All ATM withdrawals not chargeable, SBI clarifies after furore in Kerala

Amid a public outcry in Kerala over a State Bank of India (SBI) announcement levying charges on ATM cash withdrawals from June 1, the largest public lender on Thursday clarified that the charge of Rs 25 is applicable only for withdrawals from SBI Buddy through ATMs.

"Rs 25 per transaction charge is applicable only for mobile wallet app SBI Buddy using ATM. This is applicable only for State Bank Buddy customers," the bank said here in a statement.

The clarification comes after the SBI in a notification indicated that all ATM withdrawals will be charged a fee of Rs 25, which was later replaced with the corrected notification.

The bank said that the number of free withdrawals from ATMs remained unchanged.

Jan-Dhan account holders with the SBI can avail of four free withdrawals in a month from ATMs.

Normal savings bank accounts holders will continue to get eight free ATM transactions (five from SBI ATMs plus three from other bank ATMs) in metros and 10 free transactions in non-metros (five from SBI ATMs plus five from other bank ATMs).

Earlier in the day, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac told the media that the only reason he could see for this "mad" new rule was that the SBI was faced with mounting non-performing assets (NPAs) to the tune of Rs 1.67 lakh crore.

"This is height of madness and irresponsibility. It would be interesting to find out the list of NPAs of the SBI... One wouldn't be surprised if the majority (of defaulters) are found to be corporates."

"Just take a look at their (SBI) profits, it has dramatically come down. The charges have been levied to bring down their losses. This is something that even private sector banks would not dare think of doing," said Issac.
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Triple talaq case: Why Muslim women should welcome a Uniform Civil Code

The BJP has stirred a hornet’s nest by reigniting the debate on a uniform civil code (UCC) in India. The government has requested the Law Commission to examine the issue and make relevant recommendations. On the other hand, the practices of triple talaq, halala (bar against remarrying a former husband unless you have married another man in between) and polygamy have been challenged before the Supreme Court in Shayara Bano vs Union of India, with the demand that they be deemed unconstitutional. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has opposed the implementation of a UCC in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court.

Amidst all the hoopla surrounding the UCC, many Muslim women in India remain unsure on which side they stand. On the one hand, Muslim personal law ordains certain practices that have proved to be derogatory for the rights of women; on the other hand, the ruling party has not been able to instil confidence in India’s Muslim population. However, one thing is clear: gender justice cannot be achieved through personal laws, especially in the case of Muslim women. Muslim personal law, as followed in India, is inherently biased against women and many times leads to their exploitation. Moreover, because of the application of personal law in the matters of marriage, divorce, maintenance, inheritance and the like, Muslim women are precluded from enjoying the benefits accrued to them through secular law, which their counterparts from other religious communities enjoy.

Maintenance

The best example to understand the predicament that surrounds the rights of women under Muslim personal law is maintenance. The Shah Bano case and its aftermath very aptly illustrated the problem arising due to the lack of a UCC in India. The question before the court in Shah Bano was whether a Muslim woman is entitled to claim maintenance under section 125 of the Criminal Penal Code (or secular law) from her former husband even after the period of iddat has expired. The husband claimed that he did not need to pay maintenance any longer as Muslim law stipulates that maintenance must only be paid during the period of iddat and not beyond it. The court, taking a secular view, allowed Shah Bano to claim maintenance even after this period.

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Modi in Sri Lanka: Direct Air India flight to now connect Colombo, Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that India's flag carrier Air India would begin direct flights between Colombo and the holy city of Varanasi from August.

Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka, made the announcement of the beginning of the flights during his address at the inauguration of the International Vesak Day, the biggest festival of Buddhists.

He said the flights will allow "my Tamil brothers and sisters" to visit Varanasi, the land of Kashi Viswanath.

At a distance of 10 kilometres from Varanasi, lies Sarnath, one of the most revered Buddhist pilgrimage centres.

It is believed that after attaining the enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, it was in Sarnath that Lord Buddha preached his first sermon, sanctified as Maha Dharm Chakra Parivartan.

The direct flights will aid pilgrims from Sri Lanka, a Buddhist-majority country, to visit Sarnath.

Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh is the parliamentary constituency of the prime minister, from where he contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

This is Modi's second visit to Sri Lanka in two years. He arrived yesterday primarily to attend the International Vesak Day celebrations and his vist is aimed at reinforcing the traditional connect between India and Sri Lanka.
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Amazon Great Indian Sale: Guide to the best deals & how to avail the offers

Amazon‘Great India Sale’ began today and is on till 14 May 2017, under which the e-commerce giant is offering some great discounts on a wide range of products.

The e-commerce retailer is offering  discounts and additional cashback to Citi bank credit card and debit card holders. The maximum cashback is capped at 15 per cent through the Amazon app and 10 per cent using Amazon online web portal. The cashback is valid on minimum transaction amount of Rs 5,000 and the maximum cashback limit is Rs 2,000 per card.

Here are some of the deals that Amazon is offering under Great India Sale:

Mobiles
Samsung Galaxy C7 Pro
Samsung Galaxy C7 Pro Samsung’s latest mid-range smartphone Galaxy C7 Pro was launched at a price tag of Rs 27,990. The smartphone carries the maximum retail price of Rs 29,990. Under Amazon Great India Sale, the smartphone is retailing for Rs 25,990 –  a discount of Rs 4,000 on MRP. The smartphone is eligible for No cost EMI and the EMI options start for as low as Rs 2,165.83 per month.

Motorola Moto G5

Motorola launched Moto G5 smartphone recently on Amazon and the e-commerce is offering a Rs 1,000 discount on the smartphone. The smartphone was launched at Rs 11,999 and the device is currently retailing at Rs 10,999 thanks to the sale. The discount is only available for Amazon Prime members.

Apple iPhone 5S

Apple iPhone 5s is selling for Rs 15,999 for 16GB internal storage variant -- a 36 per cent discount on an MRP Rs 25,000. Recently, the Apple iPhone 5S became the top premium smartphone in India.

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Snapdeal founders, Nexus reach deal with SoftBank for sale to Flipkart

Founders of Indian online marketplace Snapdeal and one of its early investors, Nexus, have reached an agreement with SoftBank Group that would allow the Japanese firm to move ahead with its plan to sell Snapdeal to bigger rival Flipkart, ET Now reported, citing sources.

Nexus and Snapdeal founders have agreed to the terms of payment with SoftBank wherein Snapdeal founders would get $15 million each and Nexus would get $50 million to $60 million, the business channel said on Thursday.

Flipkart is expected to sign the term sheet and start due diligence of Snapdeal, ET Now added.

Snapdeal and SoftBank were not immediately reachable for comment, while Nexus declined to comment.

Sources told Reuters last week that SoftBank is working to engineer a sale of Snapdeal to Flipkart, as it seeks to play consolidator and take a more active role at a trio of leading start-ups in India.

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