TIMES NEWS NETWORK LINE OF NO CONTROL SANDEEP …centre in Guj contacted 4.5L US citizens: Cops...
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Mumbai: Banks expect the in- terest subvention on loans for affordable homes and home ex- tensions and small enterprises to counter the slowdown caused by monetary contrac- tion following demonetisation. The impact of the schemes is expected to be felt in lending and on the overall economy in the first quarter of FY18. “Today 45% of bank loans is going to only 300 companies. The extreme concentration of bank credit on the top end of the corporate sector has begun to border on the ridiculous,” said Rajiv Lall, MD and CEO, IDFC Bank. He said the PM’s announcements would help re- balance this by encouraging loans to small business where the framework has already been created with the help of payment systems and bank ac- counts. “From our perspective this is extremely positive and will help us further in penetrat- ing the segments we serve. With these announcements, the challenges that all faced fol- lowing demonetisation will clearly be history,” said Kapil Wadhawan, chairman and MD, Dewan Housing Finance Cor- poration. Indiabullls Housing Finance vice-chairman and MD Gagan Banga said subsi- dised home loans would find many takers as the EMI cheque would now be smaller than the rent cheque. “This is a tremendously positive announcement com- ing on the back of many direct- ed steps to realise the ‘Housing for All’ objective. This, with the credit guarantee for SMEs, will ensure small business owner and the middle-class salaried customer will progress in their business and move out of rent- ed homes to own their own house,” said Banga. “The mea- sures announced by the PM en- couraging housing for lower- income groups will reinvigor- ate the sector and go a long way in aiding financial inclusion,” said Shikha Sharma, MD and CEO, Axis Bank. Using RuPay cards for rural loans instead of Kisan Credit Cards was a much more efficient way of credit de- livery and would boost digitisa- tion, she said. ‘PM’s schemes may counter slowdown’ LINE OF NO CONTROL SANDEEP ADHWARYU TIMES NEWS NETWORK I n general terms, this certi- fication process, which is a protectionist measure, re- quires the employer to deter- mine whether US workers are available for the job. The AAO in its decision, dated December 27, has redefi- ned the existing tests for obtaining an NIW. These tests were perceived as subjective and often resulted in similar applicants being treated diffe- rently — with a denial of an NIW in one case and a grant in another. In its order, the AAO states: USCIS may grant an NIW if the applicant de- monstrates that his or her proposed endeavour (activity) in the US has both substantial merit and national importan- ce. That he or she is well-posi- tioned to carry it forward and lastly that on balance it would be more beneficial for the US to waive the job offer and the labour certification requi- rements. “The decision provides for a more flexible legal standard that can be applied for indivi- duals who are entrepreneurs, as well as those who are invol- ved in occupations geared to- wards science, technology, engineering and mathema- tics (STEM),” says David H Nachman, managing attor- ney, at NPZ Law Group. In this case, Dhanasar (na- me as appearing in the deci- sion), a researcher and educa- tor in the field of aerospace engineering, sought an NIW. This petition was denied by the director of the Texas Ser- vice Centre resulting in the matter coming up before the AAO. The appeals office had a relook at the existing fram- ework, redefined the tests and granted the NIW. While it ap- pears that the applicant is of Indian origin, the same could not be directly affirmed. NIW was introduced by the Immigration Act, 1990, but conditions for obtaining the waiver were not explicitly set down in the law. “About adecade later, the New York State Department of Trans- portation (NYSDOT) case laid out a legal standard which required that the appli- cant seeking an NIW benefit the nation as a whole. This case made a subjective deter- mination that the applicant needed to prove that the bene- fit of waiving the labour certi- fication outweighed the na- tion’s interest in the labour certification process. The new decision sets out a comp- letely different analysis and it does not require the arbitrary subjectivity set forth in the NYSDOT case,” expla- ins Nachman. “A key point is that now USCIS will perform a balan- cing test on whether it would be more beneficial to the US to waive the requirement of a job offer and thus of a labour certification,” explains Rajiv S Khanna, US-based immig- ration attorney at Immiga- tion.com (see graphic).“Apart from offering speedier pro- cess in the path towards a gre- en card, NIW holders can also avail of an unlimited H-1B ex- tension, and their spouses can apply for work authorisation. Normally, the USCIS does not consider itself bound by a de- cision of the AAO. But this de- cision is binding. It has been so adopted by the USCIS,” adds Khanna. Boost for entrepreneurs, STEM graduates Old subjective tests (NYSDOT case) New tests (Dhanasar case) Impact The applicant’s area of employment is of substantial ‘intrinsic’ merit The applicant’s proposed endeavour has both substantial merit and national importance Removal of the term ‘intrinsic’ will reduce subjectivity Proposed benefit from the applicant’s endeavour (activity) is ‘national in scope’ The applicant is well positioned to advance the proposed endeavour It is a test focused on skills and qualifications of the applicant and offers more clarity National interest would be adversely affected if a labour certification was required On balance, it would be beneficial to the US to waive the requirements of a job offer & labour certification A more balanced approach, which favours entrepreneurs and qualified applicants OUT WITH THE OLD From P 1 Ahmedabad: The cyber cell of the Gujarat crime branch has received call details from US-based voice-over internet protocol (VoIP) service pro- viders to aid its investigation in the call centre scam case. The documents reveal that 4.5 lakh US cell numbers were contacted by callers from just one call centre, Lac Art El Infotech, operating from an office complex in Bodakdev. The call centre was operated by Sandeep Dhavda and Hitendra Raj- vani in partnership with Thomas Patel. “If numbers of US citi- zens contacted by one centre are anything to go by, the to- tal number of American citi- zens contacted by several call centres could run into cro- res. It is estimated that of 100 calls made, 20% fall prey to the fraudsters. If we go by this estimate, 80,000 US citizens could have been che- ated by just this one call cent- re,” said a senior crime branch official. Just one con call centre in Guj contacted 4.5L US citizens: Cops Sarfaraz.Shaikh @timesgroup.com Itanagar: The BJP on Satur- day captured power in Aruna- chal Pradesh after 33 of the 43 People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) MLAs, including chief minister Pema Khandu, joined the saffron party. This is the second time in 13 years that the BJP is in governance in this politically volatile bor- der state. Khandu paraded the legis- lators before speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, who ac- cepted the merger. With this, the BJP has 47 MLAs in the 60- member house, including an associate member and an In- dependent. The PPA has 10 MLAs and Congress, three. The speaker is among the leg- islators who joined BJP. “The lotus has finally bloomed in Arunachal. The people of the state will see the dawn of development in the new year under a new govern- ment,” Khandu said. Explaining the legisla- tors’ decision to merge with the BJP, the chief minister said PPA had treated them in an undemocratic manner. “We saw several years of misrule by the Congress. We then joined PPA with the in- tention of bringing the state on the path of progress and prosperity. There, too, we found a similar state of af- fairs. The party president treated us undemocratically. So our MLAs decided to join the BJP for the overall pro- gress of the state,” Khandu said. As on Saturday, the saf- fron party is ruling two of the seven Northeast states — As- sam and Arunachal. In Naga- land, the ruling Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) is part of the NDA. BJP forms government in Arunachal Pradesh FLIP-FLOP: CM Pema Khandu and 32 MLAs joined BJP even as PPA accused BJP of hijacking its MLAs to seize power TIMES NEWS NETWORK R ecent weeks have seen Ra- hul accusing PM Naren- dra Modi of personal cor- ruption and denouncing de- monetisation for hurting the poor and sending the economy in a tailspin. On December 28 last year, before travelling abroad for New Year celebra- tions, the Gandhi scion had tweeted on his official handle OfficeOfRG, “I will be travell- ing to Europe for a few days. A very Happy New Year to every- one”. He tweeted again on June 20 before leaving Indian shores, saying, “Travelling out of the country for a few days on a short visit...” This time, howev- er, Rahul tweeted his travel plan much after his departure. Prior intimation of his for- eign trips on social media stirred up a controversy dur- ing his two visits abroad in 2015. His trip to South Asian nations lasting two months led to his absence from the first leg of the budget session of Parlia- ment in 2015 and invited much criticism from the Congress’s political opponents. His trip to Aspen (US) in September 2015 to attend a con- ference also stirred up a contro- versy coming as it did in the midst of the Bihar assembly poll campaign. Rahul tweets travel plan after leaving India From P 1 Chennai: For 33 years, she lived in the shadow of J Jayala- lithaa, in silence. Then, on Sat- urday, V K Sasikala spoke for 22 minutes, leaving the AIADMK leadership con- vinced: The queen is dead. Long live the queen. For many in the 45-year-old party, it was the perfect New Year gift — the loyal Chinnam- ma in place of the benevolent Amma. Taking charge as the sixth general secretary of the party, Sasikala made it clear that she needs the cadre more than they need her. “I ac- cept this responsibility with the confidence that crores of party cadres will stand by me,” she said. Having undergone a subtle yet unmissable makeover — her blouse a cut up her nape, her hair now in a chignon — Sasikala was at once emotion- al and resolute. “We must pro- ceed at the same speed with which Amma ran the party ... We will take the party forward in the same military discipline that Amma maintained,” she told the gathering of party leaders. Her speech in Tamil was punctuated — 52 times to be precise — by the name ‘Am- ma.’ The serving CM’s name found no mention. Sasikala said under her leadership the party would up- hold the ideals of former CMs C N Annadurai, MGR and J Jayalalithaa. “They will be our icons. No one else will gain prominence here,” she said. The speech opened on an emo- tional note. “When those who spent just a few seconds or met her for a few minutes are griev- ing, I, who have spent 33 years with her cannot describe my emotions,” she said. “For 33 years I attended several meet- ings with Amma. Today, a sit- uation has arisen when I have to address you from this stage ... (this is) something that I nev- er dreamed of.” Change of guard: Sasikala takes over as AIADMK chief CHINNAMMA IN CHARGE Yogesh.Kabirdoss @timesgroup.com 13 SUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA, MUMBAI JANUARY 1, 2017 TIMES NATION | Politics & Policy
Transcript of TIMES NEWS NETWORK LINE OF NO CONTROL SANDEEP …centre in Guj contacted 4.5L US citizens: Cops...
Mumbai: Banks expect the in-terest subvention on loans foraffordable homes and home ex-tensions and small enterprisesto counter the slowdowncaused by monetary contrac-tion following demonetisation.The impact of the schemes isexpected to be felt in lendingand on the overall economy inthe first quarter of FY18.
“Today 45% of bank loansis going to only 300 companies.The extreme concentration of bank credit on the top end ofthe corporate sector has begunto border on the ridiculous,”said Rajiv Lall, MD and CEO,IDFC Bank. He said the PM’sannouncements would help re-balance this by encouragingloans to small business wherethe framework has alreadybeen created with the help ofpayment systems and bank ac-counts. “From our perspectivethis is extremely positive andwill help us further in penetrat-ing the segments we serve.
With these announcements,the challenges that all faced fol-
lowing demonetisation willclearly be history,” said Kapil
Wadhawan, chairman and MD,Dewan Housing Finance Cor-
poration. Indiabullls HousingFinance vice-chairman andMD Gagan Banga said subsi-dised home loans would findmany takers as the EMI chequewould now be smaller than therent cheque.
“This is a tremendouslypositive announcement com-ing on the back of many direct-ed steps to realise the ‘Housingfor All’ objective. This, with thecredit guarantee for SMEs, willensure small business ownerand the middle-class salariedcustomer will progress in theirbusiness and move out of rent-ed homes to own their ownhouse,” said Banga. “The mea-sures announced by the PM en-couraging housing for lower-income groups will reinvigor-ate the sector and go a long wayin aiding financial inclusion,”said Shikha Sharma, MD andCEO, Axis Bank. Using RuPaycards for rural loans instead ofKisan Credit Cards was a muchmore efficient way of credit de-livery and would boost digitisa-tion, she said.
‘PM’s schemes may counter slowdown’LINE OF NO CONTROL SANDEEP ADHWARYU
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
In general terms, this certi-fication process, which is aprotectionist measure, re-
quires the employer to deter-mine whether US workers areavailable for the job.
The AAO in its decision,dated December 27, has redefi-ned the existing tests for obtaining an NIW. These testswere perceived as subjectiveand often resulted in similarapplicants being treated diffe-rently — with a denial of anNIW in one case and a grantin another.
In its order, the AAO states: USCIS may grant anNIW if the applicant de-monstrates that his or herproposed endeavour (activity)in the US has both substantialmerit and national importan-ce. That he or she is well-posi-tioned to carry it forward andlastly that on balance it wouldbe more beneficial for the US to waive the job offer andthe labour certification requi-rements.
“The decision provides fora more flexible legal standardthat can be applied for indivi-duals who are entrepreneurs,as well as those who are invol-ved in occupations geared to-
wards science, technology,engineering and mathema-tics (STEM),” says David HNachman, managing attor-ney, at NPZ Law Group.
In this case, Dhanasar (na-me as appearing in the deci-sion), a researcher and educa-tor in the field of aerospaceengineering, sought an NIW.This petition was denied bythe director of the Texas Ser-vice Centre resulting in thematter coming up before theAAO. The appeals office had a
relook at the existing fram-ework, redefined the tests andgranted the NIW. While it ap-pears that the applicant is ofIndian origin, the same couldnot be directly affirmed.
NIW was introduced bythe Immigration Act, 1990, butconditions for obtaining thewaiver were not explicitly setdown in the law. “Abouta decade later, the New YorkState Department of Trans-portation (NYSDOT) case laid out a legal standard
which required that the appli-cant seeking an NIW benefitthe nation as a whole. Thiscase made a subjective deter-mination that the applicantneeded to prove that the bene-fit of waiving the labour certi-fication outweighed the na-tion’s interest in the labourcertification process. Thenew decision sets out a comp-letely different analysis and itdoes not require the arbitrarysubjectivity set forth in the NYSDOT case,” expla-ins Nachman.
“A key point is that nowUSCIS will perform a balan-cing test on whether it wouldbe more beneficial to the US towaive the requirement of ajob offer and thus of a labourcertification,” explains RajivS Khanna, US-based immig-ration attorney at Immiga-tion.com (see graphic).“Apartfrom offering speedier pro-cess in the path towards a gre-en card, NIW holders can alsoavail of an unlimited H-1B ex-tension, and their spouses canapply for work authorisation.Normally, the USCIS does notconsider itself bound by a de-cision of the AAO. But this de-cision is binding. It has beenso adopted by the USCIS,”adds Khanna.
Boost for entrepreneurs, STEM graduates
Old subjective tests (NYSDOT case)
New tests (Dhanasar case) Impact
The applicant’s area of employment is of substantial ‘intrinsic’ merit
The applicant’s proposed endeavour has both substantial merit and national importance
Removal of the term ‘intrinsic’ will reduce subjectivity
Proposed benefit from the applicant’s endeavour (activity) is ‘national in scope’
The applicant is well positioned to advance the proposed endeavour
It is a test focused on skills and qualifications of the applicant and offers more clarity
National interest would be adversely affected if a labour certification was required
On balance, it would be beneficial to the US to waive the requirements of a job offer & labour certification
A more balanced approach, which favours entrepreneurs and qualified applicants
OUT WITH THE OLD� From P 1
Ahmedabad: The cyber cellof the Gujarat crime branchhas received call details fromUS-based voice-over internetprotocol (VoIP) service pro-viders to aid its investigationin the call centre scam case.
The documents revealthat 4.5 lakh US cell numberswere contacted by callersfrom just one call centre, LacArt El Infotech, operatingfrom an office complex in Bodakdev. The call centrewas operated by SandeepDhavda and Hitendra Raj-vani in partnership withThomas Patel.
“If numbers of US citi-zens contacted by one centreare anything to go by, the to-tal number of American citi-zens contacted by several callcentres could run into cro-res. It is estimated that of100 calls made, 20% fall prey to the fraudsters. If wego by this estimate, 80,000 UScitizens could have been che-ated by just this one call cent-re,” said a senior crimebranch official.
Just one con callcentre in Guj
contacted 4.5LUS citizens: Cops
Itanagar: The BJP on Satur-day captured power in Aruna-chal Pradesh after 33 of the 43People’s Party of Arunachal(PPA) MLAs, including chiefminister Pema Khandu,joined the saffron party. Thisis the second time in 13 yearsthat the BJP is in governancein this politically volatile bor-der state.
Khandu paraded the legis-lators before speaker TenzingNorbu Thongdok, who ac-cepted the merger. With this,the BJP has 47 MLAs in the 60-member house, including anassociate member and an In-dependent. The PPA has 10MLAs and Congress, three.The speaker is among the leg-
islators who joined BJP.“The lotus has finally
bloomed in Arunachal. Thepeople of the state will see thedawn of development in thenew year under a new govern-ment,” Khandu said.
Explaining the legisla-tors’ decision to merge with
the BJP, the chief ministersaid PPA had treated them inan undemocratic manner.
“We saw several years ofmisrule by the Congress. Wethen joined PPA with the in-tention of bringing the stateon the path of progress andprosperity. There, too, wefound a similar state of af-fairs. The party presidenttreated us undemocratically.So our MLAs decided to jointhe BJP for the overall pro-gress of the state,” Khandusaid.
As on Saturday, the saf-fron party is ruling two of theseven Northeast states — As-sam and Arunachal. In Naga-land, the ruling NagalandPeople’s Front (NPF) is partof the NDA.
BJP forms governmentin Arunachal Pradesh
FLIP-FLOP: CM Pema Khanduand 32 MLAs joined BJP even asPPA accused BJP of hijacking itsMLAs to seize power
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Recent weeks have seen Ra-hul accusing PM Naren-dra Modi of personal cor-
ruption and denouncing de-monetisation for hurting thepoor and sending the economyin a tailspin. On December 28last year, before travellingabroad for New Year celebra-tions, the Gandhi scion hadtweeted on his official handleOfficeOfRG, “I will be travell-ing to Europe for a few days. Avery Happy New Year to every-one”. He tweeted again on June20 before leaving Indian shores,saying, “Travelling out of thecountry for a few days on ashort visit...” This time, howev-er, Rahul tweeted his travelplan much after his departure.
Prior intimation of his for-eign trips on social mediastirred up a controversy dur-ing his two visits abroad in2015. His trip to South Asiannations lasting two months ledto his absence from the first legof the budget session of Parlia-ment in 2015 and invited muchcriticism from the Congress’spolitical opponents.
His trip to Aspen (US) inSeptember 2015 to attend a con-ference also stirred up a contro-versy coming as it did in themidst of the Bihar assemblypoll campaign.
Rahul tweetstravel plan after
leaving India� From P 1
Chennai: For 33 years, shelived in the shadow of J Jayala-lithaa, in silence. Then, on Sat-urday, V K Sasikala spoke for22 minutes, leaving theAIADMK leadership con-vinced: The queen is dead.Long live the queen.
For many in the 45-year-oldparty, it was the perfect NewYear gift — the loyal Chinnam-ma in place of the benevolentAmma. Taking charge as thesixth general secretary of theparty, Sasikala made it clearthat she needs the cadre more than they need her. “I ac-cept this responsibility withthe confidence that crores ofparty cadres will stand by me,”she said.
Having undergone a subtleyet unmissable makeover —her blouse a cut up her nape,her hair now in a chignon —Sasikala was at once emotion-al and resolute. “We must pro-ceed at the same speed withwhich Amma ran the party ...We will take the party forwardin the same military disciplinethat Amma maintained,” shetold the gathering of party
leaders. Her speech in Tamilwas punctuated — 52 times tobe precise — by the name ‘Am-ma.’ The serving CM’s namefound no mention.
Sasikala said under herleadership the party would up-hold the ideals of former CMsC N Annadurai, MGR and JJayalalithaa. “They will be ouricons. No one else will gainprominence here,” she said.The speech opened on an emo-tional note. “When those whospent just a few seconds or mether for a few minutes are griev-ing, I, who have spent 33 yearswith her cannot describe myemotions,” she said. “For 33years I attended several meet-ings with Amma. Today, a sit-uation has arisen when I haveto address you from this stage... (this is) something that I nev-er dreamed of.”
Change of guard:Sasikala takes overas AIADMK chief
CHINNAMMA IN CHARGE
13SUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA, MUMBAIJANUARY 1, 2017 TIMES NATION | Politics & Policy
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HAPPY NEW YEARTIMESOFINDIA.COM | EPAPER.TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Sir Andy & Sir Mo Take A BowTennis World No. 1 Murray, British athlete Mo Farah knighted P 23
MUMBAI, SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2017 * PAGES 52
Lucknow: In yet another tw-ist to the Yadav family saga,Samajwadi Party boss Mula-yam Singh Yadav rescindedthe expulsions of his son Ak-hilesh Yadav and cousinRam Gopal Yadav on Saturd-ay. On Friday, he had expell-ed the duo for six years accu-sing them of indulging in an-ti-party activities.
However, the turn of eve-nts offered no guarantees ofa rapprochement, especiallyas it followed a show of stren-
gth between the father andson that left no doubt that thelatter had emerged victorio-us in this round.
More than 200 of the part-y’s 229 MLAs turned up for ameeting that the UP CM hadconvened at his residence,while less than 20 were pres-ent for a Mulayam-Shivpalconclave on Saturday, neu-tral sources reported. Amo-ng those who landed up at
Akhilesh’s residence to exp-ress their solidarity were 55of the 57 ministers in the Ut-tar Pradesh cabinet.
After this meeting, Sama-jwadi Party’s Rohilkhand ov-erlord Azam Khan came visi-ting. Azam had already metMulayam in the morning. Af-ter a brief meeting, Azamand Akhilesh went to Mulay-am’s house.
Witnesses said that it wasan emotional meeting betwe-
en the father and son, andAkhilesh touched Mulaya-m’s feet to seek his blessings.Soon after, Shivpal tweetedthat the expulsion ordershad been revoked.
The pro-Akhilesh group,however, was dissatisfied wi-th this as other contentiousissues, like having a say in di-stribution of tickets and thepresence of Amar Singh inthe party, remained unreso-lved on Saturday.
MSY Forced To RevokeExpulsions
Akhilesh back in party as 200of SP’s 229 MLAs support him
‘EMOTIONAL’ FATHER-SON MEETING10am | Akhilesh reaches 5 Kalidas Marg, his official residence. Ram Gopal arrives 20 minutes later
11.50 | Azam Khan arrives
12.30pm | Akhilesh reaches Mulayam’s
residence. Touches his feet, seeks his
blessings, say those present
1.50pm |State SP chief Shivpal
addresses media, tweets that expulsions have been revoked
2 | Akhilesh addresses ministers and MLAs. Asks them to prepare for the party’s emergency convention on January 1
➤ Gathering outside Akhilesh’s residence — 200 of 229 SP MLAs turn up, including 55 of 57 ministers — proves to be a show of strength.Less than 20 arrive for Mulayam-Shivpal conclave
➤ Some issues remain for Akhilesh camp, such as role in distribution of tickets & presence of Amar Singh in SP. Likely to be settled at Sunday’s convention
The Administrative App-eals Office (AAO) of theUS Citizenship and Im-
migration Services (USCIS),in a recent landmark decision,has provided more clarity andliberalized the tests used to gr-ant a National Interest Waiver(NIW) to EB-2 category of gre-en card applicants. Those ha-ving an advanced degree or ex-ceptional ability fall in theEB-2 category.
Indian entrepreneurs andqualified individuals will ha-ve a fairer chance of obtaini-ng an NIW, which will speedup the process of obtaining agreen card. Normally, a perm-anent job offer and an approv-ed labour certificate are pre-requisites to file for a green ca-rd. However, a NIW allows in-dividuals in the EB-2 categoryto skip the lengthy ‘labour cer-tification’ process.
Ruling by US court to
quicken green card process
The new year brings the promise of new
beginnings. To mark the day, some well-known personalities tell us about the notable firsts in their lives. From Geeta Phogat on her first dangal to Vijay Shekhar Sharma on his first million dollars, from Chef Manish Mehrotra on how he made murgi modern to designer Rahul Mishra on his big Paris outing, read these inspiring stories
F I R S T D A Y
F1RSTS
New presidents, new gadgets, new roles... there’s plenty to watch out for this year
17 startups to keep an eye out for P22
P19
SUNDAY SPECIAL
Lucknow: After Saturday’sshow of strength, Uttar Prade-sh chief minister AkhileshYadav appears set to extractpolitical advantage out of hisvictory. Depending on how thepower struggle plays out onNew Year’s day, he could evenseek complete control over theparty by seeking SP’s preside-ntship and the ouster of RajyaSabha member Amar Singh,one of the central charactersin the family feud. Such a mo-ve could cause fresh convulsi-ons in the party.
In fact, the friction could in-tensify as early as Sunday, withthe Akhilesh-Ram Gopal campdetermined to go ahead withits emergency national conve-ntion, which, sources said, co-uld take up several thorny iss-ues, including Akhilesh beinganointed the Samajwadi Partypresident. The convention isalso likely to adopt resolutionsthat may seal the fate of AmarSingh and state party chiefShivpal Yadav.
CM may nowstake claim toSP chief’s post
ADIEU ’16, BRING ON 2017Uma Kadam
Crowds packed the seafronts around midnight to ring in 2017. Theflavour of this year’s New Year celebrations in the city was houseparties with many wary about splurging in the aftermath of demonetisation. Liquor permits for housing societies and New Yearparties in hotels within 500m of highways were released by the state atthe eleventh hour. In ever-popular Goa, police were on the watch at allbeaches after receiving an alert about a possible attack by IslamicState terrorists or those from Pakistan. Full Coverage, P 2
�Boost for STEM grads, P 13
PARIWAR: P 15
