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Fiscal measures will cool inflation: Montek
New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI) Describing the fiscal initiatives taken by the government to contain prices as "bold measures", Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said they will cool down inflation.
"So far as measures are concerned they are bold measures. They are not little bits of things and I think they will have an impact (on inflation)", he told the media persons on the sidelines of a conference to release the report of the High-Level Group on Services Sector.
The government has taken a host of initiatives, including scrapping of duty on various edible oils and banning import of non-basmati rice and pulses to contain inflation which increased to 6.68 per cent for the week ended March 15, much above the Reserve Bank's target of 5 per cent.
Pointing out that the steps taken by the government were "the right measures to take", Ahluwalia said the prices of edible oils have started coming down. "I am very certain that we will be able to bring it under control", he added.
Pointing out that inflation was a global problem and not an India specific problem, the Planning Commission Deputy chief said, "Every country in the world is facing an upsurge in the inflation. Chinese inflation is about 9 per cent much worse than ours. We should recognise that this is an global phenomenon not an easy one." Inflation was a matter of continuous monitoring and the Finance Ministry was looking at it closely, he said adding "We should not be looking for day-to-day responses." PTI
Karnataka to have three-phased assembly polls
New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI) Karnataka will have three-phased assembly elections on May 10, 16 and 22 that will require extension of the President's rule by a short spell.
Counting of votes in the elections to the 224-member House would take place on May 25, Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy said at a press conference announcing the election schedule for the state which will be first to have polls after the delimitation exercise in the country.
Extension of President's rule, which expires on May 19, will become necessary, he said in reply to a question. The assembly was dissolved on November 28 last year, eight days after President's rule was imposed following political instability. The new assembly has to be constituted before May 28.
Parliament, which is in recess, is expected to take up the extension of President's rule when it resumes the Budget session later this month.
The notification for the first phase of polls for 89 constituencies will be issued on April 16. The last date for filing nominations would be on April 23 and the last date for scrutiny of nominations would take place the next day. Last date for withdrawal of candidatures would be on April 26.
Notifications for the second phase of polls for 66 seats Would be issued on April 22. The last date for filing nominations, scrutiny and withdrawal would take place on April 29, 30 and May two respectively.
Notifications for the third phase of polling for 69 seats would be issued on April 26 and the last date for filing candidatures, scrutiny and withdrawal would take place on May three, five and seven respectively. PTI
BKU leader Tikait surrenders before Bijnore court
Bijnore (U.P), Apr 2 (PTI) BKU leader Mahendra Singh Tikait, accused of making casteist remarks against UP Chief Minister Mayawati, today surrendered before a court here and moved an application for bail.
Tikait, who reached here from Muzaffarnagar, surrendered before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Brajendra Kumar Tyagi, who forwarded the case under Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to district judge Subhash Chander Aggarwal on the ground that it was beyond his powers to hear it.
Aggarwal in turn referred the matter to Additional District Judge Shambhu Sharan Mishra, who has reserved its orders on the bail application. PTI
Delhi Police seek custody of top SIMI leader Nagori
New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI) Keen to know SIMI network in the capital, Delhi Police will seek the custody of a top leader of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), who was arrested in Indore a week ago, in connection with a 2001 case of inciting Muslims against the government.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police will move the Indore court in a fortnight's time seeking the custody of SIMI general secretary Safdar Nagori, who escaped from Delhi Police net seven years ago during a crackdown.
"We have decided to seek the custody of Nagori and will move an application in a Indore court very soon," Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnal Singh told PTI.
Nagori, who was arrested along with 12 other top leaders of SIMI on March 27 along with huge cache of weapons, is wanted here in connection with "publishing and distributing pamphlets inciting Muslims to fight against government".
One of the influential SIMI leaders, Nagori managed to escape in September 2001 when Delhi Police personnel raided its office in Zakir Nagar in south Delhi soon after the government banned the organisation.
Son of a retired assistant sub-inspector, he was holding a meeting then at the office at the time of raid and was underground since then.
A senior police official said they will move the Indore court soon after Madhya Pradesh sleuths complete their interrogation of Nagori.
"We will seek at least 10 days custody for the SIMI leader and hope to complete the procedure in next 20 days," the official said, adding police will try to elicit information from him regarding the SIMI network in the city.
Nagori's brother Kamruddin, chief of its operations in Andhra Pradesh, was also arrested along with him. PTI
Pak govt backs Akhtar, pacer vows to fight against ban
Islamabad, Apr 2 (PTI) Banned for five years for bringing cricket into disrepute, Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar today found support from the country's new government even as he vowed to challenge the Cricket Board's verdict.
Akhtar described the ban as victimisation by the Board and said that he would appeal against the punishment by Friday.
"I have been victimised by the Board. This ban is unacceptable because I have committed no big crime. Even if there was any instance of me being undisciplined, the Board should be clear about it," Akhtar said a day after PCB took the unprecedented action having found the bowler guilty on six charges of code of conduct breaches.
Pakistan's new sports minister Khawaja Asif came out in support of the pacer, saying the PCB should reconsider its decision as the "harsh" punishment would be "unacceptable to the nation".
In an interview with the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), Asif said the Board's move would not go down well with the team either which "needs Shoaib's services".
"This decision of PCB would develop breaches within the team which would ultimately harm cricket," Asif said.
The Board also came under criticism from former captains like Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Rashid Latif and Zaheer Abbas who held it responsible for destroying Pakistan cricket. PTI
We have worked out a few plans for Sehwag: Smith
S S Ramaswamy
Ahmedabad, Apr 2 (PTI) Joining mindgame launched by his coach Micky Arthur, South African captain Graeme Smith today said they have worked out a few plans to contain Indian opener Virender Sehwag in the second Test starting at Motera tomorrow.
"As a team it's important to come up with a game plan. We have the option to bowl short to him (Sehwag). We have worked out a few things (to contain Sehwag). Hopefully, we can execute them well over the next five days," said Smith on the eve of the match at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium.
Arthur had yesterday pointed out some perceived chinks in Sehwag's armour and said the Indian opener was susceptible to short-pitched balls directed at his body.
The visiting team's coach had also praised the Delhi marauder, who played his first pull shot after completing his second career triple ton to join Don Bradman and Brian Lara.
"We had a look at Sehwag's fantastic innings. We saw that he played his first pull shot after scoring 312. He cuts the ball very well. We plan to target him with short balls into his body and cramp him for space and see how he takes it," Arthur had said.
Smith insisted the team was confident to do well here on a wicket, which he described, "looks to be a good one with some grass covering on it".
"We will probably go in with the same team and play only one spinner. We have prepared well and are confident. It's all about us executing our plans right," he said. PTI
ICC representative to meet Lorgat tomorrow: report
New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI) The International Cricket Council has scheduled a meeting tomorrow with South African Haroon Lorgat, a favourite for the job of the world body's CEO after its preferred choice Imtiaz Patel backed out.
A "senior representative", most likely ICC's president-elect David Morgan, will meet with Lorgat in Cape Town.
"I have been asked to make myself available tomorrow (Wednesday) for a possible meeting with a senior ICC representative. However, I am not in a position to discuss the nature and subject of the proposed discussion," Lorgat was quoted as saying by 'Cricinfo'.
ICC resumed its efforts to find a candidate to succeed Malcolm Speed, who steps down in June, following the withdrawal of Imtiaz Patel from the candidature three days ago.
The report said the ICC is keen on taking a final decision regarding the appointment of the new CEO in next 10 days and Lorgat had "99 per cent chance".
Former South Africa wicketkeeper Dave Richardson, who is ICC's general manager, is another candidate in the fray. PTI
Markets come off early highs, Sensex still up 124 pts
Mumbai, Apr 2 (PTI) The markets failed to hold on to significant early gains, but still managed to end the day on a positive note with the benchmark Sensex closing higher by nearly 124 points.
The 30-share index on the Bombay Stock Exchange closed the day at 15,750.40, up 123.78 points from its previous close.
The broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange also gained 14.65 points to close at 4,754.20 from its last close of 4,739.55.
In early trade, the BSE barometer went past the critical 16k level to 16,236.70 points on strong global cues.
Market players said the initial rally was also supported by reports that the government initiated further steps to tackle rising inflation and is likely to ask steel producers to lower prices by about 10 to 20 per cent within a month.
Global markets led by American stocks bounced back with a vengeance, shrugging off the on-going turmoil in the US housing market, a credit crunch and continued worries about a recession in the world's largest economy.
However, a heavy selling onslaught by Foreign Institutional Investors (FII) in the latter part of day chopped off the gains, marketmen said.
Tracking Wall Street rally, Asian indices gained 2.0-4.0 per cent while European markets traded better in early trade.
Heavyweights such as Infosys Tech shot up by 4.26 per cent, Jaiprakash Associates 3.08 per cent, HDFC 4.68 per cent, ICICI Bank 3.65 percent and Bharti Airtel 2.41 per cent.
REL and Tata Steel fell by 4.51 per cent and 3.21 per cent respectively.
The market breadth was positive with 1,765 gainers against 908 losers. PTI
Plan Comm asks govt to divest its stake in public sector banks
New Delhi, Apr 1 (PTI) In a significant move for the banking sector, the Planning Commission today asked the government to reduce its stake in the public sector banks to 33 per cent from the present level of around 70 per cent.
At present, the government has a policy to keep at least 51 per cent majority stake in the public sector banks.
"In the medium term, the ability of these banks (public sector) to raise capital for growth without reducing the government shareholding to less than 51 per cent will be severely constrained," a report of Planning Commission's High Level Group on service sector said.
The Group headed by Planning Commission member Anwarul Hoda, which was constituted last year, submitted its report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today.
The Planning Commission panel also suggested permitting foreign investors to own larger share in insurance companies, detariffing of insurance products subject to appropriate regulation, uniform stamp duty for the debt and security markets and reforms in the pension sector.
The Panel noted that certain key recommendations of the Narasimham Committee on banking reforms remain unimplemented.
"The Narasimham Committee had recommended that the minimum government ownership in these banks be reduced to 33 per cent and the banks should become board-managed companies," it said.
A sub-group of Financial Services, in which ICICI Bank MD and CEO K V Kamath and HDFC Bank MD Aditya Puri were also a member, contributed to this report. PTI
Immigrants contributed to UK economy: Lord Paul
H S Rao
London, Apr 2 (PTI) Expressing strong reservations about a Parliamentary committee's recommendation for an annual cap on immigration, leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul today said that immigrants have made a significant contribution to the British economy.
Lord Paul, a member of the Lords Economic Affairs Committee, said he had strong reservations about the Committee's recommendation that immigration should be measured by the impact on income per head of resident population. He said other peers had doubts about the proposal but had not been in a majority.
"The report does really concentrate on the benefits of immigration per capita, which I don't really agree with myself.
"We have a strong economy, we want a competitive economy and one of the things is that jobs will go to the immigrants. So what, as long as the country is happy with low inflation and a strong economy," he told PTI here.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, during his monthly press conference yesterday, said that the concerns raised were already being tackled by a new points-based system that would allow only highly skilled workers into Britain.
He said that immigration had added six billion pounds to the economy, a substantial boost, noting that most British businesses that have faced labour shortage had benefited from being able to recruit more widely from skilled labour. PTI
Air India to start operations to Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi
Tiruchirapalli, Apr 2 (PTI) Air India Express, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, will soon start its services to Kuala Lumpur and Abu Dhabi from here, a top official has said.
The operations would commence with 737-800 aircraft, National Aviation Company of India Ltd, Tiruchi, Manager R Nadarajan said at a function here last night.
Simultaneously, the airlines would add six additional flights to Dubai in a week.
Speaking on the occasion, S Srikumar, Airport Director, Tiruchi, said, Air Asia -- the Malaysia-based budget airline -- was evincing interest to launch its services from here and had already approached AAI for the necessary approval.
Paramount Airways has plans to operate services between Tiruchi and Chennai and the airline company had already submitted its schedule to AAI. PTI
New Pak govt bares fangs for showdown with Musharraf
Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Apr 2 (PTI) Signalling that it is ready for a showdown with President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's new government has said "extra-constitutional steps" taken by him during emergency rule last year are not part of the Constitution as parliament is yet to endorse them.
"No individual is authorised to amend the constitution and parliament alone can take such an action only with a two-thirds majority," new Law Minister Farooq Naek has said.
Naek said the coalition government led by the PPP is committed to reinstating the judges sacked by Musharraf, including former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, within 30 days of coming to power.
The 30-day countdown for reinstating the deposed judges had begun on March 31, he told reporters.
The constitution had not been amended since 2003 when parliament passed the 17th Amendment to give Musharraf sweeping powers, said Naek, who was earlier the lawyer for slain PPP chief Benazir Bhutto and her widower Asif Ali Zardari.
The Supreme Court formed after the emergency had endorsed the Provisional Constitution Order issued by Musharraf on November 3, 2007 when emergency was imposed without having the authority to do so, Naek told reporters.
Referring to allegations by Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan that conspiracies were being hatched to subvert the reinstatement of the judges, Naek said the lawyers' movement should avoid making such statements and instead trust the government.
The government will deliver some "good news" on the issue of reinstating the judges, he said. PTI
US Speaker Pelosi wants intl monitors in Tibet
Washington, Apr 2 (PTI) Pressing China to open dialogue with the Dalai Lama "for a peaceful outcome" to the Tibet issue, influential Democrat Nancy Pelosi has demanded that Beijing immediately allow independent outside monitors to review the situation in the riot-scarred Himalayan region.
"I myself am personally calling once again on the Chinese government to join, to sustain negotiations with His Holiness for a peaceful outcome to what is happening in Tibet for their autonomy, to immediately have independent outside monitors to review what happened in Tibet," said the Speaker of the House of Representatives who drew Beijing's ire for meeting the Dalai Lama during a visit to India last month.
Pelosi said the trip was planned before March 10 when the most vicious anti-Chinese demonstrations in two decades erupted in Lhasa.
"We planned to visit His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to pay our respects to him, to join in his ongoing call for negotiations with the Chinese government for autonomy for Tibet," she said.
"Again, as the fate would have it, on March 10, the 49th anniversary of the Chinese driving His Holiness the Dalai Lama out of China, the protests there were met by a crackdown of the Chinese government, so we were there at a time when again, it was our fate to be there, and our fate to help," Pelosi said. PTIL
Nepal parties agree to curb poll-related violence
Kathmandu, Apr 2 (PTI) Top leaders of the three major ruling parties in Nepal have signed a 10-point deal to curb rising election-related violence in the country which will go to the polls on April 10.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who heads the Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda and CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal pledged to take action against those involved in activities that would disrupt the forthcoming election to the Constituent Assembly, Nepali Congress sources said.
While agreeing to hold the crucial elections in a free and fair manner, the leaders decided to step up security ahead of the polls and take strong action against culprits irrespective of their party affiliations.
Further, the party chiefs will set up hotlines among them to pass on information of any "anti-poll" activities.
They have also decided to form a mechanism representing all political parties and civil society members in each district to ease the election process and address problems that may crop up during the run up to the polls.
The trio assured that they would instruct their party supporters not to hinder election campaigns of other political parties but work towards a peaceful atmosphere.
During the three-party meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Koirala expressed serious concern over members of the former guerrilla army (PLA) leaving the cantonments, where they have been confined under UN supervision as per a 2006 peace agreement, and taking part in election campaign. PTI
Court summons Sanjay, Manyata on April 15
Mumbai, Apr 1 (PTI) Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt and wife Manyata have been directed by a local court to appear before it on April 15 in connection with an undertrial's application stating the couple's marriage was illegal.
Dutt's lawyer Satish Maneshinde told the court today that the couple did not come as they were not served the summons and so they be exempted today, adding the two will appear on the next date.
Meraj Rehman, an undertrial in custody for sending obscene messages to bollywood actresses, has claimed that Manyata was married to him and they have not yet divorced in accordance with laws. As such, she is still his wife and her marriage to Dutt is illegal.
Manyata in her statement to the police accepted that she was married to Meraj but claimed that they were divorced.
However, the court had earlier taken cognizance of the complaint and asked Dutt and Manyata to appear before it today. PTI
SC refuses to order probe against Bachchan in Barabanki case
New Delhi, Mar 31 (PTI) The Supreme court today refused to order investigation into the controversy involving Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan in the Barabanki land deal case in Uttar Pradesh.
The apex court dismissed the petition filed by UP government challenging the Allahabad High Court's order restraining it from initiating any criminal, civil or revenue proceedings against Bachchan in the case.
The High Court had on December 11 last given a clean chit to the actor, observing that there was no finding that the actor "himself committed any fraud or manipulated any surreptitious entry in the revenue records".
Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the state government, contended that there was a case of manipulation in revenue records which ultimately benefited Bachchan and it needed to be investigated.
The High Court had disposed of Bachchan's petition challenging the order of Additional Commissioner of Faizabad quashing the allotment of the land in Daulatpur village of Barabanki district. PTI
Shahrukh says he will be back to basics if cricket fails
New Delhi, Mar 30 (PTI) Bollywood badshah Shahrukh Khan, who owns an IPL cricket team, will give a year's time to the new venture and if it doesn't work for him, he will be back to films fulltime.
"It's not a winning business at this point in time..I won't be able to survive unlike other corporates in this business...So if it doesn't work for one year, then I'm back to basics...I'll be doing my films again," he said.
Khan, who has named his cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders, hoped that kids, who were his team's fans now, remained so even ten years later.
"I hope that kids who are 12 years old now and are Kolkata Knight Riders' fans (remain so) when they are 22. So, the whole idea is a long dream and I hope it gets fulfilled," he told NDTV on the sidelines of a function here yesterday. PTI
Indian middle class leading a selfish life, says Aruna Roy
Sabi Hussain
New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI) She felt disempowered by the 'selfish' and 'worthless' ways of India's burgeoning urban middle class. It were the rural and urban poor, who taught her the true meaning of life.
Unlike the upwardly mobile upper middle class, the much neglected Indian backward class which struggles for a daily living knows better how to lead an enriched and harmonious life, believes Magsaysay awardee and eminent RTI activist Aruna Roy.
"India is today running on two different tracks followed by the backward class and the middle class. The former made me understood how to make your life better enriched and harmonised, while the latter only taught me how to make life worthless and selfish," Roy told PTI.
"India's backward class, which has always been neglected and considered as socially irrelevant has empowered me and taught me how to struggle in life, while the middle class disempowered me with its urbanised thoughts," she adds.
Roy, who is known as one of the pioneer figures to have advocated that RTI and NREGA be made a law, reiterated her view that women in India have always been subjudicated and urged the government to immediately bring in the "Women's Reservation Bill".
"In our country, women have always been devoid of rights. All political parties should make a consensus to pass the 'Women's Reservation Bill' in the parliament so as to strengthen women power and to redefine democracy in India," she says.
She also added that society needs to change its perspective on women, which is still under the grip of gender discrimination and considers woman as a liability.
Empowering women, forty-one stories captured in reel
Ruby Nanda
New Delhi, Apr 1 (PTI) Mukhtar Mai from Pakistan, who was brutally gangraped but fought valiantly for justice, sums up the need for empowering women with the words "when one woman speaks, two others can speak up too." The story of Mai told in a Pakistani documentary was among the seven, five minutes films screened at the British High Commission here recently at the India launch of 'Why Women Count' a selection of 41 documentary films by women from an equal number of countries around the world.
"Women's empowerment is a jargon which is used liberally but seldom understood. These films give a snapshot of what empowerment or disempowerment really means," says Jenny Richards, Deputy Director, TVE, an NGO that helped found the Broadcasting for Change Network, a group of international producers and broadcasters, who produced the short films.
Poojita Chowdhury, the sole Indian entry tries with her documentary to explore the truth in the villages of Punjab.
"My film is an exploration of 33 per cent reservation of women in Panchayats. Critics say it is useless as the women sarpanchs act as dummy candidates for their husbands or male relatives", says Chowdhury.
When asked on the specific reason for choosing women from Punjab. "I choose the State of Punjab as it is prosperous yet it has the highest rate of female foeticide cases in India," she explains.
The film depicts three women village sarpanches and their small steps into the political arena. The social prejudices are very well brought out by the documentary yet there is also male support from colleagues who are happy to work under a woman leader. PTI
Industry worried as pirates dish out better quality CDs, DVDs
New Delhi, Mar 31 (PTI) Nothing new if someone says that pirated versions of 'Race' or Hollywood's 'John Rambo' can easily be picked up from the grey market at much lower price than the original that would take time to hit the market.
What is worrying the industry now is that the pirated versions now come on good quality DVD's or CD's.
Though piracy has always been the bane of the entertainment industry, recent trends show that unlike earlier, the pirated DVD/VCDs are of the highest quality rather than shot clandestinely in a movie hall.
In some cases, like Hollywood films, they hit the streets even before the movie has been formally launched in the country.
According to a report by US-India Business Council (USIBC), the Indian media and entertainment industry worth close to USD 6,500 million is losing a little over USD 4,000 million per year due to piracy.
Bollywood actor-director, Aamir khan calls piracy as the 'greatest concern'.
"The greatest concern facing us (entertainment industry) is piracy. It is sad that India is not doing enough to check piracy," he said recently.
"We have been aware of this problem for long but we have not done anything much to keep it in check. A lot of time and money is spent into making a film...," Aamir adds.
Though Aamir's directorial debut 'Taree Zameen Par' was a runaway success both critically and commercially, he says, "There were more than 100 websites through which one could easily download the movie for free. This is part of the piracy ring." Though the entertainment industry is looking for ways to fight piracy, the black market does not fear much. PTI
Sikkim all set to roll its roulette for great gamblers
Soma Chakraborty
New Delhi, Mar 30 (PTI) The tiny northeastern state of Sikkim is all set to roll its roulette and is gearing up to give Nepal a run for its money, literally.
Along with its virgin forests, lofty mountains, mystic valleys, lush green landscapes and spectacular mountain rivers, the Himalayan kingdom is now all set to welcome visitors with state-of-the-art world class casinos.
"The state government has given nod to Park Sarovar Plaza Group of Hotels to set up a five-star hotel-cum-casino in Gangtok. The project is likely to be completed in this year only," says G P Upadhyaya, Commissioner-cum-secretary of the Department of Tourism, Sikkim.
Set against the backdrop of scenic mountains, the casino would become a major tourist attraction in the northeastern state.
"We are very excited about the project," says Pankaj Saxena, General Manager, The Royal Plaza, Sikkim.
In a major boost to the state tourism, Sikkim Government had passed Sikkim Casino Games Act in 2004 and the rules regulating their operation were framed last year through the Sikkim Casino Games (Control and Tax) Rules, 2007 paving a way to set up casinos in the state.
The Act has created ripples in the State's hospitality industry.
"The legalisation of casinos is definitely a major boost to the tourism sector," says Upadhyaya.
"It would give impetus to high-end tourism. The state can expect tourists who would not mind spending big moolahs," says the commissioner.
The tourism industry is eyeing not only domestic tourists but big spenders from abroad too. "With unrest in Nepal, we are expecting to divert traffic from Kathmandu, which houses the nearest casino in the region and has been a favourite for gamblers for years," says Upadhyaya.
The State will get 25 per cent of the stake money from the casino.
Besides the Sarovar group, other real estate developers are also in the fray to grab the opportunity.
"Talks are going on with the country's bigwigs in real estate developers including DLF to build a five-star resort housing a casino in the state," says Upadhyaya.
"Other big names like Ambuja and many others have also shown their interest in this matter," he adds.
With passing of the Act, Sikkim has become the second state after Goa to allow operation of casino in the country.
"Talks are going on with the Sikkim government to set up a five star hotel-cum-casino in the state. Though nothing has been finalised as yet, but there are hope for a positive outcome," says Rajeev Talwar, Group Executive Director, DLF.
Strict norms have been laid down to open a casino in the state. Desirous parties shall need to have five star category of facilities and infrastructures.
"The Royal Plaza which is operating in Gangtok is presently a four star hotel. It is being upgraded to a five star to abide by the norms," says Upadhyaya.
The interested parties would also be required to produce 'no-objection certificate' from the health, energy, power and fire services department.
Entry or employment of people under 18 years of age will be banned for casino-based enterprises. PTI
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