Aamir tried to destroy India's brand identity: Amitabh Kant

January 19, 2016

Ahmedabad, Jan 19: Actor Aamir Khan damaged the "brand India" while being the brand ambassador of the celebrated 'Incredible India' campaign, a top official has said.

aamirDefending the exit of Khan from the campaign, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Amitabh Kant said the actor, by terming India an 'intolerant country', worked against his role as that of a brand ambassador.

"A brand ambassador promotes a brand. People will come to India and tourist flow will increase only if the brand ambassador of 'Incredible India' promotes the country as 'incredible'," Kant told reporters on the sidelines of a convocation here last night.

"But if the brand ambassador says India is intolerant, he surely is not working as brand ambassador," Kant said.

"The brand ambassador must be the best brand ambassador for promoting and marketing India, he cannot be the destroyer of the brand," he said while replying to a query on removal of Khan from the campaign, without taking the actor's name.

Khan had late last year stirred a controversy after he expressed "alarm and despondency" over rising instances of intolerance in the country in the past few months and said that his wife (Kiran Rao) even asked if they should move out of India as she feared for the safety of their children.

Kant, who was involved in conceptualising Incredible India campaign in 2002 in his capacity as joint secretary, Ministry of Tourism, today tweeted, "Being a Brand Ambassador imposes responsibilities. U can't run down what u're promoting. That's damaging d brand."

Khan actively promoted Indian tourism for a decade as the brand ambassador.

Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma had said Aamir had a contract with advertising firm McCann Erickson and not the government for the campaign.

"Since the contract with the agency is no more, automatically the arrangement with the actor no longer exists," Sharma had said.

Comments

Muhammed Rafique
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Jan 2016

Who says India is intolerant?

Else Sunny Leone wouldn't have been living and working in India

Goodman
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Jan 2016

Aamir said truth, whether it is difficult to digest the culprits and their sponsors.
He said truth, though he knew he would sacrifice the title.
We are today independent because of such people who stood against atrocities by invaders. Our people got the title of freedom fighters and martyr.
today he has to say the truth against our own men. This is hard truth. To know it, don't go away, just see around you in our own home town of Mangalore. Even now and today.
I request all celebrities like actors, sportsmen should dare to say the truth.

Rahi
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Jan 2016

Another Bhakt on stage, it will go like this till Amir's new film Dangal's release.
They are in full swing after Dilwale.

haaris
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Jan 2016

Who said intolerant now \Amir or his wife\""

HONOR
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Jan 2016

I think We should appreciate Aamir Khan for speaking the TRUTH...
These business man are blind to the killing of dalit, killing of akhlaq, terrorist minister Making BOw bow... Aamir in this case I appreciate for speaking the TRUTh.

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 26,2020

Mangaluru, May 26: Days after the government of India approved the use of chartered flights for the repatriation of Indians stranded across the world amidst covid-19 lockdown, two NRI entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia have offer to bear the cost of repatriation if they get formal green signal to repatriate stranded Indians from Dammam to Mangaluru International Airport before June 5.

Althaf Ullal and Basheer Sagar, the two Kannadiga Directors of Al Khobar-based Saqco, have made this offer in a letter written to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

The duo have assured that their company will bear the cost of the first chartered flight from Dammam to Mangaluru if the government paves way for its operation by June 5. 

It is learnt that many private airliners have come forward to operate chartered flight and are waiting for final clearance from the government. It will cost approximately Rs 45 lakh to hire chartered flight with 180 capacity from Dammam to Mangaluru. 

Pregnant women, medical emergency cases, senior citizens on visit visas, those who lost jobs due to lockdown among other stranded Indians will be given priority in this flight, they said.

"Our company will completely bear this cost. Passengers only need to bear the cost of institutional quarantine after reaching Mangaluru," they have clarified. 

Comments

i am from koda…
 - 
Friday, 29 May 2020

i am stuck in saudi arabia and waiting eagerly to reach karnataka as early as possible. I missed my sisters marriage this month 24th, and my marriage is on june 14th.... i have some health issue also... really want to go back as soon as possible. Please help me

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coastaldigest.com news network
June 12,2020

Mangaluru, Jun 12: A huge crowd gathered for the grand opening of the newly built 175-metre-long two-lane bridge across Phalguni River on National Highway 169 near Gurupura on the outskirts of the city today.

Even as the photos of the bridge inauguration ceremony went viral on social media, netizens took the elected representatives and the district administration to task for flouting safety norms at a time when the coronavirus cases are continuing to mount in coastal Karnataka.

The bridge was completed in a record time of 15 months. Dakshina Kannada MP and State BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel and district in-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojari inaugurated the bridge in the presence of Mangaluru City North MLA Y. Bharath Shetty and others.

The bridge has come as a breather to thousands of travellers between Mangaluru-Moodbidri-Karkala on the busy NH. The age-old steel bridge had become dilapidated and was a cause for concern for road users. The highway is also under the process of getting widened to four lanes.

The bridge was constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore by contractor Sudhakar Shetty of Mugrodi Construction. Work started in February last and the contractor had time till February next.

While the two-lane carriageway is 16 metres wide, the bridge has 2.5-metre-wide pedestrian paths on both the sides. New approach roads of 500 metres each were also part of the project.

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News Network
February 1,2020

Mysuru, Feb 1: The local police have arrested a man stabbed his irresponsible wife after she apparently hurt him with her naughty TikTok videos in Periyapatna of Mysuru district.

According to police, Srinivas stabbed his wife Savitha for TikTok videos where the latter featured with a different man.

The couple was not in good terms and was staying separately since few years. Savitha was residing in Mysuru and she used to send TikTok videos posing with another man to Srinivas.

The couple had two children, who reside with Srinivas, who was upset with the videos and invited Savitha to the birthday party of one of their children at Periyapatna.

He attacked her with a knife soon after she reached the function venue, Police said.

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