PM slams DRDO...

Apart from high-tech weapons, Modi urged the DRDO to also focus on technology that benefits the unsung foot soldier. “If his water bag weighs 300gm, can it not be reduced to 150gm?”

Another key message was to give the youth more opportunities. Modi said five of the organisation’s 50-odd labs could employ professionals under 35.

Pointing out that people had high expectations of his government because they knew it had the potential to deliver, he added, “I have hopes for the DRDO because I know you too can deliver.” at 80, but continued to practice well into his 90s, including performing headstands. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2013.

But Iyengar’s journey didn’t begin easily. As a teenager, he was frail, suffering from influenza, tuberculosis and malaria, forcing him to turn to yoga for help under his guru, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. Soon, he became a master of the discipline and taught his first class when he was only 18.

Iyengar’s fame grew with his association with Yehudi Menuhin, who was impressed with the guru and introduced him to the West.

Iyengar yoga, taught in more than 70 countries, became so famous that it entered the Oxford dictionary as a “type of astanga yoga” credited to the guru.

The grey-haired guru used as many as 50 props, including ropes and mats, to align and stretch his body. “When I stretch, I stretch in such a way that my awareness moves, and a gate of awareness finally opens,” Iyengar said in an in 2013.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Wednesday, condoling Iyengar’s death, “Generations will remember Shri BKS Iyengar as a fine Guru, scholar & a stalwart who brought Yoga into the lives of many across the world.” event, at least to follow protocol. And if he doesn’t, we will have to infer that he has conceded defeat to us even before the polls,” said Vinod Tawde, opposition leader in the Legislative council.

Chavan, who was heckled by BJP supporters last Saturday at an event in Solapur in the presence of the PM, said the heads of states were not being given due respect by the Centre.

He added that the PM and Union ministers, who represent the country, should not indulge in such acts. The CM also rubbished Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari’s allegations that the state government failed to get the Nagpur and Pune metro lines started.

The state unit of Congress slammed BJP over the Solapur incident. “It has never happened that at a government function, chief ministers are booed or heckled in front of the PM. But, in functions attended by Modi, CMS get harassed and he doesn’t even utter a word. This is damaging for our democracy. Is there no respect for the opposition?” said party spokesperson Sachin Sawant. “After intense deliberations and careful examination of the audit report, chairman — MRUC, chairman — RSCI, president — INS and chairman — ABC, have arrived at a unanimous and unambiguous decision to lift the voluntary abeyance placed on the IRS, 2013.”

This has been greeted with much relief by the media and the marketing community since the previous set of data they had been using was based on fieldwork from two years ago and had ceased to be relevant.

Media planners, who spoke to HT in confidence, said they had been waiting precisely for this announcement to begin using the new IRS.

The new survey, which had the backing of all media houses, including ones who later objected to its findings, aimed to establish a “gold standard” in assessing readership. A new leading global research agency was hired, and a new method adopted.

It had four distinct changes from the past models. Unlike a pen-and-paper method, a unique double-screened computerised system was introduced; instead of using projected population statistics based on 2001 census for cities and towns, real data based on 2011 census was used; instead of asking readers what they had read in the past year, they were asked what they had read in the past month; and there was a more representative sample size.

Those at the forefront of this approach suggested that it would be wrong to compare the past surveys with the current one — this should be seen as a fresh start, and future surveys under the same method must be used for the comparative frame. The next round of IRS findings is expected early September.

Industry veterans believe that the entire media industry should now respect the method.

A new scientific method has been adopted; its results have been revalidated; and instead of seeing it as a zero sum game, all media com panies should treat it as the new template — which would provide a healthy parameter for readers, advertisers, ad agencies and media planners to decide their preferences.

No survey can be totally foolproof for it is meant to be a best estimate of the larger uni verse. But it is expected that data will mature, improve ments will be introduced, and the survey will become even more accurate to represent the true market construct. Titled “A message to America”, the video, hosted by SITE, a website that says it monitors “jihadist threat” opens with a kneeling man identified as Foley dressed in an orange jumpsuit, the kind worn by inmates of US prisons, including those at Guantanamo Bay. A masked ISIS fighter stands on his left

“I call on my friends, fam ily, and loved (sic) to rise up against my real killers, the US government, for what will happen to me is only a result of their complacency… criminality,” Foley says, look ing into the camera.

The fighter then speaks in flawless English with a British accent: “Today, your military air force is attack ing us daily in Iraq. Your strikes have caused casualties amongst Muslims.”

He then addresses President Obama. “So any attempt by you, Obama, to deny the Muslims their rights of liv ing in safety under the Islamic Caliphate will result in the bloodshed of your people.”

He stops. The video, as host ed by SITE, ends there with the screen breaking into a static. But a transcript posted alongside says the fighter then beheaded Foley.

Holding a man identified as Sotloff before the camera now, the fighter says, “The life of this American citizen Obama, depends on your next decision.”

Sotloff, who reported on Egypt, Syria, and Libya for Time magazine, the Christian Science Monitor and the National Interest, was last seen on August 4, 2013. “It comes as a shock to us that the Rs850crore we have paid is of no value to the BMC Our money has been wasted without a thought. Providing good roads and clean water are the basic duties of any civic body. But, even with a budget of Rs31,000 crore a year, we do not get good serv ice,” said James John, Action for Good Governance and