Petrol prices slashed, diesel prices hiked

State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) on Thursday decided to cut retail petrol prices by Rs 1.09 a litre and increase retail diesel price by 56 paise a litre with effect from midnight of July 31. The OMCs also reduced the diesel price for bulk consumers by 72 paise a litre and price of non-subsidized LPG cylinder by Rs 2.50 for a 14.2 kg cylinder and that of commercial LPG cylinder by Rs 4.00 for a 19kg cylinder. 

Private oil firms like Reliance Industries (RIL), Essar Oil and Shell are also likely to reduce petrol prices to make their prices at par with OMCs. 

This is because the international prices of petrol, diesel and LPG have fallen in the global markets and the Indian Rupee slightly depreciated against the US Dollar. This is the first drop in petrol prices since April. Petrol prices were last slashed on April 15, by 70 paise per litre, excluding local levies. 

After revision, petrol will be sold at Rs 72.51 per litre in Delhi, Rs 80.30 a litre in Kolkata, Rs 80.60 in Mumbai and Rs 75.78 per litre in Chennai. Similarly, diesel will be sold at Rs 50.40 in Delhi, Rs 63.22 per litre in Kolkata, Rs 66.63 per litre in Mumbai and Rs 62.30 per litre in Chennai.


A petrol pump in Chandigarh. (TOI file photo) 

Due to the hike, the under-recovery in diesel will fall to Rs 1.33 a litre from Rs 1.83 a litre, taking the fuel closer to deregulation. 

The international crude oil price of Indian basket went down to $ 106.12 per barrel on Wednesday compared $106.34 per barrel on Tuesday. In rupee terms, the price of Indian basket decreased to Rs 6383.12 per barrels on Wednesday as compared to Rs 6391.03 per barrel on Tuesday. 


A diesel pump in Kochi. (TOI file photo by Jipson Sikhera) 

The last revision in fuel prices were undertaken on June 30 when petrol prices were hiked by Rs 1.69 per litre and diesel by 50 paise per litre. The government in January last year decided that diesel prices should be raised by 40-50 paise a litre every month until losses are wiped out. 

The government freed petrol prices from its control in June 2010 and since then state-owned oil firms like BPCL, HPCL and Indian Oil have been revising rates on the 1st and 16th of every month based on the fortnightly average of international oil prices and the rupee-dollar exchange rate. 

OMCs from mid-July were incurring combined daily under-recovery of about Rs 261 crore on the sale of sensitive petroleum products like diesel, kerosene and domestic LPG, which is expected to come down with 56 paise hike in diesel price. The under recoveries for the financial year 2014-15 are projected to be Rs 91,665 compared to Rs 1, 39,869 crore in the 2013-14.

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Top 10 Fat to Fit Celebrities

'Unbelievable' is the word which strikes your mind when you come across the pre-stardom pics of these celebs. These eye-candy Bollywood icons were overweight before they hit the stardom. These celebs' 'Fat to Fit' story is as interesting as their rise to stardom. Here is our pick of top ten celebrities who shed pounds and worked hard for that perfect look.

Sonakshi Sinha, daughter of famous actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha was offered Dabangg by superstar Salman Khan. An overweight Sonakshi took the challenge and the result was for all to see when Dabangg released. Sonakshi is considered as one of the most beautiful and in demand actresses of the new generation!

A cute and chubby Bebo (as she is fondly called) went from the overweight lass in her debut film Refugee to a sie zero in Tashan. Her bikini body and size zero figure created national hysteria, making Indian audiences aware of the existence of size zero. She also made fellow actresses insecure about their weighty issues!

Sonam Kapoor weighed 95 kilos and was an obese child who piled on the kilos thanks to her intake of junk food! It was on mum Sunita’s prodding that Sonam decided to lose weight and began to take this new project seriously. She set a target of losing 35 kilos and today the actress has been super successful in her mission. Sonam is considered the most stylish actress in Bollywood today, having strutted her stuff on the red carpet at Cannes.

The obese singer had an emotional connect to food, consuming huge amounts in both happy and sad times. But it was when Adnan Sami weighed 206 kilos that he was given an ultimatum by his doctor. Unless he shed the weight, he would not survive beyond six months. That’s when Adnan took the challenge seriously and lost 130 kilos with the help of surgery and a strict diet and exercise regime. Today, the results are for all to see.

Son of famous producer Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky wanted to act in films like all star kids. But the one big problem that prevented him from doing so was his weight problem. A determined Jackky went abroad to shed all the kilos and made his acting debut with the film Kal Kissne Dekha, having lost a cool 60 kilos! Today, Jackky’s chiseled features stand out.

Esha Deol will be more than happy to forget her fat days when she first debuted in Bollywood. But everyone started noticing a slim Esha as she donned a bikini for Dhoom, causing people to sit up and take notice of her! Esha has maintained her weight ever since.

Sameera Reddy is one actress who has taken to fitness very seriously. This overweight actress has toned her body and lost excessive weight over the years, making it hard for fans to believe that this is the same Sameera Reddy who at one time called fat.

Rani Mukherjee’s weight has been like a yo-yo, swinging from one extreme to another. From her initial Kuch Kuch Hota Hain days, Rani was considered bold for wearing short skirts in spite of her big frame. This continued for a while until Rani decided to do something. She began to look petite in films like Saathiya. Her weight has been the topic of discussion ever since, with Rani going from fat to slim ever so often!

She drew flak for being overweight in her debut film Veer opposite Salman Khan. And Zarine Khan took matters to heart. Her considerable weight loss for her special song ‘Character Dheela’ in the film Ready was much appreciated. But Zarine was still far from her target. In recent times, the actress has gone on to shed oodles of weight as seen in the film Houseful 2 and Zarine seems to pursue her target.

To play the role of Parma in his debut film Ishaqzaade, star kid Arjun Kapoor had to work hard on his looks. Motivated by fitness buff Salman Khan, Arjun initially weighed 170 kilos but managed to shed all the excess weight! And today, Arjun looks dapper and his abs are killer!

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29 BRUTALLY HONEST ADVERTISING SLOGANS THAT WILL TOTALLY CRACK YOU UP

Brand identity is all about great company image. Or is it really? When it comes to branding there’s always more than what meet the eyes. This is what Nashville-based graphic designer Clif Dickens thought when he replaced the popular brand taglines by these honestadvertising slogans, most of which makes more sense than the real ones. He came up with the idea of pairing catchy, tongue-in-cheek taglines with their actual brand logos, and the result is mind-blowingly hilarious.  Check it out. 

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Congress CMs not to share stage with PM Modi to avoid humiliation

     
                


Prime Minister Modi is a mass puller and manages to capture hearts with his soul – touching speeches. But whilst the people adore their PM, he in turn is proving to be a thorn in Congress’s flesh. After Haryana CM Bhupinder was left red in the face at Kaithal (Haryana) when Modi took potshots at his party and the crowd booed at him, Hooda publicly said that he will not share stage with Modi again.   

Even Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan has decided to skip the launching ceremony of Nagpur Metro. 
 
B S Hooda has accused BJP of turning an official function into a party event.

After Hooda, now Prithviraj Chavan has also decided not share the stage with Modi again. 

According to sources in the Congress, Chavan is unhappy with his experiences he had while sharing the stage with the PM during two functions on Saturday - at Nhava Sheva, during a JNPT function, and at Solapur, where he was accompanying the PM for the inauguration of the four-lane National Highway number 9.

At the JNPT function, Chavan drew Modi’s attention to 146 SeZs that were cleared by the state but had failed to take off due to reasons such as the non-delivery of promised facilities and administrative hurdles.

“As many as 23 SeZs have been scrapped,” the CM had said. When it was his turn to speak, Modi used the CM’s statement to take pot shots at the previous Congress-led UPA regime at the Centre.

“Chavan must have had these concerns before as well, but was probably unable to voice them at the time. This is an old disease and it requires a good doctor. I will address it now,” said the Prime Minister.

At Solapur, CM Chavan had to abandon his speech midway after the crowd began chanting Modi’s name. His speech was disrupted when he was demanding a stretch of road connecting the Pune-Bengaluru national highway to the Konkan region.

Congress has now realized that it would be better to avoid sharing dais with Modi as it would save them from humiliation and face the party’s face too.

While sources say that Congress CMs have been unofficially asked not to share the stage with Narendra Modi, one can conclude that the PM is indeed alienating his Chief Ministers, thus.

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Congress compelled me to contest bypoll, says Manturam Pawar

Congress compelled me to contest bypoll, says Manturam Pawar

         

Manturam Pawar, who was expelled after he withdrew his nominations as Congress candidate for bypoll to Antagarh assmebly constituency, Saturday alleged that he was fielded by the party despite his refusal to contest the election.

Speaking to reporters here, Pawar alleged that there are factions in Congress due to which he was not getting any cooperation from the party and said he was denied any financial support from the PCC when he asked it to fund his election campaign.

Refuting his charges, PCC chief Bhupesh Baghel said “Manturam was given ticket only after he expressed his desire to contest with zeal and full confidence.”

Baghel termed Pawar’s allegation as conspiracy and said he was just “reading” what he had been given.  

He also said party taken advise of every leader and they are consulted whenever party takes any decision and added that he will inform high command over Pawar’s act, due to which party had to face the problem.

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Narenda Modi In Tokyo. "PM Narendra Modi visits ancient Buddhist temple in Kyoto"

Kyoto: Clad fully in white down to his slippers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday began second day of his tour to Japan with a visit to the ancient Buddhist Toji Temple in Kyoto.

He was accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe when he went around the famous temple

                

He was at the temple complex for about half an hour during which he enquired about the history of the eighth- century Buddhist pagoda.

Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs said that the Japanese Prime Minister thanked Modi saying the visit will enhance ‘mutual trust’ between the two countries.

“This is my second visit to the Toji temple. Before this, I had visited here when I was in school. I got an opportunity to visit Toji temple for second time with you,” Abe said.

Chief Monk Mori took Modi around the complex having wooden temple including the five-storied main pagoda.

It stands 57 meters tall, making it the tallest pagoda in Japan, and has become a symbol of both the temple and Kyoto as it can be seen from many places across the city.

Monk Hasi, who accompanied Modi, said: "We are happy that the Prime Minister visited us. It is a matter of pride for our temple. He has a big heart."

When Modi arrived at the temple, a number of Indians carrying the Tricolour were there to see him. He went and shook hands with the excited crowd. Toji Temple is one of Kyoto's many UNESCO world heritage sites.

Modi then went to the spectacularly pretty Kinkaku-ji temple. He met the 83-year-old Head Priest Venerabale Yasu Nagamori of Kinkau-ji Temple and discussed the possibility of the Buddhist shrine working with Sarnath.

“Prayer for peace! Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditating in the tranquility of the Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) Temple in Kyoto,” official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Syed Akbaruddin, said in a twitter post.

During his visit to the Kyoto University, Midi met Nobel Prize winner for Medicine (2012) S Yamanaka and discussed inventing treatment to the Sickle Cell Anaemia

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The Only Real Piece of Advice You Will Need To Succeed

 

We are living in a world of multiple inspirations, but are still confused about what to do. The next time you are confused about what to do next, just stop and think: What should I be doing if there were no status quo commanding me what step to take next? Make that your next step, without further ado. If you want to truly succeed, delete the word ‘Status Quo’ from your mental dictionary. This two-letter word is like an imaginary chain tying you down, telling you what to do, where to be. 

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Civilizations advance when unique individuals think and act differently; shattering the status quo permanently and changing the way things are done. 

In life, you have two options. Either chart your own path, or take the path that everyone is taking, and be stuck in a jam for the whole of your life! 

Looking back, we don’t care to remember the names of those who decided to take the easy path. But we certainly know the names of those entrepreneurs and innovators that killed the competition, disrupted markets, and changed the way we live. But as you remember them, don’t focus on their lives’ end product. Focus on their process — what they did when their great work was still just a work-in-progress; how they tackled failure, exactly what helped them arrive at that creative breakthrough, and take a cue out of their lives. 

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Sadly, our culture, education and family values have pushed us into a collective groupthink, conditioning us to become perfect little mindless drones with the bare intelligence to secure a comfortable monthly salary.  

The wise and old tell us to follow the wisdom of the crowds. But wisdom doesn’t come from crowds or collectives. Neither do breakthrough ideas, inventions and innovations. They come from exceptional individuals and small teams powered by exceptional individuals. The only thing that comes from crowds is herd behavior, best seen in that Shiksha.com advertisement featuring human sheep. 

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How To Actually Become Super Brand You: Our generation is obsessed with the word ‘Personal Branding’. Instead of going out and learning on the job, learning the gritty details of how business works, and gaining experience in the real world, a growing segment of the population thinks they can be headhunted just by sitting at home  and building theirpersonal brand on LinkedIn and other networking sites, blogging, tweeting and networking. Instead, get out there. Apart from your job, work as a consultant for other businesses. Involve yourself in a startup or two. Take up six different online courses. Work. Work. Work towards your goals. That is the only way to move forward.

Just Skip the Motivational BS:  It’s funny how millions of people think that just by reading terabytes of mindless motivational inspirational feel-good fluff that’s flooding the Internet, they will magically transform themselves into the next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg. They won’t. Unless they give a 100 percent committed and honest try.
Don’t Burden Yourself With The Self-Improvement Frenzy: The notion that learning the personal habits, qualities, and behaviors of successful people will somehow make people more successful is nonsense. Don’t spend your valuable time reading gibberish like 7 Things All Successful People Do. Instead, read up on industry news and actually learn something you can use later. 

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Get Real, Marketable Skills: Learning dance is great, but will it help you in your life as a Social Media Marketer? Not likely. Learning marketable skills, gaining experience, taking risks, and working hard is what will make you successful. 

Now, let’s cut straight to the chase: If you want to have a successful and fulfilling career, then find out what you’re really good at– hopefully something marketable – and strive to do it better than anyone else. That’s all there is to it.

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