Month: May 2021

Kia drives in refreshed Seltos, Sonet with various new features

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Automaker Kia India on Saturday said it has launched refreshed versions of its Seltos and Sonet in the country with various new features and technologies. The Seltos range is priced between Rs 9.95 lakh and Rs 17.65 lakh while the Sonet is tagged between Rs 6.79 lakh and Rs 13.25 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The refreshed versions of the two models now come with multiple new features; also, many existing features from higher variants are now being extended to lower variants, Kia India said in a statement. The company has also introduced Paddle Shifters in both Seltos and Sonet, it added.

Kia has also announced the debut of the iMT technology on the refreshed Seltos, which is going to be segment-first, and will be available in the 1.5 Petrol HTK+ variant, the automaker said. Looking at the market demand, the company said it has also introduced yet another premium variant on the refreshed Seltos 1.4T-GDI Petrol GTX (O).

In case of refreshed Sonet, the most popular HTX trim will now be available with automatic options HTX 7DCT (1.0T-GDI Petrol) and HTX 6AT (1.5 Diesel), it added.

Kia noted that the refreshed Seltos and Sonet now come with 17 and 10 new enhancements, respectively. Earlier this week, the automaker introduced its new brand positioning in India with focus on transitioning from being just a carmaker to a provider of advanced and eco-friendly mobility solutions.

The company, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of South Korea’s Kia Corporation, introduced a refashioned logo and brand slogan as part of the new brand unveiling.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Finance ministry releases 1st instalment worth Rs 8,873 crore of SDRF to states

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Finance Ministry on Saturday said it has released in advance to the states the first instalment worth Rs 8,873.6 crore of the state disaster response fund (SDRF) for the current fiscal. Up to 50 per cent of the amount released, which is Rs 4436.8 crore, can be used by the states for COVID-19 containment measures.

Normally, the first instalment of SDRF is released in the month of June as per the recommendations of the Finance Commission. ”However, in relaxation of normal procedure, not only has the release of SDRF been advanced, the amount has also been released without waiting for the utilisation certificate of the amount provided to the states in the last financial year,” the ministry said in a statement.

As a special dispensation, the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, at the recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs has released in advance of the normal schedule the 1stinstalment of the Central Share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the year 2021-22 to all the states. An amount of Rs 8,873.6 crore has been released to the states, it said.

Also Read: India’s daily COVID-19 cases hit 4 lakh

The funds from the SDRF may be used by the states for various measures related to containment of COVID-19 including meeting the cost of oxygen generation and storage plants in hospitals, ventilators, air purifiers, strengthening ambulance services, COVID-19 hospitals, Covid Care Centres, consumables, thermal scanners, personal protective equipment, testing laboratories, testing kits, containment zone, etc.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

RIL ramps up production of medical oxygen; Ambani oversees relief ops

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Reliance Industries on Saturday said that it has ramped up the production of medical-grade oxygen from zero to 1000 metric tonnes per day and is providing it free of cost to patients affected by COVID-19.

 RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani is monitoring the scaling up of oxygen production. He has been at Jamnagar since the start of the week to personally oversee the pandemic-related operations.

The production is happening at Reliance’s refinery-cum-petrochemical complex in Jamnagar and other facilities, the company said in a statement. The company has halted its other production so as to provide oxygen to COVID-stricken patients.

With a daily capacity of 1000 MT, RIL now accounts for roughly 11 percent of medical-grade oxygen in the country and is providing oxygen to one in ten patients.

The company said that in April, it provided 15,000 MT of medical grade oxygen free of cost, which has helped in treating 1.5 million patients.

“Reliance airlifted 24 ISO containers for transporting oxygen – creating an additional 500 MT of transportation capacity for India. Sincere thanks to ARAMCO, BP, and IAF for their help in sourcing and transportation. More ISO containers are being air freighted over the next few days,” the company said in a statement.

The ramp-up of oxygen supply is the latest in the series of efforts by RIL to help the government in its war against COVID-19.

Earlier this week, responding to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s request, RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani directed the company officials to build a 1,000-bed COVID-19 hospital with oxygen in Jamnagar.

The equipment and ancillary facilities will be set up by RIL for the hospital, which will serve the COVID-19 patients from Jamnagar and other adjoining districts in the state’s Saurashtra region.

Before that, RIL scaled up its operations to address the growing need of COVID management in Mumbai and said that it will manage 875 beds for COVID patients in the city.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Dr Fauci suggests lockdown for few weeks and mass vaccination for India

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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An “immediate” lockdown for a “few weeks” and mass vaccination could bring India out of this desperate situation of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Anthony S Fauci, chief medical advisor to the Biden administration, said in an exclusive interview to the Indian Express on Friday.

Dr Fauci, who has worked with seven US Presidents, feels a complete shutdown will put an end to the cycle of COVId-19 transmissions and provide a window for India to take ‘immediate, intermediate and long range’ steps out of this “very difficult” situation, the report mentioned.

Avoiding any sort of criticism of India’s handling of the situation, being a public health expert, he wondered if India has “put together a crisis group” that would start getting things organised and plan how to get oxygen, and medications.

“I would think that you’ve got to get some sort of a commission, or an emergency group to make a plan how to get oxygen; how do we get supplies; how do we get medications and call — maybe with help from WHO — countries,” Dr Fauci said.

As far as the intermediate steps are concerned, he gave an example of China, how it built “emergency units that served as hospitals” within a few weeks. Then he suggested mobilising the military, the way the United States has used its National Guard to help distribute the vaccines, as the prevailing crisis is a war-like emergency. The military can put up field hospitals that they build during the war, Dr Fauci suggested.

And, finally, in the longer range, he suggested getting as many people vaccinated in a couple of weeks. He was also concerned about the rate of vaccination at just 2 percent of the total population.

Dr Fauci cautioned, “vaccinating people right now” is not going to alleviate the immediate problem because it’s going to be a few weeks before the vaccine starts preventing the disease.

For covering the huge population of India, he advised India to approach multiple vaccine manufacturers for contractual arrangements to get vaccines as quickly as possible.

The US has promised medications, oxygen, PPE, and ventilators to India.

Meanwhile, daily cases in India crossed 4 lakh on Friday. The country recorded 69 lakh new infections in the month of April alone, the highest for any month in the world so far, according to the latest government data.

Follow our live blog for more updates on COVID-19

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

IPL 2021: Struggling RR and SRH seek revival in match against each other

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Their campaign in complete shambles, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad square off on Sunday trying to find some form and consistency going into the second phase of the Indian Premier League. The Royals have won two out of their six matches so far while the Sunrisers have one victory from six games. No wonder, RR is placed seventh while SRH occupied the bottom slot in the IPL table.

The Sanju Samson-led RR lacked consistency. They notched up their first win in their second game and lost their next two matches before winning again — against a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders. In their last match against Mumbai Indians, the top-order did a decent job to put up 171 for 4 but their bowling let them down with all of them leaking runs and allowing MI batsmen score freely to lose by seven wickets with nine balls to spare.

RR have a lot of issues to sort out, particularly in the absence of key foreign players like Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes. Their batting depends heavily on Samson but the inconsistent captain has not fired since the 119 in the opening match with 42 being the highest after that. Opener Jos Buttler is yet to score a half-century in six matches.

The middle-order is struggling with David Miller having scored just one-half century in five games while Riyan Parag is out-of-form with 25 as his highest. In the bowling department, million-dollar recruit Chris Morris has been doing a great job with 11 wickets from six matches but he cannot single-handedly carry the team on his shoulders as his teammates are struggling.

Rahul Tewatia is doing nothing with just one wickets from six matches. Senior pacer Jaydev Unadkat has four wickets to show in as many games while Bangladesh import Mustafizur Rahman has taken five from six matches. Young Chetan Sakariya has been Royals’ find with seven wickets from six matches.

SRH are coming into Sunday’s match after losing their last two matches, though they were unlucky to suffer defeat in the Super Over against Delhi Capitals.

They also rely heavily on the top-four of captain David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, and Kane Williamson but rarely they fired together and that is the concern as they do not have much batting in the middle order. Warner has two half-centuries but he is yet to score a big one. The same is for Bairstow while Williamson has played in just three matches with 66 not out as his highest. The Kiwi batsman and Pandey, who has two half-centuries in four matches, hold the key for SRH if their openers fail to give good starts.

the poor quality of Indian talent has also been SunRisers’ bane. In the bowling department, a lot depends on Afghan spinner Rashid Khan and he has been doing a decent job if not excellent, with nine wickets from six matches. But the problem is he is not getting enough support from his bowling colleagues.

Senior India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar struggled with just three wickets from four matches and he did not play in SRH’s last two matches. He again suffered a thigh strain against Punjab Kings.

The Teams (From):

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Sreevats Goswami (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman.

Match Starts at 3:30 pm.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

MG Motor retails 2,565 units in April

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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MG Motor India on Saturday said its retail sales last month stood at 2,565 units. The automaker, which has shut manufacturing operations for seven days to conserve industrial oxygen so that it can be diverted to the healthcare segment, had zero sales last April due to the coronavirus-led nationwide lockdown.

The automaker noted that its production and vehicle dispatches to dealers last month was significantly higher than retail sales, with the carmaker currently having an order backlog of over three months across its product lines.

The carmaker said it is currently left with no stock at its Gujarat plant. ”Going forward, the carmaker does not see any deterioration in demand. However, supply-chain constraints would continue in the month of May 2021. The production will be impacted by the shortage of semiconductor chips globally and the limitation in working hours due to curfews and lockdowns in various parts of the country,” MG Motor said.

With the second wave of COVID-19 leading to a surge in infections, the company has joined hands with Vadodara-based Devnandan Gases to help it increase production of oxygen for medical usage. ”In these times, our efforts are directed towards keeping people safe and maximising service to the communities,” MG Motor India President and Managing Director Rajeev Chaba said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Sitar maestro Pandit Debu Chaudhuri dies of Covid related complications

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Sitar maestro Pandit Debu Chaudhuri died of Covid related complications at a Delhi hospital on Saturday, his son Prateek Chaudhuri said. He was 85. Prateek announced the death of his father, formally known as Devbrata Chaudhuri, on his official Facebook page.

”My Father, The Legend of Sitar, Pandit Debu Chaudhuri… is no more. He was admitted with Covid along with dementia complications and was put in ICU on ventilator around midnight today.( 1st May 2021)..after which he suffered a heart attack and could not be revived ….. In spite of all efforts and prayers he could not be saved,” Prateek wrote. The musician is survived by his son Prateek, daughter-in-law Runa and grandchildren Rayana and Adhiraj.

An SOS message about his critical condition was posted on Twitter. Following the message by his followers, Chaudhuri was admitted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. He was later shifted to an ICU but his condition worsened.

The sitarist, considered among the greatest sitar players alongside Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ravi Shankar, and Nikhil Banerjee, belonged to Jaipur’s Senia Gharana of music started by the descendants of Tansen’s family and known for working towards preserving the purity of ragas. Chaudhuri had been awarded the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri.

He was also a teacher and writer, penning six books and composing many new ragas. A disciple of Mushtaq Ali Khan, he was born in 1935 in Mymensingh (now in Bangladesh). Like most of India’s classical music greats, he started his training when he was young, just four.

The world of Indian classical music has lost two of its greats to COVID-19 in less than a week. On April 25, Hindustani vocalist Pandit Rajan Mishra died of COVID-related complications and in search of better health facilities at a Delhi hospital.

Mourning Chaudhuri’s death, musician Niladri Kumar said, ”Another sad news of the demise of sitar maestro Pandit Debu Chaudhuri ji to Covid and its complications. May his legacy continue through his son and disciples and we pray for the peaceful onward journey of his soul. Om Shanti.”

Also Read: At least 18 COVID-19 patients die in hospital fire in Gujarat’s Bharuch: Report

On April 28, around 4 pm, Chaudhuri’s acquaintance Pavan Jha put out a call for help on Twitter saying, ”Urgent, Call for help #Delhi. Padmabhushan sitarist Pandit Debu Chaudhuri (85) is critical. He immediately needs an oxygen cylinder with oxygen fittings and oxygen concentrator at Chittaranjan Park, New Delhi.” He later updated that Chaudhuri was on his way to GTBH following efforts by bureaucrat Nirupama Kotru and actor Bhumi Pednekar who arranged an ambulance for the sitarist.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

PM Modi wishes Maha, Gujarat success in fight against COVID on statehood day

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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On the statehood day of Gujarat and Maharashtra on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the two states success in their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and good health for their people.

While Maharashtra has been hit hardest by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gujarat has also been seriously affected by it like many other states of the country.

Modi tweeted, ”Today, Gujarat and Maharashtra mark their Statehood Days. Both states are home to outstanding people, who have made landmark contributions to national growth. May these states fight COVID-19 successfully and may the people of these states be blessed with good health.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Toyota Kirloskar sells 9,622 units in April

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) on Saturday said its dispatches to the dealers last month stood at 9,622 units. The maker of Innova Crysta and Fortuner had reported zero sales in April last year owing to the nationwide lockdown announced by the government to check the spread of COVID-19.

”Despite the challenges, we continue to witness good demand owing to personal mobility needs and the same has helped us clock 9,22 units of wholesales in the month of April 2021,” TKM Senior Vice President Naveen Soni said in a statement. The company has been able to partially fulfill pending orders by making use of the pipeline finished goods inventory, so as to ensure minimal discomfort to customers, he added.

However, lockdown in different parts of the country has enhanced the gap between wholesale and retail, Soni noted. ”Also, sporadic lockdowns impacting different states and cities for varying durations have increased logistical challenges to supply the right vehicle to the right dealership and at the right time. We are trying our best to work around such logistical challenges so as to be able to meet customer requirements at the earliest,” he added.

The company’s prime responsibility at the moment is to secure the health of its employees, their families and other stakeholders, Soni said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Jet fuel price up 6.7%; petrol, diesel price hike coming soon

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Jet fuel price on Saturday was hiked by steep 6.7 percent, reversing price cuts of last month, while an increase in petrol and diesel prices may be on the anvil as international prices firmed up.

Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price was increased by Rs 3,885 per kilolitre (kl), or 6.7 percent, to Rs 61,690.28 per kl in the national capital, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

Rates vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local taxes. The increase in price comes after two rounds of reduction last month. Prices were cut by 3 percent on April 1 and then again by Rs 568.88 per kl (1 per cent) on April 16.

Meanwhile, petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged for the 16th day on Saturday but oil company officials indicated an increase in rates in near term. Despite the concerns about rising Covid-19 cases in India denting demand, crude oil prices in the international market continue to rise on account of strong US demand recovery and a weak dollar.

”Prices have been on a continuous uptrend for last 4 days (since April 27),” an official said adding Dubai crude oil price has risen USD 2.91 per barrel. It is expected that the crude oil prices in the international market will remain firm in the near future, exerting upward pressure, officials said.

State-owned fuel retailers, IOC, BPCL and HPCL, who are supposed to revise rates daily based on input cost, froze rates after a marginal reduction in prices on April 15. This came as electioneering in West Bengal peaked. Petrol now costs Rs 90.40 per litre in Delhi, while a litre of diesel comes for Rs 80.73.

The April 15 cut of 16 paise a litre on petrol and 14 paise on diesel was the fourth reduction since March 24. In four reductions since March 24, petrol price was cut by 67 paise and diesel by 74 paise. This reduction compared with a Rs 21.58 per litre increase in price of petrol since the government raised excise duty in March last year. Diesel prices had increased by Rs 19.18 a litre.

While petrol and diesel prices are revised on a daily basis, ATF rates are revised on the 1st and 16th of every month. Central and state taxes make up for 60 per cent of the retail selling price of petrol and over 54 per cent of diesel. The union government levies Rs 32.90 per litre of excise duty on petrol and Rs 31.80 on diesel.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow