Public Sector

SaptarshiRoy has takenover the chargeas Director(HR), NTPC .Roy is graduatein Electrical En-gineering.

Bureaucracy

Ms Preeti Sudan,IAS, A.P. has beenappointed asSecretary, De-partment of Food& Public Distribu-tion.

P r a d e e pChandra, IAStook over as thenew Chief Sec-retary ofTelangana Gov-ernment.

Siddharth Jha-war appointedas a Officer onSpecial Duty tothe Minister ofthe State forCivil Aviation.

Yudhvir SinghMalik IAS hasbeen appointedas Chairman,National High-way Authority ofIndia.

O u t g o i n gChief SecretaryRajiv Sharmaappointed as aChief Advisor otthe TelanganaGovernment.

SHOCK & SURPRISE

V.KalyanaRama (DirectorProject & Ser-vices) gets ex-tension of addi-tional Charge ofthe CMD of(CONCOR).

Sanjiv Swarup,IRS (1982) pres-ently CVO(NBCC),Delhigiven additionalcharge of thepost of CVO,HUDCO.

R SubramaniaKumar presentlyED in Indian Ove-rseas Bank givenadditional Chargeof post of MD &CEO, IndianOverseas Bank.

Praveen Garg,IAS Jt. sec.(FM), Dept. ofEconomic Af-fairs has beengiven the addl.charge as CMD( SPMCIL).

December, 20162MIDNIGHT REPORTER

IPSIAS

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IFS

Gopal Krishna Dwivedi IAS (AP1993) appointed as Joint Secretary,Department of Land Resources for aperiod of five years vice Shri SandeepDave IAS (KN 1987).

Chittaranjan Kumar Khaitan IAS(Chhattisgarh 1987) presently workingas Joint Secretary & Chief ExecutiveOfficer has been appointed as Addi-tional Registrar General (JS level) inthe office of Registrar General & Cen-

sus Commissioner of India under the Ministry ofHome Affairs for a period up to 14.03.2017.

Kewal Kumar Sharma IAS (UT1983) presently OSD in Department ofHigher Education has been appointedas Secretary, Department of HigherEducation, Ministry of Human ResourceDevelopment vice Shri Vinaysheel

Oberoi IAS (AM 1979).

Ms Seema Bahuguna IAS(Rajasthan 1983) presently working asSpecial Secretary & Financial Adviser,Department of Ministry of Rural Devel-opment has been appointed as Secre-tary, Department of Public Enterprise

under the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public En-terprises vice Shri Ameising Luikham IAS (AM 1981)

Ms Bharti S Sihag IAS (HimachalPradesh 1983) presently serves asSpecial Secretary & Financial Adviser,Ministry of Steel, has been appointedas OSD in the Department of Fertilisers,Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers vice

Shri Vijay Shankar Pandey IAS (UP 1979).

Ms Sanjeevanee Kutty IAS(Maharastra 1983) presently serves asSpecial Secretary & Financial Adviser,Ministry of Home Affairs has been ap-pointed as Secretary, Department ofBorder Management ,Ministry of Home

Affairs vice Shri Susheel kuamr IAS (UP 1982),

Injeti Srinivas IAS (Orissa 1983)presently Director General Sports Au-thority of India has been appointed asSecretary, Department of Sports- cum-Director General of Sports Authority ofIndia (SAI). vice Shri Rajiv Yadav IAS

(AM 1981)on his lateral shift as Secretary, Ministryof Parliament Affairs.

Rajiv Yadav IAS (AM 1981) pres-ently serves as Secretary, Departmentof Sports has been appointed as Sec-retary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairsvice Shri Prabhas Kumar Jha IAS (UttarPradesh 1982).

Navreet Singh Kang IAS (Punjab1983) presently serves as Secretaryand Director General, National AIDSControl Organisation (NACO) , Minis-try of Health & Family Welfare has beenappointed as Secretary, Department of

Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities(DIVYANGJAN) vice Shri Vinod Agrawal IAS .

K P Krishnan IAS (Karnataka 1983)presently working as Special Secretary,Department of Land Resources underthe Ministry of Rural Development hasbeen appointed as Secretary, Ministryof Skill Development & Entrepreneur-

ship vice Shri Rohit Nandan IAS (UP 1982) on hisretirement on 31st January 2017.

Shri Raghav Chandra IAS (MP1982) presently Chairman NHAI hasbeen appointed as Secretary, NationalCommission for Scheduled Tribes viceShri Anil Kumar Agarwal IAS (West Ben-gal 1981)

Anoop Kumar Srivastava IAS (AM1981) presently Secretary Departmentof Official Languages, Ministry of HomeAffairs has been appointed SecretaryMinistry of Tribal Affairs vice Shri ShyamS Agarwal IAS (RJ 1980).

Prabhas Kumar Jha IAS (UP 1982)presently Secretary, Ministry of Parlia-mentary Affairs has been appointed asSecretary ,Department of Official Lan-guage , Ministry of Home Affairs viceShri Anoop Kumar Srivastava IAS.

Ameising Luikham IAS (AM 1981)presently Secretary Department ofPublic Enterprise Ministry of HeavyIndustries & Public Enterprise has beenappointed Secretary , Ministry of Mi-nority Affairs vice Shri Rakesh Garg

IAS (UP 1980).

* PK. Srivastava IAS (AM 1988) appointed asJoint Secretary, Ministry Home Affairs for a periodof five years vice Shri Rajit Punhani IAS (Bihar 1991).

Anil Swarup IAS (UP 1981) presently Secretary, Min-istry of Coal has been appointed as Secretary, Depart-ment of School Education & Literacy under the Ministry ofHuman Resource Development vice Shri S C Khuntia IAS(KN 1981).

U P Singh IAS (Orissa 1985) appointed as DirectorGeneral ,National Mission for Clean Ganga in the rank ofAdditional Secretary to the Government of India with ef-fect from 07.10.2016.

Rakesh Srivastava, IAS (Rajasthan 1981) has beenappointed as Member Secretary, Natonal Commsissionfor Backward Classes (NCBC).Shri. Rakesh Srivastava,IAS served as Joint Secretary (Ports) of the Ministry ofShipping, Road Transport and Highways of India. Shri.Srivastava served as a Director of Dredging Corp. of In-dia Ltd

Praveen Garg IAS (Madhya Pradesh 1988) presentlyJoint Secretary (FM), Department of Economic Affairshas been given the additional charge as Director (Techni-cal), Security Printing & Minting Corporation of India.

Asha Ram Sihag IAS (HP 1983) presently Secretary,UPSC has been appointed as Secretary, Coordination & Public Griev-ances, Cabinet Secretariat vice Shri Sanjay Kumar Srivastava IAS(UT 1980).

Maninder Kaur Dwivedi IAS (CG 1995) has been appointed asAdviser (Joint Secretary level) NITI Aayog by upgrading the newlycreated post of DS/Director to Joint Secretary level level.

Susheel Kumar IAS (UP 1982) presently working as Secretary,Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs has been appointed asSecretary, Ministry of Coal vice Shri Anil Swarup IAS (UP 1981).

Umakant Lal IPS (MP 1985) getsextension as CVO Dedicated FreightCorridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL),Delhi for a period of 2 years more up to13.02.2019.

Mukesh Jain IPS (MP 1989) ap-pointed as Joint Secretary & CEO, Na-tional Trust for Welfare of Persons withAutism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retar-dation & Multiple Disabilities under theDepartment of Empowerment of Persons

with Disabilities vice Shri C K Khetan IAS (CG 1987).

Sanjiv Chaturvedi IFS (2002) pres-ently awaiting posting for past overthree months has been appointed OSDto Uttarakhand’s Resident Commi-ssioner’s office and assigned work re-lating to National Green Tribunal (NGT).

awarded AtiVishisht SevaMedal and YudhSeva Medal for hisdistinguished ser-vice.

Vice Admiral SRSarma Takes ChargeAs DGNP, Vizag

Visakhapatnam: ViceAdmiral SR Sarma todayassumed charge as Direc-tor General of Naval Project,Visakhapatnam, from ViceAdmiral DM Deshpande in aformal ceremony.

The DGNP undertakesconstruction of large marineinfrastructure works andother technical works of vari-ous shore establishmentsincluding handling majorstate-of-art projects such as

jetties, marine infrastructure up-gradations, ship lifts,bridges and also enhancing the existing support fa-cilities, stated a naval release. Sarma was commis-sioned into the Indian Navy as an Electrical Officer inAugust 1983. He holds a Master degree in ComputerScience and Engineering. The Flag Officer is an alum-nus of the Naval War College, Mumbai.

He has held various important appointments inthe Navy. His afloat appointments include tenuresonboard frontline warships INS Mysore, INS Krishna,INS Rana and INS Vindhyagiri.

He is a recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM)and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) for his distinguishedservice.

Prior to his appointment as DGNP, Sarma hadserved as the Assistant Chief of Material (Informa-tion Technology & Systems) at Integrated Headquar-ters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) at New Delhi, asAdmiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard,Visakhapatnam and Chief Staff Officer (Technical),Eastern Naval Command.

Vice Admiral Deshpande, who was at the helm ofaffairs at DGNP, Visakhapatnam for last 21 months,is now proceeding to New Delhi to assume duties ofthe Controller of Warship Production & Acquisitions,Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy),the release adde

Upma Chowdhary Named FirstWoman Director Of LBSNAA

Upma Chowdhary, a 1983 batch IAS officerof Himachal cadre, has been appointed Directorof Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Ad-ministration (LBSNAA) at Mussoorie, the firstwoman to be named for the post. The post hasbeen upgraded to Secretary rank and Chowdharywould be the 23rd director and first woman direc-tor of the prestigious academy, imparting trainingto officers of civil services. She will replace RajeevKapoor. Currently posted as Additional Chief Sec-retary in Himachal Pradesh, Chowdhary had pre-ceded on leave after she and her husband VineetChowdhary, a 1982 batch officer, were ignoredfor the post of chief secretary. During her 33 years service as IAS officer, sheserved in several positions in the state and at the centre. Chowdhary, who is likelyto join her new posting next month, said “It is a challenging job as and my endeav-our would be keep the momentum going and orient the training programmes tomeet the requirements in fast changing scenario.

Sushil Chandra takes over as Chairman, CBDTSushil Chandra, IRS (1980), took over as the Chair-

man, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).He succeedsMs Rani A Nair who superannuated yesterday. ShriChandra has been Member (Investigation) in CBDT sinceDecember, 2015. During his long and illustrious career inthe Income Tax Department, he has handled many presti-gious assignments like the Principal Chief Commissioner& Director General of Income Tax at Ahmedabad, Com-missioner of Income Tax (Central) & Director of IncomeTax (Investigation) at Mumbai among others. His dyna-mism and forward looking vision is expected to further

energise the Income Tax Department in its taxpayer friendly measures and newinitiatives in the area of e-governance.

Lt Gen Devraj Anbu NewChief Of Northern Command

Lt Gen Devraj Anbu was today appointed as newchief of strategically important Northern Command inplace of Lt Gen D S Hooda.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet headedby Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the name ofAnbu for the post of General Officer-in-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) with effect from December 1.

Udhampur-based Northern Command is a strate-gically important army formation which overlooks thefunctioning of Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Jammu-based 16-corps and Leh-based14-Corps.

Anbu was posted as the Corps Commander of Tezpur-based 4 Corps. His lastposting in Jammu and Kashmir was as a Brigadier in 2008-09.

He takes over at a time when exchange of fire along the Line of Control hasbeen happening quite frequently especially after the Indian army carried out sur-gical strikes on September 29 this year killing at least 19 Lashker-e-Taiba militantsinside the territory in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

Lt Gen Anbu Commissioned in the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980has had a distinguished military career in which he has executed important Com-mand and Staff appointments in India and abroad.

He has participated in Indian Peace Keeping Operations (IPKF) in Sri Lanka,United Nations Peace Keeping in Namibia, Counter Insurgency and Counter Ter-rorist operations in Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir. He was awarded the SenaMedal Gallantry for operation in Siachen Glacier. The General has also been

December, 20163MIDNIGHT REPORTER

BureaucracyWah-Wah for Big BossAll well at khaki’s courtyard.Last month was quite

hectic followed by important happenings in the state,which concluded smoothly as earlier.PM & HM pres-ence for an event was the talk of the Nation.Coming tothe news the HM appreciated the efforts of T DGPAnurag Sharma in front of state supreme power andafter hearing to it the supreme power also agreed withHMs note and added two more lines in the apprecia-tion of the top cop.This is called ‘sone pe suhaga’. Nowthe quiz is how many times the super cop has re-ceived the PM !

Record MakerIn the tax gain the GHMC has set a record in

collecting the highest amount in entire India.Kudos tothe Baldiya Commissioner Dr.B.Janardhan Reddy &his team, who made endless efforts to reach theextent.Another news is the corporation is all set to linkup 12k toilets and formed the task force teams tomonitor ongoing works.The smooth roads are back inthe city.People are enjoying the ride !! Overall Mr.Reddyis making rounds.

Bachke rehna re baba...R.P.Thakur, the top cop of Andhra, who was on

screen with the stunning performance as DGP (L&O)is now posted as DG, Anti-Corruption Bureau. Sincehe took over the charge the song ‘bachke rehna rebaba...’ is heard at the power corridors.The corruptchaps are khabardaar now. What an impact !

Yaha kisi ki nahi chaltiNo sifarish and no political interference in the re-

gime of M.Mahender Reddy.After the gap the city po-lice chief has made the gigantic transfers.It’s quiterare to see the huge transfer list, generally the trans-fers will be done in phases because a lot of exercise isneeded for that and for Mr.Reddy exercise becamelike a routine task.The point is transfers were done onthe basis of performance and for sincere cops thisstep is like a ‘energy drink’.

Saffron ReddyHope Ex-DGP V.Dinesh Reddy has impressed a

lot with PM Mr.Modi, that’s the reason he has decidedto join the BJP party.Yes, recently the state BJP hasissued the new list, in which Mr.Reddy is appointed inpolitical feedback committee. What next is the ques-tion! Is he is looking for nominated post or mission2019 elections !!!

Be imaandaar orelse ‘Shutter Down’

Whoever found selling unhygienic food his dukanwill be band.Yes, during a special drive under the su-pervision of SCB CEO Sujatha Gupta many of thehotels & sweets shops which were not maintaininghygiene were shut down by the board. Shop ownerswho are running their business with trade licence arealso feeling the heat.This lady officer is really awe-some !

Badhaai ho BadhaaiWedding bell tinkles at officer T.Krishna Babu’s

courtyard. Yes, the officer daughter Teja wedlock withBala Pawan Kumar.The top brass and the politiciansand the popular actors from Telegu film industry gracethe occasion to bless the new couple.The huge crowdand the elite gathering has showed the Babu’s PR,which is quite solid. Congratulations to the couple !

Angry Man !As per the sources these days things are not pretty cool at AP I&PR

department.A gap found between media communication advisor ParakalaPrabhakar & the I&PR Commissioner S.Venkateshwar.So, now the ques-tion is behind the screen who is playing the role of angry man.

Dana DhoomThese days Water Board MD M.Dana Kishore is in action, as the

board is cutting the water connections for non payment of water bills.Recently nearly 300 connections were cut-off for not paying the bills.Withthis impact now people are rushing to clear their pending bills.

Right-RightThe officer who is known for his sincerity in the officers fraternity

Dr.M.Malakondaiah is the new VC&MD of APSRTC.Earlier Andhra DGPN.Sambasiva Rao was serving on the post.So, to get the RTC into profits& also to provide better transport facility the government has appointedMr.Malakondaiah, however it is a right-right choice at present time.

Award TimeThe Telangana Tourism Secretary B.Venkatesham has received ‘Best

Tourism Destination State Award 2016’.One has to agree that the tourismdepartment is moving forward with the commitment and perfect planning.That’s the reason today the T tourism developed its image globally. Hat'soff to the officer and to his entire team.

Tension @ RationThe guys who were doing all their ‘manmani’ from long time are now in

tension and that is because of the CV.Anand, the Commissioner of civilsupplies, who is on a mission to grill them for their irregularities.We don’thave the correct figure but after taking the charge the suspension of theofficers are in continuation.Now ration guys are counting the days afterthe news that Anand is likely to move for central deputation.

Bhagwat is BattingNow Mahesh Bhagwat,the Rachakonda police commissioner is

batting.The cop is on screen with the fake currency racket, which wasbusted recently. In this situation suspects were caught up on the righttime is a amazing one.This news has alerted the people, in factMr.Bhagwat's video in which how to identify the fake currency also ben-efited the people at large.

New Fire CopK.Satyanarayana is the new fire cop for Andhra.The officer who was

working as a IGP,CID took over as DG, AP State Disasters Responseand Fire Services recently.As in Fire Department the tasks are many andas per the work profile of the officer he will pakka give his best. Bestwishes !

Harish is BackIt’s really amazing that young officer Harish Kumar Gupta is back as

IGP, L&O-I in Andhra.This shows his commitment & working style thatthe government has decided to post him again.If the services were rec-ognized, that really means a lot for an officer.In fact more than an award.

Fantastic RaoAfter the new district announcement the standing collectors replaced

and the new collectors are appointed, but the government decided tocontinue the RR Dist collector M.Raghunandan Rao. That’s the beauty ofthe officer, who is known for his commitment and for the best perfor-mance in the officers fraternity. This kind of happenings really gives aboost to the officers. Punch line is RR rocking at RR.

Rahul & RojgaarThese days Hyderabad District Collector Rahul Bojja is putting lot of

efforts for the youth for their employment under Dhoolpet Rehabilitationprogramme.In this aspect the officer is making all arrangements to pro-vide the training to the unemployed youth to face the exams of variousjobs.Though lot has to be done for the residents of Dhoolpet, but thisinitiative will definitely make a new way for next generations.

Mohanty - ‘the brand’The young officer Abhishek Mohanty is making rounds in CCS with

his ‘no corruption’ campaign.The officer has strictly directed the cops tobe honest and to be committed. Since he took charge things are movingsmoothly, many new initiatives added and more are in the pipeline to dealthe cases on fast rack and genuinely.One has to agree that in the powercorridors the name Mohanty is a brand-the replica of responsibility &honesty.

Bacche Mann ke SachheIt’s not just a song, it’s a fact and that’s the reason the Mahabubnagar

police is working for the children by planning ‘child safety campaign’ fol-lowed by the programmes in various schools.It’s all about ‘good touch &bad touch’, a awareness campaign.To make aware the children a car-toon video is played by the police in the remote villages . Applaud for SPRema Rajeshwari for her commitment towards policing and also for so-cial awareness campaigns. Good one !

Set for a inningThe officer M.Sreenivas is all set for his another inning in Adilabad

Dist.The officer recently took over the charge as a district SP and startedhis work on a fast track mode. In fact the officer has planned an agendafor the district, which will definitely give a different prospective to thedistrict police.

Padmaja @ CyberabadLady officer P.V.Padmaja took over as DCP Shamshabad Zone in the

recent reshuffle. ‘Midnight Reporter’ missed her write-up last month in the‘New Happenings’ column.As per the sources the lady officer is doinggood in the zone. Glad that the government is giving priority to the ladyofficers and whereas the lady officers are setting an example with theirbest performances. Kudos !

4 December, 2016MIDNIGHT REPORTER

Public Sector“My desire is that public, private sectorand ministry will have to prepare a jointstrategy” says Steel Minister

“My desire is that public, private sectorand ministry will have to prepare themselvesto jointly face the challenges coming fromabroad” said Hon’ble Minister of Steel,Chaudhary Birender Singh at the inauguralfunction of the Ministry of Steel (MoS) Pavil-ion at the 36th edition of India InternationalTrade Fair (IITF), the largest integrated tradefair at Hall No. 18, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.Hon’ble Union Minister for Steel, and Dr. ArunaSharma, Secretary, Steel, graced the occa-sion along with prominent steel industry mem-bers such as ESSAR Steel, FSNL, HSCL,JPC, JSL, JSPL, JSW, KIOCL, MECON,MOIL, MSTC, NMDC, RINL, SAIL and TATASteel. Ministry officials also announced en-gaging programmes like steel lucky draw andcricket coaching for the visitors, awards forwhich will be announced daily. The star at-

traction of the stall are the Digiman and Steel man Selfie Zone as well the innovative steel makingdisplay.

“The entire industry will have to come up with joint strategies to take on the challenges being facedby the industry. My desire is that public, private sector and ministry will have to prepare themselvesto jointly face the challenges coming from abroad. The government of India is focused on manufactur-ing sector and is implementing aggressive Research and Development projects in diverse realms ofIron & Steel Technology under various categories such as Plant Performance Improvement (PPI),Product Development (PD), Scientific Investigation and Development (SID), Basic Research (BR)and Technical Services (TS). The major efforts are directed towards cost reduction and improvementin quality of Indian steel, in order to develop and deliver high quality steel products that add value to thecustomer‘s business, across the value chain”, Shri Birender Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister for Steel,said.“India is the 3rd largest manufacturer of steel in the world, and we are constantly workingtowards innovative and cost-effective R&D solutions, developing and commercializing improvedprocesses and products, continually enhancing the capability with the aim of becoming a global hubof centre of excellences”, he added.

BEML exhibits its prowess at IME-2016BEML LIMITED, a Public Sec-

tor Company under the Ministry ofDefence and a premier indigenousmanufacturer of earthmoving equip-ment over five decades, is partici-pating in big way in the IME-2016,the 13th International Mining & Ma-chinery Exhibition & Global MiningSummit being held at Eco Park,Rajarhat, Kolkata.

Dr. Amit Mitra, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge of Finance, Excise,Commerce & Industries, PublicEnterprise, Industrial Reconstruc-tion inaugurated BEML Stall at theExhibition venue in the presence of

Shri Deepak Kumar Hota, Chairman & Managing Director and Shri BR Viswanatha, Director (Mining& Construction), BEML. The Hon’ble Minister and the distinguished guests went around BEML Stalland appreciated BEML’s continuous efforts in providing support to the mining industry of the countryand many overseas countries, as well. In the exhibition at Indoor Stall No.024 - Hangar ‘A’, BEML isfocusing on mining equipment showcasing its higher capacity Dumpers, Dozers and Excavators.BEML equipment are known for self-reliance, higher productivity, user-friendly and popular in themining industry. Being a leader in the segment, BEML’s mining machinery are fully indigenized androbust with improved versions. With its state-of-the-art R&D establishment, BEML has been launch-ing several improvised equipment over the years.

NMDC Limited observed Vigilance Awareness WeekVigilance Awareness Week

was observed in NMDC with theadministration of the pledge by Dr.Narendra K. Nanda, Director(Technical) to all the employeeson the inaugural day.

During the week long celebra-tions various Vigilance Awarenessprogrammes and competitionswere organized. Quiz & Elocutioncompetitions were conducted forall the employees wherein largenumber of employees participatedand a Vendor Meet was conductedwherein more than 40 vendors

participated with whom all the Functional Directors of NMDC had interactions.A talk on “Vigilance in Personal Finances” by Shri P Sarath Kumar, Chartered Accountant, M/s.

Sarath & Associates was organized wherein more than 100 employees participated and competitionsviz., Essay writing, Elocution, Debates, Quiz and Panel discussions on moral values, ethics, goodgovernment practices etc., are conducted for inculcating greater awareness on corruption and anti-corruption measures at schools and colleges namely - Vani High School, Vijaynagar Colony and Govt.High School and colleges - New Government Degree College, Khairatabad, Sindhu Women’s DegreeCollege, Mehdipatnam and Vijaynagar College of Commerce, Vijayanagar Colony.

On the concluding day, Shri S Narsing Rao, IAS, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Govt. ofTelangana was the Chief Guest. In his address, he stressed the need of self vigilance among all thepublic servants to have a corruption free India and advised all the students to nurture good habits ofethics and integrity in their day to day life. He also expressed that public participation is having animportant role to play in eradicating corruption and students being the future citizens of India have amajor role to play towards that goal. Prizes were distributed by the Chief Guest to the winners andCertificates were given to the winning students of various schools and colleges. The valedictoryfunction was attended by Dr. Narendra K. Nanda, Director (Technical); Dr. T.R.K. Rao, Director(Commercial); Shri P.K. Satpathy, Director (Production); Shri D.S.Ahluwalia, Director (Finance) andSenior Officials of NMDC.

Punjab National Bank Q2 profitat Rs 549 cr

G o v e r n m e n t -owned Punjab NationalBank on Saturday saidit has posted a net profitof Rs 549.36 crore forthe quarter ended onSeptember 30.

In a regulatory filingin BSE, the Punjab Na-tional Bank said it hasposted a net profit of Rs549.36 crore for thequarter ended on Sep-

tember 30, 2016 as compared to Rs 621.03 crore for the quarter that ended onSeptember 30, 2015. The bank’s total income for the period under review stoo at Rs14,218.27 crore, up from Rs 13,701.93 crore earned for the quarter ended September30, 2015. While the global deposits of the Bank reached Rs. 5.75 lac crore, the netadvances stood at Rs. 3.94 lac crore as on September 30, 2016. The bank continuedto register double digit y-o-y growth of 11.1% in CASA deposits which stood at Rs. 2.17lac crore backed by a robust growth in savings deposits at 14.2% (y-o-y).

The share of CASA deposits in domestic deposits at 42.10% in September’16consistently remained above 40%. The Bank has reduced its bulk deposits which hasbrought down the Cost of Deposits from 5.95% in June’16 to 5.36% in September’16.The Bank has reoriented its business model in alignment with the economic scenariotowards small ticket advances i.e, Retail, MSME and Agriculture, which grew by 11.7%.

The Bank’s Trading Profit doubled from Rs 327 crore in Q2FY’16 to Rs 654 crore inQ2FY’17. The Bank registered improvement all across investor’s ratios. Net InterestMargin (NIM) increased both globally and domestically and for Q2 FY’17 stood at2.86% as against 2.80% in Q1 FY’16. Similarly, Return on Assets (RoA) improved to0.32% in Q2 FY’17 over a ratio of 0.18% in Q1 FY’17, while Return on Networthincreased to 5.72% sequentially from 3.43% in Q1 FY’17. The Bank continues to layemphasis on improving the asset quality. The cash recovery and up gradation reachedRs. 10,778 crore thus crossing the landmark of Rs 10,000 crore for the half year endedSeptember’16. This has resulted in reduction in stressed assets. The Provision Cover-age Ratio increased from 52.50% in June’16 to 53.32% in Sep’16.

ONGC Q2 net rises 6% at Rs 4,975 croreState-run explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) on

Thursday reported a 6 per cent rise in net profit for the secondquarter ended September at Rs 4,975 crore, as compared toRs 4,681.4 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

Amid the fluctuation in global oil prices, however, total in-come for the quarter in question decreased 10 per cent to Rs19,578.6 crore from Rs 21,698.5 crore in the same quarter ofthe last fiscal, the company said in a statement here.

The company approved interim dividend of Rs 4.50 perequity share of Rs 5 each, for the financial year 2016-17. It has also recommended theissue of bonus shares in the ratio of 1:2. “The board has recommended the issue ofbonus shares in the proportion of 1 new equity share of Rs 5 each for every 2 existingequity shares of Rs 5 each fully paid up of the company, subject to the approval of theshareholders,” ONGC said in a statement. ONGC stock closed on Thursday at Rs290.55 a share, up 0.40 points, or 0.14 per cent, over its previous close on the BSE.

GAIL’s Profit after Tax up by180% for Q2 of FY 2016-17

GAIL (India) Limited registered a 180% increase in Profitafter Tax (PAT) in the second quarter of Financial Year 2016-17, boosted by a turnaround in its Petrochemical businessand reduction in interest costs. The Company’s PAT for thequarter ending 30th September,2016 rose to Rs. 925 crorefrom Rs. 330 crore in the corresponding quarter of the lastfiscal. GAIL’s Profit before Tax (PBT) for the second quarter

increased by 151% to Rs. 1,375 crores against Rs. 548 crore in the correspondingquarter of the last fiscal. On half yearly basis, GAIL’s PAT (excluding gain from stakesale in Mahanagar Gas Limited) is Rs 1,771 crore, signifying an increase by 146%.

BEL net zooms 68% in Q2Bharat Electronics Ltd on Thursday re-

ported standalone net profit of Rs 346 crorefor second quarter (July-September) of thisfiscal (2016-17), registering 68 per centgrowth from Rs 206 crore in same periodyear ago.

In a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges, the city-based defence behemothsaid standalone income from operations increased 16 per cent year-on-year (YoY) toRs 1,795 crore in the quarter under review (Q2) from Rs 1,677 crore in like period yearago. Though gross profit grew 71 per cent YoY to Rs 464 crore from Rs 271 crore yearago, sequentially it declined 4.5 per cent from Rs 486 crore in first quarter (April-June)of this fiscal. Sequentially, net profit, however, shot up by a whopping 861 per cent fromRs 36 crore in Q1, as the total income was Rs 928 crore due to slump in sales,execution and delivery.

NLC India accomplished “SwachhBharat” at 3 Villages

Under the ae-gis of NLC India,School students at-tached with theScouts and NSS,stepped down tothe road ofK a m m a p u r a m ,Meliruppu &amp;Arasakuzhi, the pe-ripheral Villages ontoday, (07.11.2016)

and cleaned well, under “Swachh Bharat” mission. Also, “Clean India Awareness”marches around the streets of the villages were performed by the students

5 December, 2016MIDNIGHT REPORTER

LnCo Expands InternationallyLnCo expands presence internationally, ties up with multi-national ac-

counting firm KNAV.LnCo Advisors LLP (LnCo), Hyderabad based business advisory and

accounting firm move to the state of art facility at Khairtabad.LnCo has tied up with KNAV, an international association of accounting

and business advisory services firm and is eyeing a bigger play in thedomestic market in times to come, being one-of the kind of service providerapart from the Big4 in the consulting world. Dayaniwas Sharma, PrincipalAdvisor, LnCo, said on Monday. KNAV has offices in INDIA, US, Canada, UK,France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore and UAE.

“While it seems that most of the MNCs are looking at India as a lucrativedestination for investment more so due to the relaxation in the FDI norms,Make in India initiatives and the Start-up policy of the Government. Having anIndian-owned multinational accounting firms which are cost effective, easyto approach can only be an added advantage”, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya,Union Minister of Labour and Employment who was present on this occasioncommented. CA Shri Laxminiwas Sharma was also honored on this occa-sion by the union Minister.LnCo offers specialized advisory services suchas internal audits, risk advisory services, transaction advisory services andmerger and acquisition advisory, implementation of IFRS, IND-AS, US-GAAPand taxation services.

On Stage : Consul General of United States of America,Hyderabad Katherine Hadda addressing the guests during a gettogether called on the occasion of US election.Really the electionresult was quite exciting ! Emcee in another picture !!!

Dr.G.Chandra Sekhar new President ofIndian Orthodontic Society

Dr.Gandikota Chandra Shekhar took over as a new Presidentof Indian Orthodontic Society from Dr. K.Gangadhar Prasad ofVisakhapatnam. First time two Telugu persons continuing as Presi-dents of this organization.

Indian Orthodontic Society has a membership of more than6000 consists of both Life Members and Student Members. Thishas started in 1965 and completed and celebrated 50years inHyderabad last Year.

Dr.G.Chandra Shekhar is a BNI Member from Artha,He is aretired Member of Round Table India, a Freemason from LodgeNo.25,Morland of Grand Lodge of India.He is Professor of Orth-odontics for last 25 years and practicing Orthodontics along withGeneral Dentistry for last 25 years.

He was Organizing Secretary of 50th Indian Orthodontic con-ference held in December, 2015 in Hyderabad Did BDS in 1983

and MDS in 1990 from Govt. Dental College & Hospital, Hyderabad.Presently working as Professor and Head, dept of Orthodontics, Panineeya Dental Col-

lege, Hyderabad &Private Dental Practitioner ,Hyderabad.As President Elect of Indian Orthodontic Society, he attended American Association of

Orthodontists Annual Conference held in Orlando, FL, Usa recently. He is the only personattended from Hyderabad. He Visited various places in USA and also visited Harward andMIT in Boston along with Dental school of Boston University.

Selfie Time : YouthIcon KTR grabs the selfieafter the installation of land-mark typo sculpture ‘LoveHYD’.In the pictureTelangana Tourism Secre-tary B.Venkatesham withMayor & Dy.Mayor.

Dad’s Birthday : Lovely father Subbarao Chalasani hascelebrated his 75thbirthday.Mother Ramadevi Chalasani anddaughter Deepika Chalasani from Fit4life India made the eventlavish & memorable. Smiles, wishes, blessings, gifts,clicks &sweets were just wow ! Rao garu best wishes .

Neet’s Day : A day absolutely forNeetika Singh.The day came with lotof happiness for her and left sweetmemories.All happened on her birthday.Cake, clicks & masti !!!

Union Minister of Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya felicitating CA Shri Laxminiwas Sharma. In the anotherpicture CA Dayanivas Sharma with the guests.

Cake-Wake : It’s time formixing of cake. Beauties werelooking awesome with the chefcaps.What a style ! Present-ing Alka Khanna & VibhaAnand Mehta’s click for morecalculations !!!

6 December, 2016MIDNIGHT REPORTER

ARK Group is a leading Integrated Construction and Infrastructure Development Company with 27 years ofexperience in all fields of work.

Gummi Ram Reddy, the Chairman & Managing Director of ARK Group has been the strength and driving forceof the company since 1989 and completed 27years successfully. Today, ARK is a trusted name with a formidablepresence in infrastructure development, engineering, construction and contracting services. In his 28 years ofCivil Engineering experience, G. Ram Reddy has led the company to continually exceed customer expectationsand reinforce the core philosophy of delivering complete peace of mind.

ARK Group had celebrated its Founders Day at Celebrity Resorts, Hyderabad. It was much more than just acelebration, it was about bonding, passionately sharing experiences and showing pride in ARK’s achievementsover the years.Each and every employee from every project had joined hands to celebrate this joyous occasion.It was one of the most memorable days, it motivated and encouraged all the employees to accomplish better workand reach higher goals. The employees who had contributed their services for 25 years, 20 years or more than 10years were recognised and awarded. The talent and qualities of the Best Performers in ARK Group were recognisedas well. Every employee shared their personal experiences about being a part of ARK and their journey with ARKGroup which was extremely delightful and heart warming. The Chairman had also motivated a lot of our employeesthrough his wonderful and encouraging speech. All the guests enjoyed the food, activities and the games through-out the day. The Founders Day celebration not only brought all the employees together but also their families andshowed their families how it is to be a part of the ARK family. It was not only a day that was memorable but also aday that was filled with joy, happiness, fun & passion.

ARK Group refreshes achievementson its founders day

Donald Trump’s firm signs dealfor Kolkata real estate project

Trump Organization, the NewYork-based business venture of USpresident-elect Donald Trump, hassigned a deal with real estate firmUnimark Group in Kolkata for a resi-dential project, is in talks for a sec-ond project in Pune and plans to tapopportunities in office real estateacross large cities, multiple peoplefamiliar with the developments said.

In Kolkata, Trump Organizationhas partnered with Unimark Groupto build a 400,000 sq. ft residential project with the signature Trump Tower onthe city’s EM Bypass stretch, two people familiar with the deal said, askingnot to be identified.

“We have signed a project in Kolkata and it is in design stage, but wehaven’t announced it yet. The project will also have reasonable sized units ofaround 2,500 sq. ft. The project should be launched early next year,” saidKalpesh Mehta, managing partner at Tribeca, the exclusive representative ofTrump Organization in India. Mehta didn’t disclose details of the developerpartner but said that it is a local developer.

Unimark Group co-founder Harsh Patodia declined to comment, citingconfidentiality. Separately, Trump Organization is in talks to partner with Pune-based Panchshil Realty for a second project in the city’s Kharadi area. Theproject is expected to have four towers, totalling 500,000 sq. ft.

Panchshil and Trump’s first two-tower project is in Kalyani Nagar, andhas already been delivered.

“In 2014, there was some talk to do a second project in Kharadi-TrumpRiver Walk-but due to bad market conditions, it didn’t take off. Now, there’s astrong chance that it is going to be revived. The deal has not been signed butis likely to happen by March next year,” said a person familiar with the plans.

Earlier this week, Tribeca’s Mehta and the promoters of Panchshil Re-alty, Atul and Sagar Chordia, met Trump in New York.

In India, Trump Organization works with local developers via brand li-censing agreements and has not made any equity investments. The Trump-branded residences sold in India have been in the Rs3.5-15 crore segment.

It has signed five projects with different partners so far, including one inMumbai with Lodha Developers Pvt. Ltd, one with Panchshil Realty in Pune,a residential project in Gurgaon with M3M, an office project with M3M (also inGurgaon) and the latest one in Kolkata.

Bengaluru, Mumbai topreal estate investmentdestinations in Asia: Survey

Not only is India the world’s fastest-growing major economy, it may alsooffer Asia’s best real-estate investments next year.

A survey has ranked Bengaluru and Mumbai as the region’s top picks,vaulting both cities to lead a table of 22 Asian markets. Commercial propertyis key. The survey, compiled by the Urban Land Institute with input fromPricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, cited a boom in business processoutsourcing, or BPO, and IT firms that are driving demand for new officespace. “There is little doubt that catering to the expansion requirements ofthe Indian BPO industry has delivered big profits to investors who arrivedearly on the scene,” according to a report summarising the findings of thesurvey. “Today it remains a compelling story.” The two cities only ranked12th and 13th last year and were close to the bottom as recently as 2014.

Tokyo fell from first place in the 2016 rankings to the 12th position fornext year, a reflection of growing discontent with the effect of Abenomics ona long-stagnant market. Declining economic prospects are hurting short-term prospects for office rental growth, despite low vacancy rates, thesurvey found. Negative interest rates are also a factor, as they lead to a lackof willing sellers.

Singapore, which ranked first in the survey in 2011 and 2012, fell to 21stfor next year, down from 11th, the result of what PwC calls a “perfect storm”for the local property market. That includes 12 straight quarters of decliningprices in the residential market, as well as a sputtering economy that con-tracted in the third quarter. Singapore’s government has been steadfast inits commitment to cool the housing market, maintaining real-estate curbsrolled out since 2009.

Still, it’s not all good news for India. The survey highlights that Asianinvestors are looking to diversify their property exposure outside of theregion, especially into New York and London, driven by demand from China.Chinese buyers have been piling into bargain London property in the wakeof Brexit, and scouring the globe for any available real-estate investmentopportunity. They are motivated by a weakening yuan, surging domestichousing costs and the desire to secure offshore footholds.

PE firms invested over Rs 13,400 crore inMumbai real estate in year to June

India's commercial capital, Mumbai, attracted more than $2 billion(Rs 13,400 crore) of private equity investments cumulatively acrossall segments of real estate in the last one year until June-end, up 44%from a year ago. Foreign funds have increased their investments 19%from a year ago and accounted for about 45% of these investments.Residential assets were the most preferred and accounted for 62% oftotal investments in the city.

The growth in private equity in vestments has helped the city jump26 positions to 84th rank in global markets for private equity invest-ments in real estate (PERE), showed a global survey of Cushman &Wakefield. “We see the potential of Mumbai attracting more PERE

(private equity real estate) investments in the next 24 months, as many largescale developments within the cityare actively looking at equity as well as development partners, while funds are looking for assets that will providelong-term return and revenue potential that Mumbai can ascertain,“ said Anshul Jain, MD, India, Cushman &Wakefield. Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including Navi Mumbai and Thane, has shown strong long-term eco-nomic potential, assuring investors of growth in midto-long term. Investments in retail assets that was largelymuted in the city until 2015, is now gaining traction.Investments in retail assets accounted for 18% of the totalinvestments during the period and this was the first time it has witnessed investments in retail assets since 2011,the report added.

ARK Group CMD G. Ram Reddywith his team members.

7 December, 2016MIDNIGHT REPORTER

H The Farm Boutique, a concept devel-oped by our creative director Mr. Heem Desaiis set among wonderful farm lands in a veryserene village. Just minutes away from thehustle and bustle of Gachibowli.

We aim at creating some of the mostunique and unheard of furniture and land-scapes for our clients. At the farm Boutiqueone would find some wonderful industrial fur-niture, contemporary and some rare piecesof art deco furniture. All types of wood is usedfor the furniture from the most expensive likethe green pine to the most economical likethe mango, we use the wood depending onthe desired final finish.

The team consists of a lot of villagerswho come to learn some wonderful craft andhelp us create the range of art furniture. Yes,that’s right. Art furniture. That’s what we callour range of designer furniture.

The farm started its operations in the year2014, but our creative director has been mak-ing some very good furniture since the year2009. Having done his degree in interior de-sign, Mr. Heem Desai understands the prac-tical side of designing furniture and the verybeautiful natural landscapes. He has travelledacross the country to understand the differ-ent materials and the techniques used to cre-ate some very fascinating designs for furni-ture.

After finishing his degree Mr. Heem wenton a journey of learning furniture joinery atItaly and later to Bali to learn landscaping.

Today we help the clients customize theirhomes with the very furniture they would haveenvisioned for it. Customized furniture is yetanother division of the company where in wemanufacture the furniture to the needs andrequirements of the clients.

It is our privilege and we feel very happyto showcase some of products to you. We dohope you shall find our range most uniqueand tasteful.

Let’s know moreabout ‘Art Furniture’

Heem Desai

Gauri Khan to design signatureinteriors for leading real estatebrand's projects

Gauri Khan, entrepreneur and wife of Bollywoodsuperstar Shah Rukh Khan, has signed on to bethe brand ambassador for a real estate luxury con-glomerate, Ace Group. She will design signatureinteriors for their premium residential projects.

The brand will also showcase their collabora-tion through a commemorative book on contempo-rary living and design with a visual narrative byGauri Khan that will be launched at the end of thismonth in London, read a statement.

“Ace Group is in the business of marketing luxu-rious properties, so it is important to create an es-sence of subtle opulence. It is a pleasure to collabo-rate with Ace Group, a leading real estate luxuryconglomerate, to design signature interiors for theirpremium residential projects,” Gauri Khan said.

“To weave sophistication into their interiors, Ihave opted for rich materials and textures, state-ment accents and strategic lighting to lend a feelwhich is classic, timeless chic,” she added.

Gauri Khan has also lent her creativity for thefashion brand Satya Paul.

8 December, 2016MIDNIGHT REPORTER

Publisher/Printer/Owner: G. Narahari, Printed at Colour Graphics, 3-1-351, Bhagya Laxmi Nilayam, Nimboliadda, Kachiguda, Station Road, Hyderabad - 27. Published at4-6-252, Esamia Bazar, Hyderabad-27 (A.P.) Editor : Dr. Chaitanya Singh, Cell : 8008175000. E-mail : mrnewseditor@yahoo.com. Annual Subscription 500/- Rupees Only.

The Global 100 Saree Pact celebrated it’s first an-niversary with great fun. Sisterhood, solidarity, tradi-tion, culture and the varieties of sarees on the beau-tiful feminine was the attraction of the event followedby many episodes.First time the passion & the fash-ion comes together for the celebration.

The Global 100 Saree Pact is a virtual Facebookcommunity started last November and founded bySantha John.Whereas Tejdeep Kaur Menon,IPS ,Kinnera Murthy Sita Kuchi and Veni La are the admins.Today enjoys the participation of around 6000 mem-bers across the globe. The principal aim of the groupis to encourage saree wearing and support the heri-tage of sarees, ethnic wear and handlooms. Manymembers acknowledged the group and encouragedthem to rediscover rich heritage of sarees. A largenumber of handlooms from across India, as well asfusion fabrics have been showcased on this forum,adding knowledge and appreciation for the weavesand the wearers.

Event Highlights : Fashion Show of sarees spon-sored by ‘Kalanjali’, lucky dip prizes, discount cou-pons, flashmob , awards to those who completedwearing 100 sarees, exhibition stalls that showcaseweaves from handloom specialists, jewellery, womenproducts, health and beauty services and more.As aguest Sailaja Kiron encouraged the members.Uzramma from Hyderabad talked about how one cancontribute to the weaving industry sutain. The anni-versary also supported Goonj, the award winningNGO. Many Global Pact members have signed up tocontribute good sarees for financially challengedbrides with a wedding trousseau packet of two wed-ding sarees and two normal sarees. During the eventVeni La awarded second for showcasing 205 sareesof different style and weaves worn on different occa-sions. It is to clarify that 100 times wearing saree isimportant not having 100 sarees.

Global 100 Saree Pact celebratedits first anniversary

Hum Saat Saat Hai : Tejdeep Kaur Menon, SailajaKiron, Kinnere Murthy & Santha John

On Stage : Veni La & Guest Sailaja KironFashion show- the attraction of the event

Entertainment, Entertainment & Entertainment

Sridevi Jasti

ShilpanjaniDantu

Seeta Anand Vaidyam

Ruth PrathibaMeera BhupalDr.Pavitra

Chandana Chakrabarthy

Sumithra

Uma Chilak

Ashwini Narayan

Bobita SaikiaNedungadi

9 December, 2016MIDNIGHT REPORTER

Do You Have A Change

Rajini Sharma-“Yes I have change because

somehow I am not comfortable car-rying big notes.In fact I also have ahabit of saving and these is how Iam able to save the change. More-over I use the cards for smallpayments.Now the staff payment isa big task for me.”

Dipti Agarwal-“As I am from Mumbai, I keep saving

money for the day to shop there while onmy trip.I love shopping at Bandra & FashionStreet. I am able to save some money thathelped me a lot after the announcement.Though I spent all my cash on other ameni-ties other than shopping, yet no regrets.

Rashida Sidhpurwala- “It always felt like a distant dream to

see my country as a developed nation,but after demonetizing the currency, thereis hope that there will be accelerated de-velopment, corruption diminished andequal distribution of the country’s wealth”.

Pooja Singh-“The move to demonetiza-

tion is a brave and historic ef-fort by the Union government.This action would definitely af-fect the black money market asit’s a known fact that nearly 86%of the total value of currenciesof all denominations was merelyheld in Rs.500 to Rs.1000notes.This would repair not onlyinternal economic issues, butalso tackle funding to terrorism.However, there are limitationseven to this strategy.”

Jyothi Jashnani-“Change ! not really much.If Rs.100,

then might be having some as I havebrought a bundle from the bank duringcrunch.So, preserved it for the need.Ha ha, but still I support the Modi stepbecause he did it for the Nation.As aHolistic nutritionist and yoga ratna I wishyoga should be tax free as it is essen-tial to maintain good health.”

Sonia Sobti -“Believe me I don’t have any

change right now, as I do lot of shop-ping and on the earlier day of the an-nouncement I spent all small digits formy shopping”.Lateron I realize thevalue of it because of its shortage inthe market.

Neelam C Lalwani-“Getting the old currency

changed to new currency wasonly part of the task, as chang-ing Rs.2000 into smaller noteswas the real problem.I remember going to a smallrestaurant two days after therelease of the new notes, got abill of Rs.280. unfortunately, Ihad only the big note. The man-ager acted like I did him greatpersonal harm, but handedover Rs.1700 in Rs.100 notes.I’ve held on to those 17 noteslike a lifeline since then.”

Rupa Sree Patel-“This change hasn’t effected me person-

ally, but it certainly hit my profession.Actuallyit’s really sad that the upper class & rich peopledidn’t go through it as much as the com-moner & normal people felt the heat. My driver,maid & cook life’s were stalled, they didn’thad any other source to buy goods for living.Ihelped them by buying provisionals , neces-sities & bills by online payments.”

Sai Sneha-“I plan things & I don’t have a

habit of saving for the lastminute,but there was no issue forme because of this demonetiza-tion as I usually use my card andmoney wallets for everything. Mymother has issues, as she needsto pay to the milk man, maid &newspaper person, even I stoodin the line for the liquid money.

Aarthi Majithia-“Believe me, feel for the 100’s who

only a month back were always ac-companied by either their Mother orthe Father.Now the demonetizationhas left the 100’s as orphaned.” “Wehave our own Financial Calendar now,starting 8th November 2016 (BC) -Before Currency & (AD) - After De-monetization.” Feeling upset withshortage of cash but still it has taughtthe real value of money and life les-son to be happy and content in everycondition.

Rroshni Tak-“Will demonetization be a

crusader?, be an unbeatablevote winning tool for Modi orwill it be a symbol of referen-dum for him into forthcomingelections in coming years? YetModi could emerge in total tri-umph, by combining imagina-tive accounting, populism andgood economic sense. But af-ter almost three weeks of de-monetization, there is visiblepain into the lives of ordinarypeople, a noticeable slowdownin economic activities andmoreover very sad reports ofjob losses across sectors.”

Rina Dave-“With the recent demonetisation of

currency notes in India, Modi hasshown clear intentions of diminishingcorruption and black money in to thecountry.This shows he is the man ofaction , not just words.This financialsurgical strike has caused some stressto the public-queues at ATMs, lack ofcash inflow, slow business, but I thinkwe need to look at the bigger picture!This definitely is a bold step to make abetter future. Just as they say on fm:Ab agar desh ko line pe lane ke liye,line me khada rehna bhi pade to kya:)I’m with Modi ! Ache din zarooraayenge!”

Punam Kakani-“8:00 pm Nov 8, 2016 is one of those

moments that happen rarely. It seemedrude, arbitrary and affected us all seri-ously, but only until we absorbed thereality of it. And in the post-math, wecan’t help but respect the move im-mensely. It bought the wealthy on parwith the hoi polloi, and for a few reflectedto stand in unison, and to contribute tothe nation, a chance we often get, butavailed only this time. Let’s cheer for theAcche Din ahead.”

10 December, 2016MIDNIGHT REPORTER

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11 December, 2016MIDNIGHT REPORTER

TourismRanveer Singh chosen as Indianambassador for Switzerland Tourism

Bollywood’s livewire actor Ranveer Singh has been named the Indian ambassador forSwitzerland Tourism. “I had such a great time on my trip to Switzerland this summer! I did somecrazy things like sky diving and paragliding. Now that I am the official Brand Ambassador ofSwitzerland Tourism, I am just raring to go back in the winter and see what it looks like in thesnow. I can’t wait to try the slopes of St. Moritz and Titlis Engelberg. It will be so much fun,”Ranveer said. The 31-year-old actor will now be in charge of promoting Switzerland Tourism’scampaign for 2017 - Nature wants you back. Known for his effervescence and adventurousnature, Ranveer tried an array of activities in Switzerland to get his adrenaline pumping.

From wakeboarding on Lake Zurich to ski jumps at the Swiss Museum of Transport inLucerne, tobogganing on Mt. Pilatus, paragliding and skydiving in Interlaken, he tried them all.But the adventure was just one of his holiday thrills. “Being a versatile energetic and adventur-ous personality, Ranveer explored and enjoyed all that Switzerland has to offer. His passionand excitement for the country are what compelled us to request him if he would take on themantle of Brand Ambassador to which he enthusiastically agreed,” Claudio Zemp, Director -India, Switzerland Tourism added. The “Bajirao Mastani” star is now looking forward to visitingSwitzerland in winter early next year. During his next trip to the country, Ranveer will be visitingSt. Moritz, the village of Titlis Engelberg and will enjoy an array of activities and the country’slocal culture.

Madurai City to be spruced up for tourists

The tourism department has embarked on several developmental works in Madurai city,with the help of Asian Development Bank (ADB), at a cost of Rs 5 crore . Some of the works likeornamental lighting and improving street infrastructure in Tiruparankundram area have alreadybeen completed. Road works are underway between Tamukkam and Gandhi Museum andNayak Mahal. Madurai tourist officer, S M Sribalamurugan, said tourism development works willbe undertaken under the project ‘Basic Urban Infrastructure Services and Infrastructure Devel-opment Investment Programme for Tourism’.

Tiruparankundram is another spot for development with Lord Subramanya Swamy templeattracting thousands of pilgrims round the year. The works include constructing sanitary com-plexes at Mariamman Teppakulam, Tiruparankundram and Ellis Nagar where tourist vehiclesare provided parking. Hundreds of vehicles fill the parking lot at Ellis Nagar during Sabarimalaseason and the complex here. “There are not many toilets available for visiting pilgrims thoughthey pay Rs 200 for bus and Rs 100 for van as parking charges”, said Pandi, a roadside vendorat Ellis Nagar. A proper sanitary complex at Mariamman Teppakulam is also the need of the houras people use this ancient water body to urinate and relieve themselves much to the agony ofvisiting tourists. The department will be putting up retro-reflective signboards in city areas andstreetside furniture like stone benches will be provided in specific places. “The department hasestablished ornamental lighting and benches in Kirivalam around Tiruparankundram temple. Thelighting is good but we need more benches since there are only six of them. Stone benches maylast longer than the wooden benches provided at present”, said S Ravikumar fromTiruparankundram.

Demonetisation: Tourism sector mayface the heat this winter

The onset of winters, followedby Christmas and the New Year, isa peak season for the travel indus-try, inbound, outbound and domes-tic. This year, however, the pros-pects of this peak season look sub-dued as fallout of the demonetisationdrive. The consequent liquiditycrunch is especially impacting thelarge offline travel operators whomostly work on cash for flights,hotel bookings and packages.

An immediate impact is beingfelt across the industry in new book-

ings while foreign tourists are troubled due to inadequate availability of local currency. “For-eign nationals are worst hit because they cannot go anywhere except airport to exchangetheir Indian Rupee currency notes. The impact has been more severe on encashments asbanks and money changers do not have Indian currency notes to dispense as a result noneof them is able to exchange Indian Rupees for foreign currency”, said Anil Khandelwal, chieffinancial officer at Cox & Kings.

The problem also impacts Indians travelling overseas since some forex dealers areseeking high premium for key currencies if one wishes to pay using Rs 500 and Rs 1,000notes. Khandelwal said now many leisure travellers are using credit card to buy forex.

Archaeological Survey of India, which maintains leading historic monuments, has allowedthe use of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes for paying entrance fees. But travel operators arestruggling to convince state governments to relax the norms at state monuments and muse-ums. “Tourists are seeking refunds and compensation from some of our members as theywere unable to access the monuments in the initial days after the demonetisation. Why cannotgovernment monuments have credit card facilities? We have also requested the governmentto allow foreign visitors leaving India to freely exchange Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes withoutcaps,” said Rajeev Kohli, senior vice president, Indian Association of Tour Operators. Foreigntourists visiting destinations in smaller cities are facing more problems since most transac-tions in such areas happen in cash.

Itineraries are getting affected, industry executives said. “We believe the situation shouldease next week. We do not expect large cancellations from leisure tourists. Business visitorsmay postpone trips but leisure tourists plan holidays 6-12 months in advance and will notcancel the trips,” said Homa Mistry, CEO of Trail Blazer Tours India.

Tourism confirmed as NewZealand’s top export

Annual data released today shows international tourism has pumped $14.5 billion into theeconomy for the year ending March 2016.

“Tourism benefits all New Zealanders and the level of growth we are achieving is present-ing huge opportunities that are ripe for the picking,” said outgoing Tourism New Zealand chiefexecutive Kevin Bowler. “The impact of tourism spend is far ranging, benefiting retail owners,supermarkets, petrol stations, restaurants and cafes in addition to accommodation and travelspend. “One in 13 New Zealanders are now directly employed in the tourism industry and thiswill increase as visitor numbers continue to grow.”

Last year 3.4 million overseas visitors came to New Zealand and at the current rate ofgrowth will double in seven years. Bowler leaves his tourism role this week after seven yearsas chief executive. “It’s a great feeling to leave the industry on such a high note,” he said. “NewZealand tourism is thriving and these results confirm it’s the driving force behind the economy.”Tourism growth is set to continue, with the industry expecting a record-breaking year ahead.

Odisha stall at World Tourism market in LondonIn a bid to attract European tourists to the state, the Odisha government has participated in

the World Tourism Market held in London. The stall of Odisha Tourism was inaugurated byUnion Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma in the presence of state Tourism & Culture MinisterAshok Chandra Panda, along with other dignitaries. The 3-day mega event was kicked off onNovember 7, an official release said.

The Odisha Tourism, through its stall has showcased its products to attract more touristfrom Europeand adjacent countries. The sand art of Konark, known as Black Pagoda preparedby Sudarshan Pattanaik was a unique attraction in the market, Panda said.

12 December, 2016MIDNIGHT REPORTER

Gujarat Tourism plans ‘Sant Nagari’ orSpiritual Park to woo pilgrims

Gujarat government has set the ball rolling on one of Narendra Modi’s pet tourism projects,“Sant Nagari” spread over 500 acres in Sabarkantha district. As the chief minister of Gujarat,Modi had conceived the project as a spiritual park that would house the teachings of 2,300saints including Gautam Buddha, Sant Kabir and others under one roof.

The state government is also likely to seek investments for this project during the upcom-ing Vibrant Gujarat Summit. The idea is to find a private partner who together with a publicsector entity like the Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board (GPYVB) would float a specialpurpose vehicle (SPV) to execute the project. The project cost is estimated to be around Rs575 crore or so. The site for the project has already been finalised. It is a site near the Dharoidam in the Sabarkantha district of the state. The state government has also taken possessionof around 172 hectares of land at the site from the state revenue department.

A senior official informed that the planning for the project is almost complete. “We are alsoplanning to seek help from the Centre to execute this one of a kind project in the country. Thereis no other similar site for pilgrimage tourism in India that showcases the teachings of over2,000 spiritual ‘gurus’,”he said.

The state government is upbeat on tapping the potential for pilgrimage tourism in Gujarat;given the existence of popular pilgrimages like Somnath and Dwarka. As such spiritual touristsaccount for nearly 30% of the overall tourist flow to this state, and is clocking a 16% growthrate. The number of tourists coming to Gujarat grew from 17 million tourists in FY10 to 38.3million tourists in FY16. It is another story that 73.6% of these tourists are actually people fromGujarat. For 2015-16, number of tourists who originated from within Gujarat were 28.1 millionor about 73.6% of the total footfall.

Tour operators say that pilgrimage spots like Ambaji, Dwarka and Somnath are verypopular amongst Gujarati tourists as well. The state government expects around 5 milliontourists to visit the spot annually.

Sri Lanka Announces Plans for TourismDevelopment Zones

Sri Lanka today announced plans to attract tourists back to the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’with the launch of themed tourism development zones, a public-private sector initiative backedby the Ministry of Lands, the Ministry of Tourism and the Sri Lanka Tourism Club, a government-recognised group of industry leaders. At least five and up to eight “Themed International Tourismand Family Entertainment Zones” are being designated in state-owned land, selected for theiroutstanding natural beauty. They include beaches, mountain and forest regions, extending overmore than 1500 acres. The full plans will be unveiled at the inaugural Asia Hotel and TourismInvestment Conference (AHTIC) in Colombo in November, organised by Bench Events. SriLanka Tourism Club Chairman, Dr Prabath C. Ukwatte, a founding sponsor and co-organiser ofAHTIC, said: “We will be working with government ministries to deliver themed internationaltourism and family entertainment zones, and to open them up for foreign investment. Theconference will be an ideal opportunity to explain what we will be doing and to attract internationalfinance.” One of the attractions of the project for investors is that the ownership of the land istransparent - not always the case in Sri Lanka. The developments will include luxury tourism,eco-tourism, wellness and yoga, as well as adventure and family activities. They take in someof Sri Lanka’s finest scenery - mountain tops, dramatic beaches, waterfalls and forest views.The Sri Lanka Tourism Club will develop the infrastructure - access roads, electricity, water andsewerage - but the major financial input will come from outside investors.

Tourism minister, Mr John Amaratunga, said: “Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is very muchprivate-sector driven. The government role is restricted to that of regulator, monitor and facilita-tor. ”I have formed an advisory committee of leaders of the travel, tourism and hospitalityindustries whose input is sought on a regular basis on all matters of national interest in thetourism sector. They are the driving force that guides the industry.

“We are giving the Tourism Club’s plans our full backing. More zones for development will beannounced in the future. We are accelerating and widening the scope for investors by activelymaking reforms to reduce bureaucracy. We want to speed up decision making.” He said therewould be new concessions and investment opportunities announced at AHTIC.

Rajasthan to promote agri-tourism in big wayJAIPUR: Rajasthan Government

decided to promote agri-tourism vigor-ously. The convergence of tourism andagriculture will not only support thefarmer with additional revenue and bet-ter sustainability, but also create multi-plier effect on employment generation ,says a report on agri-tourism inRajasthan prepared by FICCI and Yes

It says the opportunity holds im-mense potential due to its cost effectivenature, demand for family-oriented rec-

reation environment, growing curiosity about farming, and increased focus on promotingenvironmental consciousness. According to the report, development of agri-tourism goes inhand with the development of infrastructure in rural areas. The report says that last mileconnectivity to the remotest areas is extremely important and crucial for the success of thisventure. Better connectivity attracts tourism to the remotest places. Rapid expansion andintegration of the network/facilities across urban and rural areas should be pursued.

As road connectivity attracts tourists, better communication infrastructure helps to ex-tend tourist stay at one location. Besides availability of water and electricity, sanitation facili-ties should conform to best practices, these are essential to the success of the venture, itsaid. Integrating agri-tourism with various sources of renewable energy will further facilitateto expand the tourism activities in the region.

The report suggests “link agri-tourism with the existing tourism destinations that arevery popular and thereby making them an extension of the travel itinerary. This enables fora more comprehensive offering to tourists and helps these destinations capitalize on eachother’s strengths and benefits.”

Arunachal Pradesh seeks to becomeadventure tourism hotspot

Encouraged by a 50 per centgrowth in tourist arrivals over the pastfew years, Arunachal Pradesh isseeking to promote the strategic bor-der state as an adventure tourismhotspot to draw the young and thedaring. The state, abutting China, isalready known for its natural beauty -picturesque hills and valleys, land-scapes snowed white in winter, fa-mous monasteries, unexploredpasses and tranquil, high-altitude

lakes - and registered about five per cent growth in tourist footfalls in 2015. What was missingwere adventure hotspots.

“With the focus on adventure tourism and showcasing exotic tourist spots, the state hasbeen organising many theme-based events like the Tawang festival, Ziro festival of music,Arunachal spring carnival, adventure at Mechuka as also the Kameng river festival. Theobjective is to create a buzz among local youth and tourists outside the state,” state TourismDepartment Director K. Lekhi.