Leela Samson resigns as chief of Censor Board
Leela Samson announced her resignation as chief of the Censor Board on Thursday, amid reports that the controversial film Messenger of God featuring Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had been cleared by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal. Samson called the clearing a mockery of the Central Board of Film Certification. The film was slated to hit the screens on Friday. Samson cited “interference, coercion and corruption of panel members and officers of the organisation who are appointed by the Ministry” as the reasons she was quitting. She also said she has “had to manage an organisation whose Board has not met for over nine months as the Ministry had no funds to permit the meeting of members”.
Kiran Bedi moves to BJP in Delhi
On Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party inducted IPS officer-turned-activist Kiran Bedi into its ranks, in an effort to counter the Aam Aadmi Party in the Delhi polls on February 7. There were also indications that, should the BJP win the polls, Bedi would be considered for the post of chief minister. The event to welcome her into the party included Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan and Delhi state unit president Satish Upaghyay. For her part, Bedi said she had moved to the BJP after having been inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
RBI cuts repo rate by 25 basis points
Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan cut interest rates on Thursday to give a boost to the government’s efforts to revive growth. The key repo rate was cut by 25 basis points to 7.75%, acknowledging that inflation was easing sharply and putting the ball back in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s court to fix the budget. An RBI official said that there was an assurance from the government that fiscal prudence would be maintained. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the rate cut would put more money in the hands of consumers and help revive investment.
Lankan President appoints new governor to the Northern Province
A week after taking oath as Sri Lanka’s new president, Maithripala Sirisena reached out to Tamils in the Northern Province by appointing a new governor on Thursday, replacing a retired army commander with a retired diplomat. The Tamils in the region have been complaining that after victory over the separatists in 2009, the Northern Province has not been demilitarised. Moreover, the governor – Maj. Gen. GA Chandrasiri – was known as a brutal commander during the last few years of the conflict. A United Nations report has said as many as 40,000 Tamil civilians may been in that time as they were confined to a small area under heavy government shelling.
Kalanithi Maran to exit SpiceJet
In a Bombay Stock Exchange filing on Thursday, SpiceJet announced that it would transfer the ownership and management of the embattled airline to its cofounder Ajay Singh, indicating the exit of current promoter Kalanithi Maran. Maran’s Sun Group holds 58.46% stake in SpiceJet worth Rs 500 crore that will be transferred entirely to a consortium led by Singh. The airline needs Rs 1,500 crore immediately to survive, of which over Rs 700 crore are in dues that the Sun Group has refused to pay.
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Leela Samson announced her resignation as chief of the Censor Board on Thursday, amid reports that the controversial film Messenger of God featuring Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had been cleared by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal. Samson called the clearing a mockery of the Central Board of Film Certification. The film was slated to hit the screens on Friday. Samson cited “interference, coercion and corruption of panel members and officers of the organisation who are appointed by the Ministry” as the reasons she was quitting. She also said she has “had to manage an organisation whose Board has not met for over nine months as the Ministry had no funds to permit the meeting of members”.
Kiran Bedi moves to BJP in Delhi
On Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party inducted IPS officer-turned-activist Kiran Bedi into its ranks, in an effort to counter the Aam Aadmi Party in the Delhi polls on February 7. There were also indications that, should the BJP win the polls, Bedi would be considered for the post of chief minister. The event to welcome her into the party included Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan and Delhi state unit president Satish Upaghyay. For her part, Bedi said she had moved to the BJP after having been inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
RBI cuts repo rate by 25 basis points
Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan cut interest rates on Thursday to give a boost to the government’s efforts to revive growth. The key repo rate was cut by 25 basis points to 7.75%, acknowledging that inflation was easing sharply and putting the ball back in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s court to fix the budget. An RBI official said that there was an assurance from the government that fiscal prudence would be maintained. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the rate cut would put more money in the hands of consumers and help revive investment.
Lankan President appoints new governor to the Northern Province
A week after taking oath as Sri Lanka’s new president, Maithripala Sirisena reached out to Tamils in the Northern Province by appointing a new governor on Thursday, replacing a retired army commander with a retired diplomat. The Tamils in the region have been complaining that after victory over the separatists in 2009, the Northern Province has not been demilitarised. Moreover, the governor – Maj. Gen. GA Chandrasiri – was known as a brutal commander during the last few years of the conflict. A United Nations report has said as many as 40,000 Tamil civilians may been in that time as they were confined to a small area under heavy government shelling.
Kalanithi Maran to exit SpiceJet
In a Bombay Stock Exchange filing on Thursday, SpiceJet announced that it would transfer the ownership and management of the embattled airline to its cofounder Ajay Singh, indicating the exit of current promoter Kalanithi Maran. Maran’s Sun Group holds 58.46% stake in SpiceJet worth Rs 500 crore that will be transferred entirely to a consortium led by Singh. The airline needs Rs 1,500 crore immediately to survive, of which over Rs 700 crore are in dues that the Sun Group has refused to pay.