Congress pays back BJP in same coin, seeks open debate on development

New Delhi: After Narendra Modi today accused the Centre of not ensuring development of North-Eastern states, Congress retaliated saying the BJP leader should "stop worrying" about the region and challenged him for an "open debate" on Gujarat's development during his tenure.

"The basic question is what development has taken place in Gujarat during the last eleven years. The development of Gujarat from 1947 till the time BJP came to power was done by the Congress.

"Why does he avoid an open discussion on the facts related to development under the Gujarat model that he talks about,"
Union minister Manish Tewari told reporters here.

Tewari, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Information and Broadcasting, said that Modi is ready to have
discussions over tea but avoids a debate on the Gujarat model of development.

"So before him worrying over the development of the North East, we give him an open challenge for a debate on Gujarat's
development under his tenure," Tewari said.

Modi today attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his speech in Imphal, saying he had failed to ensure the development of the North East region despite representing it for the last 23 years in the Rajya Sabha.

"The Congress chief ministers invite the Prime Minister for laying foundation stone or cutting ribbons for projects
but it ends there and nothing happens afterwards," Modi claimed.

Meanwhile, Tewari condemned the incident in which a 14-year-old girl, hailing from a north eastern state, was allegedly raped by her landlord's son in South Delhi's Munirka area.

Tewari said that violence of any sort is extremely reprehensible and hoped that the police acts and all those who are responsible are caught and brought to justice.

Know how and why you should be issuing a cancelled cheque

New Delhi: With the help of new technology, online and e banking is fast catching up as the mode of financial transactions. Be it purchasing shares online or transferring amount to some other account, all you need is a few details and internet connection. Your account number, MICR code and other bank details become very important as a slight mistake can lead to a lot of confusion. In cases, when you need to provide details to any organisation, crossed cheques help rule out chances of typographical errors.

Further, a cancelled cheque is held as proof of holding an account.

A cancelled cheque is nothing but a cheque bearing the account number and account holder name which has an inscription “cancelled” across it. Except this, nothing else needs to be written on the cheque. Since the word cancelled is written on it, no one can misuse this cheque. However, the cheque can provide the account number, cheque number and MICR code to whosoever concerned.


You will need to submit a cancelled cheque in the following situations:


Bank account opening

KYC - Know your customer (KYC) is needed for mutual funds, stock investments, etc.

ECS - Electronic clearance service (ECS), which is used for deducting money from your accounts every month also require a cancelled cheque. ECS is quite popular for mutual funds.



EMIs - Various loans and other financial facilities are offered by banks on EMI basis. Banks needs cancelled cheque to complete the process.

EPF withdrawal - To validate your account details, a cancelled cheque should be deposited with the EPFO.

Good news for Vodafone users: 2G data charges slashed by 80 percent

 

New Delhi: Vodafone India has slashed data charges by 80 per cent for both its pre-paid and post-paid consumers on the 2G network.

"The rate cut from 10 paise per 10 KB to 2 paise per 10 KB will make internet access affordable for customers who use mobile internet in a limited way. These new charges are the lowest in market making them extremely attractive for all customers," Vodafone said in a statement.

After the latest drop in 2G charges, Vodafone claims it is now offering the cheapest mobile internet services in India.

Currently applicable in Karnataka, UP West and MP & Chhattisgarh circles, the reduced rates will be rolled out nationally in a phased manner.

The announcement comes a day after telecom regulator TRAI allowed free mobile roaming on payment of a fixed fee from July 1 and reduced national roaming charges for others by up to 57 per cent.

TRAI had, however, said making national roaming completely free of charges is not practical as of now.

 

SC to hear PIL on US surveillance of India internet data on urgent basis

 

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the PIL filed on United States National Security Agency monitoring internet data of India on an urgent basis.

The issue of the US NSA's surveillance of India's internet data reached the Supreme Court with a PIL filed seeking its direction to the Centre to initiate action against internet companies for sharing information with foreign authority in "breach" of contract and violation of right to privacy.

The PIL, filed by a former Dean of Law Faculty of Delhi University Professor S N Singh, alleged such large scale spying by the USA authorities is detrimental to national security and urged the apex court to intervene in the matter.

"As per reports, US-based nine internet companies, operating in India through agreements signed with Indian users, shared 6.3 billion information/data with National Security Agency of USA without express consent of the Indian users. Such large scale spying by the USA authorities besides being against the privacy norms is also detrimental to national security," the petition, filed through advocate Virag Gupta, said.

Singh submitted it is a breach of national security as government's official communication has come under the US surveillance as the services of private internet companies are being used by them and he also referred that after the Mumbai terror attack the prime minister’s office issued a statement from a Hotmail address of Microsoft Corp.

"Petition filed in Public Interest seeking a direction to Centre to take urgent steps to safeguard the government's sensitive internet communications which is 'Record' as per provisions of Public Records Act and it’s secrecy to be maintained as per Official Secrets Act but same is being kept outside India in US servers, which is unlawfully intruded by USA Intelligence Agencies through US-based internet companies under secret surveillance program called PRISM," he said.

He submitted the government and its officials be restrained from using US-based internet companies for official communication and all such companies, which are doing business in India, must establish their servers here so that they can be regulated as per Indian Laws.

(PTI inputs)

Guess which carrier bagged the award for the 'World's Best Airline'

 

New Delhi: Emirates Airline has been awarded the‘World’s Best Airline’ award by Skytrax at the 2013 World Airline Awards.

 

Besides the ‘World’s Best Airline’, the Dubai-based carrier took home two more awards including ‘Best Middle East Airline’ and ‘World’s Best Inflight Entertainment’-- the latter for a record ninth year in a row.

“Being honoured with these awards is testament to our unrelenting effort to be the world’s best airline,” said Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline at the Paris Airshow, who received the award.

 

Clark added, “We are constantly striving to offer our customers consistent, world-class service that extends from the moment they make their booking to the moment they arrive home at the end of their journey.” 

 

The Skytrax Awards sought opinion from over 1.8 crore business and leisure air travellers from over 160 countries before arriving at the final list of winners.

 

Launched in 1985, Emirates has grown to become the largest airline in the Middle East, with a 60,000-strong workforce. Last year over 3.9 crore customers flew with Emirates.

The carrier claims to have received over 500 international awards so far.

All-new 2013 Tata Nano coming tomorrow; what should you expect?

 

New Delhi: Tata Motors is all set to launch the 2013 Tata Nano tomorrow, June 19.

The vehicle is not expected to be very different from its current avatar and will sport minor cosmetic changes, says this Autocar report.

Changes on the outside include new bumpers and chrome strips on the front and rear. The rear bumper gets bigger air vents for better cooling of the engine, adds the report.

The new Nano will also come with power assisted steering wheel as well as a CNG kit.

On the inside, the car will see addition of a glove box and some colour, trim and fabric changes.

The top-end model will come with an integrated music system with CD, MP3, Aux-in, USB and Bluetooth capabilities.

Leaked: Is this the Suzuki Swift facelift?

New Delhi: The third largest selling vehicle in India might be in for a facelift soon for international markets, but only a minor one.

Images of what could possibly be the 2014 Suzuki Swift are now doing the rounds on the internet, claims this Autocar report.

From the images, it looks like the next-gen Suzuki Swift won't be a whole lot different from the existing version.

The front of the updated Swift will get new LED day-time while the turn-indicators will be shifted from the front fenders to wing mirrors.

Now hiring? Know these 10 ways to be a great interviewer!

 

New Delhi: The idea of appearing for an interview is a scary one for many, and there are countless forums and advisors that offer tips and tricks to help candidates face the interview board. But the job of an interviewer can be just as difficult, particularly when there are many candidates appearing for a single job interview.

So if you have been handling the responsibility of screening candidates for your organisation, check out the ten unmistakeable signs of a great interviewer that might help improve your ability to pick the best among the lot.

 
1. Good interviewers know EXACTLY what they are looking for

While 'credentials, qualifications, and experience are important, never forget you’re not hiring a position: You’re hiring a result," says Haden.

To ensure you have someone who can deliver results, you must identify your business need, which can then allow you to determine the required skills and attributes.

Zeroing in on the right candidate becomes that much easier

2. Good interviewers make sure the candidate comes prepared

"All candidates should know exactly what to expect: When, where, who will be conducting the interview(s)... they should know everything. Great interviewers ensure candidates don’t have to deal with surprises, tricks, or uncertainty," says Haden.

 

The idea is to accurately assess the candidate's ability to perform and deliver, and not to intimidate him.

 

3. A good interviewer does research on the candidate

 

Asking intelligent questions and building a fruitful conversation can be difficult if you don't know the candidate, says Haden.

 

He advises interviewers to start with the CV, and ask questions about the various jobs and projects she has been involved in. The idea is to "read between the lines to get a sense of the candidate’s successes, failures, and long-term interests."

 

Also try to guage her interests beyond work to understand whether she will fit into the company's culture.

 
4. A good interviewer holds a conversation, not an inquisition!

"The best interviews are a great conversation, not an interrogation. But you can't have a great conversation with someone you hardly know," says Haden.

Knowing about the candidate ahead of time lets you prepare questions that give the candidate 'room for introspection and self-analysis.'
5. A good interviewer makes shy or nervous candidates feel at ease

Unless the job requires great communication skills, try not to dwell too much over a candidate's inability to express herself too well.

That a person who speaks well must necessarily be good at his work is not a given; similarly, someone who is unable to express herself might actually be

The easiest way to help shy candidates is to ask a few easy questions-- about herself or her previous jobs or her current job responsibilities-- and then gradually move on to more specific queries.

Try throwing in a few genuine compliments about her professional accomplishments, too. The idea should be to gauge as much as you can about her ability, and that can happen only once the candidate is relaxed enough to hold a conversation.

6. A good interviewer doesn't just stick to the script

"An interviewer should follow a plan and ask a reasonably specific set of questions, but the best questions are almost always follow-up questions. Follow-up questions take you past the canned responses and into the details, both positive and negative," says Haden.

  

7. A good interviewer follows-up

After an interview, you must get in touch with the candidate, irrespective of whether she has been selected.

Not doing that is rude and unprofessional. It also creates a possibility wherein the candidate is so put off he will hesistate from applying for a position with your company again. 

 

8. A good interviewer never takes over

"Interviews often turn into monologues delivered, unfortunately, by the interviewer," says Haden.

 

Most candidates won’t interrupt, because they want you to like them.

"Unfortunately that means your hiring decision is largely based on whether the candidate was a good listener," Haden adds.

Four car deals to watch out for this monsoon

New Delhi: The Indian auto industry seemed to have hit a rough patch with sales slumping to new lows over the past few quarters.

To spur business, auto companies-- from Tata to Volkwagen to Chevrolet-- are now coming out with several attractive discount, EMI and freebie offers.

 

Take a look at exactly how car makers are planning to woo customers and which offer fits your needs the best.

  

Tata launches facelifted Indigo, Sumo, Nano, Indica, CNG variants

New Delhi: Tata Motors on Tuesday launched eight improved and enhanced versions of Tata Indigo eCS, Tata Sumo Gold, Tata Nano and Tata Indica, apart from the Explorer Edition of the Tata Safari Storme.

The new variants come in new colours and graphic designs, enhanced exteriors, improved high-quality suspension to offer a better ride, great multimedia entertainment options and what Tata calls the Feather-shift gearbox (F-shift gearbox).

Besides, Tata also showcased its new CNG range - Tata Indica CNG, Tata Indigo CNG and Tata Nano CNG.

 

Special edition Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 launched in India

 

New Delhi: Italian super car giant Lamborghini on Wednesday launched a limited edition Gallardo LP550-2 in India at a price of Rs. 3.06 crore (ex-showroom in Maharashtra).

The launch marked the 50th anniversary celebrations of the car's manufacturer.

The India limited edition Gallardo will be available in three colours options-- pearl orange (Arancio Borealis), white (Bianco Monocerus) and pearl green (Verde Ithaca) symbolising the Indian tricolour.

The car's exterior will sport a tricoloured stripe running the entire length of the car (from its front bonnet to the roof and engine bonnet).

The optional ‘Cordelia rims’ is standard on the car which has been given a brushed silver finish.

Rich, richer: India clocks 2nd highest HNI population growth

 

New Delhi: The world is home to 1.2 crore millionaires with collective net worth reaching a record high of USD 46.2 trillions, with India clocking the second highest growth of 22.2 per cent in its HNI population last year after Hong Kong, a report said today. 

 

According to the World Wealth Report 2013, released by Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management, the investable wealth of the world's High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) rebounded in 2012, growing by 10 per cent to reach a record high of USD 46.2 trillion, after declining 1.7 per cent in 2011. 

 

As many as one million individuals joined the global HNWI population, which reached 12 million, reflecting an increase of 9.2 per cent. 

 

"HNWI population increases were strong in 2012. However, North America's lead in both population and wealth is likely to be eclipsed again in the future by Asia-Pacific," Capgemini Global Financial Services Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Jean Lassignardie said. 

 

In 2012 North America's population of 3.73 million HNWIs surpassed Asia-Pacific's 3.68 million, while its HNWI wealth reached USD 12.7 trillion, above the USD 12.0 trillion in the Asia-Pacific. 

 

However, in terms of overall wealth growth rate ,Asia -Pacific actually had a higher rate at 12.2 per cent, compared to North America's 11.7 per cent. 

 

Among the Asia Pacific countries, Hong Kong experienced a 35.7 per cent increase in its HNWIs population, followed by India, with 22.2 per cent growth. 

 

The growth in number of HNWIs in India was attributed to positive trends in equity market capitalisation, gross national income, consumption and real estate. 

 

In Asia-Pacific, equity markets responded well to aggressive monetary policy moves. In India, reform measures and monetary easing helped equity markets gain by 23.9 per cent, while strong exports in South Korea partly contributed to a 20.2 per cent gain there. 

 

Going forward the future outlook looks cautiously upbeat, led by Asia-Pacific. 

 

According to the report, global HNWI wealth is forecast to grow by 6.5 per cent annually over the next three years with the Asia-Pacific region projected to grow at one and a half times the global average at 9.8 per cent and is expected to lead global growth. 

 

"Despite a marked focus on capital preservation and high cash allocations, high net worth individuals achieved a record level of wealth in 2012, suggesting further growth lies ahead if trust and confidence in the markets increase further," said M George Lewis, Group Head, RBC Wealth Management & RBC Insurance. 

 

Meanwhile, according to the report, art market continued its recovery with strong growth in emerging markets especially China, Brazil and UAE. 

 

But the same cannot be said about India as it is still at an earlier, more nascent stage in terms of art buying, with HNWIs not yet allocating much of their portfolio into art compared to other emerging markets, the report said.