Akshay Tritiya - Weak gold may boost sales by up to 40%

MUMBAI: The continued weakness in gold prices is likely to boost jewellery sales by up to 40 per cent this Akshay Tritiya, according to retailers.

"Due to the sudden dip in prices, we expect a very positive response from consumers as now is the time they indulge in gold. The festive season along with the low rates make it a perfect spending opportunity. The increase expected can be anywhere around 30-40 per cent compared to last year,"Manubhai Jewellers Director Samir Sagartold PTI here.

Echoing him, Shree GaneshJewellery House Head-Retail, GAJA, Rahul Singh said, "We expect around 40 per cent rise in Akshay Tritiya sales compared to last year."

The day is considered auspicious to buy gold. But non-Hindu buyers also take advantage of the offers and discounts offered by jewellers, he added.

All India Gems and Jewellery Federation (GJF) Chairman Haresh Soni said overall sales in jewellery and bullion is expected to rise by about 25 per cent considering current reduction in gold prices this Akshay Tritiya.

From the regional perspective, southern India is expected to consume high percentage of sales, he added.

Gitanjali Group Chairman and Managing Director Mehul Choksi said drop in gold prices normally boosts demand for jewellery and coins.

When the gold peaked late last year at above Rs 32,000 per 10 grams, demand slowed in terms of value, while during the recent drop to almost Rs 27,000 there has been a surge of consumers in jewellery stores across India.

"If gold prices remain relatively weaker than last year's peak, which is what the market now expects, then demand will be good, if they fall further, demand on Akshay Tritiya will soar by 30 per cent," he added.

Kotak Mahindra BankBSE 0.65 % Executive Vice President Puneet Kapoor said this season Kotak Mahindra Bank is expecting to sell around 175 kg of gold coins and bars, which will be 30 per cent higher compared 135 kg during last Akshay Tritiya.

After witnessing steep fall in prices -- up to almost 20 per cent -- the price of gold became stagnant at the new level, and has again started inching upwards in anticipation of higher demand.

In the last 10 days, gold has already gained almost 8 per cent and if the trend continues, it will bring investor community back to the fore, he pointed out.

UPSC results - IAS candidate from Bangalore commits suicide after 'goof' in UPSC results

BANGALORE: A 24-year-old IAS aspirant allegedly committed suicide, with the police stating that he was upset over a 'goof-up' in theUnion Public Service Commission (UPSC) results published here.

Manjunath VY, a resident of Shrirampuram in the city, committed suicide by hanging himself in an under construction building on May 10 after he had left for his friend's house in Kodagu area, they said.

According to the police, Manjunath was upset over finding a different name under his roll number in the list of selected candidates in this year's civil services examination.

The victim had secured 264th rank in the examination, but in the final results after the interview, a different name was mentioned under his roll number on the list, they said.

A shocked Manjunath then contacted UPSC officials and also wrote to them seeking clarification over the 'mix-up' in the result. Since there was allegedly no response, he took the extreme step, police added.  Courtesy:TOI..

Election dates announced in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.. What people must realize???

It is good to hear that election dates for Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat have been announced by the Election Commission of India. I said 'it is good to hear about the election dates' because now it is the first chance for us-The public, to react against the Central govt(UPA govt) for their "scamful" governing at the centre.

Suresh Kalmadi, A Raja back on parliamentary committees

Congress nominates suspended Suresh Kalmadi to parliamentary committee

Politicians A Raja and Suresh Kalmadi may have recently spent about a year in jail each, but both men, who are Lok Sabha MPs, have been nominated to important parliamentary committees. Mr Kalmadi was suspended by the Congress last year after he was arrested for corruption. His party said that it did not nominate him to the Committee on External Affairs; sources say Mr Kalmadi asked to be part of the group, and that the Congress did not object. The decision was made by the Lok Sabha secretariat, which handles the administration of the Lower House. Its officials point out that all serving parliamentarians have the right to serve on such panels.

Survivors comments on chaos and horror of ferry collision in Hong Kong.

"Everyone was underwater. The boat overturned, everything came crashing down, the chair slid down."
Another woman recounted her terrifying ordeal trying to free herself from her seat as the boat sank.
"My leg was stuck and I couldn't get it out. I thought I wouldn't be able to get it out and I was going to die," she said.

This is your party, not mine, says Arvind Kejriwal wearing new version of Anna topi

 "This is your party, not mine," said activist Arvind Kejriwal this evening as he launched his as-yet-unnamed political party in Delhi. The party will be christened on November 26, but its founder shared some of its rules today: It will not allow elected representatives to use government accommodation, security, or the lal batti or red beacons that guarantee right of way for vehicles used by MPs. The tenets are lacking in pragmatism: Mr Kejriwal promised, for example, that prices of essential commodities should not be changed without the people's consent. He also said that his team will expose two very powerful people of the country on October 6 at 3 pm.

Modi’s apology offer puts Congress in a fix

By offering to tender a public apology if his allegation that Rs 1880 crore has been spent from the public exchequer on Sonia Gandhi’s foreign trips is proven wrong, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has put the Congress party is in a fix.

Modi said a response given by the government to an RTI application of a youth of Hisar in Harayana, published in a newspaper on July 12 this year, was the basis for his claim. 

Arvind Kejriwal to announce name of party, its members tomorrow in Delhi

New Delhi: Days after his split with Anna Hazare, activist Arvind Kejriwal will formally join politics on Tuesday with the announcement of launch of a political party.

The move will coincide with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Mr Kejriwal will also announce members of his new party, an aide said Monday. 

"The formal launch of the party will be tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. The announcement will be made at a function at the Constitution Club in New Delhi," Aswathi Muralidharan, India Against Corruption media coordinator, told IANS.

Shri Narendra Modi further awakens people on the UPA’s decision to introduce FDI in retail

Shri Narendra Modi further awakens people on the UPA’s decision to introduce FDI in retail

President Obama asked Americans to support small business but is Dr. Manmohan Singh aware of this? If he is then why is he moving our small manufacturers and youth on the path of destruction? Asks Shri Modi

How to keep safe from Facebook scams and spams

Cybercriminals are like terrorists. They prefer to target the most high profile and frequented places. And Facebook is the currently the hottest and happening destination in the online world. While Facebook on its part is implementing new security measures to keep you safe online, the real responsibility lies with the user.

Here are some tips to keep your Facebooking experience safe:

Sikh family killed in Belgium

Four members of a Sikh family, including three children, have been found murdered in their home in Belgium’s capital city of Brussels.

All the four victims, who hailed from Punjab, had their throats cut, a report from Brussels said.
The gruesome discovery was made when the father Jasbir Singh returned home in the Brussels municipality of Etterbeek from the restaurant where he worked on Friday night, Belgian media reported.

Google Brazil head's arrest stirs debate over Web!!!

The arrest of a top Google executive is reviving a debate about Brazilian laws that hold services such as YouTube responsible for the videos posted on them, making the country a hotbed of attempts to stifle digital content.
Legal experts said Thursday that Google violated a judge's order to take down videos on its YouTube subsidiary that target Brazilian political candidates and that the judge was completely within the law in issuing the arrest warrant.

'30 years next to a nuclear plant did not affect us'- I think Protestors of Kudankulam must read this...

Dr Suresh Moses Lee is the Raja Ramanna Fellow, Department of Atomic Energy, Safety Research Centre, Kalpakkam. He was the former director of safety research, health physics, information services, instrumentation and electronics group at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic research, Kalpakkam.

In this article, he and his wife, Suseela Moses Lee talk about how life was living at the Kalpakkam power plant township for 31 years..He was one of the members of the central panel of experts constituted to examine the reactors of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project.

I will not undertake any more fasts: Hazare

Activist Anna Hazare has said that he will not resort to fasting any more to press for his demands and will fight for his causes through agitations.

"I will not undertake any fasts from now. In the future, I will fight for my causes through agitations," Hazare said on Friday night.

The anti-corruption crusader also said he will continue to work to send "clean" people to Parliament.

He said a large number of retired IAS officers had shown their willingness to join his movement for a corruption-free India.

No liquor to be sold in Kerala bars before 5 pm, rules High Court

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala High Court has ruled that no liquor will be sold before 5 pm in bars and hotels, in other words make drinking before that time a crime.

Bring political parties under RTI, say activists...

 Due to 100 per cent tax exemption on their incomes, six major political parties saved Rs 510.02 crore between 2006-09, activists said on Thursday, and demanded these be declared as "public authority" and brought under the RTI Act.

The Congress party got the maximum exemption of Rs 300.92 crore, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which saved Rs 141.25 crore in taxes, a data compiled by activist groups Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) showed.

All set for launch of heaviest Indian satellite GSAT-10 on 29 Sep 2012 (Saturday)

The stage is set for launch of India's advanced communication satellite GSAT-10, the heaviest built by the country, in the early hours on Saturday on board Ariane-5 rocket from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana.

Weighing some 3,400 kg at lift-off, it is Indian Space Research Organisation's 101st space mission.

Why do you become 'Singham' for US, not for India? Narendra Modi asks Manmohan Singh.

BJP leader and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the UPA government, accusing Prime MinisterManmohan Singh of working for the benefit of "foreigners".

Taking a jibe at the Prime Minister, Modi compared him to a Hindi film character 'Singham', asking as to why he became bold only to benefit foreign countries.

Only 6 gas cylinders a year

Sand artist Deepak Mauthattil protests against the Centre’s decision to put cap on subsidised cooking gas cylinders by creating a replica of a cylinder in sand, at Shanghumugham beach in Thiruvananthapuram, kerala !!!