TV goes digital in 3 metros; Chennai gets 5 days more

[email protected] (The Hindu)
November 1, 2012

dishNew Delhi, November 1: Cable television in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata switched over from analogue to digital mode at midnight on October 31, with about 4.5 lakh subscribers who have not yet installed a set-top box waking up to a television blackout on November 1. However, over 1.5 lakh tardy subscribers in Chennai can breathe easy for a few more days, with the Madras High Court granting a further extension of the switchover deadline in that city until November 5.

The race to meet the digitalisation deadline grew frenetic in the last few days, with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting estimating that over 1 lakh set top boxes were installed on October 30, of which about 65,000 were in Delhi alone. Overall, 91 per cent of all cable television homes have successfully made the switch across the country, with Mumbai achieving a 100 per cent set-top box installation rate according to Ministry data.

That did not stop Bhawani Rajesh Cable and Digitech from filing a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking more time for Mumbai cable operators to comply with the new system. The court refused, noting that the deadline had already been extended from July 1 to November 1.

Inconvenience inevitable

“In June, you knew you have time till October. What have you done till today?” asked the court, adding, “A certain degree of inconvenience is inevitable in the enforcement of any deadline. The Union Ministry has taken this decision to cut off cable network with a view to providing quality service to consumers.” However, the court did note concern that a basic source of entertainment should not be blacked out at Diwali.

In Chennai, where only 62 per cent of cable TV households have installed set top boxes, the Madras High Court has taken a more lenient view, accepting the Chennai Metro Cable Operators Association’s petition that not enough STBs are available in the city as yet. Their deadline has now been extended to next Monday to ensure that 1.57 lakh remaining homes are covered.

In Delhi, 95 per cent of homes had been covered as per data available on Wednesday afternoon. Ministry officials indicated that work was still ongoing to reach the 1.09 lakh remaining households over the next few days.

17% uncovered in Kolkata

Kolkata has the largest number of potential blackouts, with 3.38 lakh homes — about 17 per cent of cable subscribers — still to be covered. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been vocal in her opposition to the deadline. PTI reports that even consumers with set-top boxes could face a blackout. Cable Operators Digitisation Committee Joint Convenor Milan Chatterjee reportedly said that while the implementation could be a law and order threat, “some cable operators might also stop signals to save their skin as 60 per cent of the people have not received STBs yet.”


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Agencies
March 15,2020

New Delhi, Mar 15: The new rules for debit and credit cards to increase security and reduce frauds kick in from Monday. In January, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had issued new rules to improve user convenience and increase the security of card transactions. These rules will help in curbing the misuse of debit and credit cards.

RBI has directed banks to allow only domestic card transactions at ATMs and PoS terminals in India at the time of issuance/reissuance of card. For international transactions, online transactions, card-not-present transactions and contactless transactions, customers will have to separately set up services on their card.

These rules will be applicable for new cards from March 16. Those with old cards can decide whether to disable any of these features.

As per the existing rules, these services used to come automatically with the card, but now it will start at the request of the customer.

Debit or credit card customers who have not yet done any online transaction, contactless transaction or international transaction with the card, then these services on the card will automatically stop from March 16.

The Reserve Bank has asked all banks to provide mobile banking, net banking option to enable limit and enable and disable service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If the customer makes any change in the status of the card, the bank will alert the customer through SMS/email and send the information.

Issuers shall provide to all cardholders facility to switch on/off and set/modify transaction limits (within the overall card limit, if any, set by the issuer) for all types of transactions -- domestic and international, at PoS/ATMs/online transactions/contactless transactions, etc.,

The provisions, however, are not mandatory for prepaid gift cards and those used at mass transit systems.

The latest instructions come in the wake of rising instances of cyber frauds and the huge increase in the use of cards.

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News Network
February 4,2020

New Delhi, Feb 4: Senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday accused Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party of not implementing the central government's schemes in the national capital.

Addressing an election rally in Moti Bagh, he also sought to allay fears over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), assuring the gathering that the legislation will not take away anyone's citizenship.

Singh alleged that the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government did not do anything in the last five years.

The AAP had promised to add 5,000 buses to the fleet of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), but instead the number has come down by 1,000, he claimed.

The Union minister said the AAP dispensation did not implement central schemes in Delhi fearing that the popularity of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government will grow among Delhiites.

Pension schemes and the Centre's flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, are some of those that the Kejriwal government did not allow to be implemented in Delhi.

On the anti-CAA protests, Singh said that the opposition parties have been spreading "lies" about amended citizenship law and the National Population Register (NPR).

"The CAA will not take away anyone's citizenship. The opposition parties are spreading lies about the CAA. There should be no such politics over this. Some people are trying to write the history of the country with the ink of hatred," he said.

The culture of India is such that it considers the entire world one family, he said.

Delhi goes to polls on February 8. The results will be declared on February 11.

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Agencies
February 23,2020

New Delhi, Feb 23: Dreaded underworld don Ravi Pujari, operating from overseas, has been reportedly arrested in South Africa and efforts are on for his deportation to India.

Pujari, who parted ways with underworld don Chhota Rajan, had jumped bail from Senegal, last year and had escaped to South Africa, where he was involved in big-time drug trafficking and extortion racket.

Sources in Indian Intelligence said that Ravi Pujari, who was hiding with a false identity of Anthony Fernandes, a Burkina Faso passport holder, was located in a remote village in South Africa.

On a tip-off from Indian external intelligence agency, the Senegal police air dashed South Africa last week. Pujari, 52, wanted in over 200 cases of heinous crimes, including murder and extortion, was detained with the help of South African agencies.

Sources in Mumbai Police said that Pujari's arrest has not yet been confirmed officially but Ministry of External Affairs is in touch with its mission in South Africa. An official in MEA refused to speak on the issue. Embassy of Senegal in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, also did not respond to IANS' queries in connection with Pujari's arrest.

The mafioso first came into news in early 2000 when he started extorting huge amounts from famous Bollywood personalties and builders. He was involved in an attempt to murder case, aimed at killing a prominent lawyer of Mumbai.tip-off

Pujari's wife Padma and three children also fled India and some of them hold Burkina Faso passport. His son who was recently married in Australia reportedly holds an Australian passport.

Earlier last year Ravi Pujari, living under the identity of Anthony had jumped bailed from a Senegal court through fraudulent means. IANS had accessed the don's new passport. Pujari now goes under the name of Anthony Fernandes and is a citizen of Burkina Faso, a West African country, his date of birth is shown as 25.1.1961.

Pujari, a movie junkie influenced by Amitabh Bachchan's portrayal as Anthony Gonsalves in 'Amar Akbar Anthony' was using the name, Anthony Fernandes. This passport was issued on 10.7.2013 and is valid till 8.7.2023. The passport showed his profession as Agent Commercial which means that he is designated as a businessman running a chain of restaurants Namaste India in Senegal, Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries.

Pujari's lawyers in Senegal had argued in the court citing that he is Anthony Fernandes, a businessman from Burkina Faso as mentioned in his passport and not a fugitive as claimed by the Indian Government.

Clearly indicating a collision between top government functionaries of Burkina Faso and Pujari in which an influential Indian businessman, who is his partner in a restaurant chain, may have played the role of a conduit.

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