Swachh Bharat: 75 major cities to be rated for cleanliness

NEW DELHI: The Centre will conduct a survey of 75 cities in the country, especially those with a population over 10 lakh, to ascertain the sanitation scenario and subsequently rate them. 

The survey, commissioned by the urban development ministry, is the first such since Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Swachh Bharat Mission in October last year and aligns with the objectives of the Mission. 

Apart from New Delhi and state capitals, Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Pune, Visakhapatnam, Gurgaon, Kochi, Nagpur, Amritsar, Allahabad are among the 75 cities, which account for over 50 per cent of country's total urban population, to be rated for its cleanliness. 

The survey parameters have been aligned with the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission with more focus on solid waste management which is adversely impacting cleanliness in urban areas, as per the directions of Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. 

The proposed survey and subsequent ratings, to be completed in January next year, is aimed at fostering a spirit of competition among the cities to ensure sanitation in urban areas, said a senior UD Ministry official. 

In the proposed survey, solid waste management is being given 60 per cent weightage followed by 15 per cent each for availability and use of individual household toilets and public and community toilets besides 5 per cent each for city level sanitation plans and Information, Education and Behaviour Change Communication (IEBC) activities. 

Under Swachh Bharat Mission, about Rs 37,000 crore of the project cost of Rs 62,009 cr is to be incurred on solid waste management. 

In the last survey, for ranking 476 cities with a population of over one lakh each which was commissioned before the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission, solid waste management had a weightage of only 13 per cent. 

Swachh Bharat Mission is aimed at ensuring door-to-door collection, transportation and scientific disposal of solid waste in all the 83,000 wards in urban areas by 2019 besides construction of one crore individual household toilets and over five lakh public and community toilets. 

Among the cities to be surveyed are Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada from Andhra Pradesh, Guwahati from Assam, Raipur and Durg from Chhattisgarh, Itanagar from Arunachal Pradesh, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat from Gujarat, Panaji from Goa, Gurgaon and Faridabad from Haryana, Shimla from Himachal Pradesh, Srinagar from Jammu & Kashmir, Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad from Jharkhand, Bengaluru, Mysore and Hubli-Dharwad city from Karnataka, Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram from Kerala, Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur from Madhya Pradesh. 

Ten cities from Maharashtra include Navi Mumbai, Greater Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Pune, Pimpri-Chindwad, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Thane and Vasai-Virar. 

Other cities include Imphal from Manipur, Shillong from Meghalaya, Aizawl from Mizoram, Kohima from Nagaland, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack from Odisha, Amritsar and Ludhiana from Punjab, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota from Rajasthan, Gangtok from Sikkim, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchirapalli from Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Warangal from Telangana. 

Eight cities from Uttar Pradesh include Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Noida and Agra. 

Dehradun from Uttarakhand, Kolkata and Asansol-Durgapur from West Bengal are other cities in the list of 75 finalised by the ministry for sanitation survey.





REFRENCES=TIMES OF INDIA 

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OnePlus X first impressions

OnePlus has finally released its first smartphone with 5-inch screen, its smallest handset yet. The smartphone seems to be aimed at buyers who considered the OnePlus One and 2 too big to handle as well those who want a stylish-looking smartphone. The new OnePlus X smartphone comes in two finishes: Onyx and Ceramic. Onyx has a black rear panel with glass on top and metal bezels on the sides, whereas the Ceramic model has a casing made of zirconia mould; the latter takes 25 days to make and only 10,000 units of this model will be sold.We went hands-on with the latest OnePlus smartphone to see what it is all about. Here are our OnePlus X first impressions:

1 DESIGN

OnePlu X is a smartphone that fits snugly in the hand and is quite good to look at. Like iPhone 6S, the screen of the new OnePlus smartphone has a wraparound design where it meets the metal bezel. The bezels on the sides are pretty slim, so the smartphone remains quite easy to hold and operate with one hand.

The metal bezels extend from the sides as a sloping edge and meet the back panel to create a semi-cohesive effect that makes the smartphone one of the best looking models in the sub-Rs 20,000 range. Though the glass panel adds the premium feel to OnePlus X, it also means you get a casing that is always suffering from smudges and is not easy to grip.

The power and volume buttons on OnePlus X are placed on the right side and on the right is the Alert Slider that made its debut with OnePlus 2 a few months ago. The 3.5mm earphone jack is located on top, while the loudspeakers are at the bottom. Also at the bottom is the microUSB 2.0 port, which is a curious addition since the company made quite a show including the USB Type C in OnePlus 2 as a forward-looking move.

Notably missing is the fingerprint sensor.

At 138 gram, the Onyx version is pretty light and you should have no problems using it. However, the Ceramic model weighs 160 grams, which puts it close to the territory of Samsung Galaxy Note models and OnePlus 2 despite the much smaller screen.

2 DESIGN

OnePlus X sports a 5-inch AMOLED panel with Full HD (1080x1920p) resolution that offers deep blacks and punchy colours. The screen is not too reflective and seems bright enough to display text under direct sunlight, but we could not check this as the launch area did not provide such an option. The smartphone offers good viewing angles as well.

3 HARDWARE

OnePlus X runs on the 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB RAM. Sounds familiar? This is the same configuration that OnePlus One offered over a year ago. The smartphone packs 16GB of storage and supports microSD cards of up to 128GB capacities; in order to slip in the microSD card, you would have to sacrifice one of the two sim card slots since the smartphone has a hybrid setup for storage expansion.

The rear camera of OnePlus X has a 13MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture and phase-detection autofocus that is said to focus on the object 0.2 seconds. On the front is an 8MP camera. The battery capacity is rated at 2,525mAh.

4 SOFTWARE

OnePlus X runs on Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)-based Oxygen OS 2.1.2, which has the same user interface that we saw in OnePlus 2. So you get the same personalization drawer on the left of the home screen and flat app icons in the menu.

The Settings menu has the same personalization options that we saw in OnePlus 2 as well. So you get to invert the colours from a dark theme to a light one, choose whether you want on-screen keys or the soft-touch keys with haptic feedback, among others. Read our OnePlus 2 review for a detailed look of the Oxygen OS software.

5 OUR EXPERIENCE WITH ONE PLUS X 

In the small amount of time we spent with OnePlus X, we found the smartphone to be fast and responsive. Going by the performance of OnePlus One (they share the basic configuration), we don’t foresee any major problems in day-to-day operations with the new smartphone.

The design is obviously a big plus and will easily make heads turn and the addition of microSD card support makes it an attractive buy. The camera is fast and delivers decent photos, but we cannot make a judgement on it until we have taken a few shots indoors as well as outdoors.

Stay tuned to our full review of OnePlus X to determine if this is the right smartphone for you.

REFRENCES=TIMES OF INDIA 

The unforgettable city of Venice

Evocative architecture, romantic ambience and charming heritage—a visit to this Italian city is like walking into a painting. Glimpses of artisans at their creative best, cooks whipping up mouth-watering dishes and musicians humming everything from classical tunes to rock, every nook and corner of Venice is steeped in culture, art and history.

Sail in Venetian waters
With a cup of gelato in your hand, explore this picture-postcard city on an iconic gondola ride. Sail in the city’s meandering waterways and take in stunning views of historical landmarks, the colour-changing skyline, outdoor restaurants and cafes at sunset.

Stroll across the Rialto Bridge
This pedestrian stone arch bridge on the Grand Canal is one of the oldest bridges in Venice. A landmark of the city, the 400-year bridge is 75-foot-wide and 24-foot long, and among its most picturesque stretches

Discover Venice’s history
Once called ‘the drawing room of Europe’ by Napolean, the San Marco Square is the vantage point for city’s well-known attractions. St. Mark’s Basilica (Basilica di San Marco), Doge’s Palace and Torre dell’Orologio form the nerve centre of the city and offer intriguing glimpses of Venice’s glorious past.

REFRENCES=TIMES OF INDIA 

6 ways to soften iPhone 6s sticker shock

Apple’s new iPhones are here and if you’re a fan, chances are you’d know that the Cupertino giant’s flagships don't come cheap.

The iPhone 6S is available at Rs 62,000 for the 16GB version, Rs 72,000 for the 64GB version, and Rs 82,000 for the 128GB storage variant. The iPhone 6S Plus has been priced at Rs 72,000 for the 16GB version, Rs 82,000 for the 64GB version, and Rs 92,000 for the 128GB variant.

While the prices are not expected to come down at least for the next few months, we tried to find a few sweet deals that effectively reduce the cost of owning the all-new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.

Vodafone deal

Mobile operator Vodafone is offering free data and voice benefits worth Rs 8,885 for six months (in total) with the new Apple iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.

Existing or new Vodafone customers can buy a new device and choose a Vodafone RED 1,299 worry-free plan available free for six months from the time of purchase.

The plan includes 3GB mobile internet, 4,000 free local and STD minutes and 1,500 local and national SMS per month. Charges above plan limits are 50p/MB for data usage, 50p/SMS and 50p/min for voice calls. Roaming, international calling and VAS charges will be extra as applicable, it added.

Airtel offers

Mobile operator Airtel is also selling the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus models. While the upfront cost remains unchanged and there’s no rent-free period, it offers ‘iPhone Infinity’ plans, which include 60GB of free 4G data over 12 months, offering savings of Rs 15,000. These packs also include access to Airtel’s Wynk Movies and Wynk Movies services in addition to unlimited calling to Airtel numbers and unlimited SMS.

The plans start at Rs 999 and go up to Rs 2,999. With each plan you get 5GB data free every month. So the Rs 999 plan comes with 8GB of data instead of just 3GB.

REFRENCES=TIMES OF INDIA

Durga Puja chronicles

Durga Puja, a ten days Hindu festival, celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over a demon named Mahishasura. While the festivities take a brilliant turn from the sixth day, all the ten days bring together people from diverse faiths to mark evil’s downfall. Also hailed as a celebration of female power, this festival culminates on Dussehra with Durga visarjan.

The making of celebrations
Preparations, at places such as Kolkata’s Kumortuli and Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park, begin months before the puja. These colonies see artisans working at idols of Goddess Durga, making fascinating pieces out of clay. Photographers’ too make a beeline for these colonies to catch these artisans’ life at work.

Pandal hopping
Your Durga Puja celebrations wouldn’t be complete without a visit to one of the puja pandals. Grand, splendid structures spring up in cities across India, inviting devotees to join in the celebrations. Places such as Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Mumbai see themed pandals vying for the best pandal awards!

REFRENCES=TIMES OF INDIA 

Cairo: the city of a thousand minarets

Cairo: the city of a thousand minarets
The hypnotising charm of this pulsating 24-hour metropolis lies in its chaotic rhythm—the snarl of traffic wakes you up every morning, decrepit cars still drive around Coptic churches and donkey carts and stray camels wander around cobble-stoned bazaars telling tales straight out of the Arabian Nights.

Cairo: the city of a thousand minarets

Experience the dizzying Khan al-KhaliliA frantic and dizzying mix of hawkers, perfume incenses, age-old buildings, Egyptians and tourists—Khan al-Khalili is Cairo’s biggest open-air market, where you can buy everything from jeans and gold to hookahs and magical oils. As you wander the backstreets of the souk, you’ll realise that the gentle spice scents and the gleaming copper coffee pots have changed little with time.

Cairo: the city of a thousand minarets

Wander through Old Cairo

Wander down Old Cairo and you’ll be transported to a bygone medieval era. Old Cairo encompasses Coptic Cairo—a stronghold of Egypt’s Christian past—as well as Islamic Cairo—which is dotted with mosques and other Islamic monuments. Stand still in Islamic Cairo at sunset and listen to the muezzins calling from hundreds of minarets in the district.

REFRENCES=TIMES OF INDIA 

Moto X Style first impressions: Worth Rs 29,999?

Motorola has been immensely successful in India, capturing a significant portion of the sub-Rs 15,000 market with its Moto G and Moto E series smartphones. The company’s Moto X Play, a recent entrant in the market, is also among the popular models under Rs 20,000.

However, the real challenge for Motorola is in the mid-to-high-end segment, where its new Moto X Style (priced at Rs 29,999 for the starting model) sits.

We went hands-on with Moto X Style at the launch event, looking at how the smartphone stands compared to the cheaper alternatives...

Check out to find out if Moto X Style is worth buying at Rs 29,999.

Display

Moto X Style sports a 5.7-inch display that offers balanced colours and great viewing angles. It is also the only smartphone under Rs 30,000 to offer QHD (1440x2560p) resolution, delivering pixel density of over 500ppi. Another noteworthy point is brightness levels, you will not find any problem reading under the sun with this smartphone.

REFENCES=TIMES OF INDIA

10 best smartphones coming to India soon

Indian smartphone market is all set to dazzle this festive season, with top smartphone makers like Apple, Sony, Lenovo and search giant Google ready to launch their latest smartphones in the Indian market.

So, here's over to 10 top smartphones set to make India debut.

Apple iPhone 6S, 6S Plus

The first Apple smartphones to feature 3D Touch technology, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus are coming to India on October 16, within a month of its global launch.

While there is no increment in screen size in iPhone 6S (4.7-inch HD) and iPhone 6S (5.5-inch Full HD) compared to last year’s models, the integrated 3D Touch display allows them to differentiate between types of touches and taps in preloaded apps as well as on the homescreen.

Both iPhones are powered by the new A9 processor with 2GB RAM and run on iOS 9 operating system. They come in 3 storage variants: 16, 64, and 128GB; there is no support for microSD cards for storage expansions.

The rear cameras of the two smartphones have 12MP resolution, backed by dual-tone dual-LED flash, while the front cameras have 5MP sensors. Along with the standard silver, space gray and gold colours, iPhone 6S and 6S Plus also come in a new rose gold hue.

Google Nexus 5X, 6P

Google Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P smartphones are scheduled to launch in India on October 13. Some key features the two smartphones share are USB Type-C, fingerprint sensor, 12.3MP camera with large 1.55-micron sensor and Android Marshmallow.

The LG-made Nexus 5X comes with a 64-bit Snapdragon 808 processor with a 2 GB RAM unit. The 5X has a 5.2-inch 1080p display protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and a 12MP rear camera with 4K video support. It comes in 16GB and 32GB variants and draws power from a 2,700 mAh battery.

Google Nexus 6P, made by Huawei, features a 5.7-inch screen (1440p resolution), Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB RAM, 8MP front camera and 3,450mAh battery. It comes in three storage options (32GB, 64GB and 128GB).

REFRENCES=TIMES OF INDIA