Monday, March 25, 2013

The Facts: Border - Gavaskar Trophy


 # Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first skipper to post eight consecutive Test wins against Australia on Indian soil. Under his leadership, India have won 24, lost 12 and drawn 11 out of 47 contested -- success % 51.06.

# Australia has lost eight tests in a row to a skipper for the first time in an overseas tussle.

# Dhoni is the first Indian skipper to register a clean sweep in a series of four tests against any side.

# India, for the first time, have won a test series by 4-0 -- their first instance of four consecutive test wins in a series. They have achieved three successive series wins against Australia on Indian soil -- 2-0 in 2008-09; 2-0 in 2010-11 and 4-0 in 2012-13.

# Australia, for the second time, has been whitewashed by 4-0 in a Test series after their 4-0 clean sweep to South Africa in 1969-70.

# Ravindra Jadeja (5-58) has recorded his first five-wicket haul in test cricket, eclipsing the 3 for 33 against Australia at Hyderabad.

# Jadeja's superb match figures of 7 for 98 (2-40 & 5-58) are his best in a Test match, surpassing the six for 66 against Australia at Hyderabad. His brilliant performance has earned him his first Man of the Match award in tests.

# Cheteshwar Pujara has registered strike rate of 89.13 (82 not out off 92 balls) -- the third highest in the fourth innings of a Test match for India.

# Pujara has posted fifties in each innings of the Delhi Test -- a feat recorded by him for the first time.

# Pujara, in two consecutive series, has registered 400 runs or more for the first time, totalling 438 (ave. 87.60) against England in 2011-12 followed by 419 (ave. 83.80) against Australia in the just concluded rubber.

# Nathan Lyon (7-94) has registered his best bowling performance in tests, outstripping the 5 for 34 against Sri Lanka at Galle in August 2011.

# Overall, Lyon has taken five wickets or more in an innings three times -- his third-best being 5 for 68 against the West Indies at Port of Spain in April 2012.

# Ashley Mallett had captured 6-68 in 1969-70 -- the previous best figures by an Australian bowler at Feroz Shah Kotla.

# Lyon's excellent performance of 7-94 is the sixth best by an Australian bowler in a Test innings at Feroz Shah Kotla. His match figures of 9 for 165 are his career-best in a Test match as well as the best by an Australian bowler at this venue.

# At Feroz Shah Kotla, India have won 12 Tests out of 32 contested -- the second highest tally of wins registered by them, next only to the 13 out of 31 at Chepauk.

# India have won nine out of the last ten Tests played at Kotla -- the remaining one could not produce a result.

# Ravichandran Ashwin, with 29 wickets at 20.10 runs apiece, has finished as the leading wicket-taker followed by Jadeja -- 24 (17.45). Jadeja's bowling average is the best in the just concluded rubber.

# Ashwin's tally is the third highest by an Indian bowler in a Test series against Australia behind Harbhajan (32 at 17.03 runs apiece in three Tests in 2000-01) and Bishan Singh Bedi (31 at 23.87 runs apiece in five Tests in 1977-78).

# This was Ashwin's first Player of the series award against Australia and his third in Tests.

# Peter Siddle (51 & 50) became the first number nine batsman to make fifties in each innings of a Test match. He is the first number nine batsman to top score in each innings of a Test match.

# Siddle became the fourth Australian number nine batsman to post 100 runs or more in a Test match, joining Jack Gregory, Clem Hill and Ray Lindwall.

# With 430 runs at an average of 61.42, Murali Vijay is the leading run-getter in the series.

# Two Australian spinners opened the second innings -- Lyon and Maxwell, providing the third instance when Australia opened the bowling attack with two spinners.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Govt. to introduce new pension, life insurance scheme for overseas Indian workers


Sensing the importance of overseas Indian workers in the country's development, the government of India has recently announced a new pension and life insurance scheme for overseas Indian workers that would allow over five million workers, especially those working in the Gulf, to save money for the future.

Addressing the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Jaipur the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh announced the government's decision to introduce and sponsor the Pension and Life Insurance Fund. “The scheme will encourage the overseas workers to voluntarily save money for their resettlement and old age", Dr. Singh said.

There were over 1,900 delegates from 60 countries present in the seminar.

“The scheme will encourage, enable and assist overseas workers to voluntarily save for their return and resettlement and old age. The scheme, which was recently cleared by the Cabinet, will also provide a low-cost life insurance cover against natural death", he added.

Under the scheme, the government would co-contribute Rs 1,000 per annum for all subscribers who contribute between Rs 1,000 and Rs 12,000 per annum. Overseas women workers would enjoy a special additional co- contribution of Rs 1,000 per annum.

“This scheme fulfils a long-pending demand of our workers abroad," Dr. Singh said.


( Source: InsuringIndia.com )

IRDA may allow automatic clearance of standard life insurance products.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) may come out with a new policy giving automatic clearance to standard life insurance products and relax investment guidelines to encourage flow of funds into infrastructure sector, Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Namo Narian Meena said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

The insurance watchdog has constituted Working Groups in consultation with the Life Insurance Council to set-out parameters and framework within which standard life insurance products can be automatically cleared, he added.

In order to canalise funds into infrastructure sector, IRDA has amended its Investment Regulations recently. Some prominent features of these regulations are as follows:(a) Permitted investments in the category of 'other than approved investments' to qualify for the investments mandatory requirement of investing in 15% of life fund in 'Housing and Infrastructure category'.

(b) Investments in “Infrastructure Debt Funds" backed by central government as approved by IRDA shall be reckoned for investments in infrastructure.

(c) Reduced the mandated outstanding tenure of infrastructure bonds from 10 years to 5 years.

(d) The exposure of any insurer to an infrastructure company has been increased to 20% as against the single investee company exposure norms of 10%. The limit can further be increased by another 5% in case of Debt with the prior approval of the Board.

(e) Permitted investments in infrastructure SPVs to the extent of 20% of the project cost subject to appropriate guarantees by the parent company/ companies and meeting the specified eligibility criteria.

(f) Investments in infrastructure are excluded from the applicability of industry sector exposure norms.

Both, life and non-life insurance sectors have started up numerous steps for increasing insurance penetration countrywide. These include opening of new offices in small towns and launching of new products.


( Source: InsuringIndia.com )

New India Assurance launches website to buy policies online

On Tuesday, the largest general insurer of the country New India Assurance has announced the launch of a portal to enable customers to buy policies online.

The state-run insurer will offer products in motor, health, travel and personal accident segment through this portal along with policy renewal facilities, the company said in a release .

According to the press release, the company will offer products of comprehensive private car and two-wheeler insurance, health insurance , personal accident and overseas mediclaim policy.

The customer portal 'online.newindia.co.in' will also allow policy renewals. The existing customers would also be able to link their policies and track their claims among others.

The insurer also launched 'Anywhere Any Time Renewal' facility through which a customer can renew policy in its 1,500 offices and also online, the release said.

The insurer also said in the statement that it would launch its mobility solutions soon, which will have the facility to take and renew the insurance policies offered by it..

New India Assurance had registered a net profit of Rs 517 cr in the first nine months of the current fiscal (April-December).



( Source: www.InsuringIndia.com )