Latest news with #CM
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
CM rejects allegations against digital varsity
T'puram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan rejected opposition leader V D Satheesan's allegations regarding financial irregularities and lack of transparency at Kerala Digital University. He stated that the charges were factually incorrect and misleading. In a detailed written reply to a letter sent by Satheesan, chief minister clarified that a statutory audit was being conducted at the university and that audit for 2023-24 financial year was already completed. He further said that the university officially requested comptroller and auditor general (CAG) to undertake further audits and that the next course of action lies with CAG. Dismissing the accusation that a company was secretly set up under the university, CM stated that the company was established in compliance with the stated policy and regulations of digital university. "The formation of the company is not in violation of any norms. It was done with administrative approval of ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) under govt of India," he wrote. Refuting the claim that advance funds were transferred to I-GEIC (International Graphene and Emerging Innovation Centre), Vijayan said the allegation was baseless. "Calling I-GEIC a fraudulent entity is without any factual basis," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo CM highlighted the credibility of those associated with the company, stating that its chairman is Madhavan Nambiar, a former Union civil aviation secretary. Other key figures include Pathan and Kamesh Gupta, both of whom held senior positions at Tata Steel, and Alex Thomas from digital university. He added that as per the university's own regulations, faculty members are encouraged to engage in entrepreneurial ventures. "It is clearly stated that research and development can be carried out through non-profit companies in which faculty members are involved," CM wrote. He said that, as a modern institution, the university can source funding for faculty salaries and other expenses through the projects they undertake. "Attempts are being made to portray such projects as scams by misrepresenting these facts," the letter said.
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Spain, UAE visit set to create over 14,000 jobs in state, says MP CM
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on late Sunday night said that his official visit to the UAE and Spain is set to create over 14,000 jobs in the state. Yadav stated that following the Madhya Pradesh Global Dialogue-2025, the state received investment proposals worth over Rs 11,119 crore. In a post on X, CM Yadav stated, "With the motto 'Make in India-Make in Madhya Pradesh,' investment proposals worth over Rs 11,119 crore have been received in all major sectors under the 'Madhya Pradesh Global Dialogue-2025' concluded in UAE and Spain. These will create more than 14,000 new employment opportunities in the state. After the visit to both nations, I reached Bhopal today and shared information with journalist friends." "In Madrid, Spain, the 'Invest in Madhya Pradesh - Business Forum' was held, where discussions took place with over 200 corporate and diplomatic representatives," he said. "Addressed over 500 expatriate entrepreneurs at the 'Friends of MP' conference held during the Dubai visit. Conducted one-to-one strategic meetings with heads of more than 30 international and national companies during the visit," he added. CM Yadav stated that, under the Madhya Pradesh Global Dialogue-2025, he signed MoUs and held productive talks with investors to promote the state's potential growth. In a post on X on Saturday, CM Yadav said, "Under the Madhya Pradesh Global Dialogue-2025, during the Spain visit, I engaged in discussions with entrepreneurs, investors, and businesspersons, signed MoUs, observed global agri-models like Mercabarna, and also met with the Indian diaspora. This visit will strengthen the vision of a developed Madhya Pradesh on the global stage." CM Yadav on Saturday said that his visit to Dubai and Spain is nearing its conclusion, highlighting the tour's focus on exploring opportunities for the state's progress and promoting employment, industries, and tourism. Speaking from Barcelona, CM Yadav said, "We have reached the last leg of our Dubai and Spain visit. As we had set the objective of our tour, we were to explore all the areas for the progress of our state with our Indians connected to Madhya Pradesh, especially everything that provides employment. We also went to the industries and restaurants to promote tourism. Wherever there are Indian restaurants, we visited them.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Colin Montgomerie on nearly becoming an agent, escaping his first American college and more
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — The 153rd British Open attracted some 280,000 fans to Royal Portrush Golf Club, where the breezes off the Atlantic Ocean were cooling and calming for most of the Championship. You never know who you will see at the majors. World Golf Hall of Fame member Colin Montgomerie, who played in the Open 22 times and finished second in 2005, was waving the flag for whiskey maker Loch Lomond, the official spirit of the Open Championship. "We produce a special Open edition," Montgomerie explained. "I think the tagline, 'the Spirit of the Open,' is great, and the relationship has grown and grown. Whiskey and golf are Scotland's two great exports, really. We got the home of golf, and with the home of whiskey and they were very proud of both of those exports to the world and nice for me to be associated with both of them, really, golf and whisky." The now 62-year-old Scot, an eight-time Order of Merit champion on the DP World Tour, was kind enough to take some time to answer a wide array of questions from Golfweek. GWK: What is your favorite links course? CM: The best links course in Britain is Turnberry. By, I think, a wide margin and it's such a shame that the Open isn't there, you know, it's difficult. But it's been redone and redone, and now it's seventh and eighth holes have changed again, and it's fantastic. GWK: Do you have a favorite Open championship venue? CM: Has to be St. Andrews. I'm not talking at all about the golf course. I'm talking about the town, the university, the whole field, the whole sense of occasion, the romance of it, the romance of St Andrews is very special. It's knowing that everyone's done it and everyone will do it after you. It's a very special occasion. It's amazing how these guys back in 1800 and something designed something that still is being played to this day, when the game is so different than what it was. GWK: I was telling a friend back in the States that I was going to be chatting with you, and he wanted me to ask you what prompted you to leave New Mexico Military Institute and go to Houston Baptist University? CM: It was less than 10 days. It was a good 48 hours. Unfortunately, it was more military than I was expecting. My roommate managed to get me out to the local Greyhound station in Roswell, New Mexico. The Greyhound bus took me up to Albuquerque about 200 miles through the night and my father said get the first flight to a major American city. There were four flights that morning. There was San Francisco, L.A., Houston or Dallas, and the first flight was Houston. So, I picked it. I land in Houston, and a long story short, it was through a member of my golf club in West Yorkshire, the vicar, actually. He worked with Alan Shepard, the astronaut, and all the people who used to come over from NASA in Houston to train with our Royal Air Force. A friend of a friend of a friend made a call and suddenly Houston Baptist University sprung up because Alan Shepard knew the athletic director, a guy called Ed Billings, lovely fella, and of course, he knew the golf coach there, and the golf coach came to the hotel I was staying at, the Doubletree Inn in Houston. I was a walk-on for the first year, so I didn't get a scholarship as such; I had to earn my right, which I did, and then the next three years I was on the team, you know, with the scholarship. So it was a bizarre story but it wasn't as easy then as it is now for foreign students to be recruited. In my day, back in the very early 80s, you were on your own, so it was difficult. So that's how that worked. GWK: Tell me about the time period where you considered attempting to be an agent rather than a professional golfer? CM: I was finishing my degree at Houston Baptist University. It's now Houston Christian University. I graduated in May '87. So it was a year before I graduated, and I wanted to explore what I wanted to do for a career. And the Open was at Turnberry in '86. I'd asked IMG for an interview to try and be an agent to use my degree, which was a marketing degree, and market the likes of Nick Price, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Corey Pavin, Ray Floyd. I think the big three was still in operation, and all IMG clients. And so I thought this was great, and I would work in the Texas area and try and get deals and to try and become an agent. So, two executives, one, Ian Todd, who was the president of IMG, and Peter German, who's still working for IMG, I believe he's in his 80s now, asked me to join them for the back nine at Turnberry. This is the Monday after the Open finished, so the pins are in the same positions, you know how it goes. I drove my mom's car, I'll never forget, out to the lighthouse at Turnberry and played the back nine in with them. I treated it like a job interview so I watched my Ps and Q's. You say yes or no, sir. You know, a job interview, right? And I wasn't interested in the golf. We were just playing nine holes. Anyway, started at the 10th and made birdie and I think I chipped in at 11, and then I sort of hole a bunker shot at 13 and long story short, I hole a good putt at the last for a three and came back in 29. 6-under par! And they looked at each other on the green, and we all shook hands and I was expecting to be told, 'Well, we'll be in touch' sort of thing, you know? And they said, "Well, Colin, you're not going to work for us. We're going to work for you." And that was it. And this is why that nine holes is the reason I'm speaking to you now. I come from a very sort of conservative background, which amateur golf was the key. The Walker Cup was more important than the Ryder Cup. I gave pro golf two years and let's see how it goes. I got my card and then I joined IMG immediately afterwards, and they've looked after me and here we are ever since, I'm still with them. So, we all have that two hours in our life or right time, right place, in your life, or whatever — you might meet your partner — this was my time for life to change. GWK: What made you such a great Ryder Cup player? CM: I was born with great ambition, right? As we all are, I suppose, you know, we're ambitious to succeed in everything. The truth is I hated to lose much more than I liked to win. Winning was winning, it was OK, but like Scottie Scheffler has been saying recently about winning, it's OK, but what's next, you know? And that was me. I won the odd event, but what was next? So I didn't really celebrate the wins, but I hated the losses. So, I suppose that drove me at the Ryder Cup. I also putted very well in the Ryder Cup. A good match player is a good putter, right? And I always was at the Ryder Cup, I always hit the ball a foot harder on the greens. Now I'm going to give a tip to anyone that might be reading this: If you hit the ball a foot harder on the greens, it's amazing how many go in. And I had that freedom in the Ryder Cup because it was match play. If it didn't work, I lost the hole. But in stroke playing, if I had three putted, it was a bogey and it was, oh God, the next hole got to get this back, it was more of an issue. GWK: Why do you think the Europeans do better in the Ryder Cup? CM: That's a question that everybody would love to answer, and I suppose the Americans would love to answer, too, because they would do it, you know, more. I mean, our success is beyond our world rankings. We shouldn't have had the success we had. We go into the Ryder Cup always as underdogs on the basis of world ranking points. And yet we've won more than we've lost over the last 15-20 Ryder Cups. And why? I think we've got this good mentality where we're playing for each other. We sort of played as a team, you know? When I was captain in 2010, I always felt it was great that everyone on my team contributed at least half a point to the victory, and that was good for them. They contributed, so they felt that they had helped their teammates, and their teammates had helped them. And I think that's the main thing, I think we really had this this family feel. Financially, it was very important for us to win. The might of the American tour could cope with the odd Ryder Cup loss but the European Tour was struggling financially. So it was important that we could do as well as we did. I think it was that team ethos, whereby we played for each other. We came together, we left our egos at the door, hit them up on the way out, that type of feel. GWK: What's your theory on why Phil and Tiger had pedestrian records in the Ryder Cup? CM: Well, Tiger's single record was very good because he's on his own. But it was always difficult to partner him. Back in 1993, when Nick Faldo was No. 1 in the world, we were partners and his ball was stamped Faldo on the side and it was his ball, of course. I think the same happened with America. I think Tiger wasn't changing his golf ball. You played Tiger's ball. And it said, Tiger on it. And you start thinking, hang on, I better not lose this, better not put this in a bush. I think a lot of the people playing with Tiger, I think they probably froze or didn't play to their ability or didn't play to their potential. I found that difficult with Nick, where it was his ball. And I felt like an understudy. Oh, I was an understudy. I was almost a rookie. So it's difficult for that. And I think that was a reason. And playing with Phil must have had that feeling as well, and it was difficult to find a partner for them both that would cope with the pressure because you go out with Tiger, you're expected to win. He's the best. And it's sometimes difficult if you're expected to win, it's the hardest thing to do. Expectation is the hardest thing to do in sport to win. GWK: What's the hero shot that you think back on where you pulled it off to win a tournament and had that incredible feeling of, yes, I did it? CM: I've got one plaque in the world. It's in the Middle East, it's in Dubai at the Emirates Club. In 1996, I was leading by one on the last hole against Miguel Angel Jimenez, and at the time I had a 6-iron in my hand to lay up short of the lake guarding the green. It was into the wind, and of course, 1996, the balls and the clubs weren't going quite as far as they do now. My caddie, Alistair McLean, wanted me to lay up, and then I'd still have a chance to make birdie. I asked him, 'So, how far is it?' He told me 223 and that I'm not going to make it with a 3-wood, I'd have to use a driver. I said, 'Christ, hang on.' I put my driver behind the ball and had a look at it, it looked OK. I could do it, you know? And, so he said, "Right, we'll go for it." And it was a terrible risk because it could have gone horribly wrong. It just happened to come out of the middle of the bat. Luckily, it was high and it stopped within 8 feet of the hole hitting driver off the deck. They put a plaque there for me. Canon, the camera-maker, used to sponsor our shot of the year and it won for 1996. So I was proud of that. GWK: Opposite end of the spectrum, what were you thinking at the last hole at Winged Foot in the 2006 U.S. Open when you made double bogey to lose? CM: It was just it was just one of those things. I'm convinced that that shot, if I played it in real time I'd have won the U.S. Open. I had to wait for my playing partner, Vijay Singh, who had hit it left of left into two hospitality tents and needed a drop. Anyway, long story short, it took nine minutes, I was told, it felt an hour, but it took nine minutes to play his second shot. Meanwhile, yours truly is on the fairway wanting to play. It was a 7-iron, then it was a 6-iron, then it was a 7-iron. It was almost impossible for nine minutes to be positive all that time. And I just unfortunately caught it slightly heavy and put it in position Z, right bunker in front of the green, and it was an awful place. And yes, if there was one shot I'd love back, it was that one, but at the same time you've got to play 72 holes and not just 71 of them, I'm afraid. Nowadays, I think I would have just gone up and actually hit it. There's no penalty for hitting when you feel it's appropriate to do so, there's no penalty for it. You're just trying to play by the etiquette of the game that it's his shot first. But actually, I wish I could go back and just walk up to my ball and hit 7-iron below the hole. It was almost too easy. The pin was on the right-hand side, I faded the ball, so, it was almost easier to birdie the hole than it was to make a six, you know? But there you go. GWK: Why were you considered by the media to be one of the best interviews in golf on Tuesday and Wednesday but tough to deal with after the bell rang? CM: I was just in my job, I suppose. If I have a regret, I would love to go back and be less impatient. I wanted it too much, I wanted success for me, for my family, and I wanted to progress in life and give them a lifestyle and myself as well. If I went back, I'd loved to be more patient and that would have made me a little less heated on the golf course, if you like, or, you know, that pressurized way that I used to play, you know? I wish I was slightly more relaxed. GWK: I know you won that the Accenture Match Play when it was an 'unofficial' tournament in the U.S, but did it bother you that you didn't get an official PGA Tour win? CM: I suppose. You know, they always say, oh, he never won in America and all this sort of stuff. I did OK in Europe. I beat a few of them, and I mean, I did win that match play. You know, I beat Davis Love in the final and Ernie Els in the semifinal. I count that as a victory because they were better than I was. It was nice, to put it this way, to finally achieve it in my 50s at the Senior PGA Championship. I was 51 at the time, 2014, when I won at Benton Harbor. It meant a lot to me to actually get that monkey off of my back, if you know what I mean, but, yeah, hey, you've got to be fortunate as well to win. It's not easy. GWK: If you had one last round, where would you want it to be? CM: My home club, Sunningdale (in England). That's where we live and it's the most beautiful walk. Forget the golf — almost. It makes you want to borrow a couple of Labrador dogs and carry a bag around and just love the walk more than the game of golf. Sunningdale is a beautiful spot. It's our Pine Valley, really, and that's the highest compliment I can give it.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
CM launches Rs 21,406 crore worth rural infra projects
Patna: CM Nitish Kumar on Thursday laid foundation stones for as well as launched the works on a total of 11,346 rural roads and 730 bridges, entailing an expenditure of Rs 21,406 crore together under various schemes of rural works department (RWD), through remote control. The roads and bridges are being built under CM rural roads strengthening and management, rural connectivity, rural bridge, bridge, and easy connectivity schemes. As per the break-up of the costs, the CM launched the works on schemes worth Rs 8,723 crore, while he laid the foundation stones for projects worth Rs 12,683 crore. "We have provided basic facilities to people in both rural and urban areas. All efforts are being made to improve them further," the CM said at a function held in this regard at Sankalp auditorium on his official residence premises here. He asked the officials to ensure that the schemes undertaken are completed in time with quality work. According to the details, work began on 5,047 rural roads (a total of 8,893km in length) involving an expenditure of Rs 6,198 crore under CM rural roads strengthening and management scheme, and 409 bridges, entailing an expenditure of Rs 1,859 crore under the rural bridge scheme as well as five other schemes worth Rs 48 crore. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More The work also started on 301 roads (490-km length) involving an expenditure of Rs 618 crore under CM rural connectivity scheme to link villages\tolas having population of 100 and more people. Besides, the CM laid the foundation stones for the construction of 4,079 roads (6,484-km length) at a cost of Rs 5,627 crore under CM rural roads strengthening and management scheme, and 296 bridges to be constructed at an expenditure of Rs 1,792 crore. These apart, he laid the foundation stones for 1,908 roads (3,397-km length) worth Rs 4,884 crore under the CM rural connectivity scheme, and eight other schemes involving an expenditure of Rs 101 crore. At the start of the function, RWD additional chief secretary (ACS) Dipak Kumar Singh presented the details on the roads and bridges concerned, besides the status of the schemes already under implementation. Deputy CMs Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, RWD minister Ashok Chaudhary, principal secretaries to CM Deepak Kumar and S Siddharth, chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena, development commissioner Pratyaya Amrit, and CM's secretary Kumar Ravi, besides ACS Singh among others were present at the function.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Murugan temple in Kodungaiyur limits revived, 10 years on
Chennai: The centuries-old Arulmigu Muthukumaraswamy Temple in Poongavanam Nagar, Kodungaiyur, witnessed a kumbabishekam (consecration) ceremony on Tuesday. The event was part of the state govt's efforts to revive core city temples that had not undergone consecration in more than a decade. HR&CE minister P K Sekarbabu oversaw the rituals. Renovation work, including the restoration of the Raja Gopuram, sanctum structures, and mandapams, were completed at a cost of 91.5lakh, funded by temple resources and donors. Since the DMK govt came to power, 3,386 temples, including 131 Murugan temples in places such as Palani, Thiruchendur, Thirupparankundram, and Vadapalani, have been restored. "Under CM Stalin's aegis, a revival of Murugan temples is underway. Kumbhabhishekams were held at Palani after 16 years and at Thiruchendur and Thirupparankundram after more than a decade. The state has invested more than 1,085cr in renovating 884 Murugan temples. The govt also hosted the grand World Tamil Murugan Conference in 2024, drawing more than five lakh attendees. Projects include the construction of towering Murugan statues at Marudhamalai (184ft), Thindal (180ft), and Kumaragiri (114ft)," said Sekarbabu. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai Infrastructure improvements such as cable cars, electric lifts, and hill paths to enhance accessibility, along with annadanam and prasadam schemes, have also been introduced. "We also introduced free pilgrimages for senior citizens, student scholarships, and cultural preservation through Thavil-Nadaswaram schools," he added.
