Before Bahubali 2, makers to release Bahubali 1 again

Rana Daggubati and Prabhas are overwhelmed with the response to the trailer of Bahubali 2

Director S S Rajamouli wants the audiences to revisit the world of "Bahubali" before the release of " Bahubali 2 : The Conclusion".

Rajamouli today said they are planning to show the first part a week before the second edition hits theatres on April 28.

"We are planning to release part one maybe one or two weeks before the release of part two in southern states so people can get back into the narrative," Rajamouli said at the trailer launch of the Hindi version here.

Both Rana Daggubati and Prabhas are overwhelmed with the response to the trailer.

"The fans are happy with it. It's overwhelming to be a part of the film," Rana said.

The Tamil version of the trailer had leaked online hours before its official release and the makers called it "technical glitch".

"This particular thing is neither due to leakage or piracy, it is due to some technical glitch on Facebook. The video which was to be on private mode went on public mode. But fans are happy that we came early. All is well that ends well," Rajamouli said.

"Baahubali: The Beginning" is one of the highest grossing Indian films, which reportedly earned Rs 650 crore at the box office.

Karan Johar, who is presenting the Hindi version of the film, joked that presenters made all the money.

"The presenters make money, the one who put their hard work, blood, sweat and tears don't make money always. But the equity the film has made is beyond monetary," he added.

Watch the trailer here.

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• Akshay Kumar donates Rs 1 cr to kin of CRPF bravehearts, Rajnath lauds move
• MS Dhoni safely evacuated after fire breaks out in his Delhi hotel

Akshay Kumar donates Rs 1 cr to kin of CRPF bravehearts, Rajnath lauds move

He transferred Rs 9 lakh each in the bank accounts on Thursday

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh commended Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar for his generosity, after the star donated Rs nine lakh each to the families of the 12 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, who were killed during an encounter with the Naxalites on March 11 in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district.

Officials said, soon after the incident, the actor approached the Union Home Ministry with a request to obtain the bank account numbers of the family members of the jawans who were killed in the March 11 ambush as he wanted to make a monetary donation to them.

They said the Ministry, accepting Kumar's request, directed the CRPF to share the bonafide bank account numbers of the families of the slain personnel.

Also Read : Before Bahubali 2, makers to release Bahubali 1 again

Kumar, they said, transferred Rs 9 lakh each in the bank accounts yesterday.

"Kumar's gesture exhibits his patriotism and devotion towards the country in general and CRPF in particular," the paramilitary force said in a statement.

12 personnel were killed in a deadly ambush in Chhattisgarh's worst Naxal-hit district of Sukma on March 11 when they were out on a patrol.

The deceased CRPF personnel have been identified as Inspector Jagjit Singh, Assistant Sub-inspectors H B Bhatt and Narender Kumar Singh, head constables Jagdish Prasad Vishnoi and P R Minde and constables Mangesh Pal Pandey, Rampal Singh Yadav, Goraknath, Nand Kumar Patra, Satish Kumar Verma, K Shankar and Suresh Kumar. Read more

11-year-old Pakistani girl writes to Modi, asks him to take steps towards peace, friendship

Aqeedat Naveed congratulated Modi on UP poll victory

Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) historic mandate in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections, an eleven year old Pakistani school girl wrote to him saying that he should now focus towards winning more hearts of Indians and Pakistanis alike, by becoming a bridge of peace between the two nations.

In her letter, Aqeedat Naveed highlighted the need for peace between India and Pakistan, and said that Prime Minister Modi can help speed up the process, reports DunyaNews.

"Once my father told me that winning of hearts is a marvelous job. Perhaps you have won the hearts of Indian people, therefore you won the election in UP. But I must tell you if you want to win more Indian and Pakistani hearts, you should take steps towards friendship and peace. Both countries need good relation. Let's make a peace bridge between India and Pakistan. Let's decide that we will not buy bullets, will buy books. We will not buy the guns, will buy the medicine for the poor people," Aqeedat wrote in the two-page letter.

Also Read : Congress debacle in UP raises questions about Rahul Gandhi's elevation to party chief

She further emphasised that the choice between peace and conflict lies open for both the nations, and signed off by congratulating the prime minister for the UP polls victory.

The fifth grader, who hails from Lahore, had earlier written a letter to Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj as well on the matter of peace and has also received several responses from officials in New Delhi.

Election Results 2017: BJP clean sweep in UP as Modi crushes opposition

Get live election result 2017 of Assembly elections for UP, Goa, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Manipur

UP Election result 2017: The exit polls on Thursday predicted a hung assembly in the key Hindi heartland state of Uttar Pradesh, where Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would emerge as the single largest party, winning anywhere between 164 and 210 of the 403 seats. A victory for Narendra Modi's BJP in Uttar Pradesh, which is home to 220 million people, would boost his chances of winning the 2019 general elections and underscore his popularity after he made himself the face of the party's campaign in the state.

Punjab election result 2017: Most polls forecast a close fight between the Congress, which is seeking to return to power in Punjab after a hiatus of 10 years, and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), making its debut in the Punjab Assembly election. Stay with us for LIVE updates on Assembly Elections 2017.

Read : Election Results 2017 - Live Updates & Latest News on Election Results

Uttarakhand election result 2017: Most exit polls have projected that BJP will emerge as the single largest party in Uttarakhand election 2017, ending the Congress Party's hope to retain its Harish Rawat-led government in the state.

Goa election result 2017: In Goa, too, BJP is seen as the largest party with 15-20 of the 40 Assembly seats. The Congress could be a close second, while AAP, a debutant in the state, could get 2-4 seats.

Manipur election result 2017: Exit polls for Manipur have a split verdict. While some show BJP forming government in the state, others expect the Congress' Okram Ibobi Singh returning for a fourth term. Iron Lady Irom Sharmila, contesting her first election, is expected to have a weak debut.

Results of Assembly elections 2017 in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand will be declared on March 11. Join us on Business Standard for election result 2017 updates today. ALSO READ: UP Election Results 2017 LIVE: BJP nearing 300 mark, leads in controversial Dadri seat

Exit polls predict BJP win in UP, but Dalal St euphoria to fade away soon

Like Bihar elections, this event would also be forgotten by the markets within a week, analysts say

Exit polls have predicted a victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the key state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) that is being dubbed as the semi–final to the 2019 general elections, and appeared to be too close to call.

Over the past few sessions, the markets have been moving sideways, consolidating the 9% gain made thus far in calendar year 2017. Analysts say the outcome could create distractions (or positives) for the government and will be interpreted as a referendum on the government’s demonetisation drive.

Here is a quick compilation of what the leading market experts think about the possible outcome and its implication for the economy and markets:

Also Read : Election Results 2017

G. CHOKKALINGAM, FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR OF EQUINOMICS RESEARCH & ADVISORY

The exit polls have predicted significant improvement for the ruling party at the Centre. If this prediction becomes true, it could be sentimentally positive for the equity markets for a week or so. However, in our view, fundamentally speaking, whether the ruling party wins or loses, it doesn’t have significant relevance for the markets.

The ruling party has a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha to rule the country for the next two years, which is a long time for the stock markets. Of course, the elections to the UP state are relevant for attaining the goal of majority in the Rajya Sabha for the ruling party. However, most important point is that there is no solid economic reform (from the context of stock markets), which is pending for the majority support in the Rajya Sabha. Even the toughest one viz., GST, has already gone through all major hurdles.

Hence, the market valuation or individual stocks and continued flow from the FIIs would be the dominant factors, which would decide the course of market directions ultimately, rather than the “state elections outcome”. Therefore, like Bihar elections and the Budget, this event would also be forgotten by the equity markets within a week or so.

AMBIT CAPITAL

Our latest checks in Delhi suggest that policy-making in India is likely to continue being ad-hoc if the BJP emerges victorious in UP with no specific over-arching ideology informing economic decision-making. Moreover, expert opinion is likely to continue being given a low priority with political motives guiding economic decisions.

SAMIR ARORA, FOUNDER AND FUND MANAGER, HELIOS CAPITAL

We do not believe that outcome of state elections can be a big development for the market. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to win in UP (the only election that matters in this round, if at all). Even if BJP does not win, we don’t think that investors will project this to derive conclusions about 2019 national elections. If BJP wins as expected, the market will have more reasons to go up for sure CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY

Maternity Bill passed: 26 weeks paid leave, creche a must, other highlights

A day after the world celebrated the International Women's Day, the Parliament on Thursday passed a bill that will benefit about 1.8 million women in India. The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by the Lok Sabha, months after the Rajya Sabha approved the measure that takes India to the third position in terms of the number of weeks for maternity leave after Canada and Norway where it is 50 weeks and 44 weeks, respectively. While the bill has given many women reasons to cheer, it has left others with a heartburn.

It is a “historic day for women”, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said, adding that the Bill will “pave the way for a healthy and secure mother and a well-nourished child”. Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi called it a “momentous step” and thanked her colleagues for supporting the Bill.

Top highlights of The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016

* The Bill aims to protect the employment of women during the time of pregnancy and entitles them to full paid absence from work to take care of their child

* Women working in the organised sector will now be entitled to paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, up from 12 weeks

* The maternity leave beyond the first two children will continue to be 12 weeks

* The new law will apply to all establishments employing 10 or more people and the entitlement will be for only up to first two children. For third child, the entitlement will be for only 12 weeks.

* The bill also makes it mandatory for employers in establishments with 30 women or 50 employees, whichever is less, to provide crèche facilities either in office or in any place within a 500-metre radius.

Aslo Read :

Election Results 2017 Live - UP, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur

Exploring Untapped Potential of Mutual Funds

The IG ATS Aseem Arun confirmed that the slain terror suspect was an active member of the ISIS

A suspected terrorist believed to be part of a group that was planning a major terror attack in Uttar Pradesh was killed early Wednesday morning after nearly 12 hours of anti-terror operation in Lucknow. According to police sources, the target of the operation was a house in Haji Ali Colony in Thakurganj, on the outskirts of Lucknow. The standoff began early Tuesday evening, hours after at least ten people were injured in a blast on the Ujjain Express.

Previously there were reports of two terrorists being holed up in the room, however, as it turned out, only one suspect was found dead along with weapons.

"After opening the doors of the house (where the terrorist was holed up), the force went inside and found the suspect dead along with weapons," Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary said.

Chaudhary said that the operation "stands closed now. Rest of the legal formalities will subsequently take place."

The IG ATS Aseem Arun confirmed that the slain terror suspect was an active member of the ISIS.

"The slain terror suspect belongs to the Khurasan module of the ISIS and was an active member. But, whether he has been indoctrinated or not is a matter of investigation," Arun said. ALSO READ: ATS guns down IS suspect in Lucknow after 11-hour operation

Anti-terror operations were carried out to get hold of terrorists, suspected to be linked with the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh yesterday in which at least 10 people were injured, three of them seriously.

Speaking to the media after the anti-terror operation was over, Arun said, "Efforts were made to catch the suspected terrorist (identified as Saifullah) alive, but unfortunately this did not materialise. We fired tear gas shells and chilly bombs, so that he comes out. But, he did not come out."

Here is all you need to know about the Lucknow siege