ITV

Category: Press Release

  • Musharraf: Pakistan against independence of Kashmir

    MUMBAI : In a landmark interview on NDTV Pak President Pervez Mushrraf has for the first time said that Pakistan is prepared to give up its claim to Kashmir if India and Pakistan agree on the ‘four-point solution’

    (a solution in which boundaries are not changed and India does not have to give up any territory).

    Musharraf, when asked by NDTV’s Dr Pronnoy Roy, “so you are prepared to give up your claim to Kashmir”? replied: “We will have to … Yes … if this solution comes up”. The excerpts of the interview will be telecast on News on Tuesday night, an NDTV press statement said.

    Musharraf also says that Pakistan would give up its demand for a plebiscite in the region and give up on the UN resolutions, under this solution. He added that that self-governance or autonomy is not independence -saying that Pakistan is against independence for Kashmir.

    It may be remembered that last year, Musharraf had hinted that the solution to the Kashmir problem could be possible “within Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh and my tenures”, and the latest startling statement on NDTV seems to be a well-planned one, following a calculated roadmap.

    When Roy repeated his question: “You are letting them self govern and you have no claim on Kashmir” … Musharraf retorted: “Why are you going on … I have said, at the moment, both India and Pakistan … We are on the same position as we were since 1948. But we both … I am saying … we both ought to be prepared to give up all that we have been saying. And this includes all this … If we reach an agreement where we are giving self governance, yes indeed…”

    In the interview President Musharraf also makes it clear that if the four-point solution (no change in boundaries of Kashmir; borders and the LoC to be made irrelevant; staggered demilitarisation; and autonomy or self-governance with a joint supervision mechanism) is agreed upon … Pakistan would also give up on the UN resolutions and its long-standing demand for a plebiscite.

    Roy further asked, “One thing in your solution… I will just be very clear so that the people of India can know this clearly. You are being, in a way, extremely bold, because it means that you are giving up plebiscite and giving up the UN resolution?”
    The wily general replied “One is giving up that clearly and I say, yes am giving up…There is a provision in that. One is prepared to give up, in case India leaves its stated position also…”

    The Pakistani President also said: “I believe when you are negotiating and you go for peace, it means what? It means compromise … otherwise you can’t… go for a solution of a problem … What do you mean by compromise? Compromise can never take place if you don’t step back. Compromise inherently means stepping back by both sides. So inherently, both sides have to give up their positions … and step back. If one of us is not prepared to step back, we will not reach a solution.”

    Musharraf also made it clear that once Pakistan gives up its claim to Kashmir, this four-point solution would not be a negotiating step towards getting independence for Kashmir and that self-governance or autonomy is not the first step to Kashmir’s independence.
    Roy asked: “Are you then saying, No independence for Kashmir?” and the general said: “Absolutely, we are against independence… and so is India.”

  • World AIDS day at CINEMAX

    MUMBAI: Cinemax,the exhibitors of fine cinema, had the children rolling with laughter by hosting a special screening of the hilarious and fun – filled comedy “Apna Sapna Money Money” at their Versova property. The special screening was held for 250 children from St. Catherine’s Home.

    Mrs. Smita Thackeray, the famed socialist activist, stepped in to grace this occasion. She distributed gifts among the eager children and interacted with them, adding a dash of sparkle to their lives. A few volunteers from Ojas Medical Institute were felicitated for working towards this cause.

    “As Mr. Devang Sampat, General Manager-Marketing & Sales said, “On World Aids Day, we have tried to touch the lives of the affected children by giving them a reason to smile. It was heartening to see St. Catherine Home’s initiatives, which brig’s a cheer to their children’s lives. It has been a privilege to be associated with such a noble cause”

  • Rai Bahadur M.S. Oberoi Media Awards to honour media excellence in exposing corruption in India

    MUMBAI: Transparency International India is pleased to announce the first ever M.S. Oberoi Gold Awards for excellence in exposing the corruption through the media to Mr. Varghese K. George of the Indian Express and Mr. Rohit Khanna of Sit, CNN-IBN.

    The Silver Awards are shared by Mr. M.L. Narsimha Reddy of the Telugu Daily Eenadu and Mr. Samudra Gupta Kashyap of the Indian Express in the Print category and by Mr. Saurabh Shukla of Aaj Tak and Mr. Sidhartha Gautam of SIT, CNN-IBN in the Electronic category.

    Transparency International India, an International Non Government Organization committed to combating corruption with support from the Oberoi Group has instituted these Journalism Awards aimed at recognizing and rewarding journalists for outstanding stories exposing corruption in India.

    The jury comprised of personalities from the fields of journalism, law, industry: Mr. B. G. Verghese, Mr. Harsh Mander, Justice Leila Seth, Mr. Vinod K. Bakshi and Mr. Arun Duggal.

    Speaking on behalf of the Jury, Mr. B.G. Verghese, Chairperson, said, “While shortlisting the entries and selecting the winners, the jury has given weightage to stories that have direct and significant effect on development, progress, human rights violation or public interest.

     

    Also the impact and significance of such disclosures and the risks and challenges countered by the journalist in breaking the story were among the factors taken into consideration in making the final decision.”

     

    The Gold Award carries a cash prize of Rs. 2 Lakhs, a medallion and citation and the Silver Award carries a cash prize of Rs. 50,000, a medallion and citation.

     

    Announcing the awards, Admiral Tahiliani (Retd.), Chairman of Transparency International India said, “These Awards epitomize integrity, determination and excellence, which undoubtedly are a fitting tribute to Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi, whose life was an illustration of these principles”.

     

    He added, “Transparency International aims to increase the level of accountability and transparency of government institutions, elected representatives and the government.

     

    In a democratic society all citizens need to take a stand against corruption and must therefore be well informed. The electronic and print media have played a vital role in generating awareness through their reach”.

     

    Explaining the rationale for the awards Mr. P.R.S. Oberoi, Chairman, The Oberoi Group said, “Journalists, who often at substantial personal risk, investigate and expose corrupt practices deserve applause, recognition and encouragement.

     

    The Rai Bahadur M.S. Oberoi Media Awards are an effort to demonstrate our admiration for these compelling tales of courage, character and integrity. I would like to congratulate the winners for their exemplary zeal, which if relentlessly pursued by all of us, has the potential of making India a better place to live in and do business with”.

    The presentations will be made on January 11, 2007 in New Delhi.

  • Examining the gift of life in an hour long documentary, CNN Presents: Body Parts

    Airtimes: Indian Standard Times

    Sat, July 8 at 1130am and 1930hrs

    Sun, July 9 at 1130am

     

    Every week, over 125 people die waiting for life-saving organ transplants. The generous people who elect to be living donors give the gift of life when they choose to donate their organs. Living organ donors elect to give away their kidneys and livers to family, friends and even anonymous strangers.

     

    In a revealing hour-long documentary, CNN’s medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen examines the complex ethical issues and post-operative challenges around living organ donation for CNN PRESENTS: BODY PARTS.

     

    As the need for organs grows, the number of live donations is overtaking that from cadavers. A growing number of “Good Samaritan” donors – people who give their organs to strangers – are fuelling debate over who is appropriate for donation. BODY PARTS found that some surgeons have approved as donors children as young as 10, drug addicts, even people who were mentally ill.

     

    Although organ recipients generally receive lifelong care after their surgeries, the screening and follow up for organ donors is far less regulated or studied. Often, it is the responsibility of the donors—or their families and friends—to bear the physical, emotional and financial burdens that follow some procedures.

     

    BODY PARTS examines the experiences of several living donors and their families as they make their gift-of-life decisions – with sometimes very unfortunate consequences.

     

    CNN PRESENTS is CNN International’s award-winning documentary series, showcasing compelling work of significant impact from esteemed filmmakers. For more CNN International programming information, please visit our website at www.cnnasiapacific.com.

  • Zee News Initiates Interactive Discussions On Paradigm Shift In The Society

    MUMBAI: Zee News – the pioneer Hindi news channel, in it’s endeavor to highlight the shift of the focus in the society, presents two interactive discussion programmes this weekend. These programmes will primarily focus on two issues; first is “”Are religious Gurus have become the role models of the society, today?” and the second is “Is the society in Gujarat accepting the liberal women?”

     

    The two programmes have been designed in such a way that the viewer’s interactivity would be as high as possible. “Main Azaad Hoon” initiates the discussion on “today’s liberal attitude of women”, whereas it is “commoner’s increasing dependency on the religious gurus” takes the center stage in “Kitna Bole Baba”

    The programmes are aimed at clarifying the prevailing misconceptions about the issues. “Kitna Bole Baba” will focus the society’s current mindset of making larger than life picture of their religious gurus. It is going to be a discussion between today’s famous gurus and the social scientists with a view to bring a clearer picture of the thought process the gurus put in, while advising their disciples in their day to day affairs.

    It will be telecasted on 23rd December’06 at 8 p.m. “Main Azaad Hoon” will focus on the pragmatic situations, which today’s women often find them into. From having a boyfriend to having an extra marital affair, no question is going to be hypothetical. The discussion will further cover the morality factor in the women’s action from society’s viewpoint.

    Apart from survey and field stories, the guests in the studio will also contribute with their views. Guests would include some social activists, young girls and a psychologist. This will be telecasted on 24th December’06 at 8 p.m. The survey was conducted in four cities – Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot.

    Zee News has always devised ways to connect to its viewers. A deep research was conducted, before zeroing down on these topics. The channel has been frequently providing a platform to discuss the important topics, which will pave way to an open-minded society.

    Watch the discussions live on Zee News from 8pm. To 9 pm on 23rd and 24th December’06.

  • Celebrate new year with NDTV

    Celebrate new year with NDTV

    MUMBAI: Finally it’s that time of the year when we look back at the year that was. NDTV, India’s pioneering news channel, will highlight the memorable events of 2006 with a line-up of special programmes and shows in the last week of December.

    Watch out for the newsmakers, the movers and shakers, the hits and the flops, the controversies, the events that dominated Indian and Global news on NDTV 24X7, NDTV India and NDTV Profit, starting December 25. “As the world bids adieu to the year gone by and ushers in a new year, we bring alive the most dramatic events witnessed in the year 2006, with our reporters’ unmatched perspective and analysis. On the features side, NDTV 24X7 will continue to bring to its discerning viewers the most relevant and innovative programmes,” said Sonia Singh, Managing Editor, NDTV 24X7.

     

    “The year 2006 has been a great year for us, a year to cherish…We have delivered some great news stories and we are all proud that our chat show ‘Muqabla’ won the Best Chat Show award this year from among a group of English shows. We aspire to give our viewers an equally exciting host of programmes in the year ahead and will stay out of sensationalism of news,” said Dibang, Managing Editor, NDTV India.

     

    “Business made, business lost…indigenous ventures gave the multinationals a run for their money while India crossed a few more milestones in global business. Year 2006 has witnessed these and many more on NDTV Profit. Crafted by the best talent in business journalism, NDTV Profit will bring our financially savvy viewers this year’s developments and smart business tips for the New Year,” said Shivnath Thukral, Executive Editor, NDTV Profit.

     

    NDTV 24X7, India’s leading news channel, will bring its viewers a one-hour special “Highlights of the Year ‘06” programme on New Year’s eve. This show will have a section on the juicy controversies, biggest indigenous joint ventures, strongest pictures, obituaries, Best Indian of the Year and a lot more. This will be followed by a half-hour special programme on sports and five different selections from its highly commended night-out shows.

     

    Viewers can savour the very best of NDTV’s acclaimed programmes like The Big Fight, We the People, Cricket Controversies, Walk the Talk and The Great Indian Tamasha.

    NDTV Profit commemorates an exciting year of business and lifestyle through a series of special episodes of some of its hallmark shows. Starting with a one-hour exclusive programme called ‘Top four stories of the Year 2006’, it takes a sneak peek at the world of business for the coming week. This is followed by a special D-Street year-ender on the famous mergers and acquisitions of the year, titled ‘India on the prowl.’

     

    NDTV Profit will also show special episodes of some of its most popular shows like Value for money, Good Food, Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Money Mantra.

     

    The excitement and festivity does not cease here. NDTV India, the acclaimed Hindi news channel will host a series of programmes crafted especially for the occasion, commencing from December 25, 2006, 10 pm onwards.

     

    There will be thought-provoking programmes on terrorist attacks, legal procedures and verdicts, controversies of the year, a special show on how the movie Lage Raho Munnabhai recreated Gandhi in the Indian mind and a lot more…

    There will also be special telecasts on the year 2006’s biggest films, best sequels and remakes. So get comfortable and enjoy NDTV’s 2006 retrospective before welcoming year 2007.

  • Rediffusion DY&R partners 2 of the top 10 brands in the list of India’s Most Valuable brands

    23rd July 2006, Mumbai: Rediffusion DYR has had the distinction of having 2 of its brands in the top 10 in the listing of India’s Top 100 Most Valuable Brands. Airtel has been with Rediffusion since its very launch and Colgate for over two decades.

     

    The exhaustive study conducted by 4Ps Business & Marketing – India’s leading Business & Marketing magazine in association with ICMR, researched over 852 brands out of 30,000 in India.

    Mr. Preet Bedi – President, Rediffusion DY&R said, “We are proud that we have been the sole communications partners of these brands and have had the opportunity of making significant strategic and creative contributions over the years.”

     

    The agency also has the honour of having 3 other brands in the list of the “Top 100 Most Valuable Brands”. These are Eveready, Indian Oil and Taj Hotels.

     

    Having been with Airtel since its inception, Rediffusion DY&R has been instrumental in building its image and positioning in the market. Colgate whose partnership with Rediffusion DY&R has been for over two decades has the honor of being voted “India’s Most Trusted Brand” across all categories in the Brand Equity ORG-MARG AC Nielsen Survey for the past three years consecutively.

     

    The six-month comprehensive study initiated by 4Ps Business & Marketing, and ICMR, evaluated the selected brands, using the latest tools in market research and quantitative analysis. The study measured the response of the consumer to the brands against certain parameters, which included Image & Perception, Brand Awareness, Brand Loyalty, Brand Association and Brand Performance. The research produced some stunning results and highlighted the evolving perceptions of consumers towards different brands across all product categories in today’s competitive market.

    For more information, please contact

    Cheryl Pereira: Rediffusion DY&R – PR, 9821641501
    Ajay Verma: Rediffusion DY&R – 982123783

  • India takes on Sri Lanka in the final of the Women’s Asia Cup

    MUMBAI: Neo Sports Broadcast Pvt Ltd., today announced the live telecast of the finals of the Women’s Asia Cup to be played between India & Sri Lanka at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. India beat arch rivals Pakistan to enter the finals.

    Mr. Shashi Kalathil, CEO, Neo Sports Broadcast Pvt Ltd commented, “Women’s cricket hasn’t received the requisite focus & attention till date. Now with the game under the auspices of the BCCI, we will look at leveraging our robust international & domestic cricketing calendar as a platform to build a following for the game”.

    Positioned as ” The home of Indian cricket on TV”, Neo Sports holds the rights to all the international & domestic cricket played in India. It holds the rights to 67% of all confirmed international cricket series featuring the Indian cricket team till March 2010.

    Neo Sports Broadcast Pvt Ltd has entered into an exclusive distribution tie-up with Star India, to take Neo Sports & Neo Sports Plus across the length and breadth of this country. The channel is available on Cable, DTH and new media platforms.

  • Future Group awards media duties to Starcom

    MUMBAI: Future Group and Starcom MediaVest Group have jointly announced that with effect from 1 January 2007, all media investments for member companies of the Future Group, will be managed by Starcom Worldwide.

    The Starcom responsibility of the Future Group media investment management will be handled by Manish Porwal, who is slated to assume his new responsibility of Starcom Worldwide India-West and South managing director, starting 1 January.

    The account will be managed by Starcom in three separate locations in India – Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, with central reporting to the marketing team at the group’s head quarters in Mumbai. Some of the staff to handle the account will be shifted from Starcom’s existing talent pool, while some others will be recruited from the market.

     

    Specific initiatives that Starcom wishes to implement to activate this assignment will be announced in due course.Pantaloon Retail president-marketing Sanjeev Agrawal said, “We are passing through some really exciting times, with consumer spends growing rapidly, and retailing as a business literally exploding. We are a pioneer and leader in the area of retail. We recognize that the media landscape in India is complex and will be even more so in the times ahead. To take us through the challenges and opportunities ahead and help our brand connect with our consumers, we were looking for a new media partner.

     

    Starcom’s focus on Return on Objectives [ROO] as a new metric for marketing accountability appealed to us. We were also happy to see that they have built true 360 degrees communication capability over the last few years. These are the reasons we decided to align with them” commenting on the win, Starcom MediaVest Group CEO-South Asia Ravi Kiran said, “I believe we have a complete mind match with the Future Group marketing team. For some time now, we have been proposing a view of the future of marketing and communication which is based on today’s market realities of attention-challenged, multi-tasking consumers, and the need to activate all the assets of media owners, instead of just negotiating with them to reduce cost. This is the basis for Return On Objectives, a principle that emphasizes leveraging market opportunities, rather than internal constraints such as minimizing costs.

     

    We hope to deliver engaging consumer connections, using platform-agnostic ideas, activated media owner assets and through-the-line planning and execution capabilities, to the brands of Future Group.”

     

    Mumbai based retail group Future Group’s flagship enterprise is Pantaloon Retail in addition to other companies such as Home Solutions Retail India, Indus League Clothing, Galaxy Entertainment and others. the group operates through six verticals: Future Retail (encompassing all lines of retail business), Future Capital (financial products and services), Future Brands (all brands owned or managed by group companies), Future Space (management of retail real estate), Future Logistics (management of supply chain and distribution) and Future Media (development and management of retail media spaces).

  • Can India score a perfect 10 GDP?”

    MUMBAI: CNBC-TV18, India’s leading business medium and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have joined hands to promote the ‘India Economic Conclave 2006’ presented by the Bank of Rajasthan. The India Economic Conclave is an annual event hosted by CNBC-TV18, which brings the top thinkers in the corporate world on a common platform to brainstorm on issues plaguing India Inc and suggest an appropriate course of action. The theme for the Conclave this year was ‘ Breakthrough Ideas to Attain 10% GDP’

     

    The India Economic Conclave 2006 integrated two interactive panel discussions ‘AIMING FOR 10% GDP – What needs to be done: The Role of the Government, Industry and Consumer’ and ‘Out of the Box Ideas for Double Digit Growth’. Moderated by Senthil Chengalvarayan and Shereen Bhan, the conclave deliberated on innovative and revolutionary ideas that could propel India into the next paradigm of growth in the Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Agriculture and Services sectors.

     

    Speakers at the two sessions included corporate and government leaders like Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia, Loksabha MP – Congress, Mr. Ajay S Shriram, Chairman and Senior Managing Director – DCM Shriram Consolidated Ltd., Dr. Surinder Kapur, Chairman and Managing Director – Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd, Mr. Banmali Agrawala, Managing Director – Wartsila India Ltd, Mr Tarun Tejpal, Editor-in-Chief – Tehelka, Mr. R Seshasayee, President – CII, Mr. Tapan Bhaumik, Chief economist – Reliance Industries, Mr. Santosh Desai, President – McCann Erickson and Mr. Raman Roy, Chairman & Managing Director – Quatrro.

     

    Speaking at the conclave, a spokesperson for CNBC-TV18 said, “The ultimate aim of the conclave is to create and write a socio-economic blueprint that will help Heads of State, CEOs, and Policy Makers from India and across the world to understand and work with the vast opportunity that is India. The next milestone ahead of India is breaking through the 10% GDP barrier and one thing is loud and clear if the Indian economy has to grow by 10% then the consumers, government and the industry players will have to work in perfect symphony.”

     

    Sustained economic growth presents different challenges to India – revitalization of the rural economy, improved delivery of necessary public services, enhanced management of urban areas, and facilitation of cost-effective investment in infrastructure were identified by the panelists.

    The discussion revealed that for India to achieve a 10% GDP growth the immediate need is to increase infrastructure spend to GDP. The problem which arises here was Investment as China spends around 20% of its GDP on Infrastructure projects while India spends only 6%. Hence there is a strong case for raising this number.