Indian Abroad - March 16-31, 2022

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

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Russian troops take control 2 Operation Ganga flights bring back 370 of Kherson region

Indians from Ukraine

Modi congratulates AAP for Punjab sweep, assures Centre’s help - Page 4

Image Credits: www.japantimes.co.jp

Nita Ambani launches women empowerment platform “Her Circle” in Hindi - Page 6

METHI MATAR MALAI & BAJRA ROTI COOKED WITH MOOLI-Page 7

500-year-old stolen relic to be reinstated to India -Page 8

Shannon K: Beyond being Kumar Sanu’s daughter - Page 20

Elizabeth Hurley, son Damian post heartfelt messages following Warne’s demise -Page 22

Home Stays and private villas -Page 25

Moscow, March 15: A top official from Russia’s Defence Ministry has claimed that troops have taken control of the entire region of Kherson, after the territory’s namesake capital city was first captured on March 3.

Confirming the takeover, Major General Igor Konashenkov, the Ministry’s official representative, said that troops from ‘Donetsk

People’s Republic’ also broke through Ukrainian defences and took control of the settlement of Panteleymonovka, RT News reported.

According to the official, Russian air defences shot down 16 Ukrainian military aircraft, including 13 drones, in the past 24 hours.

The aircraft include one Su-24 and

Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘The Kashmir Files’ mints Rs 27.15 Cr in 3 days Mumbai, March 14: Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s latest directorial ‘The Kashmir Files’, based on tale of the Kashmiri Pandits’ exodus, has seen a phenomenal jump at the box-office as it has managed to rake in Rs 27.15 crore in its third day since its release.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared the numbers on Twitter on Monday.

He wrote: “Grows 325.35% on Day 3 (vis-e-vis Day 1), NEW RECORDe Metros + mass belt, multiplexes + single screens, the *opening weekend biz* is TERRIFIC across the board... Fri 3.55 cr, Sat 8.50 cr, Sun 15.10 cr. Total: Rs 27.15 cr. #India biz.”

Continued on page 5

Su-25 of the Ukrainian Air Force, as well as an Mi-8 helicopter.

The Russian armed forces have also attacked a Ukrainian airbase near Kramatorsk, Konashenkov said.

In the attack, three hangars were destroyed, in which there were four Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft, one Mi-24 helicopter and five Mi-8 helicopters.

Mumbai, March 6: Two Air India Express flights carrying Indian evacuees, mostly students from the war-torn Ukraine, reached here from Budapest and Bucharest via Kuwait, at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), an official said here on Sunday.

The flights IX-1202 (Bucharest) and IX-1602 (Budapest), each flew down 185 Indian nationals (total 370) who had crossed the borders to reach neighbouring Hungary and Romania, from where they took the flights.

The arriving passengers included a maximum 120 people from Kerala, Tamil Nadu (58), Andhra Pradesh (28), Uttar Pradesh (18), Rajasthan (17), Bihar (16), Maharashtra (15), Telangana (14), Haryana (13) and

Delhi (10).

The rest are from Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Punjab, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Meghalaya, and Jammu & Kashmir.

The CSMIA authorities had deployed special measures for the speedy exit and luggage clearance of the Ukraine evacuees, and following the Covid-19 protocols.

Representatives of various states later took charge of their people to help them with their lodging-boarding or onward journey plans by trains or flights.

The government officials indicate that another flight is expected early on Monday morning, details of which are awaited.

K’taka HC upholds ban on hijab in schools & colleges, dismisses all petitions Bengaluru, March 15: The Karnataka High Court’s special bench on Tuesday dismissed all petitions seeking direction for permission to wear hijab in classrooms.

The HC also stated that “wearing of hijab is not an essential part of Islam. Prescription of uniform is constitutional and students can’t object to it.” Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi read the judgement.

“We are of the considered opinion that wearing a hijab by Muslim women does not form any essential form of practice in Islamic faith. The prescription of school uniforms is only a reasonable restriction and are constitutionally permissible which the students cannot object,” the bench said.

Continued on page 5

BJP got increased support from all castes in UP polls Lucknow, March 15: Despite the pre-election narrative about upper castes being upset with the BJP, an analysis of the election data shows that within the upper castes, the highest number of MLAs are from the BJP alliance.

The alliance has 117 such MLAs whereas the SP alliance has only 11.

The BSP, Congress and Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) have one MLA each from upper caste category.

All SC/ST MLAs have won only in the reserved constituencies, within

which, the BJP alliance has the highest number (65) followed by the SP alliance (20) and Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) (1).

Caste and religion have remained dominant factors in Uttar Pradesh Assembly election but the charisma of the Modi and Yogi seems to have doused all anger, if any, and the party has got immense Hindu support - including Jats who were said to be opposed to the BJP. The BJP mobilised voters with social engineering and

developmental discourse which paid rich dividends.

Data reveals that the highest number of MLAs have been elected from the Brahmin community (52), followed

by Rajput (49), Kurmi/Sainthwar (40), Muslim (34), Jatav/Chamar (29), Pasi (27), Yadav (27), Bania/Khatri (21) and so on.

Except Muslims, Yadavs, and Rajbhars, the BJP alliance has the highest number of MLAs in each caste.

Continued on page 5

Prabhas on ‘Radhe Shyam’: ‘Didn’t want to do only action’ - Page 30

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Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

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Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR Russia bombs nuke facility

Russia shells Mariupol every 30 mins: Mayor Kiev, March 11: Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko on Friday said the Ukrainian city is being shelled

by Russian forces every 30 minutes.

In a social media post, the Mayor acknowledged that the the last few days have been particularly difficult for the city as Russian forces were “ruthlessly and purposely shelling residential buildings” in the strategic port city.

“Today, they cynically fired on the State Emergency Services. Every 30 minutes, aircraft flew over the city, working residential areas and killing civilians: the elderly, women and children.”

He also accused Russia of disrupting the delivery of humanitarian aid from Zaporizhzhya to Mariupol, adding that the forces attacked convoys and the ‘green corridor’ for civilian evacuations.

According to preliminary estimates

by Mariupol’s city council, about 1,300 civilians have died thus far in the 10 days that it has been blockaded.

In a video address on Thursday, Iryna Vereschuk, Minister of the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, said no evacuation could take place from the humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhya due to

constant shelling by Russian forces, the Ukrayinska Pravda newspaper reported.

Calling the situation in Mariupol a “humanitarian catastrophe”, the Minister said that Russia has constantly hampered the planned evacuation of civilians from the strategic port city.

“The worst situation is in MariupolZaporizhzhya. No one has been evacuated. Not a single drop of water has reached people who are exhausted from thirst. 300,000 people today are suffering from

lack of water, cold and hunger. The aggressor’s revenge is not allowing us to save them,” Vereschuk said.

She also claimed that currently there was only one road from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhya, via Orikhiv and Polohy, as all others have been destroyed or mined.

On Wednesday, Mariupol witnessed one of the worst attacks since Russia started its war on February 24 when a children and maternity hospital was shelled, killing three people and injuring 17 others.

FB, Insta allow posts asking for Putin’s death in specific countries San Francisco, March 11: In a rare exception amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Meta is allowing posts with violent speech toward Russian soldiers on Facebook and Instagram in specific countries, including calls for harm or even death of Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

As per The Verge, according to internal emails sent to Meta moderators, the company said such posts with violent speech will be allowed as long as they don’t contain threats toward others or “indicators of credibility” like saying where or how the act will take place.

Facebook and Instagram have instituted a temporary change in policy that allows users in some countries to post content that’s usually forbidden.

“As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders’. We still won’t allow credible

calls for violence against Russian civilians,” a Meta spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report late on Thursday.

The New York Times said this temporary policy applies to people using the service from Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

According to Vice, Facebook

moderators received similar temporary instructions about “death to Khamanei” content and “cited a spokesperson saying that Facebook had made that particular exception in certain earlier cases as well”.

The Facebook community standards regarding hate speech and violence and incitement have continued to receive updates since the company started publishing them publicly in 2018.

Google to send air raid alerts to Android users in Ukraine New Delhi, March 11: Google has initiated air raid alerts for Android users in Ukraine directly on their phones before expected attacks happen near them.

At the request, and with the help, of the government of Ukraine, Google has started rolling out a rapid Air Raid Alerts system for Android phones in Ukraine.

“This work is supplemental to the country’s existing air raid alert systems, and based on alerts already being delivered by the Ukrainian government,” said Kent Walker, President, Global Affairs at Google.

The Android notifications will be based on the alerts already being sent by the Ukrainian government.

“Tragically, millions of people in

Ukraine now rely on air strike alerts to try to get to safety,” Walker said in a statement late on Thursday.

Google said that to help the increasing number of refugees in the region, it is developing ways for businesses to flag if they are providing services to refugees.

“Beginning today, hotel owners in countries neighbouring Ukraine can indicate on their Business Profile whether they’re offering free or discounted accommodations for refugees,” said the company.

Local businesses can post to their Business Profile on Search and Maps to offer various services and aid to refugees from Ukraine.

“As we compile this information over the coming weeks, we’ll make

it possible for people to quickly find these places on Search and Maps,” Google added.

Twitter purges Russian Embassy’s tweet mocking pregnant woman in Ukraine New Delhi, March 11: Twitter has deleted a controversial tweet by the Russian Embassy in London, that

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claimed a pregnant victim fleeing the site of a hospital bombing in Ukraine’s besieged city of Mariupo

was an actor in “some very realistic make-up”.

Responding to a photo of the woman

in Ukraine’s Kharkiv Kiev, March 11: Ukrainian authorities said on Friday said Russian troops have bombed a nuclear research facility in the country’s second largest city of Kharkiv.

In a Facebook post, Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said the bombing of the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology on Thursday night has caused a power outage at the Source of Neutron Nuclear Research Subcritical Unit.

According to the state regulator, the unit has completely lost power and the exterior of the building has also been damaged.

It added that authorities were still assessing further damages at the site.

The regulator said the Source of Neutron is designed to conduct scientific and practical studies in the fields of nuclear physics, radiation material science, biology, chemistry and for the production of medical radioisotopes.

Russia has been targeting nuclear sites in Ukraine since it started the war on February 24.

On the first day itself, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, site of the world’s worst nuclear accident, fell to Russian troops.

On Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Ukrainian authorities had informed it that they had lost all

communications with the radioactive waste facility at Chernobyl after the plant suffered a power outage.

On March 3, another facility, the

International Atomic Energy Agency in south-eastern Ukraine, was damaged by artillery fire and captured by Russian forces.

Andhra doctor vows to stay on in Ukraine with his big cats Hyderabad, March 10: Though hundreds of Indians have battled all odds to return home from war-torn Ukraine, a doctor is not ready to leave without his pet big cats -- a black panther and a jaguar!

Giri Kumar Patil, a physician, has been holed up in a basement at his home in Donbas region with not just ‘Yagwar’ and ‘Sabrina’, but also Italian dogs.

Hailing from Tanuku in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, Kumar has been living in Severodonetsk, a small town located in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, for over six years now.

It was in 2020 that he adopted a sick jaguar and christened it ‘Yagwar’, which is now 20-month-old. Only a couple of months ago, he adopted ‘Sabrina’, a female black panther. He bought both the big cats from Kyiv Zoo for $35,000.

According to Kumar, ‘Yagwar’ is a cross breed between a male Amur leopard and a female black jaguar and is a most endangered species.

Caught in the midst of war, Kumar, a practicing orthopedic doctor, is more bothered about the safety of his pets. He has been regularly posting videos on his YouTube channel about the condition of the pets and the efforts he is putting in to take care of them.

Kumar went to Ukraine in 2007 to study medicine, and has been there since 2014. He works with a government hospital in Severodonetsk, which was shut after the war began.

Though his relatives and friends in India are concerned about his safety, for Kumar, the safety of his pets is equally important.

“I treat them as my own kids. I bought them when they were little and orphaned. How can I leave them behind,” asked Kumar, who lives alone at his home.

In one of the videos, Kumar said in the aftermath of Wednesday’s attack, the Embassy had tweeted: “She has some very realistic makeup. She is also doing well with her beauty blogs. Plus she could not be in the maternity house at the time of the strike, as it has long been taken by the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion who told all the staff to clear the place.”

The micro-blogging platform immediately deleted the tweet.

The Embassy has had at least three tweets removed within a day for violating the platform’s rules, reports The Verge.

The false claims appeared to have originated in Russian-language

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ever since the war broke out, he has been stepping out to buy food for his pets. However, buying food has also become difficult due to Russian attacks in the region. There is a food shortage and the prices have skyrocketed.

The 40-year-old is worried over the wellbeing of his pets as they are scared due to the continuous bombing in the area and are eating less. He vows to take care of them till his last breath.

Though no official from the Indian Embassy has approached him for evacuation, Kumar made it clear that he will not leave Ukraine without his pets.

He doesn’t believe that Indian authorities will offer to evacuate them along with him.

Kumar was inspired by the role of his favourite actor, Chiranjeevi, in a Telugu film in which he adopts a leopard.

Kumar has a YouTube channel -- ‘Jaguar Kumar Telugu’ -- with over 95,000 subscribers. For the last two weeks, he has been documenting his experience of taking care of the big cats during the war.

He claims to be the only Indian in

the world successfully raising the most endangered and dangerous big cats.

“My all-time dream is to raise endangered big cats like Sumatran tigers and Amur leopards and jaguars,” he wrote and sought sponsors/funding for his dream project.

Meanwhile, superstar Chiranjeevi has written to Kumar praising him for his resolve to stay back in the war-torn country for the sake of his pets.

“I am delighted and touched to learn that your love for jaguars and panthers was inspired by me. It is truly heartening that you are not willing to leave them behind during this unfortunate war time and chose to stay back in Ukraine for the sake of care giving to your pet panther and jaguar. Your compassion and love for these wonderful creatures is highly admirable,” wrote Chiranjeevi.

“I pray for your safety during this challenging period and wish the war ends soon and normalcy is restored at the earliest. Meanwhile, please stay safe and look after your pets.

God Bless,” he added.

Telegram channels.

Several Russian Embassy Twitter accounts are sowing misinformation amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Twitter account of the Embassy in London has been actively disseminating false information about ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine.

On Thursday, Twitter suspended @ asbmilitary, an account spreading the fake conspiracy theory that the US holds biological weapons labs in Ukraine.

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Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

UP-PUNJAB ELECTIONS Priyanka to take stock of Yogi meets Prime Minister Modi poll debacle in UP to discuss new UP cabinet New Delhi, March 13: Caretaker Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath on Sunday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a historic victory in the state assembly elections.

Yogi Adityanth on Sunday reached the national capital to discuss formation of a new cabinet with Prime Minister Modi and the party’s central leadership.

Sources said that Prime Minister Modi and Adiytanath discussed the assembly poll results and the formation of a new cabinet in Uttar Pradesh. It is learnt that a series of meetings have been scheduled to finalise the new cabinet, taking care of social and regional balance, also induction of new faces as 11 ministers have lost the polls.

Earlier Adityanath met Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu.

He also met BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh and discussed cabinet

formation. Adityanath, however, termed the meeting with Santhosh a courtesy call but sources claimed that formation of new cabinet was also discussed. Union minister Sarbanand Sonowal was also present during Adityanath’s meeting with Santhosh.

Adityanath is also expected to meet BJP chief J.P. Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Sources said that the key agenda in

the meeting with the top BJP leadership will be the formation of a new cabinet. “Social equation will play a crucial role in the formation of the new cabinet and it will be discussed with the central leadership along with finalizing the date of swearing in,” a party insider said.

It has been learnt that a tentative list of probable ministers has been finalised after discussion with central leadership.

New Delhi, March 15: Amid a call for leadership change in the party, Congress General Secretary incharge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has called a meeting of party leaders on Tuesday to find out the reasons for the defeat.

The Congress could only get just over 2 per cent votes and two seats in the Uttar Pradesh polls.

The meeting has been called in Delhi which will be attended by the office-bearers and important leaders of the party.

The Congress has faced a massive loss in all the five states though Priyanka tried hard to make the party relevant but could not get support of the people.

The Congress Working Committee on Sunday reposed faith in interim party chief Sonia Gandhi after its marathon meeting to discuss the outcome of the Assembly polls and authorised her to undertake “necessary and comprehensive” organisational changes.

Party General Secretary K.C.

Venugopal and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the CWC endorsed holding of a ‘Chintan Shivir’ (brainstorming session).

“The recent Assembly election results of five states are a cause of serious concern for the Indian National Congress. The party accepts that due to shortcomings in our strategy, we could not effectively expose the misrule of the BJP state governments in four states and overcome the anti-incumbency in the state of Punjab in the short time after effecting a change of leadership,” said the CWC resolution.

It said that the Congress “represents the hopes of millions of Indians against political authoritarianism prevailing in the country today and the party is fully conscious of its immense responsibility.”

The resolution said that “humbly accepting the electoral verdict of the latest round of Assembly elections, the Congress party assures its workers and the people of India that it will continue to remain a vigilant and vibrant opposition.

The Congress Party will be fully prepared to face the electoral challenges in the election going states in 2022 and 2023 as well as in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

“The CWC unanimously reaffirms its faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and requests the Congress President to lead from the front, address the organisational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges.”

New UP Assembly has 51% Modi congratulates AAP for Punjab MLAs with criminal cases: ADR sweep, assures Centre’s help Lucknow, March 13: Out of the 403 newly elected legislators in Uttar Pradesh, 205 (nearly 51 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves.

Of these 143 (36 per cent) MLAs have made the declarations in their affidavits.

According to an analysis report released by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 158 (39 per cent) winning candidates have declared serious criminal cases, including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, crimes against women, etc.

There are five winning candidates who have declared cases related to murder (IPC Section-302) against themselves.

Winning candidates with cases related to attempt to murder are 29 while six winning candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women - one of whom has a

case related to rape.

According to ADR analysis, there are 111 (44 per cent) out of 255 winning candidates from the BJP who have criminal antecedents, 71 out of 111 winning candidates are from SP, 7 out of 8 winning candidates from RLD, 4 out of 6 winning candidates from Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party, 4 out of 6 winning candidates from Nishad Part, 3 out of 12 winning candidates from Apna Dal, 2 from

Jansatta Dal Loktantrik, 2 from Congress and 1 from the BSP. Nearly 233 out of 255 newly elected legislators from the BJP, 100 out of 111 from SP, 9 out of 12 from Apna Dal, 7 out of 8 from RLD, 6 from Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party, 6 from Nishad party, 2 from Jansatta Dal Loktantrik, 2 from INC and 1 BSP winning candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

Punjabis usher in ‘inquilab’, have got ‘honest CM’: Kejriwal Amritsar, March 13: Just three days after AAP marked its maiden stupendous victory in Punjab, party convener Arvind Kejriwal, accompanied by Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann, on Sunday paid obeisance at the holiest Sikh and Hindu shrines in the city and later in a victory road show thanked the people for giving thumping win to the party.

Stressing that three crore Punjabis have ushered in an “inquilab” (revolution), the Delhi Chief Minister said for the first time after so many years, Punjab has got an honest Chief Minister. “’Tusi kamaal kar dita’ (you did wonders). I love you Punjab. The whole world knew that Punjabis bring revolution, but still could not believe that such an incredible ‘inquilab’ could sweep. All were defeated, Sukhbir ji, Parkash Singh Badal ji, Manpreet Badal got defeated, Channi defeated on both the seats, Majithia ji, Navjot Singh Sidhu ji tasted defeat,” he said.

“Now all the money will be spent on Punjab and its people. We will fulfill all the guarantees and make a ‘rangla’ or happy Punjab,” he added.

The road show passed through various areas with AAP supporters led by legislators showering flower petals on both Kejriwal and Mann, who stood atop an open vehicle.

Thousands of supporters, many of them holding the tricolour and party flags, comprising elderly and women, greeted the AAP leaders amid cheers and loud applause.

Earlier, Kejriwal and Mann paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and the Durgiana Temple and prayed for the prosperity and peace of Punjab. www.indianabroad.news

They also paid a floral tribute at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial, close to the Golden Temple complex.

At least, 16 councillors of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation joined the road show amidst the presence of party leaders Manish Sisodia and Raghav Chadha and Amritsar Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu.

The AAP wiped out the Congress and the SAD-BSP combine by defeating stalwarts like sitting and former Chief Ministers like Charanjit Singh Channi, Parkash Singh Badal, and Amarinder Singh.

Chief Minister-designate Mann will take oath alone on Wednesday, party sources said.

The oath ceremony of his cabinet, which may comprise 17 members, will be held later, a source told IANS. AAP has won 92 seats in Punjab -- up from 20 in 2017 with its vote share rising to 42.4 per cent.

A day earlier, Mann met Governor Banwarilal Purohit at the Raj Bhawan here and staked claim to form the government.

He is set to take oath as the 17th Chief Minister of Punjab at Khatkar

Kalan, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, on March 16 at 12.30 p.m.

Addressing the media outside the Raj Bhavan on Saturday, Mann said: “We also informed the Governor about the place and time of the swearing-in ceremony. I have invited all the people of Punjab to come to Khatkar Kalan for this historic occasion. On March 16, not only us and our ministers, all the people of Punjab will take an oath to make Punjab prosperous again. We all together make Punjab prosperous.”

In his directive to newly elected party legislators, Mann asked them to spend maximum time in their constituencies, not in capital Chandigarh, and not to hanker for Cabinet berths.

“We have to work for all those places where we went to seek votes. All MLAs must work in the areas from where they have been elected, not just stay in Chandigarh,” Mann was quoted as saying after he was elected the leader of the AAP Legislative Party -- a formality ahead of his swearing-in.

New Delhi, March 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for its clean sweep in the Punjab Assembly elections, and assured the party of all possible help from the Centre.

In a series of tweets, Modi expressed his gratitude to the voters and party workers and congratulated AAP for winning Punjab.

The Prime Minister also assured AAP of all possible support from the Centre for the welfare of Punjab.

“I would like to congratulate AAP for their victory in the Punjab elections.

I assure all possible support from

the Centre for Punjab’s welfare,” he said.

In another tweet, Modi said, “The people of UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur have showered @BJP4India with great affection. My gratitude to the people of these states. Our party cherishes these blessings and will keep working for the development of these states.”

Lauding the hard work put in by BJP workers in the five states that went to the polls, Modi said, “Our party ‘karyakartas’ worked tirelessly among the people. They spoke about our good governance agenda and highlighted our pro-people

efforts. I salute each and every party ‘karyakarta’ for their exceptional efforts.”

Gandhis responsible for Congress’s rout: Capt Amarinder Chandigarh, March 14: Holding the Gandhis solely responsible for the complete rout of the Congress in all the recent Assembly polls, PLC chief Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday slammed the Congress Working Committee (CWC) for blaming him for the defeat in Punjab instead of gracefully admitting their own blunders.

“The Congress has not only lost in Punjab but also in UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur and the Gandhis are entirely to be blamed for the party’s shameful defeat,” he said, adding that the fact was that the people, across the country, had lost faith in the leadership of the Gandhis.

Pointing out that many senior leaders within the party were outrightly blaming the infighting in the Punjab Congress and the ‘anti-party’ statements of Navjot Sidhu for the abysmal performance in Punjab, the former chief minister said the Congress was comfortably placed in the state till he was sacked

to favour certain sycophants.

The party had dug its own grave in the border state the day they decided to back an “unstable” and “pompous” person like Sidhu, and naming a corrupt man like Charanjit Singh Channi as chief minister just months before the polls, he said.

The CWC leaders who were claiming that there was a strong “anti-incumbency” against his (Capt Amarinder’s) government had conveniently forgotten that he had won every election for the party since 2017, the last being the civic bodies election in February 2021, just seven months before his unceremonious removal, he pointed out.

“These leaders are just sycophants who are trying to shield the family by shifting blame and closing their eyes to the writing on the wall,” he said, adding that the Congress had no future under the present setup.

Capt Amarinder said the real reason for the party’s defeat in Punjab was the failure of the high command to

first favour and then fail to reign in people like Sidhu, who indulged in tarnishing the image of the party for their own personal gains.

He said: “In their efforts to discredit me, the party high command joined hands with Navjot and others, and in the process ended up discrediting the party totally”.

Congress president should have accountability: Sandeep Dikshit New Delhi, March 1: Amid the war within the Congress, the G-23 group on Tuesday called for accountability of the party president.

Talking to IANS, Sandeep Dikshit a former MP said, “The Congress President should have accessibility, acceptability and accountability.”

He said that accessibility to people and party leaders, acceptability within the public and accountability in wake of the losses should be there for the president and this should also be the norm for the state chief ministers and state chiefs.

He said that the family is not acceptable to the people and this is evident in continued failures in poll after poll, and they are not accessible to anyone, including the party leaders.

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“In 90 per cent cases, Congress is pitted against Congress who are in turn backed by top AICC leaders.

These leaders are full of arrogance and have held on to the big posts for long,” said Dikshit.

He alleged that the sycophants have led the party to the peril.

While saying that members like him are not going to leave the party and will remain and fight back, he said, “We have no plans to leave but fight for revival.”

The rebel group is planning to meet on Wednesday and chalk out a future strategy.

Days after the Congress working committee meeting, the party’s senior leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday demanded that the ‘Gandhis should

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step aside from the leadership role and give a chance to someone else to lead the party’.

Since the poll debacle of 2014 the Congress has lost elections continuously except on a few occasions, he said, and added that “the CWC has reposed faith in the party leadership but those outside the CWC feel otherwise as many have left the party and new leaders should be given a chance to lead the party”.

Sibal is one of the signatories of the letter written to Sonia Gandhi for bringing reforms within the party, but in the CWC meet on Sunday sources say that Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma did not raise the issue of leadership change.

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LEAD STORIES

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘The BJP got increased support from all castes in UP polls Kashmir Files’ mints Rs 27.15 Cr in 3 days Continued from page 5

According to BJP sources, the party has got about 89 per cent Brahmin votes, compared to 83 per cent in 2017.

Nearly 87 per cent Thakurs have voted for BJP, compared to 70 per cent in 2017. It is noteworthy that in 2017, Yogi Adityanath - a Thakur himself - was not projected as chief minister.

Both Brahmins and Thakurs have a population of about 7 per cent each but are powerful opinion makers, especially in the rural areas.

The BJP has also got considerable support from Hindu backward

castes which explains the increased number of MLAs from these caste groups.

The 18th Uttar Pradesh Assembly will have the highest number of MLAs from Hindu backward castes, followed by upper castes, SCs/STs, Muslims, and Sikhs.

Within backward caste MLAs, the BJP alliance has 90 legislators whereas the SP alliance has 60 and the Congress one.

The figure shows that 151 (38 per cent) MLAs elected, are from the Hindu backward castes, followed by the upper castes (131, 33 per cent) and the SC/ST (86, 21 per cent).

Total 86 constituencies are reserved for the SC/ST category, and candidates belonging to these communities have been able to win only these reserved seats.

All major parties - BJP, BSP, INC, and SP - nominated very few SC/ ST candidates outside the reserved constituencies.

This time, 34 MLAs (8 per cent) have been elected from the Muslim community despite them constituting around 19 per cent of the state’s population. All 34 Muslim MLAs belong to the SP which has reportedly got 79 per cent Muslim votes, compared to 46 per cent in 2017.

Only one candidate from Sikh community has won the election.

Interestingly, the BJP has managed to win over the Jatav voters who, once, were solidly behind the Bahujan Samaja Party.

Nearly 19 candidates belonging to the Jatav/Chamar caste in the BJP alliance have won the elections.

The BJP, apparently, has overturned the game of rival political parties, claiming to be the harbinger of social justice and welfare on their own turf.

K’taka HC upholds ban on hijab in schools & colleges, dismisses all petitions Continued from page 5

Continued from page 5

In a conversation with IANS, trade analyst Karan Taurani of Elara Capital said: I think this is a silver lining that small and medium budget content is going to comeback very strong... If you see larger films they had come back to record numbers 200, 220, 250 crore plus but small medium budget films are actually struggling.

“In terms of collection estimate for these kind of films it generally picks up with word of mouth and has given over Rs 27 crores in its first weekend but I think the second weekend will be even more stronger versus the first weekend.”

Taurani added: “Basis of what we have seen today, it is expected to make Rs 8 to 10 crores even today despite being a Monday.

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He feels that ‘The Kashmir Files’ will surpass Rs. 100 crore in the coming ten days.

“Effectively it can also reach Rs 150 to 170 crore. The film has been made tax-free in many states.”

Talking about the budget of ‘The Kashmir Files’, Taurani said: “So, it’s about Rs. 15 crores is what I have heard. The rate of interest (ROI) is phenomenal.”

‘The Kashmir Files’ was released on March 11 and stars actors Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumaar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi. On the first day of its release, the film minted Rs. 3.55 crore.

The story is based on video interviews of the first generation victims of the Genocide of Kashmiri Pandit Community In 1990.

“In view of the above we are of the considered opinion that the government has power to issue the government order dated February 5, 2022 (restricting hijab in classrooms) and no case is made for its invalidation,” the bench noted.

The bench further observed, “We are of the considered opinion that no case is made out for issuance of direction of disciplinary action and warrants against the respondents.

Therefore, the petition in this regard is rejected as not maintainable.

“Accordingly in above circumstances all these petitions are devoid of merits and liable to be dismissed, and all the pending applications are not maintainable and disposed of,” the bench underlined.

The bench after commencing the session said that keeping the holistic view of the entire matter, it has formulated a few questions and they have answered them.

“The questions which are formulated are whether wearing of hijab, headscarves is a part of essential religious practice in Islamic faith protected under Article 25 of the constitution?

“The second question is whether

restriction of school uniforms is not legally permissible and being violative of petitions fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (a) freedom of expression and privacy?

“The third question whether government order dated February 5, 2022 apart from being incompetent is being issued without application of mind and further it is manifestedly arbitrary and therefore violates the Articles 13, 14 of the constitution?

“Whether any case is made out in the petition of issuance of direction initiating disciplinary enquiry and warrants against respondents? The special bench said.

As a precautionary measure security was beefed up across the state.

Holiday was declared in the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Kalaburagi and Shivamogga for schools and colleges.

Most of the districts imposed prohibitory orders in the surrounding areas of educational institutions.

The Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant issued prohibitory orders restricting protests, celebrations and gatherings in the entire city for seven days from March 15.

The hijab row, which started as a

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protest by six students of the Udupi Pre-University Girl’s College, turned into a big crisis.

The bench headed by the Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S. Dixit and Justice Jaiunnesa Mohiyuddin Khaji heard the matter on a daily basis.

The counsels appearing for the petitioners contended that restriction on hijab to classrooms is a violation of fundamental rights and religious rights. There is no legal standing for the School Development Committee (SDC) or College Development

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Committee (CDMC), they said.

They also argued that wearing of hijab is an integral part of Islam.

However, the Advocate General and other counsels appearing for the government argued that wearing of hijab is not an essential part of Islam. They have also stated that the government respects the wearing of hijab and it had been left to the discretion of SDMC and SDCs. It was also brought to the notice of the court that many Islamic and European countries have banned hijab.

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LEAD STORIES

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2022 Nita Ambani launches women empowerment Bhumi Pednekar partners with Bumble platform “Her Circle” in Hindi March 8, 2022: A unique initiative synergises girl power with the power of the digital revolution, Her Circle, which is now expanding into the multilingual space with the launch of its Hindi app.

At the launch today, Nita M. Ambani said, “Her Circle is an evolving platform meant for all women, irrespective of region and language.

I want our reach and support to expand un-hindered. And to reach more women in their language of ease, we are first launching Her Circle in Hindi. We go live in March 2022 and I hope it gets as much love as the English platform has received till now.”

Her Circle’s first-year milestones cover a wide range of objectives related to digital usage and networking. Thousands of job opportunities that have been curated and listed for users have led them to the right career path. The extensive masterclasses on how to become a professional makeup artist, food stylist, fitness trainer, dog trainer, and radio jockey have attracted a lot of interest.

How does the App work?

It’s a one-stop destination for networking and goal fulfilment.

Designed to provide women-related content that is engaging and upliftment oriented, it connects women to each other through a social platform. Users can toggle between their language of choice— English and Hindi currently—by a simple language selection option: The Hindi content is unique and original, customized for the user.

The platform provides women with answers from Reliance’s esteemed panel of experts on health, wellness, education, entrepreneurship, finance, philanthropy, mentorship and leadership. The section on upskilling and jobs will help women find new professional skills as well as get job opportunities suited to their profile.

Women can grow and learn through masterclasses from the best in the business or avail complimentary digital courses.

It’s private and personalised.

While the content, from videos to articles, is open to all, the social networking part of the platform is only for women. The social connect will provide women with a safe, women-only forum to make new friends with shared interests or ask questions from peers without hesitation. Her Circle also has an

exclusive and personal space for women to ask questions to medical and finance experts in a confidential chatroom.

In addition to providing useful and uplifting content, social networking and expert advice in a safe and personalised environment, Her Circle also provides trackers to enable users to inculcate and sustain the right habits in the space of fitness, period tracking, fertility & pregnancy guide and finance tracking. Her Circle is a desktop and mobile-responsive website and is available as a free app on Google Play Store and iOS App Store.

‘Social revolution takes time’: SC on induction of women officers in NDA New Delhi, March 8: The Centre, on Women’s Day on Tuesday, told the Supreme Court that the mindset has changed in connection with induction of women officers in the armed forces, and also assured the possibility of allocating more seats to women candidates in National Defence Academy (NDA), after deliberating implications in the long term, in the next three months.

At this, a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M. M. Sundresh said: “Revolution does not come overnight and social revolution takes time to come. Social and logistics aspects also take time.” Justice Kaul noted that if an institution has been all boys’, changes take time and the court’s job is to keep prodding.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, brought on record comparative figures on the percentage of women in armed forces in different countries. According to the Indian Navy’s affidavit, women officers in the Indian defence forces are 13.6 per cent, which is fourth largest after US, Australia, and France.

The affidavit said: “That induction of woman cadets in NDA has been a major policy decision. The respondents need sufficient time for deliberating implications in the long term for induction and deployment of ex-NDA women cadets in the Indian Armed Forces. It is, therefore, submitted that the respondents require at least three months additional time towards this”.

The top court noted the valuable assistance of Bhati as a law officer, in the matter, as it appreciated armed forces approach on the aspect of gender equality.

After hearing detailed arguments in

the matter, the top court scheduled the matter for further hearing in July.

The affidavit said that a total of 8,009 candidates, including 1,002 women, passed the NDA written examination held during November 2021 and the Service Selection Board (SSB) is scheduled with effect from MarchApril 2022.

“In respect of number of women to be inducted for NDA- II 2021 and NDA-I 2022, it is submitted that each course at NDA has 370 vacancies for the three services. Out of these, 208 cadets get commissioned in the Indian Army (IA), 120 cadets get commissioned in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and 42 cadets get commissioned in the Indian Navy (IN)”, added the affidavit.

The top court was informed that the proportional strength of women cadets in the NDA is more than the existing proportional strength of women officers (WOs) in the Indian Army. The affidavit added that the average intake in the last four years of WOs in the eight arms and services has been up to 15 per cent of the total cadre strength. “With the present allotment of 10 women candidates per course in NDA, i.e 20 per year, the women cadre in these arms will witness a growth of 5 per cent i.e. from the existing 15 per cent to 20 per cent,”, it added.

The Centre has justified restricting the intake of women cadets in the NDA to 19 per batch for the time being, saying the number is based on sound rationale and current requirement. The NDA exam is conducted twice a year, NDA-I in the first half of the year and NDA-II in the second.

The Centre’s response came after senior advocate Chinmoy Pradip Sharma and advocate Mohit Paul complained against a fresh notification issued by Union Public Services Commission for NDA-I exam in 2022, which limited the intake of women cadets to just 19.

On the aspect of determinants of future progressions, the affidavit said that as many as 506 women officers have been granted Permanent Commission in the army against backdrop of the apex court orders.

“The Indian Army since has been simultaneously engaged in a large number of operational challenges, especially on northern borders, which have effected permanent changes in deployment and various other operational facets, requiring in-depth analysis and extrapolated impacts in cadre management to include women officers’ operational employment,” added the affidavit.

Achievements of women from NE highlighted on Int’l Women’s Day New Delhi, March 8: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) on Tuesday launched a ‘Nari Shakti Week’.

Great achievements of women from the Northeast were specially highlighted on this ocassion.

To mark the day, a lot of offline and online activities were organised.

In the beginning, a video message showcasing powerful women from Northeast state was shown.

A signature campaign was also launched at the Vigyan Bhawan in which team DoNER and other government departments took part.

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“The major highlight of the Women’s Day celebrations today was a ‘virtual town hall’ meeting comprising officials of DoNER, NEC, NERCRMS and its associate departments. The meeting showcased and recognised the efforts and achievements of the ‘women work force’ towards the development and growth of the Northeastern region,” said Moses Chalai, Secretary, North Eastern Council (NEC).

A social media campaign with the theme ‘Thank You Nari Shakti of Northeast’ was also organised on the social media channels of DoNER.

March 10, 2022: Bumble, the women-first dating app, has partnered with popular actor Bhumi Pednekar in India to show some of the gendered inequalities women face in dating and relationships.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the ‘Romance Gap’ - the discrepancy in behaviour expected from men and women when dating and in relationships.

In an engaging and evocative video, Pednekar shared anecdotes on the deeply ingrained traditional gender roles and the expectations which exist in dating. Through this campaign, Bumble and Bhumi urge viewers to make romance equal by taking steps to bridge the romance gap.

What are your thoughts on old and dated gendered inequalities in romantic relationships?

Bhumi: It’s actually convoluted.

People don’t have the awareness that things need to be equal in life.

Most women are taught to obey whatever is being said, while men defying rules Is considered brave

and bold. So, it all starts back home.

Unless the parenting doesn’t change, nothing will.

Have you faced gender inequality in any of your past relationships? A little bit on what was it or how did you tackle?

Bhumi: No, I haven’t really faced any gender inequality. But yes, men do have expectations in a relationship or marriage. But I feel in the last few years a certain level of understanding has seeped in men.

How was it working on a campaign which addresses an issue that is so prevalent in the society we live in?

Bhumi: Nothing is more empowering than striking a positive conversation and it feels purposeful to be a part of such a strong campaign. It’s a belief system that we are trying to challenge and change.

What would you expect from a relationship?

Bhumi: There definitely needs to be mutual respect and unconditional love. We should be able to empower and be building blocks for one another.

A little bit about your upcoming projects Bhumi: I have Govinda Mera Naam with Vicky and Kiara, Raksha Bandhan with AK sir, Bheed with Rajkumar and Bhakshak, amongst many that I’m still shooting.

What is that one piece of dating advice you would give to young single daters?

Bhumi: Date smart and date fair.

Life is not a bed of roses and love is not a sprint, it’s a marathon so make it worthwhile

World needs more women environment ministers: Guterres New York, March 8: Advancing gender equality in the context of the climate crisis and disaster risk reduction is one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century.

Also the globe needs more women environment ministers, business leaders and presidents and prime ministers, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, explores the ways in which women and girls are leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response around the world, contributing powerful leaders and change-makers to a more sustainable future for all.

During the International Women’s Day official UN Observance, Guterres emphasized the important role of women and girls in fighting climate change.

“We need more women environment ministers, business leaders and presidents and prime ministers.

They can push countries to address the climate crisis, develop green jobs and build a more just and sustainable world. We cannot emerge from the pandemic with the clock spinning backwards on gender equality.”

Women are increasingly being recognized as more vulnerable to climate change impacts than men, as they constitute the majority of the world’s poor and are more dependent on the natural resources, which climate change threatens the most.

However, despite increasing evidence, there is still hesitancy in making the vital connections

between gender, social equity and climate change.

At the same time, progress made towards a more gender-equal world is being obstructed by multiple, interlocking and compounding crises, most recently, the ongoing aggression against Ukraine.

Whatever the crisis, from conflict to climate, women and girls are affected first and worst. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future, remains beyond our reach.

“We have seen the impact of COVID-19 in increasing inequalities, driving poverty and violence against women and girls; and rolling back their progress in employment, health and education. The accelerating crises of climate change and environmental degradation are disproportionately undermining the rights and wellbeing of women and girls”, said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

“We have today the opportunity to put women and girls at the centre of our planning and action and to integrate gender perspectives into global and national laws and policies.

“We have the opportunity to re-think, re-frame and re-allocate resources. We have the opportunity to benefit from the leadership of women and girls environmental defenders and climate activists to guide our planet’s conservation.

Climate change is a threat multiplier.

But women, and especially young women, are solution multipliers”.

As exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic and social fallout impacted women and

girls disproportionately, further challenging their ability to withstand the impacts of the climate and environment crises.

The pressures of juggling work and family, coupled with school closures and job losses in female-dominated sectors meant even fewer women were participating in the workforce, with about 113 million women aged 25-54, with partners and small children, out of the workforce in 2020.

Climate change also drives increased vulnerability to gender-based violence.

Across the world, women bear a disproportionate responsibility for securing food, water and fuel, tasks that climate change makes more time-consuming and difficult.

Scarcity of resources and the necessity of traveling further to obtain them may open women up to more violence, including increased risk factors linked to human trafficking, child marriage or access to resources to protect them from gender-based violence.

Women and girls are taking on climate and environment action at all levels, but their voice, agency, and participation are under-supported, under-resourced, under-valued and under-recognized.

‘Lock Upp’ contestants get emotional on listening to acid attack survivors’ stories Mumbai, March 9: Kangana Ranaut’s reality show ‘Lock Upp’ witnessed few emotional moments as five acid attack survivors entered the show on the Women’s Day special episode.

They included Ashu Ganeriwal, Daulat Bi, Lalita, Saira, and Archana and the contestants served special food cooked by them.

Karanvir Bohra, Babita Phogat, and Munawar Faruqui entertained the special guests with their acts.

These women share their stories with the inmates and what exactly happened to them.

One woman recalled: “This accident happened in 2008, a boy who stayed in my neighbourhood used to harass me a lot. Suddenly one day, he just threw acid on me.”

Other women shared: “The acid attacker was no one else but my real sister.”

She continues to share about the incident that happened with her sister: “15 days before the marriage,

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a boy came and held her hair from behind and directly threw acid. The pain is never ending, it still hurts every day. We celebrate Durga Pooja every year, celebrate Women’s Day every year, but what about us?”

Karanvir exclaims: “I salute your passion and strength.”

The inmates couldn’t stop their tears

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with all the suffering the womens had to go through.

Lastly, Karanvir asks what do they want from the society? To which they replied: “Love and acceptance is all we need.”

‘Lock Upp’ streams on ALTBalaji and MX Player.

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FOOD & CUISINE

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Indian Cooking with Lata Modi METHI MATAR MALAI & BAJRA ROTI COOKED WITH MOOLI METHI MATAR MALAI

MRS. LATA MODI

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amaste friends,

One of my friends raves about methi malai matar curry she ate at a restaurant near her home, and I promised to myself to make an even tastier curry and hoped she likes my recipe. Here we are cooking that curry for our lunch and also making one of the healthiest nutritious rotis for breakfast.

This roti is so delicious that you just want to keep eating, but at the same time, it is so filling that you just cannot eat more than one. In my childhood when my mum used to make this roti, she used to also put a dollop of homemade white butter on it. Just delicious. As it takes time to hand roll and cook each roti with patience, it must have been very hard on mum to feed six children at the same time.

Because we used to sit in her kitchen on a blanket spread on the floor feeling the warmth of stove and smell of mum’s cooking. And the memories of waiting on my turn for roti is still so fresh in my mind. My youngest sister hated being the last one to get it, but we all used to give her a small piece from our roti to keep her quiet. Those were the days.

I really hope you all try this roti and curry recipe and enjoy.

Happy cooking, friends.

(Fenugreek and peas creamy curry) INGREDIENTS (For 4-6 people) • One cup frozen peas • Two cups fresh methi leaves or one and a half cup dry methi leaves • 2 big onions, roughly diced • Two medium tomatoes, roughly diced • One inch piece of ginger, diced • 10-15 cashews • 3-4 green cardamom • 3-4 cloves • 2-3 bay leaves • 5-6 whole pepper corn • Two table spoon oil • Two table spoon butter for frying onion masala • Two tea spoon coriander powder • One tea spoon cumin powder • One tea doon cumin seeds • One tea spoon red chilli powder • 4 table spoon fresh cream of malai (cream) • Salt to taste METHOD 1. If you are using dry methi leaves, soak them for at least half hour.

2. Squeeze the water before using it.

If it is too stringy, then grind it in the grinder to soften it. If you are using

BAJRA ROTI COOKED WITH MOOLI (GRATED LOBOK) IN DOUGH INGREDIENTS (for 4-6 people) • Two cup bajra atta (millet flour) • One big white lobok (mooli) • One tea spoon ajwain seeds (carom seeds) • One tea spoon cumin powder • Two fresh chillies, fine chopped • Fresh chopped coriander to taste • Salt to taste • Oil for cooking the rotis 1. MAKE DOUGH METHOD First of all, peel, wash and grate the mooli. Now in a big mixing bowl put

Snack on almonds for better skin health March 1, 2022: Women across the country are aware of how nutrition is closely associated with skin health. The food we eat is as important as the products for our skin, as healthy glowing skin is hard to achieve on a poor diet even with the strictest skincare regime. It is evident in the survey that highlights a shift in consumers’ preferences towards a healthy lifestyle and natural alternatives for daily diet.

According to a recent survey conducted between 7th to 22nd December by YouGov, a research consulting firm, 72 percent of women in India find healthy dietary changes as an important step for beautiful looking skin.

Overall, the results indicate that majority of the females prefer to snack on healthy and nutritious food items such as almonds and fruits as they recognize the beauty benefits of fruits and almonds in particular.

Talking specifically in terms of maintaining a healthy diet, most women see a consequent benefit of achieving beautiful looking skin with home meals, a fibre-rich diet and snacking on nuts like almonds.

Almonds have emerged as a top choice amongst Indian women as they associate Vitamin E with better skin health. Besides, the survey highlights the fact that 59 percent of

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women consume almonds on a daily basis, mostly soaked or raw. This makes almonds the most regularly consumed nut.

Females of the age group 30-39 and Millennials rate almonds highly on aspects such as wrinkle reduction, skin glow and skin protection.

Whereas Gen X highly associates the consumption of almonds with the reduction of wrinkles. This assessment is reinforced by their personal experience as they report having observed positive effects on skin after eating almonds. In fact, those who have been consuming almonds for over 6 months report positive impacts such as skin glow and younger-looking skin more than those who started consuming almonds lately.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Sheela Krishnaswamy, Nutrition and Wellness Consultant, said, “It is great to see survey results indicating stronger adoption of the idea that a healthy lifestyle, including healthy snacking, can elevate one’s skin health. For years now, I have been recommending almonds as a natural healthy snack for better skin health. Almonds are known to be a rich source of antioxidant vitamin E and deliver essential fatty acids and polyphenols, which make them a great choice. A recent study

suggests that almonds can help improve facial wrinkles and skin tone, a finding that supports the belief that almonds promote skin health among survey participants.

I urge women to include them into their daily diet, to support healthier skin.”

The quantitative survey by YouGov aimed to assess the correlation between beauty and snacking, and understand women’s snacking patterns for beauty benefits. The survey was conducted amongst a sample size of 3,959 women in cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Indore, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Chennai.

fresh leaves, chop them fine and wash really well. Put it aside.

3. Now in a big saucepan, heat oil and butter together. Quickly fry cashew nuts; next Put cumin seeds, and let it sizzle. Add cardamom, onions; fry them a bit, and they don’t have to be brown. Now add ginger and tomatoes. Put little salt to taste here. Cover and simmer for couple

of minutes on low heat for tomatoes to soften a bit. Put this mixture aside.

4. Once the mixture is a bit cool, grind it to a smooth paste 5. Now in the same pan add little oil, put bay leaves, stir a bit and then add your ground mixture. Fry it really well until it separates the oil. Now add all the powdered spices, salt and

methi leaves, cover and cook on a medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Fresh methi doesn’t take long to cook. Now add a bit more salt. Add peas and cover and cook further five minutes. Add 4 table spoon fresh cream. Simmer a bit. Now it’s ready to be served. Add cardamom, cloves, peppercorn and then add onions.

give it a round pita bread type shape.

This roti is thicker than normal chapati. Now heat the tawa or frying pan. With the help of same paper towel, hold it in your hand and put it in hot griddle. On a medium heat

cook one side. Flip it, spread half a tea spoon oil on it and cook both sides until fully cooked. Serve it with fresh natural yoghurt and some spicy pickle. Delicious!

bajra aata and add this grated mooli to it. Also add salt, ajwain seeds and cumin powder plus chillies and chopped coriander. Take one cup hot water and add slowly to this mixture to make a smooth dough.

The strokes to make dough are using your palms, and just keep mixing the aata with all the ingredients.

2. ROLLING AND COOKING METHOD Divide the dough in 8 equal sizes.

Make each portion into round balls (now comes the tricky part). We cannot use the rolling pin to roll the millet flour, therefore either use a baking paper or simple kitchen paper towel. Wet it. Spread it on your rolling board. Put your round ball on it. And by using your wet hand,

Quirky facts about Pistachios!

February 27, 2022: Pistachios, known for their cracking goodness, are also known as the green nut, the smiling nut, and the royal nut in different parts of the world. This underrated yet utterly wholesome nut is known for its unique health benefits and was preferred by legends and aristocrats throughout history. As we prepare to celebrate World Pistachio Day on February 26th, here are some nutty good facts about California pistachios.

Your snack partner: Pistachios are a nutritious snack that can bridge hunger between meals, helping to avoid over-eating at mealtimes. It is a great alternative to other snacks that are high in added sugars and saturated fats. They are also the balanced source of carbohydrates, protein, and fat required inhuman body The ultimate protein: If you’re a vegetarian or a vegan and looking for protein options then worry not because California Pistachios might just be your next purchase. Known for its high amount of protein, pistachios act as an ideal protein supplement for a large amount of vegetarians in India who are looking for a more non-meaty, non-dairy option to hop on.

The binge fest:Who doesn’t enjoy a great binge? Whether you’re watching Netflix or need something for those long meetings, Pistachios is a perfect option. As compared to other nuts, you get more pistachios per serving. That just means you can

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eat about 49 pistachios, compared to 23 almonds or 18 cashews. That’s right – pistachios give you more than twice as many nuts per serving and we totally love it.

Good for the gut: Containing three grams of fiber per serving, pistachios are a holy good source of fiber.

As we all know, fiber is the fuel to our bodies which not only helps you feeling fuller but alsoaids digestion and prevents constipation.

Stress buster:Having to work from home surely made us hoard the snack racks in our house but to satiate the binger in you, pistachios are a treat for anyone looking to eat consciously. It is also proven that shelled pistachios gives you a feeling of being full, while the act of de-shelling pistachios helps busting some serious stress.

Better without a dessert:As the usual norm, we usually look at integrating dry fruits and nuts with some or the

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other dessert, but these green bites of goodness need no partner. With its nutty flavour and a firm texture, the rich taste of pistachios cannot be compromised.

California Pistachios recently collaborated with popular TV actor Nakuul Mehta to add a fun element to snacking. “Something that offers a unique taste, can be consumed on the go, and is also healthy- is accurately a blessing in disguise, and California Pistachios defines the same,” Nakuul Mehta said of his association with California Pistachios.

Snacking on the beautiful, shelled pistachios for extra protein in my snacking hour is such a wholesome experience. It’s literally me stealing a good moment. I am delighted to have been able to collaborate with them on this World Pistachio Day, and I encourage everyone to crack it open and snack on it for fun and healthy snacking.”

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Australia willing to host series with Indian High Commission holds India and Pakistan: Cricket Australia Defence Industry seminar

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ricket Australia board president Nick Hockley said the country would be open to hosting Asian arch-rivals Pakistan and India in a series to resurrect a fight that the rest of the world wants to watch.

Due to acrimonious relations between Pakistan and India, their rivalry has been limited to events sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Asia Cup for the better part of a decade.

They last played a bilateral series in December 2012, when India hosted Pakistan for white-ball matches.

In January, Pakistan Cricket Board

chairman Ramiz Raja proposed a four-nation T20 series comprising Pakistan, India, Australia, and England, to be hosted by the teams on a rotating basis.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Hockley said his board had not considered the issue, but he was open to organising a series between Pakistan and India.

“Personally, I prefer the idea of a tri-series. It’s worked before, and it’ll work again in Rawalpindi, where Australia and Pakistan drew the first test of their three-match series.” he told reporters.

“It’s a competition that everyone in

cricket wants to see, and if we can help promote further possibilities, we’d be delighted to do so.”

With the Future Tour Programme, the ICC’s international schedule is laid out through 2023, so such a series is unlikely to happen in the short to medium term.

In October, Pakistan and India will play each other in the ICCsanctioned T20 World Cup in Australia.

The match on Oct. 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, according to Hockley, is already sold out.

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Defence Industry Seminar was recently held by the High Commission of India in Canberra in collaboration with the Australia India Business Council (AIBC) to encourage defence industry cooperation between India and Australia.

The event served as a warm-up for DEFEXPO 22, which will take place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in March.

Deakin University and Symbiosis University launch WERA

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he Women Entrepreneurship Research Alliance (WERA) has been launched by Deakin University in Australia and Symbiosis International University.

This research alliance will aim to ensure that women have the same opportunities to participate in and succeed in entrepreneurial activity as men, and to harness their potential to help rebuild nations and economies.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8 2022, a virtual signing off event was held to kick-start the programme officially.

Representatives from both the universities were present to witness this momentous event. Among these senior representatives were Sarah Storey, Deputy Australian High Commissioner to India, Professor Iain Martin, President and Vice-Chancellor, Deakin University, Dr Vidya Yeravdekar, Principal Director of Symbiosis Society, Shloka Nath, Executive Director, India Climate Collaborative and Head of Sustainability Portfolio, Tata Trusts, and Ravneet Pawha, Deputy Vice President (Global), Deakin University.

Following the official launch of WERA, a lively panel discussion on the topic of ‘Women and Sustainability: Business in the New Normal’ took place. This event was held to encourage discussion about the impact that women in business may have on a sustainable future, and the panelists discussed the roles that women can play in addressing some of the world’s most important issues. Preeti Sayal, Senior Specialist, NITI Ayog; Meenal

Mohadikar, President, Ami Udyogini, and Vice President, Maharashtra Economic Development Council; Trish Hyde, co-founder and CEO of The Plastics Circle; and Anupama Ratta, Head, Diversity and Inclusion, Tata Power; and Anupama Ratta, Head, Diversity and Inclusion, Tata Power were among the panel members.

Sarah Storey, Deputy Australian High Commissioner to India, spoke at the event about the significance of scientific collaboration between India and Australia. “Improving bilateral research cooperation is one of the primary emphasis areas of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” she said.

“With a slew of ministerial initiatives and progress on the free trade agreement, a lot of hard effort has gone into improving the IndiaAustralia connection. The Women Entrepreneurship Research Alliance is a welcome addition to mutually beneficial knowledge exchanges that will assist to develop this thriving connection even further.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing how our alliance affects bridging the gender gap in entrepreneurship and lowering the barriers women experience due to social roles and cultural preconceptions,” Ms Storey added.

“Deakin is thrilled to join with Symbiosis to create a good impact on women entrepreneurs in India through the Women Entrepreneurship Research Alliance (WERA),” stated Professor Iain Martin, President and ViceChancellor of Deakin University.

“Deakin is committed to ensuring that gender equity becomes a business and cultural norm. Through this partnership, we aim to introduce meaningful actions to support women’s motivations and expectations about entrepreneurship.”

Ravneet Pawha, Deputy Vice President (Global) and CEO (South Asia), Deakin University, added “Women entrepreneurship is vital to our country’s development and recovery from the pandemic.

However, the percentage of women who decide to pursue an entrepreneurial career is lower than that of men.”

This centre will establish an online training programme and whitepapers as part of the strategy, as well as provide master classes for young female entrepreneurs wishing to start a business in both India and Australia, facilitating interactions between women entrepreneurs from both countries. The centre will also conduct impact assessments of programmes for women entrepreneurs and other initiatives.

500-year-old stolen relic to be reinstated to India A 500-year-old stolen Indian statue was recently restored to Indian High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra by Chargé d’Affaires Michael Goldman in Canberra. The statue had been taken from a temple in Southern India, sold to Christie’s Auction House in New York, and purchased by an Australian buyer, and the US Department of Homeland Security and Indian law enforcement authorities worked together to reclaim it.

Christie’s Auction House and the Australian buyer were first uninformed of the statue’s stolen origins, but after being notified by law enforcement officers, they completely cooperated with the joint US-India investigation to retrieve the stolen relic.

“The recovery of this statue represents the breadth and depth of the U.S.-India law enforcement partnership,” Chargé d’Affaires Goldman said during the handover ceremony, adding that “the successful investigation shows the importance the United States places on preserving and protecting cultural heritage.” The Chargé d’Affaires thanked the US Department of Homeland Security and Indian law enforcement agents for recovering the plundered monument and cooperating in the battle against illegal cultural relic trafficking.

Hanuman, a popular monkey deity known for his fearlessness, power, and constant, selfless service, is

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depicted in the statue. The Hanuman statue will be returned to India after

being returned to the Indian High Commission.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

India removes tariffs on lentils, making way for Australian farmers to profit from bumper harvest

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fter a good harvest, India has lowered its import tax on lentils, allowing Australian farmers to profit. However, chickpeas are still subject to a 66 percent levy.

In 2017, India imposed tariffs of 33% on both lentils and chickpeas, with the lentil tax falling to 9% in 2020.

Before the tax, India was the world’s top buyer for lentils, with a trade value of about $1 billion, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Andrew Wiedemann, a spokesman for Grain Producers Australia, said the lentil tariff was “finally back to ground zero,” which was wonderful news for farmers.

Mr. Weidemann was aware that India will review the tariff drop at the end of September, and he cautioned, “It may potentially turn itself around very quickly again.”

This year’s grain harvest in Australia was a record, and many farmers are expected to have lentils ready to ship into India, taking advantage of the new trading conditions.

India’s decision to lower tariffs comes only days after Australia’s trade minister, Dan Tehan, visited India to discuss a free trade agreement.

Dave McKeon, the chief executive of the Grain Growers Association, believed that the negotiations will result in better terms for Australian farmers. Mr McKeon said, “It’s nice to see a result on lentils, fingers crossed for chickpeas.”

“In order to eliminate excessive

trade obstacles in the future, we need to take an innovative and forward-thinking strategy.”

Grain growers had lobbied for a grain annex to be included in the trade agreement, establishing specific trading rules for grain commerce with India.

Despite having the world’s second-largest population, India now imports less than 2% of Australia’s grain harvest, according to the grower group.

Australia celebrates Indian National Science Day

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he Indian diaspora in Australia this year highlighted the invaluable role being played by a handful of the many Indian-origin people making great contributions to Australia’s scientific, technology, and innovation sectors on the occasion of India’s National Science Day, which is observed every year on February 28.

Among those lauded for their stellar work in different fields were, Prof.

Chennupati Jagadish, a leading nanotechnology and physics researcher who is renowned for his research in semiconductor optoelectronics at The Australian National University’s Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, currently serving as the president of the Australian Academy of Science; Professor Veena Sahajwalla, engineer and innovator whose path-breaking research is transforming waste into a new generation of green material and products, and Dr Nisha Rakhesh from Western Sydney University, who is helping develop collaborative research programs to support the farming industry as it combats climate change and food security challenges.

Dr Nisha Rakhesh

Professor Veena Sahajwalla

Prof. Chennupati Jagadish

Charity group receives donations from Rotary Club of Goodna

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he Rotary Club of Goodna Inc. recently gave food and other necessities to Goodna Street Life, a non-profit organisation dedicated to assisting the homeless and those in need.

Governor of Queensland Jeannette Young attended the official food unloading event and was accompanied by Ipswich City Council Deputy Mayor Nicole Jonic as she spoke with locals about the flood recovery efforts.

On its official social media account, the Rotary Club of Goodna commended Bunnings Bundamba for their generous donation of $1600 worth of gas cookers, gas refills, torches, batteries, and other items to

help people of Goodna who are still in their flooded houses but without power or gas. With these items, the residents will be able to prepare the meals that the club had previously supplied. Goodna Street Life will distribute the merchandise straight to the residents.

The Rotary Club of Goodna also expressed gratitude to Woolworths for their generous donation of $100, which will help the club purchase critical food supplies for the Goodna Street Life homeless shelter. Locals who have lost their homes owing to the floods have been flocking to the shelter in search of emergency shelter and food supplies to feed their families.

SKED conducts Rudra Abhishekam ceremony to celebrate Shivratri

Indian High Commission hosts virtual meet on organic products

Rudra Abhishekam ceremony was held by Sri Kamakshi Ekambareswara Dhaam (SKED) to commemorate the auspicious Shivratri festival.

Notwithstanding the great deal of uncertainty caused by flooding and road closures, the event was a huge success. The devotees performed the heavenly and blissful pooja ceremony using Manasarovar

On March 2, 2022, the Indian High Commission and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products

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water and combined panchamruta abhishekams.

Bharat Solanki Guruji presided over the entire pooja ritual and explained the significance and auspiciousness of Manasarovar water, explaining to the devotees how offering abhishekam and prayers to Mahadev on Shivratri was a tremendous blessing.

Export Development Authority, both under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, hosted a “Virtual Networking

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Meet on Organic Products.”

The programme focused on the tremendous prospects in the Australian

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market and how Indian exporters may address these demands.

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INDIA

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Delhi Police nab 5 sharpshooters Sarpanch shot dead in J&K’s Kulgam of Sonu Dariyapur gang New Delhi, March 11: Delhi Police said on Friday that they have arrested five sharpshooters of Sonu Dariyapur Gang, who were involved in a number of criminal cases.

A country made pistol, a Scooty and Rs 39 lakh looted cash were recovered from their possession.

The accused have identified as Narender, Naseeb, Vicky, Sagar and Deepak Sharma. Recently, they had committed a robbery in central Delhi’s Desh Bandhu Gupta Road area.

Central Delhi DCP Shweta Chauhan said that on March 7, a person named Manoj Kumar had lodged a complaint with the police alleging that he was robbed of Rs 91 lakh by some unknown robbers.

“Manoj was returning to office after collecting Rs 91 lakh from a party

in Chandni Chowk area. When he crossed the Faiz Road traffic signal, some unknown persons came from behind and kicked the Scooty he was riding. After that, the accused held Manoj at gunpoint and sprayed pepper spray in his eyes and took away the bag containing money,” said the DCP. After receiving the complaint, an FIR of robbery was lodged and a special team was formed to look into the matter. The police scanned the CCTV footages of the nearby areas and learnt that one of the accused was following Manoj from the Karol Bagh area.

As they were wearing masks, their identity could not be ascertained.

“Later we learnt that the accused were sharpshooters of Sonu Dariyapur gang. We then scanned

Srinagar, March 11: A Sarpanch, affiliated with the BJP, was shot dead in J&K’s Kulgam district on friday, police said.

Police sources said that the Sarpanch, identified as Shabir Ahmad Mir, was fired at from close range by militants in Audura village in the evening.

“He was immediately taken to

the CDR of 200 cellphones.

Finally, we identified one of them as Narender who was previously involved in a murder case,” the DCP said.

The police learnt that the accused were hiding in Himachal Pradesh and a team was sent there. However, the accused somehow got a hint, and fled to Punjab. The police then reached Punjab with the use technical surveillance. The accused were finally held from Rajpura in Punjab.

CBI records statement of Mumbai CP in Maha corruption case New Delhi, March 12: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recorded the statement of Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey, on an audio conversation submitted by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh to the probe agency and the Supreme Court.

In the audio clip, Pandey, who used to be then DGP Maharashtra, had allegedly tried to influence Singh to withdraw the complaint against Anil Deshmukh, the former Maharashtra Home Minister.

Singh had accused Deshmukh of misusing his post and that it was Deshmukh who asked him to collect Rs 100 crore every month

from dance bars and restaurants in Mumbai. He made these allegations when he was removed from police commissioner’s post after Antilia case. Deshmukh has denied all the allegations levelled against him.

On April 21, 2021 the CBI had filed an FIR against Deshmukh and had initiated a probe.

The CBI also scanned his financial transactions of the last three years.

The CBI also gathered information about the business dealings of Deshmukh. The CBI has prepared a list of the business associates of Deshmukh. The transactions made between them was reportedly scanned.

On November 1, 2021 Deshmukh

was placed under arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a PMLA case pertaining to the alleged posting and transfer of officials.

district hospital in Kulgam town where doctors declared him brought dead.

“Security forces have reached the village to carry out searches to nab the assailants,” a source said.

On March 9, militants killed a Sarpanch in Khonmoh on the outskirts of Srinagar city. He was affiliated with the PDP.

Delhi shocker: 3-yr-old girl raped, accused held New Delhi, March 12: Delhi Police has arrested a 21-year-old man for raping a 3-year-old girl child in the national capital, an official said here on Saturday.

According to the official, the incident took place on Friday morning at the Punjabi Bagh area of west Delhi after which the girl child was admitted to a nearby hospital. “The 21-year-old accused man has been arrested,” DCP Ghanshyam Bansal told IANS, adding he was known to the victim and used to reside in a nearby shanty.

Accordingly, the police registered a case under sections 363 (Punishment for kidnapping) and 376 (Punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code and section 6 (Punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act. “The accused was arrested on the same day of the incident,” the senior official said.

As per latest reports, the condition of the girl is stable and she has also been discharged from the hospital,” the DCP said, adding further investigation is underway.

According to the data compiled by Delhi Police, during the year 2021, as many as 1,969 women were raped

in the national capital, 21.69 per cent more than the previous year. In 2020, the figure stood at 1,618.

Not just rape, every figure of crime against women has an upward variation. The molestation of women rose by 17.51 per cent and eve-teasing by 17.51 per cent. However, the Delhi Police termed the rise in figures of crime as “due to conscious policy of Fair and Truthful Registration”.

But even as stringent laws are in place coupled with proactive approach of Delhi Police and a high solving rate of rape cases (95.48

per cent), molestation of women cases (90.98 per cent) and insult to modesty of women (85.75 per cent), the crime against women still ain’t declining.

One of the surprising reasons is that most of the time, the person committing a heinous crime is known to the victim, as was in the aforementioned case. Shockingly, during the year 2021, in about 98.78 per cent of rape cases, the accused were known to the victim while strangers were involved in only about 1.22 per cent cases.

New Delhi, March 10: Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana on Thursday said the dream of fair and equitable society will come true when women, from all backgrounds, have a say and he strongly proposes reservation for girls in legal education.

In his address on the occasion of ‘International Day of Women Judges’, he said there are numerous factors behind the under-representation of women in judiciary and the primary reason is deeply ingrained patriarchy in our society.

“Now we are having 4 women judges in the Supreme Court which is the highest ever in its history. In near future, we shall be witnessing the first ever female Chief Justice of India. But, I think, we are still far away from ensuring at least 50 per cent representation of women in our judiciary,” he said.

“The recognition of 10th March as ‘International Day of Women Judges’ is an important step to create awareness and mobilise political will. I am a strong proponent of affirmative action. To enrich the pool of talent, I strongly propose reservation for girls in legal education. The data proves such a provision has yielded encouraging results in appointing women judicial officers at the district level.”

The Chief Justice emphasized that every woman’s struggle and

experience is unique to herself.

“Growth in jurisprudence will occur only when our Bar and Benches have diverse voices. Diversity of experience brings in diversity in opinions,” he added.

He added that injustices faced by women are compounded by intersectional issues of socio-economic conditions. “Therefore, we need women from all classes and sections to find a place within the judicial system. The dream of fair and equitable society will come true when women, from all backgrounds have a say,” he added.

He emphasised that the legal profession still remains male dominated, with severe under-representation of women. “For the High Courts, we have recommended so far 192 candidates. Out of these, 37, that is 19 per cent were women. This is certainly an improvement over the percentage of incumbent women judges in High Courts which stands at 11.8 per cent,” he said.

He pointed out that the issues confronting women are no longer private affairs of women and one of the marks of a progressive nation is the condition of the female population.

He added that the presence of women as judges and lawyers, will substantially improve the justice delivery system. “The presence of

women on the Bench and in the Bar has more than a symbolic importance. They bring to the law a different perspective, one that is built upon their experience. They also have a more nuanced understanding of the differing impacts that certain laws may have on men and women,” he said.

The Chief Justice said a woman being a natural multi-tasker is bound to succeed in any given profession, but if she is dependent on only a few personal briefs which come her way, her appearance before the courts is minimised. “The bench will also not be in a position to recognise her. Hence, women should be given preference while making appointments as panel advocates which will pave their path to the bench. The need of the hour is sensitisation and emphasis on inclusivity,” he added.

Several injured as Odisha MLA Strongly propose reservation rams car into crowd for girls in legal education: CJI Bhubaneswar, March 12: In a bizarre incident just like the Lakhimpur Kheri case, Prasanta Kumar Jagadev, a legislator of Odisha Assembly, on Saturday allegedly plowed his car into a crowd at Banapur in Khurda district, police said here.

The incident happened at around 11 a.m near the Banapur block office where indirect election for the post of block chairman was underway.

Several people and ten police personnel were injured in the incident.

Following the incident, irate people thrashed the MLA severely who was first admitted in Tangi hospital and later shifted to a hospital in Bhubaneswar. Jagadev’s car was damaged and overturned by the mob.

Speaking to mediapersons, Khurda SP, Alekh Chandra Pahi said the situation is under control now. As per preliminary information, when BJP supported Panchayat Samiti

members were entering into the block office in a rally for the election, the MLA reached there and tried to enter his vehicle into the crowd, he said.

Police personnel and some people tried to stop the MLA from entering into the crowd.

Ten police personnel, including Banapur IIC, the MLA, a journalist and at least six people were injured in the incident, said the SP. However, no casualty has been reported so far, he added.

Pahi said all the injured, including the MLA and IIC, have been shifted to Bhubaneswar for treatment.

The SP assured that strong action will be taken against those involved in the incident. Security arrangements have been tightened in the area.

In September, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had suspended Jagadev

following a video that had gone viral in which he could be seen thrashing a BJP leader of his Chilika constituency.

The legislator is infamous for his ‘indecent’ behaviour. In August 2020, a junior engineer had registered a complaint alleging misbehaviour by him over booking a guest house. Prior to that in 2016, he was in media limelight for allegedly assaulting a lady Tehsildar.

Female qazi performs nikaah in Delhi New Delhi, March 12: In a rare move, a female qazi solemnised the ‘nikaah’ (Muslim wedding) of late President Zakir Husain’s great-grandson here.

Gibran Rehan Rahman and Ursila Ali’s nikaah took place on Friday at the residence of the country’s third President, which was attended by close friends and family.

At the ceremony, qazi Syeda Saiyadain Hameed invoked passages from the Quran as explicated by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in his Tarjuman ul Quran - the outcome of his 27-year-long rigorous study of the holy scripture.

The nikaah concluded with a call to celebrate the union of the bride and groom as equals in marital, legal and spiritual partnership, by quoting a passage from the Quranic Surah.

The nikaah is performed with three repetitions of ‘Ijab’ (offer)

Delhi Police arrests top drug supplier

and ‘Qabool’ (acceptance) which is administered by a Qazi to the bride

and groom.

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New Delhi, March 12: Delhi Police have arrested a top drug supplier who used to procure narcotics from Bareilly and supplied it across DelhiNCR, an official said on Saturday.

The accused, identified as Sunil Sansi alias Rahul, has been involved in 37 criminal cases, of which three pertained to the NDPS Act. The police said the accused was also absconding in two more cases of the NDPS Act being investigated at AntiNarcotic Squad of Outer District and

by Crime Branch.

Furnishing details about the operation, DCP Sameer Sharma said acting on an information that was received on January 5, one drug

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peddler namely Brijesh from the Pooth Kalan village in the national capital, was apprehended with 100 grams of heroin when he was coming to deliver the consignment to someone.

Accordingly, a case under section 21 of the NDPS Act was registered and he was arrested, the official said.

Another drug peddler Vikram alias Bunty was arrested with 15 gms of heroin from the city’s Sultanpuri area.

The DCP said during interrogation, Vikram revealed that he used to procure illegal contraband from Sunil Sansi and his brother-in-law Sagar alias Chintu.

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“Search of Sunil Sansi was carried out but he remained elusive and a massive technical surveillance was launched to apprehend him,” the senior official said.

The police finally traced his location on March 2 at Paonta Sahib, Sirmor, Himachal Pradesh, from where he was apprehended with 100 gm of heroin.

“For further investigation to nab the suppliers of drugs, a raid was conducted in Bareilly, but the suppliers were found absconding from there.

Raids are still being conducted at all the possible hideouts of the suppliers,” the DCP added.

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INDIA

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Ducati Scrambler Tribute 1100 CJI lays foundation stone for PRO launched in India IAMC building in Hyderabad New Delhi, March 10: Luxury motorcycle brand Ducati on Thursday launched its new motorcycle Scrambler 1100 Tribute PRO at Rs 12,89,000 in the Indian market.

The Ducati Scrambler 1100 Tribute PRO is a special motorcycle that was created to pay homage to the history of the air-cooled twin-cylinder engine, fifty years after it was first introduced on a Ducati, in 1971 with the Ducati 750 GT. It also features a unique “Giallo Ocra” livery with a black frame and sub frame along with a brown seat, the company said.

“The Scrambler 1100 Tribute PRO

stays true to the Scrambler DNA while also paying homage to the history of the Borgo Panigale through the unique ‘Giallo Ocra’ livery. Our first launch this year, the Scrambler 1100 Tribute PRO is a distinctive offering celebrating the iconic air cooled L-Twin engine and it’s great that Ducatisti from India can also get their hands on this exclusive edition,” Bipul Chandra, Managing Director, Ducati India said in a statement.

The engine is the 1079 cc L-twin with desmodromic distribution and air cooling that produces 86 hp at 7,500 rpm and 9.2 kgm of torque at

4,750 rpm.

The motorcycle comes with a large 15-litre steel fuel tank and comfortable dual seat.

Modi chairs high-level meeting, reviews India’s security preparedness amid Ukraine crisis New Delhi, March 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting to review India’s security preparedness, and the prevailing global scenario in the context of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Externalffairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister P.K. Mishra attended the high-level meeting.

Prime Minister Modi has chaired several high-level meetings with senior Ministers of the cabinet and officials since Russia launched a military action against Ukraine on February 24 and India began a massive evacuation mission named ‘Operation Ganga’ to airlift stranded Indian nationals, including students.

So far, the government has brought back over 20,000 Indians from the war-torn country, through the neighbouring countries of Ukraine.

On March 11, over 600 Indian

students, stuck in northeastern city Sumy, were airlifted to New Delhi using a humanitarian corridor provided by the Ukrainian authority.

These Indian students arrived here on Friday by three flights, including one Indian Air Force’s C-17 globe master under the Operation Ganga.

Sumy located in the north east part of Ukraine and close to the Russian border, came under heavy shelling and bombing by the Russian Army which began its military operation against Ukraine on February 24.

Nearly 700 Indian students were

stuck there as it was impossible to get them evacuated under the heavy bombing.

The governments of Russia and Ukraine announced a ceasefire and provided a humanitarian corridor on March 8 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 7 requesting them to provide safe passage to evacuate the remaining Indian nationals stuck in the war-torn Ukraine.

Wedding procession attacked for playing Modi-Yogi songs Aurraiya (Uttar Pradesh), March 13: The members of a wedding procession were beaten up for playing an election theme song related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Aurraiya district.

According to reports, the members of a marriage procession were celebrating the victory of the BJP with a thumping majority in the Assembly elections on Friday night when some unidentified miscreants beat them up and vandalised their vehicles. They also deprived them of cash and jewellery.

According to Brijbhan Singh, a

resident of Dilippur village, he was taking his son Rohit’s wedding procession and the guests were travelling in about seven different vehicles, including four cars and three vans.

A song was being played praising ‘Yogi-Modi’ on BJP’s victory when some people forcibly stopped the vehicles and attacked the procession and also ransacked the vehicles.

Later, they escaped with Rs 2 lakh in cash kept in a car, besides the jewellery that was supposed to be given to the bride.

Some people suffered grievous wounds due to the breaking of the

front glass of the car and van.

Ruruganj outpost in-charge Tanmay Choudhary said that a case is being registered and search is on for the attackers.

Cases of suicide, fratricide on the rise among stressed-out CAPF men New Delhi, March 13: Amid rising incidents of suicides and fratricide, the Central government needs to initiate measures to check these incidents and the security personnel need to be de-stressed by taking steps to ensures adequate leave to them with a healthy camaraderie between senior and junior levels across the forces.

Recently, in back to back incidents of fratricide this month, the BSF lost seven of its personnel.

On March 6, five BSF jawans were killed in an incident of fratricide in Khasa in Punjab’s Amritsar where a constable, identified as Satteppa S.K., fired at five of his colleagues in the camp, which is located 20 km from the Attari-Wagah border.

Next day on March 7, a BSF constable shot dead a colleague before shooting himself with his service rifle in West Bengal’s Murshidabad.

According to official data, a total of 193 suicides have been reported in the force since 2018, with 52 incidents being registered in 2021 alone while 23 security personnel were killed in 15 incidents of fratricide since 2018.

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Analysing the possible causes of the incidents of suicide and fratricide in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), former BSF DG Prakash Singh told IANS that the personnel seem to be under tremendous stress because of the pressure of their duties. Also the fact that they remain posted in hard areas for a long time and sometimes do not get adequate leave.

“Earlier, the BSF formation was of only six companies, subsequently the government of India decided to increase the strength to seven companies and said that the seventh company will always be on training.

The BSF officers also agreed that the seventh company will always remain on training, now I found that the seventh company is also deployed.

Hyderabad, March 12: Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana on Saturday laid foundation stone for permanent building India’s first International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC).

The building of Hyderabad International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (HIAMC) is coming up behind IKEA in HITEC City on a piece of land allotted by the government of Telangana.

The CJI thanked government of Telangana and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for allocating valuable land in the heart of the city for HIAMC and Rs 50 crore for construction of the building.

Justice Ramana termed IAMC a “big” step in promoting arbitration and mediation in this part of the world. He said during the international arbitration conference to be held in Dubai on March 17-18, HIAMC will showcase their progress and functioning of the centre and hoped that this will help attract international arbitration to this

centre.

The CJI hoped that IAMC Hyderabad will emerge as an arbitration and mediation centre on par with such centres in Dubai, London and Singapore.

Life trustee of the centre, Justice R.V. Raveendran, Supreme Court judges L. Nageswara Rao, Hima Kohli and judges from the Telangana High Court attended the event.

Telangana’s ministers Indrakaran Reddy, K. T. Rama Rao, Mahmood Ali, T. Srinivas Yadav, Srinivas Goud, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar were also present.

The centre was jointly inaugurated

by CJI and the Chief Minister in December. The centre started functioning from 25,000 sq ft temporary accommodation at VK Towers in Gachibowli.

Those who empanel the centre include internationally acclaimed arbitrators and mediators from countries such as Singapore and the UK.

The CJI had then lauded Telangana government for the speed with which it launched the project. He recalled that he broached with the Chief Minister on June 12, 2021 during his first visit to Hyderabad.

The trust deed was signed on August 20 and the MoU between the government and the trust was signed on October 27.

“The setting up of IAMC at Hyderabad is an important step towards enhancing the ADR landscape of the country. While arbitration centres have already been set up in India, most prominently in Delhi and Mumbai, domestic and international parties still appear to prefer to go to foreign countries for dispute resolution,” Ramana had said, as he exuded confidence that this trend will change with IAMC at Hyderabad.

“Domestic and international parties will increasingly come to this centre, which has world class facilities. Its location in Hyderabad will also be an attraction,” he had said.

Paytm CEO arrested, later released on bail for rash driving New Delhi, March 13: Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma was arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly ramming into a senior police official’s car in February and later was released on bail, a senior official confirmed the incident on Sunday.

Delhi Police Spokesperson Suman Nalwa told IANS that the incident took place on February 22 in south Delhi’ Malviya Nagar area.

“The accused rammed the car of south Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Benita Mary Jaiker.

However, the DCP was not present inside the car at the time of the incident,” the official said.

According to the official, the accident happened outside Mother International School, Sri Aurobindo Marg on February 22 when DCP’s driver had taken out the car for refueling. None was injured in the accident and DCP’s driver Constable Dipak Kumar immediately noted

down the number of the alleged Land Rover that hit his car and informed DCP Jaiker about the incident, who asked him to file a complaint.

The accused driver of the Land Rover had fled the spot after the accident. In the FIR, Constable Kumar alleged that he had gone to re-fuel his car and around 8 a.m. on that day when he reached outside the Mother International School’s Gate No 3, there was a heavy traffic jam as parents had come to drop their children to the school. Seeing the traffic jam, Constable Dipak slowed down and it was at that time when the speeding Land Rover hit his vehicle from behind.

Accordingly, the police registered an FIR under section 279 (Rash driving or riding on a public way) of the Indian Penal Code at the Malviya Nagar Police station.”

On investigation, the offending

vehicle was identified and its driver Vijay Shekhar Sharma was arrested after identification on February 22 and released on bail on the same day,” PRO Nalwa said.

Both the vehicles DL 1 CU 9321 (DCP Jaiker’s car) and offending vehicle HR 98 C 0197 were impounded and mechanically inspected.

Investigation in the case is still in progress, the official added.

Aligarh college refuses entry to girls with hijab Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh), March 13: A prominent college in Aligarh issued a notice ‘banning’ entry of students in the campus without “prescribed uniforms” and refused entry to Muslim girls who were wearing hijab.

The Shree Varshney College, on Saturday, directed students not to cover their faces while attending class. Several students returned home after they were denied entry.

The students said that the staff refused to let them in.

A student, studying in B.Sc final year, said that the college authorities had first asked her to remove the burqa which she was wearing while entering the campus and later they asked her to remove the hijab, too.

“I fail to understand why they have a problem with our hijab. I am not prepared to go anywhere without a hijab and the college is not allowing us to enter the campus anymore,” she said.

Administrative officer of the college,

/IndianAbroadNews

Beena Upadhyaya, said that this notice is a ‘reminder’ to students that there is a “dress code” in the college and the same has to be adhered to.

When contacted, college proctor Anil Varshney said, “The dress code is clearly mentioned in the

/indianabroadnews

prospectus.

“We only want students to follow the rules and regulations of the college.

We are following directions. The students have just been told that dress codes will be implemented with more seriousness now,” he added.

11

AUSTRALIA

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Cross-border collabs: A benchmark event

by FICCI, Study Queensland to highlight essence of partnering for success New Delhi, March 11: India and Australia are going through exciting times with a possibility of a Free Trade Agreement between two countries in the next few months.

Education being one of the key sectors, the governments on both sides have recently announced many education and funding-related initiatives to support internationalisation between the two countries.

Against this backdrop, FICCI, and Queensland government (Australia) realise the importance of meaningful collaborations between Indian and Queensland institutions.

Facilitating these partnerships, Study Queensland -- the specialist international education and training unit of Trade and Investment Queensland jointly with FICCI organized IndiaQueensland Education Partnership Event 2022 (IQEPE) today.

Elaborating the purpose behind such an initiative, Abhinav Bhatia, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner - South Asia, Trade & Investment Queensland said, “Education is a key priority sector for both India and Queensland, Australia. The governments on both sides are committed and supportive of the internationalization of education. With students looking for holistic and global exposure, meaningful cross-border collaborations are no longer good-to-have but a must-have for educational institutions. Moreover, such partnerships (mutual recognition of qualifications, research in areas like green hydrogen, clinical trials, critical minerals, and student exchanges) will further deepen the already strong relationship between the two regions.”

FICCI’s higher education committee is the voice of the Indian education industry focusing on key policy reforms, knowledge sharing and promoting transnational academic collaboration and other forms of exchanges.

At the event, a panel discussion focusing on the topic ‘Cross-border Collaborations: Partnering for Success’ was addressed by key dignitaries. The session was moderated and led by Abhinav Bhatia, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner - South Asia, Trade & Investment Queensland. The panelists - Prof.

Sarah Todd, Vice President (Global), Griffith University, Prof. Ren Yi, Pro-Vice Chancellor (International), University of Southern Queensland, Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar, ProChancellor, Symbiosis International University and Prof. N. V. Varghese, Vice Chancellor, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration; vouched for the urging need of such collaborations during the discussion.

Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar, Chair FICCI Higher Education committee & Pro-Chancellor, Symbiosis International University shared her vision on this collaboration between FICCI and Queensland Government.

She said, “Internationalisation is beyond student mobility and the pandemic has brought in new facets of internationalisation.

There is a desire from institutions from both India and Australia to collaborate and create a win-win situation. There has to be a symbiotic relationship between partnering institutions and with FICCI being the facilitating platform, institutions from Queensland and India can come and offer diverse opportunities as NEP also endorses international collaborations, joint degrees, joint research, etc. Partnerships between Queensland and Indian universities will not only promote joint research, but also provide rich Indian industry experience to the foreign students from Australia.”

Reinforcing the potential for increased collaboration between Queensland and Indian universities, Griffith University’s Vice President (Global), Professor. Sarah Todd noted the emphasis the National Research Foundation has placed on the importance of higher education institutions, the need for research with societal impact and the role that the Indian diaspora plays in developing research partnerships.

“Collaborative research activities can range from co-authored research publications at the individual level, through to arrangements for joint PhD supervision and working together to access research grant funding at the national and international level.

While many research collaborations are driven from the bottom up, based on personal connections and networks, there is also a need for institutions to look strategically at their partnerships and determine how they can better leverage those connections and diaspora to deepen and broaden relationships between Queensland and Indian universities.

While there is a lot of activity already underway, there is significant potential for increased collaboration in a range of discipline areas, for mutual benefit.”

Addressing the audience on mutual recognition qualification and the credit system, Prof. N.V. Varghese rightly mentioned, “Students often confuse credit transfer with mutual recognition and partnerships between institutions can overcome the same. This is important because credit transfer is a flexible pathway to higher learning which is supported by the Academic Bank of Credit introduced by UGC, National Higher Education Qualification Framework and Mutual Recognition of degrees.

I second that internationalization is not equal to student mobility and this higher education framework supported by NEP will facilitate and enrich higher education as well as partnerships.”

Emphasizing on the need of

India-Queensland partnerships via education and research, Prof. Ren Yi said, “Even though the scale of population and number of higher education institutions in India and Australia hugely differ, Australia is an honest partner to India and will deliver quality projects through collaboration that would have actual impact on the ground. To perform better research, it is important to study the subject in a joint format at an international level.

“University of Southern Queensland have already partnered on areas of common interest with India, such as space related research programs with ISRO, agriculture engineering and climate change with Agricultural Research Institutes in India, and aviation management programs with IndiGo airlines, etc. for better industrial experience. We are also excited about India’s NEP for joint collaborations for internships that can level up the internationalization of education.”

With the growing demand for international education, 9 world-class institutions of Queensland and 17 top Indian universities participated at the event for strong cross-border partnerships. Indian institutes like IIT- Roorkee, IIT-ISM Dhanbad, BITS Pilani, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Symbiosis International University, Vellore Institute of Technology, SRM Institute of Science & Technology, Sathyabhama Institute of Science & Technology The University of Petroleum & Energy studies, Pearl Academy, etc., took the opportunity to discuss potential partnerships with several top-ranked institutions of Queensland like The University of Queensland, Griffith University, James Cook University, Bond University, University of Southern Queensland, University of the Sunshine Coast, Torrens University, Australian Catholic University and The Outsource Institute and discussed areas of mutual interest to strengthen the education ecosystem between the two regions.

While summing up the discussion, Bhatia added, “Given that the National Education Policy 2020 emphasizes internationalization and global standards in education, Indian Universities have a massive appetite for cross-border collaborations.

Institutions of Queensland have decades of experience in managing such partnerships in many parts of the world, and we can bring such models and good practices to India. Also, there is a need to look at newer online models to make quality education more accessible, inclusive and more impactful in domains that can make a difference.”

Sexual misconduct reports at Australian National University up 46.4% Canberra, March 3: Reports of sexual assault and harassment at Australian National University (ANU) have increased 46.4 percent in 12 months, according to a report.

According to the report released

by ANU , 366 victims, witnesses or support services disclosed sexual misconduct on campus in the 12 months to September 2021, reports Xinhua news agency.

It represents a 46.4 per cent increase from 250 disclosures made in the previous year.

Of the reported incidents, half were alleged to have occurred at on-campus accommodation.

Female undergraduate students made up the majority of victim-survivors and male undergraduates accounting for most of alleged perpetrators.

ANU introduced the Sexual Misconduct Disclosure form in 2019 as part of the response to a 2017 Human Rights Commission report that found nearly 40 per cent of ANU

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students were sexually harassed in a 12-month period.

The report attributed the uptick in reports to increased awareness of the reporting tool rather than a higher prevalence of misconduct.

It said that most alleged perpetrators who were identified during reviews undertaken by the University’s Registrar’s Office were expelled.

ANU deputy vice-chancellor Ian Anderson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that releasing data on misconduct was an important part of the university’s

response to misconduct on campus.

“This is important to us. It’s important that we learn from survivors, we learn from their stories, and we learn in ways in which we can strengthen our services response,” he said.

“We meet with students every two weeks to discuss our next steps, to discuss how we are strengthening our service response, and to provide that trust that is necessary for students to also come forward and undertake a review under our discipline rule.”

Covid spike expected in Aus state as Omicron subvariant emerges Sydney, March 11: Covid-19 cases are expected to double in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) within weeks as the new Omicron BA.2 variant spreads, health authorities warned on Friday.

The state health department reported 14,034 new cases of Covid-19 and seven deaths on Friday. There were 998 people in hospitals, slightly up from Thursday’s 991, with 39 in intensive care, reports Xinhua news agency.

While the Omicron variant is still the dominant virus strain in NSW, the new BA.2 sub-variant could quickly overtake and cases could double within the next four to six weeks, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said on Thursday Paul Griffin, infectious diseases physician and microbiologist from the University of Queensland (UQ), explained that the Omicron BA.2 variant seems to spread more rapidly than the original variant, and the actual number of cases in the state could be higher than the testing results.

“Certainly, (the variant BA.2) is increasing. One of the challenges

we’re facing in Australia at the moment is we’ve pivoted to using rapid antigen tests more than PCR, so our tracking of the different variants and sub-variants is a little bit limited, compared to what it was previously,” Griffin told Xinhua on Friday.

Griffin said although there is no evidence so far showing whether the BA.2 variant is more or less severe, the likely coming back flu in winter

could together pose a significant challenge to Australia.

“We are expecting the flu to return certainly greater than it has in recent years, because the travel reductions are less now.”

Griffin suggests since people are more likely to close windows during winter, the ventilation might be less.

Getting fully vaccinated and using masks are still the best precaution measures.

Australian floods could cause Japanese encephalitis surge: Expert Canberra, March 9: Experts have warned that catastrophic flooding on Australia’s east coast could exacerbate the country’s outbreak of Japanese encephalitis.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a virus spread through the bite of an infected mosquito to humans, horses and pigs.

It can cause inflammation of the brain, nausea, high fever and death, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ava Easton, Chief Executive of international peak body, the Encephalitis Society, warned that mosquitoes carrying JE “will be proliferating” amid the floods in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales.

“Encephalitis is a code-red condition that remains under-recognised,” she told the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

“As Australia faces ongoing extreme weather conditions we are urging all Australians to equip themselves with knowledge about this very real disease and to not dismiss it as a low-risk probability or something too rare to talk about.”

Easton’s warning came as authorities in Victoria announced that a man in his 60s died from the virus

on February 28.

There have been several confirmed cases of JE in Australia since late February, including two in New South Wales and one in Queensland, marking the nation’s first outbreak since 1995, prompting the federal government to declare it a ‘Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance’.

Karin Leder, Head of the Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Unit at Monash University, said the outbreak should act as a warning of climate change on public health.

“The reports of multiple cases of JE acquired in Australia occurring at the same time as severe flooding serves as a warning of the significant potential for new human health threats associated with climate change, including the emergence of new pathogens and the appearance of known infections in new localities,” she said in a media release.

“The cases now occurring represent the first time a cluster of locally-acquired JE cases has been reported on the Australian mainland.”

‘1mn Australians live in severe poverty amid rising cost of living’ Canberra, March 3: A new report has revealed that up to 1 million Australians live in “severe poverty” as welfare support struggles to keep pace with the nation’s rising cost of living.

The report, “Behind the Line: Poverty and Disadvantage in Australia 2022”, published by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, an independent economic and social research organisation located within the Curtin Business School at Curtin University, showed that some of Australia’s poorest families had less than A$150 ($109) per week after housing costs, reports Xinhua news agency.

“Housing costs have risen quite sharply in Australia recently...for those people at the bottom of the income distribution, that’s actually causing quite a lot of strain,” author of the report Alan Duncan told Xinhua.

The report looked at poverty in Australia at two depths, “poverty”, defined as having a total income at 50 per cent of median wages, and “severe poverty”, 30 per cent of median wage.

According to national median wage

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data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), this meant people living in poverty would have under A$500 a week, and those living in severe poverty, under A$300.

The report highlighted that nearly 12 per cent of Australia’s population lived in some level of poverty, including nearly 750,000 children.

Duncan said any further increases in rent would likely be “financially catastrophic” for up to 1 million Australians living below these poverty lines.

He called for the increase of federal low-income assistance, Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) and Jobseeker, which amount to a total of A$386 a week, while rent in major cities is often in excess of A$250.

“To manage short term situation...a more structural process that embeds increases or changes in supports, according to your cost of living or costs of housing (may be required),” said Duncan.

He added that these payments should serve as just one point of support in a wider network of assistance that helps people break the cycle of unemployment and

poverty, which are often closely intertwined.

“There are more things that I think one can potentially do in concert, to respond to different groups that are in need.”

Of these groups he pointed to people who had recently lost employment during the pandemic, women, and ethnic or linguistic minorities who were shown in the report to be more vulnerable to poverty.

“If you care about gender equality...if you care about fairness and equality across different groups, you care about economic efficiency, if you care about any or all of those things you should care about poverty.”

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12

WORLD

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

China congratulates Yoon Suk-yeol on election as S.Korean prez Beijing, March 10: China has congratulated Yoon Suk-yeol on his election as the new South Korean President, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.

China and South Korea are neighbours that cannot be moved away and important cooperative partners that cannot be separated from each other, Zhao said at a daily press briefing after Yoon won South Korea’s presidential election held on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

This year marks the 30th

anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, Zhao said, adding the rapid development of bilateral relations over the past 30 years has brought tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples, and made positive contributions to regional peace and development.

“We are ready to make joint efforts with South Korea to take the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties to promote the sound and stable development of bilateral relations and bring more benefits,” he said.

Kim Jong-un visits satellite launch test site Seoul, March 11: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the country’s satellite test site on the west coast and called for its modernisation, Pyongyang’s state media said on Friday.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced his visit to the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, as Seoul and Washington jointly concluded Pyongyang’s recent purported “reconnaissance satellite” development tests were those of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system.

Kim’s inspection came amid concerns that the North could engage in further provocative acts namely an ICBM test under the disguise of a satellite launch following its veiled threat in January to lift its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and ICBM tests, Yonhap News Agency reported.

“He learned about and evaluated the present state of the ground, and advanced the task to modernise it on an expansion basis so that various rockets could be launched to carry multi-purpose satellites, including a

military reconnaissance satellite, in the future,” the KCNA report said.

“He also set forth the task for building some facilities in the launching ground.”

To enable the launch of “large carrier rockets”, Kim also assigned tasks for reconstructing the “launching ground zone and the facilities for the general assembly and trial gearing of rocket and for the trial gearing of satellite”, according to KCNA. These tasks also include “establishing extra facilities for the injection and supply of fuel and modernising

parts of the launch control facility and major technical posts on an expansion basis”, it added.

South Korea and the US have concluded that the North’s “reconnaissance satellite” development tests on February 27 and March 5 were aimed at testing a new ICBM system ahead of a potential full-range ICBM launch.

Seoul’s Defence Ministry urged the North to immediately stop acts that escalate regional tensions, while “strongly” condemning the ballistic missile tests as a breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

www.indianabroad.news

The TAPI gas pipeline is planned to span 1,680 km and connect Afghanistan’s Herat and Kandahar provinces with Pakistan and India.

Afghanistan will pay 5 per cent of the

project’s expenses.

Earlier the Islamic Emirate had announced that it will resume the TAPI pipeline project this spring.

Tehran, March 11: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said the Islamic republic will not give up on its regional presence and peaceful nuclear programme, the two factors that contribute to national power.

Addressing a meeting with the members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, Khamenei said regional presence increases the country’s strategic depth and national power while scientific nuclear progress is tied to the country’s ability to meet its needs in the near future, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the

leader’s office.

Thus, to be able to maintain the country’s independence in the future, none of those two must be forgone, said the top leader.

He stressed that acquiescing to the excessive demands of the US or any other country in the hope of not being sanctioned is a big mistake and a blow to the country’s political power.

He said there is nothing more naive and amateurish than the proposal to reduce the country’s defence capabilities.

He noted that the enemies have placed on their agenda targeting Iran’s elites and intellectuals in order to deceive the people through them, adding that the world’s arrogant powers have waged the biggest soft war against the nation.

Hungarian parliament elects Katalin Novak as president (Ld) Budapest, March 10: The Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country’s first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines.

Novak, nominated by the ruling Fidesz Party, which with its ally, the Christian Democratic People’s Party, holds 133 seats in the 199-member parliament, won the election in a vote of 137 to 51, and will take office on May 10, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Hungarian president, whose duties are largely ceremonial, is elected by the parliament, and a candidate must receive a two-thirds

majority of all incumbent members of parliament to be elected in the first round of voting, otherwise a second is held.

Novak, a former member of the government as minister without portfolio for family affairs, will become Hungary’s first female president.

“Hungarians want peace. We women do not want to win the war, we want peace,” Novak said, before taking oath in the immense neo-gothic building of the Hungarian parliament.

“Let there be peace, freedom and understanding,” she said.

Novak is taking over from incumbent

President Janos Ader, who is ending his second term.

Novak started her political career in 2001 at the foreign ministry, specialising in European matters.

In December 2021, Novak stepped down as minister upon her nomination.

YouTube now blocking Russia state-affiliated media globally baby”.

Calling the killing senseless, she asked: “For what? A car”?

Washington, like places across the US, has seen a huge spike in carjackings, vehicle thefts and major crimes in the aftermath of anti-police protests that followed the killing of an African-American man by police

two years ago in Minnesota.

The Washington Post reported that carjackings in Washington “spiked 200 per cent from 2019 to 2021, and continue to rise this year”.

Last March, a Pakistani food delivery person was killed by two girls, 13 and 15 years old, who carjacked his car.

Saudi Arabia executes 81 convicts Riyadh, March 13: Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry announced the execution of 81 convicts on different charges, including terrorism, espionage and murder.

The convictions also include targeting government personnel and vital economic sites, the killing of law enforcement officers and maiming their bodies, and planting land mines to target police vehicles, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The individuals were trialed in Saudi courts, overseen by a total of 13 judges over three separate stages for each individual, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

The accused were provided with the right to an attorney and were guaranteed their full rights under Saudi law during the judicial process, it added.

The Ministry stressed that the kingdom would continue taking a strict and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies

Kabul, March 11: The Taliban government said work on the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan– Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline will resume soon and rejected a media report claiming the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has paused all activities related to the project.

The report by a Pakistani news outlet citing an official from the country’s Energy Ministry said the ADB had “paused all due diligence and processing activities of TAPI pending the official recognition of the Islamic Emirate by the UN and major global economies”.

On Thursday, Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Finance, rejected the report and said the ADB was active in a consultative capacity while is it “mainly owned by Turkmenistan”, TOLO News reported.

Iran won’t give up on regional presence, nuclear programme: Top leader

Indian-origin doctor killed by person who stole his car: Washington police New York, March 11: An Indian-origin doctor has been killed by persons who allegedly stole his Mercedes Benz and hit him with the car, according to Washington police.

Police said that the suspect entered Rakesh Patel’s car when he was outside it and hit him while fleeing in the vehicle on Tuesday.

Police have announced a $25,000 reward for the capture of the person/s who were involved in the killing.

While the car was recovered, the suspects had not been captured as of Thursday.

WJLA TV said that when Patel, 33, stepped out of his car to give his girlfriend a package, the thieves entered the car started to drive away.

“In a panic, he ran after them somehow getting in front of the car.

The car thieves ran him down killing him” while his “girlfriend watched in horror”, the TV station reported.

According to NBC4 Washington TV, Patel’s father and two siblings are also doctors.

He was the youngest child and his mother Charulatta Patel told the station: “I always used to call him my

Work on TAPI project to resume soon: Taliban

that threaten the stability of the

world.

Moscow, March 12: Google-owned streaming platform YouTube has said it is now blocking Kremlin-backed media outlets globally -- not just in Europe where two Russia state-affiliated channels, Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik, along with their subsidiaries, were sanctioned by the European Union last week.

According to TechCrunch, this goes above and beyond any legal mandates to block this content -- but is not entirely unprecedented; last week Apple pulled RT and Sputnik’s apps from its global App Stores following a request by Ukrainian vice prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

That said, YouTube’s wording suggests it may be going further than barring the six (in total) RT and Sputnik entities the EU has sanctioned -- as the company writes that it is now “blocking access to YouTube channels associated with Russian state-funded media globally”, the report said.

While the expanded YouTube blocks on Russian state media are “effective immediately”, per an update to the policy the platform just tweeted out, it also warns it may take time for the change to take effect -- writing that “we expect our systems to take time to ramp up”.

In another new step, YouTube said it will be carrying out Ukrainefocused enforcement of certain existing policies from its Community Guidelines -- which prohibit content that denies, minimises or trivialises “well-documented violent events”.

10,200 kids dead, injured in Yemen’s years-long conflict: UN Sanaa, March 13: The Unicef announced that 10,200 children have been killed or injured since the ongoing conflict in Yemen escalated nearly seven years ago.

“The actual number is likely much higher,” Xinhua news agency quoted Unicef’s Representative to Yemen Philippe Duamelle as saying in a statement.

“Following the intensification of the conflict in 2021, violence has continued to escalate this year and as always children are the first and most to suffer,” Duamelle said.

Just over the first two months of this year, 47 children were reportedly killed or maimed in several locations across Yemen, he added.

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The statement noted that “violence, misery and grief have been commonplace in Yemen with severe consequences on millions of children and families. It is high time that a sustainable political solution is reached for people and their children to finally live in the peace they so well deserve”.

Last week, the Unicef had said that some 21 million people, or nearly 70 per cent of Yemen’s total population, need life-saving humanitarian assistance.

In the country, nearly 400,000 children under the age of five are slipping from acute malnutrition to severe acute malnutrition, the humanitarian agency said.

According to the Unicef, Yemen

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remains one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world to date.

Since the civil war escalated in March 2015, tens of thousands of people have been killed, 4 million displaced, while the country remains on the brink of famine.

13

BUSINESS & INVESTMENT

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

India is likely to promote UPI, India’s manufacturing sector to take a hit as costs of commodities rise Rupay to de-risk itself New Delhi, March 10: India is likely to promote UPI, Rupay and domestic e-commerce firms further, to de-risk itself from a strategic standpoint, Motilal Oswal Institutional Equities said in a report.

“We may see the Government of India move further ahead with PLI schemes and provide more sops/ opportunities for companies to invest in new age areas such as EV, clean energy (renewables and green hydrogen), robotics, AI, electronics, battery storage, semiconductors, etc”, it added.

While the current crisis has directly/ indirectly impacted most of the sectors from a demand/supply chain perspective, the brokerage said Autos, Consumer, Consumer Durables and Cement have been the most adversely impacted sectors due to the spike in commodity and energy prices. The impact on gross margins for these sectors would be substantial. On the flipside, Metals and O&G have been the direct beneficiaries due to rising prices, while indirect beneficiaries include export-oriented sectors (specifically IT– benefitting from INR depreciation) and non-crude linked sectors.

The current sanctions on Russia may lead to a sharp strategic rethinking by countries on their trade and dependence on other countries.

From a strategic point of view, more countries are likely to raise their defence spending since this emerges as the single biggest factor in heightened geopolitical situation.

Besides, more and more countries may look at promoting their domestic manufacturing capabilities to de-risk themselves from the supply chain

disruptions, the report said.

Emerging markets have been adversely impacted by the risk-off stance and strengthening USD and these resulted in net FII outflows from most of the markets due to flight of safety. FIIs have sold USD14.2b (net) in equities in CY22 YTD, which is the highest in absolute terms. More importantly, the pace of outflows has accelerated beginning CY22. After selling USD5b each in Jan 2022 and Feb 2022, FII outflows in the first nine days of March 2022 have already crossed USD4.5b. With India running a twin deficit, high energy and commodity prices would weigh on its currency, it said.

Russia remains an important global commodity supplier and accounts for

nearly 17 per cent of global natural gas production and 10 per cent of global crude oil production. In terms of its share in global minerals trade, Russia currently accounts for 9-10 per cent of the global aluminum trade, 20 per cent of thermal coal exports, 12 per cent of global steel exports (ex-intra-regional trade), and 11-12 per cent of global nickel exports.

While the current sanctions have disrupted the supply chain, it would be difficult from a global perspective to immediately find an alternative supplier. This will keep the prices elevated in the short term. Brent has increased 59 per cent in CY22YTD and briefly crossed USD130/bbl while Aluminum and Nickel are trading at their record highs.

Stakeholders urge Centre to announce tourism sector as ‘national priority’ New Delhi, March 11: The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality, the policy federation of all the national associations representing the complete tourism, travel and hospitality industry of India, has recommended to the Centre to announce the tourism industry as a ‘national priority’ sector.

“Like agriculture has been a national priority of all successive governments and gets vital focus of the Prime Ministers & the Chief Ministers, tourism too can get due national domestic priority if it is declared as such in the National Tourism Policy,” the federation said.

Impact of tourism and its footprint across the country is far reaching and in the geographical and cultural fabric across the length and breadth of the country, it said.

“If recognised as a national priority sector it will ensure tourism will focus on channelised domestic

investments as such more so needed post this worst 24 months ever (of Covid).”

Further, the federation seeks the tourism sector to be included in the concurrent list of the Constitution.

“The constitution rightfully needs to recognise tourism as a joint and collectible responsibility of centre and states to ensure a shared national vision and development, marketing

and skilling synergies among all our individual tourism portfolios across states and segments.”

In addition, to address multiple issues across the central ministries and across states, it suggested that the policy must provide the instruments of multiple inter-ministerial and intra state task forces headed by the secretary of tourism ministry.

Ukraine crisis may hit India’s global semiconductor hub dream New Delhi, March 12: As India kicks off local manufacturing of semiconductors to cut dependency on China, the shortage of raw material amid the Russia-Ukraine war which, if lingers for a longer period of time, may hamper the country’s dream to produce high-end semiconductors and become their global hub.

The government recently set up the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and approved Rs 76,000 crore ($10 billion) for the development of semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystem in the country.

The Rs 76,000 crore ProductionLinked Incentive (PLI) scheme will be spread across six years. As part of the scheme, incentives worth Rs 2.3 lakh crore will be provided to position India as a global hub.

With geopolitical tensions now extending from Asia to Europe and from semiconductor manufacturing to raw material supply, Indian players need to re-evaluate capacity expansion and investment decisions, say experts.

Some raw materials exported from Russia and Ukraine, such as rare gas neon, chemical C4F6 and metals palladium, nickel, platinum, rhodium and titanium are critical for semiconductor manufacturing.

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Palladium is used in component production, like for the substrate in PCB. However, precious metals such as palladium, platinum and rhodium are mainly used in the catalytic converters for vehicles, according to Counterpoint Research.

Titanium nitride (TiN) is a widely used material for semiconductor manufacturing as a diffusion barrier.

According to experts, black swan events, such as the ongoing war, have the potential to cause a significant strain on global supply chains, including potentially impacting chip capacity and spiking chip prices.

“In an interconnected and intertwined world, India will also face some direct or indirect impact in its electronics manufacturing,” Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, told IANS. The unavailability of crucial upstream raw materials -- such as semiconductor-grade neon or palladium -- “could have a cascading impact through the supply chain, and impacting especially those manufacturers in Asia, who are reliant on Ukraine”, Ram said.

The PLI and the scheme for promotion of manufacturing of electronic components and semiconductors

(SPECS), among others, have triggered the shift of manufacturing from other countries to India.

In such a scenario, raw material shortage may derail the country’s dream.

Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman of India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), said that there should be no major impact on the semiconductor market in the country due to the Ukraine crisis.

“However, since oil prices have gone up, several commodities are becoming costlier. Overall, the consumer electronics industry may face a short-term price fluctuation if the prices of raw material that come from Ukraine keep going up and the situation does not stabilise soon,” Mohindroo told IANS. According to Brady Wang from Counterpoint Research, small and medium chipmakers and allied businesses may face increased supply pressure owing to exhausted inventories and the difficulty in connecting with new sources if the conflict continues.

“Rapidly rising metal (nickel and palladium) prices will represent a new impediment to the revival of the automotive market if the conflict continues,” he said.

New Delhi, March 10: India’s manufacturing sector is expected to take a hit as commodities’ costs have risen due to the ongoing RussianUkrainian crisis.

At present, international prices of crude oil, natural gas, coal, nickel, copper, aluminium, titanium, palladium have risen to multi-year high levels. The raw material prices will impact the sector which was already reeling under expensive commodities costs due to rise in their international demand and supply constraints.

Moreover, India is a major importer of these precious as well as industrial commodities.

“Due to higher crude prices, we may see higher freight charges, which will impact perishable and non-perishable commodities,” IIFL Securities VP, Research, Anuj Gupta said.

“Services and the manufacturing sectors may be impacted badly due to higher prices. Higher commodity inflation is expected to impact India’s GDP growth rate.”

Besides, lower manufacturing growth will have a direct bearing on the country’s GDP growth as well as job creation.

“We had expected Indian GDP to grow by 8 per cent in FY2023, boosted by a low base in H1, albeit contingent on the GoI’s budgeted Capex kicking-off early,” said Aditi

Nayar, Chief Economist, ICRA. “However, protracted geopolitical tensions and high commodity prices pose large downside risks, with margin compression set to squeeze value added growth during the period of the conflict.”

Earlier, the seasonally adjusted IHS Markit India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) report for February noted a further increase in average input costs faced

by Indian manufacturers. It said that purchase price inflation was sharp, but softened to a six-month low.

Part of this additional cost burden was passed on in the form of higher selling charges, though the rate of increase was modest.

“In terms of commodities, there is a great deal of reliance on Russia for aluminium, copper, and other precious metals, and supplies of these commodities will be impacted. Aside from that, there is an impact on logistics as a result of the war,” said Kshitij Purohit, Lead of Commodities and Currencies CapitalVia Global Research.

“Manufacturers will have raw material issues for some specific time frame.”

The trend might ease India’s industrial output further.

Recent data cited that subdued manufacturing growth as well as unfavourable base had eased India’s

industrial output sequentially as well as on a year-on-year basis in December 2021.

The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) for December 2021 rose by only 0.4 per cent from a rise of 1.34 per cent reported for November 2021.

Similarly, the production rate was lower on a year-on-year basis. In December 2020, the IIP had risen by 2.2 per cent.

“A number of sectors are linked to crude, aluminium, coal – both coking, non coking, copper and nickel.

At an overall level, amid geopolitical risks, prices of energy commodities will likely remain elevated over the short term,” said Hetal Gandhi, Director, Crisil Research.

“Sectors like tyres and paints have already seen a sharp drop in margins in FY22 and margins may just about sustain. However, cement may see a drop in margins amid higher coal and transportation cost. Similarly Steel and aluminium may also see a drop in margins in fiscal 2023 amid higher raw material cost.”

Andhra Pradesh presents Rs 2.56 lakh crore budget Amaravati, March 11: Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Buggana Rajendernath on Friday presented the budget for the year 2022-23, with an outlay of Rs 2,56,257 crore, an increase of 11.50 per cent over the previous year.

The revenue expenditure has been pegged at Rs 2,08,261 crore, while the capital expenditure is estimated at Rs 47,996 crore.

The estimated revenue deficit is around Rs 17,036 crore up from Rs 5,000 crore the previous year, while the fiscal deficit is estimated at around Rs 48,724 crore, up from Rs 37,030 crore.

Presenting his fourth consecutive budget, the finance minister allocated the lion’s share for social welfare, in tune with the policies and priorities of the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government.

Agriculture has been allocated Rs 11,387 crore, medical and health Rs 15,384 crore up from Rs 13,830 crore for FY 2021-22.

The sub-plan for Scheduled Castes (SCs) has been fixed at Rs 18,518 crore, for Scheduled Tribes (STs) Rs 6,145 crore, for Backward Classes (BCs) Rs 29,143.65 crore and for minorities Rs 3,532 crore. The allocation for minorities has come down from Rs 3,841 crore in the previous fiscal. For the welfare of Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), the government allocated Rs 6,693 crore, up from Rs 5,478 crore in 2021-22.

The finance minister allocated Rs 22,706 crore for secondary education and Rs 2,104 crore higher education.

The health sector has been allocated Rs 15,384 crore which includes Rs 2,000 for YSR Aarogyasri (free health insurance for poor), Rs 500 Nadu Nedu hospitals, Rs 2,462 crore for National Health Mission, Rs 753 crore for medical colleges, Rs 300 crore for YSR Arogya Asra and Rs 170 crore for hospitals in tribal areas.

On the development and infrastructure front, Rs 2,755 crore were

allocated for industrial development.

Rs 1,142 crore for infrastructure, roads and buildings Rs 8,581 crore allocated for transport, roads and buildings department and Rs 10,281 crore for the energy sector.

The finance minister has also made a provision of Rs 236 crore for Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor.

Land tax, fair value, vehicle taxes go up in Kerala, liquor left out Thiruvananthapuram, March 11: Presenting his second and the first full budget of the second Pinarayi Vijayan, State Finance Minister K.N.Balagopal on Friday decided to increase the land tax, fair value of land and vehicle taxes, but the biggest relief came for the tipplers as no fresh tax was imposed on liquor.

Balagopal said that it is required to revise the basic land tax which is the central element in land records management.

“The basic land tax would be revised by the introduction of a new slab.

The rates would be increased in a calibrated manner in all the slabs.

The fair value of land is not in tune with the current market values in many areas of our state. A one-time

increase of 10 per cent will be implemented in fair values across all segments. It is expected to result in additional revenue of about Rs 200 crore,” said Balagopal.

One-time motor vehicle tax on motor cycles costing up to 2 lakhs is increased by 1 per cent.

Balagopal said that a ‘green tax’ based on the Central Government’s scrapping policy to address the issues of pollution due to old vehicles, is also necessary to discourage the use of diesel vehicles and encourage electric vehicles.

“The green tax imposed on the old vehicles (above 15 years) has been increased by 50 per cent. In addition, Green tax will also be levied on the

In the medium term, the lack of the aforementioned raw materials will have little influence on semiconductor producers. The situation will be managed through existing inventory and other suppliers.

However, it is inevitable that prices will rise significantly.

“If the conflict persists, supply chain uncertainty will keep raw material inventories at higher levels for a longer length of time. Supply chain management will become more complicated as well,” Wang noted.

The worldwide chip shortage will exist well into the last part of 2022, and possibly even 2023, according to the latest US Commerce Department report on semiconductor supply chain.

Manufacturers have already seen their stocks of semiconductors plunge amid the global chip shortage.

A recent survey of more than 150

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following categories of diesel vehicles except motor cycles, 3-wheelers, private motor vehicles, medium motor vehicles, heavy motor vehicles and other diesel vehicles,” added Balagopal.

With the price of liquor and beer already at the highest level compared to other states, Balagopal has left it untouched, bringing a sigh of relief for the tipplers.

firms found that supplies had fallen from an average of 40 days’ worth in 2019 to just five days in late 2021.

14

BITCOIN UPDATES

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Bitcoin now has higher market Ukraine raises over $15 mn in cap than Russian currency crypto post Russian invasion New Delhi, March 2: As Russia intensifies its battle to take control of Ukraine, Bitcoin on Wednesday soared to $44,000, pushing the total cryptocurrency market cap to cross $2 trillion.

With the recent gains, Bitcoin now has a higher market cap than the rapidly-declining Russian currency ruble.

Bitcoin has a market cap of approximately $835 billion while the ruble has a market cap of around $626 billion.

The crypto market was last at $2 trillion in August 2021.

In the last week since the RussiaUkraine war started, Bitcoin has jumped nearly 14 per cent and ethereum 12 per cent, according to CoinGecko data.

Terra’s LUNA token had a stratospheric rise, climbing nearly 70 per cent during the last week, and is now trading at approximately $94.

Solana’s SOL and other layer 1 tokens

like Avalanche’s AVAX and Polkadot’s DOT also responded well, reports CoinDesk.

Similar to volatility, Bitcoin’s trading volume across major exchanges reached the highest level since the December 5 price crash, according to CoinDesk data.

Earlier, the global crypto market lost nearly 10 per cent of its value as

Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday.

Over $200 billion worth of its global market value was wiped out.

The most-hit cryptocurrencies were Ethereum, Cardano, Avalanche, and Polkadot, along with Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. Some traders, however, expected the price bounce to be short-lived amid geopolitical uncertainty.

Crypto exchange Coinbase blocks 25K Russian-linked accounts New Delhi, March 8: Coinbase, one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has blocked over 25,000 addresses related to Russian individuals or entities engaged in illicit activity.

Coinbase said when a user opens an account, it checks provided information against a list of sanctioned individuals or entities provided by US, the UK, European Union, UN, Singapore, Canada, and Japan, as well as blocking users from sanctioned areas such as Crimea, North Korea, Syria, and Iran.

“If someone has opened a Coinbase account and is later sanctioned, we use this ongoing screening process to identify that account and terminate it. Because sanctions evaders often try to mask their identities, Coinbase also proactively works

to map transactions beyond the entities and individuals specifically flagged by governments,” it said in a statement late on Monday.

“Through advanced blockchain analysis, we proactively identified over 1,200 additional addresses potentially associated with the sanctioned individual, which we added to our internal blocklist,” said Paul Grewal, Chief Legal Officer.

The company revealed that it keeps a list of accounts held by sanctioned people outside of Coinbase.

“When the United States sanctioned a Russian national in 2020, it specifically listed three associated blockchain addresses,” it said.

“Through advanced blockchain analysis, we proactively identified over 1,200 additional addresses potentially associated with the

sanctioned individual, which we added to our internal blocklist.”

Coinbase also claimed that digital assets are able to “naturally deter common approaches to sanctions evasion”.

Several of the blocked Russian individuals or entities Coinbase identified through its own proactive investigations.

“The Russian government and other sanctioned actors would need virtually unobtainable amounts of digital assets to meaningfully counteract current sanctions. The Russian central bank alone holds over $630 billion in largely immobilized reserve assets,” it informed.

That’s larger than the total market capitalisation of all but one digital asset, and 5-10 times the total daily traded volume of all digital assets.

Biden signs executive order on cryptocurrencies Washington, March 10: US President Joe Biden has signed an executive order calling on the government to examine the risks and benefits of cryptocurrencies, placing great urgency on the research and development of a possible digital American dollar.

“Digital assets, including cryptocurrencies, have seen explosive growth in recent years, surpassing a $3 trillion market cap last November,” the White House said in a fact sheet, adding around 16 per cent of adult Americans, approximately 40 million people, have invested in, traded, or used cryptocurrencies.

“The rise in digital assets creates an opportunity to reinforce American leadership in the global financial system and at the technological frontier, but also has substantial implications for consumer protection, financial stability, national security, and climate risk,” it added.

The executive order signed on

Wednesday lays out a national policy for digital assets across six key priorities: consumer and investor protection; financial stability; illicit finance; US leadership in the global financial system and economic competitiveness; financial inclusion; and responsible innovation, Xinhua news agency quoted the White House as further saying.

Meanwhile, the order directs the American government to assess the technological infrastructure and capacity needs for a potential Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), and encourages the Federal Reserve to continue its research, development, and assessment efforts for a CBDC. “We’re placing the highest urgency on the effort to assess the potential benefits and the risks of a digital dollar on payment systems, on financial stability, on national security,” a senior administration official told reporters.

“We are constantly assessing and

monitoring any developments that relate to a core policy objective of ours, which is to maintain the centrality of the dollar in global financial markets and in the global economy.”

More than 100 countries are currently exploring or piloting central bank digital currencies for both cross-border and domestic use, and many of these countries are also working together to set standards for CBDC design and cross-border systems, according to the White House.

WazirX NFT Marketplace brings Telugu actress Lakshmi Manchu on board Hyderabad, March 8: On the occasion of Women’s day, the WazirX NFT Marketplace has announced its collaboration with popular Telugu actress Lakshmi Manchu.

Adding to her vision of ‘women supporting women’, Lakshmi, is on board, as a collector on the platform for the WazriX NFT. It is also to be noted that the ‘Gundello Godari’ actress, collected 4 NFTs by some of the most talented female creators on the platform.

‘Gangsta Sisters’, ‘Lockdown Dreams’, ‘Treasury of Love’, and ‘AMEYAA’ are the NFTs collected by Lakshmi Manchu.

“In a male-dominated crypto world, we need more female role models.

Added to this, is our focus and commitment to increasing women’s participation in the NFT ecosystem.

Lakshmi Manchu shares our vision

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and I am delighted that she chose the WazirX NFT platform”, Vishakha Singh, VP, WazirX NFT Marketplace told the media.

Commenting on her latest venture, Lakshmi Manchu said, “In an exponentially growing world of the crypto, meta, and NFT, I want to encourage and empower more women to explore this new digital universe.”

“While most are unaware of how it works, there is no shying away from the fact that this IS THE future. My effort is to simplify this universe and create a road map for those who want to explore and invest in the digital future”, Manchu Lakshmi’s statement says.

On the other hand, Lakshmi Manchu has been busy shooting and has set a stage for her Malayalam debut with ‘Monster’ starring Mohan Lal.

New Delhi/Kiev, Feb 27: Ukraine has raised over $15 million in cryptocurrencies since the Russian invasion began last week.

The global crypto community has also extended its support to Ukraine.

Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum, tweeted that the invasion was a “crime” against Ukrainian and Russian people, adding “Glory to Ukraine.”

More than $15 million in cryptocurrency has been donated to Ukrainian groups since Russia attacked the country on February 24, according to research firm Elliptic.

“Decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) have formed to support Ukrainians. NFTs have been sold to raise money for the Ukrainian people and military,” The Verge reported late on Saturday.

The country’s official Twitter account has said it accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum and Tether.

Ukraine ranked fourth on Global Crypto Adoption Index, behind Vietnam, India and Pakistan, and about $8 billion of cryptocurrency passes through the country annually, according to Chainalysis.

“Ukraine is known for its tech

talent, with more than 200,000 tech workers, and its IT export business did $6.8 billion in volume last year,” the report mentioned.

It officially legitimised Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies last year.

As Russia invaded Ukraine, people started donating the Ukrainian army in cryptocurrencies to support them and more than $400,000 worth Bitcoins were donated to just one group.

Come Back Alive, a Ukrainian NGO that raises crypto funds for the

Ukrainian army, received more than $400,000 worth of digital tokens in the past day, according to data from blockchain and crypto analytics firm Elliptic.

The average amount donated is around $1,000 to $2,000, and the group has received at least 317 individual donations in the past two days, reports Fortune.

Pro-Ukraine groups and pro-crypto communities on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have also contributed.

Indian founder on the run in global $2.4 bn crypto ponzi scheme San Francisco/New Delhi, March 1: Satish Kumbhani, founder of cryptocurrency platform BitConnect who has been indicted in the US for running a $2.4 billion crypto ponzi scheme, has likely “relocated from India to an unknown location” abroad.

A federal grand jury in San Diego last week indicted Kumbhani with orchestrating a global Ponzi scheme.

BitConnect is an alleged fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platform that reached a peak market capitalisation of $3.4 billion.

In total, Kumbhani, facing 70 years in prison if convicted, and his co-conspirators obtained approximately $2.4 billion from investors.

In a latest filing in the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Senior Trial Counsel Richard Primoff said that since November, “the commission has been consulting with that country’s (India’s) financial regulatory authorities in an attempt to locate Kumbhani’s address. At present, however, Kumbhani’s location remains unknown”.

Kumbhani, 36, “has likely relocated from India to an unknown address in a foreign country”, Primoff said in a court filing late on Monday.

While Kumbhani was charged criminally by the US Department of Justice, the SEC separately sued Kumbhani in September 2021, claiming he fraudulently raised more than $2 billion for BitConnect.

Primoff has now asked US District Judge for an extension until May 30 so that the “Commission may complete its investigation into their current whereabouts and, if it locates them within the United States, serve them in a timely fashion”.

“The Commission did not know the whereabouts of Kumbhani, an Indian citizen, at the time it filed this action, and BitConnect is an unincorporated entity the Commission must serve through its manager, Kumbhani,” said Primoff in the filing.

According to court documents, Kumbhani misled investors about BitConnect’s “Lending Programme.”

Under this programme, Kumbhani and his co-conspirators touted BitConnect’s purported proprietary technology, known as the “BitConnect Trading Bot” and “Volatility Software”, as being able to generate substantial profits and guaranteed returns by using investors’ money to trade on the volatility of cryptocurrency exchange markets.

The indictment further alleged that, after operating for approximately one year, Kumbhani abruptly shut down the Lending Programme.

Kumbhani then directed his network of promoters to fraudulently manipulate and prop up the price of BitConnect’s digital currency, a commodity known as BitConnect Coin (BCC), to create the false appearance of legitimate market demand for BCC.

“Kumbhani and his co-conspirators also concealed the location and control of the fraud proceeds obtained from investors by commingling, cycling, and exchanging the funds through BitConnect’s cluster of cryptocurrency wallets and various internationally based cryptocurrency exchanges,” according to US Department of Justice.

“As cryptocurrency gains popularity and attracts investors worldwide, alleged fraudsters like Kumbhani are utilising increasingly complex schemes to defraud investors, oftentimes stealing millions of dollars,a said Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge, of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Los Angeles Field Office.

Kumbhani is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit commodity price manipulation, operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business, and conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

If convicted of all counts, he faces a maximum total penalty of 70 years in prison.

UK regulator warns illegal crypto ATMs to shut operations London, March 14: The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned operators of crypto ATMs in the country to shut down their services or face enforcement action.

Crypto ATMs offering crypto-asset exchange services in the UK must be registered with us and comply with UK Money Laundering Regulations (MLR).

“None of the crypto-asset firms registered with us have been approved to offer crypto ATM services, meaning that any of them operating in the UK are doing so illegally and consumers should not be using them,” the FCA said in a statement.

“We have warned operators of crypto ATMs in the UK to shut their machines down or face enforcement action,” it added.

The UK regulator said it is concerned about crypto ATM machines operating and will, therefore, be contacting the operators instructing that the machines be shut down or face further action.

Since it published the list of unregistered crypto firms that may have

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been continuing to conduct business, a recent assessment found that 110 are no longer operational.

“We regularly warn consumers that cryptoassets are unregulated and high-risk which means people are very unlikely to have any protection if things go wrong, so people should be prepared to lose all their money

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if they choose to invest in them,” the regulator stressed.

In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, the FCA has also written to all registered crypto-asset firms and those holding temporary registration status to highlight the application of sanctions on various entities and individuals.

15

LITERATURE

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Blue is the warmest colour Jaipur Literature Festival 2022 returns in all its glory

March 10, 2022: A look inside an author’s notebook/diary can be enigmatic -- there are alphabets, landscapes... and soundscapes too if you are willing to hear. These are snatches you don’t want to escape from for they are a network of trusted spaces -- warm, safe -- oscillating between genres and styles but intimate at every turn.

Writer Amitava Kumar is present in his absence in his latest ‘The Blue Book: A Writer’s Journal’ (HarperCollins India), an outcome of his diary-keeping during the lockdowns owing to the Pandemic.

He tells IANS that we are surrounded by chaos, and art helps bring order to it. The same is true of diaries -- there is a reason why therapists tell survivors of trauma to write down their experiences.

“We need words to guide us out of the forest,” he adds.

The idea of compiling the art came from his friend Hemali Sodhi, founder of ‘A Suitable Agency’ who wanted to use the drawings he was putting up on social media.

“When I was painting, I was slowing down the news, and the writing of captions or providing diary entries as the caption for the images went well with the idea of providing a frame for whatever was happening in our lives and in the world,” he remembers.

Not formally trained in art, Kumar says the exercise was a release from the burden of being a writer and partaking of the joy of doing

something that he is not an expert at. He feels that this art and the act of sharing it with a wider audience is the triumph of the amateur.

“A person on a green cricket field during a weekend is not necessarily trying to get into the Indian team-he or she might just be enjoying the game, the pleasure of playing with bat and ball. It is the same with me and art,” says Kumar, a Professor of English at the Helen D. Lockwood Chair at Vassar College in the US. Ask this Bihar-born author of ‘Husband of a Fanatic’, ‘A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb: A Writer’s Report on the Global War on Terror’ and ‘A Time Outside This Time’ among others, who has written extensively on immigration, if he feels ‘belonged’ to any country, and he asserts, “I am stranded in the barren land between longing and belonging. No, if I were to be truthful, my main allegiance is to language. As a writer, my identity is tied to the marks on the printed page. To put it more dramatically, my passport is The Blue Book.”

Kumar, who wrote on fake news in his last work ‘A Time Outside ThisTime’ feels that the way fake news and hatred has spread, our whole cultural landscape has changed. “Just the other day, I was comparing it to climate change.

I was telling my friend that the glaciers of our understanding are melting fast. All these changes are not just monumental or catastrophic, they are irreversible,” he adds.

For someone who believes that self-censorship is death for a writer and once said that rulers tend to think that they will rule forever, which can be dangerous, he elaborates, “I was commenting on the way power works. It goes to the head of those who are powerful. They cannot imagine defeat. They do not dream of death. They think eternal life is theirs. And I think that is their failing. Because, of course, the poor or the oppressed never cease to struggle. I don’t think the urge to freedom ever dies.”

While the mantra he offers his students is to write 150 words and walk every day, he has added the goal of doing a drawing each day. “I truly believe in the ethic of keeping a notebook in your pocket at all times and taking notes,” concludes the author whose next will be a book of drawings and diary entries called ‘The Yellow Book’.

Sahitya Kala Mandir, Kalinga Literary Festival to host annual International Literature Festival at Kathmandu New Delhi, March 7: At a meeting between the members of Lunkarandas Gangadevi Chaudhary Sahitya Kala Mandir, Kathmandu, and Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF), Bhubaneswar, it was decided that both the organisations will host an annual International Literature Festival at Kathmandu from 2022 onwards.

Sahitya Kala Mandir President, Basant Choudhary, Vice-President Harihar Sharma, Raman Ghimire, Rajendra Shalabh, Shweta Deepti, Ranjana Niraula and Rashmi Ranjan Parida, Managing Director and Founder of KLF, who went from India to Kathmandu had an elaborate meeting. KLF Coordinator Debashish Samantray was also present.

The members of both the organisations said the collaboration between them will strengthen cultural dialogue, religious as well as literary perspectives between India and Nepal.

Lunkarandas Gangadevi Chaudhary Sahitya Kala Mandir in Nepal has been promoting and honouring eminent creators associated with different regions of Nepal for 28 years, apart from various literary

and cultural activities there.

Similarly, KLF is an institution known for honouring and promoting distinguished personalities from different regions of India.

Prez receives first copy of compendium of Hazari Prasad Dwivedi’s writings New Delhi, March 9: President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday received the first copy of the compendium of writings and essays by Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi ‘Bharatiya Sanskriti Mein Manaveey Jijeevisha’ brought out by the Acharya Hazari Prasad Memorial Trust.

“An excellent philosopher seeking modernism in Indian tradition and traditionalism in modern methods,

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Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi had explored newer avenues in linguistics, commentary, cultural discourse and essays. He is credited with establishing Sant Kabeer as a great litterateur. Dwivedi spent time with Gurudev Ravindranath Tagore and enriched India’s world of literary heritage by his contributions,” a communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

In his short message, President Kovind praised Dwivedi’s contribution in popularising Kabeer’s works.

He also emphasised on promoting Hindi as the language of mass communication.

Memorial Trust’s Trustee Nupur Pandey, Ratnesh Mishra and Ashok Maheshwari were present on the occasion, the communique said.

March 7, 2022: The much-awaited 15th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival started today on its brandnew virtual platform. Music led the way to the inaugural session of the literary extravaganza which was graced by the highly acclaimed artists namely B.C. Manjunath, Darshan Doshi, Nathulal Solanki, Pramath Kiran & Praveen D. Rao. The 2022 edition of the iconic Festival began with an inaugural address

by Festival Co-directors Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple and Festival Producer Sanjoy K. Roy. Welcoming the audience, Namita Gokhale, Festival Co-director, Jaipur Literature Festival, said, “The clouds of war are gathering around our planet; even as we struggle to recover from the pandemic, we are faced by chaos and disruption.

Through all this, the inspirations of literature, music and poetry and the solace of our shared stories have continued to sustain us. This edition of the Festival is a celebration of heart, mind and intellect. It reflects the concerns of the world around us as well as the eternal questions and timeless answers that literature offers.”

In his welcome speech, Sanjoy K Roy emphasised the fact of understanding and making sense of our present. “We have to look at our history and be able to envision a better future for our planet and our children - what better way to express it than through literature and writing? We were able to pivot online and through our digital series JLF Brave New World, JLF Words are Bridges, and the 2021 Jaipur Literature Festival, which was entirely digital - reaching over 27.5 million people across the world.

Today you don’t need to be physically present in Jaipur, you can be a part of this celebration, from the comfort of your home,” said Roy. “I hope the Jaipur Literature Festival will provide solace for many of us, particularly the book-lovers who have missed the joy of live events with their favourite authors. It is a unique lineup; no other literary festival in the world has writers like these years after year and we are incredibly proud to present them to you at Clarks Hotel in Jaipur over the next few days,” said Festival Co-director William Dalrymple

Concluding the inaugural address, Preeta Singh, President, Teamwork Arts, said “We are absolutely delighted to have put together the second 10-day virtual Festival for each one of you sitting in the comfort of your homes to sit there and enjoy authors from across the length and breadth of India, and more importantly, across the world.”

The ensuing session took audiences to a conversation between Nobel Literature Abdulrazak Gurnah and Alexander Pringle on people, communities and their lives. Pringle began the session by introducing Gurnah and quoted Nobel Academy while noting that his work examines the “uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.” At the session, Gurnah described his relationship with language and how he grew up hearing various languages. “English was very much a learned language and not a spoken & learned language but kind of a studied language, in a way that people are taught French in a peculiar way. I think from around the age of 8 or 9, I just felt so much at ease in English, and it didn’t seem strange or a peculiar talent,” Gurnah said.

At another exciting session, American writer and journalist Patrick Radeen Keefe discussed his book on the murky world of big pharma Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, with Managing Director of Teamwork Arts and Festival Producer Sanjoy K. Roy. During the session, Radeen

Keefe stated, “Part of what I was trying to do in the book was to tell a story not just about the opioid crisis or the last few decades but really take a deeper look at the history of the big pharma industries in the United States and the ways in which that industry, I think, has compromised a lot of public institutions”.

At another session, award-winning British-Turkish novelist and activist Elif Shafak discussed her latest novel, The Island of Missing Trees - a delicate tribute to the agony of war, displacement and undying hope, with Nandini Nair. Shafak talked about the duality of settling down versus living a more nomadic lifestyle, which has been very crucial for her because of the way she grew up, in different cities and with different cultures.

Irish novelist Colm Tóibín, in conversation with novelist and journalist Sandip Roy, talked about his book, The Magician, a tribute to Thomas Mann. Tóibín shared that Mann’s widow Katia Mann, wrote a memoir called Unwritten Memories, wherein she describes their visit to Venice and how her husband couldn’t stop staring at a Polish boy at the beach. Katia was amused but was tolerant of her husband’s homosexuality.

As the sessions for the day came to an end, the 15th edition of the prestigious Festival featured speakers Gita Sahgal along with Nayantara Sahgal on Nayantara’s recent non-fiction book Encounter with Kiran which is a chronicle of her long correspondence with writer Kiran Nagarkar.

Ukraine-Russia conflict, climate change to be part of JLF 2022 Jaipur, March 2: The 15th edition of Jaipur Literature Festival, to be held at Hotel Clarks Amber here from March 5 to 14, will focus on UkraineRussia conflict, climate change, new world order, along with art, travel and history, among others.

Addressing a press conference here, Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director at Teamwork Arts, said, “We are delighted to be back on-ground with the Jaipur Literature Festival weaving its magic again. This year’s programme celebrates the diversity of literature and offers a wide range of topics, including the UkraineRussia conflict, climate change, new world order, art of fiction, poetic imagination, travel, science, history etc.”

The 15th edition will also feature 15 Indian languages and have specific sessions on Rajasthani heritage and culture, he added.

State Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh said, “I am delighted that the Jaipur Literature Festival is returning on-ground in the Pink City. I believe that the Festival will provide an exceptional platform for both Indian and global authors and thought leaders to engage and strengthen our literary heritage and culture.

“I look forward to warmly welcoming all the authors, speakers, artists, musicians and visitors to Jaipur and the state of Rajasthan for the Festival.”

Apurv Kumar, Managing Director, Clarks Group of Hotels, the venue for the offline event, said, “We are indeed privileged that the 15th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival is being held at Hotel Clarks Amer. It is quite well-known that

/IndianAbroadNews

Clarks has always been associated with this mega literary event.

“We used to host the evening music stages. This time both the literary sessions as well the Jaipur Music Stage in the evening will be held here. It is only appropriate to point out that this festival is one of the biggest events in the state and to my mind, it is a great tourism event. A large number of visitors from India as well as other countries come for this iconic festival.”

The Festival will showcase a variety of sessions exhibiting the dialects of Rajasthan-centric literature. At one session, poet and litterateur Chandra Prakash Deval will discuss languages, literature, poetry and music of the desert state with writer and poet Anukrti Upadhyay.

The rich oral, linguistic and literary traditions of Rajasthan find their

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voice in a variety of dialects, although Rajasthani still awaits official recognition in the schedule of Indian languages.

Rajasthan has long been a dynamic cultural centre and home to prestigious art forms.

At a session on the treasures at the Jaipur Court, author Vandana Bhandari and historian Giles Tillotson will be in conversation with historian Rima Hooja to discuss the magnificent treasures commissioned and collected over centuries by the Jaipur Court.

A panel discussion will be held with historians Yashaswini Chandra and Rima Hooja, discussing the powerful warrior king Maharana Pratap and his legendary horse Chetak.

Together they will explore the legend of the resilient pair.

16

SCI-TECH

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Snapchat, Niti Aayog to train 12K Indian teachers in AR New Delhi, March 8: Snap, the parent company of popular instant messaging platform Snapchat, on Tuesday partnered Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog to train over 12,000 teachers in Augmented Reality (AR) in the next two years and drive AR adoption among the youth in the country.

Snap also announced its partnership with the Atal Incubation Centers (AICs) to support the Indian start-up ecosystem with AR advertising bootcamps, ad credits and other opportunities.

“Augmented Reality is the future, given its varied applications in a rapidly digitizing India. We’re excited to utilize Snap Inc’s expertise in Augmented Reality to create a cadre of GenZ students that are skilled in this futuristic technology,” said Dr Chintan Vaishnav, Director of Atal Innovation Mission.

The Snap Lens Network of creators in India has grown by over 200 per

cent since September 2020.

“We are excited to help the Atal Tinkering Labs in its mission to create a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in India, and help India become an Augmented Reality hub,” said Uthara Ganesh, Public Policy Head, India at Snap.

The company also launched ‘Lensathon’ (AR-making hackathon) that will aim to boost participation

of girls and young women over 13 interested in AR. Snap will host special workshops aimed to introduce young women in India to AR and skills that will be necessary to navigate the digital economy of the future.

The workshops will be hosted

by Women Lens Creators, with advanced sessions led by members from the Snap Lens network.

Google launches anti-harassment filter to help women journalists New Delhi, March 8: Google on Tuesday launched an open source anti-harassment tool called ‘Harassment Manager’ to help women journalists and activists, especially those covering controversial topics or living under autocratic governments, manage online abuse.

Google’s Jigsaw unit has released the code for the open source anti-harassment tool on Microsoftowned open source repository GitHub. ‘Harassment Manager’ allows users to document and manage abuse targeted at them on social media, starting with Twitter.

“It helps users easily identify and document harmful posts, mute or block perpetrators of harassment and hide harassing replies to their own tweets. Individuals can review tweets based on hashtag, username, keyword or date, and leverage our Perspective API to detect comments that are most likely to be toxic,” Jigsaw said in a post.

In addition to the partnership with Twitter, the effort also involved collaborations with several NGOs

in the journalism and human rights space.

The Harassment Manager code is now available on Github, open sourced for developers and non-governmental organisations to build and adapt for free.

“Our hope is that this technology provides a resource for people who are facing harassment online,

especially female journalists, activists, politicians and other public figures, who deal with disproportionately high toxicity online,” Jigsaw noted.

The company also looks forward to seeing developers and organisations tailor it to their specific needs and use the technology to help other at-risk populations.

Walmart joins IIT Madras to accelerate research & skilling in India Chennai, March 10: Walmart Global Tech (WGT) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras aimed at accelerating research as well as skilling in new areas of technology in India.

As a part of the partnership, IIT Madras students and Walmart associates will work on research projects together.

The partnership will also focus on training programmes to upskill talent and deliver cutting-edge technology to the retail and eCommerce industry “WGT and IIT Madras have many areas for collaborative growth such as sustainability, AI, and energy engineering. We are keen to grow this into an impactful partnership to benefit a broad cross-section of stakeholders including students and faculty members of IIT Madras,” Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said in a statement.

In addition, WGT will use space in the IIT Madras Research Park to leverage the broader ecosystem and work with the start-up companies incubated by the varsity.

WGT and IIT Madras will also engage in CSR activities, in addition to grants that will be made to support faculty research and students with scholarships and fellowships.

WGT will also undertake sponsoring events, advertisements, and other branding activities to further support IIT Madras.

“We are a human-led,

tech-empowered company, and our talented associates in India are critical to driving Walmart’s global businesses and leading the next retail disruption. Our association with IIT Madras will help us further empower our teams, collaborate on digital innovation, and strengthen the education ecosystem in India,” said Suresh Kumar, Global CTO and CDO, Walmart, in the statement.

Twitter Shops to allow sellers showcase more products San Francisco, March 10: Microblogging site Twitter has introduced a new shopping feature ‘Twitter Shops’ which would allow merchants to curate a collection of up to 50 products to showcase on their profile.

The feature, which is free to use, gives people the chance to view products from the profiles of their favorite brands, so when you talk about and discover products on the timeline, you can now browse them on Twitter, too.

“When you go to the profile of a merchant that has Twitter Shops enabled, you’ll see a “View shop” button just above their Tweets.

When you tap the button, it will open up that merchant’s shop, where you can scroll through items,” the company said in a statement.

When you are ready to purchase, you can click on the product of your choice which will open an in-app browser where you can learn more about the product and checkout on the merchant’s website.

“While our Shop Module allows merchants to showcase up to five products directly on their profile, Twitter Shops gives merchants a larger, fully-immersive space to highlight a longer catalog of products,” the company added.

Twitter has also introduced a new tool for creators called the “Creator Dashboard” to analyze how they make money on the platform.

According to the company, the new

tool is designed to help creators analyze how they make money on Twitter and how much they are earning from monetisation features.

Currently, the feature is available to iOS creators in the US with more than 10,000 followers and are participating in Ticketed Spaces and Super Follows.

The new dashboard can be accessed from the app’s “Monetization” tab.

Tinder users can now run in-app background checks on their matches Samsung working on smartphone San Francisco, March 10: Dating app Tinder has announced that its users in the US can now run background checks in-app to screen their matches for possible violent or harmful past behaviour.

The company said that Garbo’s new online background check platform will be made available to the general public in the US and will also be launched to Tinder members via Tinder’s Safety Center.

According to The Verge, the searches will return results that Garbo said are “relevant to the user’s safety” and will exclude some information such as drug possession and loitering.

The searches also won’t include personally identifiable information like addresses and phone numbers.

As per Tinder, each user will have access to two free background check searches; after that, they will pay $2.50 plus a small processing fee per transaction that will directly fund Garbo’s operations and other fees associated with the searches.

Users can perform background checks by pressing on the blue

with sideways folding display

shield in the app, then going to the Safety Center, where they will select the Garbo article, which will then direct them to Garbo’s website.

At first, users will only need to put in a match’s first name and phone number, but if it doesn’t yield results, users can put in more information, such as their match’s age.

The company also noted that a lack of history on a Garbo background check does not guarantee that a user is safe and urged users to follow its

safety tips for meetings with new people.

Match Group also announced Wednesday that it is partnering with the National Domestic Violence Hotline to give users the ability to live chat with trained advocates.

The feature is designed for users who are “seeking more information about healthy relationships and relationship abuse”, according to the company.

Samsung set to become top premium player in India with S22 series San Francisco, March 10: Dating app Tinder has announced that its users in the US can now run background checks in-app to screen their matches for possible violent or harmful past behaviour.

The company said that Garbo’s new online background check platform

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will be made available to the general public in the US and will also be launched to Tinder members via Tinder’s Safety Center.

According to The Verge, the searches will return results that Garbo said are “relevant to the user’s safety” and will exclude some information

such as drug possession and loitering.

The searches also won’t include personally identifiable information like addresses and phone numbers.

As per Tinder, each user will have access to two free background check searches; after that, they will

Seoul, March 9: South Korean tech giant Samsung has patented a new Galaxy smartphone with a sideways folding display.

According to the patent’s drawings, there is a triple-camera setup and LED flash. The design features a hinge on the lower left-hand side, as well as three magnets to keep the display stuck to the back cover, reports Let’s Go Digital.

The smartphone may come with two-part battery, and that the folding display would be made of Samsung’s UTG (Ultra Thin Glass), the same protective layer that’s used on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3.

Samsung recently patented a new Galaxy smartphone with a futuristic-looking transparent display.

The company filed the patent with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) and the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) and was published last year.

The patent describes the technology that is needed to make a transparent

smartphone and can even be used in other electronic gadgets as well, including TVs, monitors, laptops and gaming consoles.

According to the report, the device seen in the patent has narrow bezels and a large transparent screen and an OLED panel is apparently used.

Samsung has shipped four times

more foldable devices in 2021 than last year, exceeding the three-fold market growth that analysts expected.

According to the company, the consumer enthusiasm for Samsung foldables is exemplified by the success of the Galaxy Z series.

pay $2.50 plus a small processing fee per transaction that will directly fund Garbo’s operations and other fees associated with the searches.

Users can perform background checks by pressing on the blue shield in the app, then going to the Safety Center, where they will select the Garbo article, which will then direct them to Garbo’s website.

At first, users will only need to

put in a match’s first name and phone number, but if it doesn’t yield results, users can put in more information, such as their match’s age.

The company also noted that a lack of history on a Garbo background check does not guarantee that a user is safe and urged users to follow its safety tips for meetings with new people.

Match Group also announced Wednesday that it is partnering with the National Domestic Violence Hotline to give users the ability to live chat with trained advocates.

The feature is designed for users who are “seeking more information about healthy relationships and relationship abuse”, according to the company.

/IndianAbroadNews

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17

POLITICS

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

‘Sinking ship’, senior K’taka Cong leader C.M. Ibrahim quits party Bengaluru, March 12: Senior Congress leader and MLC C.M. Ibrahim on Saturday quit from the primary membership of the party.

He has also resigned from Karnataka Legislative Council.

Ibrahim said any person with self respect will not be able to stay in the party. “I will reveal about my next move in 2 days. The Congress is a sinking ship. What happened in Punjab will happen in Karnataka also,” he said.

He maintained that he would speak to former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy with regard to joining the JD(S).

In his resignation letter addressed to AICC President Sonia Gandhi, Ibrahim claimed that from the past 12 years he had written several letters to her about his grievances. “Though,

you had indeed replied that you will take necessary remedial measures, but so far I do not see any changes,” he mentioned.

Ibrahim claimed that if an election was to be held for the position of Opposition leader in the Legislative Council, he would have won as he enjoyed the support of 18 MLCs. He expressed his displeasure over selection of B.K. Hariprasad as the opposition leader. He called him the most junior member of the council.

Ibrahim said whenever he raised issues of development and functioning of the party, he did not receive proper response.

He underlined in his letter that being a senior member of the party he was not able to meet Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi, to place the facts before them.

Opposition leader Siddaramaiah speaking to reporters at Kalaburagi airport said there will be no loss for the Congress if Ibrahim quits. “The Congress will not be affected by his resignation. Even if I quit, it will not have any impact on the Congress,” he added

G-23 seeks speedy election of new Congress President, summoning of AICC session New Delhi, March 11: The Congress’ ‘G-23’ leaders, at their meeting held on Friday after the party’s debacle in the latest round of Assembly polls, are understood to have sought that there be no more delay in electing the new party President while an AICC session should be called to discuss the poll results, sources said.

The meeting was held at senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s residence here, and was attended by Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Anand Sharma and Akhilesh Prasad Singh while some other leaders joined virtually.

As per sources, the leaders sought accountability for the poll debacle be fixed and changes be made in the composition of the Congress Working Committee, the party’s highest decision-making body.

The issue of organisational polls was also discussed.

The meeting was held a day

after results came out for Assembly elections held in five states, with the party losing its stronghold Punjab, failing to mount a serious challenge in Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand, besides getting virtually demolished in Uttar Pradesh.

There is simmering tension within the Congress after the poll debacle, and the G-23 leaders are reportedly miffed with the style of functioning of the party leadership.

One prominent leader said that “it is time that the first family of Congress steps aside and paves the way for a new leadership or act in tandem with the party leaders and be available 24x7 for party work, or else there won’t be a revival of the Congress in the country”.

The leaders pointed out that the present set-up is non-performing and it has to be changed as the party is not “someone’s fiefdom” and everyone has a stake in it.

Deve Gowda praises PM Modi on poll With AAP in Punjab, what will happen outcome, but says no to alliance to Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal row?

Bengaluru, March 12: Former Prime Minister and JD(S) chief H.D. Deve Gowda on Saturday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for BJP’s stupendous performance in the Assembly polls, but said his party won’t forge alliance with any national party for the Karnataka Assembly polls in 2023.

“PM Modi is battling to bring BJP to power in every corner of the country.

He does the election work with all the dedication. Our candidates will fight against two national parties in the state. There is no question of forging an alliance,” Deve Gowda said.

Replying to a query whether there is a possibility of early polls in the state, he said Chief Minister Basavaraj

Bommai-led BJP government is doing well in the state.

He further stated that the politics in Karnataka is not easy and could not be compared to other states.

Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has also stressed on the same thing that it is not easy to register victory here, Deve Gowda said.

On the Assembly elections’ outcome, Deve Gowda said: “Now everyone knows about the results. I need not say anything about it. We have to focus on saving our regional party.”

The JD (S) chief announced that his party would hold a massive convention in Bengaluru on March 20.

When asked whether Congress leader C. M. Ibrahim has joined the JD(S), Deve Gowda stated that Ibrahim has not spoken to him on the issue.

After the fall: Is it the end of the road for Cong, or the time to resurrect?

T

he Assembly elections in the five states had one stunning outcome: the irretrievable downslide of the Congress. Sonia Gandhi and her two babies -- Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra -- need to comprehend the people’s verdict and the moral of the story: It is the end of the road for them if they don’t accept reality.

Out of the 690 seats whose fate was decided in the five states, the Congress could manage to win only 55. State-wise, of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, Congress got two; in Punjab, where it was in the power, it won 18 out of 117; in Goa’s 40-seater Assembly, Congress managed 11; out of Manipur’s 60 seats, it had to be content with just five; and in Uttarakhand, it could manage only 19 out of 70.

On the vote share front, too, the share of the Congress is drastically down.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress vote percentage is a dismal 2.33 against the BJP’s 41.29; Manipur has given only 16.83 per cent to the Congress and 37.83 per cent to the BJP; in Goa, the Congress got 23.46 per cent and the BJP 33.31 per cent; in Punjab the Congress managed 22.98 per cent and the BJP 6.60 per cent. The only saving grace for the Congress is Uttarakhand, where it notched up a decent share of 37.91 per cent, against the BJP’s 44.33 per cent.

These figures clearly show the state the Congress is in today and exposes the distrust and displeasure of the masses with the three. Talk to any random person on the road, Rahul Gandhi’s name evokes dismissive laughter; worse, his actions and statements are perceived to be not serious. For many, he is a joker who is helping the BJP to create perceptions.

His younger sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was projected as the harbinger of a change in the difficult political terrain of Uttar Pradesh, has been rejected by the people of the state. The people valued Akhilesh Yadav more than her and gave him more seats and votes. The statistics clearly show that the people in Uttar Pradesh have more faith in Akhilesh than Priyanka.

The fact that the Congress vote share is down to just 2 per cent in the state after all the “hard work” and personal

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attention of Priyanka is a telling comment on her performance. In the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Rahul lost the family bastion to Smriti Irani and this time Priyanka could not retain any of the Assembly segments in another Congress bastion, Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha seat of Sonia Gandhi.

Punjab’s overwhelming vote for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and eviction of the Congress only confirms the grave disconnect between the ‘Grand Old Party’ and the voters.

Having a huge number of followers on social media accounts is no guarantee of support from the masses. Rahul and Priyanka need to understand this. Together, they have 24.7 million followers on Twitter and lakhs like their Facebook posts, but when it comes to voting, even the followers don’t seem to deliver. The electoral numbers that AAP, on the other hand, is notching up should be a serious cause of concern for the Sonia-Rahul-Priyanka triumvirate.

AAP is proving to be the real bulldozer in today’s political landscape, crushing all other parties -- repeatedly in Delhi and now in Punjab. It is being viewed as the rising alternative to the BJP. Its performance in Punjab has further destroyed the myths that the Congress swears by, including the one that it is the only political party in the country that cares for the minorities.

In Delhi and in Punjab, the minorities rallied behind AAP as much as the majority community. This is what should shake up Sonia-RahulPriyanka and their strategists.

The trio has challenges to confront from within the party. The G-23 leaders, upset with the poll results, met on March 11, a day after the verdict, and demanded a new Congress president as soon as possible.

One of the senior G-23 leaders,

Ghulam Nabi Azad, said: “I am shocked, my heart is bleeding to see our defeat in state after state.”

He said that he hoped the party leadership would take note of the weaknesses that the G-23 had been mentioning. Another party leader, Shashi Tharoor, has also called for leadership reform.

The Congress has been steadily losing elections since 2012 and along with it several leaders and workers have abandoned the ship.

According to a media report, 177 MPs and MLAs have left Congress since 2014, besides a number of leaders.

When Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, the Congress had nine states; the number has now shrunk to just two -- Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Congress is staring at an existential crisis and will sink further if it does not act now.

In the past many of the leaders who could not find space for growth in the Congress, have proved their mettle outside -- Mamta Banerjee in West Bengal, K. Chandrashekar Rao in Telangana, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh, Himanta Biswa Sharma in Assam, and, of course, Sharad Pawar is firmly ensconced as the kingmaker of Maharashtra. The Congress did not value them and in due course they became successful challengers.

It is high time Sonia-Rahul-Priyanaka rejig themselves, otherwise the Congress will get decimated. It is still not too late for them to give up the claim of being the sole guardians of the party and step aside to allow a new party president to work with a free hand, focusing on grassroots politics, attacking the government credibly on policies and decisions, and above all. stop taking personal swipes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi that go down well with the people.

New Delhi, March 11: Though it is a decades old problem, the SutlejYamuna Link Canal (SYL) issue has been simmering with renewed rigour since July 2020 when the Supreme Court asked Punjab and Haryana to settle the matter.

Of the multiple states in northwest India, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and some part of Uttar Pradesh share the same water infrastructure and are regulated by two bodies and agreements: The Bhakra Beas Management Board and the 1994 Upper Yamuna River Board’s agreement/MoU between upper riparians of Yamuna, namely Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

In the SYL, it is the two states of Punjab and Haryana that have kept the dispute burning for over four decades now. Delhi has no direct stake in the dispute, but a major share of Delhi’s water comes through Haryana and all it is worried about is that it should continue to get uninterrupted water supply of its share.

With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) set to form the government in Punjab, the question now is whether the new government will go ahead with the completion of the canal or continue to protest?

What exactly is the problem with the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal?

The main rivers involved are Ravi and Beas. The states involved are Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi and Rajasthan. Prior to Punjab’s bifurcation, out of 15.85 million acre feet (MAF) water of the two river basins, Rajasthan was allotted 8 MAF, Punjab received 7.20 MAF while J&K had a share of 0.65 MAF. Post 1976, when the Punjab Reorganisation Act was operationalised, Haryana was allotted a share of 3.5 MAF, which earlier Punjab had refused to share.

With revision in water flow in 1981, Punjab was given 4.22 MAF, Haryana 3.5 MAF and 8.6 MAF went to Rajasthan. A canal linking Sutlej with Yamuna to provide water to southern parts of Haryana was planned. Work for the over 200 km canal is completed in Haryana but the stretch that runs across Punjab is incomplete.

In July 2020, the Supreme Court had directed the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana to negotiate and settle the issue.

But why is Punjab opposing?

The Green Revolution was responsible for ensuring that India became self-sufficient in food grain production and Punjab had a major role

to play in it. The state claimed that the food it grew was for the whole country but the water used was its own groundwater and hence there was no need to share any surface water with any other state.

Moreover, given the history of violence in Punjab, the powers that be feel that secessionist tendencies may try to benefit from the opposition to water sharing.

Instead, Punjab has been demanding a tribunal to discuss the issue afresh.

It has also demanded working out water availability, which, according to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), under which water sharing arrangement works for Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and even Delhi, has gone down over the decades.

Will things change now with the change of guard in Punjab?

Tribal party’s mega rally rocks Tripura politics Agartala, March 13: A mega rally in Agartala organised by the tribal based party TIPRA (Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance) that has been demanding “Greater Tipraland”, displayed their strength ahead of the next year’s assembly elections in Tripura, causing a concern to the major political parties.

Though TIPRA’s “Greater Tipraland” demand remained vague among the cross section of the people as it has no provision in the Indian constitution, the slogan largely attracted the minority tribals, who constitute one third of Tripura’s four million populations.

The demand for a ‘Greater Tipraland’ was raised few years back after the ruling BJP’s ally Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) got a massive support from the indigenous tribals when it ahead of the 2018 assembly elections vociferously demanded for “Tipraland” which sought a separate state for the Tripura tribals upgrading the existing Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).

The politically most important TTAADC has a jurisdiction on over two-thirds of Tripura’s 10,491 sq km area and is home to over 12,16,000 people, of which around 84 per cent are tribals.

Focusing on the “Tipraland” issue the IPFT in the 2018 assembly polls secured eight of the 20 tribal reserve seats, which over the decades were the strongholds of the CPI-M. After the TIPRA, headed by Tripura’s

/IndianAbroadNews

royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman, captured the politically powerful TTAADC in April last year, the political significance of the new party in the mixed populated Tripura has further reinforced.

Defeating the BJP and the CPI-M, the TIPRA scripted history in the northeastern state by capturing the TTAADC, which is considered as a mini-legislative assembly of Tripura.

Political circles observed that Saturday’s first mega rally of TIPRA was bigger than the BJP’s public gathering on March 8 and CPI-M’s mass rally on February 24.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CPI-M General secretary Sitaram Yechury, party’s politburo members Prakash Karat and Manik Sarkar addressed the respective party’s gatherings. TIPRA supremo Deb

/indianabroadnews

Barman on Saturday announced to put up candidates at least in 35 seats in the next Assembly election on its own, putting a big challenge to the BJP and the CPI-M. The TIPRA leaders while explaining about their ‘Greater Tipraland’ demand said that under the concept they wanted to improve the socio-economic conditions of the backward tribals living in the northeastern states of India, neighbouring Bangladesh, Myanmar and adjoining areas.

The BJP, CPI-M and the Congress though strongly opposed the IPFT’s “Tipraland” demand, the political parties officially not saying anything against the ‘Greater Tipraland’ demand apprehending loss of tribals’ support in the next elections.

18

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Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

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19

INTERVIEW

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

‘Sky ahead is blue, we are Shannon K: Beyond being soaring higher each day’ Kumar Sanu’s daughter New Delhi, March 12: “Revolution does not come overnight and social revolution takes time to come. Social and logistics aspects also take time,” the Supreme Court had observed on International Womens Day (March 8), noting that the mindset has changed with induction of women officers in the armed forces and promising to assess the possibility of allocating more seats to women candidates in National Defence Academy (NDA), after deliberating the implications of this in the long term.

The mindset in India’s civil aviation sector, however, began to change way back in the 1930 and has resulted in a situation today where there are 2,764 women among the country’s 17,726 registered commercial pilots. What this also means is that while only around 5 per cent of all pilots globally are women, their number in India is a whopping 15 per cent and twice the number compared to most Western countries, including the US and Australia.

“The roadmap ahead is already flying high, more and more women are joining this profession,” Captain Manisha M. Puri, who has flown both Boeings and Airbuses for Air India, told IANS in an interview of her book, “From Sarees To Stripes - True Stories of Commercial Women Pilots in India” (Amaryllis) that details the extraordinary challenges that women have faced to be where they are today.

“Society is accepting, families are accepting, even the Air Force has opened their doors for women, inducting them as fighter pilots, which was not the case in our times. Even though it is conquering one mile at a time, it has already started to be noticed, appreciated and rewarded.

The sky ahead is blue and we are soaring higher and higher each day,” Puri added.

She clocked more than 27 years of flying before taking voluntary retirement, is an active member of the Indian Women Pilots’ Association and is Secretary of the International Women Pilots Organisation, ‘The Nine-Nines Inc’ India chapter.

Having being honoured at Amelia Earhart’s birthplace at Atchison, Kansas, with a plaque bearing her name engraved in the International Forest of Friendship, along with some other Indian aviators, she today focuses on sharing some of life’s real challenges as a motivator and mentor in the ‘Nai Disha’ NGO where she mingles with children who give meaning to her life and help them move forward to reach their goals and dreams.

The book has also helped Puri achieve her dream of spreading information on women pilot’s in India.

“I would often meet people within or outside the aviation circuit who were

not aware of the fact that women in India had been flying aircraft since the (19) 30s. This inspired me to write this book bringing the history of women pilots, their stories, struggles and determination that made them reach the skies in spite of all difficulties that they faced.

“It was also my way of thanking my seniors, paying tribute to the first few women pilots who broke the glass ceiling making way for many like me,” Puri explained.

These pioneering women pilots have had to overcome astounding challenges and paved the way for women of today and tomorrow to follow their dreams, and so, their inspiring stories must be read by everyone. The book weaves together a narrative of India’s aviation history, behind-the-scenes drama and the absolute conviction with which these gutsy women fought hard against all odds to fulfil their dreams.

These women boast several firsts in the industry, from being hired as pilots to fly for Indian Airlines, the first in India to induct women pilots as early as in 1966, paving the way for many more in the subsequent years with Air India. They not only flew state-of-the-art aircraft across continents but also created history by operating all-women crew flights over some of the most challenging navigational routes, including the Polar route.

In fact, history was created in January 2021 when an all-women crew flew Air India’s longest direct flight from San Francisco to Bengaluru, covering a distance of 16,000 km and saving 10 tonnes of fuel by flying over the North Pole.

Considerable research went into writing the book, starting with Capt Sarla Thukral, India’s first woman pilot.

“I decided to meet in person all the women pilots and talk to them to gather all that I wanted to write about. Capt Sarla Thukral was 93

years old when I met her and talked to her about my passion to write a book on the stories of the daring women who entered the so-called male dominated profession. She gave me her diary/other records which she had kept as valuable items.

“Her passion for flying lasted till she lived. Today she is no more but my promise to her about the book on women pilots is a reality. People are reading and learning about these amazing women who worked silently with utmost dedication to reach the skies,” she added.

Detailing the evolution of India’s civil aviation sector, Puri said the common factor “that still remains in every decade is the passion to fly and overcome any challenge whatsoever... It is with pride that we say that the earlier women proved that it is the performance rather than gender that is needed for this profession”.

“Women have broken all records be it the longest route, flying the Poles, fastest in speed and first all women flight in 1985. Women have faced all emergencies be it single engine, hydraulic failure, emergency with passengers or emergency landings, they have performed and made a mark and impact all around.

“Having family - husband, children, parents - they have not left this highly stressed job but juggled in their own way, each one of them,” Puri added with justifiable pride.

She concluded on a philosophical note.

“It is a profession that needs a lot of dedication, focus, hard work and discipline but once you are in it, it gives tremendous satisfaction.

“It’s a profession where your office is in the sky, no two days are the same even on the same airfield and you continue to face challenges each day.

The satisfaction is that this is the only profession where once you leave the cockpit, your work is complete for the day!”

‘India moving in centripetal direction is bad news for China, Pakistan; provocation would incur heavy costs’ New Delhi, March 13: India moving in a “centripetal direction”, as reaffirmed by the results of the just-concluded Assembly elections, is “bad news” for China and Pakistan as any provocation now would see them “incurring heavy costs”, says noted social scientist and opinion maker Sreeram Chaulia, whose new book, “Crunch Time”, details the paradigm shift in the countrys national security calculus since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014.

Even so, India must “prepare for a more belligerent and aggressive” China in the wake of the RussiaUkraine war, strengthen defenses all along the disputed border and in the Indo-Pacific, invest more in the defence sector and forge “stronger coalitions” with the Quad and Quadplus countries, Chaulia, professor and dean at the Jindal School of International Affairs at the O.P. Jindal Global University, told IANS in an interview.

At the same time, Pakistan “does not pose any existential threat to India”.

The Modi government’s attempts to keep the Line of Control (LOC) “quiet” to focus on the Line of Actual

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Control (LAC) with China “ironically” could “bring about a tactical thaw for India with Pakistan”, even though “breaking the Sino-Pakistani strategic collusion is no easy task”, Chaulia maintained.

Central governments in India, before Modi’s prime ministership, “were hobbled in their approach to national security due to their internal weakness. Coalitions involving a motley group of political parties, excessive bargaining and blackmail by partners from regional parties at the state level, identity politics that divided India into a patchwork of ethnic, caste and religious groups, and national leaders lacking in political gravitas � all these features had crippled central governments badly prior to 2014”.

“This translated into ineffective and cowardly responses when India’s security was threatened by external adversaries. The consolidation of a strong centre under Modi has thrown out this paradigm and presented a unified face of India as a state and a nation to China and Pakistan.

“The recent Assembly election results in Uttar Pradesh and other states confirm the trend of India

moving in a centripetal direction, which is bad news for China and Pakistan. Provoking Modi’s India means incurring heavy costs for our two external adversaries now,” Chaulia asserted.

Sub-titled “Narendra Modi’s National Security Crises”, the book is published by Rupa.

What are the implications for India of the Russia-Ukraine war?

Noting that the war “has thrown a wrench into the strategies of all powers”, Chaulia said India did not want the US and its European partners to get embroiled in a prolonged confrontation with Russia “that would distract from the clear and present dangers posed by China in Asia”.

Also, the shift in thinking in Washington and Brussels that Russia is the main threat and that the “new Cold War” is between Russia and the West “is not at all beneficial to India”, he said.

Moreover, the way in which Russia attacked Ukraine “will embolden China to attempt more browbeating, if not outright invasion, of Taiwan and smaller adversaries in Southeast Asia, such as the Philippines and

New Delhi, March 2: She studied music from the Royal Music Of London and acting at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in the US. Los Angeles based singer and actor Shannon K has also finished filming a movie ‘The Big Feed’ in the US and ‘Chaal Zindagi’ here. The fact that she is playback singer Kumar Sanu’s daughter can wait, for she insists -- “I started my career by singing at cafes and restaurants. I remember getting rejected many times in auditions and coming back home crying from meetings by highly demeaning behaviour people in the industry.

“So, it hasn’t been easy for me. I didn’t get up one day and was offered projects. Time and again, I have had to prove myself,” she says.

Of course, being surrounded by music forever did warm her up to the art form as she remembers asking her father to take her along to the studio even as a child. “When I decided to make it my career, it was made clear that considering it was my decision, I would have to deal with all the hurdles and fetch work just like any other newcomer,” Shannon tells IANS. Believing that training may be instrumental for understanding the theory of music in-depth and grasping the technical side of it, she feels that it is not really imperative.

“Now, dad is not classically trained, his passion for the art form has been

the driving force. It depends on the kind of effort you put into your work, it is about that thirst for learning.”

Debuting as a playback singer with Himesh Reshammiya’s song ‘Duggi’ for the movie ‘Happy Hardy And Heer’, besides lending her voice for the scores of the movie ‘Khalibali’ and the web series ‘The Casino’, the actor-singer who has been collaborating across musical genres feels that it is a great way to merge various styles and create something novel.

“It is always beneficial for everybody involved to reach out to a newer audience who may have never heard of their music before. You get to learn and share a lot. Of course, when it comes to expressing one’s own personal thoughts, it makes sense that the song is solely yours,” she adds.

Talk to her about how being Kumar Sanu’s daughter can be an enormous pressure and she smiles that she always has to think of the consequences of her actions -- professionally and in personal life.

“It certainly is a huge pressure of carrying forward your parent’s legacy ahead. Sometimes it’s to a disadvantage as people don’t value you or see you as an individual.

You are somehow stuck under your parent’s shadow and to come out of that and make a name for yourself is a big deal. There surely was some discrimination which I had to face every time I went looking for work.”

Remembering her time at Lee Strasberg, one of the finest acting schools in the world where she learnt not just method acting but also other technical aspects of the craft, Shannon says: “Also, I have learnt a lot while filming in India.”

In her final year of studying business management and looking forward to graduating early next year, the artist is looking at finishing some fashion projects.

“I have sung multiple songs for different projects, they should be releasing next year,” she concludes.

Prabhas on ‘Radhe Shyam’: ‘Didn’t want to do only action’ New Delhi, March 11: Superstar Prabhas, who has worked in blockbuster hits with a dollop of high-octane action, says he wanted to move away from his action image and do something different and that’s how his latest release ‘Radhe Shyam’, a lovestory, happened to him.

The ‘Baahubali’ star says ‘Radhe Shyam’ also has a sprinkle of thriller and is India’s first film with retro visuals, dresses and colour mix.

In a candid conversation with IANS, during the promotion of the film in the Capital, Prabhas revealed as to what enticed him to take up ‘Radhe Shyam’, which also stars Pooja Hegde.

“I wanted to do something different not like action, action and action...

I wanted to do something different so that I could do some experiment more in the future. So, we thought we’d do a love story or something different. I heard 3-4 scripts and planned to do this,” said Prabhas, who is the first south Indian star to receive a wax sculpture at Madame Tussaud’s wax museum.

The 42-year-old actor hopes that the film lives up to the expectations.

“The promos and making videos got

good response and finally after three different dates finally it’s getting released so hope it works,” he said.

Written and directed by Radha Krishna Kumar, ‘Radhe Shyam’ is a period romantic drama, which revolves around the story of Vikramaditya, a palmist who is conflicted between destiny and his love for Prerana, played by Pooja.

Does Prabhas in personal life believe in palmistry and astrology?

“I never followed anything like that.

We have heard many stories... In my family also we had heard many stories... This palmist told that this is going to happen and all my uncle said ‘he’s going to be big when I was born’ but I never followed any palmistry or astrology...”

“We have a rich culture in astrology in India but I never followed,” said the pan-India star, who was ranked second in Times’ Most Desirable Men for the year 2017 and twelfth in 2018.

Prabhas has previously done two romantic films such as ‘Darling’ and ‘Mr. Perfect’.

Asked about what attracts him towards the concept of romance, he said: “So, I did two romantic love stories in Telugu which I had good

Vietnam. So, we have to prepare for a more belligerent and aggressive China now and strengthen defenses all along our disputed borders, as well as in the maritime domain of the Indo-Pacific”, Chaulia contended.

Pointing to how the Modi government pushed back at Beijing’s expansionism through the doctrines of “security first” and “offensive defence”, he added: “Going forward, investing more in India’s defence and forging stronger coalitions with QUAD and QUAD-plus countries is the only way to face the Chinese menace,” he added.

How does he see the India-Pakistan situation panning out?

Contending that China has replaced Pakistan as the “principal threat” to India’s rise as a leading power in the world, Chaulia said that while Pakistan “can plot terrorist attacks against India”, it is “significantly weakened due to economic failure and internal fissures”.

“Pakistan does not pose any existential threat to India. Pakistan’s role is to act as a proxy or junior partner of China to keep India hemmed in within the subcontinent. Realising that the China-Pakistan axis could produce a �two front war’ problem, the Modi government has attempted to extend ceasefires with Pakistan and keep the Line of Control quiet so

that India can divert and concentrate all its forces on the LAC,” Chaulia said.

“So, ironically, the enhanced Chinese threat could bring about a tactical thaw for India with Pakistan.

At least, this is the hope. But as readers will learn from my book, the mainstreaming of jihadist culture in Pakistan means that whatever effort Modi has made for peace, or at least a thaw, with Pakistan has not worked out. Breaking the Sino-Pakistani

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action image then also I did that and it worked very well... It’s called ‘Darling’ and ‘Mr. Perfect’.”

“So, after ‘Baahubali’ and ‘Saaho’... We thought better go with a love story with a small budget and I couldn’t get a proper script then ‘Saaho’ happened... for ‘Radhe Shyam’ we took a lot of care and drama...”

Added the actor: “We can say it’s a love thriller also in a way and with granduer aand first time in Indiancinema -- retro. We, never saw Indian cinema with retro visuals or dresses or the colour mix.”

strategic collusion is no easy task,” he added.

What are the implications for QUAD? In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, Modi has asked fellow QUAD members to remain focused on the core objective of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and just as India “cannot realistically handle a �two front war’ with both China and Pakistan, the US and its allies cannot simultaneously contain both Russia and China”, Chaulia said.

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ARTS & CULTURE

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Seven women entrepreneurs who turned their passion into a profession March 8, 2022: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” said Confucius.

Finding your voice is not an easy task, especially in the case of women; sometimes, this process becomes even more challenging as society often refrains them from speaking their minds.

But today, the scenario has changed.

Today’s woman stands on her own feet with flying colours. Knocking off the society’s ask to shut their voice, women are more assertive and are willing to go for what their inner voice says, no matter how difficult it is.

Celebrating the voice and strength of such women on International Women’s Day, we have a list of 7 women who made a career out of their passion.

Pooja Choudhary, Founder, Lavanya The Label Hailing from a small town, Pooja dreamed of opening her venture.

She was very clear about what she wanted – a fashion label. Pursuing her BBA from Modi Laxmangarh and MBA in Finance from Tokyo, Pooja began her entrepreneurial journey in 2018. Being good in academics, her father wanted her to go for civil services, but Pooja had something else in her mind. She expressed her desire to open a venture to her father, who understood her passion and completely supported her. She then started her women-centric fashion brand and has not looked back since then. Based in Bhilwara, Rajasthan a town where most clothing brands are for men - Pooja’s company has a 70% women workforce. Pooja aspires to expand this brand furthermore on her own and become a renowned name in the world of women’s fashion.

Kratika Jain, COO of Pataa navigations Pvt. Ltd Kratika Jain holds a master’s degree in Management Technology from the prestigious New York University.

Currently, Kratika is working as the COO of Pataa navigations Pvt. Ltd. She is a fierce and dynamic entrepreneur who is breaking stereotypes with her strategic and organisational skills. Her ambition is to bring something new to the app’s development.

Supportive of her employees, Kratika is always reachable to all the people working with her. She wears multiple hats at Pataa, building, Marketing, Sales, Product Development, etc.

With her primary focus on operationalizing strategy, she also offers valuable inputs in conceptualizing the ads made for Pataa Marketing.

She deftly focuses on all the business divisions. She has a keen eye for product placement and pays more attention to details. The Pataa app has garnered 7 million+ downloads with her profound efforts and team leadership.

Aarti Samant, CMO & Co-founder, Masala Tokri To help her mom follow her passion, the digital marketer Aarti Samant

became an entrepreneur in 2019.

They had a small beginning, but now Masala Tokri has become a big artisanal spices led by women. With her profound marketing skills and digital aptitude, Aarti has spread the wings of her brand in the cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Surat. She has worked with brands like Hotstar and Purplle to build social media presence. She has been honoured as India’s Top Digital Planners, in 2015 conferred by Digital Marketing Asia - Singapore and Business World.

Also, Global Youth Marketing Forum recognized her as the Most Talented Social Media Professional In India - 2014 at their Social Media Summit & Awards. Besides running Tokri, she is into consulting major D2C brands to build their niche on digital platforms. As the co-founder of the women-run company, Aarti feels that Masala Tokri is bringing its kind of change in debarring societal norms and empowering women.

Dishi Somani, Founding Director, DishiS Designer Jewellery Dishi started her entrepreneur journey in 2013 with DishiS Designer Jewellery after pursuing jewellery designing from the Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery and Finance from IMT Dubai. Coming from a strong business family background, she was always clear that she wanted to start something of her own, and interest in ornaments drew her towards this field. Envisioning to design accessible and affordable jewellery for all women, Dishi became of the youngest self-made entrepreneurs of India.

DishiS Designer Jewellery is an online shop for all jewellery lovers who want to wear traditional or modern jewellery at an affordable price.

Dr Nishi Singh is the Director HOD (Department of Infertility & IVF), Prime IVF After retiring as a Major from the Indian Army, Dr Nishi Singh began her journey as an entrepreneur.

An acclaimed infertility specialist and recipient of the prestigious Presidential Award, Dr Nishi Singh heads the Department of Infertility & IVF at Prime IVF. Having experience working in leading fertility centres in Delhi and Punjab for more than 15 years, Dr Nishi has an outstanding record of 5000 successful IVF credited to her name. Being a doctor and entrepreneur, Dr Nishi aims at serving the

medical industry with her experience and expertise.

Neha Sahu, Founder and Designer, Haelli After pursuing her engineering and master’s, Neha Sahu instantly got her job as an Assistant Professor in a Gurgaon-based University. Coming from a small city, she did not have much choice other than to pursue a less demanding career and could help her maintain the work-home balance in the longer run. In this scenario, working as an entrepreneur was not something she could have even thought about. Having an interest in art and design, Neha tried her hands-on painting some juttis (footwear) that everyone liked, which turned out to be a life-changing moment. That was when Haelli was born.

To pursue her knack for handprints and art, Neha started Haelli - an Indian brand that promotes culture with handicrafts. The brand also features unique sarees, brooches, blouses, and different clothing ranges on the website. With confidence in her skills and to prove her passion, Neha worked as an entrepreneur and a professor simultaneously.

Managing every little task by herself - designing, painting, logistics, customer care, technical support, and PR, Neha Sahu proved that being a woman does not stop you from taking any challenge in life.

Priya Kaul, Spiritual healer, and Mental Health Expert After pursuing MBA and excelling in her corporate career for a long, Priya Kaul stepped into the world of spirituality in 2015. A hope creator, numerologist, philosophy graduate, and PhD in Tarot Science, Priya is an award-winning spiritual healer and coach. She aspires to make people aware of their powers and strong enough to win over any challenge in life. She has won many awards in her journey like Spiritual Healer & Coach of The Year (Delhi-NCR) in National Excellence Awards 2019, Best Healer of the Year Award by Magicka 2018, Iconic Woman Diva Award by 89th All India Achievers Conference Excellence Awards 2018, Arch of Excellence Award by 88th All India Achievers Conference Excellence Awards 2018, to name a few. Priya is a self-motivated women entrepreneur who is doing well not only in her field but is also inspiring and empowering other women who deal with self-doubts.

Celebrating food as culture March 7, 2022: The ongoing five-day Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival (MSLF) with its theme ‘Lucknowi Bawarchi Khane’, showcasing the city’s street food, home food, food served in marriages and the one relished during the religious festivals, aims to go beyond the pampering the palate. With culture at its core -- how food defines and redefines the essence of this region, multiple heritage walks, screening of documentary films and conversations with the owners of some of the best-known food outlets that have survived the onslaught of international food chains and rapidly changing trends are taking place.

Also being showcased are exhibits, installations and photo exhibitions around the theme besides an elaborate craft and weaves bazaar with craftsmen and weavers across the country in attendance.

Celebrating food as culture Serving both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, the stalls at the venue aims to give the attendees a bird’s eye view of the culinary delights the city has to offer.

In the literary and performance section, author Devdatt Pattnayak delivered a lecture for Lucknow Lectern at the Lucknow University and theatre person Mandeep Rekhi performed the play ‘Queen Size’ at the heritage property called Lebua as part of the festival. This is besides the sessions of ‘Qissa Goi’, ‘Bait Bazi’ and other panel discussions around the food theme.

Celebrating food as culture Launched in 2010, out of the community that grew around Sanatkada, MSLF distils the essence of Lucknavi culture, in the form of an open to public event targeted as much at

Lucknow’s locals as well as to newcomers & visitors.

Each year a new theme is adopted which becomes a lens through which

to view the city -- be it through its crafts and artisans, its feminist icons, its homes and lifestyles, or its influence on Indian cinema.

Research monograph of ‘StreeDesh: The forgotten legendary women of Kashmir’ released March 10, 2022: Minister of State for External Affairs & Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi, along with Sachchanand Joshi, Member Secretary of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), released Ashish Kaul’s research monograph -- ‘StreeDesh: The forgotten legendary women of Kashmir’ -- here on Tuesday.

StreeDesh is the first research monograph to document the forgotten women achievers of undivided Jammu and Kashmir that chronicles the lives and times of 13 legendary women from J&K. Kaul said, “The project StreeDesh took me across challenging geographical regions of the world, including Afghanistan and Iran, in search of our history over last six

years. Apart from the film and the research monograph, this project includes 13 independent books chronicling the lives and times of these 13 incredible women.”

He added that the initiative aims to

bring forth the legacy of women, their contributions to social, economic, military and political upliftment of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Eating several protein foods together 42 students fall sick after mid-day can help lower BP: Study

meals at Andhra school Amaravati, March 11: As many as 42 students of a government-run primary school in Andhra Pradesh took ill on Friday after eating food provided under mid-day meal scheme.

The incident occurred in Nandyal town of Kurnool district. According to officials, students suffered from vomiting and stomach ache a few minutes after taking the meals.

The school authorities and parents immediately shifted the students to Nandyal Government Hospital.

District Education Officer Ranga Reddy and other senior officials also rushed to the hospital and directed the medical staff to immediately provide medical aid to the affected children.

The DEO said due to the timely treatment, the condition of students did not deteriorate. Hospital superintendent Vijay Kumar said all the students were stable and they will be discharged after completing the treatment.

A total of 92 students were served sambar, rice, and eggs as part of midday meals. Parents complained that rotten eggs were served which led

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to the children falling sick. The DEO said he has ordered a probe and will take action against those responsible for the incident.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh has taken serious note of the incident. He spoke to the DEO over phone to enquire about the incident. He directed the official to find out the reasons for children

taking ill after the meals. The DEO was asked to monitor the quality of food being served to students.

The minister also directed the Education Department officials to ensure proper treatment of the affected children and provide all help to the children and their parents till they are discharged.

New York, March 11: Finding it hard to regulate your hypertension? Eating a balanced diet, including protein from a variety of sources, may help adults lower the risk of developing high blood pressure, according to new research.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure is one of the leading contributors to cardiovascular disease. When left untreated, high blood pressure damages the circulatory system and is a significant contributing factor to heart attack, stroke and other health conditions.

The study, published in the journal Hypertension, showed that those people who ate four or more protein foods which include whole grains, refined grains, processed red meat, unprocessed red meat, poultry, fish, egg and legumes, had a 66 per cent lower risk of developing high blood pressure compared to those who ate less than two.

“The heart health message is that consuming a balanced diet with proteins from various different sources, rather than focusing on a single source of dietary protein, may help to prevent the development of high blood pressure,” said Xianhui Qin, from the National Clinical

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Research Centre for Kidney Disease at Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University in China.

“Nutrition may be an easily accessible and effective measure to fight against hypertension. Along with fat and carbohydrates, protein is one of the three basic macronutrients,” Qin added.

There is a strong association between poor diet quality and increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death from cardiovascular disease. In its 2021 dietary guidance to improve cardiovascular health, the American Heart Association advises people eat healthy sources of protein, mostly from plants and may include seafood

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and low-fat or fat-free dairy products, and, if desired, lean cuts and unprocessed forms of meat or poultry.

The American Heart Association also recommends eating one to two servings, or 5.5 ounces, of protein daily.

The team analysed health information for nearly 12,200 adults living in China. A trained interviewer collected 24-hour dietary information over three days in the same week during each round of the survey.

The analysis found more than 35 per cent of the nearly 12,200 participants developed new-onset high hypertension during follow-up.

21

SPORTS

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Elizabeth Hurley, son Damian post heartfelt Women’s World Cup: Smriti, Harmanpreet hammer centuries in India’s 155-run thrashing of West Indies messages following Warne’s demise London, March 6: English model and actress Elizabeth Hurley has given a touching farewell to former fiance, legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne, who passed away following a suspected heart-attack in a Thai island resort on Friday, saying he was her “beloved lionheart”.

Hurley and Warne were engaged in September 2011 until they split in December 2013, with their relationship attracting significant media glare.

Hurley, 56, posted several photos of them together on Instagram late on Saturday, saying, “I feel like the sun has gone behind a cloud forever. RIP my beloved Lionheart @ shanewarne23.”

Hurley’s son Damian, who was nine when his mother was engaged to the cricketer, also wrote on Instagram that he was heartbroken.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around this... SW (Shane Warne) was a father figure to me for most of my formative years and was truly one the best men I’ve ever known.

My heart is broken. Thinking of and sending love to all SW’s family,” wrote Damien and posted a photo of him playing football with Warne.

Several of Warne’s celebrity friends too paid tributes to the legendary cricketer who passed away aged 52.

Renowned singer Elton John said he was “a magical bowler and such fun”,

calling it “a tragic day for Australian cricket” with former Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh dying the same day.

Elton John also shared a a photo of himself with Warne and Hurley.

“A tragic day for Australian cricket.

Two legends passing (Warne and Rod Marsh) is heartbreaking. I knew

them both and played cricket with Rod in Perth. A very special and fearless man.

“Shane was a magical bowler and such huge fun. They were both Australians through and through, which made them so endearing.

My sympathies to their families and loved ones.”

Jhulan becomes leading wicket-taker in history of Women’s Cricket World Cup Hamilton, March 12: Veteran India pacer Jhulan Goswami on Saturday added another cap to her glittering career. In India’s third match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup against the West Indies, Jhulan became the leading wicket-taker in the history of Women’s Cricket World Cup by dismissing West Indies spinner Anisa Mohammed.

Anisa flicked to mid-wicket fielder, becoming Jhulan’s 40th overall scalp in the tournament and was able to overtake Australia’s Lyn Fullston’s record since 1988 of 39 wickets at an average of 11.94.

Almost 17 years ago, Goswami took her first World Cup wicket, dismissing Inoka Galagedara of Sri Lanka on March 22, 2005.

Since then, she has dismissed 40 different batters, never getting the same batter out twice at a World Cup, with Anisa her seventh victim from the West Indies. That first wicket back in 2005 may have been the only scalp she took in her debut World Cup match, but it was the first and only time she would end with an economy lower than one.

“What an amazing achievement for @JhulanG10 to become the highest wicket taker in @cricketworldcup.

Goes to 40 wickets and not done yet!!

So happy for her,” former Australian cricketer Lisa Sthalekar tweeted.

Jhulan produced figures of eight overs, three maidens, five runs and one wicket, and she was just getting started, taking 13 wickets in the 2005 tournament in South Africa, her highest at a single World Cup. The 2009 World Cup was less fruitful, taking just four wickets but her best performance came against hosts Australia in the third-place play off, dismissing opener Leah Poulton and tailender Rene Farrell for figures of two for 21 as India won by three wickets.

After taking nine wickets on home

Earlier, women’s World number 18 Elina Svitolina announced she will donate all of her prize money directly to the Ukrainian war effort. Similarly, Ukrainian refugee and Lyon Open finalist Dayana Yastremska joined her compatriot and will do the same.

The British tennis star said he’s working with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide urgent medical supplies and early childhood development kits. Murray www.indianabroad.news

mid-wicket and mid-on.

Harmanpreet brought out her sweep against Stafanie Taylor’s off-spin while Smriti thumped Shakera for a grand six down the ground.

Harmanpreet then reached her fifty with a loft over long-off for four.

As Smriti and Harmanpreet’s partnership began to grow, West Indies began to fumble in the field.

Misfields, dropped chances and missed run-outs began to creep in as Smriti got some luck on her side in nervous 90s. Smriti then reached her century with a pull through square leg off Hayley. Hayley came under further attack from Smriti as she slammed a hat-trick of boundaries.

Though Smriti found deep mid-wicket on the pull off Shamilia, Harmanpreet hit Dottin for a four and six and reached her century with a single through long-on. Harmanpreet fell in the 49th over as the outside edge on the paddle went to the ‘keeper. Pooja Vastrakar, Richa Ghosh and Jhulan Goswami fell in quick succession but India had crossed the 300-mark by then.

In reply, Deandra began by cracking two fours through cover and over slip off Meghna Singh. Jhulan Goswami teased her on the off-stump line but Deandra replied with successive boundaries over mid-wicket and extra cover.

From the other end, Hayley started with a drive in the gap between backward point and over off Meghna.

Hayley then smacked a wayward Jhulan for a hat-trick of fours before Deandra hit two more fours in a row to take 21 runs off the over.

Hayley was given a reprieve at 23 when she was dropped by substitute

fielder Taniya Bhatia. But Deandra continued to plunder boundaries, including a six over long-on off Deepti to reach her fifty in just 35 balls. Pooja and Rajeshwari Gayakwad were brought in but were unable to stop the boundary flow.

Hayley’s drive off backfoot through cover brought the century of West Indies in just 12 overs.

From there, West Indies began to implode as Sneh Rana drew a topedge from the slog-sweep of Deandra and was safely caught by short fine leg. A sustained pressure of dot balls resulted in Kycia Knight trying to pull Meghna but found fine leg. In her next over, Meghna got the big wicket of Stafanie, who nicked a shaping away delivery to keeper.

Sneh got one to turn and bounce away from Hayley, who looked to cut but edged behind to keeper. Pooja, returning for her second spell, got Shemaine Campbelle to slice straight to backward point. In the next over, Rajeshwari trapped Chinelle plumb lbw and effected the run-out of Aaliyah.

With Anisa flicking to a tumbling short mid-wicket, Jhulan grabbed her 40th scalp in World Cups and also became the leading wicket-taker in history of the tournament.

Chedean Nation fell to a run-out from Deepti and Sneh finished off the match with a caught and bowled dismissal of Shamilia.

Brief Scores: India 317/8 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 123, Harmanpreet Kaur 109; Anisa Mohammed 2/59, Aaliyah Alleyne 1/26) beat West Indies 162 all out in 40.3 overs (Deandra Dottin 62, Hayley Matthews 43; Sneh Rana 3/22, Meghna Singh 2/27) by 155 runs.

German Open 2022: PV Sindhu bows out after losing to Zhang Yi Man

soil in 2013, Jhulan was back in the double figures in 2017 as India lost out to England by nine runs in the final. The 39-year-old took three for 23, one of two times where she has taken three wickets in an innings to move to 10 for the tournament.

Her highest wicket haul came in 2005 as she produced figures of four for 16 against the West Indies only four days after delivering four for 27 against England.

Anisa’s dismissal on Saturday takes Jhulan to 14 dismissals caught by fielders while seven have been

caught by the wicket-keeper with five coming leg- before wicket.

Fortunately for India, usually if Jhulan is taking wickets, they will win the game with 27 of her previous 39 wickets coming in wins, 11 in losses and one in a no-result, that very first wicket.

Now with the win over West Indies at Seddon Park, India’s next match in the World Cup will be against defending champions England on Wednesday at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga.

Andy Murray donates prize money to Ukrainian children London, March 10: Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray has pledged to donate his 2022 prize money to help children in Ukraine.

Hamilton, March 12: Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur hammered centuries as India emerged triumphant over the West Indies by a huge margin of 155 runs in the third match of their campaign at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup at Seddon Park on Saturday.

While Smriti hit 123 runs in 119 balls, Harmanpreet slammed 109 in 107 balls apart from the 184-run partnership, rescuing India from 78/3.

The refreshing batting performance, led by Smriti and Harmanpreet helped India reach 317/8, their highest score in World Cups, including of the ongoing edition.

In reply, West Indies raced to 100 for no loss in just 12 overs, thanks to Deandra Dottin’s 62. But once she fell, the rest of the batting order couldn’t stand up to the scoreboard pressure and crumbled to 162 all out.

The 155-run win, coming 48 hours after a 62-run loss to New Zealand at the same venue, now puts India on top of the points table and gives their NRR a huge boost in the race to semifinals.

Mithali Raj’s decision to bat first on a used pitch was validated early on

by Yastika Bhatia’s 21-ball 31. After getting her first boundary with an outside edge flying over slip, Yastika pulled Chinelle Henry thrice in the arc from deep mid-wicket to backward square leg.

Yastika continued to pull as Shamilia Connell was taken for fours through leg-side. Yastika’s knock came to an end when she chipped a cutter from Shakera Selman back to the bowler.

Mithali’s promotion to three didn’t go well as she closed her bat face too early and chipped straight to mid-on off Hayley.

Deepti Sharma fell to Anisa Mohammed while trying to slog sweep and Hayley at first slip took a one-handed stunner to her right at slip. On the other hand, Smriti took her time before driving Shamilia through cover and lofting Hayley Matthews over mid-off. Harmanpreet began by using her feet against Anisa for two boundaries through off-side and began to rotate the strike with Smriti starting to get her groove.

The duo ran exceptionally between the wickets while rotating the strike and scoring delightful boundaries in between. Smriti brought up her fifty with a boundary clipped between

also highlighted how the war in Ukraine is disrupting children’s schooling.

of damaged schools, together with replacement equipment and furniture,” he said.

“I’m going to be donating my earnings from my prize money for the rest of the year, but anyone in the UK can support UNICEF’s humanitarian response by donating to our appeal by following this link - https://unicef. uk/am_ukraine.”

As the war between Russia and Ukraine rages into its second week, the tolls, displacement and damage done looks set to continue and even increase.

“Children in Ukraine need peace - now!”

“It’s vital education continues, so UNICEF is working to enable access to learning for displaced children, as well as supporting the rehabilitation

Murray revealed that he will donate the rest of the prize money he earns this year to help rebuild damaged schools, provide medical supplies and other broken equipment.

On a larger scale, all three of tennis’ major governing bodies, the ATP, WTA and ATP, as well as the

Mulheim (Germany), March 10: Ace Indian shuttler P.V Sindhu crashed out of the 2022 German Open Super 300 badminton tournament, losing to China’s Zhang Yi Man in the second round, here on Thursday.

Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu lost to the 2021 World Championship bronze medallist Zhang Yi Man 14-21, 21-15, 14-21 in a match that lasted 55 minutes.

Former world champion Sindhu, who is currently ranked World No. 7, started the match on expected lines and dominated early exchanges.

However, the Chinese shuttler, ranked 34 in the world, took eight consecutive points after trailing 3-5 and maintained her lead to clinch the first game.

The Indian mounted a comeback and took the next game to bring the contest on level terms. The see-saw battle continued in the deciding game but Sindhu’s younger opponent chipped in regularly with successive points to win the match, an olympics. com report said.

Later in the day, Saina Nehwal will take on the eighth seed Ratchanok Intanon from Thailand. Apart from Saina, top Indian men’s badminton players Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen and H.S Prannoy will also be in action in their second-round matches.

In doubles, the men’s pair of Ishaan

Bhatnagar-Sai Pratheek will face Indian compatriots Krishna Prasad Garaga-Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala for a place in the next round.

On the other hand, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will face top seeds from China Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan in the women’s doubles.

organisers of the four Grand Slams have all donated $100,000 each for a total of $700,000 (£532,000) to aid humanitarian relief in Ukraine.

Murray announced his decision via his social media channels in a statement that read, “over 7.5 million children are at with the escalating conflict in Ukraine, so I’m working with UNICEF UK to help provide urgent medical supplies and early childhood development kits.

“It’s vital education continues, so UNICEF is working to enable access to learning for displaced children, as well as supporting the rehabilitation of damaged schools, together with replacement equipment and furniture.”

/IndianAbroadNews

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22

SPORTS

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Tiger Woods inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame Ponte Vedra (Florida) March 10: Tiger Woods was formally inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday and ushered into golf’s most revered club by his daughter, Sam, who delivered a touching speech as the 82-time PGA TOUR winner and 15- time major champion’s induction presenter.

As part of the live induction ceremony, fellow generational athletes including Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Michael Phelps, Jerry Rice, Annika Sorenstam and Jack Nicklaus offered perspective on Woods’ legacy as one of the greatest sports figures of all time.

Joining Woods as part of the 2022 induction class are 11-time LPGA Tour winner and three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion, Susie Maxwell Berning, former PGA TOUR commissioner, Tim Finchem, and golf course designer/architect, Marion Hollins. The 2022 inductees were presented with the Hall of Fame’s new inductee trophy, created

by Tiffany & Co. Additionally, the World Golf Hall of Fame presented two new distinguished service awards for the first time. Renee Powell was honored as

the inaugural recipient of the Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company (for her spirit in advancing diversity in golf), while Peter Ueberroth and the late Dick Ferris were honored through a Lifetime Achievement recognition for their contributions to golf.

Over the course of his career Tiger Woods has won a record-tying 82 PGA TOUR events, along with 15 major championships. Unforgettably,

Woods accomplished the “Tiger Slam” in 2000-’01, becoming the first golfer since Bobby Jones (1930) to hold all four major titles at one time.

He also is a two-time winner of THE PLAYERS Championship and became the first two-time winner of the FedExCup. Outside the ropes, Woods’ TGR Foundation has supported more than two million students around the world.

Women are built different, strong and special, say footballers on International Women’s Day

New Delhi, March 8: Last year, Indian sports had witnessed some of the greatest moments in the sporting fields which involved a lot of women athletes achieving greater heights. On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2022, the Indian Women’s football players spoke about women’s empowerment in-depth and stressed on why it is necessary for today’s generation.

They believe that sports is one of the most powerful platforms for promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls.

Indian Women’s football captain Ashalata Devi said, “We are no less than any men and from the bottom of my heart I would like to say that we are multi-talented. So anyone looks down upon you or says wrong, you just have to work hard. They can give you a good or bad opinion but you need to focus on your dream by putting in a lot of handwork and dedication and keep on moving forward.

“We, the women, are built differently, but we can very much achieve what men can, and maybe more. To move forward, we need to be one and respect each other.”

Goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan described how women in India go through several societal barriers, which make them tougher.

“Women in India have gone through so much trying to achieve something or excel at something. They face society with all kinds of challenges, on different fronts. Not just from society, but even within their sport as well and within their families which really makes them so strong mentally as well as physically,” Chauhan said during the panel discussion.

“I think mental toughness is something that we as Indian women are strong at and that is one of the reasons why I say that especially for India women if they really set their target, they don’t mind facing anything because we’ve been through

everything, faced everything, and come out on the other side to excel, so there is nothing we can’t get through,” she said.

Bala Devi, the first Indian Woman footballer to sign a professional contract with a European club, when she was signed by Rangers Women FC in 2020, also believes that the younger generation should focus more on themselves rather than concentrating on people’s opinions.

“My family supported me throughout but pressure from society was always there. They used to ask, “why are girls playing? What is the benefit of that?”

“My parents and I had to hear this a lot but we never answered back.

When I went to play in the U-19 National Championship in 2002, Manipur became the champions and I received the best scorer award, and that is when people stopped asking questions and started supporting me,” she said.

Women should call harassers out, rather merely blocking them online, says Sindhu New Delhi, March 10: Two-time Olympic medal winner PV Sindhu and multilingual Indian actress Aditi Rao Hydari has batted for women to adopt a ‘constructive’ approach in calling out harassers and shutting them down, rather than merely blocking them online.

Sindhu said women should call it out, while tackling online harassment, and shouldn’t merely block harassers.

“You should go and complain to the authorities. You should confront it. As women, we can do anything and everything. At the same time, you have to be aware of your surroundings.

You have to be in a situation where you have to take care of yourself. You have to understand the situation and act accordingly,” Sindhu told News18.

Echoing her thoughts, the Padmaavat actress said women must document more diligently, and avoid an online battle with harassers.

“A lot of them (harassers) are just bots. We have to take that into account. There is a constructive way of calling them out and shutting them down rather than starting an online battle. Sometimes it leads to a lot more noise and bullying,” she said at the session, which was part of #ItsNotOk campaign by Network18 in partnership with Truecaller.

Hydari also urged women to ‘go out

and rise above their fear,’ but advised them to be cautious. “We shouldn’t let harassers win over us. But be cautious, know what to do when you are in a sticky situation, have all your

numbers ready. No woman should stop herself from living her dreams just because the city makes her afraid,” she said.

‘Full freedom now’: Sehwag gives a hilarious message to Ashwin after MCC updated ‘Mankading’ rule

New Delhi, March 10: After the “Mankad” method was removed from the list under unfair play in new laws approved by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on Wednesday, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag is among the list of people supporting the decision.

Sehwag also made a hilarious tweet including Ravichandran Ashwin and Jos Buttler - the two players who were involved in an infamous instance of the “Mankading” in IPL. The infamous incident involving two of the most exciting players in the current generation took place during IPL 2019 when Rajasthan Royals’ Buttler, batting on 69, trudged

outside the bowling crease even before Ashwin, playing for erstwhile King XI Punjab, delivered the ball.

The off-spinner dislodged the bails in his stride and the batter was given out. Since then, the legitimacy of this mode of dismissal has been questioned under the ‘spirit’ of cricket’.

Interestingly, at the recently-concluded IPL 2022 Auction, Rajasthan Royals, after retaining skipper Sanju Samson, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Buttler, secured the services of Ashwin for INR 5 crore.

So, Ashwin and Buttler will share the same locker room in the 2022 edition of the IPL and Sehwag made a hilarious tweet, while tagging the

off-spinner.

“Congratulations @ashwinravi99, great week this one. First becoming second highest wicket taker in Tests for India, and now this. Ab full freedom to plot such run-outs with Buttler,” read Sehwag’s tweet.

Notably, the “Mankad” dismissal involves a bowler choosing to whip off the bails when a non-striker steps out of the crease instead of completing his delivery to the batter on strike. The MCC on Wednesday said that although the wording of the law would remain the same, it would move from Law 41 (Unfair play) to Law 38 (Run out).

Women’s World Cup: Australia thrash New Zealand by 141 runs Wellington, March 13: Six-time Women’s World Cup champions Australia came up with another commanding performance, this time thrashing Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand by 141 runs to go top on the points table at the Basin Reserve here on Sunday.

In one of the most one-sided victories in the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup, Australia bundled out the hosts for just 128 runs after setting a 270-run target for victory. Only the White Ferns’ top-order batter Amy Satterthwaite (44 off 67 balls) could manage to go past 25, even as six of her team-mates fell in single digit.

It was a clinical performance from the the Meg Lanning-led Australia as they successfully defended 269/8 by bowling their opponents out in the 31st over. There were strong contributions from nearly every member of Lanning’s side, with Ellyse Perry (68) and Tahlia McGrath (57) scoring www.indianabroad.news

valuable half-centuries and the returning Ashleigh Gardner (48 not out from just 18 balls) adding the finishing touches on a late Australian flurry with the bat.

But it was with the ball that the Australians really shone, as teenager Darcie Brown (3/22) ripped through the New Zealand top-order and Amanda-Jade Wellington (2/34) and Gardner (2/15) put the polish on an impressive team performance.

The result sees Australia regain their place at the top of tournament standings with three wins from as many matches, while New Zealand drop to fourth and remain in a battle to reach the semifinals.

It was Perry that started the rot as she got one through the defences of skipper Sophie Devine (6) in the fifth over of the hosts’ chase, before Brown thrust herself on the international stage with the big scalps of

key batters Amelia Kerr (1) and Suzie Bates (16).

McGrath got in on the act to dismiss Maddy Green shortly after and the game was as good as over when Brown trapped Frances Mackay lbw for one to leave the White Ferns reeling at 35/5.

Experienced all-rounder Satterthwaite showed some fight for the hosts with a gritty knock, but it was left to too few as Australia eased home.

Earlier, Perry and McGrath put on 101 for the fifth wicket as Australia overcame the loss of three early wickets and an inspired Lea Tahuhu (3/52) to post a respectable total.

It looked like Australia were going to be held to a below par score, but Perry and McGrath’s acceleration during the middle overs and some lofty late blows from Gardner swung the momentum Australia’s way.

Perry and McGrath’s partnership was the key to Australia’s innings and it took a piece of brilliance in the field from Maddy Green to break the valuable stand.

All-rounder Perry lifted Tahuhu into the deep, only to watch Green sprint to her left and haul in an excellent diving catch that got the good-sized crowd excited and onto their feet.

McGrath followed shortly after, before Gardner’s late hitting - that included consecutive sixes off Hannah Rowe and four maximums in total - put some valuable extra runs on the board.

Brief scores: Australia 269/8 in 50 overs (Rachael Haynes 30, Ellyse Perry 68, Beth Mooney 30, Tahlia McGrath 57, Ashleigh Gardner 48 not out; Lea Tahuhu 3/53) beat New Zealand 128 in 30.2 overs (Amy Satterthwaite 44; Darcie Brown 3/22, Ashleigh Gardner 2/15) by 141 runs.

/IndianAbroadNews

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23

HEALTH

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Some arthritis may be caused Covid vax prevents infection, severe disease in kidney dialysis patients by mosquito-borne viruses Sydney, March 9: Some therapies that are successful in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may help improve treatment for people with debilitating mosquito-borne viral diseases, new research has found.

Infection caused by Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Ross River virus (RRV) are transmitted by mosquitoes and cause severe arthritis, muscle pain and fever.

“The disease caused by these viral infections bears several similarities with a form of auto-immune arthritis known as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA),” said lead author Ali Zaid from Menzies Health Institute Queensland at Griffith University in Australia.

“In severe RA, patients express high levels of an immune molecule called Interleukin-17 (IL-17), which is a target of new anti-arthritis drugs,” Zaid added.

In two new studies, published in the journals PLoS Pathogens and mBio, the researchers found IL-17 was also elevated during RRV and CHIKV infections.

The team analysed serum samples

from CHIKV-infected patients collected during the 2019 outbreak in northern Brazil.

They found that IL-17 levels were elevated in patients with acute disease, and more so in patients with chronic disease.

“When we looked at serum samples from Ross River virus patients, levels of IL-17 were also elevated, which prompted us to ask whether this molecule was driving disease,” said Helen Mostafavi, from Griffith.

Using an experimental mouse model of viral arthritis, they found that targeting IL-17 in virus-infected mice improved disease and reduced inflammation.

“This suggests that some therapies successful in treating RA could be of potential benefit to treat people with alphavirus disease,” Mostafavi said.

However, the authors found that a complete lack of IL-17 was not necessarily ideal: genetically modified mice that lack IL-17 showed an increase in viral RNA in the post-acute phase of disease -- despite showing reduced inflammation.

In a separate study published in mBio, the authors investigated the role of a protein called TRIF, which cells use to “sense” viral RNA and start a strong antiviral response, which alerts neighbouring cells.

Using genetically modified mice that lack the TRIF protein, the authors found that TRIF was needed to help generate neutralising antibodies against RRV. “These findings give new insights into how different arms of the immune response cooperate to ensure long-lasting defence against viruses like CHIKV and RRV and will pave the way into the development of new immunotherapies to treat these diseases,” the researchers said.

Australian floods could cause Japanese encephalitis surge: Expert Canberra, March 9: Experts have warned that catastrophic flooding on Australia’s east coast could exacerbate the country’s outbreak of Japanese encephalitis.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a virus spread through the bite of an infected mosquito to humans, horses and pigs.

It can cause inflammation of the brain, nausea, high fever and death, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ava Easton, Chief Executive of international peak body, the Encephalitis Society, warned that mosquitoes carrying JE “will be proliferating” amid the floods in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales.

“Encephalitis is a code-red condition that remains under-recognised,” she told the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

“As Australia faces ongoing extreme weather conditions we are urging all Australians to equip themselves with knowledge about this very real disease and to not dismiss it as a low-risk probability or something too

deaths is very important in this population because approximately two-thirds of these patients were hospitalised and 1 in 4 died when infected by SARS-CoV-2 early in the pandemic,” he added.

For the study, the team analysed health records for 13,759 individuals receiving maintenance dialysis between December 21, 2020 and June 30, 2021 - 17 per cent of whom were unvaccinated and 83 per cent of whom had received at least 1 mRNA Covid-19 vaccine dose.

They found were no significant differences in vaccine effectiveness among age groups, mode of dialysis, or vaccine type (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna).

rare to talk about.”

Easton’s warning came as authorities in Victoria announced that a man in his 60s died from the virus on February 28.

There have been several confirmed cases of JE in Australia since late February, including two in New South Wales and one in Queensland, marking the nation’s first outbreak since 1995, prompting the federal government to declare it a ‘Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance’.

Karin Leder, Head of the Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Unit at Monash University, said the outbreak

should act as a warning of climate change on public health.

“The reports of multiple cases of JE acquired in Australia occurring at the same time as severe flooding serves as a warning of the significant potential for new human health threats associated with climate change, including the emergence of new pathogens and the appearance of known infections in new localities,” she said in a media release.

“The cases now occurring represent the first time a cluster of locally-acquired JE cases has been reported on the Australian mainland.”

mortality during the recent surge was highlighted.

It emerged in the review that pro-active and collaborative efforts led by the Central Government helped in effective management of the spread of infection. It was also noted that India’s pandemic response and vaccination efforts have been lauded globally by WHO, United Nations, International Monetary Fund as well as in the reports of Harvard Business School and Institute for Competitiveness.

Prime Minister Modi appreciated the relentless efforts put in by vaccinators, healthcare workers, and the Central and state governments.

He underlined the significance of following Covid-related protocols

Hyderabad, March 12: The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has conferred the distinguished educator award to eminent gastroenterologist D. Nageshwar Reddy, who is a chairman of AIG Hospitals.

He has now become the first clinician scientist from an Indian hospital to receive the award from the world’s topmost gastroenterology association.

Founded in 1897, AGA with more than 16,000 members from around the globe, involved in the advancement of gastroenterology, is the world’s most reputed scientific body for digestive diseases.

Every year, AGA acknowledges eminent scientists and clinicians across the world for their outstanding contributions and achievements in gastroenterology and hepatology as part of the annual recognition prizes.

This year they chose Nageshwar Reddy for the award, testament of his lifelong career in endoscopic education in India as well as in underserved communities throughout the world, said a statement.

Under Reddy’s leadership, the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology and AIG

Hospitals are now a global hub for endoscopy training and research in digestive diseases.

“Since the inception of the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, one of our primary objectives was to educate young doctors and enable them with proper training so that eventually patients benefit.

Over the last three decades, we have trained over 1,000 gastroenterologists coming from various parts of the world in advanced endoscopy procedures ensuring that they translate the knowledge gained into better patient care,” said Reddy.

“This award from AGA is humbling

www.indianabroad.news

Hunter, from the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline it meant that Covid could be even less deadly than the flu. Although, he warned another variant could reverse the progress.

Infections have been on the rise in the UK for a week straight, with the country now averaging 50,000 cases per day compared to around 35,000 on Freedom Day in late February.

and encourages me to take up more such educational and academic initiatives especially in developing, low-income countries, Reddy added.

This award is also an acknowledgment for the scientific education temperament in India as this is the first time a doctor from an Indian hospital has been selected for this esteemed award.

AGA, which publishes world’s highest rated digestive diseases journal “Gastroenterology,” will felicitate Reddy for the said award at the Digestive Disease Week conference to be held in California’s San Diego, from May 21-24.

Covid-19 pandemic ‘far from over’: WHO

and urged continued support from community and participation of the individuals to get vaccinated when due and follow the Covid appropriate behaviour.

Covid now less deadly than flu, says expert London, March 12: Covid-19 now could be less deadly than flu in the UK, infectious diseases expert Professor Paul Hunter said, although he warned another variant could still change this.

According to the Daily Mail, government figures indicate the virus had a mortality rate of around 0.2 per cent before the ultra-transmissible strain erupted onto the scene.

But this has since plunged seven-fold to as little as 0.03 per cent, meaning it kills effectively just one in every 3,300 people who get infected.

For comparison, seasonal influenza’s infection-fatality rate (IFR) sits between 0.01 and 0.05 per cent, suggesting that the two viruses now pose a similar threat.

“Our results show that 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine significantly protected this population, preventing many hospitalisations and deaths and reducing the burdens on patients, families, and the health care system,” said Oliver.

“The effectiveness of the vaccines was less than that seen in studies in the general population but still provided substantial protection,” he noted.

It is now recommended that all adults and teenagers, especially those who are immunocompromised, receive a third dose of Covid vaccine to ensure an optimal immune response.

Nageshwar Reddy awarded by American Gastroenterological Association

PM Modi chairs high-level meeting to review Covid situation New Delhi, March 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in the country, particularly in the context of the Omicron wave and the status of the vaccination drive.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and NITI Aayog’s Member, Health, V.K. Paul, along with other senior officials, were also present in the meeting.

A detailed presentation on the global scenario and India’s status was presented in the meeting. India’s consistent efforts towards the vaccination campaign and an analysis of vaccine effectiveness to aid the lesser hospitalization and low severity and

Toronto, March 10: Multiple studies have shown that individuals with kidney failure and undergoing dialysis mount weaker antibody responses after Covid-19 vaccination, but new research indicates that these individuals’ immune responses are still capable of protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease.

In the study, published in JASN, individuals who had received a single Covid vaccine dose were 41 per cent less likely to become infected with SARS-CoV-2 and 46 per cent less likely to develop severe Covid-19 that required hospitalisation or resulted in death.

Those who had received two doses were 69 per cent and 83 per cent less likely to become infected or experience severe disease, respectively.

On the other hand, the risk of hospitalisation in the unvaccinated group was 52 per cent and the mortality rate was 16 per cent, whereas the risk of hospitalisation in the 2-dose group was 30 per cent and the mortality rate was 10 per cent.

“Patients on maintenance dialysis often have suppressed immune systems and many are unable to isolate because they must attend dialysis treatments three times per week in a dialysis centre,” said Matthew Oliver, from University of Toronto in Canada.

“Reducing hospitalisations and

Hospitalisations have also been rising and in the South West of England have now eclipsed levels at the height of the Omicron wave.

Professor Robert Dingwall, a former SAGE adviser and sociologist at Nottinham Trent University, said the UK was now seeing a “transition” to a world where Covid was just one more respiratory disease.

Geneva, March 10: The last two years of Covid-19 infection has seen more than 500 million cases and over six million deaths globally, yet the pandemic is “far from over”, warned the World Health Organisation even as several countries have eased restrictions and opened borders over declining cases.

“Although reported cases and deaths are declining globally, and several countries have lifted restrictions, the pandemic is far from over,” said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, during a media briefing.

“It will not be over anywhere until

/IndianAbroadNews

it’s over everywhere,” he added even as many countries in Asia and the Pacific are facing surges in Covid cases and deaths.

“The virus continues to evolve, and we continue to face major obstacles in distributing vaccines, tests and treatments everywhere they are needed,” the WHO chief said.

The global health body is also concerned that several countries are drastically reducing testing. The WHO recommends countries to offer self-tests in addition to professionally-administered testing services.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also supported the

/indianabroadnews

WHO chief’s assessment.

In a statement, he warned that it would be “a grave mistake” to think the virus was now in the rear-view mirror.

Guterres reiterated that the distribution of vaccines remains “scandalously unequal”.

“Manufacturers are producing 1.5 billion doses per month, but nearly three billion people are still waiting for their first shot,” he highlighted.

The UN chief blamed this “failure” on policy and budgetary decisions that prioritise the health of people in wealthy countries, over the health of people in poor countries.

“This is a moral indictment of our world. It is also a recipe for more variants, more lockdowns and more sorrow and sacrifice in every country. Our world cannot afford a two-tier recovery from Covid-19,” he said.

Guterres added that despite the numerous other global crises, the world must reach the goal of vaccinating 70 per cent of people in all countries by the middle of this year.

“Science and solidarity have proven to be an unbeatable combination.

We must re-dedicate ourselves to ending this pandemic for all people and all countries, and closing this sad chapter in humanity’s history, once and for all,” he emphasised.

24

TRAVEL

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Home Stays and private villas March 9, 2022: Ekostay, a homestay venture known for its opulent and comfortable homestays, reports a 250 percent increase in business since its inception in 2018. Their luxurious villas and cosy nestled homestays are a visual treat, and they are spread across the lush hill stations of Lonavla, Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Khandala, Karjat, Nashik, Igatpuri, and North and South India. Ekostay also has stunning properties in Goa and Alibaug for visitors who enjoy the beach and sunshine.

Varun Arora, CEO and co-founder of Ekostay, was quoted as saying, “We started our journey with only three properties in 2018 and have grown into a strong family of 100 employees managing over 125 properties.” I am

humbled and overjoyed to expand Ekostay’s operations and tap into the potential of India’s growing homestay market. We are thrilled to be able to provide travellers with a diverse range of new and undiscovered destinations.”

Ekostay leverages its footprints by providing consistent services and experiences across all of its locations, allowing travellers to unwind and enjoy the perfect homestay vacation.

It is a convenient getaway option for families and friends looking to relax, rejuvenate, or celebrate a special occasion in their exclusive villas and apartments.

In terms of future property additions, the Managing Director and CoFounder, Husain Khatumdi, was quoted as saying, “Ekostay currently

averages around 1500 bookings monthly, but with travel restrictions easing, we are finding it difficult to manage the overwhelming inquiries for our properties.” Our expansion strategy has been implemented, and we intend to meet rising demand by acquiring properties in prime locations. The attached private pools and lawns, as well as a team of in-house caretakers, plumbers, electricians, and handymen, are the selling points of Ekostay villas. Our unique selling point will be extended to all of our new properties as well.”

Ekostay acquires properties that appear to be brick and mortar and magically transforms them into luxury stays with lazy pools and beautiful views by renovating and converting them.

Satpura gets its first lodge in Bori Sanctuary March 9, 2022: Over the two years that travel played peek-a-boo with the world, the passionately driven team at Jehan Numa Wilderness have been busy creating innovative and exciting ways for guests to experience the beauty of Satpura.

Riding on horseback through the wilderness at the critically acclaimed Reni Pani Jungle Lodge in Satpura, exclusive big cat sightings and the upcoming butterfly eco-system in the more recently opened Bori Safari Lodge or the picturesque boat ride that traverse the forests to connect the two lodges - guests can now explore parts of the Satpura landscape that were not easily accessible before.

Reni Pani Jungle Lodge needs no introduction to the wildlife enthusiast. Stylish, intimate, and luxuriously earthy, the exquisitely designed conservation and wildlife-focused lodge are widely known for its incredible offerings of the Satpura National Park and the pristine nature that surrounds it. A pioneer in responsible tourism in the region, Reni Pani was one of the first to successfully introduce non-motorized safaris on land and water, as well as ‘under the star’ canvas experiences within the park.

Besides being eco-friendly, these activities allow a more immersive experience of the forest and all its

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elements.

Committed to the preservation of the country’s wildlife heritage and involving local communities within the tourism fold by providing them alternate livelihoods, Aly Rashid, Director and CEO of Jehan Numa Wilderness and his team have been instrumental in putting Satpura on the Indian travel map.

Towards this effort, Jehan Numa Wilderness opened the contemporary and rustic Bori Safari Lodge close to two years ago. The 8-roomed lodge is the first-of-its-kind at the lesser-known Bori Wildlife Sanctuary and has already earned a glowing reputation for spectacular sightings of big cats and mammals. A part of the larger Satpura Tiger Reserve and away from the crowds, the sanctuary is a thriving tiger landscape in the region.

Voicing the exclusivity that safaris at the Bori sanctuary offer Aly says, “In most popular wildlife parks in India, there are usually a number of jeeps at a sighting. But at Bori there is exclusivity. The forest here is extremely raw and unexplored.

Big-game sightings of leopard, tiger, sloth bear and wild dog are very good, and it is a great place to see classic Central Indian birds like the crested hawk eagle, Malabar pied hornbill, sirkeer malkoha, different

species of owls and more. The night safaris are great for leopard and sloth bears as well as to spot some rarely seen nocturnal species like Indian palm civet, small Indian civet, Indian crested porcupine, and jungle cat.”

What’s more, one can even safari between the lodges. Travelling between the lodges is unlike any other. There are no long car drives or boring train rides. The journey between the lodges is either an all-day safari transfer or a serene 2-hour boat ride of beautiful sights of the striking landscape that come with a few sightings of the avian kind. Explaining this further, Aly adds, “Opting for a safari transfer from Reni Pani to Bori Safari or vice versa means driving into Satpura Tiger Reserve through either of the gates for a morning safari, breaking for lunch and some rest at the Forest Rest House in Churna, and driving out of another gate onward to the lodge you are moving to. It can also be done on a two-hour boat ride making for a unique transfer experience for guests.”

With the two lodges, Reni Pani and Bori Safari, travellers can explore the whole range of Satpura experiences.

While Reni Pani features the pristine wilderness of the Satpura forest, including a diverse range of activities with many wildlife spotting of sloth

bear, leopard, Malabar giant squirrel etc. the utterly unspoiled Bori Sanctuary is an absolute delight for sighting the big cats and mammals.

Both safaris are great for birding with many species that are rare. “We also offer anthropological excursions in the Satpura region up to Pachmarhi for insights into rural living here.

Combining the two lodges, Reni Pani and Bori Safari, into a single itinerary will give guests a holistic

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understanding of the region, enable multiple nature-based experiences and a rare chance to see all of Central India’s icons namely tiger, leopard, sloth bear, Indian wild dog, gaur and Malabar giant squirrel in one landscape”, muses Aly. Jehan Numa Wilderness’ constant and admirable endeavour to preserve the natural environment in the region. The team is painstakingly creating an eco-system for butterflies

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in a carefully selected area at Bori Safari Lodge. The Bori Safari team have planted indigenous trees that the caterpillars are currently feeding on and nectar trees for adult butterflies to thrive on. The butterfly ecosystem will be fully developed by October for guests to explore. Satpura Tiger Reserve is home to over 50 species of butterflies – pertinent to the process of pollination much like bees.

25

BEAUTY

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Uplift your personality with a twirl and a curl February 28, 2022: From shaggy to bob cut hairstyles, there’s something for everyone. With the snap of a finger, hair extensions can transform your appearance completely. But have you ever considered where these extensions originate?

Because of the increased demand for natural hair extensions, these extensions are selling at a high price in the market. But are the traders well-treated and well-compensated?

Human hair extensions are made from real human hair donated by a donor sourced specially from India’s temples. Jitendra Sharma, Founder of Hair Originals speaks to IANSlife.

How and where do you get your hair extensions?

Jitendra: Our products are 100% made in India. We have established our manufacturing division in Gurgaon, Haryana. We primarily collect and source natural hair from the temples of South India where people donate hair as a devotional ritual. We process the hair in our factory to make it into different products while retaining the quality. The supply of original and unprocessed human hair from India has marked its identity in the hair extensions and wig industry. These human hair are in high demand because of their shinier, healthier and high quality. They also sustain multiple washes. India is one of the major sources of human hair used in the hair extensions and wigs industry. It contributes to about 33 percent of the total global hair market. Human hair has been one of our leading export items since independence.

What steps do you take to improve the lives of hair traders?

Jitendra: The intermediaries involved in the collection of mass hair for the hair extensions and wig industry belong to different social and economic spheres. There are many social and financially backward households that are involved in hair trading. By getting involved in this trade, they are now earning their livelihoods. It is quickly attracting unemployed people, mainly from remote areas. We are connected with women who belong mainly from small cities. With their earnings, these women are capable of raising their livelihoods and supporting their families economically. They have gained financial independence while working with us. Also, we ensure fair market policy wherein we impart training regarding the segregation process of hair.

India is regarded as the most ethical hair source. Why? Jitendra: Globally, commercial hair is procured from countries like China, Peru, Russia, and Ukraine.

India is among the largest hair exporters in the world. Indian human hair is one of the most attractive materials in the global hair extensions

and wig industry. This is because of its smooth appearance and ability to endure styling without any damage.

In India, men and women of all ages offer their hair to the god as a part of a religious ceremony known as ‘Tonsure’. There is no applied force or pressure for them to do so. While in other countries, the commercial hair trade delves into the practice of forceful hair procurement, hair theft, and even dabbles in the lines of consent vs exploitation. While in India not only the sourcing happens ethically, the hair industry also employs women/workforce from tier 2 and tier 3 cities to process the human hair, empowering them in the process. For ethical reasons also, Indian hair is in demand globally too.

The ability to completely transform one’s appearance with hair extensions is amazing, but at what cost?

Jitendra: People love to change their looks by trying different hairstyles and hair colours. Hair extensions are extremely useful for those who are struggling with thin and rough hair.

It works like a magic mirror for both men and women. These extensions add volume and desired length to the original hair. It is also used by people with medical conditions (cancer/ hair loss) who have lost the majority of their hair. Those people can look for hair extensions to enhance and beautify their look. Customers are able to instantly transform their appearance according to their choice with the help of extensions. Coloured hair extensions are also a healthy replacement for hair colour. Hair colours are chemical-based and can damage the texture and quality of scalp and hair, while coloured hair extensions do the same job without the damage. There are no metrics to gauge the spike in confidence, benefit to people, and so many other comforts wigs/hair extensions bring to people.

Weighing the benefits vs cost, the benefits certainly rise up. Indeed, the hair extensions cost a bit high in the consumer’s pockets. It is so because a lot of effort is required in perfecting and luxe styling of hairs.

But, there are cost-friendly options available in the market. For example, Hair Originals provides the finest and 100 percent. The wide range of

bold and vivacious prints will inspire many women to adopt sarees in their wardrobe natural human hair extensions at a comparatively low price. The price ranges from INR 7,000 - 22,000, depending on the length desired. There are DIY options available too which start anywhere between INR 1500-1600. With our own manufacturing technology, we have been able to come up with this solution. We also offer free installation service by certified stylists without compromising the quality.

The hair extensions industry is worth a million dollars, but there are some dark secrets lurking behind the scenes. What are your thoughts on this?

Jitendra: In 2020, the global market value of the hair extensions industry was USD 2.35 billion. It has been estimated that the industry will reach a market value of USD 3.45 billion by 2028. The industry is expanding with a CAGR of 13 percent. To mark this, the eye-catching hair extensions industry has some drawbacks as well.

There are many instances where people, especially women are exploited in countries like Ukraine and Vietnam for their hair. They are paid very low for their well-nourished hair. There are a lot of hoarders who smuggle hairs through the Bengal route to China. Also, there are many middlemen involved in the illegal transportation of raw materials from India to China and the United States.

There are many brands in the hair industry that use “comb hair” and “waste hairs” collected from drainage to make their hair extensions. These hairs are untangled by workers. This process is labour-intensive as 1.5kg of hair takes 80 hours of labour to untangle. The workers assigned in this process are underpaid for their hard work. The companies then synthesize and treat these hairs chemically to give them a shiny look.

Customers who buy these extensions are unaware of such scams. Our brand buys hair primarily from temples and the amount paid in exchange is then used for the community development of the country.

We pay a fair price to the temples and the women who are employed in the hair trading by our brand.

Tips for preventing premature hair graying March 7, 2022: When you are youthful from within, it shows from the outside as well, through your skin, body and hair. Hair that is healthy and shiny is a manifestation of good overall health as well as youthfulness. However, some of us often tend to battle premature graying. We are told it’s hormonal and all attempts to prevent it would be futile? Is it really so? The answer is definitely not. There are a lot many ways with which we can treat or nourish our strands and scalp so that premature graying is prevented.

Before we get into the ways to prevent such conditions, it is very important to understand the causes behind the same. When strands suffer premature graying, they often appear to lose growth speed, become brittle, lose their natural colour and get drier. When we talk about premature graying we are essentially referring to the ageing of capillaries, which might occur anytime in the anagen or capillary growth phase, thereby shortening the period of the respective phase. With growing age, collagen-producing fibroblasts suffer a significant decrease. The double whammy at this point is the changes in the soft tissues like muscle, skin or fascia, referred to as trophic changes, which cause damage to the hair follicle cells. In a process called apoptosis, the cells that produce melanin die, causing graying prior to expected age.

Our hairs thrive on nutrients and moisture obtained from within the body, and scalp in particular, but they www.indianabroad.news

turn gray, there is no mechanism to prevent its loss owing to the open cuticles. Therefore, it becomes imperative that added nutrients are ensured for the hair and the scalp.

It is advisable that you maintain a healthy lifestyle and consume foods and vegetables rich in anti-oxidants.

Also required is to protect the strands and scalp from excessive exposure to strong sunlight. If it is unavoidable, do so with protection in place. If these two are adhered to, the issue can be tackled to a great extent.

The other most important thing to do to avoid premature graying is to stop being aggressive on the hair. The need of the hour is to ensure gentle cleansing and hydration. When going

for hair care products for the purpose, do remember to strictly avoid aggressive ingredients like sodium chloride, sulfates etc. Investing in ones with anti-oxidant action would further ease the task to prevent the early greying of strands.

Instead, herbs and extracts of plants or fruits must be banked on while checking the ingredient list of products. Amla, Malva and guarana like ingredients, which are rich in vitamin C, and babassu oil - rich in fatty acid essence aiding lipid replacement - ensure the required nutrition and restore natural elasticity, making the strands soft, strong and dry, without the fears of premature ageing.

Beauty is no quick fix: Shehnaz Husain March 4, 2022: Asserting that beauty is no quick fix but an outcome of long term care, Shahnaz Husain, founder and MD of Shahnaz Husain Group, who started her career half a century back, says that it was important for her to reject all existing notions of beauty and established her own ideas on beauty care. “When I started out, the industry was dominated by beauty treatments which were very superficial, mostly to do with ‘colour and cover.’ My thrust was herbal ‘Care and Cure.’ It was quite a challenge to offer a more holistic approach to beauty,” she tells IANS. In the past few decades post-liberalization when the beauty product business has grown phenomenally, she says that it is the herbal beauty business that has dominated the curve “Today, the Indian consumer is aware of the quality and the ingredients in products, and wants to exercise this awareness by opting for high quality and organic products” says this recipient of the Padma Shri honour.

Even as several international brands have moved towards the natural or organic thrust, Husain feels that the ‘back to nature’ and ‘total wellness’ has been sweeping the world. “The result is that holistic systems like Ayurveda have become popular. In India, faith in this system has always existed. Today, Ayurvedic beauty care has become so popular, not only for

general beauty care but also for the treatment of skin and hair problems.

My dream is to see this system of beauty care lead the international market within the next decade.”

Interestingly, one seldom comes across commercial advertisements by her brand. Stressing that she has always relied on ‘word of mouth’ and the fact that a satisfied client is the best advertisement, she adds, “ Very early in my career, I also made it a point to reply personally to letters seeking solutions for skin and hair problems. Four decades later, I still maintain this practice, this personal touch. In my regular columns in newspapers and magazines, I provide home remedies.”

Looking back at her journey, she remembers the time when she

laid the foundation of her group -- when most people relied solely on synthetic beauty products. “I have been a lifelong pupil of Ayurvedic healing and knew that herbal care and cure was the ultimate solution.

The prerequisite for healing is that the product that is being used to treat an ailment shouldn’t give rise to other problems, and this is where synthetic products fail. I fell in love with the Ayurvedic philosophy at a time when most of the beauty industry was governed by synthetic product manufacturers, and I was determined to take make Ayurveda a global phenomenon. Of course, I faced my fair share of challenges during the early stages, but once people started using my products, they realized their benefits. The rest is history,” she says.

Scientifically innovative skincare methods rooted in age-old practices March 3, 2022: Skincare is the cornerstone of self-esteem. We continue to look for solutions to skincare problems, but with no success.

The skincare industry is flooded with products that superficially try to solve skincare issues but fail to recognise that skincare is holistic.

It is critical to invest in skincare that offers effective problem-solving treatments. Scientifically innovative skin care methods that are still rooted in age-old practices can be beneficial.

While talking about skincare solutions, Shilpa Rathi, Founder of I AM LOVE, said, “Nutraceutical supplements not only provide all of the vitamins, minerals, and health advantages that our bodies require, but they can also be a viable

alternative to some prescription medications. The amalgamation of nature and technological advancements have helped us in curating mindful products which give finest

results.”

Understanding that your body is interconnected and requires holistic healing to produce effective results is critical. Acne is no longer a problem!

Let’s embrace the skin we are in March 7, 2022: This Women’s Day, let’s embrace the skin we are in. Our skin protects us from the outside world, it is the body’s largest organ; and so it is important that we maintain good skin health to feel comfortable in our own skin. Many women experience conditions like dryness, flakiness, dark spots, stretch marks and some even have prominent scars from past experiences.

This leads to uneasiness and feeling self-conscious, especially when signs appear on commonly visible areas like the face, neck and arms.

But we all have our flaws, and our scars have their own stories to tell; behind each mark, there is a journey that we might have mapped. For example, scraping your knees during your first-ever marathon run, the burns from learning how to cook as a teenager, marks from falling off the motorbike during your college trip to Goa, stretch marks from losing body fat after consistent workouts, abusive circumstances that you may have courageously walked out of, and so much more. While some scars go away, some only heal with time.

As women, we are often guilty of trying to hide our flaws, our body size and what we believe is imperfect in our own eyes. Often scars can cause physical discomfort, itchiness and tenderness, but they also have distressing psychological effects that can affect our self-esteem and confidence. Living in an image-conscious society, that is largely focused on appearances, it is natural for women to try to conceal anything that doesn’t seem acceptable. This might look like applying make-up on affected areas, wearing polo-neck or full-sleeved clothing, signing up for expensive treatments, and what-not.

This places emphasis on learning to love your own truths and making positive choices for skin health. For the latter, we can choose no-fuss

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skincare regimens that help us address common blemishes, acne scars, burns, stretch marks, age spots, discolouration, uneven skin tone, and more. There are a plethora of skincare products available in the market that claim to treat different types of concerns, but decoding this information can be overwhelming.

Start by understanding key ingredients that are a must for efficacious skincare.

Vitamin A - Retinol is a naturally occurring form of vitamin A. To prevent oxidation, retinol goes through an esterification process with palmitic acid. The resulting ester is commonly referred to as vitamin A palmitate, which is diluted for appropriate skin absorption. It demonstrates skin renewing properties and increases the thickness of the epidermis, particularly in mature skin types, and promotes the formation of new collagen. Vitamin A palmitate improves the appearance of UVdamaged skin, by helping to increase elasticity and smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Vitamin E - Vitamin E has been scientifically proven to have a number of benefits for the skin, primarily being an antioxidant. Antioxidants

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are essential in helping to reduce free radicals, which attack healthy cells and cause skin damage and premature ageing. Vitamin E also increases the moisture content of the epidermis, making it feel softer and smoother. It mitigates against some of the effects of sunburn i.e. reduces the number of damaged cells found after the skin has been exposed to UV radiation. It has also been shown to have positive effects on the wound healing process.

Chamomile - Chamomile oil is an anti-inflammatory, providing soothing and calming benefits to the skin. It is effective when the skin is stressed by both internal and external physiological conditions.

Lavender - Lavender oil has multiple benefits for the skin. It is known to have skin-conditioning properties, such as improved firmness, smoothness and complexion. It provides calming and soothing benefits coupled with a mild astringency, which cleans the skin by constricting the pores, resulting in a tingling sensation.

Rosemary - Rosemary oil is used as a skin-conditioning agent, because of its soothing properties and mild antiseptic capability.

26

FASHION

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Sidharth Malhotra and Ananya Pandey Levi’s unveils #IShapeMyWorld Season 7 team up for new campaign March 10, 2022: With Sidharth Malhotra and Ananya Panday as their style ambassadors for the season, Scott Eyewear’s latest range celebrates its 20th anniversary with a refreshing approach to accessorising.

The Spring-Summer collection features a range of trend-forward sunglasses and optical frames.

Splashes of various hues, a good-looking mixture of metallics and mattes, pastels and neutrals across a range of sunglasses and optical frames is what you can look forward to. Along with its diverse features, the collection embraces creativity, passion and innovation in each element with a range that is appealing to the young generation of the day.

Sidharth Malhotra and Ananya Panday are the New Faces Of Scott

Eyewear The collection also sees a revival of many popular retro shapes that are sure to make their way into fashionista closets. With Retro-Squares, Modified-Aviators and Butterfly, the

collection is about to redefine eyewear fashion. Sleek metallic frames, glamorous metallic embellishments and various plays of transparency & colours are the perfect additions to the Spring-Summer look.

Do silver anklets have any body benefits?

March 5, 2022: Anklets account for more than 34 percent of the total silver market. We are all obsessed with gold as Indians, but anklets made of yellow metal are never worn on the feet because they represent the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity.

As a result, anklets and toe rings are made entirely of silver.

Amit Gilra, Associate Director, Augmont Gold For All said, “The significance that anklets carry has been diluted in the cities and is limited to weddings. In the southern part of India silver is used as gifts and as holy puja items during the naming ceremony of babies, engagement ceremonies and even during pujas during major Indian festivals like Diwali and Holi. According to Indian Ancient astrologers, Silver is associated with the moon. It is believed that silver was produced from the eyes of Lord Shiva due to which Silver is a symbol of prosperity. So whosoever wears silver is fulfilled with prosperity according to traditions.”

More than an ornament, less than a medicine While anklets are of prime importance in Indian culture, the ornament also finds a prominent place in ancient cultures of Egypt and the Middle East. This is because it goes beyond beauty and benefits in aspects of health and overall wellbeing.

Silver is a reactive metal and it reflects and reverts back the energy radiated from one’s body. Most of

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women: Hima Das, the youngest of the five children of a rice-growing farmer, was inspired by P.T. Usha, who asked her to keep doing what she does best. Without much formal training, she was the first Indian woman to win gold at IAAF WorldU20 Championships and now shaping things as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Assam.

Mandira Bedi, an actress, one of the first female commentators and hosts for the ICC World Cup, a daughter with an equally strong mother and a mother herself, who is creating a strong lineage for her children,

emerged from a tough year with resilience and strength.

Kriti Bharti, an Indian rehabilitation psychologist and children’s rights activist, is a tireless crusader against child marriage. Keeping the strength and warmth of Rani Laxmibai in her heart, she has dedicated her life to freeing girls from the clutches of child marriage in India.

Tanya Appachu makes women’s rights and laws accessible to the people through social media. As a lawyer making reels that might be frowned upon, she cares passionately about empowering and enabling women, regardless of the channel.

FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week announce designers and partners for the upcoming edition

our energies leave our bodies from hands and feet and metals like silver, bronze act as a hindrance, helping the energy revibrant back into our bodies. This helps to gain more positivity and zeal. According to Ayurveda and modern science, silver reacts well with the Earth’s energy, while gold reacts well with the body’s energy and aura. Therefore, silver is worn as anklets or toe rings while gold is used to adorn the upper parts of the body Looking back at history, silver was identified for its antibacterial properties. Thousands of years ago, when sailors used to travel on long voyages, they used to carry silver coins with them, rest those coins in their bottles of water. They used to drink the silver induced water as it was a good disinfectant. Silver ions destroy bacterial sheaths and this is a major reason why women even

in tier 2 and 3 cities invest in silver anklets.

Additionally, women spend a huge amount of time standing in the kitchen and toiling in the household chores. They often end up with swollen or painful feet. The pain travels through the lower back spine all the way to the legs. Silver aids blood circulation and since it is on our feet, the foundation of our bodies, it keeps pacifying the weakness of our legs.

Besides these benefits, there is ongoing research to prove that silver strengthens immunity and also balances hormonal levels. This is one of the reasons why in our country married women wear silver toe rings – it maintains a healthy uterus, fortifying the reproductive process and also eases menstrual pains.

JJ Valaya Launches His All New Bridge-to-luxury Brand ‘JJV’

March 8, 2022: Couturier JJ Valaya has been an integral part of people’s weddings and celebrations for over three decades. This year, as the luxury occasion wear brand celebrates its 30th year in fashion, it takes a step further by launching its all-new bridge-to-luxury brand, JJV. The new brand debuts with an eco-conscious collection made from TENCEL™ LUXE filament yarn.

Derived from renewable wood sources in a closed-loop lyocell process, TENCEL™ LUXE filament yarn is set to define the landscape of luxury fashion with its silky smoothness, liquid-like drape, colour vibrancy and yarn strength.

Speaking on the partnership, Vineet Singhal, VP – Global, BU Noble Fibers, said “JJV symbolizes the values TENCEL™ LUXE stands for which is conscious luxury, durability, ability to stand the test of time along with a rich regal feel, very similar to silk. Indeed, TENCEL™ LUXE is a

March 8, 2022: Beyond talking about inspiring stories and aims at enabling and empowering women through live sessions highlighting the protagonists’ journey, periodic masterclasses as well as flagship internship programs, this year’s Levi’s #IShapeMyWorld campaign, is rooted in the concept that behind every successful woman is another woman who has inspired, supported and cheered her on. “’I Shape My World’ is a platform through which many fearless and unstoppable women from varied backgrounds have inspired millions of other women with their incredible stories. This season, we not only continue with more inspiring stories but go a step further to try, and enable and empower women through various initiatives all-round the year, with an endeavour to make a more tangible impact,” says Saikot Das, Marketing Director -- South Asia, Middle East and Africa at Levi Strauss & Co. Initiated back in 2017, #IShapeMyWorld tells the stories of unstoppable women, whose stories inspire and engage millions of women across India. Having featured close to 50 women to date, this season spotlights four fearless

sustainable, eco-friendly, and vegan alternative to silk. We are glad to collaborate with JJV for this landmark collection in their journey.”

JJV is an occasion wear brand that revolves around the spirit of travel. As a brand, its ethos stands inspired by the unique life & travels of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala, also the land of JJ Valaya’s forefathers. JJV, therefore, sifts through never-seen-before photographs and extracts from his personal diaries and travelogues, to interpret the story of a ruler who wanted to bring the world to his people - and indeed, takes his people to the world.

JJ Valaya said, “On its launch, JJV, our all-new bridge-to-luxury range of fashion for Women & Men is an environment-friendly initiative using the finest fabrics from TENCEL™ LUXE in support of Lenzing Austria’s belief in conscious luxury. Designed for the luxury traveller, this debut

collection is engineered with a sensitivity towards sustainability.

TENCEL™ LUXE is transforming the future of premium fashion, and we are delighted to integrate this beautiful material into our belief in sustainable luxury.”

He further added, “As a true royal nomad at heart, I have always felt that whilst we all prefer to travel light, there are so many instances during these journeys where we need to dress up to step out, be it for impromptu soirees, fine dining experiences or the opera. JJV acknowledges and embraces this need, where one can still maintain a unique sense of personal style sans the weight of heavy embroideries.

It retains the distinct signature of the JJ Valaya ethos yet is a modern label for the modern traveller who likes to be prepared for celebrations, wherever he/she may go.”

March 10, 2022: After two years of digital and phygital showcases due to the pandemic, the powerhouses of fashion and beauty in India - Lakmé Fashion Week (jointly organized

by Lakmé & RISE Worldwide) and the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) together will be hosting a fully on-ground, season-fluid edition in New Delhi, from 23rd-27th March 2022.

Sumati Mattu, Head of Innovations at Lakmé said, “In line with the Lakmé Absolute Explore Eye Colours Range, a trend statement that invites everyone to go beyond the ordinary and the expected, we are looking to explore newer avenues this time around with this physical edition of FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week. We are excited with all that’s new including the location, integrations of technology, partnerships, and an army of new talent. The goal for Lakmé has always been to merge the latest innovations in beauty and fashion and provide the customer with an unforgettable experience. This is what this seasonless fluid edition of FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week will bring to the table.”

“Energies are at an all-time high as we curate a diverse range of pathbreaking showcases and initiatives.

This edition is extremely special as we are making a full physical come back after two years of adapting to the digital environment. Our audiences can expect the best of designers and talent at this edition of FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week with an extremely intense and power-packed schedule.” said Sunil Sethi, Chairman FDCI. The line-up begins with the Opening Show jointly presented by the FDCI and Lakmé Fashion Week on the 22nd of March and culminates with the Lakmé Absolute Grand Finale on the 27th.

Celebrated designers from across the

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country form part of the schedule with marquee showcases by Pankaj & Nidhi, Samant Chauhan, Ranna Gill, Vaishali S, Reynu Taandon, Pawan Sachdeva, Siddartha Tytler and Outhouse.

The Manish Malhotra brand will be launching a new category; DIFFUSE, an ease to couture.

Lakmé Lumi Cream presents Alpana Neeraj #LitWithLumi.

FDCI to showcase Ashish N Soni and present a Khadi curation comprising French-Malian designer, Mossi Traoré and leading Indian designers Abhishek Gupta Benares, Anavila, Anju Modi, Charu Parashar and Rina Dhaka.

Several longstanding partners will return to the platform to collaborate with leading designers including NEXA x Tarun Tahiliani, Bata x Suneet Varma, Lakmé Salon x Varun Bahl, TENCEL™ LUXE x JJ Valaya, boAt x HUEMN, Natural Diamond Council x Rimzim Dadu.

New brands realme and John Jacobs will be partnering with ace designers Shantnu and Nikhil as well as Shivan & Narresh respectively. Adidas Originals will partner with Khanijo and Antar Agni for their showcase Key showcases on Sustainable Fashion Day include R|Elan™ x Satya Paul by Rajesh Pratap Singh; Bemberg™ x Payal Pratap; FDCI KHADI Show; RISE Worldwide X Fashion For Good: Innovation for Circularity – Nitin Bal Chauhan, Divyam Mehta and Ka-Sha and the return of the coveted Circular Design Challenge – an initiative of R|Elan™ in partnership with FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week and UN in India & United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Ajio Luxe continues as the preferred partner for showcasing and sales of all the exemplary collections

showcased on the ramp.

In continuation with the collaboration with NBA (National Basketball Association), the winning designer Ananya Modi Jain, will be showcasing her NBA 75 collection. aLL – The Plus Size Store will return to the platform to host a plus size show and there will also be showcase by 6degree Prestigious talent discovery programs of the platform such as INIFD GenNext, NEXA presents The Spotlight, INIFD Launchpad, FDCI x Pearl Academy FirstCut will introduce new and emerging talent ReshaWeaves, by ReshaMandi, will be debuting at the Showroom to presentexclusive and sustainable natural fibre products.

Jaspreet Chandok, Head RISE Fashion and Lifestyle said, “As we move back towards a fully on-ground format we are looking forward to bringing a slew of fantastic collaborations with leading designer labels and brands at FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week. While we continue with some of our long-standing partners, we also welcome new ones.

The edition will bring exciting new ideas and innovations and feature a strong curation of designers and talent which we hope is worthy of the newly unified fashion week of the country.”

The platform will offer two showcase areas for designers and will continue to champion sustainability through path-breaking initiatives while further spreading messages of inclusivity and diversity. The Showroom will also be back in an on-ground format for buyers in addition to enhanced features in the virtual initiative. Shows will continue to be live-streamed across key OTT platforms to reach a far and wide audience.

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WHAT’S ON

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

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WHAT’S ON

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

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ENTERTAINMENT

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Vaani Kapoor: I’m working in the Samantha: People have forgotten my other works after ‘Oo Antava’ best era of Bollywood cinema Hyderabad, March 11: Samantha Ruth Prabhu has spoken about her special song in ‘Pushpa’.

During a media interaction at the Critics Choice Awards, Samantha Ruth Prabhu stated that she has been overwhelmed with the kind of response she has been receiving for her special song ‘Oo Antava’ from ‘Pushpa: The Rise’.

“I cannot explain the kind of love people are showering on me. I didn’t expect ‘Oo antava’ to be such a hit pan-India,” Samantha said.

The ‘Rangasthalam’ actress stated, “Not just Telugu audiences, people around the country, have forgotten the other movies I have done, but recognise me for ‘Oo Antava’ now.”

Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s first special song ‘Oo Antava Mama’ has broken multiple records, creating many as well. Her appearance in Devi Sri Prasad’s musical composition stood as one of the highlights for Allu Arjun & Rashmika Mandanna- starrer ‘Pushpa: The Rise’.

Samantha had earlier stated that she was reluctant to sign the item song, but Allu Arjun and director Sukumar believed that the song will turn out to be a sensation. Now that the actress is quite happy at the kind of attention ‘Oo antava’ has earned for her, she credits Allu Arjun and Sukumar.

Mumbai, March 9: Actress Vaani Kapoor feels blessed to be working in the “best Bollywood era” because “there is wide acceptance of subjects that were deemed forbidden for actors” earlier.

Vaani says, “The fact that the industry has produced two back to back progressive films like Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (CKA) and Badhaai Do shows the paradigm shift that the Hindi film industry is going through.”

“As an artiste, I feel I’m working in the best era of cinema because there is wide acceptance of subjects that were deemed forbidden for actors to choose.”

Vaani credits the progressive movie-going audience of India for accepting such films with open arms as it would lead to positive social change towards inclusivity for all genders.

Vaani says, “I’m delighted that both CKA and Badhaai Do found its audience and entertained people with a heartfelt story of inclusivity in a highly divisive world. As an actor and a consumer of cinema, I love entertainers that can leave a message and I’m proud that I was part of an uplifting film like CKA!” “I hope the film made the right impact on the minds of audiences.

The fact that my countrymen are encouraging cinema on gender equality is an amazing feeling because we all know that we can be an extremely progressive country.”

Vaani will be next seen in the much-awaited action drama ‘Shamshera’ that releases on July 22.

She has been paired opposite Ranbir Kapoor.

Prabhas on ‘Radhe Shyam’: ‘Didn’t want to do only action’

‘Ik Tu Hai’ from ‘Attack-Part 1’ presents a tale of passionate romance

Mumbai, March 10: ‘Ik Tu Hai’, the first song from the John Abrahamstarrer action film ‘Attack-Part 1’, was released on Thursday.

The love number, which features John and Jacqueline Fernandez, showcases an ideal love story with a romantic beginning, a passionate explosive journey, and the expectation of an immortal relationship before it snaps back into current day

reality.

The song, composed by Shashwat Sachdev has been crooned effortlessly by Jubin Nautiyal with lyrics penned by Kumar. The visuals consist of high speed shots set against bright colours.

Helmed by Lakshya Raj Anand, ‘Attack-Part 1’ is a story of a super-soldier played by John, who undergoes cybernetic modifications

to ward off the evil of terrorism from Indian soil. In addition, the film also stars Rakul Preet Singh, Prakash Raj and Ratna Pathak Shah.

Presented by Jayantilal Gada of Pen Studios, John Abraham and Ajay Kapoor Productions, ‘Attack-Part 1’ a JA Entertainment Film, is set to debut in theatres on April 1 after having suffered multiple delays with regards to its release and production.

Jubin Nautiyal wants to rework Hindi classics like ‘Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai’ Mumbai, March 10: Playback singer Jubin Nautiyal would like to rework some of the Hindi music classics like ‘Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai’ and ‘Badi Door se Aaye Hain’.

The multi-talented artiste, who can deftly play various musical instruments like the guitar, piano, harmonium and drums, has been recently crowned MTV Beats Artist of The Month for March 2022.

Elaborating on the melodies that he would like to rework, Jubin said, “There are many songs I’d have loved to compose. Some cult classic songs that have stayed with me since the beginning of my career are ‘Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai’. ‘Badi Door se Aaye Hain Pyaar Ka Tofa Laye Hain’

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is another song I’d have loved to compose because of its lyrics, it is absolutely beautiful and out of the world.”

Shedding light on the first song he ever learnt, he said, “I performed ‘Yeh Jeevan Hai’ when I was very young and didn’t even know the composer of the track and how the process of music works. I used to jokingly tell people that I have conceptualised the track (sic).”

The singer earlier had an extensive set of goals but, given his good work that resonates with masses at large, the singer has been able to accomplish most of them.

Speaking about his bucket list, Jubin Nautiyal shared, “My goals used to

be very extensive, but I have been blessed by God and audiences to have covered most of them. My U.S. tour which I’ll be doing in June was perhaps the only remaining bit. I really wanted to go and play music across the globe. I’m very lucky, I have everything that I wanted.”

New Delhi, March 11: Superstar Prabhas, who has worked in blockbuster hits with a dollop of high-octane action, says he wanted to move away from his action image and do something different and that’s how his latest release ‘Radhe Shyam’, a lovestory, happened to him.

The ‘Baahubali’ star says ‘Radhe Shyam’ also has a sprinkle of thriller and is India’s first film with retro visuals, dresses and colour mix.

In a candid conversation with IANS, during the promotion of the film in the Capital, Prabhas revealed as to what enticed him to take up ‘Radhe Shyam’, which also stars Pooja Hegde.

“I wanted to do something different not like action, action and action...

I wanted to do something different so that I could do some experiment more in the future. So, we thought we’d do a love story or something different. I heard 3-4 scripts and planned to do this,” said Prabhas, who is the first south Indian star to receive a wax sculpture at Madame Tussaud’s wax museum.

The 42-year-old actor hopes that the film lives up to the expectations.

“The promos and making videos got good response and finally after three different dates finally it’s getting released so hope it works,” he said.

Written and directed by Radha Krishna Kumar, ‘Radhe Shyam’ is a period romantic drama, which revolves around the story of Vikramaditya, a palmist who is conflicted between destiny and his love for Prerana, played by Pooja.

Does Prabhas in personal life believe in palmistry and astrology?

“I never followed anything like that.

We have heard many stories... In my family also we had heard many stories... This palmist told that this is going to happen and all my uncle said ‘he’s going to be big when I was born’ but I never followed any

palmistry or astrology...”

“We have a rich culture in astrology in India but I never followed,” said the pan-India star, who was ranked second in Times’ Most Desirable Men for the year 2017 and twelfth in 2018.

Prabhas has previously done two romantic films such as ‘Darling’ and ‘Mr. Perfect’.

Asked about what attracts him towards the concept of romance, he said: “So, I did two romantic love stories in Telugu which I had good action image then also I did that

and it worked very well... It’s called ‘Darling’ and ‘Mr. Perfect’.”

“So, after ‘Baahubali’ and ‘Saaho’... We thought better go with a love story with a small budget and I couldn’t get a proper script then ‘Saaho’ happened... for ‘Radhe Shyam’ we took a lot of care and drama...”

Added the actor: “We can say it’s a love thriller also in a way and with granduer aand first time in Indiancinema -- retro. We, never saw Indian cinema with retro visuals or dresses or the colour mix.”

Farah Khan gushes over ‘very sporty and agile’ SRK Mumbai, March 10: Ace film director, producer and choreographer Farah Khan, who will be seen hosting ‘The Khatra Khatra Show’, is all praise for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s agility.

On the show, Farah will make the guest participants involved in rib-tickling pranks, dares, and games.

Farah thinks that superstar Shah Rukh Khan will nail all the

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challenges.

She said: “Shahrukh is very sporty and agile.”

She added: “He will undoubtedly ace all the Khatra Khatra games but apart from Shah Rukh Khan, if I had to choose it would be Akshay Kumar and Prabhudeva. They would probably do the stunts.”

‘The Khatra Khatra Show’ is starting from March 13 at 7:00 pm on Voot.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Vol 2, Issue 2 March 16-31, 2022

Aditya Roy Kapur-starrer ‘OM - The Lengthy shoot of Nagarjuna action Battle Within’ to release on July 1 flick ‘The Ghost’ begins in Dubai Mumbai, March 10: Actors Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanjana Sanghistarrer ‘Om: The Battle Within’ is finally set to release in theatres this July.

Producers Zee Studios, Ahmed Khan and Shaira Khan have officially announced the release date of the film. It is scheduled to hit the big screen on July 1.

The Kapil Verma directorial marks the very first association of Aditya and Sanjana as a lead pair. The action thriller with stylised high octane action sequences will have Aditya and Sanjana in a never seen before avatar.

Zee Studios and Ahmed Khan present, A Paper Doll Entertainment Production, produced by Zee Studios, Shaira Khan and Ahmed Khan, ‘OM -The Battle Within’ is directed by Kapil Verma.

The film is all set to release on July 1, 2022.

Aditi Sajwan grateful as ‘Haathi Ghoda Paalki...’ completes 100 episodes Mumbai, March 9: Actress Aditi Sajwan has all the reasons to cheer up as her show ‘Haathi Ghoda Paalki Jai Kanhaiya Laal Ki’ has completed 100 episodes.

She is essaying the character of Yashoda in the mythological drama based on the life of Lord Krishna.

She says: “Today, ‘Jai Kanhaiya Laal Ki’ completes 100 episodes. Though it’s just a small step , we know and understand the amount of effort and dedication of each and every person towards making this day a possibility.

I think I’m the happiest person. This show is like a baby to me, I’m very emotionally attached to Krishna’s childhood story.”

‘Meri Doli Tere Angana’ actress adds: “I’ve played this character twice in my career now. So, this achievement feels like a huge win. And indeed it is, in the era of fast paced web content and shows getting off air prematurely. And I’m very thankful to our producers and fans and loving

Chennai, March 10: The shooting of director Praveen Sattaru’s high-octane action entertainer ‘The Ghost’, featuring Akkineni Nagarjuna in the lead, has resumed in Dubai.

Sources close to the unit say that this is going to be a lengthy schedule and the makers will be filming very important scenes involving the lead cast of the movie.

viewers of the show.”

Produced by Siddhart Kumar Tewary the show features actors such as Aditi Sajwan, Hazel Kaur, Sumedh

Mudgalkar and Mallika Singh. ‘Haathi Ghoda Paal Ki Jai Kanhaiya Laal Ki’ airs on Star Bharat.

Mumbai, March 8: Actress Tamannaah Bhatia’s latest music video ‘Tabahi’ with popular rapper Badshah has taken over the Internet.

Within its four hours of the release, the song has garnered over 358,000 views and still counting.

Speaking about the song, Tamannaah said, “This is the first time I collaborated with Badshah and it was a blast making the video with him! I’ve been secretly humming this song to myself ever since I first heard it and now, I can finally sing it out loud!”

“My favourite part of the song is the hook step - it has me hooked in every way! The video is already pooling in a lot of love all over the country and I’m grateful for all of it!”

On the work front, Tamannaah has multiple releases in the pipeline, the pan-Indian actor has ‘Gurthunda Seethakalam’, ‘F3’, ‘Bhola Shankar’, ‘Pan A Plan B’, ‘Yaar Dost’ and ‘Babli Bouncer’.

Chennai, March 10: Actress Priya Bhavani Shankar, who is one of the fastest rising stars of the Tamil film industry, is on cloud nine for she is now working with another actress for whom she has loads of love and admiration.

Yes, Priya, who has now begun working on director Vikram K Kumar’s web series titled ‘Dootha’, is getting to work with Malayalam actress Parvathy and the actress seems to be delighted about it.

Taking to Instagram, Priya posted pictures of herself with actors Parvathy Thiruvothu, Naga Chaitanya and director Vikram K Kumar and said, “Fan girl moment with Parvathy. Lots of love, admiration and respect for this lady! Grinning like a stupid sheep and my excitement level is literally getting on to Chay and Vikram sir.”

The web series, which features Naga Chaitanya in a negative role, will belong to the horror genre and will premiere on Amazon Prime Video.

Apart from ‘Dootha’, Priya has a

number of films in various stages of production including Simbu’s

‘Pathu Thala’ and Dhanush’s ‘Thiruchitrambalam’.

Is it true that Rajamouli reserves the best stories for NTR?

Vidyut Jammwal: Akshay Kumar made me dream of becoming a hero

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Northstar Entertainment Banners.

Apart from Nagarjuna and Sonal Chauhan, the film will also feature Gul Panag and Anikha Surendran in important roles in the film.

Mukesh G cranks the camera for the film which will have art direction by Brahma Kadali.

Lots of love, admiration, respect for Parvathy: Actress Priya Bhavani Shankar

Tamannaah’s smoking hot video ‘Tabahi’ with Badshah takes over the Internet

Mumbai, March 11: Actor and martial artist Vidyut Jammwal, who is hosting the non-fiction action reality show ‘India’s Ultimate Warrior’, says the series would have been incomplete without the presence of Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar.

Akshay has appeared in a special episode of the show and seeing the impressive performance of the participants he announced to give Rs 10 Lakhs to the winner of ‘India’s Ultimate Warrior’.

Talking about the experience of the special episode, Vidyut in a conversation with IANS said: “Like many youngsters, I was also a huge fan of Akshay Kumar who is known as one of the best action superstars of our country till date.

“I was training in martial art and

Sonal Chauhan, who has been roped in to play the female lead opposite Nagarjuna has also joined the team in this schedule. This will be Sonal Chauhan’s first film opposite Nagarjuna.

Narayan Das K Narang, Puskur Ram Mohan Rao, and Sharrath Marar are producing the film for Sree Venkateshwara Cinemas LLP and

as we all know he also started his career as a stunt man and a trained martial artist, he made me dream of becoming a hero in the film! I think

he is one of those actors who has taken the action in our cinema to the next level.”

Hyderabad, March 11: SS Rajamouli, the most-hyped director of the country right now, is also known for his bromance with ‘RRR’ actor Jr. NTR. Even other stars who have worked with Rajamouli think the filmmaker reserves the best stories for NTR. Rajamouli, who took an opportunity to interact with pan-India actor Prabhas, for his movie ‘Radhe Shyam’, had an interesting talk regarding the movie earlier.

During the leisure talks about ‘Radhe Shyam’, Prabhas recalls a previous conversation with Rajamouli. He expressed that he always wondered when Rajamouli would make a movie with himself, as he always spoke about storylines he had fixated for Jr. NTR. “When I met Rajamouli during ‘Yamadonga’ movie, he always mentioned his upcoming projects with NTR. That made me wonder when I would get an opportunity to work with him”, Prabhas said.

Rajamouli, who has always mentioned that he liked NTR more than any other actors, has always maintained the same friendship with the ‘Aravainda Sametha Veera Raghava’ hero.

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The fact that SS Rajamouli and NTR started off their individual careers with their movie ‘Student No. 1’, they have bonded well in years. Folks from the industry also talk about how Rajamouli tries to reserve some good

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storylines for NTR. Rajamouli’s next- ‘RRR’, which is touted to be a visual wonder, has Jr. NTR essay the role of the ‘Gond Veer’- Komaram Bheem, who was a tribal leader and a freedom fighter.

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