore in the Union Budget 2015-16. However, this amount was well short of nearly Rs 4,300 crore sought by the Ministry for the national carrier.

To make up the shortfall, the Ministry had sought Rs 1,800 crore through supplementary demand for grants.

As per the supplementary demand for grants, the Civil Aviation Ministry is to be given additional Rs 820.25 crore, including Rs 800 crore equity infusion in Air India.

Besides, Rs 12.83 crore would be for providing remuneration to Flight Operations Inspectors deployed at the irectorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Rs 6.75 crore towards payment of service tax with respect to Flight Operations Inspectors and Rs 0.46 crore for funds related to minor works in the premises of DGCA.

Loss-making Air India, whose debt burden is about Rs 40,000 crore, is surviving on a bailout package approved in 2012.

In the last financial year, Air India reduced its losses to Rs 5,547.47 crore.

Air India has achieved the target set out in the Turn Around Plan (TAP), and has made substantial progress in both operational as well as financial areas, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Minister Mahesh Sharma informed the Lok Sabha earlier this week.

Since the implementation of TAP/ Financial Restructuring Plan (FRP), the operating loss has reduced from Rs 5,138.69 crore in the fiscal 2011-12 to Rs 2,171.40 crore in the year ended March 31, 2015. Net loss has come down to Rs 5,547.47 crore in 2014-15 from 7,559.74 crore in 2011-12, Sharma had said.

The erstwhile UPA dispensation had in April 2012 approved Air India’s turnaround plan and a financial restructuring plan, with a committed public funding of Rs 30,231 crore, staggered over a period of nine years, with some specific riders.



 

The brother of Mr Gopikrishna, a faculty member at the University of Sirte and among the four kidnapped Indians, said the his family got the information that he has been abducted in Libya.

“We got the information that Mr Gopikrishna has been kidnapped in Libya. We don’t know about his whereabouts,” his brother Muralikrishna said in Hyderabad.

“We request the Indian government to urgently intervene and help to secure his release,” he said.

Mr Gopikrishna, 39, has been working as an assistant professor at University of Sirte since 2007, he said.

“He (Gopikrishna) told me on July 29 that he would fly from Tripoli to Tunisia, after which he would fly to India. However, it seems he had a visa problem due to which he chose to go to Tunisia by road. Last night I received news of his abduction,” Mr Gopikrishna’s wife Kalyani said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Malkajgiri Zone) Rama Rajeswari R said, “Last evening, Gopikrishna’s family members approached the local police and informed that he had gone missing. Today morning they told police that they have received information that Gopikrishna had been abducted”.

“We have asked them to get in touch with embassy officials in Begumpet in Hyderabad. We are collecting details from family members,” the DCP told PTI, adding that a police team has also been deployed at their residence.



 

Chief Judicial Magistrate Som Prabha Mishra got the complaint registered and called for a report from Hazratganj police station and fixed the next date of hearing on August 4.

According to Mr Thakur’s activist-wife Nutan Thakur, he moved an application through his counsel Akhilesh Awasthi under section 156(3) CrPC.

Mr Thakur had presented the complaint to Inspector of Hazratganj Vijay Pal Singh Yadav on July 11 and to SSP Lucknow, Rajesh Pandey on July 23 when the Hazratganj police refused to register the FIR.

Nutan Thakur claimed that the Inspector Hazratganj intimated Mr Thakur through a letter dated July 17 that his complaint has been inquired into and has been found to be not true.

Terming the inquiry illegal, Mr Thakur presented the application before the CJM for registration of an FIR.

In the complaint, Mr Thakur said the SP chief had telephoned him on July 10 and criminally intimidated him.

Mr Thakur, who is locked in a tussle with the state government, was served a 200-page charge sheet and a vigilance inquiry initiated against him.

The IG-rank officer had triggered a political storm by releasing the text and audio of the conversation purportedly carrying Mulayam Singh Yadav’s voice.



 

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg took to the social networking site on Friday to announce that the couple are expecting a baby girl.

“Priscilla and I have some exciting news: we’re expecting a baby girl,” Zuckerberg wrote while posting a picture of the couple on Facebook. “This will be a new chapter in our lives. We’ve already been so fortunate for the opportunity to touch people’s lives around the world – Cilla as a doctor and educator, and me through this community and philanthropy. Now we’ll focus on making the world a better place for our child and the next generation,” he added.

The Facebook CEO then went to talk about the problems the couple have had conceiving, opening up to the fact that they’ve had to live with three miscarriages in a couple of years. Zuckerberg added that the current pregnancy “is now far enough along that the risk of loss is very low and we are very hopeful.”

“Cilla and our child are both healthy, I’m extremely excited to meet her and our dog Beast has no idea what’s coming,” Zuckerberg wrote. “In our ultrasound, she even gave me a thumbs up “like” with her hand, so I’m already convinced she takes after me.”

Here’s the note posted by the Facebook CEO in full:

Priscilla and I have some exciting news: we’re expecting a baby girl!

This will be a new chapter in our lives. We’ve already been so fortunate for the opportunity to touch people’s lives around the world – Cilla as a doctor and educator, and me through this community and philanthropy. Now we’ll focus on making the world a better place for our child and the next generation.

We want to share one experience to start. We’ve been trying to have a child for a couple of years and have had three miscarriages along the way.

You feel so hopeful when you learn you’re going to have a child. You start imagining who they’ll become and dreaming of hopes for their future. You start making plans, and then they’re gone. It’s a lonely experience. Most people don’t discuss miscarriages because you worry your problems will distance you or reflect upon you – as if you’re defective or did something to cause this. So you struggle on your own.

In today’s open and connected world, discussing these issues doesn’t distance us; it brings us together. It creates understanding and tolerance, and it gives us hope.

When we started talking to our friends, we realized how frequently this happened – that many people we knew had similar issues and that nearly all had healthy children after all.

We hope that sharing our experience will give more people the same hope we felt and will help more people feel comfortable sharing their stories as well.

Our good news is that our pregnancy is now far enough along that the risk of loss is very low and we are very hopeful.

Cilla and our child are both healthy, I’m extremely excited to meet her and our dog Beast has no idea what’s coming. In our ultrasound, she even gave me a thumbs up “like” with her hand, so I’m already convinced she takes after me.

We’re looking forward to welcoming her into the world and sharing more soon when she’s ready to come out and meet everyone!

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad moved a motion that proceedings of the House be adjourned and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should come to the House and tell what action he has taken to ensure Mr Chouhan’s resignation in the Vyapam scam.

Rejecting Mr Azad’s demand, the government ruled out any resignations and said the opposition members were disrupting the proceedings every day on the same issue even though the ruling side is ready for a discussion.

The deadlock led to repeated adjournments before the final one at around 2.35 PM.

The House could not function during Zero Hour at 11 am, during Question Hour at 12 pm and when it met at 2.30 pm for Private Members’ Business, Mr Azad suggested that if all sides agree, the Private Members’ Resolutions could be taken up in the next session.

D Raja of CPI, who had moved one of the resolutions, supported Mr Azad. Leader of House Arun Jaitley too gave his consent and the list of business regarding Private Members’ Resolutions was postponed to the next session.

Minister for Culture Mahesh Sharma then moved for leave to withdraw the National Commission for Heritage Sites Bill 2009. The motion was adopted.

Soon after, opposition re-started protests leading to ruckus.

Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien, who was in the Chair, kept telling both sides that attempt should be made for consensus and the treasury benches and the opposition should find some solution for the stalement.

Mr Azad said a solution could be found but government should respond on the content of resolutions of the opposition.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi replied saying that the opposition did not seem ready for a discussion on the issues.

He added that the government was not affected by slogans of opposition but was in fact trying to make it a partner in the country’s progress.

Responding to Mr Naqvi, Mr Azad said the government should take action, after which there will be discussion. He also emphasised that there should not be a just “dry discussion.”

The Deputy Chairman observed that the interaction between both sides on Friday was good and he hoped that a solution would emerge so that the House can conduct proceedings in the next meeting.

In the meanwhile, Kurien momentarily lost his cool after an opposition member left his seat and was interrupting him.

However, as neither side appeared willing to budge from their positions, he adjourned the House till Monday.

Earlier in the day also, the House witnessed uproarious scenes with opposition and treasury benches trading charges against each other, leading to two adjournments during the Zero Hour and the Question Hour.

Soon after the House assembled for the day and obituary references were made, Congress members stood in the aisle and raised slogans seeking action against Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for allegedly helping controversial former IPL head Lalit Modi and Shivraj Chouhan over the Vyapam scam.

Similar scenes were witnessed when the House met again for the Question Hour as there was no let up in the Congress demand for the resignations which was rejected by government.

Mr Azad moved a motion which read: “The business of the House should be adjourned and the Prime Minister should come to the House and tell us what action he has taken for resignation of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister in the Vyapam scam. If Prime Minister comes and announces resignation, then we will listen,” he said.

Mr Naqvi rejected the demand, saying “nobody will resign, we have said it many times. The Modi government will not act on baseless allegations.”



 

Ian Bell scored fifties in both innings!

© AFP

Birmingham: Ian Bell delighted a capacity crowd at his Warwickshire home ground with a sparkling unbeaten fifty as England beat Australia by eight wickets to win the third Test at Edgbaston on Friday. (SCORECARD)

Victory, achieved with more than two days to spare, saw England go 2-1 up in the five-match Ashes series. (Australia’s Batting Pathetic: Boycott)

England, set a modest victory target of 121, finished on 124 for two after lunch on Friday’s third day.

Bell was 65 not out and Joe Root, who struck the winning boundary off Mitchell Marsh, 38 not out. (Mark Waugh Credits Coach Bayliss for England’s Revival)

There was a moment of concern for England when captain Alastair Cook (seven) was bowled by a superb swinging delivery from left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc to leave the hosts seven for one.

But Bell, roared on by England fans in a sun-drenched crowd, then took charge with a flurry of four fours in seven balls off Starc, including one down the ground and a classic cover-drive.

Bell, arguably England’s most elegant batsman, then late cut off-spinner Nathan Lyon to the third man rope.

He was, however, given a reprieve on 20 when, with England 35 for one, he edged Starc to second slip only for Australia captain Michael Clarke to drop the two-handed catch.

It summed up a miserable match for Clarke, whose run of low scores in Tests continued with innings of 10 and three at Edgbaston.

England opener Adam Lyth has also been struggling with the bat and when he was lbw to Josh Hazlewood’s inswinger for 12, it meant the hosts were now 51 for two.

Root, Lyth’s Yorkshire team-mate, showed few signs of nerves, however, in cutting his first ball, from Hazlewood, for four.

Bell’s late-cut boundary off Starc saw him to his second fifty of the match, off 68 balls with seven fours.

It was a fine performance by the 33-year-old Bell, who came into this match — his 113th Test — with a question mark against his place after several meagre innings.

Meanwhile there was mass barracking of fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, repeatedly taunted with a derogatory song regarding his accuracy that became commonplace during England’s 2010/11 Ashes series win in Australia.

It appeared to get to the left-arm quick, who aborted his run-up for one delivery and then bowled from well behind the crease before he was taken off.

– Turnaround –

Steven Finn celebrates one of his six wickets against Australia.

© AFP

This match represented a remarkable turnaround from England’s humiliating 405-run defeat in the second Test at Lord’s which saw Australia level the series at 1-1.

But whereas that clash had taken place on a largely placid pitch, the course of this Test owed much to Clarke’s decision to bat first on a seaming surface offering sideways movement.

James Anderson, England’s all-time most successful Test bowler but wicketless at Lord’s, led the way with an Ashes-best six for 47 as Australia were dismissed for just 136 in their first innings.

However, come Friday, he had been ruled out of both the remainder of this match and next week’s fourth Test at Trent Bridge with a side strain suffered while bowling on Thursday.

Australia resumed Friday on 168 for seven, 23 runs ahead and the two not out batsmen overnight, Peter Nevill and Starc, both went on to make fifties and shared an eighth-wicket stand of 64 that boosted Australia’s second innings total to 265 all out.

England fast bowler Steven Finn, recalled for his first Test in two years following an injury to Mark Wood, led the attack with his best figures at this level of six for 79.

Nevill’s leg-glanced boundary off Finn saw him to a maiden Test fifty, in only his second match, in 126 balls with six fours.

Having survived one appeal for a catch down the legside on 53 by opposing wicket-keeper Jos Buttler, Nevill eventually fell in similar fashion when the diving England gloveman held a stunning one-handed chance, high to his left, off Finn.

Starc’s straight six off spinner Moeen Ali saw him to an 83-ball fifty, including six fours.

It also gave Australia a lead of 100 before Ali ended the innings when he had Starc caught in the covers.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in the first supplementary demands for grant presented in Parliament, sought approval for gross spending of Rs 40,821.88 crore. Net cash expenditure would however be lower at Rs 25,495.24 crore after accounting for savings or enhanced receipts/recoveries of Rs 15,325.62 crore. This spending would be on top of Rs 17.77 lakh crore expenditure provided in the annual Union Budget for 2015-16.

The ministry plans to infuse Rs 12,110 crore as capital in state-owned banks struggling with highest levels of bad debts in 13 years. This is on top of Rs 7,940 crore provided by Mr Jaitley in the Budget for 2015-16.

“Bank recapitalisation plan is comprehensive. We have put in four years plan to push growth and tackle NPA,” he said.

The allocations compare to Rs 6,990 crore of 2014-15, the lowest total since at least 2009.

“Rs 20,000 crore (capital infusion) would happen as early as possible. It can happen by September after we get approval from Parliament,” Financial Services Secretary Hasmukh Adhia told reporters.

The Finance Ministry in a statement said public sector banks (PSBs) as of now are “adequately capitalized” but would need Rs 1,80,000 crore extra capital over the next four years (up to FY 2019). Of this, the government plans to provide Rs 70,000 crore through budgetary support – Rs 25,000 crore each in current and next fiscal and Rs 10,000 crore each in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Banks would be required to raise the remaining amount from the market, the statement said.

Besides, the government has sought Parliament’s nod for injecting Rs 800 crore as equity in state-owned Air India and an additional Rs 4,000 crore towards Integrated Child Development Scheme and other programmes of the Ministry of Women and child development.

The Finance Ministry has also sought a token Rs 100 crore for establishment of MUDRA Bank, according to the supplementary demands for grants tabled in Parliament.

An additional Rs 2,685 crore has been sought for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project Swachh Bharat Mission and other schemes of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

An allocation of Rs 1,153 crore has been sought for buying crude oil to fill the nation’s maiden strategic crude oil reserve built at Visakhapatnam by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL).

Another Rs 1,000 crore has been sought for development of Chennai and Bangalore Metro Projects and Rs 400 crore for clearing the pending subsidy claims towards import of edible oil, sugar mills and interest subvention.

As regards capital infusion in PSU banks, of the total amount of Rs 20,000 crore, Rs 10,000 crore would be provided to weak state-owned banks.

Adhia further said that third tranche of capital infusion will come in the last quarter of current fiscal which will be given to banks which will show improvement in their performance in the nine month period.