Dhoni keen to continue as skipper in all three formats

New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not averse to the idea of continuing as the skipper of the the Indian cricket team in all the three formats, saying it would be unfair to burden a new player with the mantle of captaincy with just one year left for the World Cup.

"I think, it's a point of no return with the World Cup literally one year away from now. It won't give a new guy the ideal time to play, at least, 70-80-90 games beginning to the World Cup that's what we would like to have him play before the World Cup", Dhoni said.

"I understand the pressure, it's not always that you turn up and at the same time, you get the kind of things which give you more experience than the others. So, we have to go through it," he said at a promotional event here today.

Dhoni, India's World Cup winning captain, was responding to a question on giving up captaincy in one of the formats to prolong his career.

Dhoni had, last year, said that he might have to give up a format to lead India's title defence in 2015 but such a decision would be made only at the end of 2013. Dhoni will be 33 by the time the World Cup starts in Australia and New Zealand.

The skipper said he is feeling a lot fitter and healthier than ever.

"I was really fortunate to see where I am right now with the amount of cricket that we are playing these days. As of now, it's looking good. The body is closely knit together. How it will be (in future), I don't know but so far so good," he said.

In a series of tweets, Dhoni shared with his over two lakh followers, photographs of the first bike that he bought -a Yamaha Rajdoot and how he dismantled the two-wheeler. "...I don't know who will assemble it but it was fun taking it apart," Dhoni tweeted accompanied by pictures of the bike."I think my plan of action is to restore the 1st bike that I bought for Rs 4500, ...Its in a very bad shape," Dhoni had tweeted last month.Free from his dismantling duties on the cricket field right now, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned his energies towards disassembling the first bike that he acquired as he enjoyed a rare break from the hectic international schedule.Dhoni has a fetish for bikes and has over a dozen of them besides 10 high-end cars. He bought his first bike for Rs 4,500 and plans to restore it. Dhoni also owns a two-wheeler racing team - Mahi Racing Team which competes in the World Superbike Championship.In pictures: Dhoni's dismantled bike which he is planning to restore.Another snapshot of Dhoni's first bike which he dismantled in order to give a new life to his old bike.Team India captain MS Dhoni is a self-confessed bike-freak. He is reported to have more than 20 bikes and 10 cars. His list of bikes include Yamaha Rx, Confederate Hellcat X 132, Yamaha Rxz, Kawasaki zx14r Ninja, Harley Davidson Fat boy, among others. As a hard-hitting batsman-wicketkeeper, Dhoni became popular for his long locks as well as his love for bikes. He was spotted speeding past most vehicles on the roads of Jharkhand during his early years in international cricketer. With fame chasing him, he chose to ride more in the comfort of darkness of night. Dhoni bought his first bike for Rs 4,500 and he said he planned to restore that bike. He also owns a two-wheeler racing team - Mahi Racing Team. The team has two bikers in Florian Marino of France and Dan Linfoot of Great Britain.Dhoni often collected bikes for prizes for his 'superhuman' efforts on cricketing field. In this pic, Dhoni drives a motorcycle which was awarded to him for being man of the series in the ODI tournament against England in 2007. India won that series 5-0. - AP Riding in the night looks the best bet for Dhoni to avoid the risk of getting mobbed. But that couldn't prevent fans from clicking his pic when he's enjoying his ride on his superbike. After humiliating Australia 4-0 in the Test series in India early this year, Dhoni and his men checked out the Formula 1 tract at Noida. Dhoni drove Confederate Hellcat X 132, his superbike costing Rs 60 lakh, and left everyone awed.

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Banks to continue accepting scribbled notes, says RBI

Mumbai: Banks will continue to accept currency notes with scribbling, the Reserve Bank said on Tuesday, dismissing rumours that it has stopped banks from accepting such notes from Wednesday (January 1, 2014).

"In the wake of rumours circulating in the market that from January 1, 2014, banks will not accept banknotes with anything written on them, the RBI has urged members of public not to fall prey to such rumours and to use their banknotes without any fear," RBI said in a notification. RBI said it has not issued any such instructions.

However, it reiterated that writing or scribbling on banknotes works against its 'clean note policy' and sought co-operation from public, institutions and others in keeping the banknotes clean by not writing anything on them.

Referring to its August instructions on 'clean note policy', the RBI said banks were advised to instruct their staff not to scribble or write on the body of the banknotes.

The instruction was issued as it was observed that the bank officials themselves were in the habit of writing on banknotes which went against the 'clean note policy'.

RBI in August had said it has been noticed that at certain branches of banks, the practice of writing/scribbling on the body of the banknotes continues to remain in vogue.

Under the present system of mechanised processing of banknotes, RBI said, inscription or scribbling on any part of the banknote would render it to be classified as unfit for reissue.

Accordingly, such banknotes get treated as soiled banknotes and cannot be recirculated. 

RBI to issue Rs 500 banknotes with rupee symbol

The Reserve Bank will soon issue Rs 500 banknotes with rupee symbol in the Mahatma Gandhi Series- 2005.

"The RBI will shortly issue Rs 500 denomination banknotes incorporating rupee symbol on the obverse and reverse, with inset letter 'R' in both the numbering panels, in the Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005," RBI said in a notification.

The banknotes would be bearing the signature of RBI governor Raghuram G Rajan and the year of printing '2013' printed on the reverse of the banknote, it said.

The design of these notes to be issued now is similar in all respects to the Rs 500 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 issued earlier, it added. All the banknotes in the denomination of Rs 500 issued by the central bank in the past will continue to be a legal tender, RBI further said. 

Are you worried about the depreciating value of rupee which is hovering around 65 against dollar? Don't be. Technically, Re 1 is still powerful. You are ought to be surprised if you haven't given a thought to what all it can buy you. Water ATMs dispense 10 litres of water for Re 1. You read it right. It is an initiative of a Congress MP in Kanakapura, a rural suburb in Bangalore. All that one needs to do is put coins into a slot machine and place vessels under a tap and collect their share of water. Your mobile service provider may be charging you lesser than Re 1 per call, but the phone booths still need that precious metal to connect your call.Calories conscious? Be it a railway platform or outside an eating joint, the coin lets you check your weight anytime, if not anywhere.. (Photo courtesy: chennaionline.com)Candies and chewing gums have replaced Re 1 in many shops which prefer to pile them up than coins. Some shops display boards saying 'please co-operate. We give only branded candies in lieu of Re 1'.If you are a student, you will sure know the worth of a Re when you need to get a photocopy of your notes. Airtel just made downloading music a fun. If you love music, you wouldn't have missed their advertisements on a song/Re 1. Smokers know best what they get for Re 1. Yes, a matchbox.Frequent travellers can afford to forget their toiletries at home as shampoo and conditioner sachets are available in road-side shops. There is nothing like relishing fried peanuts on a rainy evening. They are sold in paper cones in various sizes for Re 1-Rs 5.In this era of e-mails, a long-forgotten post-card or envelope still offer that personal touch of writing with a pen--- all for Re 1.There is a cure for indigestion and allergies in several medicines like Citrizen, Strepsils, Hajmola, etc.Hungry? Grab a piece of delicious chikki (an energy bar made of peanuts and jaggery) for Re 1. Pencil erasers, yes. Even the scented ones are available.Balloon decoration for a party may not be a bad idea. It is economical too when each colourful balloon costs Re 1. Till recently, users of Sulabh sauchalay (public urinal) in India paid Re 1, but it just went up by another Re 1.

View the original article here

Banks to continue accepting scribbled notes, says RBI

Mumbai: Banks will continue to accept currency notes with scribbling, the Reserve Bank said on Tuesday, dismissing rumours that it has stopped banks from accepting such notes from Wednesday (January 1, 2014).

"In the wake of rumours circulating in the market that from January 1, 2014, banks will not accept banknotes with anything written on them, the RBI has urged members of public not to fall prey to such rumours and to use their banknotes without any fear," RBI said in a notification. RBI said it has not issued any such instructions.

However, it reiterated that writing or scribbling on banknotes works against its 'clean note policy' and sought co-operation from public, institutions and others in keeping the banknotes clean by not writing anything on them.

Referring to its August instructions on 'clean note policy', the RBI said banks were advised to instruct their staff not to scribble or write on the body of the banknotes.

The instruction was issued as it was observed that the bank officials themselves were in the habit of writing on banknotes which went against the 'clean note policy'.

RBI in August had said it has been noticed that at certain branches of banks, the practice of writing/scribbling on the body of the banknotes continues to remain in vogue.

Under the present system of mechanised processing of banknotes, RBI said, inscription or scribbling on any part of the banknote would render it to be classified as unfit for reissue.

Accordingly, such banknotes get treated as soiled banknotes and cannot be recirculated. 

RBI to issue Rs 500 banknotes with rupee symbol

The Reserve Bank will soon issue Rs 500 banknotes with rupee symbol in the Mahatma Gandhi Series- 2005.

"The RBI will shortly issue Rs 500 denomination banknotes incorporating rupee symbol on the obverse and reverse, with inset letter 'R' in both the numbering panels, in the Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005," RBI said in a notification.

The banknotes would be bearing the signature of RBI governor Raghuram G Rajan and the year of printing '2013' printed on the reverse of the banknote, it said.

The design of these notes to be issued now is similar in all respects to the Rs 500 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 issued earlier, it added. All the banknotes in the denomination of Rs 500 issued by the central bank in the past will continue to be a legal tender, RBI further said. 

Are you worried about the depreciating value of rupee which is hovering around 65 against dollar? Don't be. Technically, Re 1 is still powerful. You are ought to be surprised if you haven't given a thought to what all it can buy you. Water ATMs dispense 10 litres of water for Re 1. You read it right. It is an initiative of a Congress MP in Kanakapura, a rural suburb in Bangalore. All that one needs to do is put coins into a slot machine and place vessels under a tap and collect their share of water. Your mobile service provider may be charging you lesser than Re 1 per call, but the phone booths still need that precious metal to connect your call.Calories conscious? Be it a railway platform or outside an eating joint, the coin lets you check your weight anytime, if not anywhere.. (Photo courtesy: chennaionline.com)Candies and chewing gums have replaced Re 1 in many shops which prefer to pile them up than coins. Some shops display boards saying 'please co-operate. We give only branded candies in lieu of Re 1'.If you are a student, you will sure know the worth of a Re when you need to get a photocopy of your notes. Airtel just made downloading music a fun. If you love music, you wouldn't have missed their advertisements on a song/Re 1. Smokers know best what they get for Re 1. Yes, a matchbox.Frequent travellers can afford to forget their toiletries at home as shampoo and conditioner sachets are available in road-side shops. There is nothing like relishing fried peanuts on a rainy evening. They are sold in paper cones in various sizes for Re 1-Rs 5.In this era of e-mails, a long-forgotten post-card or envelope still offer that personal touch of writing with a pen--- all for Re 1.There is a cure for indigestion and allergies in several medicines like Citrizen, Strepsils, Hajmola, etc.Hungry? Grab a piece of delicious chikki (an energy bar made of peanuts and jaggery) for Re 1. Pencil erasers, yes. Even the scented ones are available.Balloon decoration for a party may not be a bad idea. It is economical too when each colourful balloon costs Re 1. Till recently, users of Sulabh sauchalay (public urinal) in India paid Re 1, but it just went up by another Re 1.

View the original article here