11th SEPTEMBER 2014

The ambitious Telangana State Drinking Water Grid (TSDWG) would become operational in 48 months, according to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Mr. Rao on Wednesday spent over two hours with engineers of the Rural Water Supply and Panchayat Raj department at the end of which they swore to get the proposed water grid up and running in a timeframe of 42 to 48 months.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is open for a dialogue with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, which devolves more powers to provinces in the island nation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the relief operations in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday night and sought priority for supply of essential commodities. At an emergency meeting, Mr. Modi said the Centre should provide full support to the State Administration. Irate people, meanwhile, attacked an NDRF jawan during relief operations.

Going full throttle on the first day of prosecuting women two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets, the Delhi Traffic Police issued challans to more than 5,000 women in different parts of the Capital on Wednesday. While most of the women who were challaned had no idea that helmets have been made mandatory, others just seemed careless.

Thousands of rare and original palm-leaf and paper manuscripts at the Government Oriental Manuscripts Library here will soon be available to the public at the click of a mouse. The 72,300 manuscripts, providing a deep insight into subjects as varied as the Vedas, the Agama Sastra, architecture and mathematics, are being digitised as part of a Tamil Nadu government initiative to preserve the intellectual heritage of the State. The digitised manuscripts will be hosted on the website of the Archaeology Department, which too is being modernised.

Hundreds of people on Wednesday paid their last respects to Nazrul Sangeet legend Firoza Begum who died here on Tuesday at the age of 84. The body of the eminent singer, who had mesmerised Bengalis with her voice for seven decades, was brought to the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital where people from all walks of life paid homage. The singer had been ailing for a long time.

Columbia Asia, pursuing a strategy to create clusters of hospitals in large urban areas, on Wednesday, said it planned to invest $150 million to expand its network to 34 hospitals and one clinic by 2018. No other healthcare provider in Asia has hospitals in as many countries operating under a single brand,” said John Northen, CEO of the Columbia Asia group of companies.

The government, on Wednesday, approved Rs.950-crore project for developing the coffee sector in the XII Plan, with an aim to increase production and exports of the commodity. The Integrated Coffee Development Project (ICDP) is based on the recommendations by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC).

Vijayan Rajes has been elected President of United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) for 2014-15. Mr. Vijayan owns MSP Plantations, Yercaud, and has been serving on the Executive Committee of UPASI since 2002-03. N. Dharmaraj has been elected Vice-President, an UPASI release said.

Senior IAS officer Subhash Chandra Garg was on Wednesday appointed as Executive Director in World Bank. Mr. Garg, a 1983-batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, will have a tenure of 3 years from the date of assuming charge of the post, said an order issued by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet.

Microsoft is in talks to buy the Swedish company behind the wildly popular Minecraft video game in a deal valued at more than $2 billion, The Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday. U.S. technology colossus Microsoft and game maker Mojang AB were not commenting on the report, which was based on an undisclosed source purported to be privy to developments.

The Tata group has pulled out from managing a luxury hotel in Morocco. A company news release said its group company Indian Hotels had pulled out from managing Taj Palace Marrakech in Morocco with effect from Wednesday.

Professional services firm KPMG, on Wednesday, said its Deputy Chief Executive Dinesh Kanabar had decided to quit to pursue entrepreneurial goals. “It is time for me to make time for myself and my family. I will be moving out to start my own venture,” Mr. Kanabar said in a statement issued by KPMG. He will be leaving the company by the end of October this year, the statement said. 

U.S.-based burger chain Carl’s Jr, on Wednesday, said it was entering India through a franchise partnership with CybizCorp. “CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc, parent company of Carl’s Jr, today signed a development agreement with India’s Cybiz BrightStar Restaurants Pvt Ltd,” the company said in a statement. The company said the initial agreement was to open up to 100 Carl’s Jr outlets. However, it did not elaborate by when it plans to open the 100 outlets

Side-stepping a Commerce Ministry investigation, the Finance Ministry did not notify its recommended anti-dumping duty on imports of solar panels from four countries, including the U.S. and China. Owing to the Finance Ministry’s inaction, the window that was available to India for slapping these restrictive duties aimed at protecting the struggling domestic industry has lapsed

World boxing governing body AIBA will monitor the elections to choose office-bearers for Boxing India on Thursday, via Cliodhna Guy, Legal Committee member, and Kishen Narsi, former Executive Council member.