Pune, Jan 24 () Bajaj Auto and iconic British motorcycle brand Triumph on Friday formally commenced their non-equity global partnership to manufacture a new range of mid-capacity motorcycles in the country.
 The first bike under the partnership, which was forged in August 2017, will be rolled out in 2022 and will carry a starting price tag of less than Rs 2 lakh, Triumph Motorcycle Chief Commercial Officer Paul Stroud said at a press conference here.
 The new bikes will be manufactured at Bajaj Auto's Chakan facility.
 "The Triumph brand is an iconic brand the world over. So, we are confident that there will be a huge appetite in India and other emerging markets for these new products," Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj said.
 The collaboration will explore the 200cc-500 cc motorcycle category to offer multiple product options across various segments.
 Triumph bikes manufactured under the collaboration will be sold under Triumph brand, and not Bajaj auto, through exclusive network of outlets.
 However, as part of the pact, the bike will be be exported to all overseas markets where Bajaj has a strong presence. 
 On the other hand, the home-grown auto maker will be able to increase its scale of operations in involving both domestic and exports markets.
 This is the first time Triumph Motorcycles has partnered with any other auto maker, its chief executive officer Nick Bloor said.
 The partnership will build a new engine and vehicle platform in the mid-capacity range (200-800 cc) and offer multiple options to address different segments in this class.
 "The products that will come out of the partnership will also help attract a younger, but still discerning customer audience and is another step in our ambition to expand globally, particularly in the fast-growing markets of South East Asia but also driving growth in more mature territories like Europe," Bloor said.
 The Triumph-Bajaj collaboration will combine strength in design, technology, cost-competitive manufacturing and an intimate knowledge of key target markets to deliver a range of products and business successes, as per the pact.
 Bajaj did not divulge the details on revenue sharing between the partners or the potential investment that would be made into the joint development and in the manufacturing of the planned models in the immediate future.
 The strategic partnership will benefit both parties with Bajaj becoming one of the key distribution partners for Triumph in crucial new markets for Triumph brand globally, a statement said, adding that going forward Bajaj will take over Triumph's Indian distribution activities.
 In all other markets where Triumph is present currently, the bikes developed together will join the current Triumph product portfolio and be distributed by Triumph-led dealer network globally.
 "This will truly unlock the potential on a global scale," it added.
 Triumph manufactures over 60,000 bikes per year and has around 650 dealerships across the world.
 In India, it sells around 1,000 bikes in a year, Bloor said. IAS RVK

Bajaj, Triumph commence global partnership, to roll out 1st motorcycle in 2022

New Delhi, Apr 18 () Citing "late detection" of the first confirmed coronavirus case in Madhya Pradesh's Indore last month and low capacity for conducting tests, a top state government officer on Saturday said the city remains a challenge for the health department and all possible efforts are being taken to 'detect, quarantine and treat' the infected there. He said the Madhya Pradesh government has followed a strategy of IITT-- to first Identify coronavirus-affected areas, Isolate them, Test the people and then Treat the patients once they are found positive. Interacting with a select group of Delhi-based journalists via video conferencing, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) of Madhya Pradesh government, Mohammed Suleman said over 12,000 high-risk cases have been identified by 2,000 teams that are conducting door-to-door surveys in the state to detect coronavirus infected cases. "We detected our first case in Indore on March 24. I feel it was a very late detection considering the situation there. Suddenly from the first case on March 24, today there are 900 cases in Indore. So the growth (of cases there) is very fast. If we see a growth pattern, there would have been more cases (in Indore) on March 24," he said.Suleman also pointed to possible unidentified "gaps" that resulted in non-development of the relationship of trust between the administration and people, and thus detection and treatment of infected persons. "It is a fact that Indore is a challenge. Indore has been number 1 in cleanliness and it is a very good city. It is a big setback for us (that Indore is reporting a large number of cases)," he said. "We are regularly trying to evaluate the situation and if there are any lacunae, we will overcome it. Today we have a strong support from the people of Indore to the state administration. Indore is now fully aware of the challenge and facing it efficiently," the officer said. Madhya Pradesh has reported 1,360 positive cases with 892 of them in Indore alone. The state's commercial city was in the news recently for reporting a sudden hike in the COVID-19 cases. Suleman said 97 per cent of the total cases are in western Madhya Pradesh comprising Indore, and only 41 cases have been reported from the northern and eastern parts of the state. "Three districts of Chhindwara, Shivpuri and Gwalior have not reported any positive case in the past 12 days. There also has been no positive case from Vidisha, Morena and Sagar districts since the last week," he said. The senior official said over 420 contaminated areas in the state with a population of 24 lakh have been identified, and 2,000 teams have been put in place to do door-to-door surveys to identify high-risk people. "They have done a survey of the 20 lakh population and identified 12,000 people as high-risk cases. Now, the next challenge for us is to collect samples of these (high-risk) people," he said, adding the same was being done at a fast pace. Suleman, a 1989 batch IAS officer, said another challenge for the administration is to augment capacity to test the samples. "Our testing capacity during the first week of March was about 150 samples in our laboratories. We have increased it to 1,250 samples. We will be reaching a target of 2,000 samples by this month end and we are keeping a target of 5,000 tests by May 15," he said, quickly adding, "God forbid, we reach a situation by then where we are required to conduct such a large number of tests". The officer said over 20,000 samples have been collected and test reports of 14,500 samples have been received. Of these cases, 1,360 have tested positive, he said."Our success rate to identify positive cases out of high-risk people is 9 per cent which is the highest in the country," he said, adding the state has sufficient capacity to treat the infected people. AKV SRY

Indore is a challenge but getting support from people in fighting COVID-19: MP govt official

<ul><li>Of these, 3,374 are active cases, while 267 individuals have been cured and discharged from the hospitals. </li><li>Maharashtra remained the worst hit state with the number of positive cases rising to 490, followed by Delhi at 445 and Tamil Nadu at 485. </li><li>75 more people have been confirmed positive for the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword> in Uttar Pradesh in the past 24 hours.</li></ul>The total number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in India rose to 3,718 on Sunday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare <a href="https://www.mohfw.gov.in/">data</a>. Of these, 3,374 are active cases, while 267 individuals have been cured and discharged from the hospitals. The death toll has mounted to 77 while one person has migrated to another country, according to the data released by the Health Ministry on Sunday. Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with the number of positive cases rising to 490, followed by Delhi at 445 and Tamil Nadu at 485. At least 306 people have been infected in Kerala, while Uttar Pradesh reported 227 cases, followed by Rajasthan at 200 cases, Telangana at 269 cases and Andhra Pradesh at 161 cases. UP corona count touches 257, 98 are Jamaatis With 75 more people being confirmed positive for the Coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh in the past 24 hours, the total number of Corona cases in the state has risen to 257. Of the total cases, at least 98 are linked to the <keyword id="274939" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tablighi-Jamaat">Tablighi Jamaat</keyword> congregation in Delhi. The state's count on Friday was 177 and two people — one each in Basti and Meerut— have died. The overall district-wise tally since the coronavirus crisis began is —Gautam Buddha Nagar (58), Agra (44), Meerut (25), Ghaziabad (14), Saharanpur (13), Lucknow (10), Kanpur (7), Bareilly, Shamli and Maharajganj (6 each), Basti, Varanasi (5 each), Firozabad and Hathras (4 each), Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Bulandshahr, Pratapgarh (3 each), Pilibhit, Mirzapur, Baghpat (2 each), Shahjahanpur Hardoi, Hapur, Moradabad, Lakhimpur Kheri and Banda (1 each). 15 Tablighi Jamaat members including 5 Indonesian women clerics held in Ghaziabad At least 15 Tablighi Jamaat members including five Indonesian women clerics who are suspected to be infected with the dreaded coronavirus (COVID-19) have been held by Ghaziabad police and sent to a quarantine home. Their location was traced late on Saturday with the help of local clerics, and all were found to be staying in mosques and madrasas. "The Sahibabad police station had received information about them. Most of them went to the Nizamuddin Markaz Tablighi Jamaat event. A police team was formed to arrest them after receiving information," Kalanidhi Naithani, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ghaziabad, told IANS on Saturday night. Police teams along with the informers raided the house of local resident Faiz Mohammad in Shaheed Nagar, D Block, of Sahibabad police station area. Jamaatis misbehave with hospital staff in Kanpur Yet another case of Tablighi Jamaat members, admitted to a hospital here, misbehaving with the hospital staff has come to light. The Jamaatis admitted to Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur, have allegedly refused to take medicines and have misbehaved with the medical staff, prompting the authorities to remove female staffers from there. Aarti Lalchandani, a senior doctor at the hospital, said, "Our team is engaged in providing healthcare services to those admitted here. They were told not to spit in the hospital, but they refuse to accept our instructions. They spit on their hands and then touch staircase railings. They also misbehaved with the doctors." They are also demanding non-vegetarian food and refusing to eat rice, 'dal' and paneer given to them. They also demand good clothes and better facilities. "However, with police intervention, the situation has now come under control," she said. COVID-19 crumbles healthcare hierarchy in MP; many officials down The bureaucracy was crippled in Madhya Pradesh by Saturday night due to the coronavirus effect. Even the Health Department hierarchy had crumbled under the burgeoning crisis with its Principal Secretary Pallavi Jain Govil and Additional Director (Health) Veena Sinha testing positive for the dreaded virus. On Friday, IAS officer and Health Corporation MD J.J. Vijay Kumar had tested COVID-19 positive. On Saturday, 12 IAS officers of the COVID-19 core group were home quarantined. Pallavi Jain Govil and Veena Sinha were admitted to Bhopal AIIMS, and their family members were also quarantined. Around 150 employees of the Health Department are under medical supervision. Eight more persons tested positive from among other cases reported on Saturday, Chief Medical and Health Officer, Bhopal, Sudhir Kumar Daheria said. So far, 17 positive cases have been reported from the state capital. In Madhya Pradesh, the number of infected patients has increased to 182. Kalaburagi police force yoga session on lockdown violators, gift candles Even as police across the country are grappling with the issue of dealing with lockdown regulation violators, police in the city have been quite innovative when it comes to punishing local violators. On Saturday, police at the Chowk Police Station in the city took around 50 COVID-19 lockdown violators through a circuit of yoga sessions, physical workouts and oath-taking ceremonies. With people engrossed in breathing exercises, the scene near the Cotton Market resembled a yoga centre. The only indication to say it is not a routine yoga session was the presence of policemen prodding the participants to do the exercise properly. The initiative to discourage lockdown violators in this novel way was taken by Shakeel Angadi, Circle Inspector at the Chowk Police Station. The only commonality between participants and police personnel were the COVID-19 masks across their faces. The participants were all lockdown violators who had been apprehended by the police. South African cleric dies of coronavirus after attending Nizamuddin congregation A South African Muslim cleric, who recently returned from India after attending the Nizamuddin congregation, has died after contracting the novel coronavirus, according to his family members. Moulana Yusuf Tootla, 80, attended the March 1-15 Tablighi Jamaat congregation in the Nizamuddin area, that has emerged as the epicentre for the spread of the coronavirus in different parts of India and abroad after thousands of people took part in it. Tootla, who died on Tuesday, was buried after his body was collected in a bag by the Islamic Burial Council (IBC). SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/coronavirus">Coronavirus News and Updates</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/how-to-check-coronavirus-symptoms-at-home/articleshow/74960334.cms">What are the Coronavirus symptoms and how to check for them at home</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/data-of-coronavirus-patients-state-wise-in-india/articleshow/74669748.cms">Coronavirus cases in India state wise</a>

Coronavirus cases in India crosses 3,700 mark, 267 cured and 77 dead

Mumbai, Jan 19 () Aviation consultancy firm CAPA has said it expects the second international airport in Goa to be ready for operations in next three years. 
 The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the decks for construction of an international airport by the GMR Group at Mopa in North Goa by lifting suspension on environmental clearance (EC) granted for the project.
 Immediately after SC's order, the GMR Group said it plans to start work soon for the new aerodrome.
 The top court had early last year suspended the EC granted for the greenfield airport and had directed the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) to revisit the decision in light of its impact on the ecology there.
 "Delays in critical infrastructure projects is costly for the economy and the consumer. It is good that GMR Group's Mopa project finally got clearance. We can look forward to new airport in next three years," CAPA South Asia Chief Executive Officer Kapil Kaul told .
 The state government had initially given September 2020 as the deadline for commissioning of the estimated Rs 3,000 crore airport project after GMR Group won bids for development and operations of the aerodrome in 2016, beating state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Essel Infra-Incheon.
 However, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in the Assembly last year that he was expecting the airport to be completed by 2021.
 Kaul also said that the the delay is likely to push up the project cost, but its impact could be minimised.
 "There will be cost escalation but GMR has the ability to minimise the impact," he said.
 GMR had last year said it was incurring a loss of Rs 50 lakh per day on account of suspension of work at the project.
 The new airport, which under the concession agreement offers 232 acres of land for commercial city side development for a period of 60 years, would have a capacity to handle 30 million passengers annually once fully operational.
 The existing airport at Dabolim, which was designed to handle 50 lakh passengers per year, has far exceeded its capacity and AAI has already embarked on an expansion plan to increase the capacity to 1.30 crore passengers per annum by 2022. 
 The concession period for the greenfield project will be 40 years with a possible extension of another 20 years through a bid process.
 The airport will be built under the BOT (Build Operate Transfer) model.
 The regulatory regime for the concession will be hybrid till with 30 per cent cross subsidy.
 Under the hybrid till model, only up to 30 per cent of the non-aeronautical revenues, which include segments like retail, food and beverages and parking, would be used for cross-subsidisation of aeronautical charges. 
 Aeronautical charges include those related to route and terminal navigation services. IAS RVK

Goa's 2nd international airport in Mopa to be ready in 3 years: CAPA

<ul><li>Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has designed its very own alexa — named ‘albela.’ </li><li>It will teach and guide the students studying in the first year of electrical and electronics engineering on the course concepts. </li><li>It is in fact, fed with the class schedules, curriculum, faculty information and exam-related questions — both technical and non-technical. </li><li>The bot can also assist the faculty and staff at the institution to generate student assessment reports, closely observing the weak areas and scope of improvement in the answer copies.</li></ul>India’s prestigious engineering institution Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has designed its very own Alexa — named ‘A<a href="https://techobserver.in/2019/09/03/iit-guwahati-banks-on-ai-enabled-chatbot-to-teach-first-year-students/">lbela</a>’ — to help its news entrants through the course. Just like other virtual assistants including Alexa, <keyword id="23114" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Siri">Siri</keyword> and Cortana, the AI-enabled virtual assistant will teach first year electrical and electronics engineering students. The bot, developed by the institute’s research scholars, has the ability to answer every possible queries related to the course. It also has information on class schedules, curriculum, faculty information and exam-related questions. “We have been working on its development since last seven months with a team of dedicated seven research scholars of the department. Earlier, we did the trial runs of the chatbot and started using from this academic session onwards,” Praveen Kumar, professor, department of electrical and electronics engineering <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/north-east/meet-albela-iits-answer-to-alexa/cid/1702384">told</a> The Telegraph. It hasPDFs and word documents to assist students. Moreover, the bot can also assist the faculty and staff at the institution to generate student assessment reports, closely observing the weak areas and scope of improvement in the answer sheets. As for the First year students who find it difficult to reach out to teachers for sample questions, notes and references, can now approach Albela will all their queries. The team is also working to developing problem solving skills in the bot. After which, they will extend it to biomedical <keyword id="1615650" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Signal-processing">signal processing</keyword>, and electrical machine courses. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/all-india-radio-to-air-english-learning-programme-from-1-september/articleshow/70673187.cms">This is All India Radio, and let us now start learning English</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/amazon-alexa-is-being-used-in-maharashtra-schools-for-teaching-assistance/articleshow/70156968.cms">Good Morning Alexa: Students of Maharashtra village are taught by Amazon's virtual assistant</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ias-officers-helping-at-government-schools-as-part-time-teachers-in-india/articleshow/70161000.cms">This Indian state’s IAS officers have turned part-time government school teachers to improve the quality of education</a>

IIT Guwahati’s first year students have a new teacher ‘Albela’ — an Alexa-like chatbot

New Delhi, Feb 5 () Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd (IBHFL) on Wednesday reported a 44 per cent decline in its consolidated net profit to Rs 546.87 crore in the third quarter ended December 31, due to a fall in income. It had registered a net profit of Rs 972.82 crore in the corresponding October-December quarter of the previous fiscal. The company's total income in the December 2019 quarter fell to Rs 3,369.76 crore as against Rs 4,477.97 crore a year ago, it said in a regulatory filing. The firm's interest income was down at Rs 2,669.54 crore, compared with Rs 3,697.39 crore in the year-ago period. On a standalone basis, the net profit was down at Rs 377.23 crore from Rs 952.66 crore, while the income decreased to Rs 2,976.14 crore from Rs 4,045.69 crore, Indiabulls Housing said. Further, the board has also considered and approved the proposal of issuing secured non-convertible debentures and unsecured, redeemable, non-convertible subordinate debt in the nature of debentures (NCDs) up to Rs 5,000 crore, on a private placement basis, in one or more tranches, from time to time, it said in the filing. The board also declared an interim dividend of Rs 6 per equity share for 2019-20, whose record date is February 15. It also said the Citizens Whistle Blower Forum has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Delhi High Court wherein certain allegations have been made against Indiabulls group. "The company has vehemently denied the frivolous allegations that have been made without basic research or inquiry. "The company has also filed a perjury application wherein a notice has been issued. The management has concluded that the allegations made in the writ petition has no merit and no impact on the financial statements. The matter is sub-judice and pending before the Delhi High Court," it said. The PIL has alleged that monies loaned by Indiabulls to various companies were routed back to its promoters through other entities. The NGO, whose members include advocate Prashant Bhushan, former Delhi High Court Chief Justice A P Shah, former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral L Ramdas, and former IAS officer Aruna Roy, has sought a direction to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) to order an investigation by SFIO into the irregularities alleged against Indiabulls. The petition has also sought a direction to the RBI and the National Housing Bank to investigate the financial affairs of IBHFL and to direct a special audit of the company. The housing finance company (HFC) sector has gone through a cyclical shift. Even as the liquidity situation normalises, the fundamental realisation is that the business model has to be a lot more asset-liability management (ALM) matched and conducive to generating a sustainable return on assets without borrowing short via commercial papers, according to the company's statement. "The earlier model where we would get approval from banks for specific transactions has changed to getting securitisation lines that allow us to not resort to any short-term borrowing, even intra-quarter. In our view, HFCs will have to collaborate with banks and build a model around securitisation and co-origination rather than compete with banks, it said. Over the course of the next 24-36 months, the company said it expects that certain important changes will happen for the HFC industry and for IBHFL. Shares of IBHFL on Wednesday closed at Rs 276.75 apiece, down 0.05 per cent on the BSE. KPM HRS

Indiabulls Housing Finance posts 44 pc decline in net profit to Rs 547 crore for Dec quarter

These 33 containment zones in Kolkata will be under complete lockdown from July 9

These are the new TDS, TCS rates applicable on fixed deposits, dividends, contracts and more

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47541345.cms" />The stand-off between the Delhi Government and Lt Governor <keyword id="6478435" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Najeeb-Jung">Najeeb Jung</keyword> is probably the biggest lesson <keyword id="6354944" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Aam-Aadmi-Party">Aam Aadmi Party</keyword> (AAP) ever learnt. Last time when <keyword id="6399360" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Delhi-chief-Minister">Delhi Chief Minister</keyword> <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword> resigned in February 2014, he learnt that fights last longer in people’s mind than quitting. 
 
He understood people wanted the system to change, and they would like him to be the agent of that change. Stay on and fight, he reiterated, while campaigning for Delhi polls. His AAP won 67 seats in the 70-member assembly. 
But, it is yet to be seen whether Kejriwal has taken on the correct premise as situation around has become too hot to handle. 
 
Despite the Supreme Court notice to the Delhi Government, seeking its response in three weeks on the High Court judgement regarding the powers of LG Jung, Kejriwal and his men may get in some serious trouble, if the attitude of heckling powers continued. All said and done, Delhi isn’t a random city or state. 
 
It is national capital and for all practical reasons, it is in best interest that Centre and Delhi government co-exist in terms of administration. 
 
Coming back to the bone of contention, some time ago, Centre had restrained the Delhi Government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) from acting against its officers in criminal offences and had said the LG cannot act as per the CM’s discretion. 
 It all started when Shakuntala Gamlin, an IAS officer, was appointed as <keyword id="371591" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="acting-chief-secretary">Acting Chief Secretary</keyword>. Kejriwal levelled allegations against her, stating she had favoured discoms through a loan of Rs 11,000 crore and said in most certain terms that she shouldn’t be sitting in the vantage position. 
 
This triggered a war of sorts since her appointment was made by Jung and that city administration, which rests in the hands of AAP government, practically has no role in the appointment. 
 
The fiasco reached its crescendo with Kejriwal revolted (again) raising questions about the administration of the city, which had to be in the hands of the party that was ruling Delhi. 
 
The government in Delhi, in fact, has least say in the matter of retaining or transferring bureaucrats who play a crucial role. LG was in no mood to listen to the rants and Kejriwal, who is also called as AK, on the other hand wrote to the Prime Minister on the matter. He even wanted to gain credibility for his argument through networking with all CMs from non-BJP ruled states, and work towards strengthening his case. And he did! 
 
Now, the problem with this move is, though it can be seen as an aspect that’s detrimental to AK’s reputation, as he is seen as a constant fighter and not much of a doer, the numbers of non-BJP CMs can be a cause of concern for Modi Government . The power tussle has now become a dirty laundry that is getting a wash in the open. 
 
The verdict issued by HC on May 21 states that LG will have jurisdiction over the matters connected with services, public order, police and land and that he may consult with the chief minister, whenever he deems it necessary, using his own discretion. 
 
If you need to gain better perspective into the situation, you need to understand there is something that’s working at a deeper level. 
 
Cooperative federalism and urbanisation are two major concepts that today’s India is trying to implement. States are massive and complicated structures. Urbanisation being the concept that’s surging through today, we need to understand the necessity of decentralisation. 
 
Cities indeed drive the economic growth. But, so far, like a populist politics that reigned in India for the sake of votes, office and power, village appeasement is quite another thing that thrives. Political parties have been for long appeasing rural areas without paying decent amount of attention to urban areas. 
 
When you set aside the ‘incident’ between AK and Jung, what you see under the surface is the need for full statehood for Delhi. Kejriwal has always been upfront about his demand of full statehood 
 
It is indeed important that the elected Delhi Government, like it happens in all states, requires greater say in city’s administration. Right now, the control Centre has over Delhi makes it impossible to function like a state unit, despite enjoying people’s mandate. 
 
But, it looks like a full statehood for Delhi as desired by AK will remain a distant dream for the time being. Because Delhi is just not any other city. It is the capital of the country which houses the seat of power and it is the space from where the country’s fate changes through an elected government at the Centre. Hence, the Union Government will certainly have a say in Delhi’s administration. 
 
Let’s not lose sight of AAP’s and AK’s aspirations of moving to become a national party. This could also be a stepping stone for AK to make it a mission of his life to ensure statehood for Delhi. Whether the battle is tangible or not, it surely is going to work against all the might that BJP can bring together. 
 
By writing to other CMs, AK simply spread out the issue beyond its geographical limitations. This could work either miracles or turn into a bane depending on the ground work AK and his team would do for Delhi. Either way, right now, there is no order in this chaos. Delhi suffers, both politically and figuratively. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Delhi: The political heat-wave is causing serious damages

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55e6c9489dd7cc10008b78b7-1319-989/portrait-shafqat.jpg" alt="shafqat islam" data-mce-source="NewsCred" />NewsCredNewsCred cofounder and CEO Shafqat Islam.</div></div></div>NewsCred, a content marketing software platform that allows brands to plan and measure their content campaigns and license relevant articles from the likes of The Guardian, The Financial Times, and the BBC, has just raised another multi-million dollar funding round, which it says demonstrates that "content marketing" is swiftly moving up the agenda in terms of marketers' priorities.The $42 million Series D growth equity funding brings the total funding in NewsCred to date up to $88.8 million. This round is being led by FTV Capital. Liron Gitig, FTV Capital partner, will also join NewsCred's board of directors.NewsCred - an eight-year-old company that has offices in New York, London, and Dhaka - says in a press release that it will use the investment to grow its UK and European operations.Shafqat Islam, NewCred CEO and cofounder, told Business Insider the size of this round - which is almost bigger than its total funding to date - shows how content marketing has grown beyond a small marketing channel. "Content marketing is becoming marketing," he said.Content marketing is hard to define. It's everything from blog posts, to videos, to licensed articles from news outlets. Some people in the marketing industry argue "content marketing" is simply everything a brand does to communicate with its customers. But others define content marketing as a channel in its own right. Market research company PQ Media predicts <a href="https://www.marketingmag.com.au/news-c/content-marketing-will-300-billion-industry-2019/">content marketing will become a $313 billion industry by 2019.</a>Islam said: "As the market has matured, we used to sell into people who ran content marketing divisions, or were the content editor, or were social media marketers. The last 18 months it has become CMOs who have realized content is a much more strategic and foundational part of what they do. You ask CMOs unaided 'what are your top three priorities?' everyone will put content in the top three."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55e6ce11bd86ef1c008b7751-657-826/vc investment.jpg" alt="VC Investment content marketing" data-mce-source="NewsCred" />NewsCredFunding in content marketing companies is on the rise, according to NewsCred's research.</div></div></div>That puts martech (marketing tech) companies like NewsCred in a strong position when it comes to attracting the attention of VCs. And that comes at a time when <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2014/06/02/why-ad-tech-stocks-are-going-south/">ad tech companies have been taking a beating on the public markets.</a>Islam said: "VCs will not touch the ad tech market with a 10-foot pole, and a lot of ad tech companies are repositioning themselves right now - some as martech or some as SaaS [software as a service] - to try to get funding."Back in June, Menlo Partners managing director Venky Ganesan concurred with this view, <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2015/06/10/ad-tech-firms-find-venture-capital-funding-is-running-dry/">telling The Wall Street Journal</a>: "[Investment has] almost evaporated. These companies are struggling to even get meetings."That said, there have been a couple of major ad tech funding rounds recently: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/adtech-company-radiumone-raises-54-million-in-equity-and-debt-2015-6">RadiumOne raising $54 million</a>, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tubemogul-raises-829-million-in-secondary-market-offering-2015-6">TubeMogul raising $83 million</a>, both in June.<h2>Content is "immune" from ad blocking</h2>Ad sellers are also battling right now with the rise of ad blocking. Almost 200 million people worldwide use ad blocking software on a monthly basis, up 41% year-over-year, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pagefair-and-adobe-2015-ad-blocking-report-2015-8">according to a report from Adobe and PageFair.</a>Islam thinks the rise of ad blocking is directly correlated with the rise of content marketing."Logistically, from a purely tech point of view, [because content marketing is loaded in the same payload as the actual organic content on a page] it makes us immune and bullet-proof to ad blockers," Islam said. "But there's something bigger going on. All marketing is suffering. <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">Advertising</keyword> has become an enemy of the people. People say it's terrible, disruptive, interruptive, and hasn't seen any innovation in the last 20 to 30-years."Content, on the other hand, is relevant, interesting and can be measured for performance than display ads because humans share content with their friends online, whereas non-human bots can "click" on ads, according to Islam.Litron Gitig, FTV Capital partner, said in a statement: "The marketing landscape is converging and content is at the core. Quality content is crucial for building brands and driving sales. Today, customers engage with about a dozen items of content before making a purchase, NewsCred provides the best solution and has already taken great strides at redefining how the modern marketer can successfully navigate the complexities in this rapidly evolving space. In NewsCred, we see not only a passionate and sophisticated management team, but also an <keyword id="6356323" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Enterprise">enterprise</keyword> solution that the market absolutely needs."Other participants in this Series D round include existing investors FirstMark Capital, InterWest Partners, IA Ventures, Mayfield, and Greycroft. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jeb-bush-politics-advertisement-george-bush-willie-horton-2015-9">Everyone's talking about Trump's Jeb Bush attack ad that looks a lot like the infamous 'Willie Horton' ad from 1988</a></h3> <div> <div> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="xmazFidzqAvuBb2_8d7Gkt0Lj1oKFTiD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> <script> if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; } RunFunctions.push(function() { var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'xmazFidzqAvuBb2_8d7Gkt0Lj1oKFTiD',{ autoplay: 'false' }); }); </script> <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div> </div> <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script> </div>

NewsCred's CEO says its new funding shows how content marketing 'is becoming marketing'

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/512e7d9ceab8ea1d38000001-2338-1722/jcpenney-6.jpg?maxX=400" border="0" alt="j.c. penney" width="400" /></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21561428@N03/4015037585/">flickr / Ias - initially</a></div><keyword id="371410" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="J-C-Penney">J.C. Penney</keyword>'s fourth-quarter <keyword id="6357061" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="earnings">earnings</keyword> announcement is out.
The company announced an adjusted loss per share of $1.95, way below the per-share loss of $0.24 predicted by analysts.
Sales came in at $3.88 billion. Analysts were looking for $4.08 billion.
Same-store sales were down 32 percent in the fourth quarter.
Shares are down 8 percent in after-hours trading.
Veteran retail analyst Brian Sozzi perhaps put it best in an email following the announcement: "Where is the rest of J.C. Penney's quarter?"
Below is the <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/j-c-penney-company-inc-213101438.html">full text from the release</a>:
PLANO, Texas, Feb. 27, 2013 -- J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (<a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=jcp">JCP</a>) today announced financial results for its fiscal fourth quarter and full year ended February 2, 2013. For the quarter, jcpenney reported a net loss of $552 million or $2.51 per share. Excluding restructuring and management transition charges and non-cash primary pension plan expense, the Company`s adjusted net loss for the quarter was $427 million or $1.95 per share. 
For the year, jcpenney reported a net loss of $985 million or $4.49 per share. Excluding markdowns related to the alignment of inventory with the Company`s new strategy, restructuring and management transition charges, non-cash primary pension plan expense and the net gain on the sale or redemption of non-operating assets, the Company`s adjusted net loss for the year was $766 million or $3.49 per share. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures is included in the schedules accompanying the consolidated financial statements included with this release.
Ron Johnson, chief executive officer of jcpenney said, "Sales and customer traffic were below our expectations in 2012, but as we execute our ambitious transformation plan, we are pleased with the great strides we made to improve jcpenney`s cost structure, technology platforms and the overall customer experience. We have accomplished so much in the last twelve months. We believe the bold actions taken in 2012 will materially improve the Company`s long-term growth and profitability." 
Johnson continued, "Looking ahead, we are energized by our shop roll out plans for 2013 and the exciting work our teams are undertaking to transform the store. Combining a new marketing campaign focused on style and value, incredible new brands and updated merchandise, with continued enhancements to the customer experience both in our stores and on jcp.com, we are working towards reconnecting with our core customer while attracting new customers to jcpenney."
Fourth Quarter Results:
Total sales for the fourth quarter, which included $163 million of sales in the 53rd week, decreased 28.4 percent to $3.884 billion. Comparable store sales, which exclude the 53rd week, declined 31.7 percent. Internet sales through jcp.com were $315 million in the fourth quarter, decreasing 34.4 percent from last year.
Gross margin was 23.8 percent of sales, compared to 30.2 percent in the same period last year. Gross margin was impacted by lower than expected sales and a higher level of clearance merchandise sales related to inventory reductions in 2012.
The Company`s SG&amp;A expenses decreased $134 million compared to last year`s fourth quarter.
The Company incurred a charge of $148 million, or $0.41 per share, in the fourth quarter related to lump-sum settlements from its primary pension plan, elected by participants who have separated from the Company.
Additionally during the quarter, the Company recognized charges totaling approximately $86 million, or $0.24 per share, related to the impairment and write-off of certain store and store-related assets.
For the fourth quarter, the Company incurred $29 million, or $0.08 per share, in restructuring and management transition charges. These charges comprised the following:
<ul style="padding-left: 30px;">
<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Store fixtures $18 million, or $0.05 per share;</li>
<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Management transition $5 million, or $0.01 per share;</li>
<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Home office and stores $4 million, or $0.01 per share;</li>
<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Other $2 million, or $0.01 per share.</li>
</ul>
Operating cash flow in the fourth quarter was $645 million compared to $953 million in last year`s fourth quarter. Investing cash flow was a use of $229 million compared to a use of $455 million in the same quarter last year.
Fiscal 2012 Results:
Total sales for the fiscal year, which included $163 million of sales in the 53rd week, decreased 24.8 percent to $12.985 billion. Comparable store sales, which exclude the 53rd week, declined 25.2 percent. Internet sales through jcp.com were $1.020 billion, decreasing 33.0 percent from last year.
Gross margin was 31.3 percent of sales, compared to 36.0 percent last year. Gross margin was impacted by lower than expected sales, a higher level of clearance merchandise sales and markdowns taken during the year to clear discontinued inventory in preparation for new product and brands being introduced as part of the transformation.
The Company`s SG&amp;A expenses decreased $603 million compared to last year.
As noted above, the Company incurred a charge of $148 million, or $0.41 per share, related to lump-sum settlements from its primary pension plan, elected by participants who have separated from the Company.
Additionally, the Company realized net gains on the sale or redemption of non-operating assets of $397 million and recognized charges totaling approximately $86 million, or $0.24 per share, related to the impairment and write-off of certain store and store-related assets.
For the year, the Company incurred $298 million, or $0.83 per share, in restructuring and management transition charges. These charges comprised the following:
<ul style="padding-left: 30px;">
<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Home office and stores $109 million, or $0.30 per share;</li>
<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Store fixtures $78 million, or $0.22 per share;</li>
<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Management transition $41 million, or $0.12 per share;</li>
<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Software and systems $36 million, or $0.10 per share;</li>
<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Supply chain $19 million, or $0.05 per share;</li>
<li style="padding-left: 30px;">Other $15 million, or $0.04 per share.</li>
</ul>
Despite the impacts of reduced sales and gross margin and restructuring charges associated with the Company`s transformation throughout 2012, full year operating cash flow was a use of $10 million. This takes into account the non-cash nature of a number of restructuring charges, the positive impacts of reduced expenses, reduction in inventory levels, specific steps taken to improve overall working capital, including the realignment of vendor payment schedules of $129 million and a one-time deferral of select vendor payments in the fourth quarter of $85 million. Investing cash flow for the year was a use of $293 million as capital investments of $810 million were partially offset by cash from the sale and redemption of non-operating assets. The Company reduced its debt by $250 million in 2012 and ended the year with $930 million in cash and cash equivalents. 
Spring 2013 Shops Outlook:
During spring 2013, the Company anticipates opening close to 20 shops designated for home products in 505 stores with brand partners such as Michael Graves, Jonathan Adler and Sir Terence Conran, among others. In addition to transforming the home area, the Company will open nearly 700 Joe FreshTM apparel shops on March 15, 2013 as it transforms nearly 11 million square feet of retail space in the spring.
During the year, the Company anticipates opening 60 Sephora inside jcpenney stores, bringing the total to 446.
Earnings Event Today/Webcast Details:
At 5:00 p.m. ET today, the Company will host a live conference call and streaming video webcast conducted by Chief Executive Officer Ron Johnson and Chief Financial Officer Ken Hannah. The event will include a formal slide presentation followed by a live question-and-answer session. The webcast will be available live on the Company`s investor relations website at <a href="http://ir.jcpenney.com/" target="_blank">http://ir.jcpenney.com</a>. Replays of the webcast will be available for up to 90 days after the event. To access the conference call, please dial (866) 202-4683, or (617) 213-8846 for international callers, and reference 59362622 participant code. 
Telephone playback will be available for seven days beginning approximately two hours after the conclusion of the meeting by dialing (888) 286-8010, or (617) 801-6888 for international callers, and referencing 81990309 participant code.
<a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/j-c-penney-company-inc-213101438.html">Click here for the full release &gt;</a>

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