Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Internet security' that was published in Newsband

Internet security

It is no longer safe to assume that any wifi connection is entirely private. We all now rely on the hidden machineries of software engineering in our everyday lives, and just how complex these complexities are. No one entirely understands the systems that we all now take for granted. Even the anti-virus systems that many users hope will protect them can be turned inside out.

The devices which most users do not even notice are connected to the net. It is estimated that there will be 21bn things connected to the internet by 2020, from baby monitors and door locks to cars and fridges. Billions of these are unprotected and will remain that way.

But this kind of technological failure should not blind us to the real dangers of the digital world, which are social and political. Plundering of personal information by criminals should be prevented. Such hacks might be regarded as the outcome of technical wizardry, but are dependent on human shortcomings in recognising and fixing security flaws.

Complexity certainly causes vulnerability. But more importantly, so does stupidity. The majority of publicly known security breaches are due to pervasive failures of diligence, care, and common sense on the part of management, not due to overwhelming complexity.

Fridges need internet, so that when you stand in the supermarket to buy your groceries and wonder: do I still have this or that in the fridge or not? You can simply get your phone out and ask your fridge. Toilets should have wifi, too, so they can remind you that you need to buy toilet paper on the way home.

The Canadians, Kiwis, Aussies, Brits, led by the Yanks, force themselves upon technology companies to introduce backdoors and vulnerabilities that they can exploit. They have introduced weak random number generators (very important for encryption), paid companies to implement backdoors, and had them re-architect systems to improve their surveillance.

It appears that Apple and Microsoft have already distributed software updates that reduces or eliminates the risk this WiFi problem presents. Google may well have done or be about to do likewise. However Android users are at the mercy of their handset makers and may be more vulnerable if they have to wait for an update.

By using the routers inbuilt mac address capabilities, you can add another layer of security by using a mac address whitelist. This will make it harder for someone to gain access to your network.

What we need to do is rebuild the internet from scratch. It should just be an Indian internet, totally incompatible with foreign systems such as Russian and North Korean systems to avoid hacking and spreading fake news.

Read "Future Crimes" by Marc Goodman. The risks to personal as well as national security are laid out in detail. When you've read that then read "Daemon" and "Freedom" by Daniel Suarez. These books say “When our homes are full of wifi gadgets we will be even more hackable and under protected than we are at present........At present there are no back up systems to protect against attacks on e.g. our national power grid, police IT systems, NHS systems etc etc etc.” Will this be the future of war?

One danger is that smartphones have face recognition software. Every time someone takes a picture or films a person this software will search for certain facial charateristics. For spying government agencies and spying companies it is a dream (and therefore likely true) to have this face recognition software results of filming and photographing via a small parameters file containing the facial characteristics, transmitted over the Internet by for example piggybacking with the next upload stream. Most smartphones are online. This parameters file is sent to an online system that searches for a parameters matching pattern in an enormous database and is likely able to find a match and track you.

Video: Dinesh Kamath As Animation Filmmaker Cum Dubbing Artist

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Power Centre of Pakistan needs to wake up' that was published in Newsband

Power Centre of Pakistan needs to wake up

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave a speech on India-U.S. ties that was as broad as it was deep, talking of the road ahead together for “the next 100 years”. The role of India in the U.S.’s plans in two spheres. In Afghanistan, as a part of President Donald Trump’s new South Asia policy, and in the Indo-Pacific, as part of U.S. plans to counter China’s influence and contain North Korea. Both India and US condemn the act of Pakistan of supporting terrorist safe havens.

Both Indian and U.S. officials spoke in detail about building an alternative coalition to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative as well as its aggressive moves in the South China Sea. India and the U.S. have taken great strides in aligning their vision and their hopes for future partnership.

But while American troops remain in Afghanistan, it is difficult for the U.S. to completely disengage from Pakistan. For India, while a maritime relationship with the U.S. is desirable, geographic proximity to China makes a very close alliance with the U.S. difficult.

Trump’s withdrawal from U.S. commitments in Asia, Europe and at the UN, is a thing of concern for India. Just the handshake with Tillerson is not sufficient for India to create framework for various issues. We should need to make special strategies to join the shoulder with USA.

US policy of inconsistent policy towards Asia has made India wary of the future course of action. While it is not spelling out its relations with Pakistan clearly, it wants good relations with India. This situation creates unease in foreign policy framework. The United States is worried that emboldened terror outfits could threaten the stability of the government of Pakistan. But Tillerson has assured that Indian and US have a mutually shared interest in not just containing these organisations, but ultimately eliminating them.  

He emphasised that the U.S. wants to work with Pakistan, as this is also in the interest of the country and the larger region, to eliminate terrorism emanating from its territory.

In hind sight everything can be explained, what we need is leadership to solve big issues. The key issue is how to eliminate the root causes of terrorism. We need a plan to eradicate these through diplomacy and dialogue. Every war has been painful and caused immense pain so far in our history. If U S A wants to control Pakistan, it should stop supply of financial aid hitherto donated liberally and stop supply of all kinds of Arms and ammunition. Oral threats will not have any effect.

Pakistan's internal destabilization has been a cause for concern from a long time. A threat that could spiral out in the open and destroy with it the very fabric of democracy. We as neighbours have registered our concern with the UN, US and everyone willing to listen to us, but the world started taking terrorism seriously post 9/11. Wish people had paid heed to the warnings earlier, then things would have been much safer and easier to control.

What India fails to understand is why is U.S. so much infatuated with Pakistan. Even after the 9/11 attacks on U.S. targets the U.S. Government came up with convoluted rationalizations to continue aid to Pakistan. Previous Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also warned Pakistan of the dangers & consequences of supporting Terrorists in Pakistan with her analogy, "if you keep snakes in your back yard you better be careful otherwise you might get bitten". Tillerson might be a bit more forthcoming if not explicit. The polarised power center of Pakistan need to wake up quickly before they find nothing to wake up to.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'National Anthem debate' that was published in Newsband

National Anthem debate

The Supreme Court has ruled that the national anthem should be played before the screening of films in cinema halls, and that all should stand up in respect. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 states: “Whoever intentionally prevents the singing of the Jana Gana Mana or causes disturbances to any assembly engaged in such singing shall be punished with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.”

The official duration of the anthem is 52 seconds. A Home Ministry order in 2015 stated, “Whenever the Anthem is sung or played, the audience shall stand to attention.”

Yes, we should be patriotic in our conduct and indeed while representing our country in any international events sports or otherwise. Why are some Indians aghast at this judgement which SC has passed? People in US and other developed nation takes pride in their flag, anthem and nation as a whole. That is the reason they work towards its development and reached where they are today. What is wrong in national anthem, when people have fun in flash mobs singing & dancing every now and them, why can't we show respect to anthem just for 1 minute! It will at least make us feel part of the whole!

What is required is a behavioural change and not just standing for the sake of standing. And this behavioural change can be best inculcated in the minds of children during school age. Respect and Dignity to national symbols should not be a one time show, but should be deep rooted in the minds of individual that gives him inner strength as proud Indian.

In movie theatres in states where playing the national anthem before films is compulsory, people who don’t stand up while the tune is being played are frequently abused, threatened and sometimes made to leave by their fellow cinema-goers.

The national anthem gives us goosebumps when we see the tricolour being unfurled in an Olympic stadium. But sadly, Olympic medals largely elude us. However, the close links of sports and nationalism can be seen.

During the on-going Indian Soccer League, the national anthem is played and spectators and players stand in respect, even though the league is not a state venture. Half of every team, in fact, is made up of foreign nationals who wouldn’t know Jana Gana Mana, but yet the anthem is played. So why shouldn’t the National Anthem be played in cinema theatres?

But the larger irony here is that the writer of the song, Rabindranath Tagore, who was an anti-nationalist, had said: “India has never had a real sense of nationalism. Even though from childhood I had been taught that the idolatry of Nation is almost better than reverence for God and humanity, I believe I have outgrown that teaching, and it is my conviction that my countrymen will gain truly their India by fighting against that education which teaches them that a country is greater than the ideals of humanity.”

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Good attempt to give Indian economy a boost' that was published in Newsband

Good attempt to give Indian economy a boost

The Centre plans to infuse ₹2.11 lakh crore of fresh capital into public sector banks over the next two years. This should help revive the growth momentum.

India’s bank credit growth has slipped to a 60-year low of just 5% this April. Public sector banks have naturally been in damage control mode rather than chasing growth like their private sector peers. the overall plan gives banks a better sense about their immediate future.

The Centre is betting this will strengthen the banks’ ability to extend credit at a faster clip. RBI Governor Urjit Patel has said this is the first time in a decade that there is a real chance of meeting the banking sector’s challenges.

The reforms that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has promised will give further boost to the functioning of public banks. Let us hope this will be the first step to clear the current messy economy. And let us hope this is not some election-fever agenda to win brownie points. A welcome move indeed if well thought out, and correctly implemented.

Indian economy shows promise of experiencing low inflation, comfortable current account and fiscal deficits, an unprecedented disinvestment target and a positive outlook for GDP growth in the coming quarters.

The performance of the economy, particularly after demonetisation and the implementation of the GST, has made the Centre face many criticisms. “The economy is on strong macroeconomic fundamentals,” Mr. Jaitley says.  

India grew at a very strong pace of 7.5% per year in the three years of 2014-17 with growth exceeding 8% in 2015-16. There was a temporary slippage in growth in the last two quarters, thanks to the transitional effect of demonetisation and GST. That effect is now over,

There is expectation of very good growth from second quarter of current year itself. The gross FDI flows to India in 2016-17 amounted to $60.2 billion, as compared to $55.6 billion in 2015-16 and $45.1 billion in 2014-15, indicating the improved global confidence on the Indian economy,

Good news is that the world economy is picking up. The good news in India is that IIP or Index of Industrial Production has also picked up.

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movies released in Navi Mumbai’ (Jia Aur Jia, Rukh and Geostorm) that was published in Newsband

New movies released in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

Jia Aur Jia

Jia Aur Jia is a Bollywood road film directed by Howard Rosemeyer. It stars Richa Chaddha and Kalki Koechlin in lead roles.

Two women with starkly different personalities, sharing the same name - Jia, embark on a life-changing journey. As the two travel together, they discover that no matter how short life is, it still can be one big deal. This is the first film where women are taking a road trip. The truth is that women do take trips together, they also travel for their bachelorettes now. Girls just want to have fun, they want to take trips together. And it’s different when it’s just women. The teaser of Richa Chadha and Kalki Koechlin’s road movie Jia Aur Jia is as refreshing as it’s funny. Shot in Sweden, it revolves around two women with completely different personalities tagging along for n a road trip. It is a women-centric drama with both Richa and Kalki playing bold roles. Kalki plays a quirky, fun girl, while Richa’s character is strict, monitoring Kalki. Jia Aur Jia is just the refreshing girl buddy film after the long list of Bollywood bromances. There is also a mystery guy, played by Frank M Ahearn, who is seen romancing Kalki’s character.

The film has Richa Chaddha, Kalki Koechlin, Arslan Goni and Frank M Ahearn.

Rukh

Rukh (English:Stance) is an Indian drama film directed by debutant Atanu Mukherjee. The film stars Manoj Bajpayee, Smita Tambe, Kumud Mishra and Adarsh Gourav in the lead.

After the sudden death of his father Diwakar Mathur (Manoj Bajpayee), young Dhruv comes back from boarding school to be with his mother Nandini (Smita Tambe). As days go by, he begins to suspect that his father's death is probably not an accident but a murder. Away from home in a boarding school, 18-year-old Dhruv is ignorant about the ongoing crisis in his family. His life takes an unexpected turn as he gets the news of his father’s death in a car accident. As he copes with the tragedy, hidden truths begin to unravel. Even as his mother Nandini struggles to shield him, Dhruv starts looking for answers. Was his father's death an accident or a premeditated murder? The search leads to a series of unexpected revelations, as he discovers the shades of his father’s personality he had never seen before. There is a murder and there are suspects, at least in the mind of the victim’s son, Dhruv (Adarsh Gourav). His father Diwakar (Manoj Bajpayee), a textile businessman, has been killed in a road accident, which might be staged. Digging deep into an incident, which has affected you emotionally, requires a different type of courage. It’s like going through the pain all over again and, at the end of it, you may not be the same person anymore. The movie shows the mostly angry teenager Dhruv going through a transitional phase. He is bewildered, amazed and even shocked while his dead father’s friends peel off layers from Diwakar’s personality. He isn’t wide eyed but he doesn’t seem ready to take in more information either. He is probably standing in front of the wheel of fortune hoping for something better than what he is probably going to get. His father had secrets. This in itself is a disturbing thought, but it’s still early to pass judgements. It’s all about the perspective. The mother knows something and the son might not be able to process so much so early. Though the city and its brutal elements have made him serious for his age, the mother can’t see it. Like everyone else, the boy also has a past which doesn’t have many pleasant memories. Unpacking your mind isn’t as simple as unpacking the cartons in which you have kept your childhood toys. The dimly lit metropolitan houses, the lonely streets, under-construction buildings and isolated beaches fill you with melancholy. A man has died but it seems like just another accident in a mega city. Such things happen. But we move on, leaving behind a teenager waiting for closure.

The movie has Manoj Bajpayee, Adarsh Gourav, Smita Tambe and Kumud Mishra.

The music of the film is composed by Amit Trivedi while the lyrics have been penned by Sidhant Mago. The film has songs like "Hai Baaki" and "Khidki".

Geostorm

Geostorm is a 2017 American science fiction disaster film co-written, produced, and directed by Dean Devlin as his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Alexandra Maria Lara, Richard Schiff, Robert Sheehan, Daniel Wu, Eugenio Derbez, Ed Harris, and Andy García. The plot follows a satellite designer who tries to save the world from a storm of epic proportions caused by malfunctioning climate-controlling satellites.

After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world's leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe. But now, something has gone wrong: the system built to protect Earth is attacking it, and it becomes a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything and everyone along with it.

The film has Gerard Butler as Jake Lawson, a satellite designer, former ICSS commander and Hannah's father, Jim Sturgess as Max Lawson, Jake’s younger brother and Hannah's uncle, Abbie Cornish as U.S. Secret Service Agent Sarah Wilson, Max's fiancée, Ed Harris as U.S. Secretary of State Leonard Dekkom, Andy García as U.S. President Andrew Palma, Richard Schiff as Virginia Senator Thomas Cross, Alexandra Maria Lara as Ute Fassbinder, the commander of the space station, Robert Sheehan as Duncan Taylor, a British crew member of the ICSS, Daniel Wu as Cheng Long, the Hong Kong-based supervisor for the Dutch Boy Program, Eugenio Derbez as Al Hernandez, a Mexican crew member of the ICSS, Zazie Beetz as Dana, a cybersecurity expert and good friends with Max, Adepero Oduye as Eni Adisa, a Nigerian crew member of the ICSS, Amr Waked as Ray Dussette, a French crew member of the ICSS, Talitha Bateman as Hannah Lawson, Jake’s daughter and Max's niece, Billy Slaughter as Karl Dright, Tom Choi as Chinese Representative Lee, Katheryn Winnick had been cast as Olivia Lawson, Jake’s ex-wife and the mother of Hannah, but during reshoots, her role was recast with Julia Denton.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Need of job security' that was published in Newsband

Need of job security

Everyone today needs job security. The job security is not something that only 50-somethings care about. Even many younger people find the need of job security.

The moment a youngster comes out from the university, he or she is in need of a job. Many youngsters who have just finished their degree course begin to realize the fact that it is difficult to get a really secure job. Some take up whichever job they get first. Others are very choosy. They think of the future. They want a job that will ensure bright future for them. Hence the moment they are offered a job they evaluate just how good the security blanket employers set up is. They are not bothered about the reputation of the organization. They bother about the salary they are offered in the beginning, their financial position two years later and the retirement benefits the company will offer.

Stress and anxiety about the future are common, as over half the youngsters agreed retirement security is more important today than just a few years ago. That’s a completely new trend of thinking displayed by the youngsters. That’s because they have probably seen their elders without a job just when they reach their middle-age. They know how difficult it is to get a job for one who reaches that stage of life. The experiences of their elderly ones have created such mindsets among them. They are become aware that if today they have a good post and salary, the same need not be the case when they reach their middle age. They wouldn’t like to be at the mercy of whims and fancies of their employers. They would prefer to do a job which will ensure secure future for them even if that particular job fetches them a little low income. Their logic is that it is better to do a low salaried job throughout one’s life rather than do a high salaried one just for a few years.

Many human resources experts, however, are not surprised by this kind of mindsets that the youngsters of today possess. They attribute such a mindset to the global slowdown, a listless economy and uncertain job markets.

Today the security is taking precedence over almost everything all over the world, and most employees would trade a smaller salary increase or bonus for a guaranteed retirement benefit that doesn’t rise or fall with the market (in other words, a defined benefit). More than half want to stay with their current employer until they retire. Salary and job security top the list of what people want when considering a job, followed by the opportunity to learn new skills and build a career — which are, of course, also routes to a higher salary and long-term security. This is the mindset of a typical youngster belonging to 21st century.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Review the implementation of GST' that was published in Newsband

Review the implementation of GST

Many people have raised questions about goods and services tax regime. Drastic action is called for. Differential treatment to some similar items may not necessarily be fair. The rates will be revised. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday sought to assure traders that anyone joining the GST net will not be harassed by taxmen.  

The Centre has promised to fix the flaws in the new tax regime. Prime Minister has promised to address the woes of small businesses and exporters.

We may still be some distance away from seeing the final shape of India’s one-nation, one-tax plan. The commitment to correct course is welcome. But the real question is the timing and sequencing of changes.

After GST implementation, many things are ambiguous and tax on many items has raised doubts in many quarters. Prices of essential items like aids to handicapped, napkins used by women and others have been taxed by GST. Hence there should be a close review of the tax regime as a whole

Hope the government does not take too long to fix the problems in GST. The delay may drive the people to frustration. That would render a good economic reform to lose its benefits.

Even while launching it was expected to have some starting hiccups but the government has to continually review and make amends early to such a good legislation. Congress had no conviction on GST and did not take the pains.

Video: Dinesh Kamath talks about the movies 'Secret Superstar' and 'Golmal Again'

Video: Dinesh Kamath reads out his Editorial 'Don't murder Democracy'

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Don’t murder Democracy' that was published in Newsband

Don’t murder Democracy

We should stop the erosion of the legitimate role of a free press. Journalist Gauri Lankesh who was assassinated remains alive in public memory. The Lankesh assassination has brought together a range of civil society groups, including journalists who are disturbed by the violence against Journalists.

This is not just a threat to the lives of journalists, but also a threat to the very meaning of a free media in a democracy. During the Emergency Indira Gandhi used existing laws to invoke the Emergency and impose press censorship. Today, we have an “undeclared” emergency.

In April this year, Maharashtra passed the Maharashtra Media Persons and Media Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2017. The demand for such a law raises several critical questions in the context of a free media. Should a media, often in conflict with the state, ask for this kind of special treatment?

Surely, the best protection for journalists, and activists, is a society that recognises their legitimate role of speaking truth to power.

In addition to a government that denies media the right to ask it legitimate questions, media freedom has been eroded in other ways, through takeovers of inconvenient media houses by businesspersons close to the government and the reining in, or even dismissal, of editors considered too critical of the government.

Though many journalists lost their lives exposing the state, the protests arising from brutal killing of Gauri Lankesh indicate the pent-up anger of people of all walks of life against usual growth of corruption in state controlled organisations. The killing has brought together rationalists, human rights activists as well as leftist elements. It's important though that dissenting voices continue to be heard.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Make Drug price affordable to the poorest' that was published in Newsband

Make Drug price affordable to the poorest

The government wants to amend the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO). New rules are proposed by the National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA), Industry says this will kill competition and hurt drugmakers. DPCO rules were last written in 2013. In India, over 70% of the population is driven to private, uninsured medical care. Of the total healthcare spending, 70% is on medicines. So, controlling drug prices is very necessary.  

Yes, price controls make sense for a select set of drugs. Centralised purchases, by healthcare providers or insurance companies, can bring down drug prices without price control. An element of cost in the drug industry is unethical gratification of doctors to induce them to prescribe particular drugs. Containing this is an urgent and huge challenge.

What is DPCO? Drug Price Control Orders (DPCO) are issued by the Government, in exercise of the powers conferred under section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, for enabling the Government to declare a ceiling price for essential and life saving medicines (as per a prescribed formula) so as to ensure that these medicines are available at a reasonable price to the general public.

The term "Drug" Includes - (i) all medicines for internal or external use of human beings or animals and all substances intended to be used for, or in the diagnosis treatment, mitigation, or prevention of any disease or disorder in human beings or animals, including preparations applied on human body for the purpose of repelling insects like mosquitoes; (ii) such substances, intended to affect the structure or any function of the human or animal body or intended to be used for the destruction of vermin or insects which cause disease in human beings or animals, as may be specified from time to time by the Government by notification in the official Gazette; and (iii) bulk drugs and formulations.

Price controls are applicable to what is generally known as “Scheduled drugs” or “Scheduled formulations” that is, those medicines which are listed out in the Schedule I of Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), issued by the Government of India from time to time

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy (NPPP) is the policy governing price control and DPCO is the order by which price control is enforced. The Drug Price Control Orders are issued by Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers,

Why price control? As per WHO estimates, the economic impact of pharmaceuticals is substantial -- especially in developing countries. While spending on pharmaceuticals represents less than one-fifth of total public and private health spending in most developed countries, it represents 15 to 30% of health spending in transitional economies and 25 to 66% in developing countries. In most low income countries pharmaceuticals are the largest public expenditure on health after personnel costs and the largest household health expenditure. And the expense of serious family illness, including drugs, is a major cause of household impoverishment. Despite the potential health impact of essential drugs and despite substantial spending on drugs, lack of access to essential drugs, irrational use of drugs, and poor drug quality remain serious global public health problems:

India is among the countries with the highest Out Of Pocket (OOP) expenses on health care. Indian Pharmaceutical industry is, globally, the 3rd largest producer of medicines by volume yet 14th in terms of value. The lower value is due to the fact that Indian medicines are amongst the lowest priced in the world. However, despite this, medicine costs continue to be an important component in the overall medical expenditure in the country, given the low purchasing power of the citizens.

There is a need to revise the Drug Policy to meet the challenges brought about by the competitive international pharmaceutical industry in a globalised economic environment, as much as meeting the country’s requirements for safe and quality medicines at reasonable prices.  

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movies released in Navi Mumbai’ (Secret Superstar and Golmaal Again) that was published in Newsband

New movies released in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

Secret Superstar

Secret Superstar is an Indian musical drama film, written and directed by Advait Chandan and produced by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao. The film features Zaira Wasim, Meher Vij and Aamir Khan in lead roles, and tells the story of a child who aspires to be a singer.

The story is of a Muslim girl Insia (Zaira Wasim), who aspires to be a singer. She seeks a pompous music director named Shakti Kumar (Aamir Khan) to achieve her dream. Inside a studio in Mumbai, a foul-mouthed musician struggles to record a song as per his producer’s wish. It is a tune he composed a decade ago, but his songs have been reduced to being mere remixes of his own original tunes over the years. It seems like a trap he would never escape. And then he hears a voice, the voice. For the first time in years, he refuses to compromise on his composition and delivers a song that’s going to introduce the world to a new artiste, somebody who isn’t willing to show her face. A secret superstar. Insiya (Zaira Wasim) isn’t a bright student. She is struggling with her studies, her rage, domestic abuse, and an environment that may not let her take the leap of faith, ever. Insiya thinks the world of her mother, Najma (Meher Vij). Together, they dare to dream of the times when they’ll stand on their own. But Insiya’s middle-class household in Vadodara is reeling under the terror unleashed by her violent father, played by Raj Arjun. Being financially dependent on him, years of conditioning have weakened the family. But they aren’t broken yet. Insiya is quite mature for her age. She tries her best to convince Najma to go in for divorce. Given her condition, it seems like the right decision. She is aware of her singing talent, but she doesn’t have a plan of action. The opinionated yet vulnerable teenager catches the attention of Shakti Kumaarr (Aamir Khan), a loud and two-time divorced Bollywood musician. Though theirs is an odd pairing, they could just come up with a winner of a song. A well-meaning yet ambitious girl, a cruel father, a meek mother, and a loving younger brother. This movie has all the ingredients. And then, along comes Shakti Kumaarr and charms his way into the audience’s heart with his antics. The movie also depicts a cute school love story between Insiya and her friend Chintan (Tirth Sharma). He is more of an ally who tries to validate the director’s ideas of separation in marriages. Actually, it’s Aamir Khan’s arrival in the film that adds charm to Secret Superstar. His superficiality and self-obsession evoke smiles. He controls the flow of Secret Superstar before it becomes a public service message on domestic violence. The theme of an abused girl taking to music and the internet is intriguing.

The film has Zaira Wasim as Insia Malik, Meher Vij as Najma Malik, Insia's Mother, Aamir Khan as Shakti Kumaarr, Raj Arjun as Farookh Malik, Insia's Father, Kabir Sajid as Guddu, Insia's younger brother, Tirth Sharma as Chintan Parekh, Harsh Jha, Aryan Ashik and Manuj Sharma as Ranjeet.

The soundtrack of Secret Superstar has been composed by Amit Trivedi with the lyrics being written by Kausar Munir. The movie has songs like "Main Kaun Hoon", "Meri Pyaari Ammi", "Sapne Re", "I'll Miss You", "Nachdi Phira", "Sexy Baliye", "Gudgudi" and "O Re Manwa".

Golmaal Again

Golmaal Again (English: Chaos Again) is an Indian film directed and co-produced by Rohit Shetty. It stars Ajay Devgn, Parineeti Chopra, Tabu, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Kunal Khemu, Prakash Raj and Neil Nitin Mukesh. Golmaal Again is the fourth installment of the Golmaal film franchise and marks Devgn's tenth film collaboration with Rohit Shetty.

Gopal (Ajay Devgn), Madhav (Arshad Warsi), Lucky (Tusshar Kapoor), Laxman Prasad (Shreyas Talpade) and Laxman (Kunal Khemu) move back to their old neighbourhood in a new, palatial house. What they don't know is that the house is haunted by a ghost, and later when they come to know about it, they become terrified. Will they be able to save themselves from this big problem? Golmaal Again is yet another fun filled ride about two gangs who are unable to stand each other since their childhood and how they repulse each other even after they grow up. It is yet another hilarious adventure with its fair share of thrills that are sure to surprise the audience and fill their hearts with laughter and joy. It is a film that will surely make everyone laugh, cry and realize the importance of how beautiful life is.

The film has Ajay Devgn as Gopal Kumar Santoshi, Parineeti Chopra as Priyanka, Tabu as Rukmini, Arshad Warsi as Madhav Singh Ghai, Tushar Kapoor as Lucky Gill, Shreyas Talpade as Laxman Prasad Apte, Kunal Khemu as Laxman Sharma, Prakash Raj as Sheru Bhai, Neil Nitin Mukesh as Pappu, Johnny Lever as Pappi Bhai, Mukesh Tiwari as Vasooli Bhai, Sanjay Mishra as Babli Bhai, Murali Sharma as Inspector Dande and Besant Ravi as Kabir.

The music of the film have been composed by Amaal Mallik, S. Thaman and Lilo George-DJ Chetas while the lyrics of the film have been penned by Kumaar. The movie has songs like "Golmaal (Title Track)", "Maine Tujhko Dekha", "Itna Sannata Kyun Hai" and "Hum Nahi Sudhrenge". 

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Reasons for slowdown of growth rate' that was published in Newsband

Reasons for slowdown of growth rate

The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) has come up with 10 areas for accelerating growth over the next six months. Monetary policy, job creation, public expenditure, agriculture and animal husbandry top the focus areas.

Various reasons have contributed to the slowdown of growth rate. Government is researching every day and modifying the taxes by advertisement without giving firm policy. The Economy is already slowed down and the cognizance is also taken, but what about eliminating the "Corruptions" which prevailed and inaction to the effect is bound to increase. It is necessary to curtail the "Corruptions" immediately.

EAC has treaded the age-old path of giving excuses. Ten excuses have been identified as most handy, which people will gulp down immediately. Depending on the result of monitoring, ten more excuses will be flaunted by EAC after a month, in November 2017. Surprisingly, not that the bureaucracy has not already zeroed in on these ten excuses and acted on them. But many blocks and barriers have not produced the desired results. EAC must be knowing it and yet giving it another try to see whether the IMF figure gets revised, in view of the top notch intervention.

In statistics, there is what is known as "normal curve." It reaches the crest and starts declining. Nothing can go indefinitely increasing unless corrective measures are taken in time. Like that, taxes and cess cannot keep indefinitely increase to pose rosy figure. Mineral export, or any export? It should be with government to control and monitor the flow to regulate to avoid money laundering as well as to avoid internal shortage leading to crises.

First there should be proper flood and drought control to prevent crop damage. Laxity in this has caused cry for compensation for the losses. There is plenty of untapped savings in the suburban and village sectors. One member should be from agri. There is no effective flood and drought management. There should be responsibility centres to reliably monitor the agri sector making the field agri officers alert to advise the expected rain fall, the invasion by destructive insects, types of crops for rotation and evaluate the harvested output and it is only for barefoot soldiers to do in the field.