Vijay Mallya reaches out to Indian officials, may want to return: Report

Under this recently promulgated ordinance, the government can immediately confiscate all linked properties of Mallya in the country and abroad

Embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya, the main accused in a Rs 9,000 crore alleged bank fraud case, is understood to have sounded out to Indian authorities that he was willing to come back home to face the law, official sources said on Tuesday.

Mallya, who is contesting in a London court the Indian government's action for extradition, is said to have sent feelers to authorities that he would like to join the legal process in India and contest the recent action against him under the Fugitive Economic Offender Ordinance.

Under this recently promulgated ordinance, the government can immediately confiscate all linked properties of Mallya in the country and abroad.

However, top sources in investigative agencies said the final contours of the move are still not clear as they refused to divulge more details.

A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Mumbai had last month issued summons to the beleaguered businessman to appear before it on August 27 on the Enforcement Directorate's plea seeking action against him under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance in the over Rs 9,000 crore bank fraud case.

The central probe agency, as part of this action, has also sought immediate confiscation of assets worth around Rs 12,500 crore of Mallya.

If he does not appear before the court or respond to its summons on the designated date, Mallya risks being declared a fugitive economic offender, besides properties linked to him being confiscated.

Mallya, his now defunct venture Kingfisher Airlines Limited and others availed loans from various banks during the tenure of the UPA-I government and the outstanding amount, including interest, against him is Rs 9,990.07 crore at present, officials had said.

He had recently said he has become the "poster boy" of bank default and a lightning rod for public anger.

The liquor baron had said that he had written letters to both the prime minister and the finance minister on April 15, 2016, to explain his side of the story.

Both the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have filed separate criminal cases of alleged loan default against him.

A hearing in the extradition case is expected to be heard in London this month end where a team of Indian investigators will remain present.

AAI Recruitment 2018: 186 job vacancies for junior and senior assistant

Domicile of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Pondicherry and Lakshadweep can only apply for the AAI's job vacancies

Airport Authority of India (AAI) has invited job applications for 186 Junior Assistant (Fire Service) & Senior Assistant (Electronics) posts in the southern region. The date for the online registration is June 16 and the deadline for the online registration process is July 15 till 11.59pm. The candidates can apply through AAI Recruitment 2018 Notifications or from the official website www.aai.aero.

Candidates who are domicile of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Pondicherry and Lakshadweep can apply for the above-mentioned posts at various airports in these states.

No. of vacancies:

Junior Assistant (Fire service)- 146

Senior Assistan (electronics)-39

Category-wise vacancies:

Junior Assistant (Fire service)

General: 92

OBC: 11

SC: 23

ST: 21

Senior Assistant (electronics)

General: 23

OBC: 08

SC:5

ST:3

IMPORTANT DATES:

Commencement of online registration of application: June 16, 2018

Closure of online registration of application: July 15, 2018 Sunday

Online remittance of application fee: From June 16, 2018 to July 15, 2018

Eligibility criteria:

• The candidates’ Age shall be 18 to 30 years as on 31.03.2017. And the maximum age limit for Widows, divorced women and women judicially separated from their husbands and who are not remarried. Upto the age of 35 years (upto 40 years for member of SC/ST and 38 years for OBC).
• For the Junior Assistant, the Candidates should be 10th pass with 3 years' approved regular Diploma in Mechanical/Automobile/ Fire with minimum 50% marks. Or 12th pass with 50 per cent marks.
• For the Senior Assistant, the candidate must have a Diploma in Electronics / Tele Communication / Radio Engineering (03 years Course) from a recognized institution and two years of work experience in the concerned discipline.

SELECTION PROCESS:

Junior Assistant (Fire service):

• The candidates will have to appear for a two hour written exam which will be a computer-based test. Minimum pass marks will be 50 out of 100 for UR /OBC candidates and 40 out of 100 for SC/ST candidates.
• On passing the online written exam, the shortlisted candidates shall be subjected certificates/ document verification followed by medical examination.
• Further, those cleared in the medical examination will be allowed for driving test.
• Only on passing the driving test, the candidate will be allowed for endurance test. Read more

Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy says have stopped Modi's Ashwamedha horse: Updates

H D Kumaraswamy's swearing-in as Karnataka chief minister saw a show of strength by a galaxy of Opposition leaders who are looking to unite in a bid to take on Narendra Modi in 2019

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has said that the Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress alliance has succeeded in "tying" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ashwamedha horse (victory horse) in Karnataka, insinuating that the Modi-Amit Shah duo's electoral juggernaut has been halted. On Wednesday, Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the 25th chief minister of Karnataka in a ceremony in Bengaluru that brought together anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (anti-BJP) regional and Opposition parties on a single platform ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"I had said after the Uttar Pradesh election results came out that my aim is to tie the Ashwamedha horse of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah (BJP President). Today, both Congress and JD(S), together, have tied their Ashwamedha horse in Karnataka," said Kumaraswamy, adding, "Probably, in the days to come, Amit Shah has to go to Narendra Modi with lifeless Ashwamedha horse, as we have tied their horse."

The swearing-in ceremony, which also saw Congress' G Parameshwara sworn in as Karnataka deputy chief minister, showcased rare scenes of bonhomie between United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, Nationalist Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India Member of Parliament D Raja, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejaswi Yadav, and former Union minister Sharad Yadav.

The BJP, for its part, decided to abstain from attending the swearing-in ceremony despite seven of its leaders, including former chief ministers Sadananda Gowda, Jagadish Shettar and S M Krishna, Union minister Ananth Kumar, and officiating Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah, being invited. The BJP emerged as the single largest party after the May 12 Assembly elections and had formed a government with B S Yeddyurappa as the chief minister that lasted for all of three days. Yeddyurappa said they were boycotting the event as BJP was observing a "black day" across the state.

Here are the top ten developments regarding government formation in Karnataka and Kumaraswamy taking oath as chief minister:

1) Kumaraswamy says Congress, JD(S) have buried the hatchet to work together:Kumaraswamy allayed fears over the working and stability of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government. "I would like to convey to the people of Karnataka that they need not worry about the survival or duration of our government even after the trust vote as we (JD(S) and Congress) have buried the hatchet to work for the state's development as alliance partners," the chief minister said.

BJP vs Congress-JD(S): Karnataka's fate now in Governor's hands; highlights Edit

As the fate of politics in Karnataka hangs in balance, the key lies in the fact as to who Governor invites to formally form the government first

As counting for Karnataka Assembly polls has ended, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 103 seats and is leading is one, emerging as the single largest party. The Congress party stood on the second position with 78 seats, while former prime minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) party bagged 37 seats. Apart from this, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party and independents won one seat each.The Karnataka Assembly election results threw up an unexpected suspense today, as a simple majority tantalisingly eluded BJP and the Congress quickly proclaimed support to third-placed JD(S) to keep the saffron party out of power. As the results of the poll in the state have left Karnataka Assembly in hung, the final decision will be taken by Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.All eyes are now on Governor Vajubhai Vala who will have to decide whether to call BJP, the single largest winner of seats, to try to form the government or go with the JD(S)-Congress combine, which together have a clear majority in the 224-member Assembly. Elections were held for 222 seats on May 12. Both sides rushed to meet Vala, their vehicles slowly cutting through the throngs of party workers and supporters assembled outside the Raj Bhavan gates, and staked claim to power.Elections in Karnataka were held at 222 out of 224 seats, on May 12. A party or an alliance needs 112 seats to form the government in Karnataka.

Karnataka election result 2018 highlights:* Siddaramaiah wins Badami assembly seat, but loses in Chamundeshwari.* Yeddyurappa wins Shikaripura seat by a margin of over 35,000 votes.* Kumaraswamy wins both Ramanagara and Channapatna seats.A record 72.36 per cent of the 50.7 million (5.07 crore) electorate cast their votes, with 27,908 electors in defence services exercising their franchise through postal ballots.The Election Commission has deployed 16,662 personnel for counting of votes amid tight security. "Postal ballots will be counted first before the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are opened," Kumar said.Meanwhile, four of the seven polling agencies predicted in their exit polls that the BJP would emerge as the single-largest party today. While most exit polls predicted a hung Assembly with the BJP ahead, two said the BJP would either come very close to or cross the halfway mark of 112 seats, while the India Today-Axis exit poll said the Congress might bag a majority. All exit polls gave the H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) nearly two dozen seats or more, which could make it the kingmaker if there is a hung Assembly.

Top 10 developments on Karnataka election 2018 results:

1. How expressions changed at BJP headquarters with Karnataka swings: BJP leaders slammed the Congress for running a toxic and negative campaign and said the people of Karnataka had chosen the BJP's development agenda over the Congress's divisive agenda.

But the whole scenario changed in the afternoon as TV screens showed the party's count dropping and that of the Congress increasing. With the BJP numbers coming down to 105 from 120, the drum beats and celebrations stopped and the union ministers as well as the party's national spokespersons left the headquarters.

The smiles on the faces of party workers also dimmed but they drew satisfaction from the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 104 seats.

The smiles again returned to the party office after Narendra Modi and Amit Shah came to mark the party's performance.

2. Learning from mistakes, Congress acted swiftly to be in race for power in Karnataka: Learning from past mistakes, the Congress today moved swiftly to remain in the game as it extended support to JD(S) to form a government in Karnataka after the BJP failed to get a simple majority.

The move is seen as an attempt by the beleaguered party to save yet another state from slipping out of its kitty. The Congress currently rules Punjab, Mizoram and Puducherry.

Why Karnataka's new government has a job on its hands despite 8.5% growth

In 2016, Karnataka recorded the second-highest number of farmer suicides-1,212, behind only Maharashtra

Karnataka is grappling with income inequality, an agrarian crisis and child malnutrition even though its economy grew at 8.5%–second-highest among 10 states and union territories in 2017–to a gross domestic product of Rs 9.5 lakh crore ($141 billion) in 2017-18, according to the latest economic survey.

The 2018-19 budget for the state is Rs 2.09 lakh crore ($31 billion), which is 12% more than the budget estimate of Rs 1.86 lakh crore for 2017-18. There has been an increase in the state’s revenue as well. Karnataka’s tax revenue for 2018-19, including goods and services tax (GT) compensation, is estimated to be Rs 1.03 lakh crore ($15 billion), an increase of 13% over the revised estimate for 2017-18.

The economic survey 2017-18 highlights Karnataka’s progress on the per capita income front too. With a per capita income of Rs 142,267 per annum, Karnataka’s citizens are India’s 10th richest, behind Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Kerala in 2015-16 according to national accounts.

This prosperity, however, has not led to equal distribution of wealth, robust agriculture or good access to public health systems.

Bengaluru city earns five times as much as poorest district, Kalaburagi

Income disparity is high in the state. Bengaluru urban is the richest pocket with a per capita income of Rs 320,346 per annum. Kalaburagi in the north is the poorest, with a per capita income of Rs 65,493 per annum, almost one-fifth that of the state’s capital city.

Source: Karnataka Economic Survey 2017-18; Figures in Rs

In primary education (grades I to V), Yadgir in northeast Karnataka suffers a dropout rate–calculated by subtracting the sum of promotion and repetition from 100 in every grade–of 12.3%. In Bengaluru Urban, this rate is 2.9%. Yadgir’s average primary dropout rate exceeds Mizoram’s (10.1%), according to the District Information System on Education (DISE) 2015-16.

Source: District Information System on Education 2015-16; Figures in %

This inequality is evident in health indicators as well. For example, in Dakshin Kannada, nearly 92% households reported improved sanitation in 2015-16. But in Yadgir, this rate stood at 18.1%, according to National Family Health Survey 2015-16.

Karnataka Election results 2018 LIVE: Shah sends top guns to salvage state

Karnataka election result 2018 LIVE updates: With Narendra Modi wave still riding high, trends show BJP winning. Sonia Gandhi, however, has plan B for Congress-JD(S)

Karnataka Election Result LIVE updates: Giving Karnataka election outcome a new twist, Sonia Gaondhi reportedly rang up HD Kumaraswamy have offered support to the JD(S), with him as the Chief minister of the state. Incumbent Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will resign rom his post at 4pm toady. With Modi wave still riding high, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday forged ahead winning 43 seats and leading in 105. The ruling Congress, desperate to retain power in the state amid shrinking appeal nationally, suffered major blows and was ahead only in 75 seats constituencies in the Karnataka Assembly polls, according to trends. it managed to win 19 seats by 1:30 pm. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lost from Chamundeshwari. In contrast, the BJP's Chief Ministerial face B.S. Yeddyurappa beat his Congress rival by 35,397 votes in Shikaripura. JD(S) was leading in thirty three seats by 2:30 pm.

BJP activists and leaders celebrated noisily in both Bengaluru and New Delhi, waving party flags and shouting slogans hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, their main vote-getter, and party President Amit Shah.

There were also celebrations outside the residence of Yeddyurappa, who has been Chief Minister earlier too.

The Janata Dal-Secular of former Prime Minister H.D. Dewe Gowda, which has been expected to play the role of a kingmaker in the event of a hung Assembly, was leading in 40 seats -- the same number it won five years ago.

As the vote count progressed, BJP leaders became assertive, saying they were confident of taking power again in Karnataka while Congress leaders began to speak about the possibility of an alliance with the JD-S.

BJP leader and Union Minister Sadanand Gowda said that there was no question of any alliance. Senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa from Shivamogga, senior most candidate in the electoral fray and minister Kagodu Timmappa from Sagara and the chief minister's son, Yatindra, from Varuna were also leading over their rivals.

Karnataka election has been billed as the biggest political battle of 2018. The Bharatiya Janata Party 's(BJP's) bid to reclaim the state has faced its toughest challenge from one man - chief minister Siddaramaiah, who looks to beat incumbency. Who will Karnataka pick? The voters have decided and the entire nation will know the Karnataka election 2018 result today.

Meanwhile, four of the seven polling agencies predicted in their exit polls that the BJP would emerge the single-largest party today. While most exit polls predicted a hung Assembly with the BJP ahead, two said the BJP would either come very close to or cross the halfway mark of 112 seats, while the India Today-Axis exit poll said the Congress might bag a majority. All exit polls gave the H D Deve Gowda led Janata Dal (Secular) nearly two dozen seats or more, which could make it the kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly.

Karnataka poll result surprised markets; limited upside from here: U R Bhat

A BJP victory in Karnataka opens the door for early general election; markets not factoring that in yet

It is a good performance by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Karnataka Assembly polls and this is being reflected well in the enthusiasm shown by the markets. The upbeat performance at the bourses was warranted, given the surprising outcome.

However, this is as far as the markets will go in the short term. They were already factoring in a good performance – though not exactly a majority – ahead of the poll result. The performance has actually been better than expected.

Going ahead, the markets will now look at domestic and global cues for direction. There are a number of headwinds at the global level that they will have to face now – rising interest rates in the US, geopolitical situation in Iran, crude oil prices and the upcoming US – North Korea meet being some of them. That said, the sentiment will remain upbeat for a few days given the Karnataka assembly election outcome. The Nifty50 can hit 11,000 in the next couple of days.

Earlier, there was a debate that the general elections could be advanced in case the BJP wins in Karnataka. There are chances now that this may happen and we could see a renewed push to the argument to hold general elections alongside the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh later this year (2018).

At the current levels, the markets are not factoring in the possibility of the general and assembly elections in these above-mentioned states being held together. BJP forming the government in Karnataka opens the door for an early election, but the markets are not yet factoring that in yet.

ALSO READ: Karnataka election results updates: BJP leads in 118 seats, Congress in 58

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) will continue to be marginal sellers and this will be compensated by domestic flows. This is how the Indian equity market story will unfold, unless there is a dramatic shift in the economic indicators. Inflation, for now, is under control, GDP (gross domestic product) numbers are reasonably good. It is only the external side where we have a problem in terms of crude oil prices and rupee depreciation. These are two areas that the government will focus now. Once this is fixed, even the FIIs will start coming in.

The markets are worried about these two aspects – a widening current account deficit (CAD) and the pressure on the fiscal situation at a time when the government has to recapitalise the banks. If the government finances the bank recap program, it will definitely put pressure on the fiscal situation and the markets are not prepared for this.

If everything goes well for the economy, the markets can reach new highs. That said, the upside for the Nifty50 index remains capped at 11,500 levels. On the downside, it has support at 10,300 levels and then at 9,500 levels.

Karnataka election: Manmohan attacks Modi for 'economic mismanagement'

With the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 days away, the BJP and Congress are running fierce campaigns. Catch today's latest Karnataka election campaign updates here

As the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 draws closer, top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress leaders are holding back-to-back rallies in the state to boost their respective parties' chances of securing a win in the crucial election.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, too, joined the Congress election campaign in the state on Monday, addressing a press conference in Bengaluru. Singh attacked the Modi government for its economic policies, saying that the country was facing a crisis that was avoidable.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with Karnataka BJP Yuva Morcha workers. Addressing Karnataka BJP workers via NaMo app on Monday, the Prime Minister accused the Opposition of being against new technologies promoted by the central government.

Looking to dethrone the Congress-led government in Karnataka, Modi kick-started a series of election rallies in the poll-bound state on May 1, with a total of 21 rallies scheduled. On Sunday, he addressed rallies in Chitradurga, Raichur, Jamakhandi, and Hubli.

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As the Karnataka election inches closer, a political slugfest has erupted in the state, with parties firing a barrage of barbs at one another. Gandhi has advised Prime Minister Modi to "copy" and implement at the Centre the Karnataka government's plan for the welfare of Dalits and Adivasis. Modi, for his part, reminded voters that United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party chief Rahul Gandhi were out on bail in connection with a Rs 50-billion (Rs 5,000-crore) scam.

Karnataka will go to the polls on May 12 to elect its representatives for the 224-member Assembly. The results will be out on May 15.

Here are the top 10 developments in the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 campaign by Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi:

1) Manmohan Singh attacks Modi, BJP: Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, former PM Singh accused the Modi government of hurting the economy with moves such as demonetisation and the hasty implementation of goods and services tax (GST).

" Two major avoidable blunders of the Modi govt have been demonetisation and hasty implementation of GST. The losses the economy suffered due to these blunders have severely hurt our micro, small and medium enterprise sector and resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs," Singh said.

Singh also attacked the government over a series of banking sector frauds, saying that swindled money almost quadrupled from Rs 284.16 billion in September 2013 to Rs 1.11 trillion in September 2017.

"Perpetrators of these frauds, meanwhile, escape with impunity. The economic mismanagement of the Modi government, and I say this with great care and responsibility, is slowly eroding the general public's trust in the banking sector," he said.

Long queues again? ATMs go dry as many states face cash crunch: Top updates

Several states are facing a cash shortage despite currency flows in the economy at the pre-demonetisation level

A cash crunch has been reported in several states of India -- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. People are facing a huge monetary crisis, with a majority of automated teller machines (ATMs) running out of cash. In Bihar's Patna several ATMs have gone 'out of service' causing inconvenience to the locals.

Taking stock of the situation, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said: "We have reviewed the currency situation in the country; there is more than adequate currency circulation and it is available with the banks... a temporary shortage caused by the sudden and unusual increase in some areas is being tackled.

Here are the top developments in the crisis caused by a sudden shortage of cash across several states and what the government is saying:1. Life gets miserable for many Indians, especially traders: Despite the currency flow in the economy going back to the pre-demonetisation level, ATMs are going dry making life miserable for many residents, especially traders. Many are running from one ATM to another in search of currency notes.

ALSO READ: Demonetisation redux? ATMs again running dry across states amid cash crunch

2. Some ATMs not dispensing more than Rs 5,000: Only one ATM at State Bank of India’s branch had cash, but the machine was dispensing only up to Rs 5000 cash and that too only in the form of Rs 100 currency notes, according to The Times of India report.

The people in Delhi, on the other hand, said that most of the ATMs are dispensing only Rs 500 notes.

3.Hyderabad, Varanasi office-goers face troubles: In Hyderabad, office goers have told news agency ANI, that they have been unable to withdraw cash from ATMs in several parts of the city since yesterday. There are reports from Varanasi as well of people saying there is no cash at ATMs since yesterday, said TOI report.

However, people in Madhya Pradesh claimed that they have been facing a cash crunch for the last two weeks.

4. Govt's meeting with RBI on cash shortage across states: The finance ministry held a meeting with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), banks, and state government officials on Thursday to take stock of cash availability after receiving complaints of the dearth of money in some states. The non-release of funds by the Centre is being cited as one reason for the cash crunch.

Cornered Vijay Mallya offers Rs 1590 cr as intent to pay debt

Cornered Vijay Mallya offers Rs 1590 cr as intent to pay debt

Vijay Mallya, the Indian liquor baron battling creditors seeking to recover dues, offered to deposit Rs 1,590 crore ($240 million) with India's top court to establish his intent to settle with lenders who had rejected an earlier payment proposal.

Lawyers representing the founder of the collapsed Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, who the government says left the country earlier this year, filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Thursday in response to a directive to declare all his assets. The debt owed by the failed carrier is at the centre of India's drive to crack down on defaulters and clean up the balance sheets of its banks weighed down by soured loans.

Mallya also told the court that overseas assets are not considered while granting loans, and sought permission to file information of his assets in a sealed cover on June 26.

He also said banks had no right to any of this information as they were not involved in overseas assets recast. He further added that he can make an additional payment of Rs 1,398 crore withheld by the Karnataka High Court.

Reiterating his earlier position, Mallya told the court he isn't a "wilful defaulter" and the airline was "genuine commercial failure."

He was making all efforts to work out a settlement "in all sincerity" by offering to pay "to the extent possible and feasible" until the government suspended his passport and a court in Mumbai issued a non-bailable warrant against him, he said in the filing.

India's foreign ministry, acting on an application by the Enforcement Directorate, said April 15 that Mallya had a week to respond to why his diplomatic passport shouldn't be impounded or revoked, after suspending it for four weeks. The government says Mallya and Kingfisher owed as much as 90.9 billion rupees ($1.37 billion) as of November 30.

Meanwhile, armed with a non-bailable arrest warrant against him, the Enforcement Directorate has approached the External Affairs Ministry seeking initiation of deportation proceedings against Mallya in connection with its money laundering probe against him in the Rs 900 crore IDBI alleged loan fraud case.

The agency has written to the ministry of external affairs and will also soon write to the Central Bureau of Investigation to get an Interpol Red Corner Notice issued against Mallya to get him arrested, based on the warrant issued by a Mumbai court.

Last week, MEA had suspended Mallya's diplomatic passport and has sought a reply from him as to why his passport should not be revoked.

Sources said once the deportation proceedings are initiated, MEA will seek assistance of its counterparts in the United Kingdom to interdict Mallya and fly him back to India.

"The grounds for deportation are primarily two. A non-bailable warrant issued by the Mumbai court and suspension of the passport of the businessman," they said.

Mallya is understood to be in the UK after he left India on March 2.

A Hyderabad court had on Wednesday convicted Mallya in a cheque-bouncing case filed against him by GMR Hyderabad International Airport.

With the latest request for deportation, the ED has virtually deployed all legal measures in place to bring back Vijay Mallya to India and make him join investigations "in person", which the agency had stated in a Mumbai court was essential to take the probe forward in the case.

The 60-year-old industrialist has skipped three summons issued by ED in this regard in the past. He had also sought time till May to depose before agency investigators.

ED has registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on an FIR registered last year by the CBI.

The agency is not only investigating the financial structure of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines but also looking into any payment of kickbacks to secure loans from IDBI and probing laundering of funds to overseas destinations by the group.

The agency had alleged that Mallya had siphoned off Rs 430 crore of the IDBI loan and used this money to acquire properties abroad, a charge denied by Kingfisher.

Kicked out of Maharashtra: How the HC order will affect IPL 2016

The ninth iteration of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has run into the mother of all roadblocks — in the form of the Bombay High Court's Wednesday order that all IPL matches scheduled in Maharashtra after April 30 be shifted elsewhere in view of the severe drought in the state.

The order came despite an assurance by the Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) that IPL franchises of Mumbai and Pune had agreed to contribute Rs 5 crore to the chief minister’s drought relief fund.

Additionally, the BCCI on Tuesday had assured the Bombay High Court that untreated sewage water would be used to maintain pitches for the seventeen IPL matches to be played in Mumbai and Pune.

Despite all arguments set in front of the court by the BCCI, the court said: “We agree that merely shifting of IPL matches out of the state will not be a solution but this can be a beginning to address the drought situation in Maharashtra. Several people are dying because of water scarcity in the state. This court cannot ignore the plight of such people.”

What led to the judgement in the first place:
 

A public interest litigation filed by NGO Loksatta Movement, challenging the use of large quantities of water in stadiums despite the state being drought-hit, brought the matter to the attention of the Bombay High Court.

Earlier this month, the high court had questioned the rationale of organising these matches in Maharashtra when the state is under drought.

"How can you waste water like this? Are people more important or IPL? How can you be so careless," the court had said while hearing the suit, adding, "This is criminal wastage. You know the situation in Maharashtra."

The matter had escalated further when Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refused to provide potable water for maintaining the pitches and said that he was not bothered even if the matches were shifted out of the state.

"My government has taken strong position in the High Court. We have said that we will not provide potable water for IPL for this season. We don't have any problem even if IPL is shifted, but no potable water will be provided," he had told the media.

EMI bug catches Apple as iPhone SE sales flop in India

A week into the launch of the latest iPhone SE, Indian consumers have shown muted response to the Apple’s affordable phone due to its high price point and small screen size.

T o buck the trend, Apple now is wooing corporates by offering them lease and financing plans to boost sales of the smartphone, mirroring a strategy it adopted to sell iPads to business customers in the country.

“The brief is to make the phone more affordable to the user,” says a vendor for Apple in India. “Hopefully, this would help drive more volumes”.

Apple came out with full page advertisements on Tuesday offering lease plans of Rs 999 for 24 months for the iPhone SE in India. It is targeted at corporate users to drive bulk sales who need to pay an initial sum with a balance in monthly instalments spread over two years.

Typically, Indian users change or upgrade smartphones every eight months and Apple hopes the lock-in over two years would help them retain users within its ecosystem.

“Apple’s share of devices in enterprise segment  has been steadily growing in India with double digit growth over last few quarters driven by its strong iPad sales,” said Tarun Pathak, senior Telecom Analyst at Counterpoint Technology Market Research, a researcher that tracks Apple  sales in India. “With new leasing plans it aims to attract corporate users, (a void created by lack of traction by  blackberry and windows platform) to increase its share during the upcoming quarters when its iPhone sales are likely to undergo seasonality slump.”

The iPhone SE, which Apple positioned as its best bet for conquering emerging markets such as India has failed to garner sales due to its high price and small screen sizes. Indian users, for many of whom a smartphone is their primary computing device, prefer larger screens while expecting the higher performance from their devices. Nine out of 10  devices sold in India run on Android, the mobile operating system of Google and at price points of around Rs 10,000.

“We have seen similar exciting offers on iPhone 6, 6s, iPad but it hasn’t helped to drive sales in millions. India is a market where more than $500 smartphone contributes only 2% of sales, moreover buyers are also price conscious. People look at overall cost not just monthly cost,” said Anshul Gupta, Director at technology researcher Gartner Inc.

Apple has been increasing its focus on India, witnessing a 76 per cent growth in iPhone sales in the country during the October-December quarter, while globally sales growth slowed to just 0.4 per cent. It has applied with the government to sell certified used phones in India, a move that has drawn a lot of flak from rival smartphone makers. Read More.