India

"Like Skyscraper Lying Down…": Anand Mahindra On Thalassery-Mahe Bypass

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'Like Skyscraper Lying Down...': Anand Mahindra On Thalassery-Mahe Bypass

PM Modi inaugurated the Thalassery-Mahe bypass on March 11.

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, known for his influential presence on the internet, never ceases to amaze us with his social media posts. He often shares fascinating and inspirational stories that pique the interest of his 11 million followers. This time, Mr Mahindra was left impressed with the newly inaugurated Thalassery-Mahe national highway bypass in the south. “Like a skyscraper lying down flat on its side,” the business tycoon wrote while sharing a stunning picture of the 18.6 kilometres six-lane bypass. 

“At first it looked like a concrete imposition on the natural landscape. But it has its own aesthetic. And I can’t deny the temptation to cruise down it and appreciate the beauty on either side,” Mr Mahindra added. 

Take a look below: 

Mr Mahindra shared the picture of the bypass just a day back and since then it has accumulated more than 221,000 views and nearly 5,000 likes. Internet users flooded the comments section with various reactions. 

“This serve as a great example of India’s rising dominance in infrastructure arena,” wrote one user. “insanely beautiful and fascinating!! driving on this would be so much cool with the scenery,” expressed another. 

“Absolutely! It’s amazing how infrastructure can sometimes enhance rather than detract from the environment,” commented a third user. “At first glance, it appears to be solar panels embedded on motorway,” said another. 

Also Read | Bengaluru Man Calls Zoomcar “Straight-Up Scam”, Company Responds

“It’s Beauty of this land make everything even man made concrete bridge more beautiful #GodsOwnCountry,” wrote one user. 

“Wow.. it’s a unique charm, almost like a modern architectural marvel melding with the natural surrounding,” commented an X user.

Thalassery-Mahe National Highway bypass stretches from Muzhapilangad in the Kannur district to Azhiyoor in Kozhikode. The highway includes four big bridges, a railway flyover and many underpasses and overpasses. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the bypass on March 11. 

Meanwhile, Anand Mahindra recently made headlines for offering a job to a 13-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh who displayed admirable presence of mind when she used an Alexa device to fend off a monkey attack. Impressed, Mr Mahindra praised her “quick thinking” on X, writing, “The story of this young girl provides comfort that technology will always be an ENABLER of human ingenuity. Her quick thinking was extraordinary. What she demonstrated was the potential for leadership in an entirely unpredictable world.”

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India

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Producing 2 New Netflix Shows. Details Here

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Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Producing 2 New Netflix Shows. Details Here

The Royal couple’s upcoming Netflix shows will be based on cooking and the US polo championship.

Los Angeles:

Prince Harry and wife Meghan are producing two upcoming Netflix shows that will focus on cooking and a U.S. polo championship, the streaming service said on Thursday.

The projects are part of a multi-year deal between Netflix and Archewell Productions, which was founded by the royal couple in 2020 after they stepped down as senior members of Britain’s royal family and moved to the United States.

The first new series will focus on cooking, gardening, entertaining and friendship. The show is being “curated” by Markle, who is serving as an executive producer, Netflix said.

The second series will follow the U.S. Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida, and offer a look at the competition and the polo industry’s social scene. Markle and Prince Harry are both executive producers of the polo show.

Both series are in early production and will have titles and release dates announced “in the coming months,” Netflix said.

The new series follow other projects from the couple, including 2022 Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India

Mumbai Cops Recover Rs 82.55 Lakh School Lost In Online Fraud

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Mumbai Cops Recover Rs 82.55 Lakh School Lost In Online Fraud

The online fraud took place between February 23 and March 16. (Representational)

Mumbai:

 Mumbai police has managed to recover Rs 82.55 lakh a prominent south Mumbai-based international school lost in a ‘man in the middle’ online attack, an official said on Friday.

A ‘man in the middle’ (MITM) attack is one in which the attacker secretly intercepts and relays messages between two parties who believe they are communicating with each other.

“The online fraud took place between February 23 and March 16 when the school started the process to procure material to build a cafeteria. The school gave the contract to a UAE-based firm, which sent its bank details as part of the deal,” the cyber cell official said.

“An unidentified person created a similar ID and provided details of a US-based bank. Assuming the email was sent from the UAE-based firm, the school transferred Rs 87.26 lakh. Soon the school realised something was amiss and lodged a complaint with the Central Region Cyber police station,” he said.

A case was registered against an unidentified person under Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act and the nodal officer of the bank was contacted, which led to recovery of Rs 82.55 lakh, the official said.

“Citizens and entities must upgrade their systems for time to time to avoid such attacks. Email IDs etc must be checked and re-checked before such deals are transacted,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India

IPL 2024: Bumrah, Suryakumar, Kishan Guide MI To Dominating Win Over RCB

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Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan provided the fireworks with the bat after Jasprit Bumrah’s magical five-wicket haul as Mumbai Indians pummelled Royal Challengers Bengaluru by seven wickets for their second win in the IPL at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Kishan went ballistic to make 69 off just 34 balls (7x4s, 5x6s) and Suryakumar dazzled with a 19-ball 52 with four sixes and five fours, as Mumbai Indians overhauled RCB’s 197-run target in just 15.3 overs. RCB huffed and puffed but put up a challenging 196/8 courtesy skipper Faf du Plessis (61), Rajat Patidar (50) and Dinesh Karthik’s 23-ball 53 not out but the total proved to be far from enough. (MI vs RCB Scorecard | Points Table)

The tone for an aggressive reply on a placid deck was set by Kishan, who tore into Mohammed Siraj to collect 23 runs off the India pacer’s second over, hammering him for three sixes and a four.

The onslaught continued when RCB introduced Glenn Maxwell in the sixth over, with the MI opener swatting two fours and a six to race to his first fifty of the season off only 23 balls.

Kishan once again forged a vital stand for Mumbai in company of Rohit Sharma, with the pair putting on 101 runs off 53 balls for the first wicket.

While Rohit (38 off 24 balls, 3x4s, 3x6s) played second fiddle to both Kishan and Suryakumar, the former MI skipper also dished out some spectacular shots before he fell to a stunning one-handed diving catch at short fine leg from Reece Topley off debutant Will Jacks.

Suryakumar, who was dropped by Glenn Maxwell at backward point on 15, went after Akash Deep in the 11th over to collect 24 runs with three sixes and one four.

Playing only his second game after comeback from injury, Suryakumar was aided by wayward RCB bowlers who presented him plenty of deliveries to knock himself into form and the world No 1 T20 batter obliged with a 17-ball fifty.

The contest, which saw partisan crowds cheering loudly for both India stars Rohit and Virat Kohli, also witnessed booing of MI skipper Pandya intermittently.

As he walked out to bat, Pandya was hit by loud boos but a section also began chanting ‘Hardik… Hardik’ with Kohli immediately encouraging the fans to cheer for the India all-rounder.

Hardik made it harder for the fans to boo him by smashing three sixes in his 6-ball 21 not out.

Earlier, Bumrah weaved his magic en route to a five-wicket haul before Karthik played a blinder in the death overs to take RCB close to 200.

In a contest where his fellow pacers erred consistently, Bumrah’s accuracy and mastery over variation helped him rule the roost once again.

Mixing up his fiery yorkers perfectly with sharp bouncers, Bumrah snaffled the in-form Kohli (3) early on to extend his ordinary run at this venue in the IPL.

Du Plessis and Patidar banished their poor run with their respective half-centuries while putting on 82 runs for the third wicket, but Bumrah, who bowled three overs post the halfway mark, seemed to have broken the back of RCB’s resistance with a terrific spell.

Karthik, who took a liking for Akash Madhwal (1/57) to collect 38 runs off his two overs, finished with five fours and four sixes.

A little tentative at start, Patidar grew in confidence for his first fifty of the season to finish at 50 from 26 balls with three fours and four sixes, while du Plessis got his 61 from 40 balls, studded with four fours and three sixes.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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K Kavitha Approaches Court, Seeks Order Copy For CBI Arrest

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K Kavitha Approaches Court, Seeks Order Copy For CBI Arrest

K Kavitha was arrested by the CBI while inside Tihar Jail in an alleged money-laundering case.

Hyderabad:

K Kavitha, daughter of Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, has moved the Rouse Avenue court seeking the registry to place on record either the application or the order for her arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The BRS leader was arrested by the CBI while in Tihar Jail in an alleged money-laundering case linked to the Delhi liquor policy.

Counsel for Ms Kavitha, Nitesh Rana, appeared virtually and advocate Mohit Rao appeared physically before duty judge Manoj Kumar as today was a court holiday.

The duty judge has placed the applications for hearing at 10 am tomorrow. The duty judge said he has no record with him and has no knowledge about the facts of the case.

A CBI plea seeking Ms Kavitha’s custody is also expected to come up in court tomorrow. Ms Kavitha’s husband Anil Kumar has reportedly been informed about her arrest by the CBI while she is in judicial custody in Tihar jail.

Advocate Mohith Rao told the court that after the CBI was granted the court’s permission on April 5 to question Ms Kavitha inside Tihar Jail, the agency had interrogated her on April 6. But the order had been passed without informing counsel for the accused. Ms Kavitha’s application opposing the order will be taken up by the court on April 26.

The counsel argued that the arrest cannot be carried out without court orders as she is in judicial custody. So they wanted direction to place the application or order for arrest on record.

Sources say the CBI had moved the application for Ms Kavitha’s arrest on Tuesday, informing the court that they have questioned and recorded her statement inside Tihar Jail. The court is said to have given permission on Wednesday evening.

The 46-year-old was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 15 from her residence in Hyderabad.

Sources said the CBI had questioned her about the WhatsApp chats recovered from co-accused Buchi Babu’s phone and documents related to a land deal. An amount of Rs 100 crore was allegedly paid to the AAP in kickbacks to swing the excise policy for the national capital in favour of a liquor lobby.

India

"The Largest Investor In Nepal Is India", Says Nepal Envoy

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'The Largest Investor In Nepal Is India', Says Nepal Envoy

The envoy invited Indian businessmen to Nepal at the “Industry Outreach Meet”. (File)

New Delhi:

The Ambassador of Nepal to India, Shankar Prasad Sharma, has called for the Indian business community to consider investing in Nepal and added that New Delhi is the number one place to promote investing in the Himalayan nation.

While speaking to the news agency ANI at an “Industry Outreach Meet” organised in New Delhi, the envoy said, “The largest investor in Nepal is India. One-third of the total investment is from India… India is the number one place to promote investing in Nepal.”

He said that Indian investors should be interested in going to Nepal and investing in the hydropower sector.

“If they need more skilled people in Nepal, they can bring them from India as there is no requirement for a passport or visa… Nepal has started exporting electricity to India. So, Indian investors should be interested in going to Nepal and investing in the hydropower sector.” he said.

The envoy invited Indian businessmen to Nepal at the “Industry Outreach Meet” organised here in the national capital, on Thursday, by the Embassy of Nepal in India and PHDCCI India-Nepal Centre. The event is held before Nepal Investment Summit 2024, which will be held on April 28-29 in Kathmandu.

About the promising investment opportunities in Nepal, Ambassador Sharma, and Sushil Bhatta, CEO, Investment Board Nepal, made detailed presentations.

Showing high interest in Nepal as a natural investment destination from India, the program witnessed the overwhelming participation of leading industry captains and decision-makers from the government.

The Nepal Investment Summit will convene distinguished national and international speakers, dignitaries, sector-specific experts, and, notably, high-level representatives from the government, private sector, and development partners.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India

Swiggy To Launch 'Paw-ternity' Policy To Support Employees On Pet Care

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Swiggy To Launch 'Paw-ternity' Policy To Support Employees On Pet Care

Swiggy will also offer bereavement leave for pet parents. (Representational)

New Delhi:

Online food delivery platform Swiggy on Thursday said it will support employees on pet care and adoption with the introduction of a ‘Paw-ternity’ policy.

Girish Menon, Chief Human Resource Officer, Swiggy said: “Building on our gender-neutral parental policy introduced in 2020, which provides substantial paid leave for primary and secondary caregivers, in addition to bonding leaves, and time off for adoption, surrogacy, miscarriage and IVF, we are now expanding our definition of parenthood to include pet parents as well. And that’s why, starting today, we’re announcing the Swiggy Paw-ternity Policy for all full-time employees”.

Under the policy, employees will receive an additional paid day off (in addition to their annual leave entitlement) to welcome their new pet companions home. The policy was introduced on National Pet Day, which falls on April 11.

“Pet parents may opt for work-from-home during the settling-in period to provide comfort and support to their new family member,” Menon said in a blog post.

Moreover, pet parents can now use their casual or sick leave without hesitation to attend to the needs of their pets. “Whether it’s for a routine vaccination or accompanying a sick or injured pet to a veterinary appointment, the policy allows employees to take the time off they need to care for their pets,” Menon said.

Swiggy will also offer bereavement leave for pet parents, providing employees with the time they need to grieve and recover from the loss.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India

"Give Away Deserts Too?" PM Counters "No One Lives In Katchatheevu" Remark

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'Give Away Deserts Too?' PM Counters 'No One Lives In Katchatheevu' Remark

“An uninhabited space in the country is just a piece of land to them,” PM Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took on Congress’s Digvijaya Singh today over his recent comment on Katchatheevu, the island near Rameswaram that India ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974. Mr Singh’s argument that the tiny island is uninhabited, received a sharp retort.

“If no one lives there, does that mean you can give it away? Then what about this desert? Will you say no one lives here?” PM Modi said at a public meeting in Rajasthan’s Karauli.

“An uninhabited space in the country is just a piece of land to them. They can give away any place in Rajasthan like that,” he added.

Yesterday, asked about the BJP allegation that the Congress had handed over the island to Sri Lanka, Digvijaya Singh had told reporters, “I want to ask whether anyone is living there on the Katchatheevu island”. Asked about the problems being faced by fishermen and whether the Congress contributed to it, he said, “These are baseless talks”.

His comments have stirred a hornet’s nest, with many in the BJP recalling India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s comment that “Akshai Chin is barren land”.

The BJP, which has been trying hard to find a toehold in the closed Dravidian politics in Tamil Nadu, has been highlighting Katchatheevu ahead of the election, hoping it will gain traction and snowball into an election issue

Katchatheevu was a disputed territory between India and Sri Lanka since the British period. The British, citing the traditional claims of the Ramnad zamindari of Ramanathapuram, had attached it to the Madras Presidency.

But the dispute broke out again after Independence over fishing rights around the island.

To settle the discord and strengthen ties with Sri Lanka, the government headed by Indira Gandhi had agreed to cede it to Sri Lanka under the 1974 “Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement”.

At the time, the uninhabited volcanic island — 1.6 km in length and around 300 m wide – was thought to have little strategic value. But over the last decades, the situation has changed owing to the rise of China and its growing influence over Sri Lanka.

India

Another Congress Spokesman Joins BJP. His Parting Shot

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Another Congress Spokesman Joins BJP. His Parting Shot

Leaders who cannot listen should not be given a free run,” Rohan Gupta said.

New Delhi:

Congress spokesperson Rohan Gupta crossed over to the BJP today, accusing the Grand Old Party of flipping its ideology, giving out contradictory messages, arrogance and treading on people’s “self-respect”. Speaking to NDTV in an exclusive interview, Mr Gupta said the party has lost direction and credibility, thanks to leaders with “Leftist views” who are arrogant enough to ignore feedback from the grassroot level.

While he did not name anyone, he made his target clear, “the person who is handling communications for the party”. This leader, Mr Gupta said, not only failed to call up when his father was ailing and in hospital, he was also responsible for much of the garbled messages emanating from the party.

“Ever since he has taken charge, there has been many issues, nationalism, Sanatan, alliances with Aam Aadmi Party… I along with many others were extremely upset. But we soldiered on,” he said. The final straw was when he did not receive even a courtesy call about his father. “I thought it was time to call it a day… It was a matter of self-respect,” Mr Gupta told NDTV.

Though the Congress is yet to comment on his departure — Mr Gupta is the latest of a string of leaders from the party’s communications section to leave — he tackled the thorny issue of the party’s response.

“Every time anyone leaves they are criticised — ‘He left because of greed. He was scared’ — what about self-respect? When people like us give feedback from the ground, it should be heard. Leaders who cannot listen should not be given a free run,” he said.

Asked why he decided to join the BJP, which he has been criticising so strongly on behalf of the Congress, he said it was about the long-term vision of the party. The BJP today stands for everything the Congress once represented, he said. “Primarily the two core values of centrist policies and nationalism, which had helped the Congress rule for 60 years,” he said.

But over the last two years, these values have been overtaken by Leftist ideas, which were at the root of the Congress’s refusal to attend the Ayodhya Ram temple inauguration and criticism of businessmen who contributed to the growth of the country.

“The Congress was never like this,” he said, pointing out the party once brought in liberalisation and stood for the country’s economic growth.

Turning away from the temple was also big mistake, he said. “When the faith and emotions of millions are involved, one should not ignore it,” he added. “You could have skipped the inauguration, but could have easily visited another day,’ he said.

While Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had turned down the invite for the temple inauguration, the party had not banned the visit for any leader. But most took their cue from them, and barring a handful of leaders from Uttar Pradesh, few have visited the temple.

Asked how could the Congress lie clash, since Rahul Gandhi is in the habit of visiting temples, Mr Gupta said Rahul Gandhi listens to his advisors. “But one should also pick the right advisors… A man who never contested elections, how can he give the right advice? He does not know the grassroot issues,” he said.

Asked what he intended to do about the tweets that berated the BJP, whether he would delete on not, he said, “I’m not ashamed of my past. I have worked faithfully for a party for 15 years. But I don’t think the party is happy any more about my vision or mission and now I’m trying to change gracefully”.