2018 Mercedes-Benz A-Class revealed
Mercedes-Benz has always been the pioneer when it comes to path breaking technologies and the recent launch promises class-leading levels of connectivity from its new A-Class, which receives a new interior with the most advanced version yet of the German car maker’s Comand Infotainment System. The sixth-generation set-up features a newly developed MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) function that brings touch screen control, an innovative voice control system and augmented reality navigation not even offered on Mercedes’ range-topping S-Class History : The A-Class started as the Vision A 93 study, revealed at the Frankfurt motor show in 1993. The front-wheel-drive concept became the precursor to Mercedes’ entry into the compact model segment four years later. The arrival of the A-Class brought criticism: a journalist’s manoeuvring test of the car found safety issues. Mercedes responded by giving the car a revised suspension system and electronic stability control as standard. Present : The A-Class will once again be offered exclusively in five-door form when UK sales of the new, fourth-generation version start in June after a public debut at the Geneva motor show in March. It will be the first of up to eight new compact models that are under development and due for launch by the end of 2020. These include successor models to the existing B-Class, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake and GLA as well as a trio of new models: an A-Class saloon, an SUV model set to be called the GLB and the all-electric EQ A previewed at the Frankfurt motor show last September. In a further departure from its predecessor, the new A-Class will also be sold with the choice of two suspension systems, depending on the model. Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche said at the car's reveal: "The A-Class has been a big driver of change at Mercedes. This last version is not a car that gives much of an impression of entry-level. It's a grown-up A-Class that fully embraces our vision of luxury." The car is is based on a modified version of the outgoing model’s MFA platform and features a 30mm longer wheelbase and 14mm wider front track. The new Mercedes hatch, which has the internal codename W177, is also claimed to offer vastly improved levels of refinement. This is thanks to improvements in the rigidity of its body structure, altered axle mountings and more comprehensive sound-deadening measures. There are also enhanced aerodynamics: Mercedes-Benz claims a class- leading drag coefficient of 0.25 for the new A-Class. Modifications : The newly designed headlights can be specified with optional Multibeam LED technology with adaptive high-beam assist plus, as well as individual city and motorway lighting functions and cornering lights. New LED rear lights help to make the tailgate aperture of the A-Class 20mm wider than that of the outgoing model. Larger wheelhouses also allow Mercedes to offer 19in wheels as an option on non-AMG models for the first time. The adoption of the larger platform has led to an increase in the car’s external dimensions. Length is up by 120mm at 4419mm, width increases by 16mm to 1796mm and height extends by 2mm to 1440mm. The increases have enabled Mercedes to improve the overall practicality of the A-Class. The rear door apertures are larger to ease entry to the back seats, and the boot’s capacity is 29 litres bigger than the old model’s at a nominal 370 litres. It’s inside where Mercedes has concentrated much of its efforts on the new A-Class. The cabin receives a distinctive dashboard-mounted black panel display and switchgear similar to that first introduced on the S-class. The so-called widescreen cockpit comes in three themes: Classic, Sport and Discreet. The highlight of the MBUX connectivity system is an advanced optional speech recognition system designed to work along similar lines to Amazon’s Alexa voice service. It permits users to provide spoken commands through a “Hey, Mercedes” function that has been developed to recognise conversational language rather than specifically worded commands. Specifications : The new A-Class will be available with the choice of three four-cylinder engines from the start of sales. Two more petrol models are expected later: an entry-level unit sitting below the A200 and a mid-range A-Class falling between the A200 and A250. It comes as standard with a particulate filter that uses a urea solution to reduce emissions. A more powerful diesel will also arrive later. The A200 is equipped as standard with a six-speed manual gearbox. The A250 and 180d both receive a standard-fit seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. A newly developed 4Matic four-wheel drive system will also be offered. Now featuring electro-mechanical operation instead of the electro-hydraulic set-up used on the outgoing version of the A-Class, it provides a fully variable apportioning of drive between the front and rear axles for improved traction. The standard suspension on all models is tuned for a so-called comfort set-up. It is mounted 15mm lower than before and comes with Mercedes’ Dynamic Select system, which allows the driver to alter the characteristics of the throttle, gearbox and steering. Buyers can also opt for active damping control. This offers the choice of both comfort and sport settings via the Dynamic Select system.
RUPAL RANJAN
List Of Popular Markets Closed In Protest Against
In the Indian context the most common means of public protests against any government decision is in the form closing down of shops & markets. This time it is no different as a day after the centre announced a slew of measures including amending the Delhi master plan 2021. The government had taken measures to provide relief from sealing but the market associations have decided to go ahead with their decision to shut down their shops on Friday & Saturday. Last Year's Trends : 2017 was a busy year for Delhi Police, wherein more than 9,000 programmes, namely demonstrations, dharnas and protest marches, were held in the national Capital. According to Delhi Police data, 3,521 dharnas took place in the city, whereas 1,586 demonstrations were witnessed in 2017. 751 meetings and 320 processions were also carried out during this period, and 595 programmes of strikes and 443 rallies and marches were also taken out. More than 2,000 programmes were categorised as miscellaneous, as per the data. The Special Branch of Delhi Police is primarily tasked with collecting intelligence having a bearing on prevention of untoward incidents and maintaining law and order, with particular emphasis on communal harmony. Present Scenario : The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) in Delhi has called a two-day 'Delhi bandh' on February 2 and 3 in protest against the sealing drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Delhi's BJP-led municipal corporations have been sealing establishments that allegedly use residential properties for commercial purposes. Praveen Khandelwal of Confederation Of All India Traders said the ongoing Delhi sealing drive was very harmful to the economy. "Almost 25,000 markets will be closed. Protest marches against Delhi sealing would be taken out by businessmen in around 500 markets. The ongoing sealing is very harmful to our economy," he said. Over 600 shops across 100 shopping complexes in Delhi have been sealed over the past few weeks. The Delhi sealing drive began after the orders of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee which said that all the commercial establishments flouting provisions of the 2021 Master Plan will be sealed. According to the 2021 Master Plan, traders using properties for mixed purposes have to pay a one-time conversion charge at the rate notified by the Delhi Government. List of Places : Some of the popular markets that would be closed in protest against Delhi Sealing include Connaught Place, Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, Kamla Nagar, Khan Market, Gandhi Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Defence Colony, South Extension, Greater Kailash, Green Park, Rajouri Garden, Tilak Nagar and Rajinder Nagar View of Traders Body : The traders' body is carrying out its protests and 'Delhi Bandh' despite Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Puri's claims that the Delhi Master Plan would be amended to take care of their concerns. Mr Puri had assured on Wednesday that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) was in the process of amending the master plan to provide relief to the traders affected by the Delhi sealing drive. He had said that his ministry has proposed amendments to the master plan, which would be taken up by the DDA on February 2. Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken made a presentation before the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee on Thursday raising the demand for halting the ongoing sealing of illegal commercial establishments in the city. A meeting at Arvind Kejriwal's home on Tuesday to discuss the controversial sealing drive in Delhi lapsed into chaos after a team of BJP leaders walked out and later alleged they had been "heckled and attacked" by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lawmakers.
Mahindra Bets Big On Online Retail for SUVs
About Virtual Reality : The virtual reality is the concept that has been fast catching up to the tried and tested marketing methods in the new market. Virtual reality is a fascinating way to travel using nothing more than the power of technology. With a headset and motion tracking, VR lets you look around a virtual space as if you're actually there. The current wave of VR products has found wide range of applications with the latest addition of Mahindra in the automotive sector. Entry of Mahindra : Mahindra & Mahindra has launched a new online platform called Mahindra SYouV to retail its SUVs. This new innovative digital platform will offer an all-new buying and after sales experience to its customers. Based on the company's new 'Bring the Showroom Home' concept, the new platform works on two key digital tools - SYouV and With You Hamesha. While the former focuses on the pre-sales and sales aspects the latter focuses on after sales and services. Both the digital tools offer a portable, mobile based, interactive and transparent experience to make the entire process of purchasing and owning a car better. Features : The Virtual Showroom incorporates a range of features to give potential buyers all the necessary information about Mahindra SUVs. The features on offer include checking stock availability with the nearest dealer, live chat for queries, comparing cars, booking a test drive, handling finance and insurance, and booking your SUV. In case of stock unavailability, the user can view the estimated next availability date for the selected stock at a particular dealership of his/her choice. The system also has the concept of Collaborative Exploration (CE), where one can co-create and customise his or her vehicle with friends/family member online. The Mahindra SYouV also allows you to connect with a Mahindra expert either through chat, audio call or video call to help your buying decision. The system also allows you to compare the car with other option in the market. The user has the option to browse available slots online and block a slot for the test drive. They can also track the test drive vehicle coming to his location through google maps. Along with the actual vehicle, the representative will also bring a virtual reality (VR) headset, which will feature a 360-degree voice assisted VR experience with a pre-installed app that will allow you to view the car in the virtual showroom. This will aid the customer's decision-making process to finalise which variant, colour or styling package to choose and see in virtual reality how the car will look. Initially, the SYouV platform will be only limited to 20 dealerships located in metro cities but Veejay Ram Nakra, Sales and Marketing Head of Mahindra’s Automotive Division, has confirmed that the company will be extending the service to all 300 dealerships by November 2018. Mahindra also aims to increase its sales penetration through online platforms – from the current 8 percent, to 16 percent in the next fiscal. Finally at the end Mahindra has a tie-up with various online car-selling portals, along with its own network to provide online booking services. After purchasing the car, you can also use Mahindra’s ‘with you hamesha’ platform to avail all the post-purchase services, such as booking for car servicing, service reminder notifications, instant chat to fix any quick issue, Save-Our-Soul (SOS) service (in case your car gets stalled), their video chat service and online payment service.
Tata Motors to showcase 6 electric vehicles
The Auto Expo is around the corner and we will be soon witnessing a lot of exciting additions. Auto major Tata Motors will showcase an extended range of six electric vehicles, in personal and mass mobility segments in the upcoming Auto Expo. The company has already announced that it will present 26 smart mobility solutions across its passenger and commercial vehicles at the expo to be held from February 9-14. These six electric vehicles will be among those exhibits. Past Events : India unveiled "National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020" in 2013 to address the issue of National Energy Security, Vehicular Pollution and Growth of Domestic Manufacturing Capabilities. Government of India has plans to make a major change in this segment by 2030 as supported in its commitment to Paris Agreement. Current Status : As of now the Indian Market is having Mahindra e20plus, Mahindra e-verito and Tata Tigor Electric as the fully electric cars. There are Hybrid cars available in the market like Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Mahindra Scorpio Hybrid and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz to name a few. Tata at Auto Expo 2018 : Connecting the targets set by the Indian Government with the company objectives, Tata has planned to launch their electric vehicles at this year's Auto Expo 2018. This year, the company's focus of the Auto Expo will be journey towards the future of integrated mobility solutions, outlining plans for the future of India's Smart Cities and its connected generation. "While we cannot comment on specifics, we can confirm that Tata Motors will indeed showcase an extended range of six electric vehicles, enabling personal and mass mobility, further reiterating our commitment to the government's vision for electrification by 2030," a Tata Motors Spokesperson said. EESL will supply 350 electric cars to Tata Motors, while rival Mahindra & Mahindra will supply 150 electric cars. The company has rolled out the first batch of electric version of its compact sedan Tigor from Sanand plant to be supplied to Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL). Commenting on the company's EV roadmap, Tata Motors CEO and Managing Director Guenter Butschek said, "Working collaboratively with the government to facilitate faster adoption of EVs, we at Tata Motors, are completely ready to drive the EV revolution and build a sustainable future for India". Electric Models : The Tigor Electric compact sedan that Tata supplies to EESL features a 40 Bhp electric motor that can propel the car to a distance of about 120-150 kilometers per charge. The battery of the car can be recharged to 80 % capacity in just 90 minutes through the use of a fast charger. It remains to be seen if the Tiago Electric will feature similar specifications. Moreover, it is not known if Tata Motors will see the Tigor and Tiago Electric cars to private buyers in the same specification that it uses for government supply. In terms of pricing, the Tigor and Tiago Electric have a chance of success in the Indian market only if priced well under Rs. 10 lakhs. Otherwise, it does not make sense to buy electric cars despite their lower running costs as petrol and diesel versions of the Tiago and Tigor start from well under Rs. 5 lakhs. The only other electric cars sold in India to private buyers are the Mahindra E2O four door hatchback and eVerito sedan. Both cars are very poor sellers mainly because of their high purchase prices. Non Electric Models To Electric Models : Tata Nexon will be coming in the SUV category. It will range from Rs 6.36 lakh to Rs 10.61 lakh. Tata Bolt will be launched in the Hatchback segment. Providing a mileage of 18-23 kmpl it is one of the most looked forward to cars. It will be priced between to Rs 5.12 lakh to Rs 8.14 lakh. Tata Hexa will be launched in the Crossover in the price range of Rs 14 lakh to Rs 21 lakh. Thus we can expect a good display of vehicles with lots of attractive features coming up in the Auto Expo 2018. Tata will be coming up with the new models and will align its company objectives to the Indian Mission of Electric Cars by 2030. The Auto Expo 2018 is sure to turn a few eyeballs.
IPL 2018 Highest Paid Players
The much awaited IPL auctions had some very interesting stats when the Day 1 ended. The top scorer and highest wicket taker of the IPL namely Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga went unsold. The confidence was placed into the tried and tested players. The franchises had the chance to retain players and some of them made full use of it to retain their star players. The rules of IPL were made in a way that allows the retained players to earn a huge chunk of money and hence a few teams decided to go into the auctions with full purse. Ben Stokes remains the hottest property in the Indian Premier League although questions were raised on his availability. The English all-rounder had steered Rising Pune Supergiants to the playoffs last year, was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 12.50 crore which makes him the most expensive buy of the first day of auctions. Other big winners include KL Rahul who was bought by Kings XI Punjab for Rs 11 crore and Rashid Khan for Rs 9 crore. Looking at the overall story of the retained players and the auctioned players we have the Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli at the top with 17Cr and followed by the previous Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and highly talented Rohit Sharma at 15Cr. Ben Stokes comes next in the list with 12.5Cr making him the costliest buy of this season followed by Steve Smith and David Warner who were both retained for 12Cr to their name. After establishing the stronghold on top 3 the Indian players came back into the top grosser with Hardik Pandya and Suresh Raina being retained for 11Cr each and also K L Rahul and Manish Pandey being sold for 11Cr. South African A B De Villers also joins them at 11Cr mark to complete the list of Top 10 players. The Squads : CSK : MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur DD : Chris Morris, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Gautam Gambhir, Jason Roy, Colin Munro, Mohammad Shami, Kagiso Rabada, Amit Mishra, Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar KXIP : Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, David Miller, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Mayank Agarwal, Ankit Singh Rajpoot, Manoj Tiwary, Mohit Sharma KKR : Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Mitchell Starc, Chris Lynn, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Ishank Jaggi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Nitish Rana, Vinay Kumar MI : Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, Mustafizur Rahman, Patrick Cummins, Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar, Evin Lewis, Saurabh Tiwary, Ben Cutting RR : Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Rahul Tripathi, D'Arcy Short, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat RCB : Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Sarfaraz Khan, Brendon McCullum, Chris Woakes, Colin de Grandhomme, Quinton de Kock, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Manan Vohra, Kulwant Khejroliya, Aniket Choudhary, Navdeep Saini, Murugan Ashwin, Mandeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Pawan Negi, Mohammad Siraj, Nathan Coulter-Nile SRH : David Warner, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shikhar Dhawan, Shakib Al Hasan, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Carlos Brathwaite, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha, Rashid Khan, Ricky Bhui, Deepak Hooda, Siddharth Kaul, T. Natarajan, Basil Thampi, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammad Nabi, Sandeep Sharma
Mercedes Benz unveils India’s first BS VI complian
The first ever BS VI compliant petrol & diesel engine car has been launched by Mercedes Benz. The new petrol engine will be making its way to the Mercedes Maybach S-Class 560, the new S-Class will be fitted with BS VI compliant diesel engine and it will be launched by the end of 2018. With the introduction of this technology, Mercedes Benz becomes the first auto brand to introduce the BS VI compliant vehicle in India. The "Made in India, for India" models with the new BS VI compliant engines will lead to significant reduction in NOx levels by as much as 68%. The PM limits will also be greatly reduced by 82%. Nitin Gadkari stated that this new technology would be a game changer which will significantly reduce pollution levels. It will help to advance to better technologies in India which are currently being used in global markets. Gadkari has also urged Mercedes Benz to introduce Ethanol and Electric cars in the future. The Mercedes Benz upcoming S 350d and Mercedes Maybach S 560 have also received certificates as "Indian Crash Norm Compliant" vehicles from ARAI. Roland Folger, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India stated, "We are glad to fulfil our commitment to the customers and to the Government’s vision of 'Make in India', by introducing the first ever 'Made in India, for India' BS VI compliant vehicles. Mercedes Benz vehicles are world class products and they comply with the most stringent emission standards, and the ARAI certified new BS VI vehicles reiterate this high benchmark. The introduction of BS VI vehicles for the Indian market is a significant milestone. We strongly believe that this will pave the way for other manufacturers to introduce their BS VI vehicles in India. This, we believe would also be beneficial for the end customer as they could use the latest technology available."
Datsun Redi GO AMT launched
The highly awaited Datsun Redi GO AMT has been launched in India. Coming in the market priced at Rs 3.8 lakh, it is in direct competition to Renault Kwid and Maruti Suzuki K10. There is going to be competition between these in terms of features on offer. The features that set it apart are the smart tall boy roofline and outside the box design. It offers Bluetooth audio streaming with hands-free calling, which is offered on the T (O) and S variants. The cabin gets all-black interiors along with central locking system with remote key. The car also features a best-in-class ground clearance of 185 mm. The Redi GO is available in five colour options - Ruby Red, Lime Green, White, Grey and Silver. Commenting on the launch, Nissan Motor India Managing Director Jerome Saigot said, "Datsun Redi GO Smart Drive Auto combines the convenience and flexibility of dual-driving mode with best-in-class ground clearance, cabin space, boot space and head room". The Redi GO smart drive shares its motor with standard 1.0 litre Redi GO. The car is powered by a 1 liter-3 cylinder petrol engine that puts out 67 Bhp of peak power and 91 Nm of peak torque. The gearbox is a five speed automated manual transmission (AMT). This also means that the manual gearbox is retained but with the gear shifting getting automated through an electromechanical device. This gives the Redi GO AMT its automatic appeal. The Redi GO comes with a 5 speed AMT which it shares with the Renault Kwid. But the contrasting feature here is that unlike the Kwid, the Redi GO gets a conventional shift stick in place of the dashboard mounted motor on the Kwid 1 litre. This makes it a lot easier to use. It has got a manual drive option as well. It has missed out on 'Park' mode on the gearbox like the Nano, K 10 and Kwid. There is a 'Creep' mode that allows the car to keep moving in even bumper to bumper traffic when we lift off the brake pedal. The car is meant for city buyers who want the convenience of an automatic but with the fuel efficiency of a manual. While Datsun hasn’t released the ARAI certified mileage figure for the Redi GO AMT, it’s expected to be similar to that of the manual variant, at 22.5 Kmpl. Since AMTs are cheaper than torque converter automatics, it has allowed Datsun to price the car very competitively.
Flipkart Republic Day Sale 2018
This Republic Day is going to be very exciting for the mobile users and for those in particular who were planning to exchange their old ones for new mobile models. Flipkart will be offering huge discounts, exchange offers on Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, Oppo, Google and many more smartphones. Last year we saw huge competition between Amazon and Flipkart during this period and this year we are expecting an even more tough competition between the two. The e-commerce giants will go all out when it comes to securing their customers through lucrative offers. Amazon has named its sale as "Great Indian Sale" starting from January 21 to January 24 while Flipkart has named its sale as "Republic Day Sale" beginning at the same time at January 21 but ending on January 23. During this three day sale we will witness some attractive options on budget smartphones like Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Moto G5 Plus, Samsung Galaxy On Nxt, Lenovo K8 Plus and also on some premium smartphones like the Google Pixel 2 XL and Samsung Galaxy S7. Best Options : Xiamoi Redmi Note 4 It is a tried and tested device and even though the phone is an year old it is a value for money at Rs10,999 with 4GB ram and 64GB internal storage. Moto G5 Plus The phone was originally launched at Rs16,999 and will be offered at Rs10,999 and has 4GB ram and 32GB storage space. A 12MP camera and long battery backup of 3000mAh are its key features. Lenovo K8 Plus It is one of the most prolific mobile in under 10k range at Rs8,999. The octa-core processor with 3GB ram and 32GB storage space is one of the most in demand mobile phones and has a huge 4000mAh battery backup. Top End Options : Google Pixel 2XL The sale price is close to 48,999 and HDFC card holders will get further Rs 10,000 off on purchasing using the credit card. It has been adjudged as the best smartphone of 2017. This has to be one of the most lucrative offers ever for anyone to purchase this phone. Samsung Galaxy S7 The model has been in market for two years and is still regarded as one of the best with the features at this price. There are many more offers like exchange offers on Oppo F3, F3 Plus, Vivo V7, Vivo V5s, etc.
Top 10 MBA Colleges In India
All of us know the importance of higher education and in a country where the majority decides to decide their career after graduation, MBA becomes a very popular choice. But to differentiate yourself from the rest you have to get into a top college and here we are going to explore more on this. The Ministry of Human Resource Development(MHRD) earlier known as Ministry of Education has released its list of Premier B-Schools in the country. The top 3 are the same institutes that have held the position for over a decade. IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta are considered as the go to college when it comes to finding the cream. Over the years we have seen multiple institutions coming up and going down based on multiple factors that are considered while calculating the rankings. Apart from the 3 IIM's we have IIM Lucknow and IIM Kozhikode who are 4th and 5th respectively and they complete the sweep of the Top 5 spots. They are followed closely by Department of Management Studies IIT Delhi at 6th position and then by IIT Kharagpur and IIT Roorkee at 7th and 8th position. The prestigious XLRI - Xavier School of Management comes at 9th position. It is one of the most highly rated institutes in the country. The list is completed with IIM Indore coming at 10th position. Apart from these colleges there are colleges like SP Jain, MDI Gurgaon, FMS Delhi , IIFT and Department of Management Studies at IIT Bombay and Madras which are considered as the Top Institutes in the country. One can look at the rankings given by other sources as well for better understanding like the NIRF Rankings, QS World University Rankings or the rankings issued by TIME. Fees : IIM A has the highest fee structure which is close to 21lacs approx. IIM B & IIM C are both having fees close to 19lacs for their course. While IIM L charges 12lacs for its 2year course, we have IIM K charging its students 17.5lacs. The IIT's are fairly less priced in comparison with IIT Delhi charging 8 lacs, IIT Kharagpur chaging 6.8lacs and IIT Roorkee charging 6.2lacs. XLRO has a fee structure of 20lacs approx and IIM Indore charges 14 lacs. The other private institutions mentioned also charge close to 20lacs approx. The most pocket friendly institute for students offering the highest return on investment is FMS Delhi, charging approx 20,000 for its academic course of two years. Entrance Exams : The entrance into these institutes are through CAT score with Xavier having its own XAT exam. The exam has been divided into 3 sections with Verbal Ability being the first section, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning comprising the second section and Quantitative Ability being the third section. Each college has their own separate selection criteria but the common cut-off criteria is to have a sectional cut-off at 80 percentile and overall being 90 percentile. But this just to be eligible for that institute. Actually getting above 96 percentile would also not guarantee the call as they have multiple other parameters to which weightage is given. There is past academic record, work experience and the gender & branch diversity is also considered.
IPL Auctions 2018
The cricket mad nation is eagerly waiting for the IPL 2018 auctions. On January 27th and 28th the whole country is expected to be glued to their TV sets and the experts are going to have an eventful day where we will witness over 1100 players go under the hammer. It is one of the biggest auctions since the commencement of the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008. There are 281 capped players and 838 uncapped players in this auction. Lots of star players will be a part of this auction with some of the big Indian names like Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and R Ashwin going to show us some tough battles. Foreign players like Chris Gayle and Ben Stokes lead the list of players who can challenge the costliest player price tag in this auction. Joe Root will be a part of IPL auctions for the first time and is only the fifth English recruit into the IPL. Australian dominance of fast bowling will be showcased by their top prime talents of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. Steve Smith, David Warner, Maxwell and Watson are other top talents from Australia who are going to light up this IPL. What is a T20 if it doesn't have the Caribbean flavour in it and the likes of Bravo, Pollard, Carlos Brathwaite and Jason Holder will bring that to IPL 2018. Kane Williamson, Hashim Amla and Miller are few other big names who are going to be the top buys for any franchise. IPL has always given an opportunity to the young Indian talents and this season being no different will have the likes of India U-19 captain Prithvi Shaw, Baroda skipper Deepak Hooda, all rounder Krunal Pandya and Basil Thampi. Bangladesh with 8 players, Zimbabwe with 7 and both USA & Scotland with 2 players each will be completing the list. We are hoping the cricket season gets quickly underway and doesn't keep their die-hard fans waiting impatiently for the exciting action packed season.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates ISRO
The Prime Minister has given his heartiest congratulations towards the launch of PSLV today. This success in the new year will bring benefits of the country's rapid strides in technology to our farmers, citizens and fishermen. The launch also marked the 100th satellite from ISRO. In a series of tweets the Prime Minister has conveyed his heartfelt wishes and has placed a high confidence in the future of the country. The tweet also mentioned that benefits of our country's success would be available to our partners as well. Out of 31 satellites, 28 belonging to 6 other countries are carried by today's launch. The "Cartosat-2 Series" satellite and 29 others will be inserted into 505km sun synchronous orbit. It is the seventh remote sensing satellite in its series and has mission life of five years. The satellite has been developed from addressing multiple aspects like monitoring urban and rural applications, coastal land use regulation, managing services like road networks and water distribution, detecting changes in geographical features and creation of maps. Last year PSLV had suffered a setback in August, but with this being the first flight since then and a step to show that the workhorse rocket is back in the game for reliable satellite launches in the low earth and polar orbits. AS Kiran, ISRO's Chairman, had accepted that there were problems last august but this successful launch proves that those problems were correctly addressed and rectified. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State from Prime Minister's Office, called it as a historic day and a great headway for the country. A brainstorming session between space scientists and officials from different government departments will be organised to understand the diverse applications of space technology in transforming India. The country has steadily been progressing in the field of space related activities with the latest event adding another feather to the cap. ISRO in particular has been taking rapid strides and justifying the expectations of the whole country. The milestone has garnered nationwide interest and will also highlight the efforts put in by the people involved in making it successful. The leaders are recognising these efforts and we can hope for more investment on this front.
Bollywood movies to look forward in 2018
So as we start a new year, we all hope that this one is better than the previous one and when it comes to Bollywood Movies, it is no different. We witnessed the grandeur of films like Baahubali and saw the fall of Tubelight, but 2018 promises to be bigger. The biggest movie to hit the floors this year is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Padmaavat". Starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in lead roles, it has been center of controversies for past one year. The director was attacked on the sets, right wing protests had intensified as the film neared its original release date and ultimately it was postponed. But the big wait is finally over and we will be having a grand start to the year. Next we have is "Padman" coming on 26th January, where gender sensitisation reaches the cyclic level. Directed by R.Balki who courts the quirky with compelling credibility & starring Akshay Kumar the man who dares to venture into the unknown this movie promises to be a heart warming start to the year. The movie will clash with "Aiyaari" which is based on true story and as a tribute to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the country in 1971. After openly talking about the girlfriends and their tantrums in Pyaar Ka Punchnama the trio of Karthik Aaryan, director Luv Ranjan and Nushrat Bharucha is going to light up the big screen with "Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety". The next movie that we have is "Hichki" coming on 23rd February which is an official remake of "Front Of The Class". The movie is about the teacher, played by Rani Mukherjee, who is suffering from neurological disability and turns her biggest weakness into her biggest strength. "Sanju" , Yes one of the most awaited and really looked forward to movie that is based on the controversial life of Sanjay Dutt starring Ranbir Kapoor is expected to come out in theatres on 30th March. Kareena Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor will make sure the summers remain hot as the next movie gels well with the vacation mode. "Veere Di Wedding" is all about breaking the sterotype where the girl gang goes on the trip to find their true love instead of just sitting and waiting for it. How can a year go without any musical comedy and that is when the highly awaited "Fanney Khan" comes up on 13th April starring Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai and Rajkumar Rao. It is the official remake of oscar nominated Dutch film "Everybody's Famous" ! "Kaalakaandi" is a dark comedy thriller is played out in 12 hours, with 6 different characters from different worlds featuring Saif Ali Khan in lead role and showing the city of mumbai with underworld goons. This promises to be an exciting year with lots of big hits in store. Stay excited because the future of Bollywood looks bright.