Here are some important reports from the biggest newspapers of India.
1.) IIT-B survey: 95% freshers are virgin, 75% okay with gays, 47% are believers
A recent survey conducted on the IIT-Bombay campus for freshmen found 95% students had never had sex, but about 30% of them were in a relationship. Inspired by the Harvard Crimson freshmen survey, IIT-B's student newspaper -Insight- conducted a survey to appreciate the diversity of a freshman batch welcomed to the campus, the Times of India reports.
The Powai campus for the first time looked at the beliefs and lifestyles of its incoming batch to find that most students were moderately liberal when it came to their political views and 75% of them were comfortable with the idea of ho mosexuality andor homosexual marriages. The survey looked at diverse topics such as students' background before joining IIT, their political and religious beliefs and post-grad plans. In all, 254 of the 875 freshmen who entered through JEE participated in the survey .
2.) UP officials fail to meet booze sales targets, suspended
At a time when Bihar has banned sale of all types of liquor, Samajwadi Party in neighbouring UP has penalised excise inspectors for not meeting sale targets and low revenue collections in 2015-16. The state government on Tuesday suspended almost the entire team of excise inspectors in Mathura for non-allotment of 63 of the 680 countrymade liquor shops in the district and for generating lower profits in sale of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) in the last fiscal as compared to 201415.
The move has, in fact, spread panic among excise inspectors across the state, as most districts have failed to meet their revenue targets in 2015-16. According to a Times of India report, three excise inspectors of Mathura were served suspension letters that mention that the action had been initiated against them as the district showed 24% fall in IMFL sales. The letter states both non-allotment of “100% liquor vends“ and “lower IMFL sales“ as a “serious matter“.
3.) In jail, Peter sends wife `big b'day hug'
Jailed murder suspect and former media baron Peter Mukerjea sent a loving letter to his wife and main accused Indrani, also imprisoned, on her birthday this January.
“I will pray that you can prove your innocence and get clear of this nightmare in good time,“ Peter wrote in the letter, referring to the trial for allegedly murdering Indrani's daughter Sheena Bora.
As per The Times of India, the one-page letter addressed to Indrani Mukerjea, UT 1146, Byculla Ladies Prison, Byculla, begins with “Mumu, my dearest. Today is a special day in your life and mine too therefore. Your birthday is a day we have always spent together since we met and this is the first year we're so close and yet so far!“
The letter makes one more reference to the case. “God is great and will see an end to this, and like Romeo & Juliet we will hope fully see each other soon-in court or at home one day... I hope it reaches you and gives you a moment of joy in all the sadness that everyone is going through -but most of all you and me in the process. This is a short note just for today as a real birthday special to touch you and reach out to you on your day and a big hug and moooah to you,“ he added, signing off with, “Yours, P xxx“.
4.) Not So Appy, Myntra to be Back on Desktops
Fashion ecommerce retailer Myntra is withdrawing from its mobile-only strategy and will relaunch a desktop version of its website next month in an attempt to bring back lost customers and drive growth.
The move comes a year after Myntra shut its desktop site and become an app-only store, triggering a debate among online players on whether this strategy will work or backfire, The Economic Times reports.
5.) For these policemen in Walled City, every day is a fryday
When a metal container doubles up as a police post in this season, the result is a bunch of fried policemen. No, not literally, but the men posted here would tell you that the feeling is something like that. The two-room post is located in Old Delhi's Ballimaran. The area is anyway very hot, with the hottest place in Delhi according to a 2012 study - Sitaram Bazar - not very far from here, The Times of India reports.
The metal amplifies heat, and with temperature shooting up to 46 degrees Celsius already, with two full hot months yet to come, the men on duty are worried that the worst is yet to come. And they can't seem to draw any comfort from a set of table fans and a water cooler installed there.
6.) Did farm fires lead to dip in air quality during odd-even?
Uttarakhand was not the only region in north India witnessing large scale fires in the latter half of April. Nasa satellite images show a sharp rise in farm fires in Punjab and Haryana during the fortnight that coincided with oddeven II (OE-II) in the capital.
Widespread fires raging in the two states since around April 20, as farmers burn their wheat crop stubbles, seem to have impacted air quality in Delhi during the last week of April. As per a report in The Times of India, air quality deteriorated sharply in last week of April, going from `moderate' to `very poor'.
7.) Bengaluru to Bhavnagar: Many moved offshore before RBI relaxed forex limits
Indians had discovered the advantages of going offshore — setting up entities in tax havens — long before the government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed resident individuals to take money out of the country. The Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA), aimed at conserving foreign exchange, did not deter them despite the threat of criminal prosecution, said a report in The Indian Express.
Investigation into over 11 million files of Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca has revealed that many Indians preferred British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas as an ideal destination for incorporating companies in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The scrutiny of data showed that lax regulatory environment in tax havens allowed companies to be bought ‘off-the-shelf’ for a few dollars from the likes of Mossack Fonseca with few questions asked.
8.) Eye on medical tourism, Govt clears e-visas for patients
IN A major boost to medical tourism, the Centre is set to announce e-visas for patients seeking prolonged treatment in recognised healthcare centres.
Sources told The Indian Express that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has agreed to this move, on the intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office, and the announcement is likely to be made after the current session of Parliament.
The MHA, however, turned down the tourism ministry’s request for e-visas for meetings, conferences and events, sources said.
9.) From Mumbai shanties to 18-storey building: 255 families from Dharavi move into new homes
Even as its overall plan of giving momentum to the decade-old Dharavi redevelopment plan is on shaky ground, the state government on Tuesday, in a low-profile function, moved a handful of residents to the only building ready under the much-delayed Dharavi redevelopment plan.
The erstwhile Congress-NCP government had started the construction of this building before the 2014 polls to show some movement in the Rs 25,000-crore project during its reign.
The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) handed over keys to new 300-sqft homes to 255 families from the neighbouring Shatabdi Nagar slum, reported The Indian Express.
10.) Blaze closes in on famous Kalka-Shimla rail track
Forest fires raging in the Himalayan region crept perilously close to a famous British-era railway track on Tuesday, as panicked residents fought off blazes threatening to engulf their homes.
Dubbed the “toy train” and dotted with tiny wooden stations, the narrow-gauge Kalka-Shimla railway in Himachal Pradesh state is a UNESCO world heritage site attracting thousands of tourists each year.
Fires sweeping through pineforested areas drew closer to at least three towns across the northern state, famed for its snowy peaks and flowing rivers, while a boarding school was forced to evacuate, reported Hindustan Times.
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