By the way

Assembly polls: GPS to track flying squads 

New Delhi: Amid mounting complaints of ‘flying squads’, mandated to prevent malpractices, failing to reach trouble spots, the Election Commission has decided to install GPS devices in such vehicles to ensure accountability. The central police force personnel accompanying the teams will ensure action is taken against those indulging in malpractices. “All mobile teams and flying squads will have GPS in the vehicles so that their movements are tracked,” CEC Nasim Zaidi said. PTI

Burger named after Canada’s Defence Minister

Toronto: Canada's first Sikh Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan now has a chicken burger named after him and it is called “The Minister of National Deliciousness”. Sajjan (45), stopped by a downtown Vancouver eatery to sample the burger named in his honour. “National Deliciousness indeed! Tried my namesake burger at #Vancouver’s @TheCannibalCafe and was not disappointed,” Sajjan tweeted. PTI

Sahara chief’s ‘Life Mantras’ flies off shelf 

Dhaka: ‘Life Mantras’, a book by Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy, has topped the non-fiction category of Nielsen BookScan. According to Nielsen best-seller list, the book brought out by Rupa Publication, has topped the non-fiction list this week, pushing into second spot the popular Manorama Yearbook 2016. The Nielsen BookScan service is the world's largest continuous book sales tracking service operating in India, the UK, Ireland, Australia, US, South Africa, New Zealand, Italy, Brazil and Spain. PTI

Modi is God’s gift to India, says Chouhan  

Vrindavan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is God's gift to India, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in his address to a convention of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha on Sunday. Chouhan said the PM had become the “most popular leader in the world” and was working to make India a strong and prosperous country. “He is a man of ideas and has the strong will to execute these. Wherever in the world he goes, people chant Modi! Modi! He is the God’s divine gift to India. He will make India ‘vishwa guru’ by 2022,” he said amid cheering. PTI

Flipkart-reject IITian flooded with job offers 

New Delhi: IITian Akash Mittal may not have measured up to the expectations of Flipkart, but the product listing-like presentation of his resume on the e-commerce platform has made many start-ups sit up, take notice and flood him with concrete job offers. The 23-year-old techie caught attention last week after he uploaded a screenshot of his profile on the Flipkart website - just like the way a product is listed. “I have received a number of offers, including that of chief product manager and chief technology officer,” he said. PTI

Pak shouldn’t play in Dharamsala: Imran

Karachi: Former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan feels that the national cricket team should not play its scheduled World T20 match against India in Dharamsala on March 19 given the "hateful statements and resistance" shown by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. According to a Pakistan daily, Imran told the media on Sunday that he was disappointed with the statements issued by the Chief Minister. "The statement is an irresponsible one and is totally against the standards of hospitality and hosting. Such statements clearly promote hate,"he said. — PTI

Rain comes as boon for wheat crop

Chandigarh: Widespread rain in the region has brought cheer to the farmers as it is sure to benefit the wheat crop. Though there are reports of fields being flattened in some Punjab districts, agriculture officials maintain the loss is insignificant compared with the gains. “Since the wheat crop is at the seeding stage, even flattened stalks will be back to normal once weather turns sunny,” an expert said. With the temperatures dipping, there are indications that Punjab and Haryana are headed to a bumper yield. In Himachal, the rain is beneficial for vegetables. — TNS

Fire onboard INS Viraat, one sailor dies

New Delhi: A sailor was killed and three were injured after a fire broke out onboard India’s soon-to-be-decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Viraat in Goa. The ship reported an incident of stream leak and a “minor fire” on one of the ship’s boiler rooms on Sunday afternoon, a Navy spokesperson said. While he claimed that the incident was quickly brought under control, four sailors sustained injuries while combating the fire. Chief Engineer Mechanic Ashu Singh was shifted to the Naval Hospital in Goa where he suffered a cardiac arrest and died. — PTI