Mehrauli murder: Accused Poonawala taken to forensic lab to record voice sample

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

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Mehrauli murder accused Aaftab Amin Poonawala was on Monday taken to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory here to record his voice sample after police came across an audio clip in which he was purportedly heard fighting with Shraddha Walkar.

According to sources, police came across the audio recording of a purported heated argument between Walkar and Poonawala while investigating the murder case.

The accused, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, was taken to the CFSL to record his voice sample and check if it matches with the male voice in the clip, they said.

The sources also said the investigating team has got a purported video of the duo in which Poonawala is allegedly seen being counselled. This purported video was shot in Mumbai.

Also read: Aftab Amin Poonawala confesses murdering Shraddha Walkar during polygraph test

So the investigating team is also in the process of getting Poonawala’s face recognition test done. During the process, Poonawala’s 3D image will be taken. This is being done to ensure that he cannot deny his presence in the purported video, they added.

Poonawala allegedly strangled his live-in partner Walkar, 27, and sawed her body into 35 pieces, which he kept in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at his Mehrauli residence, before dumping those across the city over several days.

The accused was arrested on November 12, and a court in New Delhi on Friday extended his judicial custody by 14 days.

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

COVID-19 mock drills across India today — Here’s what to expect

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

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As some flyers test positive for COVID-19 on arrival in India, the Centre and states are preparing for mock drills today, December 27, to check COVID-19 preparedness at all hospitals. While four foreign nationals tested positive for the virus at Gaya Airport, China returnees tested positive in Agra and Bengaluru.

In the wake of these cases, the government has advised states and Union Territories to undertake mock drills at health facilities to ensure readiness of infrastructure. “The objective of this exercise is to ensure operational readiness of these facilities for management of COVID-19,” the official letter read.

ALSO READ | COVID-19: Masks mandatory in Karnataka pubs, restaurants, New Year celebrations to end before 1 am

During the drills, special focus will be laid on oxygen plants, ventilators, logistics, human resources, bed capacities, referral services, testing capacities and medical oxygen.

What else to expect?

1. Skills to be tested: Healthcare workers will be tested for their skills of handling patients with respiratory symptoms, maintaining hygiene — appropriate PPE, frequent hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene.

“Doctors, Nurses, Technicians should undergo knowledge assessment along with skill assessment and if needed the requisite training should be provided to fill the gaps,” the government said in a document.

ALSO READ | What China should have learnt from previous COVID-19 waves

2. The number of visitors at the health facility will be restricted. If visitors have to enter a COVID-19 patient’s room, they should be provided with clear instructions on how to put on and remove PPE kit and on performing hand hygiene before that. This should be supervised by a healthcare worker.

3. This category includes the use of no-touch thermometers, thermal imaging cameras, and limited observation and questioning, all while maintaining a spatial distance of at least 1m.

4. A public health specialist “should be engaged to advise about the reduction of infection in the medical care facility… They will also supervise proper biomedical waste disposal of the healthcare facility.”

The mock drills will be conducted under the guidance of respective district collectors/magistrates “in close consultation with officers of health department of states/UTs.” Later, a “gap assessment” might be done by officials.

India has ramped up testing at airports in the wake of rising COVID-19  cases in other countries, including China, Japan and the US. The government has urged people to wear masks, follow COVID protocols and get vaccinated. While experts have asked citizens not to panic, they have urged them to take caution to curb any future outbreaks.

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

Mother Dairy to hike milk prices by Rs 2 per litre in NCR from Tuesday

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

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Mother Dairy, India’s leading dairy partner, is set to hike milk prices by Rs 2 per litre in Delhi-NCR market with effect from Tuesday due to rise in input costs.

According to a news report by news agency PTI, Mother Dairy will increase the prices of full-cream milk by Rs 2 to Rs 66 per litre, while the toned milk rate has been revised to Rs 53 per litre from Rs 51 per litre. Meanwhile, the double-toned milk rate has been increased to Rs 47 per litre from Rs 45 per litre.

This is the fifth round of increases in milk prices this year by Mother Dairy.
Additionally the prices of cow milk and token (bulk vended) milk variants will not be increased.

The company attributed the price increase to higher costs of procuring raw milk from dairy farmers.

Also read: Your glass of milk becomes costlier by Rs 2 per litre as Amul, Mother Dairy raise prices

“It is an unprecedented year for the dairy industry. We have been witnessing a significant increase in demand of milk and milk products from both consumers and institutions, even after festivals. On the other hand, procurement of raw milk has also not picked up after Diwali as was anticipated,” the company said as reported by PTI.

The procurement prices of raw milk have gone up by about 24 percent over the last year due to higher input costs and heatwave conditions according to Mother Dairy.

Also read: Mother Dairy hikes full-cream milk price by ₹1 per litre; token milk by ₹2 per litre in Delhi-NCR

“This stress on the raw milk prices is being felt across the industry, putting pressure on the consumer prices. In our commitment to continue paying remunerative prices to farmers to ease the impact, we are severely constrained to revise consumer prices of select variants of milk in Delhi NCR effective from December 27, 2022,” Mother Dairy said.

Several rounds of price increases have been taken by the company in the current calendar year. Last month, the company increased full-cream milk prices in Delhi-NCR by 1 rupee per litre and token milk prices by 2 rupees per litre.

In October, Mother Dairy increased full-cream milk prices in Delhi-NCR and some other markets in North India by Rs 2 per litre. For all variants, rates were raised in March and August by Rs 2.

Also read: Amul to Mother Dairy – these dairies have hiked milk prices in India, some multiple times

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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

PLI scheme for textiles attracts Rs 1,536 cr in investments: Govt

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

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The Rs 10,683-crore production-linked incentive scheme for India’s textiles sector attracted investments of Rs 1,536 crore as approval letters were issued to 56 applicants who met the eligibility criteria, the government said on Monday.

Applications under the PLI Scheme for textiles were received through a web portal from January 1, 2022, to February 28, 2022.

The Centre launched the PLI Scheme with an approved outlay of Rs 10,683 crore to promote the production of MMF apparel, MMF fabrics and Products of Technical Textiles in the country to enable the textiles industry to achieve size and scale and to become competitive.

Also read: India has potential of becoming second-largest silk exporter in the world, says minister

“Selection Committee chaired by Secretary (Textiles) has selected 64 applicants under the scheme. 56 applicants have completed the mandatory criteria for the formation of a new company and approval letters have been issued to them. Investment to the tune of Rs 1,536 crore has been made so far,” an official statement said.

The ministry said that domestic cotton cultivation has increased by 5 per cent to 125.02 lakh hectares as against 119.10 lakh hectares during last year, and a brand named ‘Kasturi Cotton India’ for Indian cotton has been launched to encourage mechanized harvesting of cotton, improving its quality of cotton and reduce labour cost.

Also read: Piyush Goyal: Indian textile sector will gain if duty-free access is given to UK market

Besides, 74 research proposals amounting to Rs 232 crore have been approved under National Technical Textile Mission (NTTM) for speciality fibre and technical textiles, the Textiles Ministry stated in the year-end review for the segment.

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

Sensex and Nifty snap four-day losing streak

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

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Indian equity benchmarks NSE Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex ended higher on Monday, breaking a four day losing streak. The headline indices rose nearly three percent. Nifty reclaimed 18,000 mark. Broader market indices mirrored gains in headline indices. Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 ended 2.7 percent and 3.8 percent higher.

The Sensex rose 988.5 points to 60,833.8, before ending at 60,566.4. The Nifty50 moved within a range of 17,774.2-18,084.1 in intraday trade before ending 1.8 percent higher at 18,014.6. Nifty Bank gained 962 points to 42,630 and Midcap index rose 819 points to 30,977.

On the other hand, Cipla, Divi’s, Dr Reddy’s, Nestle and Kotak Bank ended the session with losses.

Catch highlights of December 26 session with CNBCTV18.com’s blog

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

A few senior management, pilots & cabin crew exit Jet Airways amid relaunch uncertainty

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

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Jet Airways’ senior management, cabin crew, and pilots have exited the airline amid its relaunch uncertainty, people in the know of the matter told CNBC-TV18. The senior executives who have exited the airline include heads of engineering and human resources.

Jet Airways CEO and CFO remain on reduced pay, while Jet Airways’ vice-president of in-flight services has been sent on leave without pay, the sources added.

Some managerial staff are also on leave without pay, and those whose salary was cut have quit, while some mid-senior level employees are about the join other airlines, the sources said.

The impasse between Jet Airways’ lenders and the Jalan-Kalrock consortium continues, with both sides approaching courts seeking action.  Earlier this month, the JKC  moved the NCLT to seek a transfer of ownership of the airline.

Meanwhile, in a separate appeal, the lenders moved the NCLAT, urging the tribunal to expunge its observations in an order passed on October 21. The NCLAT had observed that the Jalan-Kalrock consortium had met the conditions precedent committed in the resolution plan.

Last month, the Jet Airways Cabin Crew Association (JACCA) moved the NCLAT seeking liquidation of Jet Airways’ assets after the consortium defaulted on payments committed in the Resolution Plan.

The news of the pay cuts and leaves without pay came in last month as the JKC, which won the bid to resurrect the airline,  was forced to take drastic cost-cutting measures. These included pay cuts and Leave Without Pay for many of the 230 employees.

The airline’s CEO Sanjiv Kapoor told CNBC-TV18 that while some employees have taken temporary pay cuts, some have been sent on temporary Leave Without Pay (LWP).

Separately in a tweet, Kapoor said that two-thirds of the staff was not impacted at all, and most of the remaining ones would be on temporary pay reduction. He had said only a small portion of the total (10 percent) would be on temporary leave without pay and added that no staffer had been let go.

Also Read: DGCA proposes full refunds and free flight in next class for flyers of downgraded air tickets

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

Karnataka: CM to visit Delhi to discuss cabinet expansion, poll preparations with BJP high command

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

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Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said he will be travelling to New Delhi later in the day to discuss with the BJP’s national leadership cabinet expansion and preparations for the 2023 Assembly polls.

He did not rule out the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle, maintaining that things will be known after the meeting.

“I’m going to Delhi today afternoon, the last time when I had gone to Delhi certain discussions were incomplete, today the meeting has been scheduled. Our (BJP) national President (J P Nadda) has called this meeting, all our senior leaders will be participating in that meeting, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” Bommai said.

Also read: Bommai speaks to Amit Shah over border row, Centre to call Karnataka & Maha CMs meeting next week

Speaking to reporters here, he said several issues from election preparations to cabinet expansion will be discussed.

Responding to a question on whether it will it be a cabinet expansion or reshuffle, the Chief Minister said all those things will be known only after the discussions.

He said he will also have talks with certain central Ministers during the visit, regarding state related projects, and will try to meet the union water resources Minister.

Bommai had earlier indicated that the cabinet exercise is likely after the Gujarat Assembly polls.

The Chief Minister has been under intense pressure for some time now, over expansion and rejig of the Cabinet not taking place, to make way for the fresh faces, ahead of Assembly elections by April-May next year.

There were some reports of possible cabinet expansion by filling six vacant posts or a kind of a rejig by dropping a few and inducting an equal number of new faces.

There were also talk in some quarters that a Gujarat-like complete top to bottom overhaul of the state ministry may take place. Many aspirants feel it is “too late now” with polls fast approaching.

It is also expected that the Chief Minister is likely to discuss reservation related issues in the state, with the party leadership.

Also read: Explained | How quota politics is playing out in Karnataka election 2023 runup

Bommai has to first ensure legal protection to his government’s decision of hiking the SC/ST quota, which has taken the total reservation in Karnataka to 56 per cent, exceeding the 50 per cent cap, by bringing it under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

Further, Panchamasali Lingayats are mounting pressure on him to put them under Category 2A from Category 3B of OBC reservation matrix. Then, there is pressure to implement internal quotas for SC/STs.

Also, Vokkaligas are putting pressure on Bommai to hike their quota from 4 to 12 per cent.

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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

Fintech firm Money View raises $75 million in Series E, new funding round led by Apis Partners

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

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Money View, a Bengaluru-based fintech company, on Monday, announced that it had raised $75 million in its ongoing Series E funding led by Apis Partners, a UK-based asset manager that supports growth-stage financial services and financial infrastructure businesses, along with participation from Tiger Global, Winter Capital and Evolvence. The company is now said to be valued at $900 million.

Founded in 2014, Money View is an online financial services platform providing personalised credit products and personal financial management solutions. The company is currently operating at an annualised disbursal run rate of $1.2 billion and is presently managing AUMs of over $800 million.

The company said that the proceeds of this capital raise will be used as growth capital to scale the core credit business, grow the team, and expand its product portfolio with services such as digital bank accounts, insurance, and wealth management solutions.

Also Read: Fund raise down 35% YoY as per Tracxn report; CommerceIQ’s India foray

On securing the funding, Puneet Agarwal, CEO of Money View said, “Our performance and growth over the past two years has allowed us to drive our mission of true financial inclusion in India with great success. We are thrilled to have Apis Partners join us in our journey and with their support, we look forward to becoming India’s leading online credit platform with innovative and holistic financial solutions.”

“We are delighted to announce our investment with Money View, and it has been a real pleasure working with Puneet, Sanjay and their talented team throughout the process. Money View has achieved great success already, with their credit products democratising the access for millions of customers in India, and we are truly excited to partner with the company at this stage of its journey” said Matteo Stefanel, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Apis Partners.

“Money View is one of the most innovative and successful digital credit businesses across our markets and the company has attained market leadership in India while delivering high profitability and a strong focus on ESGI principles. Money View’s strong track record speaks for itself, and we are confident that we will be able to celebrate more successes with the company in the coming months and years”  said Udayan Goyal, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Apis Partners.

The Raine Group is acting as the exclusive financial advisor to Money View for its Series E financing round.

Also Read: Stride Ventures invests Rs 75 crore in Battery Smart; Continues foray into EV sector

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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

HNIs buy Finolex Cables while Dish TV gains after seven sessions: What kept dealers busy this Monday?

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

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Shares of Finolex Cables gained for the first time after a six-day drop on Monday. The stock ended with gains of over 5 percent. The stock had corrected 13 percent during the six-session drop.

Sources within the dealing rooms tell CNBC-TV18 that the stock has been seen buying interest from High Networth Individuals (HNIs) on Monday. Dealers suggest that settlement of the family tussle will be a key monitorable for the stock.

With Monday’s gain, the stock has turned flat for the year, erasing all of its losses.

Some Relief

Benchmark indices ended higher after a four-day correction. The Benchmark indices ended with gains of as much as 3 percent. The Nifty 50 ended above the mark of 18,000 led mainly by financials. The PSU Bank index gained as much as 7.6 percent on Monday.

Dealers are calling this a pullback move from oversold levels. As the year draws to a close, flows are muted from foreign investors while domestic funds are selective buyers, according to dealers.

As mentioned, financials and broader markets saw a swift recovery after a brutal sell-off last week.

Dealers now see upside resistance for the Nifty 50 at levels of 18,200.

Besides Finolex Cables, here are some other stocks that have been part of the dealing room chatter today:

Dish TV: Shares of the cable and satellite network provider ended higher for the first time in eight trading sessions on Monday. The stock has gained only twice in the last 14 trading sessions. The last 14 trading sessions have seen the stock correct more than 20 percent. Dealers indicate that the stock was under pressure recently as a leading lender was a seller of the company’s shares. Based on the September quarter shareholding pattern, Yes Bank holds close to 25 percent stake in the company.

Adani Ports: Shares of the Adani group company ended higher after declining for four days in a row. The stock had seen its second-biggest single-day drop of 2022 on Friday, when it declined 7.3 percent. Shares ended with gains of close to 1.5 percent. Dealers indicate that institutional investors have been buyers in the stock on Monday.

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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