Pay Rs 500 for JEE Answer Sheets Online

Examines of JEE (Advanced) 2013 will soon get their answer sheets online. The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have made arrangement through which candidates would be able to request for review of specific questions and marks. However, this facility will available at Rs. 500 for each question which he/she wants to review.

The JEE official website has already displayed Paper I and Paper 2 with answers. As of now, examines are eagerly waiting for display of their answer sheets along with the marks obtained. According to the official sources, the results along with answer keys will be made available in JEE (Advanced) portal between June 14 and 17.

Read complete news: 

http://onlineeducation.extraminds.com/Article/JEE-Advanced-Answer-Keys-Online-Pay-500

IIT-JEE 2012 Results Declared- Check Now!

The much-awaited results of IIT-JEE 2012 have been declared today, i.e 18^th May, 2012. It is a big day for students who have secured high scores and have chances to get admission in the reputed Indian Institute of Technology. As per sources, the topper has scored 385 out of 401. Arpit Agarwal from Delhi has topped the examination while Bijoy Kochhar from Chandigarh achieved the second rank. 

Candidates who have taken IIT JEE exam can check their results online on the following IIT websites: http://www.jee.iitb.ac.in,http://www.jee.iitd.ac.in, http://www.jee.iitm.ac.in,  http://www.jee.iitk.ac.in, http://www.jee.iitr.ac.in.

This year, more than 5.6 lakh students had taken the JEE on April 8, 2012 and the question papers was considered easy, though long with a few surprises. There are 9,600 undergraduate seats in the 15 IITs as compared to the lakhs of aspirants. Therefore, the day will decide the fate of students.

The chain of IIT institutes across India includes IIT-Bhubaneshwar, IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, IIT-Gandhinagar, IIT-Guwahati, IIT-Hyderabad, IIT-Indore, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Madras, IIT-Mandi, IIT-Patna, IIT-Rajasthan, IIT-Roorkee, IIT-Ropar. Other than IITs, JEE candidates are likely to get seats in reputed universities and technical institutes including Institute of Technology at Banaras Hindu University, Indian School of Mines, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), Indian Maritime University, Marine Engineering & Research Institute, National Maritime Academy, Marine Engineering and Research Institute etc.

Source: http://onlineeducation.extraminds.com/Article/IIT-JEE-2012-Results-Declared--Check-Now

Papers forged to force Army chief to cut short tenure?

NEW DELHI: Squabbling among generals over the age of Army chief General VK Singh has plunged to a new low, with a case of crude impersonation and forgery emerging in Pune. Investigators are frantically trying to trace one Rafique Shaikh, who forged papers to show that General Singh was born in 1949 as part of what is seen as a plot to shorten the tenure of the army chief. 

The certificate with a forwarding letter from a Member of Parliament was sent to defence minister A K Antony and circulated among media to muddy the waters over General Singh's age. 

The Kirkee Cantonment Board in Pune filed a police case alleging that Shaikh forged General Singh's "birth certificate" to show that he was born in 1949 and not in 1951 -- the year of birth shown in the Army chief's class X certificate. R C Jagtap, Chief Executive Officer of Kirkee Cantonment Board, in his police complaint has said "Mr Rafiq Shaikh with malafide intention submitted an application to obtain a certificate for his son" and used it to create the purported birth certificate of Gen Singh. 

The birth certificate manufactured by Shaikh was riddled with loopholes, with a non-existent maternity home as his birth place. But it brought out the resolve of vested interests and a faction in the Army to push Singh out by May 2012. 

At the root of the controversy is what General Singh has for years called a typo in his application to the Union Public Service Commission for admission to National Defence Academy. The teacher who filed the application for Singh entered 1950 as the year of his birth instead of 1951 as recorded in Class X certificate. The Supreme Court has laid down that details in the Class X certificate are to be treated as the relevant date for all official purposes. The discrepancy resulted in two dates of birth for Singh in the Army's records. While the military secretary's branch recorded 1950 as the year of birth based on the UPSC form, the adjutant general's office maintained that it was 1951. 

General Singh tried to get the anomaly rectified several times. Even the ministry of defence asked the Army to reconcile the records when the chief was being appointed a corps commander. Strangely, however, the divergence was allowed to persist. 

A strong section in the Army as well as the defence ministry suspects that the controversy is now being exploited by vested interests hurt by some of the recent measures as well as patrons of some officers whose career prospects are better served by uncertainty over the succession order. 

Defence Minister AK Antony has now stepped into the issue, in the wake of an RTI application, a law ministry opinion saying that Gen Singh's birth year should be 1951, and several media reports. He has asked the ministry to carry out fresh verification, with orders to "go by records" and not to give any opinions. The MOD finding will have to be approved by the Cabinet Committee on Appointments, a senior MOD source said. 

A legal opinion given by the ministry of law and justice too has said that General Singh's birth year should be 1951. If this is accepted, then Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, would become the next chief in March 2013. 

However, if the UPSC application showing 1950 as Singh's year of birth is taken into consideration, then Lt Gen Parnaik would be eliminated from the race and Lt Gen Bikram Singh, currently heading the Eastern Command, will take the baton after Gen Singh retires in May 2012. 

Feuds among the Army brass are hardly unknown. But what differentiates the current bout is the lengths travelled by those wishing Gen Singh to retire early. Retired officers have been circulating Gen Singh's alleged birth certificates and select pages from documents, triggering suspicions whether heartburn over his tough actions are in play. 

The measures taken by the Army chief on the Sukna and Adarsh scams have left behind a trail of bitterness, even generating a sense of betrayal. 

Meanwhile, sources said investigation over the past 24 hours by the Pune police have failed to trace Shaikh. There was no one by the name at the address given by him (house No 28, Salisbury Park, Pune). 

Investigators have recovered CCTV recordings from the Kirkee Cantonment Board office, and a woman clerk in charge of birth and death certificates has recognised Shaikh, or the person who pretended to be Shaikh, sources said. Shaikh had visited the office earlier too, and located birth details of an unnamed male child, born on June 9, 1949, with registration number 210, and claimed it was his son. He demanded the birth certificate for this child. 

The lady clerical staff has told investigators that she gave a blank birth certificate in good faith to Shaikh. The certificate was later used to produce that of General Singh, showing his year of birth as 1949.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Papers-forged-to-force-Army-chief-to-cut-short-tenure/articleshow/8121817.cms

Air tickets to get cheaper from Mumbai, but not Delhi

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the airport development fee ranging between Rs 100 to Rs 1,300 levied per passenger per trip at Mumbai, Delhi and other airports was illegal since it was not authorized by the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA). 

While this verdict will lead to lower fares in Mumbai, fliers from Delhi will continue to cough up the tax since the operator obtained AERA's permission to collect the sum in 2010. 

The order by a bench comprising Justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik will be welcomed by millions of flyers who have resented the levy as an unjustified burden particularly when airfares and prices in general have soared. They, however, will not get refunds, with the apex court ordering the airport development fee to be deposited withAirport Authority of India (AAI) for upgrading airports and passenger amenities. 

The bench held that the GMR-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and GVK-managedMumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) started collecting development fee from passengers transiting through the two airports from March and April 2009 merely on the strength of an authorization from the ministry of civil aviation, and without the requisite sanction from AERA.DIAL got the sanction from the airport regulator in 2010, while MIAL has not been permitted till date. 

Justices Raveendran and Patnaik prohibited MIAL from collecting airport development fee of Rs 100 per domestic trip and Rs 600 per international trip. The airport developer was permitted by the ministry to levy the fee till 2013. 

Though DIAL was permitted to collect Rs 200 per domestic trip and Rs 1,300 per international trip from passengers for three years since March 1, 2009, the court said it could have legitimately done so only from April 23, 2010, when it got AERA nod. 

The bench said it was still open for the petitioners to challenge the April 23, 2010 order of AERA allowing DIAL to collect the fee without determination of the rate. 

However, the court said both MIAL and DIAL cannot keep the money collected from passengers by them and would now have to account for the entire sum they got as development fee since 2009 to AAI. Delhi airport had handled 25 million passengers in the year 2009-10, while Mumbai airport in 2010 had seen a passenger traffic of 28.1 million. 

The airport developer in Delhi was allowed to collect the tax to cover a deficit of Rs 1,827 crore when the project cost was estimated to be about Rs 9,800 crore. But now with the project complete and the cost escalating to Rs 12,718 crore due to, among other reasons addition of the new domestic terminal 1D, the funding gap has gone up to Rs 3,481 crore. To cover the additional gap of about Rs 1,700 crore, DIAL has accordingly asked the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) to be allowed the charge the ADF of Rs 200 and Rs 1,300 for four years and eight months from March 1, 2010, an extension of two years and eight months. 

Writing the judgment for the bench and partly allowing a petition filed by NGO "Consumer Online Foundation', Justice Patnaik said: "We declare that with effect from January 1, 2009, no development fee could be levied or collected from the embarking passengers at major airports under Section 22A of AAI Act, 1994, unless the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority determines the rate of such development fee." 

"We direct that MIAL will henceforth not levy and collect any development fee at the major airport at Mumbai until an appropriate order is passed by the AERA under Section 22A of the 1994 Act as amended by the 2008 Act," the Bench said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Air-tickets-to-get-cheaper-from-Mumbai-but-not-Delhi/articleshow/8095224.cms

Note had warned PM Raja planned to ignore 2G advice

NEW DELHI: The brazenness with which arrested telecom minister A Raja bent rules to distribute telecom licences and 2G spectrum allegedly in exchange of bribes could not have surprised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

An internal note warned Singh that the telecom ministry under Raja intended to ignore advice to refer allocation of 2G spectrum to an empowered group of ministers (EGoM) and that such a course of action violated rules of government business. 

The note, put up to the PM in November 2007 in the wake of rising concern over Raja's bid to ram through the 'first-come, first-served' policy, clearly said that differences between law and telecom ministries over the need for wider consultations should be resolved by the Cabinet. 

The PM did ask his office to examine issues, but despite the pitfalls in Raja's interpretation of his policy domain, the DMK leader not only pushed ahead with his controversial implementation of his preferred policy but also managed to subvert the cabinet system in the process. 

If these revelations contained in PMO and Cabinet Secretariat's communication with the Public Accounts Committee find reflection in the committee's report likely to be submitted this week, it will set off fresh confrontation between the government and opposition. The PAC, headed by BJP leaderM M Joshi, is expected to refer to systemic failures in the 2G episode. 

The PMO assessment followed Singh himself asking his office for a note on "whether the action proposed to be taken by the (telecom) ministry is correct or not; whether it is justified in doing what it plans to do." Raja had insisted in a November 2, 2007 letter to the PM that the EGoM route was "totally out of context''. 

Significantly, the PMO is not clear on whether it should have stopped Raja from having his way. Responding to criticism that it failed to ensure his adherence to the 2003 Cabinet decision that pricing of airwaves be jointly decided by telecom and finance ministries, the PMO told the PAC, "Not giving effect to a Cabinet decision is tantamount to varying or reversing the same… it is incumbent on the department to bring it before the Cabinet." 

However, it did not agree that PMO was mandated to ensure the former telecom minister played by rules. "There is no specific requirement for PMO to enforce cabinet decisions nor is this the general practice," PMO told the committee. 

With regard to then finance minister P Chidambaram's January 15, 2008 letter on the need to review telecom ministry's decision to price spectrum, the PMO said: "Prime Minister saw the finance minister's note. No action was formally taken by PMO on the note." It also said that Chidambaram's objections seem to have been resolved by July 2008.The response is in sync with the PM's assertion that in the final analysis finance ministry agreed with Raja's stand that spectrum need not be auctioned. 

Both PMO and Cabinet Secretariat make it clear that the decision in December 2006 to delete pricing of spectrum from the terms of reference of a group of ministers set up in February was approved by the PM. The PMO informed Cabinet Secretariat on November 27, 2006, that the PM had "approved the revised terms of reference", on the urging of Raja's predecessor Dayanidhi Maran. 

When various concerns were brought to his notice even after his November 2, 2007 letter to the PM, Raja did not budge and wrote on November 15 that he was only continuing with the existing spectrum policy. 

Later on December 12, 2007, the telecom ministry candidly told PMO that new licences would be granted to those who fulfilled the letter of intent conditions. The ministry anticipated a rush of applicants as it said "an applicant who fulfils LoI condition first will be granted licence first, although several applicants will be issued LoI simultaneously." 

Raja assured the PM that "discussions with the external affairs minister and the solicitor general (Goolam Vahanavati) have further enlightened him to take preemptive and pro-active decisions. PMO says that it outlined a course of action for the PM's consideration but does not spell it out.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Note-had-warned-PM-Raja-planned-to-ignore-2G-advice/articleshow/8094760.cms

Daughter of DGCA No. 2 got licence from school with no plane

MUMBAI: They did not have even a single aircraft at their airport base, neither did they have a classroom or a hangar there, but in 2007, for some reason, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was benevolent enough to grant Raipur-based Touchwood Aviation the approval to start flying training for Commercial Pilot License (CPL) students. 

A month after it started, Rashmi Sharan, the daughter of A K Sharan, joint director general ofDGCA and its number two man, joined the school. Back then, Sharan was the deputy director general (training and licensing), the department which grants approval to flying training organisations. A year after Rashmi got her license and moved out, the school shut down. 

The case of Touchwood Aviation is an intriguing one as it is perhaps the only flying school in Indiato ever get a Flight Training Organisation approval even before it could position an aircraft at its base. It was also allowed to function, though it did not have the mandatory classroom or hangar at its airport base. 

So what are the violations here? 

1. According to Flying Training Circular (No 2/2005) issued by DGCA on May 2, 2005, flying schools/clubs "should have a minimum of three serviceable aircraft", among other requirements, to get an approval to start flying training for CPL students. At any given point of time, if the aircraft fleet falls below three, then the approval for training CPL students will be withdrawn, it states. 

"After the circular came into effect, the DGCA inspected all 16 flying schools in India at that time and flying schools with one or two aircraft scurried to increase their fleet to three," said an aviation source adding that the norms were adhered to in the annual inspections then on. 

When Touchwood Aviation was granted the Flying Training Approval in 2007, this circular, very much in effect — as it is today — was sidelined to grant the approval fraudulently. The proof of violation appears in the hand-written inspection report, dated 24 August 2007 (TOI has a copy) which grants Flight Training Approval to Touchwood. 

It was filed by Mohan Chandran, an official with Aerodrome Standards, Mumbai, after visiting Touchwood's Raipur facility and states that the school is yet to have an aircraft positioned at its base. Said an aviation source: "I do not know of any instance in India, where a flying school got an approval to start training even before it could position the aircraft and build a hangar." 

He added: "Let alone get an approval, the DGCA officials from the flying training department will not even come to inspect the school if the hangar and aircraft are not ready. Getting an approval only comes after site inspection," he added. 

2. How did the DGCA office, find ground facilities "satisfactory", when there was none at the airport base? Apart from the above-mentioned circular, Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), Section 7, Series D which pertains to approval of flying training instutites also states that a flying school's airport base should mandatorily have aircraft hangar, briefing room, waiting room, etc, for student use. 

But Touchwood Aviation had their office, briefing room, etc, at a place located about 10km from Raipur airport. They did not have any facility at the airport. "Students were ferried to the airport every morning and back in the evening. They would wait on open tarmac through the day for their turn to fly," said a source. 

The issue is not just of inconvenience. Having a briefing room on site is regarded as essential. For instance, before and after every flight, a student undergoes a briefing and a de-briefing session in the classroom. "In a briefing lesson, the flight to be undertaken would be discussed and instructions given so that the teacher and student do not waste time in the cockpit on lessons that can be given when on ground," said an instructor. 

"After a flight, the student is de-briefed and the mistakes and shortcomings are pointed out and instructions given to rectify them," he added. In case of Touchwood, there was no room in the airport for the de-briefing sessions, post flight. 

3. DGCA's flying training department is entrusted with the job of inspecting schools to grant/renew flying training approval. So why did the department waive all the norms for Touchwood? "Since Touchwood had not positioned any aircraft at its base or have a hangar, officials from the DGCA's flying training department refused to inspect the school," said an aviation source. 

Sharan, the then deputy director general (training and licensing), sent Chandran, an official from the aerodrome standards department in Mumbai, to do the Touchwood inspection, the source added. Based on the inspection report filed by Chandran, Touchwood was given an approval for six months, which was later renewed. 

Director General Bharat Bhushan said that he was looking into the case. Manjit Singh, owner of Touchwood Aviation, said that nine students, including Rashmi Sharan, completed their CPL from his school. It shut down in August 2009. Rashmi did her training between September 24, 2007 and October 7, 2008. 

"Airports Authority of India, the owner of Raipur airport, asked Touchwood to pay 13% of the gross turnover since the time of starting school. This made us economically unviable," Singh said about the closure of the school. He confirmed that no hangar space was allotted by AAI at Raipur airport. "All scheduled and periodic maintenance was done in the hangar at Raigarh airport in Chattisgarh," he added. 

Touchwood said that if it gets airport space at rates which are economically viable, it would start operations. But other flying school promoters will vouch that getting a DGCA approval to start a flying training organisation is not an easy task.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Daughter-of-DGCA-No-2-got-licence-from-school-with-no-plane/articleshow/8094783.cms

Left Front has failed to govern West Bengal: PM

KOLKATA: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said that the Left Front (LF) government had failed to govern the West Bengal and now it was time for the new alliance of Trinamool and Congress to run the government. 

The prime minister is campaigning at Katwa in favour of Congress candidate Rabindranath Chatterjee. Singh appealed to the voters to vote in favour of the Trinamool and Congress candidates. 

Singh while addressing a rally at Katwa said that if the Congress and Trinamool Congress combine came to power then the priority would be to give justice to the people, as law and order had collapsed in West Bengal. He said that in education sector too Bengal was lagging behind small states. 

He said that the UPA government would help in all possible manner the new Trinamool and Congress government. "Congress and Trinamool combine can only give good governance to the people of Bengal," he said. 

He said that the industrial base needed to be revamped in Bengal as small industries were closed and even tea industry was suffering in the state. 

Bengali youth go out of the state in search of jobs and minorities have been ignored too. The central funds were misused and not properly utilized, he said. "Several central schemes were not been implemented properly in Bengal by the LF government." 

The state government has failed to implement National Rural Health Mission scheme along with NREGA scheme and the funds provided by the UPA government had not been used by the LF government. 

"It is clear that for this failure, the LF government must go. Bengal needs change," the Prime Minister said. He said that Bengal's CPM had failed to deliver peace and development to the people. 

"For that Sonia Gandhi and I urge you to vote for change, so that necessary change can take place in your life and development can take place in Bengal." Singh urged.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/assembly-elections-2011/west-bengal/Left-Front-has-failed-to-govern-West-Bengal-PM/articleshow/8064827.cms

Nokia gives good news finally!

HELSINKI: Nokia Corp has reported better than expected first quarter profits despite confirming that its market share around the world dropped below 30 percent for the first time in over a decade, as the world's top cellphone maker continued to lose ground to its rivals. 

Though the Finnish company said its net profit for the quarter fell €5 million to €344 million ($499 million) a year earlier, the markets were impressed by the news that operating profit only fell 14 percent during the period instead of the anticipated 40 percent decline. 

Nokia shares were up 3 percent at €6.11 ($8.87) in afternoon trading in Helsinki. 

Elsewhere in its statement, Nokia revealed that its revenues grew by 9 percent to €10.40 billion from €9.52 billion in the same period in 2010, while smartphone sales were up 6 percent at €7 billion. 

Despite the increase in smartphone sales, Nokia confirmed that its overall global market share plunged to 29 percent, from 33 percent a year earlier and 31 percent in the previous quarter. 

CEO Stephen Elop said Nokia has now signed a "definitive" deal with Microsoft Corp to develop software for smartphones "and that product design and engineering work was well under way." 

But he cautioned that the company faced "a more challenging second quarter.'' 

Nokia said the tsunami and earthquake in Japan had disrupted the supply of some components linked to Japanese suppliers and would impact its results in the second quarter. 

Nokia is the world's top cellphone maker but faces stiff competition in top-end smartphones from Apple Inc's iPhone, Android-based handsets and Research in Motion's Blackberry. 

However, Nokia said it sold 24 million smartphones, 13 percent more than in 2010. 

Total handset sales were only slightly up at 108.5 million, Nokia said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/telecom/Nokia-gives-good-news-finally/articleshow/8047232.cms

'Rani's item number for Housefull 2'

For the first time in her career, Rani Mukerji will do a hot disco number 

Rani Mukerji is certainly having fun. On the one hand, she has delivered a hard-hitting performance in her last film and on the other, she is gearing up for some matkas and jhatkas in the Housefull sequel. 

Yes, for the first time in her career, the actress will be seen in an item song. Even though she is a fantastic dancer, for some reason, she has stayed away from item songs so far in her career. However, she isn't ready to talk about it. A trained Odissi dancer, Rani says, "As of now, this is hearsay and I'd like to leave it at that. I have really not done an item number in my career, but I'm open to it. 

Doing it totally depends on how the song is being presented and if it excites me. I love dancing and I think such special songs have a lot of energy. It's fun to see and shoot." So will this number be choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant, who is a close friend of Rani and has directed her dance moves in Bunty Aur Babli and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic? We'll keep you posted. 

Now Dadasaheb Phalke award for the actress 

After collecting every other award in the country for her performance in No One Killed Jessica, Rani will soon add the Dada Saheb Phalke Academy Award to her collection. She confirms, "I'm happy that people have loved my film and my work. I have always let my work do the talking and I guess I have proved to my critics that I'm not over. It's a great feeling to be back winning awards.

The past three years had been challenging because I didn't have box office success behind me. People forget the body of work, and the amount of blood and sweat that you put in for years and write you off, so I'm very happy to get this prestigious award."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Ranis-item-number-for-Housefull-2/articleshow/8025606.cms

Another malady, another Pulitzer: Indian Doc's book on cancer wins prize

WASHINGTON: She is an interpreter of maladies. He's the biographer of one of the great maladies of all time. Dr Siddharth Mukherjee, a New Delhi-born oncologist, has been awarded a Pulitzer Prizefor his book "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer," more than a decade afterJhumpa Lahiri won the prize for her similarly-titled collection of short stories. 

While the New York-based Lahiri won the 2000 Pulitzer for fiction, Dr Mukherjee, 41, who also lives in Big Apple, has been awarded the 2011 prize for general non-fiction. In its citation, the Pulitzer committee described the book, which has won rave reviews, as "an elegant inquiry, at once clinical and personal, into the long history of an insidious disease that, despite treatment breakthroughs, still bedevils medical science." 

Mukherjee joins a growing band of Indian-origin physicians who seem endowed with literary DNA. Among them, Dr Abraham Verghese, who began his writing career in the late 1980s with "My Own Country: A Doctor's story," which centered on the AIDS in the US, Dr Atul Gawande, a staff writer for the New Yorker and most recently author of 'The Checklist Manifesto," and Dr Deepak Chopra, the new age spiritual guru of mind-body dynamics, whose books are numerous. 

Mukherjee, who is currently serving as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University and is also a staff cancer physician at Columbia University Medical Center, began his writing career more recently after an encounter with a patient who had stomach cancer, who told him she was willing to go on fighting, but she needed to know what she was battling. He couldn't point her to a book that could explain cancer, and he began writing as an answer to her query. 

Mukherjee tells the stories of several cancer patients and survivors, while recognizing pioneering researchers, including the breakthrough provided by the Indian scientist, Yellapragada Subba Rao (1895-1948) who synthesized the Folic Acid for the first antifolate clinical trials conducted by Sidney Farber, who initiated the treatment of childhood leukemia. 

Largely unrecognized and forgotten both in India and in the US (where he spent much of his career), Subba Rao is also credited with developing Methotrexate, one of the first cancer chemotherapy agents and still in widespread clinical use. In his book, Mukherjee muses about why Subba Rao, who came from the provincial town of Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh, never got his due (his peers won the Nobel), describing him as "a reclusive, nocturnal, heavily accented vegetarian who lived in a one-room apartment downtown, befriended only by other nocturnal recluses." 

Mukherjee came from a slightly different India to a more welcoming US. After schooling in New Delhi (St. Columba's, five years junior to Shah Rukh Khan), he went on to major in biology atStanford University, before winning a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University where he earned a Ph.D. in immunology. After graduation, he attended Harvard Medical School to train as an internist and won an oncology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is married to the artist Sarah Sze, who is herself an accomplished sculptor and a recipient of the 2003 MacArthur Fellows "genius grant." 

Incidentally, Lahiri and Mukherjee are not the first Pulitzer winners of Indian-origin. That honor belongs to Gobind Bihari Lal, a US-based science writer (and contemporary of Subba Rao), who shared the 1937 Pulitzer with three other Americans "for their coverage of science at the tercentenary of Harvard University," -- the same university which denied Subba Rao a regular faculty position forcing him to go work at Lederle Laboratories. 

Although the Pulitzer award carries a modest prize of $10,000, the book will get another publicity bump, adding to the already significant critical acclaim. Published by Simon and Schuster in 2010, it was nominated as a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and made the Top Ten list under various categories in The New York Times, Time magazine and The Oprah magazine. 

Among the finalists Mukherjee pipped in non-fiction category were Nicholas Carr for "The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brain," and SC Gwynne for "Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Another-malady-another-Pulitzer-Indian-Docs-book-on-cancer-wins-prize/articleshow/8029070.cms

KTK vs CSK: Kochi Tuskers Kerala beat Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets

KOCHI: Brendon McCullum exploded at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and destroyed Chennai Super Kings on Monday. The Kiwi scored another match-winning 47 off 33 balls as Kochi Tuskers Kerala, chasing 132 in a rain-hit 17-over game, scripted their second win in IPL 4. The underdogs have now accounted for the two hot favourites - CSK and Mumbai Indians - in the space of a week.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel (34 off 26 balls) played a good supporting role after McCullum's fireworks as the Kochi team underscored captain Mahela Jayawardene's claim that they had enough talent on the bench. The seven-wicket win for the home team came with two overs to spare.

McCullum carted Albie Morkel for two sixes in his first two overs and Jayawardene greeted offie Ashwin by hitting him for a six and a four. But Ashwin had the last laugh when he had the Sri Lankan in the same over. McCullum hit two more sixes before he perished to Ashwin, going for a big shot over long-off. Brad Hodge and Ravindra Jadeja gave the finishing touches to Kochi's victory.

Earlier, CSK weathered the vagaries of the wicket at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and a rain interruption to post a competitive 131 for four in 17 overs on the strength of a stroke-filled 50 (40 balls, 5x4, 1x6) from Suresh Raina. Unusual April rain in Kerala had reduced the match by three overs after Mahela Jayawardene opted to field first. The revised target after a 95-minute break for the home team was 135.

Jayawardene's decision to bowl first was influenced by the upsets created by Punjab and Kochi in the first week of IPL-4 chasing big totals. He had a second reason to do so as he reckoned that there would be some life early on for the fast bowlers. Midway through the CSK innings, the Kochi captain might have found a third reason by default to justify his decision to field first as rain interrupted the match when the visitors were 65 for two after nine overs.

Barring a couple of authentic cover drives by Murali Vijay, the CSK batsmen found more edges than hits.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2011/news/KTK-vs-CSK-Kochi-Tuskers-Kerala-beat-Chennai-Super-Kings-by-7-wickets/articleshow/8018761.cms

Pantry car hero saves 150 lives in burning Rajdhani

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI/BHOPAL: Thanks to an unlikely hero, not a single passenger was injured as three bogies of the Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani were reduced to cinders in a fire that started early Monday morning when passengers were fast asleep and the train speeding through western Madhya Pradesh. 

Passengers said pantry car in-charge Pawan Kumar`s quick response in stopping the train around 2.10am and urging sleepy passengers to get off, not only saved the lives of about 150 people in the affected 3-tier AC coaches but also helped contain the fire. 

"Please help the reporters congratulate the most important man," senior citizen Bahadur Mistri was heard telling co-travellers as they hugged and kissed their relatives when the train reached New Delhi station at 3.20pm. "He is the pantry car in-charge who knew quite a bit about the train AC system. His name is Pawan Kumar." 

Kumar was sleeping in the pantry car from where the fire started. "I got up and found smoke everywhere. The first thing I did was to pull the chain. I shouted to my boys to get going and wake up the passengers. We asked everyone to file out. I was screaming — bahar niklo, sab chhod ke bahar niklo (run out, leave everything and run out)," said Kumar, an employee of RaiIway caterers, IRCTC. 

Kumar said after stopping the train, he ran towards coach B7 as the wind was moving in that direction before collecting a fire extinguishers and running back into the pantry to fight the blaze. "Everyone pitched in,`` he added. 

Said Satyendra Singh, who was travelling in coach B7, "The shouting worked. I still do not know how we managed it, but by 2.20am all passengers in the coach were outside. The pantry car and the B7 coach were gutted within the next half hour, the B6 coach followed suit before the fire brigade arrived." 

"Pawan Kumar took me out and helped me get down. Everything my group was carrying — mobiles, digital cameras and even currency notes — were all burnded,`` said Dinoo Dalal, part of the 35-member group heading to Himachal Pradesh. 

The fire started when the train was between Vikramgarh Alot and Thuriya stations located in the Kota-Ratlam section of the West Central Railway. The train left Mumbai Central at 4.40pm on Sunday and was scheduled to reach Delhi at 8.45am. There were around 1,061 people on board. 

"The fire started from the pantry car which was totally ravaged,'' said Anil Saxena, Northern Railways spokesman. "Three coaches of the train were detached and passengers of the affected bogies shifted out. There was no injury, all passengers are safe." 

P Mathur, chief PRO, West Central Railway, told TOI from Jabalpur, "It has not been established that the fire started in the pantry car. The commissioner of railway safety, central circle, Chetan Bakshi, will carry out the enquiry." 

Railways said passengers of the coaches B6 and B7 will get Rs 5,000 as ex-gratia relief. 

The Railways arranged for breakfast for the passengers at Kota and lunch was picked up from Mathura. "Upon arriving at Delhi, we offered an ex-gratia help of Rs 5,000 to the passengers of all the three bogies —B5, B6 and B7. A couple of our own men burnt their hands trying to decouple the coaches,`` said spokesman Saxena. 

Passenger Satyendra Singh said railway engineers and gangmen from Thuriya helped in decoupling the three coaches but B5 was partially damaged too. "Coach B5 too was finally decoupled by two diesel engines arriving from both sides. By 4am, the fire was under control. The villagers gave us water, fed us and looked after us till the train left for Kota at 8.21am,`` he said. 

"The railways did everything they could do. There might have been some mistake on their part that led to the fire in the first place and loss of my entire luggage. But I am happy to be with my mother. Had it not been for Kumar and the other railway staffers, I would not be hugging her now,`` said Nidhi Bajaj, a mass communication student living in Uttam Nagar, west Delhi. 

A woman railway official who was on board the train told TOI: "The place the train was halted was like a jungle and the staff started moving people out with only necessary baggage. It was a full moon night so it helped us see well. The flames were spreading but the message had already reached the railway authorities. I was very impressed that they moved so fast. There was no panic and people were calmly helping each other."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pantry-car-hero-saves-150-lives-in-burning-Rajdhani/articleshow/8022477.cms

Base draft must be ours, says Jan Lokpal camp

NEW DELHI: A day before the first meeting of the joint committee on the Lokpal bill, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal and lawyer Prasant Bhusan said civil society activists would go into the meeting with three major things on their minds — accepting the Jan Lokpal bill as the base draft for the new legislation, videography of the proceedings and also to devise a way of effective public consultation. 

With allegations of Lokpal being a "supercop" being bandied around, the activists also released a detailed statement explaining the functioning of Lokpal. 

Law minister Veerappa Moily, meanwhile, said the government was going into the meeting with an open mind. He also refused to go into any of the allegations against civil society members, even as Kejriwal maintained that the allegations were the government's way of shifting focus from the real issue of corruption in public office. 

Kejriwal also called upon the government to come up with a clause-by-clause objection to their draft so that they 

could know "which are the points of difference and which the points of convergence. "That would then lead to a constructive dialogue. We are insisting on videography – we do not have a problem if it is telecast but that may not be possible – to ensure transparency in the proceedings of the committee," he said. 

On public consultations, he said the website they were preparing would be up by Monday where people could send their comments. "We will be very happy if the government invites feedback on its own site otherwise people can do so on this site," he added. 

On the issue of supercop, Kejriwal explained that Lokpal was just an effort to mend the problems faced by the CBI or the CVC. "We are proposing that that part of CBI which deals with anti-corruption cases should be taken away from it and merged into the proposed Lokpal. This will form the investigation wing of the Lokpal. It will directly report to the Lokpal. This will ensure independence of investigations and prosecutions," the statement said. "A wrong impression is sought to be created that Lokpal will announce judgments. Lokpal will not announce judgments," it added. 

It also clarified how Lokpal would have jurisdiction over politicians, bureaucrats and judges but would not have powers to award punishment. Lokpal, the statement added, would not make the Judicial Accountability Bill redundant as it would only deal with criminal misconduct and not professional misconduct of judges. It also said that apprehensions that Lokpal would be flooded with complaints was unfounded as complaints would not directly reach the Lokpal members.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Base-draft-must-be-ours-says-Jan-Lokpal-camp/articleshow/7995656.cms

Somali pirates keep Indian hostages after ransom

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA: In a move that could change the pirate-hostage equation, Somali pirateson Friday took in a multimillion dollar ransom, then released the ship and some of the crew but kept all the Indian crew members as hostages. 

A pirate said that the Indian crew members' hostage ordeal is being prolonged in retaliation for the arrests of more than 100 Somali pirates by the Indian Navy.

"We decided to keep them because India is holding our colleagues," a pirate, Hassan Farah, said. "We released the other crew members who sailed away from our coast. We will keep these Indians until the Indians release our colleagues." 

Farah said the pirates in the stronghold of Haradhere have taken that collective decision. The Indian hostages are to be moved to land. 

A multimillion dollar ransom was paid for the ship Asphalt Venture, whose ownership is located inMumbai, India. 

Pirates are receiving an average of USD 5 million to release ships and crew, and a ransom in that ballpark was believed to have been paid on Friday. 

It wasn't immediately clear how many of the 15 crew members aboard the Asphalt Venture were Indian. The ship was hijacked in late September. 

This pirate action marks a major departure from the standard pirate business model of release-for-ransom and could complicate international military efforts against the piracy trade. 

Earlier this year pirates killed four American hostages while US Navy warships were shadowing the hijacked yacht, the first time pirates had done that. 

The Indian navy has seized around 120 pirates, mostly from Somalia, over the past few months. Last month the Indian navy captured 61 pirates when they attacked a naval ship. Indian warships have been escorting merchant ships as part of international anti-piracy surveillance in the Indian Ocean area since 2008. 

Piracy has long plagued the shipping industry off East Africa, but violence has escalated in recent months. Pirates held some 30 ships and more than 600 hostages.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Somali-pirates-keep-Indian-hostages-after-ransom/articleshow/7997680.cms

Gerard is a friend: Kangna

Hollywood actor, Gerard Butler has his eyes set on Indian shores. 

Well, Indian beauties to be more precise. First he made news when he befriended Priyanka Chopraand then Udita Goswami. And now rumours are flying fast and furious about his special friendship with Kangna Ranaut. 

Sometime back, he dropped in on the sets, while she was shooting in New York. Followed by media reports of their secret four-day getaway to an undisclosed location. Kangs was livid reading about yet another romantic link-up. "Yes, it's true, Gerard is a friend. He dropped in on the sets to meet me when I was shooting in New York. But that's all there was. Other news reports about me going on a holiday with him are all rubbish," she clarified exclusively to zoOm. For more Bollywood news and gossip, keep watching Planet Bollywood everyday at 7 pm, only on zoOm.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Gerard-is-a-friend-Kangna/articleshow/7979816.cms

Nimble-footed desi managers go global

DELHI: Rakesh Kapoor's appointment as CEO-designate at UK-based Reckitt Benckiser adds to the growing list of Indians joining the elite club of global CEOs. The elevation of Indians may be because of the clout of the region ( Asia), which is being looked upon by MNCs as the biggest growth driver, or because desi managers have proven to be capable leaders, the fact remains that the Indian leadership quotient in Global Inc has gone up significantly. 

"Indian managers, especially those who have worked in India, are versatile and capable leaders. They know how to compete with the international as well as local low-cost competitors," said M S 'Vindi' Banga, operating partner, Clayton, Dubillier & Rice LLP, a PE fund. According to Banga, who was formerly president (foods, home and personal care),Unilever Plc, Indian managers mature in a very uncertain and volatile environment, where they face challenges of changing regulation, poor infrastructure and labor issues, and thus become versatile and nimble; compared to Western managers who only need to worry about the market and competition. 

According to Banga, Indian managers are good leaders as they understand power of relationships with people. Banga, who knows Kapoor well, said that Rakesh is an outstanding professional and combines this with a very down to earth pragmatism and unassuming manner. Management gurus and HR head honchos, who are on the hunt for this kind of leaders, also share Banga's views. "Today, the leadership aspect of an Indian origin is much respected unlike the days when the Americans, Europeans and Japanese more or less controlled senior roles in the company's management," said R Suresh, MD, Stanton Chase, an executive search firm. He added that for someone like Rakesh Kapoor to take top most position at Reckitt is an indication of sectors like consumer goods seeing India as the biggest consumption story in world. "This is the best place to launch new products and from where the big chunk of sales will come therefore, someone like him can drive the strategy around new growth markets," said Suresh. To be brought up in a multi-cultural environment helps, said Abraham Koshy, professor of marketing at IIM Ahmedabad. "The emerging markets will require somebody to understand the nuances and the backgrounds that Indians come from helps," said Koshy. 

"For anybody to be selected as a global CEO, competence matters the most. Indian CEOs who have gone global have the advantage of having been through a filtration process, be it getting good education, working in a good multinational company or performing well there," said Koshy.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Nimble-footed-desi-managers-go-global/articleshow/7987026.cms

Bad debts of PSU banks hit Rs 30k crore

NEW DELHI: The government's agenda for inclusive growth and emphasis on priority sector lending is proving costly for the exchequer, with bad debts of state-run banks increasing to over Rs 30,000 crore till December, 2010. These bad loans — given to agriculture, small-scale enterprises and other priority sectors — are around half of the Rs 68,000 crore non-performing assets (NPAs) of government banks during the same period. 

The agriculture sector leads the pack, accounting for 70% of bad loans. In contrast, only 22% loans went bad in small-scale industries ( SSI) sector during April-December 2010 as against 65% of NPAs in 2009-10. This issue will come up for discussion later this month during a meeting of CEOs of PSU bankswith top finance ministry officials, a ministry official said. The assets quality of these banks has also raised concern on efficacy of due diligence on lending. 

The review on credit lending will ascertain if the banks are meeting the 40% mandatory lending to priority sectors on their own, or they have been borrowing such loans from regional rural banks (RRBs) and micro-finance institutions (MFIs). If larger NPAs are attributed to such borrowings, the government may restrict these options in future. 

In the Budget 2011-12, government enhanced agriculture credit limit to Rs 475,000 crore from Rs 375,000 crore in the previous year. Banks have been asked to step up direct lending for agriculture and credit to small and marginal farmers in a bid to increase farm productivity. But, considering that the banks have pressure from the government to meet the credit target within the financial year, the high-level of NPAs show the kind of compromise is being made on the eligibility criteria. 

A similar problem, which had occurred a few years ago nad impacted banks' credit lending and reserves, had to be compensated by government's recapitalization and reimbursement through a farm loan-waiver scheme. A farm loan-waiver scheme announced in 2008-09 to compensate banks made a dent on the exchequer to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore. 

Besides, the farm loans, PSU banks have consistently been writing off bad debts of more than Rs 10,000 crore every year to reflect a healthy balance sheet. The gross NPAs of all government banks have grown by 30% in 2009-10 to Rs 57,000 crore, and in the first nine months of 2010-11, it went up by more than Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 68,600 crore.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Bad-debts-of-PSU-banks-hit-Rs-30k-crore/articleshow/7986170.cms

26/11 case: Will India become party to lawsuit in US against ISI?

NEW DELHI: Intending to nail Pakistan's lie over the role of ISI in the Mumbai terror attack, India is mulling the option of becoming 'party' to the lawsuit filed in a US court last year by relatives of two Americans -- who died in the 26/11 carnage – against top officials of the Pakistani intelligence agency and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists. 

A top government official said: "India may become party to the lawsuit and provide evidence to theNew York court. The matter can be taken up at the government-to-government level as well in support of the lawsuit under existing Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between India and US." 

The lawsuit, filed in November last year by relatives of Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg and his wife Rivka who were killed by Lashkar terrorists at Chabad House in Mumbai in November 2008, has accused the ISI of aiding and abetting LeT in killing 166 people, including six American citizens.

It said: "The ISI has long nurtured and used international terrorist groups, including the LeT, to accomplish its goals and has provided material support to the LeT and other international terrorist groups." The lawsuit referred to the disclosure made by American-Pakistani Lashkar terrorist David Coleman Headley and blamed top ISI officials for providing "critical planning, material support, control and coordination of the attacks (2611)". 

The New York court had subsequently issued summons to senior ISI officials including its chief, Major General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, and LeT leaders Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi. Though the lawsuit is now stuck in procedures after the Pakistan government decided to defend its spy agency and got 'waiver' for Pasha's visit to the US, India appears to be keen on following the matter in whatever way it can to expose the ISI. 

Officials here do not rule out the possibility of some back-channel efforts to help the petitioners which may also become a starting point for people of other countries whose citizens were killed by the Lashkar terrorists. 

Besides Indians, 28 foreign nationals including citizens of France, UK, Germany, USA, Singapore,Israel, Canada, Australia and Japan were gunned down by the terrorists during the three-day carnage in Mumbai. 

An official said: "The latest disclosure made by Headley's accomplice Tahawwur Hussain Rana that he acted at the behest of the Pakistan government and ISI has strengthened India's position." Although Rana may not get relief from the US court for himself on this ground, his account, officials here believe, will certainly open a debate when the trial against him begins in the Chicagocourt on May 16.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/26/11-case-Will-India-become-party-to-lawsuit-in-US-against-ISI/articleshow/7985712.cms

Drunk Chandigarh cops guarded Dhoni, CSK team at Taj Hotel

CHANDIGARH: The Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team of Chennai Super Kings led by World Cup winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was apparently being protected by tipsy UT cops at Taj hotel in Sector 17. 

A day after brutal assault on constable Darshan Singh outside a liquor vend in Sector 22, two cops, sub-inspector Butta Singh and constable Paramjit Singh were suspended for consuming liquor on duty outside the hotel on Thursday. Sources said they were accompanying Darshan when he was attacked. 

DSP (communication) Roshan Lal said they were found in an inebriated state outside the hotel during the night of April 12 by inspector Parveen Kumar when he went on his supervisory round. 

The medical examination of Butta and Paramjit at Government Multispeciality Hospital, Sector 16, confirmed the presence of alcohol in their bloodstreams and both were sent to police lines, Sector 26, with immediate effect. 

Sources told TOI, "Injured Darshan was also appointed in the security of CSK team at the hotel but he had gone to the market of Sector 22 on April 12." 

The development has put a question mark on the tall claims of Chandigarh police of providing foolproof security to cricket players. 

Sources in Sector-17 police station told The Times of India, "These two had also left their point of duty outside the hotel and gone to buy liquor in Sector 22." 

They maintained that Darshan was assaulted in front of the two cops and instead of rescuing him, they fled from the area. 

A regular departmental inquiry was also marked against the accused cops. 

Suspended SI Butta was attached with Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) and Paramjit was deputed with communication wing of UT police. 

Bottoms up: Eight cops were suspended for being drunk on duty from December '10. Constable Shiv Nath was found in an inebriated state in January '11. Head constable Shiv Ram was found drunk on December 18, '10. Head constable Mahinder Singh was caught on February 11, 2011. SI Butta Singh and constable Paramjit Singh were found drunk on April 12.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Drunk-Chandigarh-cops-guarded-Dhoni-CSK-team-at-Taj-Hotel/articleshow/7986682.cms

Kanishtha Dhankhar wins Pantaloons Femina Miss India World 2011

Forty-six years have gone by, but the passage of time does nothing to dim the glow of the foremost beauty pageant of the country. The winners of the Pantaloons Femina Miss India (PFMI) 2011 pageant were declared at a star-studded event at Mumbai's Mehboob Studio. 

Fittingly, two girls from Mumbai won titles on Thursday night. PFMI World Kanishtha Dhankharand PFMI International Ankita Shorey are both from Maximum City. Delhi's Hasleen Kaur was crowned PFMI Earth. In answer to the final question, 'There is a lot that children can learn from mothers but what can mothers learn from children?' Kanishtha said, "Children can learn everything from mothers and vice versa. We live in contemporary India where we have a voice and a choice. Mothers can learn to dream from us, we can set an example for them." 

The PFMI 2011 winners were crowned by PFMI World 2010 Manasvi Mamgai, Miss Earth 2010 and PFMI Earth 2010 Nicole Faria and PFMI International 2010 Neha Hinge. Tarun Jha, head of marketing, Skoda Auto India, handed the winners the keys of the Skoda Fabia as their grand prize. 

The springtime colours of April came to life as the 20 finalists walked the ramp in the Ra' gemstone collection designed by Rajesh and Anirban. Hosts Manish Paul and Sonu Sood welcomed the ladies whose show of confidence likely concealed some serious jitters. This was followed by another spectacular show in white and ivory georgette saris designed by RMKV. Round three saw the girls walk the ramp in scarlet evening gowns by Gaviin C Miguel. As the girls sashayed on stage, one of them lost her shoe, only to have judge Fardeen Khan find it and slip it back on her foot. The Cinderella moment drew spontaneous applause. 

The importance of India's first and foremost beauty pageant which is now in its 47th year can hardly be underestimated, and this was visible in the line-up of star performers who took the stage through the evening. Sonakshi Sinha performed to a medley of songs, including Chura Liya Hai Tumne — perhaps a tribute to former Miss India Zeenat Aman. Punjabi rapper Hard Kaur and a bunch of semi-acrobatic dancers grooved to Laung Da Lashkara. Malaika Arora Khan did her Munni Badnam act, with Dabangg co-star Sonu Sood egging her on. Anushka Sharma danced to Haule Haule, while Sunidhi Chauhan sang Heartbeat. 

Amidst the bunch of 500-odd spectators, it was a small cluster of seats facing the ladies that occupied their attention. The army of judges included Prachi Desai, Kangana Ranaut, Fardeen Khan, Dino Morea Ritu Kumar, Leander Paes, Tarun Mansukhani, Sajid Nadiadwala and Shiamak Davar. Nadiadwala declared Ankita Mohapatra the winner of the Bollywood Diva title. The lucky girl will be cast in a film under the Nadiadwala Grandsons Entertainment banner. 

The crowns for the pageant were designed by Forever Jewellery. The PFMI 2011 contestants underwent an intensive 30-day training session at Novotel, Mumbai Juhu Beach. An accomplished team of experts led these youngsters through the task, namely diction expert Sabira Merchant, cosmetologist and dermatologist Dr Jamuna Pai, smile care expert Dr Sandesh Mayekar, fitness expert Yasmin Karachiwala, rampwalk trainer Alesia Raut and creative director of PFMI 2011, Marc Robinson. The official photographer was Jitu Savlani while the designer and stylist was Gaviin C Miguel. Hair and make-up was taken care of by experts Bharat and Dorris while image and makeover was managed by stylist Queenie Singh. Bharat and Dorris also did the hair and make-up of all contestants at the finale. Prasad Bidappa was contestant advisor. 

The Bollywood Diva Panel comprised Sajid Nadiadwala and Nadiadwala Grandsons as talent partner, Anupam Kher and Actor Prepares as acting mentor and Shiamak Davar as the guru of modern and contemporary dance. 

The title sponsor of PFMI 2011 was Pantaloons, associate sponsors Hewlett Packard, RMKV Unique Silks and Forever Jewellery, telecast partner Sony Entertainment Television and radio partner Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM. The outdoor partner was Times Out of Home, reality series partner Zoom, destination partner Lavasa, official foot fashion partner Liberty, powered by Divine Thoughts. The official car was Skoda, official time keeper Tissot, beauty partner No Marks, official grooming partner Veet and hospitality partner Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach. PFMI 2011 found a radiance partner in Kaya Skin Clinic, while Whyte & Mackay was beverage partner. The event was produced by 360 Degrees Entertainment, while On Cue helped with stage and wardrobe management. Entertainment dance acts were choreographed by Shiamak Davar while Remo D'souza choreographed Anushka Sharma. The on- ground event was conceptualized and executed by Aditya Bhat and the team from Business of Ideas.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/fashion/shows/Kanishtha-Dhankhar-wins-Pantaloons-Femina-Miss-India-World-2011/articleshow/7985588.cms