MUMBAI: Aimed at the ‘aam aadmi‘, Finance Minister presented a generous Rs. 60,000 crore agricultural loan waiver to farmers in the proposed Union Budget 2008-09.In a special series, ‘The Sixty Thousand Crore Loan Waiver‘, CNN-IBN evaluates the possible merits, if any, of this so-called panacea to the rising farmer suicides. Through-out the week CNN-IBN‘s flagship news bulletin, ‘India at 9‘, will bring stories from across the country that look at the state of farmers from some of the worst-affected areas, including how banks are grappling and how political parties are politicising the entire situation in their favour.

The farm loan waiver is expected to benefit three crore small and medium farmers, but in fact the figure is nothing like it. The waiver is in fact only applicable to loans taken from established and recognised banks for less than 2.5 hectares of land. However, a majority of the affected farmers either own more than 2.5-hectares of land and/or borrowed money from private moneylenders. This therefore means that they are exempted from the waiver and that in reality it is just a pre-poll political gimmick. CNN-IBN‘s ‘The Sixty Thousand Crore Loan Waiver‘, travels to places like Bundelkhand, Vidarbha, Telengana, Haryana and even the Finance Minster‘s constituency of Shivganga in Tamil Nadu to showcase ground realities that have been overlooked by the government‘s otherwise impressive grant. Could it be a political carrot it is dangling before farmers to gain momentum before the upcoming elections? CNN-IBN finds out. In addition, the series also lays focus on the growing migration of people from areas like the Azamgarh-Varanasi belt to the big cities in search of urban opportunities. For these former farmers, agriculture is no longer an option and jobs in metropolises seem more alluring.

‘The Sixty Thousand Crore Loan Waiver‘ is a series that looks into the reality of the Budget‘s most hyped provision and how everything is not what meets the eye!

"The series is aimed at unearthing the real impact of the Rs. 60,000 crore loan waiver on those its supposed to help. It sheds light on the plight and state of farmers across the country, for whom nothing really changes." Said, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN & IBN7.

MUMBAI: It?s time for you to bring out your pichkari?s, stock up on gulaal, and get set for the festivities as the NDTV Imagine family gets together for the maha celebration! Jasuben and Jayantilaal Joshi Ki Joint Family invite you to the biggest Holi party on television. Also attending this holi celebration are Sujata and Anuj of Ek Packet Umeed; Radhaa, Rohini, Ragini, Ruchi and Shekhar of Radhaa Ki Betiyaan Kuch Kar Dikhayengi; Siddharth, Aanchal and the kids of Main Teri Parchhain Hoon who play Holi with the Joshi?s in a special two-hour episode titled ?Holi Aayi Re? which will air on Saturday, March 15th, 2008 at 8:30 pm only on NDTV Imagine!

This Holi extravaganza kicks off with the Joshi joint family gearing up for the Holi party as they welcome all their guests- the parivaar of Umeed Bhavan, Radhaa and her beti?s and Aanchal, Sameer and the kids! The queen of Bollywood dance, Saroj Khan takes a break from her classroom to join the Joshi family for the Holi party! The ?Masterjee? dances on the popular item song Billorani and then teaches Jasuben (Swati Chitnis) and Radhaa (Supriya Pilgaonkar) some moves to the classic favorite Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hain! Watch a masti-bhara act by Rohini (Mona Wasu) and Shekhar (Apurva Agnihotri) as they perform on Jai Jai Shiv Shankar. The youngsters of Umeed Bhavan and the Joshi parivaar have a blast playing Holi together! Watch Anuj (Rakesh Bapat) & Sujata (Rupali Ganguly) along with Pinakin (Krishna) & Nandini (Ketaki) dance on Khaike Paan Banaraswala and Naiyo Naiyo!

And if that?s not enough? don?t miss Aanchal (Megha Gupta) and Siddharth?s (Sameer Dharmadhikari) performance on Chak Dhoom Dhoom followed by Radhaa?s beti?s Ragini (Ragini Khanna) and Ruchi (Ratan Rajput) graceful solo performances! With a complete riot of colours, a lot of naach gaana, bhaang bhari masti and the entire NDTV Imagine family under one roof, this is one Holi celebration you cannot afford to miss!

So join the NDTV Imagine family this Holi! Tune-in to this two-hour mega celebration Holi Aayi ReE, on Saturday, March 15th at 8:30 pm.

MUMBAI: People gathered in large numbers, across the country to support NDTV and Sanctuary Asia Magazines mass campaign - ‘Save the Tiger‘. The campaign, which started a fortnight back to stop the alarming decline in the number of tigers in India, culminated in a nationwide signature campaign yesterday. The campaign received extremely favourable responses with over 4,80,000 signatures, sms and online petitions from major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Dehradun, Srinagar, Lucknow, Jaipur, Guwahati, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Patna and Ahmedabad.

‘Save the Tiger‘ campaign urges the Prime Minister to hold an emergency meeting of the National Board for Wildlife to consider the threat to the tiger; Chief ministers of every State to establish a protection force for tigers; up gradation of forest guards to the level of police with better compensation; and setting up of an improved intelligence network that is critical to crack poaching.

The campaign received overwhelming response from school children across the country apart from eminent personalities like Gautam Singhania, Chairman & MD, Raymond; Milind Soman, supermodel and Bollywood actor; Sheila Dixit, Chief Minister, Delhi; Ajay Jadeja, former Indian cricketer; Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister, Assam; B C Khanduri, Chief Minister, Uttarakhand; Quizmaster Derek O Brien; Aparna Sen, feminist activist and film maker; Actor Khushboo; Charu Sharma, Cricket Commentator amongst others.

On the solution to the decline in the tiger numbers, National Wildlife Board Member, Valmik Thapar, said, "Like the PM needs Black Cat commandoes for his protection, if the tiger has to live, it needs a protection group for it to make it safe."

Appreciating the public‘s response to the campaign, Bittu Sehgal, Editor, Sanctuary Magazine said, "It is really a great occasion where so many people have come forward to sign in favour of this campaign. We actually want to convey the message across to the PM that we want the tiger to be saved across the nation as it is a sense of what India is".

Apart from nationwide public support, the campaign was also backed by other celebrities, well-known environmentalists and NGOs. Bollywood stars Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, John Abraham, Kareena Kapoor, Preity Zinta and Farhan Akhtar, Sportsmen Rahul Dravid and Rajyavardhan Rathore came out to support this movement.

MUMBAI: Keeping its endeavor to connect with the listeners emotionally, 94.3 MY FM celebrated International Women‘s Day today. The day was dedicated to women and all their efforts.

All 94.3 MY FM stations ran a contest from 4th March onwards on the top 10 women who have made a significant contribution in their own field. Majority of cities faced a tie between Kiran Bedi and Aishwarya Rai. Sania Mirza and Lata Mageshwar were other two favorites. The station also played bytes of women who are trying to make a mark in the society. Many silently active women got honored on-air. Working women, entrepreneurs of small scale, women driving autos, women running stores or parlor and all unsung women who have made a mark in the society, their bytes were played on-air.

Says Harrish M. Bhatia, Business Head 94.3 MY FM, "Women are the most important part of our lives who shape the world into a better and loving. Celebrating their presence is an honor."
About 94.3 MY FM

The fastest growing radio brand in the country and one of the most exciting brands in the radio space, 94.3 MY FM is the radio station of Synergy Media Entertainment Limited, SMEL - a wholly owned company of DBCL Group. Launched after an extensive research, 94.3 MY FM Dil Se! caters to the local flavor of the people and aims at becoming the voice of the Indian masses.

MUMBAI: Zee TV, India‘s largest media and entertainment conglomerate proudly announces the launch of the first ever dance show, Airtel Rock ‘N‘ Roll Family on Indian television that spans across generations. Three generations from one family come together and battle it out to be the proud recipients of the coveted ‘Rock-N-Roll Family‘. This show will be replacing Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in the weekend slot.

Commenting on the commencement of the most promising show on television, Tarun Mehra, Business Head, Zee TV said, "We were looking for a property that will offer a format which is refreshing and challenging at the same time. With Airtel Rock-N-Roll Family, we have the perfect combination of grit, determination, emotions and most importantly family bonding. With this our viewers will be treated to a different level of visual, delightful and emotional content."

The channel is excited and looking forward to start shooting with the esteemed jury that, for the very first time shall make their appearance in a reality show on Indian television - the effervescent Kajol, the indomitable Ajay Devgan and the beautiful Tanuja!!! With this trio as the permanent judges of the show, the content will be something to watch out for.

The channel has roped in Sharad Kelkar (Nahar of Saat Phere fame) as the anchor of the show. Sharad who himself is a staunch family man and essays a similar character on screen as well, is the right choice for a show that requires someone who can empathize with the participants.

A total of 12 families from across the country have been selected and they comprise of the grand parents, parents and grand children, all dancing together as a team. The format is unique and has all the elements of drama and suspense that is nicely layered with talent. Only the best family will take away the title of the Rock N Roll Family. The show will go on air from March 14th 2008 at Fri-Sat 10pm only on Zee TV.

MUMBAI: Lights?! Camera?and Action! After rigorous rounds of non-stop comic acts, mimicry, gags, pranks, tears, fears, funny and entertaining moments?the drama reaches its climax. . Bindass, a UTV venture and India‘s first local 360-degree entertainment youth brand today announce comedy gang ? Kool Kolkatans, winner of the coveted Bindass Idea Hass Ley India Comedy Gang War Contest. The Gang takes home a dazzling trophy and a ticket to act on UTV Motion Picture‘s forthcoming movie with a lucky chance to be part of the bollywood fraternity

Speaking on the occasion, Shekhar Suman, judge for the Comedy Gang War said, "The Kool Kolkatans truly deserve their win, though for us, all three finalists are winners. All these kids are fresh talent entering the industry. The team has performed consistently and has made us proud. We wish them all luck for their future and their film assignment."

Commenting on their achievement, the elated comedy gang winners said, "At first we were shocked to hear Shekhar Sumanji announce on the set that we had not won the competition. However, later on, we learnt that we had won & that he had played a prank on us. We thank Bindass and the entire production team for giving us the opportunity to showcase our talent on national television and we are eagerly looking forward to presenting our best comic act on film?so Bollywood here we come!"

The comedy gang of Kool Kolkatans includes Kapil Madnani a 23 year old professional DJ and second runner up of Mr. University - Kolkata who graduated last year in Commerce and is currently pursing his career in film and sound editing; Vineet a funky DJ and professional film editor who loves to see others laugh; Nitin Bararia a dedicated theatre artist who has won several awards as best actor and as a pre-eminent stand up comedian and; Abid, an independent lad with a dream to make it big in the film industry.

Judged by the Bindass duo, noted television personality Shekhar Suman and actor, director, theatre personality Makrand Despande, the show received enormous response from viewers and fans across the country. The entire series saw two rounds; Shoot at Site and Jaldi Jugaad being contested in each episode. While Shoot at Site was a pre-recorded gag, Jaldi Jugaad was an on-the-spot performance and had different themes for every episode. In addition, the finale episode saw the gangs presenting a fun-filled and hilarious dance performance on select Bollywood chart busters. Laced with mind boggling performances by the gangs, the finale was one of the most entertaining episodes to be remembered by all.

‘Idea Hass Ley India Comedy Gang‘ War kicked off beginning January this year with stand-up comic enthusiasts auditioning across Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Kolkata and giving their best comic acts to participate in this unique contest.