Zayed Khan Says He was Typecast

Zayed Khan, known for films like Main Hoon Na, Dus and Shaadi No.1 starring multiple stars, says he was typecast in the film industry.
Zayed, whose film career spans over a decade, said: "My acting career had ups and downs. It's been a mix of everything. I was typecast. I was young and I didn't know many things. I was working in big banner multi-starrer films. I didn't realise I was being typecast."
The actor is currently promoting Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene.
"I took a break from acting and l kept myself busy. Now, I am working in this film which is not a big banner film. I loved the script that's why I chose to this film," he said.
Directed by Gurmmeet Singh, the movie also features Tina Desai and Rannvijay Singh.
Zayed essays the role of a Delhi guy who finds himself embroiled in a situation involving the underworld.

He said "I am quite thrilled and excited about the film. It is quite an unusual concept. I hope the audience enjoys watching the film".

PK Crosses Rs 50 Crore in Two Days

Aamir Khan's PK has minted over Rs.50 crore in two days in the domestic market, and trade experts expect it to do "steady" business in coming days.
Directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the film released on Friday.
Girish Johar, who is aware of the economics of the Hindi film industry, tweeted:

#PK does a 50crs in flat 2 days - is now the 4th film of 2014 to get 50crs in 2days - #HappyNewYear#PK#SinghamReturns#Kick
- Girish Johar (@girishjohar) December 20, 2014

The film, which also stars Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjay Dutt, did better on second day by earning Rs.29 crore, said Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines.
"It has collected at least Rs.55 crore in first two days. On the first day, it earned about Rs.26 crore. The next day, it managed to mint Rs.29 crore. They will earn profit, but expectations were higher," he told IANS.
"The film is being liked by people in metropolitan cities. It will maintain steady figures in coming days," he added.
Impressed by PK, writer Milap Zaveri predicts a "huge run" at the box office. He tweeted:

#PK has great growth on Saturday! This film is set for a looooong and huge run at the box office!
- Milap Zaveri (@zmilap) December 21, 2014

Delhi Government Plans to Install CCTV Cameras in Few City Buses

New Delhi:  After completion of first phase of installation of CCTV cameras in 200 DTC buses, the Delhi government now plans to make similar arrangements in orange cluster buses plying in the national capital.
According to the transport department, after collecting a report on the operation of CCTVs installed in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, it will take up this project.
At present, there are 1,324 orange cluster buses being operated by the Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit System (DIMTS), while DTC operates around 4,900 buses in the capital.

"We are planning to install CCTV cameras in cluster buses as well. We are now awaiting the report on the operation of CCTV cameras installed in DTC's 200 buses. Thereafter, the government will proceed accordingly," said a senior official of the transport department.
DTC has already installed CCTV cameras in 200 buses of its fleet as part of a pilot project to enhance security for people, especially women. Three CCTV cameras have been installed in each bus.
The official said in view of women passengers' security, there is also need to install CCTVs in orange cluster buses.
"If we get positive report on CCTV cameras' operation in DTC buses, we will decide how many cluster buses will be included in first phase," the official added.
"We are monitoring operation of CCTV cameras installed in first phase. In second phase, more buses will come under this project," said DTC spokesperson R S Minhas.
DTC Chairman and Managing Director Debashree Mukherjee had recently sought Rs 103.25 crore from the Centre's 'Nirbhaya Fund' to install CCTV cameras in its entire fleet to enhance women security.

In the aftermath of the December 16 gang rape, DTC had also started providing two home guards in buses operating on night services. 

Rain, Snowfall Forecast in Kashmir

Srinagar:  Rain and snowfall are expected in the Kashmir Valley during the next two days, the weather office said today.
"We are expecting rain in the plains and snowfall in the higher reaches of the valley Dec 22-23," a weather official told IANS in Srinagar.
"The night temperature has improved after more than a week though it continues to remain below the freezing point in the valley and Ladakh region," he said.
The minimum temperature rose to minus 1.8 in Srinagar Sunday against minus 4.4 Saturday.

The minimum temperature was minus 2.8 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg, minus 2.4 degrees in Pahalgam, minus 6 degrees in Leh and minus 9.6 degrees Celsius in Kargil town, he said.
In Jammu city, the night temperature was 4.5 Celsius. "The improvement in minimum temperatures happened because of cloud cover at night," the official said.
The 40-day period of harsh winter known as 'Chilla Kalan' started in Srinagar today and will end Jan 31.

During the period, Kashmiris have to brave bitter cold. Even the maximum temperature hovers around zero degrees Celsius.

Kashmir Cold Wave: Fringes Of Dal Lake Frozen, But No Snow In Sight

Srinagar:  The 40-day-long Chillai-Kalan or the great chill season of Jammu and Kashmir began today.
The harshest period of winter in the state however started on a positive note, as there was some improvement in night temperate which was otherwise hovering around minus 4 degrees for the past once week in Srinagar. (Share your photos and videos here)
On Saturday the fringes of the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar froze for the first time this winter. There has however been no snow fall so far.

The Met office has predicted light to moderate snow on the higher reaches on Monday and Tuesday and no significant change in weather in the plains.
Normally, tourists throng Kashmir's famous health resort Gulmarg to celebrate Christmas when it's covered under a think blanket of snow.
Meanwhile, in Ladakh, there has been no respite from the intense cold wave. The minimum temperate in the desert regions of Kargil and Leh, which was hovering between minus 13 and minus 14 degrees, went up by several notches today bringing much needed relief. 

2014: Raghuram Rajan Fights for RBI Autonomy Amid Rate Cut Rants

Mumbai: Raghuram Rajan says he is neither Superman nor James Bond, but he appears to have emerged as a 'lone ranger', fighting persistent rate cut demands, "schizophrenic" attempts to weaken the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and even rumours about he being 'kicked up' from the Mint Street high seat.
As 2014 draws to a close, Mr Rajan in his first full year as RBI Governor seems to have followed the principle laid out by former Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke, who had famously said that "the central bank needs to be able to make policy without short-term political concerns".
While demands and complaints continued to pour in regularly from the government and the industry for a rate cut, Mr Rajan held onto the RBI's fight against inflation and to maintain growth without budging once and rather surprised everyone with a rate hike in the very beginning of the year.
A senior official said there is something in the position of RBI Governor which makes the person occupying this seat someone completely different - one who never budges before any demand, neither from the industry nor from the government, unless it fits into RBI's scheme of things.
A seed of hope, however, has been sown by him with hints earlier this month that the RBI may consider a rate cut in February if there is ample proof of inflation having been finally contained to comfortable levels.
In between, he survived widespread rumours about his "imminent" departure from the RBI when a new government took charge in May, followed by another round of wild guesses currently on which talk about he being 'kicked up' to the post of first president of the newly proposed BRICS Bank.
Mr Rajan, a well-known economist and an academician before he became RBI chief in September 2013, also had to fight a never-ending battle to take away some powers from the apex bank and the attempts appeared to be much stronger this year.
One of his staunch opponents said that the industry is feeling the pain of the RBI's actions and recalled the words of American auto giant Ford Motor's founder Henry Ford that people do not understand the banking and monetary system very well, otherwise there would be a revolution before morning.
Having a reputation for not mincing his words, Mr Rajan put up a powerful defence to safeguard the independence of RBI and went to the extent of publicly denouncing as "schizophrenic" certain recommendations of Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC), which, among other things, has suggested creation of a unified financial sector regulator along with certain powers and functions of the Reserve Bank.
FSLRC Chairman and the author of the report B N Srikrishna also hit back, saying Mr Rajan once held the same view as those suggested by the panel, but was opposing its recommendations after becoming the central banker.
These banters apart, the RBI finally appears to be succeeding in its solitary battle against inflation throughout the year, which saw Mr Rajan hiking rates once in January to 8 per cent and then holding on to that level throughout the year.
Finally, retail inflation - RBI's main focus - hit a five-year low of 4.4 per cent in November and the Wholesale Price Index hit an absolute zero.
Last time when the WPI inflation turned negative in July 2009 at minus 0.3 per cent, the repo rate was much lower at 4.75 per cent following the global credit crisis.
While fighting inflation, the RBI also sought to expand the banking sector and granted two new bank licenses early in the year - to IDFC and Bandhan - while promising 'on-tap' grant of licences going ahead. The final guidelines also finally saw light of the day for two types of niche banking entities - payment banks and small finance banks.
"One reason for high inflation is supply issues and other is too much demand. There are many ways of constraining demand. Less spending by the government is a way of constraining demand...we think that will happen. Another way is to make demand match supply is to raise interest rates," Mr Rajan had said while justifying the January rate hike.
Acting on the Urjit Patel report, RBI adopted medium-term inflation targets by dumping WPI and adopting CPI as the benchmark and set an 8 per cent CPI by January next and squeeze it further to 6 per cent by January 2016. It also switched to a bi-monthly policy instead of one after every 45 days earlier.
As inflation edged down towards the end of the year and the calls for rate cuts got shriller, Mr Rajan reasoned that it was low because of a high base effect and hinted at a rate cut early in 2015 if inflation remained under control.
On the monetary policy, he kept stressing that he wanted to fight inflation once and for all, and asked the market to view a rate cut as an action in a single direction, rather than doing "flip flops".
"The real problem is that inflation is persistent. We have been emphasising time and again that to break the back of inflation we got to break this persistence," Mr Rajan said.
On the global front, a concerned Mr Rajan also called for coordination between central bankers of advanced and emerging economies.
"My call is for more coordination in monetary policy because I think it would be an immense improvement over the current international non-system," he said.
The RBI remained worried about bad loans throughout the year, but with no success in sight except for the fact that its measures on early detection of stress and formation of the Joint Lenders Forum saw the number loan recasts coming down, before the problem resurfaced in last the quarter.
Coming to the defence of banks, Mr Rajan said bankers cannot be always blamed for the rising bad loan situation.
"Let's be a little bit careful about attributing all that has gone wrong in terms of NPAs just to incompetence or malfeasance by bankers," Mr Rajan said.
While supporting the government by liberalising KYC norms for the flagship Jan Dhan financial inclusion scheme, the RBI also raised concerns when it saw banks' aggressiveness, which have already surpassed the target by adding 8.80 crore new accounts well ahead of the January 26 deadline.
"When we roll out the scheme, we have to make sure that it does not go off the track. The target is universality, not just speed and numbers," Mr Rajan warned.
The academic-turned-central banker raised the red flags when it deserved and also used his speeches to get fresh perspectives on altogether new subjects, including those beyond the direct remit of the apex bank, making many to quip that Mr Rajan "moralises" a lot.
His latest advice to the Narendra Modi government, while addressing an industry event early this month, was to focus on 'make for India' in lieu of 'Make in India' as an export-led growth strategy was unlikely to work again.
Mr Rajan, the author of the widely acclaimed books 'Saving Capitalism from Capitalists' and 'Fault Lines', also repeatedly spoke against "crony capitalism".
The RBI also prevented the Telangana and Andhra governments from declaring a complete debt waiver package to the cyclone-hit farmers, and batted strongly for creation of a credit culture.
The year also saw a rare case of its outspoken deputy governor K C Chakrabarty - who had ruffled feathers with both Mr Rajan and his predecessor Mr Subbarao many a time with his out-of-turn utterances - quitting the job months ahead of his tenor in April.
After being vacant for over months, a replacement was found in Bank of Baroda chairman S S Mundra, in July. The year also saw R Gandhi filling the vacuum left by deputy governor Anand Sinha.
But Mr Rajan was unsuccessful in getting his classmate turned banker Nachiket Mor as chief operating officer by creating a new post to carry forward reforms and going in for lateral hiring to make the central bank more professional, thanks to the strong opposition from a unionised RBI staff and also from the government.
Mr Rajan, however, continued to work in close coordination with North Block. It saw issuance of norms offering leeway to banks to raise long term infra bonds, within days of Budget announcement, which has already seen banking having raised over Rs 10,000 crore.
The RBI also added to the government's coffers paying the highest-ever dividend of Rs 52,679 crore in July, up from over Rs 33,000 crore in the previous year.
Mr Rajan displayed some empathy for bankers allowing them to hike the ATM transaction charges. White label ATMs also got a kick-start in the year giving more options to consumers.
To revive stalled projects and help banks reduce NPAs, the RBI in mid-December allowed flexible structuring of existing long-term large project loans.
Soon after being made RBI Governor, Mr Rajan had said he was not 'James Bond', followed by another self-proclamation that he was not 'Superman'.
Still, he appears to be living up to his reputation and his stated position that "any entrant to the central bank governorship probably starts at the height of their popularity".
"Some of the actions I take will not be popular. The Governorship of the Central Bank is not meant to win one votes or Facebook 'likes'. But I hope to do the right thing, no matter what the criticism, even while looking to learn from the criticism," he had said after taking over as RBI Governor.

When it comes to the RBI's monetary policy and regulatory actions, Mr Rajan again lived up to his remarks that those taking decisions at the central bank were "neither hawks nor doves, but actually vigilant owls".

Pre-Jurasic Era Fossil of Marine Reptile Found in South Wales

London:  A pre-Jurassic era fossil of a carnivorous marine reptile has been found on a beach in south Wales.
Jonathan Bow was walking on the shoreline in Penarth area when he stumbled upon the ichthyosaur fossil, media reports said.
"Something this large and complete is a once in a lifetime find," Bow, a computer programmer in Swansea, was quoted as saying in a BBC report.

Other fossils from the Jurassic period have been unearthed in the area.
It took Bow and his brother one whole day to get the skeletal fossil in about 60 kg of stone.
Ichthyosaurs or fish lizards were predatory reptiles that swam the oceans when dinosaurs walked on land.
These marine reptiles appeared on the earth around 250 million years ago, 25 million years earlier than dinosaurs, and disappeared again earlier.
They were replaced by plesiosaurs, a long necked marine reptile.

Other ichthyosaur skulls and paddles were found in Wales earlier but were not fully articulated specimen.

Renault to Hike India Prices by up to 2.5% From January

New Delhi: Carmaker Renault India plans to hike prices of its entire range of vehicles from next month to partially offset the impact of rising input costs.
The increase will be up to 2.5 per cent and will be effective from January 1, 2015, the company said in a statement.
"So far we have absorbed the rising input costs, but a sustained challenging market environment has compelled us to increase our prices," Renault India, vice president-sales and marketing Rafael Treguer said.
He further said that the auto industry is eagerly looking forward to pro-business policies to reignite the automobile industry in India.
Renault India, which is a fully-owned subsidiary of France's Renault SAS, sells five models - Pulse, Scala, Duster, Fluence and Koleos, priced between Rs 4.46 lakh and Rs 25.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
Last week, Nissan India had announced that it would hike prices of its entire range, including Datsun vehicles, by up to Rs 18,000 from next month.
Earlier this month, Maruti Suzuki India had announced to hike prices of its models in the range of 2-4 per cent from next month to partially offset the impact of rising input costs.
Rival Hyundai Motor India has also announced a price increase by up to Rs 25,000 from next month across its models.
German luxury carmaker BMW had said it will raise product prices in India by up to 5 per cent with effect from first week of January.

Besides, General Motors India, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra had also announced price hikes from next month citing higher input costs.

Director Omung Kumar Says He Doesn't Believe in A-List and B-List Actors

Mary Kom fame director Omung Kumar says he will start shooting his next film, based on World War II, by mid-October 2015.
Omung told IANS: "It's a period film and I feel their stories haven't been told on screen. I will shoot in some real locations and also create a set. I will start shooting by mid-October."
The film, which will also touch upon emotions and love, is tentatively titled War.
Omung said it will be a multi-starrer film with one lead actor.

"I haven't locked anyone for the film yet. Talks are on. I need good actors for the film. I don't believe in A-listers and B-listers."

TCS, 7 Others Add Rs 55,171 Crore to Market Value

New Delhi: Led by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), eight of the ten most valued companies added a combined Rs 55,171 crore to their market valuations in the week to December 19.
Only two stocks - ITC and State Bank of India (SBI) - saw a fall in their market capitalisation last week, while TCS, ONGC, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Coal India Ltd (CIL) and four others gained.
TCS, the country's biggest software services exporter, added Rs 10,430.23 crore to its market capitalisation, or M-Cap, which was Rs 4,91,435.06 crore at Friday's close.
Energy giant ONGC's value climbed by Rs 10,566.03 crore to Rs 2,98,843.27 crore - the largest gain among top 10 firms.
The M-Cap of HDFC surged by Rs 7,351.76 crore to Rs 1,75,258.76 crore, while that of Infosys jumped by Rs 7,206.67 crore to Rs 2,29,912.68 crore.
CIL's market value moved up by Rs 7,074.33 crore to Rs 2,37,842.70 crore, while that of RIL rose by Rs 5,370.22 crore to Rs 2,91,204.72 crore.
Similarly, the valuation of ICICI Bank rose by Rs 5,130.01 crore to Rs 2,05,800.20 crore.
On the other hand, ITC's M-Cap plunged by Rs 20,885.41 crore to Rs 2,95,111.33 crore while SBI lost Rs 5,263.34 crore in its market value, taking its M-Cap to Rs 2,27,144.86 crore.
TCS headed the list of top ten firms, followed by ONGC, ITC, RIL, CIL, Infosys, HDFC Bank, SBI, ICICI Bank and HDFC.

Over the past week, the BSE benchmark Sensex ended with a mild gain of 21.16 points at 27,371.84.

Foggy Sunday in Delhi, 48 Trains Delayed

New Delhi:  It was chilly and foggy  morning in Delhi today. Poor visibility led to 48 trains being delayed.
The Meteorological Office has forecast a cloudy day ahead with thick fog in the evening. The minimum temperature was 6.4 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average.
"Trains such as North-east Express, Taj Express and Mahabodhi Express are running late due to the thick fog that has caused poor visibility," said an statement from the Northern Railway.
"The departures of 9 trains were rescheduled from Delhi due to fog," added the statement.

According to the India Meteorological Department, Delhi will see a cloudy day ahead with fog in the evening.
"The maximum temperature of the day is likely to hover around 18 degrees Celsius," said an official of the India Meteorological Department.
Humidity at 8.30 am was 91 per cent
Visibility at 8.30 am today morning was 600 metres.

Saturday's maximum temperature was 17.5 degrees Celsius, five notches below the season's average while the minimum temperature settled at 7.2 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average.

FDI in Services Dips 7.5% to $1.22 Billion During April-September

New Delhi: Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India's services sector dipped 7.5 per cent to $1.22 billion during the first half of the current financial year.
The services sector, which includes banking, insurance, outsourcing, R&D, courier and technology testing, had received FDI worth $1.32 billion during April-September 2013-14, data from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion showed.
The services sector contributes over 60 per cent to the country's GDP. In 2013-14, foreign investment in the sector fell to $2.2 billion from $4.83 billion in 2012-13.
The government is taking several measures to boost foreign inflows, according to an official.
The Bill to hike FDI cap in insurance sector to 49 per cent from the current level of 26 per cent is pending in the Rajya Sabha.
The other sectors that have recorded decline in foreign investment during the first two quarters of this financial year include construction and metallurgical industries.
During April-September of this fiscal year, foreign investments showed a growth of 15 per cent to $14.47 billion as compared to $12.59 in the same period last year.
During the period, India received the maximum FDI of $4.19 billion from Mauritius, followed by Singapore ($2.41 billion), the Netherlands ($1.97 billion), the US ($1.19 billion), Japan ($937 million) and the UK ($842 million).

Foreign investments are considered crucial for India, which needs around $1 trillion over five years (2012-17) to overhaul its infrastructure sector such as ports, airports and highways to boost growth.

Industry Body Seeks Extension in 4G Network Roll-Out Deadline

New Delhi: The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has requested the Department of Telecom (DoT) to extend deadline for the roll-out of 4G services to 2020 citing various hurdles mainly delay in development of technology and regulatory procedures.
"DoT is requested to review and relax the roll-out obligations and extend the timelines for meeting the roll out by additional 5 years," COAI director general Rajan S Mathews said in a letter to DoT.
The telecom industry body has cited difficulties in rolling out the LTE-TDD (a 4G technology) as among reasons for delay in the roll-out of 4G services.
The broadband wireless access spectrum that can be used for 4G services was allocated through auction in 2010. Aircel, Bharti Airtel, Qualcomm (acquired by Bharti), Tikona, Infotel (now Reliance Jio Infocomm) and Augere emerged as successful bidders of BWA spectrum.
As per auction conditions, the successful bidders are required to provide 90 per cent coverage in metro area, if they have spectrum there, and 50 per cent of rural area within five years. If a company fails to meet roll-out conditions, spectrum will be taken back.
The BWA spectrum were allocated to all companies, except Qualcomm, in July 2010. Qualcomm was allocated BWA spectrum in May 2012 due to a a dispute with DoT which was later resolved in court.
Till date only Aircel and Airtel have launched 4G services in limited way in some service areas. Reliance Jio Infocomm, which hold pan-India BWA spectrum, plans to launch its services in 2015.
"The inability of the operators to even launch the services on the allocated spectrum is primarily on account of delay in development of the requisite device and network ecosystem, a prime factor which is predominantly out of the control of telecom service providers," COAI said.
The industry body said that the roll-out of 4G services using BWA spectrum required more number of mobile towers compared to other spectrum for coverage.
It added that the permission for the same has been facing restriction from municipal bodies, interference from public due to apprehension from mobile radiation and clearances from various authorities in laying out fibre to connect these towers.
COAI said that telecom operators have faced severe delays in obtaining clearances from spectrum wing of DoT required for installing mobile sites.
It said that DoT has neither released full list of rural exchanges where coverage has to be provided nor finalised test schedule which gives an indication of how the coverage compliance will be assessed.

COAI also raised the issue of delay of 2 years by DoT in providing backhaul spectrum to operators which eventually affected the roll-out of 4G network.

Special Court Verdict in Satyam Case Likely on December 23

Hyderabad:  Days after Satyam founder B Ramalinga Raju was convicted in SFIO cases, a special court here is expected to pronounce its verdict on Tuesday in the multi-crore accounting fraud in the erstwhile Satyam Computer Services Limited (SCSL), capping a nearly six-year trial.
Satyam's former chairman Raju, along with his brother and Satyam's former MD B Rama Raju, its former chief financial officer Vadlamani Srinivas and former director Ram Mynampati were given six months' jail term and fines on December 8, by a Special Court for Economic Offences in connection with complaints filed by Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
The court order was subsequently suspended to enable the accused to file appeals.

SFIO, the investigation arm of Union Corporate Affairs Ministry, had filed seven complaints against SCSL and its directors for violations of the Companies Act in the Special Court for Economic Offences here in December 2009.
On October 30, Special judge BVLN Chakravarthi, of the Special Court trying the case, (probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation) pertaining to the multi-crore rupee scam in
SCSL, fixed December 23 for pronouncement of the much-awaited judgement.
CBI's special Public Prosecutor K Surender had then said, "The case is posted for judgement on December 23. In all probability, it (verdict) will be delivered on that date, failing which, because of the volume of the case, it might take a few days more if at all."
Raju and other accused are scheduled to appear before a local court on Monday in connection with complaints filed by market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

Apart from Raju, Rama Raju, the other accused in the case are Vadlamani Srinivas, former Pricewaterhouse Coopers auditors Subramani Gopalakrishnan and T Srinivas, Raju's another brother B Suryanarayana Raju, former employees G Ramakrishna, D Venkatpathi Raju and Ch Srisailam, and Satyam's former internal chief auditor V S Prabhakar Gupta. 

Accept DRS or Suffer, Current and Former Players Tell BCCI

MS Dhoni was the victim of a dubious decision in Brisbane.
New Delhi: With close decisions going against India of late, current and former cricketers feel it is high time the BCCI give its nod to the contentious Decision Review System as refusal to accept technology is hurting the team badly. ('Don't Make Excuses')
India were at the receiving end of at least five contentious umpiring decisions in the lost first two Tests against Australia, prompting skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to say that the tourists are being more hard done. (India Buckle Under Johnson)
But he continued to hold the view that having DRS would not help the side's cause too much. ('Dhawan Injury Caused Unrest Among us')
However, senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that it's time that India accepted DRS in its current form as it would only help the team during close Test matches.
"I believe it's time that we accepted the DRS as it will only benefit our cause. If you look, in both Test matches, India were very competitive but there were key moments when our boys got a raw deal," Harbhajan told PTI on Sunday.
"I can recall four decisions. Shikhar's (Dhawan) caught behind in the second innings of the first Test in Adelaide. (Cheteshwar) Pujara's caught behind in the first innings of second Test followed by Rohit (Sharma) and Ashwin's decision in the second innings. Had DRS been there, all these decisions were sure to be overturned and we might have been in a winning position in both Test matches," Harbhajan opined.
"Even if I take it for a fact that DRS is not foolproof and 100 percent accurate, from a personal point of view, even 90 percent accurate DRS can get you key decisions at key moments in your favour," said Harbhajan, who has 400 plus wickets in Test cricket.
However Harbhajan's one-time teammate and one of India's finest batsman VVS Laxman is still not ready to warm up to DRS as he still believes that key issues like full-fledged accuracy of HotSpot or HawkEye still can't be determined.
"Any technical foolproof system to provide accurate decisions is always welcome. I am not against DRS, but the system is still a long way from being foolproof," Laxman is still not ready to accept DRS in its current form.
"I am not convinced about the HotSpot or the HawkEye, which projects the predictable path of the ball for the LBW decisions. As and when these two vital issues of the decision review process are set in order, we can seriously contemplate agreeing to the use of DRS," Laxman added. Laxman's first Test captain Mohammed Azharuddin, however, is of the opinion that if ICC has approved DRS, then it's not a great thing if BCCI is turning a blind eye.
"When other cricket playing nations are not averse to using it (DRS) then why is India ignoring it?," questions Azhar, who has played 99 Tests for India.
"Like in this Test match (Brisbane Test), so many decisions went against India, they could have gone in their favour. I mean even the Australians were at the receiving end but India suffered a lot. I strongly feel that either you completely use technology or just ignore it," Azhar added.
Azhar feels that if for easy run-out decisions, umpires take help of technology then why not for more difficult ones.
"Go back to the old days when decisions were taken by on field umpires and one had to accept them the way it was. I really don't know what is the problem.
"Once the ICC has approved it, then everyone should fall into its ambit. For a simple run-out or an elementary decision the umpires go to the third umpire even if the batsman is three yards short of his crease. I fail to understand this half-hearted approach.
"Either fully use technology or completely ignore it. When it is approved by ICC then what is the problem in using. It is only beneficial."
Another former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar admitted that he wasn't in favour of DRS earlier but is ready to accept it after umpiring howlers in Adelaide and Brisbane.
"I was of the opinion that DRS is not 100 percent foolproof but it seems we have to go for the technology now. A lot of easy decisions have gone against us and that has hurt us badly in the series.
"There were some questionable bat-pad decisions and catches as the umpiring has not been up to the mark. We have had some glaring mistakes especially in the first Test. It's high time that we go for DRS now," he opined. Legendary spinner Erapalli Prasanna and former India opener Chetan Chauhan also spoke in the same vein about accepting DRS in its current form.
"From the beginning, I have been vocal about using DRS. Why isn't it being used? Ask the BCCI," was Prasanna's terse comment on the subject.
Chauhan on his part said, "Cricket is a game where one bad decision can change the course of the match. You don't want to lose out on key moments due to umpiring errors. I am a fan of DRS from the beginning. Let's use it in its current form and let the technical team work on it to make it even better. Right now, what we have is good enough to be used," Chauhan said.
Ajit Wadekar was also overwhelmingly in favour of DRS as "India have been the worst sufferers for not using DRS. Teams like England and Australia have benefitted and we must also start using DRS."
Former India batsman and chief national selector Chandu Borde feels that one or two technical glitches in DRS do not make it completely unacceptable.
"One or two glitches in the technology can be improved. Other countries are using it. Why not us? Who is suffering, technology or cricket? Technology impacts every other walk of life. Why not cricket if it is for the betterment of the game and it will satisfy players public every one," Borde opined.
He also cited the example of how front-foot no-ball was opposed worldwide and now has been universally accepted.

"When front foot no ball rule was introduced there was opposition. Now everyone accepts it. Similarly accepting DRS will also help us in improving the game," Borde said.

Steve Smith Should Captain Australia in All Formats: Ryan Harris

Steve Smith celebrates his fifty at Brisbane.
Brisbane: Australian pacer Ryan Harris feels stand-in Test skipper Steve Smith should be handed captaincy in all three formats if Michael Clarke fails to recover in time for next year's ODI cricket World Cup.
Harris, who is nursing a quadriceps strain and is racing against time to be fit for the third Test against India, said he has been left impressed by Smith's leadership. (Steve Smith Starts Off Captaincy with Ton)
Smith scored a hundred and led the team to a four-wicket triumph over India in Brisbane after becoming Australia's 45th Test captain. (Steve Smith Named Stand-in Skipper)
"There's no doubt I can see him as captain in all forms. We will see what happens, there is obviously a big (2015) World Cup coming up," Harris told 'Fox Sports'. ('Smith Should Stay Skipper Even if Clarke Returns')
"George Bailey's done it (ODI role) in the absence of Michael Clarke and I think he has done a pretty good job. But with Steve Smith heading that way it might be a good idea to give it to him," he opined.
Speaking about himself, Harris said he has a "90 per cent" chance of making the playing in the third Test starting on December 26.
"It's going well. It was just a slight strain there. There's no pain there - it's all looking up. I am pretty keen to get back out there and play - I am frustrated watching," Harris said.

Australia lead the four-match series 2-0.

Will Cherish my 20 Minutes in ISL Final for Life: Mohammed Rafique

Mohammed Rafique is all smiles after his winning goal gave Kolkata victory in the ISL final. (Image credit: www.indiansuperleague.com)
Mumbai: Atletico de Kolkata's Mohammed Rafique, who scored the winning goal in the inaugural Indian Super League football tournament's final, said he will cherish his 20 minutes on the field for the rest of his life.
"Everyone dreams of playing in the final. I too wanted to play in the final and for that I worked hard and the coach saw that. These 20 minutes are the most important minutes of my life. When I was given this opportunity, I thought I will give it my best. I thank God for helping me emerge as the hero," Rafique said.
The 22-year-old headed the winning goal in stoppage time, after starting from the bench in the 74th minute, to help his team win 1-0 over Kerala Blasters.
Making his second appearance in the tournament, Rafique said he reaped the rewards for his hard work.
"I feel very good. I do not have words to express. I practiced during the entire tournament. Maybe I was not suited to the system the coach wanted to play. So maybe that's why I was on the bench. After that I was played and I have proved myself," the Bengal player said.
"My coach (Antonio Habas) just told me to continue practicing and keep working hard. When you do that, your efforts ultimately always bear fruit," he added.
The former United SC player praised skipper Luis Garcia and said he learnt a lot from the Spanish midfielder.

"He is in a class of his own. Whatever you talk about him, it's less. There was a lot to learn from him - his practice, how he received the ball and just about everything. I learnt a lot to improve myself," the youngster said.

Professionals in Key Roles in Revamped Disaster Management Body

New Delhi:  Ending the practice of appointing politicians and retired bureaucrats with no background of disaster management, the government today named a scientist, an Armyman and a professional who has a long experience in humanitarian work with the United Nations as members for National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The vice chairman and five members of the NDMA had resigned in June after the BJP-led government took over. The new government had started a fresh process of inviting applications from domain experts adept in handling man-made and natural crisis.
The government has also decided to make the NDMA a lean fighting outfit. During UPA rule, the NDMA vice-chairperson enjoyed the rank of a Cabinet minister while members enjoyed the status of Ministers of State.
However, the Narendra Modi government has downgraded the posts and made the post of vice-chairperson equivalent to the Cabinet Secretary and members equivalent to Secretary in the central government.
The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson of the NDMA.
The last NDMA had a vice chairman and nine other members. This time, the Modi government has decided to appoint only four members along with a vice chairman.
The three members - Scientist Dr D N Sharma, Lieutenant General N C Marwah and UNDP member Kamal Kishore - were chosen out of 82 professionals who were short-listed. Inviting applications for appointment as members of the Authority, the Home Ministry had said that aspirants must have administrative, superintendence and management experience of disaster-situation and mitigation efforts.
In a notification, the ministry had said that candidates should have contributed towards policy and plan formulation for disaster management, response and mitigation.
Other criteria include academic achievements and contribution to developing response and mitigation mechanism for dealing with different types of disasters like flood, tsunami, cyclones, drought, earthquakes and other emergencies.

The government had faced flak for keeping NDMA virtually rudderless for six months after the last vice chairman and Congress leader M Shashidhar Reddy. Its members, mostly retired bureaucrats or police officers, had resigned after PM Modi took charge.

Patched-up Manchester City Leave Manuel Pellegrini Purring

A file photo of Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini. Manchester: Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes his team are finally performing like champions, even though there is no immediate end in sight to their chronic injury problems in attack.
City made light of the fact they did not have a recognised fit striker in their squad to beat Crystal Palace 3-0 on Saturday and move level on points -- for 48 hours at least -- with Premier League leaders Chelsea.
David Silva scored twice and Yaya Toure added the third as the pair continued their recent return to peak form and helped City record an eighth consecutive victory in all competitions.
"I'm delighted this squad is demonstrating why we won the title last year," said Pellegrini.
"I think December is a key month. Maybe it is not the month when you win the title, but you play so many games that if you want to fight for the title, you need to be close to being in the lead.
"We're having a good moment. Nobody believed two months ago that we would be continuing in the Champions League and involved in the title (race). But we kept trusting what we were doing and kept working every day."
City's Christmas period continues when they visit struggling West Bromwich Albion on Friday.
Injured forwards Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero and Stevan Jovetic will all be unavailable for that contest, meaning James Milner may have to continue to deputise as an emergency lone striker.
"I don't think any will be available," said Pellegrini of his injured strikers.
"Dzeko and Kun (Aguero) I'm sure will not be fit for Boxing Day, but the first half of January. We will see with Jovetic and the way he improves from now until January."
- 'Disgraceful decision' -
However, with Silva and Toure in such fine form, City should have few problems with an upcoming schedule that sees them take on not only West Brom, but also Burnley and Sunderland.
"Yaya was very criticised at the beginning of the season, but it was not only Yaya who was not performing at his best," said Pellegrini.
"I said that when our midfielders -- (Samir) Nasri, Yaya, Fernandinho -- returned to their normal performances, we would return to the way we normally play.
"All of them are playing regularly at the moment. David has come in from a long injury on his knee and is returning to the way he knows how to play.
"I say the same thing about David that I say about Sergio Aguero. This team always needs Sergio Aguero to play because he is a very important player, but I don't think this team is only Sergio Aguero. David Silva is exactly the same.
"These players make a difference, but if for any reason they can't play, we still have a team who know how to do it. Other players have their moments and are giving important answers, in the way David did today (Saturday)."
Palace were ultimately well beaten, but visiting manager Neil Warnock was understandably irritated that his midfielder James McArthur had a header incorrectly ruled out for offside when his side were trailing 2-0.
"It was miles onside," said Warnock, who felt the referee's assistant who made the call had been at fault.
"He's in a bad position and it's a disgraceful decision. I'm sure he will be sorry, but at this level you have to get those decisions right. My players deserved better."

EPL Title Hopes Dented by Aston Villa Draw, Says Louis van Gaal

Van Gaal feels the title hopes for Manchester United are all but over after sharing points will Aston Villa.
Birmingham: Louis van Gaal fears Manchester United's failure to beat Aston Villa will prove a major blow to their hopes of winning the Premier League title.
United's slim chance of reviving their bid to become English champions suffered a setback on Saturday as they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at 10-man Aston Villa.
Radamel Falcao's first goal since October 5 cancelled out Christian Benteke's fine opener for Villa, yet the contest was later overshadowed by referee Lee Mason's controversial dismissal of Gabriel Agbonlahor for a seemingly innocuous challenge on former Villa team-mate Ashley Young.
It ended United's run of six successive victories as they lost ground on rivals Manchester City, who had earlier moved level on points with leaders Chelsea ahead of their trip to Stoke on Monday.
It leaves the gap between those two and United, who sit third, at seven points.
Asked if that this was the sort of result that can cost you the title, he replied: "Yes, that's what I mean. We dropped two points.
"We were the better team and that is frustrating when you are the better team and you don't win these kind of games.
"When you want to be a part of the title race you have to win these games.
"I have seen Manchester City's first half against Crystal Palace and they could have been behind in the first five or 10 minutes.
"They struggled until half time but at the end it is 3-0, that's the difference.
"We weren't so aggressive in the first half as we are usually. We kept the ball much better but didn't create so much because we were not looking for the forwards.
"We have a draw and that's why I'm a little frustrated because you could have won the game in my opinion. We didn't do it but we were responsible for that."
- Superb finish -
United adopted van Gaal's favoured back three in the first half -- before he changed after the interval -- yet tactically Villa had the better shape and were always a threat with the counter-attacking game which has become their trademark under boss Paul Lambert.
Little appeared on as Fabian Delph's free-kick found the former Genk player at the back post, yet he controlled superbly, twisted Jonny Evans inside out and bent a shot superbly inside the left post.
United finally grew into the game after the break and Villa's resistance was finally broken in the 53rd minute when Falcao emphatically buried Young's left-wing delivery with a bullet header.
"It was a beautiful goal, I liked Falcao today. I am very happy for him and I am always happy when Manchester United score," van Gaal said.
"Should he start more? I have to compare every week, there's always a question for every player, not only for Falcao."
Then came the controversy. Young and Agbonlahor hurtled towards one another as they vied for a challenge, yet it was the former who was left crumpled in a heap and Mason reacted by reaching for his red card, leaving Agbonlahor and the Villa Park crowd stunned.
"If that is a red card we may as well just pack it in as it won't be a game of football," said Lambert.
"I spoke to (Villa goalkeeper) Brad Guzan after the game. He tells me that Ashley Young has admitted he fouled 'Gabby'. Work that one out.

"There is a very good chance of us appealing. If people review that we have a chance, especially when a player has admitted he fouled 'Gabby'."

Jose Mourinho Backs Chelsea to Avoid More Stoke Misery

A file photo of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
Stoke-on-Trent: Jose Mourinho knows Chelsea must avoid a repeat of last season's nightmare trip to Stoke if they are to re-establish their three-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

Mourinho's side travel to the Britannia Stadium 48 hours after Manchester City's 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace drew the champions level on points with the Blues.

City are behind the leaders only on goal difference and while Chelsea boss Mourinho insists his team will not feel any extra pressure, anything less than victory will hand Manuel Pellegrini's team a major lift heading into the busy Christmas period.

And if they are reassert their early standing as favourites to be crowned champions, Chelsea must improve on last December's showing at Stoke when individual errors contributed to the home side's 3-2 victory.

But Mourinho is confident his team have learned their lesson and are more than capable of matching Mark Hughes' side.

"We played so well collectively last season but we made two individual mistakes that cost us the game. This is also part of the game," Mourinho said.

"We have to play our football. Our football is the way we believe.

"That's part of our project for this club. We have to go there and play our game, but we know well their qualities as a team, and their qualities individually.

"We also have to adapt to it. If we know we are going to play against Peter Crouch and against the kind of defenders they have - if you don't adapt to that, you are in trouble.

"We can adapt to that because we have qualities that allow us to do that."

- Aerial threat -

Crouch's aerial threat and Stoke's physical strengths will provide a testing examination for Mourinho's line-up, which should include fit-again goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

But Mourinho is confident his team can negotiate the festive programme successfully.

"Every team has to play these four matches in a short period of time. Everyone is in the same circumstances," he said.

"For us it's difficult: three away games and only one at home, a London derby against one of the best teams in the competition.

"The three away games are Tottenham, Southampton and Stoke, so difficult for us. But we are ready."

Stoke manager Hughes has backed his team to trouble the league leaders problems and pounce on any weaknesses.

The Potters boast the second best record in the Premier League against top-half sides after Manchester City and have already beaten Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham this season.

Conversely, they are yet to beat anyone in that half of the table, making for a frustratingly inconsistent start for Hughes.

"We're not doing well against the bottom-half sides and that's frustrated us," Hughes said.

"I just feel that when we go up against the so-called bigger teams they are prepared to come out and attack and back their own ability.

"That can leave them a little bit exposed and we have been able to exploit their weaknesses.

"We find it more difficult when teams get lots of men behind the ball.

"The top teams will back their skill and ability against yours. But on any given day we can beat anybody in this league and we have proven that this year."

Stoke skipper Ryan Shawcross is hoping for a repeat display from their last home game when they ran out worthy winners over Arsenal.

"We have performed better against the bigger teams and it's a game we'll go into looking for points," Shawcross said.

"We've struggled when we've played the teams around us.

"So it's almost been a relief to play these kind of games where we know we can perform.

"We will go out on Monday and hopefully there will be a crowd who are right behind us like they were against Arsenal."

Arbaaz Khan Says Item Songs in Films a Trend Now

Arbaaz Khan's film productions like Dabangg and Dabangg 2 had hit item numbers, and the actor-filmmaker says including such tracks in movies is now trending.
Arbaaz said "It's become a trend now, but I put item songs in my films depending on the subject of the film. Maybe, I will not put an item number in my next film. You never know."
"It all has to go well with the subject. We call it as item number. I don't like these tags. For me, music plays an important role," he added.
Arbaaz is currently busy promoting his next production Dolly Ki Doli featuring Sonam Kapoor in the lead.
There were reports that Sonakshi Sinha, who starred in both parts of Dabangg, was considered for the forthcoming film.
Arbaaz said that Sonakshi "was considered for this film".

"We had many names. We had to see availability of actresses. We also considered Sonam while scripting. We wanted someone as young as possible for this film," he added.

ISL: The Best Team Won, Says David James

Ganguly celebrates his team's late goal.
Mumbai: Disappointed at losing the trophy but glad to have made the summit clash at least, Kerala Blasters coach-cum-player David James praised newly-crowned Indian Super League champions Atletico de Kolkata, saying the best team won the inaugural football tournament here.
"I had said they were the best team in the competition and I was hoping that we would still beat them and we had chances too to beat them. It just goes to show that you have to play to the final whistle. A minute before the end, we switched off on a set piece, and it cost us the match," the 44-year-old former England goalkeeper said.
James took pride that his team made ATK work hard till the last minute and said it was a bittersweet result for him.
"Disappointed of course by losing the game but I have to be positive about the fact that my side got to the final. Pushed the champions to literally the last minute. A bittersweet moment I would say," he said.
The former Liverpool and Manchester City goalkeeper said there were some tense moments in the match but Atletico controlled the game at crucial times.
"Kolkata started so well in the competition. I said they were the best team, and the best passing team, ball control team in the competition. There were other flair players granted for other teams but today they seemed to control the game at the right times. Not necessarily the most attractive game of football, granted, but it's a cup final and got two team's with very good defences.
"Of all the defensive records, we have the best in the league section and they probably had it in the last six or seven games. It was going to be a tight affair. Edel produced a wonderful save in the fitting moment of the match to keep Chops (Michael Chopra) out," he said.
The former Newcastle United striker Chopra had some good goal-scoring chances but couldn't manage to find the back of the net and James said it had been tough for the Indian origin player in the tournament.
"In the tournament I think it has been very difficult for Michael. He had injury problems to start with. I was going to start him against Atletico in the away fixture. He picked up a big injury in the training session a day before. But he has worked hard. We thought he might be out for the whole campaign. He has worked hard, he has justified his selection," he said.
He lauded the efforts of ATK custodian Edel Bete and said the Cameroonian won the final for his side with some stunning saves.
"Effectively, Edel's produced a saving in fitting moment of the match and helped win ISL first competition for Atletico de Kolkata. If Edel hadn't made that save (in the 83rd minute), we would be sitting here as champions and talking about a completely different game," James said.
The Sachin Tendulkar co-owned Kerala Blasters' custodian hinted he might not take up the glove duty if he features in the next edition.
"If I do come back next year, I am not sure I would playing though, at 45 that might be asking a little bit too much. But I have enjoyed it," he said.
James believed there is a huge opportunity for the 171st ranked team in the world and said the future looks promising for Indian football.
"I will, without a doubt, only talk positively about this experience and the future of Indian football because I believe there is a massive opportunity for Indian football to grow very quickly. Slightly fair that an Indian player (Mohammed Rafique) scores a winning goal in the final," he said.
He, however, felt the packed schedule and long travelling time to the venues took a toll on the players and it looked like the teams were tired playing in the final.
"I don't want to start saying anything negative but I thought it (stadium) was a long way away from where we were staying. And I think it might have affected the way the teams played today. Having said that, it was same for both teams. Atletico created chances but I think we created perhaps better chances up until that final minute," he said.
Asked if the dressing room atmosphere was different from the English Premier League teams he has played with, James opined, "there is no real difference. We set our plan out in training, we come to the stadium and we work on winning a game of football. The atmosphere has been very good, very similar to what I have been used to.

"This is a big step towards the future of ISL and Indian football. The tournament might be unique in it's structure but the competition and the competitiveness of the players and team's within it is equal to any other competitions I have been involved in. Although the standard might not be of the EPL, it was never going to be in the first year. But I think it will get better."

IIT Kharagpur Bags Maximum Jobs Compared to Other IITs

Kolkata: As the first phase of its placements drew to a close, IIT Kharagpur students received the maximum number of jobs compared to other IITs, institute officials said on Sunday.
The first phase of placements, which ended on Saturday, witnessed a growth of around 10 per cent with 1,100-plus jobs offered and 1050-plus students placed, they said.
This was achieved despite academic institutions and PSUs reducing their hiring numbers from the IIT campuses compared to the previous year.
IIT Kharagpur witnessed the participation of over 200 companies hiring for more than 275 profiles in the first phase of placements. In addition, around 50 companies have already registered for the second phase beginning January.
Apart from big players like Shell, ITC, Schlumberger, Goldman Sachs, Hindustan Unilever, Credit Suisse, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, a large number of first time recruiters, including The Parthenon Group, Baker Hughes, Visa and TSMC, also visited the campus, with each one of them hiring close to 10 or more students.
"We are extremely thankful to the alumni community of IIT Kharagpur which played a pivotal role in the recruitment drive bringing in leading organisations and upcoming start-ups to the campus," said Punj Rajan, vice president of Technology Students' Gymkhana at IIT Kharagpur.
"This is a collective effort of the career development centre which has put in a lot of hard work in achieving this tremendous result."
Companies like Robert Bosch, ZS Associates, Capgemini, EXL, Flipkart and Cognizant were among the top recruiters making multiple offers.
Start-ups like Housing, Commonfloor, Meru Cabs, Snapdeal, Stayzilla and OYO Rooms also hired aggressively for various roles spanning across operations, marketing, analytics and software development.
Career Development Centre (CDC) chairman Prof Sudhirkumar Barai said, "While there is a lot of buzz in the community about the exceedingly high pay packages offered to some students, CDC at IIT Kharagpur is taking a conscious step towards encouraging students to take career-oriented choices which will make them leaders in the industry."

This unique initiative has resulted in a tremendous rise in the number of students opting for a job in a profile of their choice irrespective of pay package, he said.

Professionals in Key Roles in Revamped Disaster Management Body

New Delhi:  Ending the practice of appointing politicians and retired bureaucrats with no background of disaster management, the government today named a scientist, an Armyman and a professional who has a long experience in humanitarian work with the United Nations as members for National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The vice chairman and five members of the NDMA had resigned in June after the BJP-led government took over. The new government had started a fresh process of inviting applications from domain experts adept in handling man-made and natural crisis.
The government has also decided to make the NDMA a lean fighting outfit. During UPA rule, the NDMA vice-chairperson enjoyed the rank of a Cabinet minister while members enjoyed the status of Ministers of State.
However, the Narendra Modi government has downgraded the posts and made the post of vice-chairperson equivalent to the Cabinet Secretary and members equivalent to Secretary in the central government.
The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson of the NDMA.
The last NDMA had a vice chairman and nine other members. This time, the Modi government has decided to appoint only four members along with a vice chairman.
The three members - Scientist Dr D N Sharma, Lieutenant General N C Marwah and UNDP member Kamal Kishore - were chosen out of 82 professionals who were short-listed. Inviting applications for appointment as members of the Authority, the Home Ministry had said that aspirants must have administrative, superintendence and management experience of disaster-situation and mitigation efforts.
In a notification, the ministry had said that candidates should have contributed towards policy and plan formulation for disaster management, response and mitigation.
Other criteria include academic achievements and contribution to developing response and mitigation mechanism for dealing with different types of disasters like flood, tsunami, cyclones, drought, earthquakes and other emergencies.

The government had faced flak for keeping NDMA virtually rudderless for six months after the last vice chairman and Congress leader M Shashidhar Reddy. Its members, mostly retired bureaucrats or police officers, had resigned after PM Modi took charge.

'Betrayal': UP Minorities Panel on Agra Conversions

Agra:  A team of Uttar Pradesh State Minorities Commission which was in Agra to look into the recent conversion of 57 Muslim families to Hinduism by right wing groups has concluded that it was in fact a 'betrayal and not conversion'.
"It was a betrayal and not religious conversion. Elder brothers stabbed younger brothers in the back. But other Hindus are helping these Muslims against people who are trying to create a divide between two brothers," said Shafi Azmi, member of the UP Minorities Commission.

The team concluded this after meeting the affected families in Agra's Vednagar to enquire about the controversial event which has sparked off a raging debate and also stalled Parliament for many days.
An FIR or police complaint was filed on the complaint of a villager who has alleged that 57 Muslim families chosen from a rag-pickers' colony in the Taj Mahal town were given inducements to convert.
"We were told we will get ration card, Aadhar card, the police will not bother us. We are poor so what do we do?" one of the converts had claimed.

Meanwhile, the commission is likely to submit a final report to the state government in a few days.

Watch Video on Orion Spacecraft's Return to Earth

NEW YORK: A video recorded during NASA's Orion return through the Earth's atmosphere provides viewers a first look of the intense conditions astronauts will endure when they return from deep space destinations on the journey to Mars.
The video was recorded through windows in Orion's crew module following its unmanned December 5 flight test, the US space agency said in a statement.
"Now, the public can have an up-close look at the extreme environment a spacecraft experiences as it travels back through the Earth's environment from beyond low-Earth orbit," NASA scientists said.
The video begins 10 minutes before Orion's splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, just as the spacecraft was beginning to experience the Earth's atmosphere.

Peak heating from the friction caused by the atmosphere rubbing against Orion's heat shield comes less than two minutes later.
The footage shows the plasma created by the interaction change from white to yellow to lavender to magenta as the temperature increases.
As Orion emerges safely on the other side of its trial by fire, the camera continues to record the deployment of the series of parachutes that slowed it to a safe 20 mph for landing and the final splash as Orion touched down on the Earth.
Orion travelled 3,600 miles above the Earth on its 4.5-hour soace flight test, "farther than any spacecraft built for humans has been in more than 40 years.
Orion will travel faster and experience even higher temperatures on future missions when it returns from greater distances.
Orion's flight test was a critical step on NASA's journey to Mars.

Work has begun on the next Orion capsule which will launch for the first time on top of NASA's new Space Launch System rocket and travel to a distant retrograde orbit around the moon.

DMK Leader and Former Union Minister Napoleon Joins BJP

Chennai:  DMK leader and former union minister D Napoleon joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of BJP president Amit Shah in Chennai on Sunday.
Napoleon had resigned from the DMK on Saturday. He was a minister in the Congress-led UPA government and an Alagiri loyalist.
"The DMK leadership is bad, they tied my hands. They did not let me function as minister," he said.
His former party, meanwhile, said Napoleon has proved he is an opportunist.

On Saturday, music director Gangai Amaran had joined the BJP.

Four Boys Arrested For Allegedly Raping 7-Year-Old in Karnataka

Bengaluru:  Four minor boys have been arrested for allegedly raping a 7-year-old girl in Kalburgi district in north Karnataka.
The incident took place on Friday evening, the police said.
The family of the girl filed a police complaint on Saturday after which the boys were arrested. They have been charged with rape, Kalburgi Superintendent of Police Amit Singh told NDTV.
The child has been admitted to hospital for medical check-up, her condition is said to be stable.

Police said her medical report is awaited. 

Google May Open Own Campus in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Internet giant Google plans to open its own "permanent and big" campus in Hyderabad and is set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Telangana government shortly to take up the venture.
"We are likely to sign MoU with Google. They are likely to open their campus here in Hyderabad. It will be the third campus they will have after the US and the UK," Telangana IT, Electronics and Communications Secretary Harpreet Singh told PTI here.
Google currently operates from rented premises here but wants to move to a "permanent campus", he said, adding that the tech major would sign an MoU with the state government shortly.
He, however, declined to go into further details of the proposed venture, saying a press conference is scheduled to be held shortly on this but added that it would be a "big campus".
Mr Singh also said Cisco, Airtel, Vodafone and a Taiwanese company, among others, have responded to the expression of interest floated by the government on proposed venture to make Hyderabad a "Wi-Fi-enabled city".
"Many of them are partnering and coming," Mr Singh said, adding that the Taiwanese firm, in fact, was behind making Taipei a Wi-Fi-enabled city.
But he said the companies that have evinced interest have sought information such as detailed maps of the city, including roads, and some clarifications with regard to certain specific points.
"So, we are preparing the replies; we will give it to them."
"It will take time (to make the city Wi-Fi-enabled) because business model is the critical issue. Making wi-fi is not a big problem ... but how to monetise it ... is the key issue," he explained.
Mr Singh, however, said the contract for this venture is expected to be awarded in the next three-four months after floating the request for proposals and the bidding process.
After that, the successful bidder is expected to take six months to roll out the infrastructure, he said, indicating that the city is likely to be Wi-Fi-enabled only towards the end of next year.
On the proposed Rs 30 crore incubator facility for technology start-ups, he said its designs have been completed and the process of tendering is in progress.
The 70,000 square feet facility will have 800 seats, housing an expected 500 start-ups in different stages of growth, he said.
"We are planning to formally inaugurate this building on June two (on the first anniversary of Telangana State's formation)."
As for software exports from Hyderabad, he noted that it was Rs 57,000 crore or roughly $10 billion in the year 2013-14.

"This year (2014-15), I think it's (going to be) 12 per cent (more). We may do slightly better (better than 12 per cent growth)," Mr Singh added.

Gunman With Possible Revenge in Mind Kills Two New York Police Officers

A gunman ambushed and fatally shot two New York City police officers on Saturday and then killed himself, police said, and a social media post indicated it may have been in revenge for the police chokehold death of an unarmed black man.
If the killings do turn out to have been motivated by the death of Eric Garner, they could inflame tension over race and law enforcement that have dogged New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, sparked protests around the country and drawn in President Barack Obama and his attorney general, Eric Holder.
The officers were killed without warning and at close range as they sat in their squad car in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Police Commissioner William Bratton told a news conference, flanked by de Blasio.

"Although we're still learning the details, it's clear that this was an assassination, that these officers were shot execution style," said de Blasio.
New York police have come under intense pressure in recent weeks. Protests erupted after a grand jury declined this month to charge a white police officer involved in Garner's chokehold death during an arrest attempt in July in Staten Island borough.
Bratton identified the gunman in Saturday's shooting as Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, and said he took a shooter's stance on the passenger side of the squad car, opening fire with a silver semi-automatic handgun. He then fled into a nearby subway station and died there from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Bratton said.
The police chief identified the slain officers as Rafael Ramos, 40, and Wenjian Liu, 32. Liu had been married for two months. Ramos had a 13-year-old son.
The killings were the first time New York City police officers have been killed by gunfire since 2011 and sparked bitter anger among some police against de Blasio, who they see as not supportive enough in the face of public anger. The mayor has had a prickly relationship with law enforcement as he tries to balance regard for civil liberties with police concerns.
Patrick Lynch, head of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association that is the country's largest municipal police union, said, "There's blood on many hands tonight."
"Those that incited violence on the street under the guise of protest, that tried to tear down what New York City police officers did every day," Lynch told a news conference. "That blood on the hands starts on the steps of City Hall in the office of the mayor."
Demonstrations over Garner's death came on top of protests around the country over another grand jury's decision in November not to indict a white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.
Obama was briefed on the killings while on vacation in Hawaii. He later said in a statement he unconditionally condemned the shootings, adding that police officers "deserve our respect and gratitude every single day."

INSTAGRAM POSTING
An online posting suggested a link between Brinsley, who was black, and anger over the death of Garner.
Screenshots taken by various media showed an Instagram account attributed to Brinsley with a picture of a man with wire-rimmed glasses and a separate picture of a silver pistol.
The account, using the slang insult pig for police, said: "I'm Putting Wings On Pigs Today. They Take 1 Of Ours ... Let's Take 2 of Theirs."
The post included hashtags for Eric Garner and for Michael Brown, the teenager who was shot dead in August in Ferguson.
Instagram said the account attributed to Brinsley had been deleted.
Bratton was asked whether there was a link between Brinsley and the weeks of protests over law enforcement, and said this was under investigation. He added:
"There has been ... a very strong anti-police, anti-criminal justice system, anti-societal set of initiatives under way and one of the unfortunate aspects sometimes is some people get caught up in these and go in directions they should not."
He said police would investigate whether Brinsley had been part of protests in New York and in Atlanta, his last place of residence, over the Brown and Garner killings.

DIFFERENCE OVER TIMING
Brinsley had shot and seriously wounded his ex-girlfriend in Baltimore County, Maryland, early on Saturday before traveling to Brooklyn, where he had connections, Bratton said.
He said Baltimore authorities, who had responded to that shooting, warned the NYPD at 2:45 p.m. that it should be on the lookout for Brinsley. That was right around the time the shooting of the two NYPD officers took place.
But Baltimore County Police gave a slightly different timeline, raising questions about how soon in advance the NYPD was alerted.
Baltimore County Police said in a statement its investigators tracked Brinsley's phone and determined he was in Brooklyn, and that at 2:10 p.m. they called police there to say he was in the area, warning them about the threats Brinsley had made on Instagram.
DE BLASIO AND POLICE
The Rev. Al Sharpton, a New York civil rights leader who has supported the families of Brown and Garner, said he was outraged by the officers' killings, if they were related to the men's deaths. Civil rights leaders in Los Angeles and Brown's family also condemned the shootings.
De Blasio faced a fresh tide of anger in the city, this time from some of New York's police force.
A Democrat who took office this year promising strong support for civil liberties in the city, he voiced support for protesters' rights after the Garner case and has agreed with activists that police need retraining, although he has not stepped away from New York's policy of cracking down on low-level offenses in an effort to stop more serious crimes.
The Sergeants Benevolent Association, which comprises about 12,000 retired and active New York police sergeants. "The blood of 2 executed police officers is on the hands of Mayor de Blasio," the group said in a tweet.
Police set up a perimeter for several blocks around the street corner where the shooting occurred. Only residents were allowed to cross the police line.
John Jeronimo, a 28-year-old photographer who lives in public housing nearby, predicted the neighborhood would change as more police were sent into the area.
"A lot more people are going to get checked, stopped, pulled over. From here on now it's going to be more hectic," he said.
As ambulances carrying the officers' bodies left Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, police and firefighters blocked traffic along the motorcade route with squad cars and fire trucks.

Hundreds of police and firefighters stood silently at attention, saluting as the ambulances drove by on their way to the city medical examiner's office.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Says India Not Far Off Away Test Wins

Brisbane: Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said India have the pace, threat and aggression to win Tests away from home and it's just a matter of time before results go their way.
The Indians lost by four wickets to Australia in Saturday's second Test in Brisbane after going down all guns blazing by 48 runs chasing 364 in the opening Adelaide Test.
While India have been in contention in both Tests, the Australians have won the key moments to turn around the contests. (Read: Mitch Marsh Ruled Out of Boxing Day Test, Joe Burns Set to Make Debut)
The Brisbane loss was India's fifth straight away defeat and their 15th in the last 18, with only one win. (India Won't be Whitewashed: Gavaskar)
India were thumped 3-1 in England this year and trail Australia 2-0 in the four-match Border-Gavaskar series, but Dhoni is undeterred.
"There's plenty of areas we're showing improvement, but we're still not crossing the line," Dhoni said. (When Ishant Left Gabba Because of No Veg Food)
"We need to give it a bit more time. Once they start crossing that line, once they harness that aggression in the right channel you'll see plenty of good results from this side." (India Blame Dhawan Injury on Practice Pitches)
Dhoni, lining up for his 90th Test match as a player and 60th as captain in the third Test in Melbourne on Boxing Day, said it is important for India to compete against the Australians in what is the toughest tour for overseas teams.
"The exciting thing is we have competed. What's really important is it can turn at any point of time," he said. (Aussie Media Slate 'Whingeing' India)
"The competition has been good, though the results have not been in our favour.
"It's exciting to see the youngsters putting in a fight. It's just a matter of time. It will turn out to be a very consistent side."
Dhoni said it was important for his team to fight it out to the end of their Test matches, irrespective of their situation in the contest.
"It's important that you fight it out with the opposition and then whatever the result is, you accept it," he said.
"At the same time, you don't throw in the towel. It was quite good to see our fast bowlers still running in, giving 100 percent.
"We have seen the execution power of our fast bowlers has increased.
"Ishant Sharma is the leader of the pack. He is someone who can consistently now bowl in one area.
"Varun Aaron is still raw. He does go for runs, but it's exciting to see somebody from India bowling at a good pace and using the bouncer to get the opposition out.
"We were able to get a few wickets in Australia's second innings and that helps the youngsters learn that to get another 50, 60, 70 runs it can really matter. Especially, when it comes to Australia and a fifth-day wicket."

India have not beaten Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 33 years and have lost their last five Tests there by big margins.

Finance Ministry Asks Public Sector Banks to Submit Capital Raising Plans: Report

New Delhi: The Finance Ministry has asked all public sector banks to submit capital raising plans following the Cabinet approval to reduction in government's stake in state-run lenders to 52 per cent.
"Banks have been asked to make a detail presentation of the capital requirement over the next five years to meet Basel III norms," sources said.
The fresh presentation would take into account latest first half year results and how much they would like to raise from the market, they said.
Accordingly, the Finance Ministry would also crystallise its view about allocation towards public sector banks during the current fiscal year, they added.
The government has already made a budget provision of Rs 11,200 crore towards recapitalisation of PSU banks for 2014-15. Besides, information has also been sought as to how much each bank would mobilise from other means, including selling of its stake in non-core business.
As part of raising capital, IDBI Bank has already initiated the process of selling its entire 5 per cent stake in National Stock Exchange (NSE) that may fetch the lender about Rs 1,000 crore.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the first Budget speech had said, "To be in line with Basel-III norms there is a requirement to infuse Rs 2.40 lakh crore as equity by 2018 in our banks. To meet this huge capital requirement we need to raise additional resources to fulfil this obligation."
 While preserving the public ownership, the capital of these banks will be raised by increasing the shareholding of the people in a phased manner through the sale of shares largely through retail to common citizens of this country, he had said.
Keeping the huge capital requirement in the mind, the Union Cabinet earlier this month allowed public sector banks to raise up to Rs 1.60 lakh crore from markets by diluting government holding to 52 per cent in phases so as to meet Basel III capital adequacy norms.
The Cabinet asked the PSU banks to broadbase retail shareholding while going in for the fund raising.
Out of 27 PSU banks, Government of India controls 22 through majority holding. In the remaining 5 banks, state-run SBI holds majority stake.

Total government support provided to PSU banks towards capitalisation during the past four years was Rs 58,634 crore.

Arbaaz Khan : Dolly Ki Doli Will Take Sonam Kapoor's Career to New Heights

Actor-filmmaker Arbaaz Khan, who has again turned producer with the upcoming film Dolly Ki Doli starring Sonam Kapoor, says the film will prove to be a booster for the actress' career.
Sonam, 29, plays the titular character, who runs away with groom's money in the woman-centric romantic-comedy, directed by debutant Abhishek Dogra.
Arbaaz feels Sonam was always on his mind and she fitted the character's requirements perfectly.
"Sonam was always there in our list and she fulfilled all the parameters and she has no reservations on working with new directors.
She was excited about working with the cast and the story and she was the right person to do Dolly. When success is concern you just need one film to reach new heights and increase your level. It could be Dolly Ki Doli for Sonam," Arbaaz told PTI in an interview.
Arbaaz, who turned producer with blockbuster Dabangg in 2010, said people never expected that he will make a woman-oriented film in his career.
"I always wanted to make a masala entertainer film which is a mainstream film. The film has good characters, dialogues and scenes. Yes it's a women-oriented film and may be people were not expecting from me so soon but a good story is very important as a producer," he said.
Arbaaz said he is excited about the film.
"I was about the film. Post Dabangg 2, when I was listening to the scripts and meeting people then I met Abhishek and writer Umashankar. And when they both told me the story of Dolly Ki Doli, I felt that I have to produce it," he said.
The 47-year-old filmmaker says he never intended to direct Dolly Ki Doli and had immense trust in Abhishek, even though he is a newcomer.
"Abhishek came with the script and it was always his film yes sometime people are anxious too about the fate of the film when new people are working. I have an ability to take risk and I have been always creatively associated in any of my film," Arbaaz said.

Asked if he consulted writer father Salim Khan for his suggestions on Dolly Ki Doli, Arbaaz said, "He gave us the go ahead signal on the script and recently we showed him the rough cut of the film. We thought he would ask us to re-shoot or add something to it. But he liked the film."

After 'Clean India', Government's Swachh Tourism Plans

New Delhi:  The BJP-led government at the Centre is all set to launch a new tourism campaign that seeks to give new impetus to PM Modi's pet project, Swachh Bharat (Clean India) drive.
The official announcement is expected to be made on December 25, on the birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee; the campaign will have a tagline Swachh Bharat Swachh Smarak (Clean India, Clean Monuments.)
The focus of the campaign would be to spruce up India's monuments and heritage sites and provide a hassle free experience to tourists across the country. Apart from the monuments maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), a central government agency, Tourism Ministry plans to rope in state governments as most tourist sites across the country are maintained by them.
The new plan is being closely monitored by the Tourism Minister Dr Mahesh Sharma. "All I can say is that we are working on a new plan but can't disclose everything now. Keep something for the 25 December as well," he said.
Officials in the ministry say the other theme that the ministry is working on is to encourage tourist inflow into areas affected by militancy. "Tourism should replace terrorism. That should be our goal,"said an official.
The ministry also plans to address the concerns faced by foreign tourists, especially about being harassed by touts, by launching "end-to-end" tourism.
"If we receive a person at the airport, work out their itinerary, take them around in India and finally drop them off at the airport with the assurance that they are looked after by the government as guests, concerns about touts and harassment would disappear," said the official.

Officials indicated that details of the plan are still being worked upon.

Stocks May Remain Volatile Amid Derivatives Expiry: Experts

Mumbai: Stock markets may remain volatile amid derivatives expiry in a holiday-shortened week ahead, according to experts.

Besides, progress on key Bills in the remaining two days of the winter session of Parliament, developments in Russia and foreign fund flows will be key for market movement, the experts said.

Stock markets will remain closed on Thursday for Christmas.

"The holiday-shortened week is expected to be volatile one for equity markets on account of F&O expiry, scheduled to take place on Wednesday. Participants would be tracking development-taking place in the winter session of Parliament."

"With just two days left for the session to expire, participants would be eyeing the fate of several crucial bills like Insurance," said Jayant Manglik, president-retail distribution at Religare Securities Limited.

Besides, markets would also keep a close watch on momentum of the rupee and Brent crude, which have been dictating the market moves.

Considering the upcoming events, we expect index to trade volatile in a broader range this week, he said.

"The truth is that global risk continue, especially to Europe and oil countries... There is a high amount of doubts as world is slowing down and many important countries like Euro, OPEC, China and Russia are in structural issue."

"In the meantime, GST has come as a surprise development of winter session," said Vinod Nair, head of fundamental research at Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services.

The much-awaited GST Bill, which provides for an overhaul of the taxation system, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Over the past week, the BSE benchmark Sensex ended with a mild gain of 21.16 points at 27,371.84.

Luis Suarez Opens La Liga Account, Lionel Messi Nets Brace as Barcelona Rout Cordoba

Luis Suarez celebrates with Pedro after netting his first La Liga goal.
Madrid: Luis Suarez scored his first La Liga goal and Lionel Messi netted twice as Barcelona moved to within a point of leaders Real Madrid with a 5-0 thrashing of Cordoba in their final game of the year on Saturday.
The hosts got off to a flying start as Pedro Rodriguez, once again deputising for Neymar, opened the scoring with a smart finish from Ivan Rakitic's wonderful through ball inside two minutes.
Barca then struggled to build on their lead for the rest of the first period, but Suarez capped another quick start to the second period when he poked home from close range to end a seven-game drought in the league since returning from a four-month ban for biting.
Gerard Pique headed in a third before Messi rounded off the scoring with two stunning finishes in the final 10 minutes.
"I was able to score and that helps relax me. I don't know if we were affected, but the draw with Getafe last week annoyed us. We had to come here today and show that we're in the fight for the Liga title," Suarez said.
"Scoring is always important, but with the support of everyone we all knew that this happy moment would come.
"I'm a forward and I have to score goals, but I'm also helping the side to achieve its aims. For this I hadn't got too obsessed with getting on the scoresheet. The most important thing was that the team won and we achieved that".
Despite coach Luis Enrique claiming that Neymar had fully recovered from an ankle injury, the Brazilian watched on from the bench as Pedro was rewarded for his hat-trick in the 8-1 thrashing of Huesca in midweek and the Canary Islander continued his scoring streak in the first meaningful attack of the game.
Rakitic's intelligent left-footed pass over the top was trapped by the Spain international before he lashed the ball into the roof of the net to register his sixth goal in as many games.
Andres Iniesta then shot straight at Juan Carlos before Suarez was inches away from making his mark with an acrobatic effort that flew into the side-netting.
- Fine reaction -
Nabil Ghilas and Fede Cartabia shot into the side-netting in Cordoba's only two attacks of note in the first 45, and they could have been further behind at the break but for a fine reaction save from Carlos to turn Pique's header from close range behind for a corner.
There was nothing the Cordoba 'keeper could do seven minutes into the second period, however, when Messi, Iniesta and Pedro combined to hand Suarez a glorious chance to get up and running in La Liga and this time the Uruguayan made no mistake with a deft first touch before slotting under Carlos.
Rakitic nearly made it 3-0 moments later in spectacular fashion as he crashed a drive from 25 yards off the post.
The Croatian then made way for Xavi Hernandez 25 minutes from time and it was the veteran midfielder who provided a perfect cross for Pique to power home a header to make it 3-0.
Two minutes later Messi got his name in the scoresheet from another set-piece as Cordoba only partially cleared a corner from the right and the four-time World Player of the Year smashed the ball right-footed home off the underside of the bar from the edge of the box.
Messi added one final moment of magic in stoppage time when he spectacularly controlled a looping ball on the outside of his left foot before spinning to fire home with his right despite Carlos's best efforts to keep it out.
Victory moves Barca six points clear of champions Atletico Madrid, who visit Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
Real Madrid will end the year on top despite having played a game less than the Catalans as they take on San Lorenzo in the final of the Club World Cup later on Saturday.

Jason Holder Replaces Dwayne Bravo as West Indies ODI Skipper

St John's: Barbados all-rounder Jason Holder was named as the new captain of the West Indies one-day squad on Saturday, taking over from Dwayne Bravo, who has been axed after his high-profile role in October's India tour fiasco.
Holder, 23, will lead the West Indies into their five-game series against South Africa in January before heading the squad at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February and March.
Bravo was left out of the 15-man squad although he was named in the Twenty20 party for the three-game series, also in South Africa, next month.
"Jason is one of the good, young players who we believe will form part of the long-term future of West Indies cricket," said Clive Lloyd, the chairman of selectors.
"We expect him to be around for a very long time. He is a young man with a very bright future. We have invested in him.
"The selectors decided that now is the time to make the transition and Jason will have people around him to help and guide him. Some might say it's close to the time of next year's World Cup but we know that we have a good one-day team which can do very well."
Holder has appeared in 21 ODIs and has taken 29 wickets while he has also appeared in one Test and a T20 international.
Dwayne Bravo was at the forefront of the controversial decision to quit the tour of India four matches into a five-game one-day series after a pay dispute.
He was one of the main players who came in for particular criticism when a task force published its report into the debacle last week.
The new-look West Indies squad also features Jonathan Carter, who has received his maiden overseas tour call, and sees Narsingh Deonarine making a comeback after some strong recent performances.
Left-handed batsman Leon Johnson is retained and all-rounders Carlos Brathwaite and Andre Russell are also included in the squad which has the experienced top order duo of Chris Gayle (subject to a fitness test) and Dwayne Smith.
Fast bowling duties will be handled by Jerome Taylor with support from Sheldon Cottrell.
Sulieman Benn is the lone specialist spinner in the ODI squad.
Kemar Roach, who was originally identified for selection, has joined the injury list after being hurt in the West Indies' innings and 220-run defeat to South Africa in the first Test which ended Saturday.
West Indies ODI squad:
Jason Holder (captain), Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Narsingh Deonarine, Leon Johnson, Chris Gayle, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor; 15th man TBA.
West Indies Twenty20 squad:
Darren Sammy (captain), Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle (subject to fitness test), Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith.