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Showing posts from October, 2021
Most of the lakes in Jabalpur have been encroached by land mafia and first used as landfills and later illegal housing projects came into existence. Jabalpur was once a city with 84 lakes. However, with the passage of time, most of the lakes have been encroached and first used as landfills and later illegal housing projects came into existence. The lakes once an abode of fishes has now become so polluted that their water is unfit even for drinking. The builders’ mafia is so strong that no authority has the guts even to open an investigation against these builders. The latest lake which has become a victim of these builders is Madhotal, a beautiful lake spread over an area of 53 acres that is slowly shrinking due to illegal filling of earth and reclamation. Lakes Encroached With Political Patronage The encroachment of lakes in Jabalpur has occurred with full political patronage. Most of these lakes have been created in private lands of late landlords. These lakes were created as
The DMK govt’s plan to celebrate Tamil Nadu Day on July 18 has irked the Opposition AIADMK. A row has broken out in Tamil Nadu’s political circles in the name of its Formation Day celebrations. The current DMK government led by Chief Minister M K Stalin has announced that the Tamil Nadu Formation Day will have a change of date, and will be henceforth celebrated on July 18. The Tamil Nadu Formation Day had been celebrated on November 1 earlier. Chief Minister M K Stalin’s announcement in this regard has come in for sharp criticism from the Opposition AIADMK, with leaders of the party terming the new move as political vendetta. The DMK government’s stance relies on the July 18 date, on which day Tamil Nadu got its present-day name. However, it may be recalled that the erstwhile Chief Minister and leader of the AIADMK had 2019 announced that Tamil Nadu Formation Day will be celebrated on November 1. His announcement had followed up on requests in this regard from several quarters.
Rajib Banerjee's return to TMC in Tripura is the best choice as he accompanied Mukul Roy several times when the party was trying to expand to this North-eastern state, earlier. Amid the string of people leaving Bengal BJP, former minister Rajib Banerjee in Mamata’s cabinet is set to return to TMC today in Tripura. Rajib’s ghar wapsi in the state capital, Agartala, rang the warning bells for BJP. It clearly states that no BJP bastion is safe from TMC. The former minister had joined BJP in January 2021 in a dramatized exit by clutching onto Mamata’s picture. The reason behind choosing Tripura According to many political legends, Tripura is the best choice for Banerjee to return to his former party. He was frequent to the state with Mukul Roy before he quit the party to expand the party base in the state. It is said that he has a strong political network there, currently required for executing TMC hopes to win the upcoming state poll. In the 2021 polls, Rajib Banerjee had
The latest development in mRNA can help in treating the most aggressive form of Breast Cancer, triplenegative Breast cancer. One of the reasons the COVID-19 vaccine was developed so quickly is the technology of developing mRNA was already available. The next step in this direction is the development of a viable vaccine for breast cancer. The Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute is going to start the trials of a new vaccine for triple-negative breast cancer. Cleveland Clinic researchers have opened a novel study for a vaccine aimed at eventually preventing triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive and lethal form of the disease. As per the report by Cleveland Clinic, the phase I trial is designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose of the vaccine in patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer and to characterize and optimize the body’s immune response. Further, the investigational vaccine targets a breast-specific lactation protein, α-lactalbumin,
Three Kashmiri students from Agra's Raja Balwant Singh (RBS) Engineering Technical College were jailed for allegedly using social media to celebrate Pakistan's T20 World Cup triumph over India. The families of Kashmiri engineering students, arrested on sedition charges in Uttar Pradesh's Agra on Wednesday, October 27 for allegedly celebrating Pakistan's T20 World Cup victory against India, have pleaded with the government to release their kin on humanitarian grounds. Three Kashmiri students detained from RBS College Agra Last Tuesday, three Kashmiri students identified as Arshad Yusuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh (from Chadoora Budgam), and Shaukat Ahmed Ganie (from Bandipora) were suspended from Raja Balwant Singh (RBS) Engineering Technical College in Agra for allegedly using social media to celebrate Pakistan's victory over India in the T20 World Cup match on Sunday. Soon after their suspension, local BJP workers reportedly pressurized the college authorities to
Sukumar Ray, who was born today, described his style of writing as the tenth rasa of Indian literature and named it Nonsense. Perhaps the trailblazing Sukumar Ray could provide us with the answers to why there are so many Bengali children illustrators in India. His illustration and path-breaking satirical poems had shaped every Bengali childhood. In fact, they still remain relevant, and thus the University of Calcutta has decided to include his works in their syllabus. Sukumar Ray was born today in 1887 to a legendary poet, entrepreneur, writer, illustrator and photographer, Upendrakishore Ray, in Bengal province in British India. Ray displayed signs of his creative talent early in life. His first poem, ‘Nodi’ or ‘River’ got published in Mukul magazine. He was barely eight years old. His short yet contemplating life Hailing in a Brahmo family, Sukumar Ray he had experienced the blooming of Bengal Renaissance evolution very early in his life. It is said that Bengal Renaissance e
Let's see what is at stake for parties contesting the bypolls across 14 states today Twenty-nine assembly seats, three Lok sabha seats across 14 states and a union territory are currently going through the bypoll battle. Though bypoll has never followed or reflected the major national political trend, this time with five state polls due in less than three months, certain trends might make a difference. National trends in bypolls As BJP and Modi are halfway through their second term, the bypolls near the central capital might have slight spillover effects. The central policies and national events are said to affect bypolls in Himachal Pradesh and Harayana. In four states, the battle is directly between Congress and BJP. Those polls might be affected by the national policies. Here is the list of a few national policies that can impact the polls: -- The ruling party of the country is facing the heat of rising fuel prices, unemployment and violence against Muslims in Tripura.
Polish parliament votes to build a wall along the nation’s border with Belarus so that it could stop migrants When the world is striking down walls, Poland is set to do just the opposite. And why? To halt the inflow of migrants into the country! With the Polish parliament voting to build a wall along the nation’s border with Belarus, it is expected that migrants who cross over will be stopped. It is a known fact that thousands of migrants, a large number of them from the Middle East and Asia, have been trying to cross Poland's border in the past few months. With the number of migrants crossing over Poland on an uptrend, the European Union has charged Belarus with being a catalyst for the rise in migration through Poland’s border and the reason is being attributed to the imposition of sanctions against the Belarus administration. Poland wall vote to be law The Polish parliament wants to stop the crossover which it believes is nothing but illegal entry. With the parliament
According to the Anjuman Aquaf Jamia Masjid, prayers at Kashmir's largest place of worship have been forbidden for several weeks, despite devotees fully observing COVID-19 SOPs. For the 13th Friday in a row, no congregational prayers were performed at Srinagar's Jamia Masjid, which is Kashmir valley's grand mosque. Last Friday, the Auqaf Jamia Masjid declared that prayers will be held after claiming that the government had given its clearance. However, eyewitnesses said that the prayers were not offered because officials had sealed the mosque's main gate and stationed armed forces personnel in front of it. ‘Despite following COVID-19 SOPs, worshippers barred to pray’ Despite the fact that worshipers are strictly following COVID-19 SOPs, prayers at Kashmir's biggest place of worship have been prohibited for the past many weeks, according to the Anjuman Aquaf Jamia Masjid. Anjuman Aquaf claimed in a statement that state officials refused to allow congregat
Wunderbar Films, the film production company owned by Dhanush, had put out an ad that showed the star smoking. Tamil star and National Award-winning actor Dhanush’s movie production company could have troubled days ahead. With the Madras High Court directing the Tamil Nadu Health Department to go ahead with proceedings against the film production company for violating Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulations of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, the actor might have a long legal battle set in the coming days. For the record, Wunderbar Films, a film production company owned by Dhanush, had allegedly flouted various sections of the Act in a film that was made under its banner. The film, ‘Velayilla Pattathari’ which Wunderbar Films made, had been advertised before its release with images of Dhanush smoking a cigarette. Smoking scene ad for Dhanush flick invites trouble The ads had Dhanush breathing out
According to NCRB data, crime against women is on the rise in cases under the POSCO Act in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur. The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister calls himself the Mama or Uncle of all the girls in Madhya Pradesh. A host of programs for Girls have been started. However, Madhya Pradesh tops the record in crime against girls and women. The National Crime Bureau records however paint a completely different picture. Crime against girls has seen a steep increase. NCRB data reveals that there has been a 13% increase in rapes of underage girls in Jabalpur. In 2019, 103 cases of rape were registered while in 2020, it increased to 117. Most of the cases were registered under the POSCO Act and section 376 of the IPC. On paper, this figure may look small but it cannot be ignored. Every case stands out as one more instance where the childhood has been destroyed and the girl will have to endure the psychological scar all through her life. Steep increase in cases registered under POS
The proposed high speed marine ambulances will be modeled around the existing 108 ambulances plying along Kerala roads.  With mishaps in the high seas involving fishing vessels often tending to be grave owing to lack of speedy response from the coast, the Kerala government has lined up measures to roll out high-speed marine ambulances. These proposed high-speed marine ambulances will be modelled around the existing 108 ambulances plying along Kerala’s roads.  The plan is to ensure fast response whenever fishing boats get involved in accidents off the coast and help the fishermen reach the shore safer. Kerala already has in place a marine ambulance system to ensure aid when it comes to mishaps involving fishing vessels. However, they have been unable to carry out high-speed missions, and this has prompted the government to look at faster alternatives. Marine ambulances currently deployed aren’t enough It has been pointed out that the marine ambulances deployed along the Kerala
Widespread deforestation in Brazil prompts increase in greenhouse emissions by 9.5% in pandemic year Even as world witnessed a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when the pandemic was in full force during the year 2020, there is one nation that saw just the opposite. The 2020 figures for greenhouse emissions saw Brazil post a rise by 9.5 percent. The culprit has been identified as widespread deforestation. In fact, the new revelations have called for worldwide attention, as Brazil has become one of the only major economies that have failed to bring down pollution at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic was raging. Brazil greenhouse emissions up as the globe saw a drop In comparison, greenhouse emissions on a global level dropped to a cool 7 percent during the year 2020. This is mostly attributed to the lockdown and restrictions that forced people to stay home for a long period. Though the restrictions had proved to be a bane for the world’s economy, the only positive aspect i
China brings in restrictions on building super high-rises in smaller cities where there is no shortage of land Earlier this year, China had stamped a ban on what it called ugly architecture and ordered building designers to desist themselves from building structures that would look bad on the eye of onlookers. Imposing a ban on “ugly architecture”, Chinese authorities had then stated that the country was in a stage “where people are too impetuous and anxious to produce something that can actually go down in history". Taking this concept forward, China has now brought in restrictions on constructing super high-rise buildings in smaller cities. This move is part of a larger plan to crack down on vanity projects across the country. As per the plan, Chinese cities that house less than three million people will not be allowed to build skyscrapers that are taller than 150 metres. Further, cities with a population of more than three million should limit the height of their skyscrap
TMC inducts three celebrities in a day - Actress Nafisa Ali, former tennis player Leander Paes, and activist-entrepreneur Mrinalini Deshprabhu All India Trinamool Congress has pressed the accelerator to achieve its target of becoming a national party. The party supremo, Mamata Banerjee, has visited Goa yesterday to boost the election campaign for the upcoming state assembly polls. And today, TMC has inducted two celebrities – actress Nafisa Ali and former tennis player Leander Paes, in the presence of Banerjee. Activist and entrepreneur Mrinalini Deshprabhu also joined TMC today with Ali. https://twitter.com/AITCofficial/status/1453991434776834052 Several MPs like Mahua Moitra, Babul Supriyo are right now tilling the political land for TMC. Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien had set up an office in Panjim to monitor the campaign in Goa. He is aided by a 200-member IPAC team. Mamata Banerjee also had an interactive session with the fisherman community today. TMC’s celeb expansion
A government college’s official website has been hosting dozens of webpages with the content about online casinos, silently making its students susceptible to fall for the online gambling. In what looks to be a very strange and shocking act, a Government Degree College Sopore in northern Kashmir has been naively promoting online gambling through its official website. The college has been hosting dozens of web pages on its official website with online gambling content. “Website being upgraded on a daily basis,” the college claims In the About section of its website, the college claims that its website has been launched recently and is being upgraded on daily basis. However, the college seems to have concentrated on the content like the notifications and other information only while forgetting to ask the developers to look after the website’s health. Online gambling content makes students susceptible Although the website doesn’t link to the gambling content through its home
Psoriasis is not Leprosy nor is it caused by any divine wrath or curse. It's a skin ailment and should be treated like that. Today is World Psoriasis Day. Psoriasis affects more than 3% of the Indian population and is often confused with leprosy and this is also one of the reasons why people suffering from Psoriasis are often shunned by society. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease and its exact cause is still not clear. However, a number of factors can precipitate an incidence of Psoriasis. These include genetic factors, continuous exposure to toxic substances, allergy etc. One must understand that the exact cause of psoriasis is still not clear. The skin of our body has a rate of life. The outermost layer of human skin is made up of mostly keratinized and dead cells. The function of this layer is to keep the moisture and other harmful substances out of the body. The dead cells are continuously shed off and underlying skin cells take their place. There is a particular rate at
Major embarrassment for Hyderabad cops as privacy intrusion marks anti-narcotics drive The cops in Hyderabad seem to be on a mission. The mission, though it centres around a crackdown on narcotics, has, however, ended up as an embarrassment for the police department and the government. As part of an anti-narcotics drive, Hyderabad police went on an all-out crackdown by halting people on the roads, grabbing their mobile phones and checking for WhatsApp chats in a bid to find worlds like drugs, ganja and what not!   Little did these cops realise they were committing a folly and that the whole exercise would blow over. And it did. The intrusion into citizens’ privacy is what the who episode was, and the police will now have to explain the reason as to why they could not respect people’s privacy. Privacy intrusion folly by Hyderabad cops https://twitter.com/digitaldutta/status/1453424478310920195 Activists are now out in the open and are accusing the police of slamming into cit
The military coup in Sudan refused to budge even after Joe Biden urged for the restoration of 'transitional government'. American President Joe Biden has called for allowing Sudanese people to demonstrate peacefully on Thursday against the military coup. He also asked the global community including the African Union, EU, Arab League and others to unite for denouncing the coup and restoring the ‘transitional government'. The statement had come after the number of casualties in the recent protest increased to nine. “I urge Sudan’s military leaders to immediately release all those detained and restore the institutions associated with the transitional government, in line with the 2019 Constitutional Declaration and the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement,” President Joe Biden said, adding, “We believe strongly in Sudan’s economic potential and the promise of its future—if the military and those who oppose change do not hold it back.” The 15 member UN-Security Council had also echoed
Those who propagate hatred in the name of religion, according to the Congress leader, are not religious people but hypocrites. Congress leader and Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi, while speaking about the violence in Tripura, said that the region’s Muslim population was being subjected to brutality. In a tweet on his official handle, the Congress leader said that those who spread hatred in the name of religion are not religious people but hypocrites. ‘Government continues to pretend blind and deaf’ The comments of Rahul Gandhi, made in Hindi, said, “Our Muslim brothers are being brutalized in Tripura. Those who do hatred and violence in the name of Hindu are not Hindus, they are hypocrites.” While taking a dig at the ruling party, he questioned, “How long will the government continue to pretend to be blind and deaf?” https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1453708230404845575 Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s march triggers violence Rahul Gandhi's comment comes after the Vis
Despite its desire to grow to virtual spaces where people interact via digital avatars, the company indicated that it will not modify its organisational structure. Facebook will change its name to Meta, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, to reflect the company's expanding focus on the metaverse. The name change was unveiled during the Facebook Connect augmented and virtual reality conference, and it underscores the company's burgeoning ambitions in the metaverse beyond social networking. https://twitter.com/Meta/status/1453795115701440524 No changes in organizational structure The company stated it will not change its organizational structure despite its ambition to expand to virtual places where people engage via digital avatars. The ticker symbol for the stock will be MVRS. According to the company, Facebook and its applications Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp will be located in a distinct division from Facebook Reality Labs, which develops the company's aug
Mercedes Sustaineer is a delivery van concept showcased as a fully electric vehicle. Significantly, the van improves the environment around it too. What does ensuring a sustainable existence mean? The COP26 climate conference is round the bend, and nations the world over would converge to deliberate on how to make the planet live. Even as countries around the globe strive to combat climate change, there are efforts on another terrain too and they need to be lauded. We have always applauded the switch from fossil fuels to electric vehicles and joined hands with the world to appreciate efforts towards e-mobility. It is here that an effort by automotive major Mercedes-Benz calls for full-scale applause. The company has not just joined the bandwagon of electric car makers, but have taken efforts towards sustainability a tad further. Though it could look like a small attempt, it would mean a lot to the dying world. Sustaineer comes across as the need of the hour Mercedes has showc
The COVID-19 pandemic made courts improve judicial infrastructure go online since they had no other option. It took 10 years for the High Court building in Aurangabad to be built. The CJI after inaugurating the building lamented about the dismal state of Judicial Infrastructure and said that the common man has built an image that courts are always run in crumbling buildings. To a large extent, the image is not wrong. 26% of Court premises lack toilets for women, 46% of Courts do not have clean drinking water, 50% of courts do not have a library and 95% of court premises do not have medical facilities. Just like the right of the people to watch the proceedings of the Parliament, the Supreme Court after a lot of petitions finally agreed to let the live telecast of the proceedings in the court, three years ago. The Supreme Court argued that setting up the judicial infrastructure is a herculean task and would also require a change in the rules of the Supreme Court. Online Hearing - A
As Mamata Banerjee reaches Goa to strengthen TMC's Goa unit ahead of the 2022 election, the ground situation still remains a complex concoction for opposition. Ahead of her three-day visit to Goa, which will begin, Mamata Banerjee has called for a union of all opposition parties and legislatures to fight the divisive BJP. The news of TMC testing the Goan political currents comes after Abhishek Banerjee announcement of making Trinamool Congress a national party. He had hinted at setting up a TMC base across India to take BJP heads-on in the 2024 general polls. Mamata Banerjee reaches Goa Soon after the massive victory in Bengal polls, Abhishek Banerjee had clarified that this time expansion would be different and much strategized. The party will set up its base in all Indian states irrespective of their size and demography. AITC plunging in Tripura had followed next and roped in Susmita Dev to lead the campaign. With the help of Prashant Kishore–led IPAC, the party has roped
Social media users are more concerned to protect their women digitally than on roads or at homes. They are repeatedly calling for brands like Sabyasachi to stop hurting religious sentiments and belittle women's modesty. After Dabur, Fabindia and CEAT, the religious arrow now points towards ace designer Sabyasachi and aims to bring him on his knee and pull down the ad campaign for his new mangalsutra launch. A few months earlier, Sabyasachi also drew flak over his exorbitantly priced new collection in collaboration with H&M. The nudity in photos is a problem! According to many, the ad is confusing. The viewers were unable to decide whether the ad sells lingerie or a ‘Hindu wedding symbol for a girl’. Out of all the photos released on the brands official Instagram handle, one of them showed a plus-size dusky model adorning the jewellery in lingerie as she rests her head on her man’s shoulders. This photo has sparked the entire controversy. A self-proclaimed women protec
Since August, 25 African churches with 10,000 members from signed MOUs with Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Beginning with Chairman Man Hee Lee’s audacious declaration, a round of weekly seminars titled 'Testimony on Prophecy and Fulfillment of Revelation, God's New Covenant' from October 18th to December 27th is being held by Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. Chairman Man Hee Lee said, "The meanings of the prophecy (of Revelation) and what is fulfilled in reality according to the prophecy is what I am making known to the churches worldwide today." Regarding the purpose of the seminars on Revelation as a book of the Bible that prophesied about the future of the Christian world with apocalyptic warnings after the first coming of Jesus, Chairman Lee emphasized that it is in accordance with the words of the Bible - “to give you this testimony for the churches” (Rev 22:16) by “the one who heard and saw”(Rev 22:8). Accordi
As cinema houses reopen in Kerala, theatre owners are striving hard to secure the theatre release of the Priyadarshan-directed mega movie Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham With restrictions imposed on film screening in cinema houses now lifted in Kerala, audiences who had been waiting for long to rush back to theatres are a happy lot. Starting Wednesday, theatres in Kerala have reopened and are allowing 50 percent occupancy for each show following Covid-19 protocols. The film distributors and film exhibitors who had been pinned down by the restrictions are beginning to see some hope with theatres now ready to screen films. Over the lockdown period, most of the films that would have garnered a sizable audience had opted for OTT releases, as there wasn’t any possibility of being shown in theatres. With the lockdown and allied restrictions now off, the film bodies are expecting some good crowd pullers to opt for the theatre release format. Among the big movies is Marakkar: Arabikkada
The government-run Cyberpark and the UL Cyberpark, under the Uralungal Labour Contract Society, have created an IT revolution in Kerala’s Malabar region by posting commendable software exports growth. Two information technology facilities in northern Kerala have bucked slowdown to emerge successful in garnering major export growth during the Covid-19 pandemic year. Though there have been shutdowns and restrictions on normal operations, IT exports from Kozhikode, in the northern part of the state, has nearly doubled compared to the previous years. The government-run Cyberpark and the UL Cyberpark, operated by the Uralungal Labour Contract Society, have in fact created an IT revolution in the Malabar region by achieving commendable growth in the software exports scenario. Software exports from the companies housed at the government-run Cyberpark increased from Rs 14.76 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 26.16 crore in 2020-21. The park, which started operations with just four companies in 2014
The state government has been unable to prevent the conversion of agricultural land to commercial and residential purposes, despite the existence of several prohibitions. In the absence of any monitoring agency, the establishment of hotels, retail malls, and residential dwellings on agricultural and horticultural land continues apace in Kashmir. Despite the existence of many regulations, the state government has been unable to prevent the conversion of agricultural land to commercial and residential uses. Thousands of kanals of agricultural land have been changed for commercial and other purposes in Kashmir over the years, according to Agriculture Department officials. Despite relevant laws in place, authorities fail to ensure compliance The J&K Land Revenue Act of 1996 makes it illegal to convert paddy or vegetable land to any other use. Construction of residential and commercial structures on farmland is a breach of the approved Master Plan 2035 of the Srinagar Metropol