India News – April 1-15, 2022, Vol 2 Issue 18

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

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Quad’s success crucial for regional, global stability: Indian PM IANS

New Delhi, March 21 (IANS): Quad’s success is very important for regional and global stability, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 21 at India-Australia virtual summit emphasizing “commitment to a free, open and inclusive IndoPacific.”

The US, Japan, India and Australia have an informal alliance called

counterpart Scott Morrison participated in the second IndiaAustralia virtual summit on March 21.

the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, that positions itself as being committed to a free, open and inclusive IndoPacific.

“There is also good cooperation between us in Quad. Our cooperation reflects our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” said Modi.

Modi and his Australian

Ashleigh Barty refuses to comeback after announcing shock retirement

her retirement on March 24 , has ruled out her comeback after announcing shock retirement.

In response to a question about the prospect of making a comeback, the 25-year-old Australian said, “Well, you never say never, it’s a long way off.”

Speaking during the summit, Modi conveyed condolences for the loss of life and property caused by floods in Queensland and New South Wales.

Recently, floods in eastern Australia have killed at least 21 people. Thousands of homes have been left uninhabitable.

Talking about comprehensive strategic partnership, Modi stated, “During our last virtual summit, we elevated our relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. And I

Continued on Page 3

When asked if that meant she would have a formal position with junior tennis, Barty smiled and Continued on Page 3

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS): Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on March 24 told the Rajya Sabha (Indian Upper House) that India’s stand on the Russia-Ukraine war is based on six principles.

Responding to a question, he said that India has called for immediate cessation of violence and end to all hostilities. “We stand for peace, we believe that there is no other way than a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. We recognize that the global order is anchored on international law, UN charter and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states and we call for humanitarian access to a conflict situation.”

90 tonnes of humanitarian assistance so far and we are looking to provide more, especially medicines.”

Jaishankar also said that the Government of India is in touch with the leadership of both the Russian Federation and Ukraine on this matter. “The Prime Minister himself has spoken with the Presidents of

1 in 6 Australian He also said, “We have given Continued on Page 3 university students sexually India only Quad ally to be harassed on ‘somewhat shaky’ on Russia: Biden Washington, March 22 (IANS): campus US President Joe Biden said that only India among the Quad allies, which also include Japan and Australia, has been “somewhat shaky” in its response to Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, the BBC reported.

Barty also hinted at a role with junior tennis in her home country, saying that ‘seeing the smiles’ on the faces of younger players taking up the sport had reminded her ‘of why I started playing’.

Sydney, March 24 (IANS): The winner of three Grand Slams Ashleigh Barty, who announced

‘We stand for peace’, Jaishankar briefs Indian Upper House on Ukraine war

Canberra, March 24 (IANS): Almost 5 per cent of Australian university students have been

Continued on Page 3

The US, Japan and Australia have sanctioned Russian entities, but India has not imposed sanctions and has also abstained from three votes condemning Moscow at the UN, the report said.

Continued on Page 3

India, Australia ink Economic Cooperation & Trade Agreement New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) India and Australia on Saturday signed the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAus ECTA) in a virtual ceremony.

Accordingly, the agreement envisages to enhance trade in goods and services.

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The virtual signing ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles.

“IndAus ECTA would remove barriers to trade and will open up plethora of opportunities in both goods and services for both nations,” said Piyush Goyal,

“It is expected that the bilateral trade would grow from the existing $27 billion to nearly $4550 billion over the next fiveyears.

There is huge potential in areas

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like textiles, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, gem and jewellery and IT amongst others, creating huge employment in both countries.”

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

Quad’s success crucial for regional, global stability: Indian PM

Continued from Page 1

Cooperation Agreement has made remarkable progress in a very short time. “I am confident that the remaining issues will also be agreed upon soon. The early completion of “CECA” will be crucial for our economic relations, economic revival and economic security,” he stated. am happy that, today, we are establishing the mechanism of annual summits between the two countries. This will create a structural mechanism of regular review of our relationship.”

He said that relations between India and Australia have made remarkable progress in the last few years.

“Trade and investment, defence and security, education and innovation, science and technology -- we have very close cooperation in all these areas.

Our collaboration has grown rapidly in many other areas, such as critical minerals, water management, renewable energy,

and Covid-19 research,” he stated.

The Indian Prime Minister welcomed the announcement of the establishment of the Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy in Bengaluru.

“It is imperative that we have better cooperation between us in cyber and critical emerging technologies. It is the responsibility of countries with similar values like us to adopt appropriate global standards in these emerging technologies,” he said.

He also pointed out that the Comprehensive Economic

‘We stand for peace’, Jaishankar briefs Indian Upper House on Ukraine war Continued from Page 1

He also thanked the initiative to return 29 antiquities.

“And the artifacts that you have sent include hundreds of years old idols and paintings illegally smuggled from Rajasthan, West Bengal, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh as well as many other Indian states. And for this I express special gratitude to you on behalf of all Indians. Now all the idols and other things that you have given us back will be returned to their original place. On behalf of all Indian citizens, I once again express my heartfelt gratitude to you for this initiative,” he added.

India only Quad ally to be ‘somewhat shaky’ on Russia: Biden Continued from Page 1

COVER STORIES

India has said the escalation of tensions “is a matter of deep concern” and has reiterated that the issue can only be resolved through diplomatic dialogue.

Biden lauded other allies saying “we have presented a united front throughout the Nato and in the Pacific” in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The Quad - with the possible exception of India being somewhat shaky on some of these - but Japan has been extremely strong, so is Australia in terms of dealing with Putin’s aggression.”

both the countries. This was also mentioned in a statement made before the House recently,” he added.

Responding to a question by MP Naresh Gujral on Indian trade with Russia especially payment in rupees, Jaishankar said that because of the emerging problems with Russia, the government is examining various aspects by the group composed of various Ministries under the aegis of the Finance Ministry to examine the issue of payment.

Replying to the query of Gujral on crude oil import, he said, “we import less than one percent of crude oil from Russia. Many western countries are importing 15 to 20 times more than what we import.”

clear on principles, “We believe that international order must respect the territorial integrity of States and it is our foremost attention in our neighbourhood.”

To a follow-up question about the growing relations between Russia and China, Jaishankar said, the government is aware of the changes in international relations. “We monitor it, we obviously assess it from our own national perspective and fashion our strategy in accordance with those developments,” he said.

Replying to another question on the development in our neighbourhood, the Minister also said that the government is very

Jaishankar also informed the House that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Vladimir Putin thrice and to Volodymyr Zelensky twice, the evacuations of Indians was the priority, but the major part of the conversations was on what we could do to encourage a cessation of hostility through the dialogue and diplomacy.

sexually harassed on campus, a report has found.

member or loved one who has, I am sorry.”

Peak body Universities Australia (UA) published the results of the 2021 National Student Safety Survey, reports Xinhua news agency.

Students who lived in on-campus accommodation were more likely to be harassed or assaulted than their peers who live with family.

1 in 6 Australian university students sexually harassed on campusContinuedfromPage1

India has had to walk a diplomatic tightrope over Ukraine as it tries to balance ties with Moscow and the West.

Russia continues to be India’s largest arms supplier, the BBC reported.

India is also considering buying Russian oil at a subsided rate with reports that a state-owned company has signed a deal to import 3 million barrels of crude from a Russian company.

Ashleigh Barty refuses to comeback after announcing shock retirement so much,’ she added. Obviously young girls and juniors is an area that I’m really interested in. Yeah, down the track I’m hoping I’ll be able to contribute in some way,” Barty was quoted as saying by metro.co.uk

said she had ‘no details to share as yet’.

The three-time Grand Slam winner indicated she was more interested, however, in giving back to society and in particular other Indigenous Australians.

“That’s just a goal and a dream of mine, to be able to give back to the sport that has given me

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Women’s tennis No1 Barty has hinted she could take up another sport professionally following her shock retirement. The 25-yearold played cricket to a high level during a previous break from tennis, competing in the Women’s Big Bash.

“I have always been an athlete in terms of trying different things, so we’ll see how we go,” said Barty who urged people to “wait and see”.

Continued from Page 1

“I have always wanted to have the time to contribute more in other ways and now I have that opportunity,” she said. “That is what lights me up inside.”

Barty said she no longer felt motivated enough to dedicate herself to the game, having achieved her main goals and still felt a lack of fulfilment.

Coach Craig Tyzzer said he had not been surprised by Barty’s decision. “Ash does her own thing,” he said.

“I think it is the right time. She won the Aussie Open for everyone and I don’t think there’s anything left in the tank for her.”

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It revealed that 4.5 per cent of about 44,000 participant students said they have experienced sexual assault.

One in six students have been sexually harassed since starting at university and one in 12 has been sexually harassed in the past 12 months, said the report.

Some victims said they did not know how to report the incidents to their institutions.

“On behalf of Universities Australia and its 39 members, I am deeply sorry,” John Dewar, chair of UA and vice-chancellor of La Trobe University, said in a statement on March 24.

“To every single university student who has experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault, or has a friend, family

Australian National University (ANU), the second-best university in the country according to Times Higher Education’s rankings, said the survey results indicate, within a university context, that a higher percentage of ANU students experienced sexual harassment since starting university and in the last 12 months than the national average.

Earlier in March the university announced a A$3.3 million ($2.4 million) student safety and wellbeing plan with a focus on safety in student residences.

“No instance of sexual harassment or sexual assault should be tolerated, and our institutions must set the tone for what is expected from our future graduates,” Dewar said.

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

AIBC welcomes historic Australia India CECA Agreement Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the virtual ceremony.

The deal with India removes tariffs on more than 85 per cent of Australian goods exports to India, worth A$12.6 billion (US$9.4 billion), rising to almost 91 per cent over 10 years. Tariffs will be scrapped on sheep meat, wool, copper, coal, alumina, fresh Australian rock lobster, and some critical minerals and non-ferrous metals to India. It will see 96 per cent of Indian goods imports enter Australia duty-free.

T

he Australia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (CECA) was signed today in a virtual ceremony by Australia’s Trade Minister Dan Tehan and India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal. Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison and India’s

Welcoming the above signing of the CECA Agreement, the National Chair of Australia India Business Council Limited (AIBC) Mr Jim Varghese AM said “Today is an historic day for the future of the trade and investment relationship between Australia and India. Congratulations to the Prime Minister and DFAT for the

persistence and determination in helping execute the signing of the Australia India CECA agreement.

The AIBC is very encouraged by this important development which we have been passionately driving and supporting for a decade. The initiative by the Prime Ministers of India and Australia to establish the AIBC over 35 years ago to assist in making these milestones happen is now vindicated.

In this context, the AIBC (as a nodal business association over the years ) is very comfortable offering our services to the governments of India and Australia to host or co-host any event for the visiting Ministerial Delegation and the Honourable Minister Piyush Goyal.

The AIBC has optimised several opportunities to host him in the past and we are happy to do so

again to celebrate this important milestone.”

India is the right partner for Australia and Australian businesses must look to India as a market to supply than a market for consumption. The CECA partnership between Australia and India will generate trade in many sectors. To facilitate and promote such bilateral engagements, AIBC has established 17 Industry chapters including the Agribusiness Chapter, ICT and Digital Chapter, Education and Skills Development Chapter, Sports Chapter, Healthcare Chapter, Make in India Chapter, Infrastructure Chapter, Energy Chapter and more. With the major changes in the Indian Defence procurement process and to facilitate Australian businesses to collaborate, AIBC has recently established a Defence

and Security Industry Chapter.

To particularly focus on commercial outcomes arising out of such business interactions, AIBC has established a commercial arm “Australia India Business Enterprise “(AIBE). Significant commercial opportunities have been identified by AIBE and a few projects have commenced successfully.

Mr Jim Varghese AM stated, “As we are coming out of the Covid 19 scenario and seeing the dramatic economic growth in the bilateral trade with CECA, AIBC is fully geared up to engage with both Australian and Indian businesses and stakeholders to continue to promote in a big way and facilitate business to business engagements in a significant manner in coming months of 2022 and beyond.”

Indian cultural event RHYTHM held in Sydney

S

wami Vivekanand Cultural Centre at the Consulate General of India, Sydney organised event RHYTHM - A vibrant evening of Indian culture, heritage and fashion at the iconic Powerhouse Museum last month.

Here are some glimpses from this event that showcased the colours, music, dance leaders of the Indian-Australian diaspora.

H.E. Manpreet Vohra attends ISWA’s Meet & Greet event in Perth

H

igh Commissioner Shri Manpreet Vohra attended a Meet & Greet event organised by the Indian Society of Western Australia (ISWA) at the newly built Indian Community Centre in Willetton, Perth.

H.E. Manpreet Vohra was received

by ISWA Vice President Shri Viranna Shatraddi and felicitated

by President Shri Supriya Guha, and later he met Indian diaspora members at the event.

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

Brooke revved up for a career in mining B

rooke McNee was born with a passion for performance vehicles in her veins.

“My grandma has always been into cars, she passed that passion onto my dad, and as soon as they took me to my first Summernats I was hooked,” Brooke said.

“Add to that growing up on a cane farm surrounded by a culture of big agricultural equipment, and there was no chance the McNee love of machinery and motorsport would skip a generation.”

Now the 22-year-old is about to jump behind the wheel of an 85 litre, 3,500 horsepower engine as one of 60 new trainee haul truck drivers at Bravus Mining and Resources’ Carmichael Mine.

The Burdekin local said getting to learn and qualify on Bravus’ fleet of Caterpillar 796 AC mining trucks was the “opportunity of a

lifetime”.

“I first began applying for mine operator roles in 2019 and when I wasn’t successful moved into a good job in real estate, which I really enjoyed,” she said.

“But when I saw this traineeship advertised I knew I had to apply.

“Not only is this my start in an amazing industry and working with massive, sophisticated machinery, it’s an opportunity that will open doors to other goals like building my first home.”

Bravus Mining and Resources CEO David Boshoff said Brooke and her peers would undertake a four-week program of deskbased and supervised on-the-job training, including both day and night shifts.

The 60 trainees will be employed

by Bravus’ mining services contractor MacKellar, and their

start dates will be staggered from the end of February through to May 2022.

“We’re delighted to continue to invest in regional Queenslanders and give Brooke and the other trainees a paid, structured, environment to kick start their career in mining,” Mr Boshoff said.

“We had just shy of 4,000 applications for these 60 positions, which shows people want to work in our industry and that the resources sector has access to an enthusiastic talent pool well into the future.”

Mr Boshoff said the Carmichael Project had provided more than 2,600 direct jobs and paid more than $1 billion to regional Queensland contractors and businesses since construction began.

Message for Ramadan 2022 Premier Palaszczuk hosts flood appeal event at Queensland Parliament T thanks for the ways that the Muslim Australian community has embodied the spirit of compassion and generosity that are so important during the month of Ramadan. Your efforts, particularly during the pandemic, have helped Australians to stay connected to each other and contributed to Australia’s national recovery.

M

y warmest greetings to our Muslim Australian community as you join with so many around the world in observing the holy month of Ramadan.

A focal point in the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is a time of prayer, fasting and contemplation, but also a time at which family and community come together to celebrate and nurture the things that are most important in life.

As you take this time to reaffirm your faith, may you also reflect on the core values of Islam that have guided and strengthened you, particularly through the challenges of the past two years.

At this time of reflection, I also convey my sincerest

Australia is proud to be home to more than 600,000 people of Islamic faith, who also represent a multitude of ethnicities and cultures, and share a diverse variety of Ramadan traditions.

Sharing our cultures and celebrating our differences is integral to our inclusive national identity, and the diversity of Ramadan traditions is no different.

This year, as we come out of a period of isolation and hardship, may the long days of fasting be once again rewarded with joyful celebrations with your loved ones and community.

I wish you all a blessed and peaceful Ramadan.

Ramadan Mubarak!

The Hon Alex Hawke MP Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs

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he Western Queensland Alliance of Councils, which represent 22 local government areas from the State’s Far North, to Queensland’s western border, on March 29 donated $105,500 to the Premier’s Flood Appeal.

The council members gathered in the evening at the Queensland Parliament’s Flood appeal event and donated the money through a cheque to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

The Premier had kick started a flood donation campaign in the beginning of March to help get flood affected Queenslanders back on their feet.

The Palaszczuk Government had promised at the start of the appeal last month that they will donate $2.1 million on behalf of Queenslanders which will be split between five charities $500,000 each to Australian Red Cross, Lifeline Queensland, The Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul Society to help in their recovery efforts.

A $100,000 donation is supposed to go to GIVIT, which is in addition to funding they have already been provided in 2021-22 and further bolsters the state’s disaster recovery.

“We know in times of disaster, the Queensland spirit shines brightest,” the Premier had said in the first week of March.

“We’ve seen it in our emergency crews and volunteers out saving lives in the middle of the flooding crisis.

“Mates helping mates and neighbours helping neighbours, that spirit is also in everyone involved in the incredible cleanup response underway.

“As we move into the recovery phase, our charities step in to provide critical services to help

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get Queenslanders back on their feet.

“So many people have lost their homes or had property damaged, experienced loss of support or work income, and are facing incredible hardship and challenges ahead.

“That Queensland spirit also comes from the generosity of Queenslanders who dig deep to help those in times of need.

“Every donation counts, no matter how small and I encourage Queenslanders who would like to help to make a donation to a registered charity.”

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

Yogi enters second term creating history and belying myths IANS

power in the 1989 Uttar Pradesh

Sthal, ignoring the Noida jinx.

Assembly election. He also visited Noida as chief minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, however, visited Noida to inaugurate Delhi Metro's Magenta Line on December 25, 2017.

The two Noida-jinxed losses weighed heavily on the minds of the chief ministers subsequently and they all favoured skipping Noida visits.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, Kalyan Singh and Rajnath Singh stayed away from Noida as chief Lucknow, March 25 (IANS): When Yogi Adityanath took oath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second consecutive term on March 25, he created history, broke a jinx and belied myths.

As the first chief minister in 37 years to return to power with an overwhelming majority, Yogi Adityanath has already created history.

By the time he completes his second term, he will become the longest serving chief minister of the country's most populous state.

Yogi Adityanath's return to power has also broken the infamous Noida jinx that kept chief ministers away from the district.

This 'Noida jinx' gained currency in the state politics after the then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Vir Bahadur Singh was forced to resign in 1988, only a few days after he visited Noida.

Vir Bahadur Singh's successor Narain Dutt Tiwari lost

ministers of Uttar Pradesh.

Mulayam Singh Yadav was the first chief minister following the ouster of Vir Bahadur Singh and Narain Dutt Tiwari after Noida visits in 1980s, to bypass Noida.

That was Mulayam Singh Yadav's first term as Uttar Pradesh chief minister from 1989 to 1991.

Rajnath Singh, too, inaugurated Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) flyover as Uttar Pradesh chief minister from Delhi, not Noida in 2001.

Similarly, Akhilesh Yadav skipped the Asian Development Bank (ADB) summit that had the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the chief guest in Noida in 2013.

Earlier in 2012, Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated the Yamuna Expressway from Lucknow even though the 165-km highway runs from Greater Noida to Agra, about 350-km from Lucknow.

Akhilesh Yadav had become chief minister after Mayawati lost power in 2012. She had incidentally visited Noida as Uttar Pradesh chief minister in 2011 to inaugurate the Dalit Smarak

Modi had then scoffed at the Noida jinx saying, "Yogi Adityanath deserves adulation for dismissing superstition that a chief minister should not visit Noida." The BJP led by Modi won the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Yogi Adityanath too kept visiting Noida even during the election campaign.

In November 2021, Yogi Adityanath told a public gathering during inauguration of the Jewar airport, "My predecessors used to shy away from visiting this district as their own life and position of power were more important to them." Yogi Adityanath's return to power has also belied the myth of Kalidas Marg where the official residence of the chief minister is situated.

It was widely believed that chief ministers did not enjoy consecutive terms because of the Kalidas 'curse' -- the famous Sanskrit poet known to have cut the branch he was sitting onwhich made the residents of the Kalidas Marg bungalow work against their own interests.

All five AAP candidates from Punjab elected to Rajya Sabha Chandigarh, March 24 (IANS): All five Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates from Punjab for an equal number of Rajya Sabha seats were elected unopposed on March 24, Returning Officercum-Assembly Secretary, Surinder Pal, said.

On the last day of withdrawing nomination papers for the election, no candidate withdrew the paper.

Those who have been elected were politicians Sandeep Kumar Pathak and Raghav Chadha (both in the first cycle) and ex-cricketer Harbhajan Singh, educationist Ashok Mittal, and businessman Sanjeev Arora (all in the second cycle).

The AAP had registered a landslide victory in Punjab Assembly elections 2022, winning 92 seats in the 117-member Assembly.

Chadha, who is the party’s Punjab affairs co-in-charge, is a confidant of AAP’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, Chadha won from

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Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituency and became an MLA. He is also the Vice-Chairman of the Delhi Jal Board.

Pathak joined the party to contribute to Kejriwal’s dream of a corruption-free India.

He has been working and strengthening the party by staying behind the scenes for many years now.

Famous cricketer and former India off-spin bowler Harbhajan Singh played for the Indian cricket team from 1998 to 2016 and made a special place in the hearts of the people of the country with his amazing and unique bowling.

Mittal, founder and Chancellor of Lovely Professional University,

is known for his work and social service in the field of higher education.

Born in a normal family, Mittal achieved success on the basis of his hard work and ability and achieved so much.

To contribute to the education sector in Punjab, he established Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, and it became one of the largest universities in India, drawing students from more than 50 countries.

Arora, an eminent businessman of Ludhiana, runs the Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Charitable Trust. He founded it after his parents lost their lives due to cancer and treated more than 160 cancer patients free of cost.

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NEWS FROM INDIA

Properties in J&K sheltering militants to be attached Srinagar, March 24: In a major development, Jammu and Kashmir Police on March 24 started the process of attaching immovable properties used to provide shelter to militants or where conspiracies were hatched to attack security forces and civilians.

“Process has started for attachment of some immovable properties which have been used for the purpose of militancy as per section 2(g) & 25 of ULP Act. Don’t give shelter or harbour militants/associates. Legal action will be supplemented by property attachments as per law,” Srinagar police posted on its official Twitter handle.

SSP, Srinagar, Rakesh Balwal told some reporters that the houses

where encounters took place, and houses where militants took shelter and planned attacks on the security forces and the civilians will be attached.

“So far, during 2020-2021, over one dozen such houses have been identified in downtown, Soura, Pantha Chowk, Batmaloo, Nowgam, Harwan etc,” he said.

The process of attachment of such properties is being started from Srinagar district in the Valley.

Vijayan expresses happiness after meeting PM, Congress smells a rat New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, March 24: On a day of fastpaced developments, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed happiness after his long meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on the K-Rail project on March 24, though the Congress in Kerala seems to be smelling a rat.

“The meeting with the PM was excellent. He gave us a patient hearing and the response was encouraging. Overall, it was a positive feeling and we expect the Centre will give us the sanction for our K-Rail project,” said Vijayan.

The Chief Minister also dismissed the protests going on in the southern state against the K-Rail project as “stage managed”.

“We know that the people are with us, as our track record speaks of our development agenda for the state. People believe us and the protests going on in the state are scripted. We assure the people that the ongoing survey is being done for social impact assessment, and not for land acquisition.

“Once the survey ends, only then would a decision be taken on land acquisition, and when it’s done, we will invite the people losing their land and inform them on what they will be getting. We will not harm a single person,” said Vijayan, as he thanked Modi for giving him the time to discuss the matter.

Explaining the financing of the project, Vijayan said its cost will come to Rs 63,941 crore, of which Rs 33,700 crore will come from various financial institutions, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank, to name a few.

The Rs 13,362 crore funds for the proposed cost of acquisition of land will come from HUDCO, KIIFB and state government, while the balance after loans from

the funding agencies will come from the Railways -- Rs 3,125 crore -- Rs 3,253 crore will come from the state government and Rs 4,252 crore form the public, said Vijayan.

Minutes before the meeting began, protesting Kerala Congress MPs were allegedly roughed up by the Delhi police inside the Parliament.

As the news trickled in, numerous protests were witnessed across the state with angry Congress workers clashing with the state police.

At a few places, the local people were seen protesting against the K-Rail officials who had come to lay the marking stones for the project.

Meanwhile, reacting to Vijayan’s meeting with Modi, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said that hectic preparations were going on for this meeting at the highest level among the Sangh Parivar forces, as there seems to be some sort of “unholy alliance” between the BJP and the CPI-M. “The proposal submitted for this project is misleading and the figures are all fudged so as to present a rosy picture. Vijayan is deceiving the people of Kerala by painting a rosy picture of the project. We want answers to the questions which we have raised about this project. We will not allow this project to go forward as this will bring untold miseries to the state as it’s not a feasible one,” said Satheesan.

If completed, the K-Rail project will see a 529.45 km corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod with semi highspeed trains covering the distance in around four hours.

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NEWS FROM INDIA

Following meeting with G-23 leaders, Sonia Efforts on to conduct seeks reports on situation in various states Winter Session in new Parliament building: MoS Parliament building will be ready

by October,” Kishore said.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on March 21, Kishore had shared the status and progress of various ongoing works under the Central Vista Master Plan.

New Delhi, March 24: With plans afoot to hold the Winter Session of Parliament in the new building, the Union government aims to complete the construction of the new Parliament complex by October this year.

Kaushal Kishore, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Housing and Urban Affairs, told IANS that efforts are on to conduct the Winter Session of Parliament in the new building this year.

“Construction of the new Parliament building is underway as part of the Central Vista Project, and we are confident of completing the work by October.

We are putting in all efforts to complete the project by October so that the Winter Session can be held at the new Parliament building,” Kishore said.

Construction of the new Parliament building has achieved 44 per cent physical progress so far.

The minister admitted that the work was slowed down due to the Covid pandemic, but now it has picked up pace and should be completed by October as per the schedule.

“In Covid period, the work was slowed down. Now the construction work is going at a good pace and the new

“Under the Master Plan, the new Parliament building has achieved about 44 per cent physical progress and so far the government has spent Rs 480 crore on the project,” the minister had said.

Kishore also informed the Upper House that about 80 per cent work of ‘Redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue’ has been completed till now, and the government has spent Rs 441 crore on it.

“The Vice President’s Enclave and the common Central Secretariat buildings have achieved 3 percent physical progress and the government has spent Rs 9 crore and Rs 243 crore on them so far, respectively,” Kishore had said.

The minister informed the Rajya Sabha that Rs 419.55 crore has been spent on various works under the Central Vista Master Plan since commencement of work in 2020-21.

“Rs 1,423.00 crore is the likely expenditure on the projects in 2021-22 and Rs 2,285 is the likely expenditure in 2022-23,” the minister had said.

Kishore further stated that all the projects are monitored regularly by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Central Public Works Department on a weekly basis to avoid delays and any inconvenience to the general public.

Modi meets leading Sikh intellectual voices

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 met a delegation of leading Sikh intellectual voices from across the country at his official residence here.

The meeting witnessed freewheeling interaction by the Prime Minister with the delegation on diverse topics like farmer welfare, youth empowerment, drug free society, National Educational Policy, skilling, employment, technology and Punjab’s overall development trajectory.

The Prime Minister, while expressing his happiness at meeting the delegation, said the intellectuals are opinion makers of the society.

Urging the members of the

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delegation to engage and educate the public and work towards making the citizenry properly informed, he emphasised the importance of the spirit of unity which acts as the central pillar amidst the wide and beautiful diversity of our country.

The Prime Minister talked about the significance of education in mother tongue.

“Efforts are being made to develop professional courses in Indian languages so that higher education in mother tongue becomes reality,” the Prime Minister said.

It is learnt that the delegation thanked the Prime Minister for the invitation and said that they had never imagined that the Prime Minister of the country would engage with them in such an informal setting.

They also appreciated the continuous and multiple steps taken by the Prime Minister for the betterment of Sikh community.

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS): Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, who has taken a proactive role since the banner of revolt raised by the ‘G-23’ group against the party’s current system of working, has sought reports from the General Secretaries and state incharges about the political situation in the states they handle, sources said.

A meeting of the party functionaries who have been given state-specific responsibilities was called on March 26.

Gandhi, ahead of the ‘Chintan Shivir’ (brain-storming camp) proposed for April, wants these reports handy and to put forth a plan for the revival of the party as she has to come out and actively involve herself in the party

functioning in wake of the dismal performance in the latest round of Assembly elections.

Though the G-23 has not opened up about the two rounds of the meeting with the Congress President, first with its senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and second with Manish Tewari, Anand Sharma, and Vivek Tankha, sources say that the group is pushing for revival of the parliamentary board and collective decision-making body, rather than giving sweeping powers to certain individuals who have been losing election after elections.

Reaching out to the dissidents by her meetings with G-23 leaders to discuss the proposals mooted by them, Gandhi is putting her best effort to put a united

face in the party. She has also been successful in persuading the group not to press on the leadership issue.

Azad, who had met the party chief on March 18, had said that there was no vacancy currently for the post of President, nobody asked her to quit, and all wanted her to continue.

The group has also distanced itself from the views of senior party leader and fellow G-23 leader Kapil Sibal on leadership change.

Mamata Banerjee in damage control mode Kolkata, March 25 (IANS): In a damage control mode, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee not only ordered the arrest of Trinamool Congress (TMC) block President Anirul Hossain for his involvement in the Birbhum violence incident but also slammed the local police for not acting in time.

allegedly triggered by the killing of local party member and reputed strongman, Bhadu Sheikh on March 21 evening.

Three hours after Banerjee ordered the arrest of Hossain while on a visit to the site of the violence at the Bagtui village in Birbhum district, the latter was taken into custody.

In the Trinamool Congress, he is said to have been recognised for organising grassroots support for the party. He has been handling the block President’s post since 2018.

In her statement at the site, the Chief Minister said, “The kin of the victims said they telephoned Anirul and asked him to send police to Bagtui but he didn’t.”

“I want him (Hossain) arrested.

He can surrender but, otherwise, I want him to be arrested immediately,” Banerjee told the state Director General of Police Manoj Malviya at Bagtui.

Hossain is the first TMC leader to be put behind bars for the gruesome violence that was

A resident of Sandhipur in Bengal’s Hooghly district, the TMC block President is said to have worked as a mason before he started his political career with the Congress.

The Chief Minister also slammed the local police for not acting in time and said the problem could have been averted if the police responded to the calls.

“This incident could have been avoided if the police had gone immediately. They did not fulfill their responsibility. Action must be taken against those who knowingly did not perform their duty,” Banerjee said.

However, the TMC supremo refused to rule out the involvement of outsiders in the

Birbhum violence.

She said, “Police officials are investigating all sides. They are probing who all are involved.

Was it done locally or whether outsiders were involved in it?

Police have to check all angles.”

“The Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) knew what was happening, the Inspector In-Charge (IC) knew what was happening but didn’t take any action,” Mamata Banerjee added.

“There is a larger conspiracy here. I want police picketing here continuously.”

Both the SDPO and IC have been suspended.

However, there are indications that the state administration is likely to take stricter action to instill confidence among the people.

There are strong speculations that Birbhum Superintendent of Police Nagendra Tripathy might be suspended soon and Dritiman Sarkar, who is presently posted in Bankura, could take over the charge of Birbhum.

Delhi riots conspiracy case: Court rejects bail plea of Umar Khalid New Delhi, March 24 (IANS): A Delhi court on March 24 dismissed the bail application of former JNU student-activist Umar Khalid in a case related to the alleged “larger conspiracy” behind the Delhi riots.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat had deferred the pronouncement of its verdict for the third time on March 23, stating that it was ‘under correction’.

The order, which was to be originally pronounced on March 14, had been listed for March 21.

But the court deferred it following the filing of written notes by the prosecution and posted for March 23.

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On March 3, a bench had reserved its order after hearing the submissions of parties in the matter.

Opposing the bail plea, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad argued on the relevance of the speech given by Umar Khalid in Amravati in February 2020.

He said the bail application was rejected on February 11, pointing out that the announcement of Donald Trump visiting India came on the same day.

During the course of the hearing, Khalid’s counsel, opposing the charges under the Indian Penal Code and UAPA, termed the charge sheet a “work of fiction”.

He argued that the speech given

by Khalid was about Gandhi, harmony, and the Constitution, and it was not a crime. After the submissions, the court had reserved the order.

Khalid, one of the accused in the conspiracy case, has been booked under the anti-terror law -- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The riots broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020 after clashes between the antiCAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and pro-CAA protesters took a violent turn.

The mayhem, which coincided with the then US President Donald Trump’s maiden trip to India, saw over 50 people lose their lives and over 700 injured.

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INDIA NEWS

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA

Govt dismisses concerns Epidemiology, tourism experts over SA poll result welcome Australia’s border opening IANS

Canberra, March 21 (IANS): Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce on March 21 dismissed concerns over the South Australian (SA) election result in which the ruling party was defeated by the opposition.

The South Australian Labor Party on March 19 defeated the governing Liberals in a landslide election victory to win power, reports Xinhua news agency.

It marked the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic that an opposition has defeated an incumbent government at an election in Australia and came weeks before the federal election, where Labor is hoping to unseat the Liberals from government after nine years.

Despite the heavy loss, Joyce said that the issues that decided the SA election won’t be a factor in the general election, saying that Australia must “become as strong as possible” on defence, exports and infrastructure.

“And I believe the Australian people will make a choice that the most competent group to do that is the Coalition,” he told local

media.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who did not campaign for the Liberals in SA, on March 20 paid tribute to outgoing state Premier Steven Marshall but rejected that the result would have implications for his government.

However, Labor’s national president, former Treasurer Wayne Swan, said the result was “a clear message that voters have had enough of Liberal governments that are out of touch with their lives”.

Labor currently leads Morrison’s Coalition 55-45 on a two-party preferred basis.

SA Labor, led by new Premier Peter Malinauskas, is set to win at least 26 of the 47 seats in the lower house of the state’s Parliament.

Marshall on March 20 announced his resignation as leader of the SA Liberals.

Currently of the six states and two territories in Australia, premiers of New South Wales (NSW) and Tasmania are from the Liberal Party.

Morrison announces additional $44mn to boost tourism Canberra, March 22 (IANS): Prime Minister Scott Morrison on March 22 announced an additional A$60 million ($44 million) in funding aimed at luring international visitors back to the country following two years of Covidrelated border closures.

Of the funding, A$45 million will be spent on a Tourism Australia marketing campaign for regional destinations hit the hardest by the loss of international tourism, with the remaining A$15 million to go towards promoting the iconic Great Barrier Reef, reports Xinhua news agency.

Australia’s borders reopened to fully vaccinated international tourists on February 21 about 700 days after they were closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

“The return of our international tourism market will support hundreds of thousands of tourism

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jobs, strengthen our economy,” Morrison said in a statement.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in the 202021 financial year, tourism gross domestic product (GDP) fell to 37.9 percent in chain volume terms, the contribution of which to the country’s total GDP fell from 2.6 percent to 1.6 percent.

Meanwhile, persons employed in the sector decreased by 20.3 per cent to 507,000 people.

Due to border closures, the number of international arrivals in Australia fell from about 8.7 million in 2019 to 245,770 in 2021.

Dan Tehan, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, flagged further future support for the industry.

Australia on March 22 reported more than 40,000 new Covid-19 cases and 20 deaths.

Canberra, March 18 (IANS): Epidemiology and tourism experts have welcomed Australia’s move to open the country’s borders after nearly two years since they were first closed during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.

quarantine facilities for returning Australians.

It has been nearly a month since February 21 when Australia’s borders opened to all travellers who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, Xinhua news agency reported on March 18.

Queensland opened a custombuilt quarantine facility in January.

It marked an end to the “Fortress Australia” approach to the coronavirus pandemic, which began more than 700 days earlier when Prime Minister Scott Morrison closed the border to all non-citizens and residents from March 20, 2020 and imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine period for arrivals.

Along with strict lockdowns, the border closure has been credited with Australia’s relative success in managing COVID-19, with the country reporting approximately 30,000 cases in the first year of the pandemic.

However, the federal government faced widespread criticism for failing to repatriate Australians who were left stuck overseas due to caps on international arrivals that were introduced to ease pressure on the hotel quarantine system.

Matthew Mason, an expert in infectious diseases and infection prevention expert at the University of the Sunshine Coast, told Xinhua on March 18 that he welcomes the idea of easing border restrictions.

“We did have a lot of people who should have been able to come home,” he said. “I think the limits that we put on were probably in excess of what was needed.”

In September 2020, Morrison promised that by Christmas on December 25 the government would repatriate all 24,000 Australians overseas who had registered with embassies to return home.

By November the figure had increased to 36,875, with 8,070 considered vulnerable, where it remained until March 2021.

Mason was critical of the amount of time it took the government to set up dedicated

For a long time, Howard Springs, a former mining camp on the outskirts of Darwin, was Australia’s only dedicated quarantine facility for international arrivals.

Victoria opened its own quarantine hub on February 19, two days before the border re-opened to tourists, following a funding dispute between the federal and state governments.

“They had to be up and running a lot earlier so that we could have some international travel,” Mason, who works with the World Health Organization via the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network program, said.

In addition to allowing for the free return of Australians to the country, the easing of border restrictions also marks the start of the recovery for the nation’s tourism industry.

At the time the borders were closed in 2020 Treasurer Josh Frydenberg acknowledged that the restrictions would have a significant impact on tourism.

The protracted closure has crippled the industry.

According to Tourism Australia, a government agency, tourism in Australia was a driver of economic growth, with domestic and international tourism spending A$122 billion in the 2018-19 financial year.

In the 12 months to June 2019, about 9.3 million international travellers visited the country, who injected A$44.6 billion into Australia’s economy.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), there were 245,770 visitor arrivals in 2021, down 86.6 percent in the previous year.

As a result, the value of the tourism industry fell 41 per cent to A$81 billion in the financial year 2020-21.

Before the pandemic the Chinese mainland and New Zealand were Australia’s biggest tourism markets, with 1.3 million people from each origin visiting Australia in 2019.

However, while travellers from New Zealand spent a combined A$2.6 billion in Australia in 2019, those from China spent A$12.4 billion, significantly more than those from any other country.

Even with borders opened, experts have forecast that it could take 18 months before international visitor numbers return to pre-pandemic levels.

The federal government on March 15 further eased Australia’s border restrictions by announcing that the country’s ban on the arrival of large international cruise ships will be lifted after more than two years.

Before the ban the cruise ship industry employed 18,000 Australians, with more than 600,000 international visitors arriving on cruises in the financial year 2018-19.

The move was welcomed by the industry, which previously criticized the government for failing to lift the ban at the same time it opened the border to planes in February.

When the ban is lifted, it will mark an end to Australia’s travel restrictions for all fully vaccinated travellers.

“It’s about A$5.2 billion and about 18,000 direct jobs,” John Hart, executive chair of the Australian Chamber for Tourism, told the Australian Associated Press (AAP) about the value of the cruise industry.

“But it’s not just that that’s important. It’s important that on embarkation we get all sorts of accommodation bookings, as we do bookings for restaurants, attractions, at all the ports of call,” he said. “It’s a massive contribution to our tourism ecosystem.”

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AI-powered app to protect Australia from invasive stink bugs

Dams needed to boost Australia’s flood resilience: PM

The app, developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) for the federal government, uses AI to help biosecurity officials identify brown marmorated stink bugs before they can enter the environment, Xinhua news agency reported.

bug from different angles, the AI model in the app identifies the species and shows how likely it is to be correct.

“The app also has species profiles with example images and species information. Users can record a photo of the bug, its identification and the geographic coordinates and local time to help build out the database and inform biosecurity responses.”

It is currently being trialed by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) at quarantine stations.

Australia has approximately 600 named stink bug species but the invasive brown marmorated stink bug could threaten more than 300 native plant species if it enters the country in addition to apples, stone fruit, hazelnut and grain crops.

Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn, a CSIRO taxonomist, said AI used the CSIRO’s insect database to identify the stink bug.

It commonly breeds in well-lit areas such as car plants and can be spread by hibernating in vehicles awaiting export.

“We’re taking detailed digital images of the stink bugs in our insect collection, including using a 3D imaging system to take photographs from many angles,” he said in a statement.

“This app will help our biosecurity officers tell invasive species apart from our own native species, a uniquely Australian solution to a unique Australian challenge,” Larry Marshall, chief executive of the CSIRO, said.

“Using a smartphone camera to zoom in or out and look at the

Australia opens new lab to bolster bushfire resilience

Canberra, March 13 (IANS): Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on March 13 called for more dams to be built to boost the country’s flood resilience, acknowledging the role of climate change in the catastrophic flooding that has hit the country’s northeast.

However, he said that instead of focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, more needed to be done to mitigate the impacts of future floods and fires, reports Xinhua news agency.

Canberra, March 16: Researchers from Australia’s national science agency have developed an app powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to keep invasive stink bugs out of the country.

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA

At least 20 people have died and thousands of buildings have been destroyed in floods that began late in February when parts of Queensland and New South Wales received a year’s worth of rain in a matter of days.

“Dealing with climate change isn’t just about getting emissions down, it’s about resilience and adaptation,” he told Nine Network television.

“You want to deal with resilience on bushfires, you have to do fuel load management,” he said.

“You want to deal with floods, you have to build dams.”

The federal government has been criticized for failing to immediately deploy resources including the Australian Defense Force (ADF) to the flood zone.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has rejected federal assistance, saying it was offered too late and criticizing Morrison for funding only three of the 20 flood mitigation measures she has proposed since November 2020.

In response, Morrison said the federal government deployed resources as quickly as it could.

Canberra, March 17 (IANS): Australia’s national science agency on March 17 announced that it has opened a new lab to bolster the country’s ability to respond to and recover from bushfires.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) officially opened the National Bushfire Behaviour Research laboratory in Canberra, reports Xinhua news agency.

Researchers at the A$2.1 million facility will be tasked with improving the understanding of how bushfires behave, what makes them worse and the best ways to respond.

“Bushfires are one of Australia’s greatest challenges, and it will take the best science, facilities and partnerships across industry, government and research to help to protect our communities, front-line responders, and environment,” CSIRO Chief Executive Larry Marshall said in a statement.

During the 2019-20 ‘Black Summer’ fires, CSIRO scientists worked side by side with teams on the ground, as they have been for nearly every major fire event since 1950s to better prepare for and manage bushfire seasons that are getting hotter, drier, and

longer, he said.

“Challenges this complex cannot be solved by one organisation alone, and we look forward to bringing many partners together at this new National Lab - as we do at all our National Labs facilities across the country - to continue building the resilience and strength of our communities and economy.”

More than 24 million hectares of land burned during the Black Summer fires and 34 people died, prompting a royal commission into Australia’s preparedness for natural disasters.

The new laboratory features a Pyrotron and Vertical Wind Tunnel - apparatus that can be used to replicate real-life bushfires in controlled conditions for detailed analysis.

“The new laboratory will help us better understand fundamental bushfire behavior dynamics, and the factors and interactions that influence the behaviour of bushfires, to support their management by firefighters,” Andrew Sullivan, a CSIRO bushfire expert, said.

“The apparatus in the new laboratory can also help researchers and fire management agencies to better understand and manage fires under future climate conditions.”

Govt investing in Australia-India relationship services export market, valued at $16.9 billion. In 2020, India was Australia’s third largest market for services exports.

As part of the Update to the India Economic Strategy to 2035 launched today, the Government will provide additional investment in the relationship including: $16.6 million to strengthen linkages with India’s key policy and finance institutions.

Mar 22, 2022: The Morrison Government is investing over $280 million to boost cooperation with India, to further grow our economic relationship and support jobs and businesses in both countries.

India is already an important economic and security partner in the Indo-Pacific. In 2020, India was Australia’s seventh largest trading partner, with two-way trade valued at $24.3 billion, and sixth largest goods and

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$8.9 million to support enhanced business engagement and an increased Austrade presence in India.

Overnight Prime Ministers Morrison and Modi held a Virtual Leaders Meeting, where Australia committed: $17.2 million to extend the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund to continue supporting a world-class relationship and establish an Australia-India Innovation and Technology Challenge.

$35.7 million for a Green Steel Partnership, a Critical Minerals Research Partnership, and a contribution to the International Energy Agency to support cooperation on research, production and commercialisation of clean technologies, critical minerals and energy. $25.2 million to expand the Australian Space Agency’s International Space Investment initiative to deepen space cooperation with India.

$28.1 million to launch a Centre for Australia-India Relations to deepen community ties, promote public discussions and policy dialogue, and engage the Indian diaspora.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said the Morrison Government was investing to grow the AustraliaIndia economic, trade and investment relationship.

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“India and Australia share common values, complementary economies and strong people-topeople links that make us ideal partners,” Mr Tehan said.

“Our partnership with India is vital as we both strive for stronger, sustainable economic growth and more secure and diversified trade and investment patterns and supply chains.

“The Government remains committed to the India Economic Strategy and its ambitious goals: to lift India into our top three export markets by 2035, and to make India the third largest destination in Asia for outward Australian investment.

The Update represents a five-year action plan that responds to the evolving opportunities for both countries, building on Australia’s traditional strengths and forging new partnerships in emerging areas of cooperation such as critical minerals; cyber and

critical technology; science and innovation.

The Government today also publishes the Australia’s Indian Diaspora, a national asset report which highlights the contribution Australia’s Indian diaspora communities are making to Australian society.

“Australia’s Indian community is young and highly educated and well represented across services and STEM sectors with strong export potential,” Mr Tehan said.

“Indian diaspora networks can make important contributions to our trade and investment relationship with India, and also to Australia’s international competitiveness generally.”

The Indian diaspora is Australia’s fastest growing large diaspora community. The Indian-born population became Australia’s second-largest overseas-born migrant group behind the UKborn at 721,050-strong in 2020.

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NEWS FROM QUEENSLAND

Nominations open for Multicultural Queensland Awards contributions of those who support and promote a united, harmonious, and inclusive Queensland.

Brisbane, March 28: Nominations for the 2022 Multicultural Queensland Awards opened today. Individuals and organisations supporting people from diverse backgrounds across the state are encouraged to apply.

Minister for Multicultural Affairs Leanne Linard said the awards are a wonderful opportunity to recognise the valuable

“The last few months have been particularly tough for Queensland. I am delighted to celebrate the incredible achievements of those committed to providing pathways for Queenslanders of all backgrounds to contribute and belong,” she said.

“All of last year’s Multicultural Queensland Award winners and highly commended nominees show us that everyone has something to contribute. When we all contribute, we help strengthen Queensland’s local communities.

“If you know of an organisation or individual who is working hard to

break down barriers and create a sense of belonging, now is the time to nominate them.”

The 2021 awards ceremony held at the Queensland Museum last November, celebrated worthy winners such as 15-yearold Zimra Hussein for her outstanding contribution as the first Muslim woman to play for the Brisbane Lions AFL women’s team.

“Being recognised for the award was such a blessing as I’ve always been so passionate about everything I do – and it’s motivated me to do more,” she said.

“I’m focused on getting more Muslim girls to play sport and do whatever they love.

“An important role I play in

Almost 500 people caught a day by hi-tech camera technology Brisbane, March 26: In just under two weeks (25 January – 7 February), nearly 500 people were caught a day for not wearing a seatbelt or using their phone behind the wheel.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey was shocked to see the latest round of figures.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable that we’ve seen 6,288 people caught red-handed by new mobile phone and seatbelt cameras between 25 January and 7 February – nearly 500 per day,” Mr Bailey said.

“Since 1 November (2021), the cameras have caught a total of 37,594 people who are flouting the road rules.

“These people have a clear lack of regard for themselves and those around them.

“Drivers have known these cameras were coming, and had a three-month warning period, yet 26,491 people have continued to use their phone behind the wheel.

“What’s even more concerning is that over 11,000 people aren’t wearing a seatbelt, or are wearing one incorrectly.”

Mr Bailey reiterated that these cameras can be anywhere, anytime, across the whole state.

“It’s time unsafe drivers in Queensland realise it is only a matter of time until they’re caught and fined heavily for driving distracted or not wearing a seat belt,” he said.

“We’re cracking down on phone fiends and those not wearing seatbelts – with new anywhere anytime high-tech cameras and heavy fines.

“We know using a phone while driving is the equivalent of getting behind the wheel with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.07 – 0.10 - it’s just not on.

“What we’ve seen once again is an overrepresentation of regional Queensland in our state-wide statistics so I’m urging drivers, put down the phone, and clip up the seatbelt, or you will be caught.

“On average 29 people are killed and 1284 seriously injured each year on Queensland roads as a result of crashes where driver distraction played a part.

“Last year almost 40 per cent of lives lost and people seriously injured in road crashes where they weren’t wearing a seatbelt occurred outside significant urban areas.

“Given only 15 per cent of

Queensland’s population live outside significant urban areas, this is a large over-representation and one this initiative aims to reduce.”

Olympians Natalie Cook and Patrick Johnson will join the Premier and Deputy Premier on the board.

The Premier said planning for the Games could not be in better hands than Olympians who are Queenslanders to the core.

“Nat is from Townsville and Patrick was actually born on a speedboat on the way to the maternity ward in Cairns,” the Premier said.

“I have said from the start that I want all of Queensland to share in the pride of hosting our own

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Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Nat and Patrick have regional Queensland in their DNA. “They are also world class athletes.

“The first job of an Olympics is to give the athletes a stage where they can perform at their best which makes Nat and Patrick’s input so important.”

Natalie Cook and her partner Kerri Pottharst won bronze in in beach volleyball at the Atlanta Olympics and gold in Sydney in 2000.

Patrick Johnson grew up on his father’s fishing trawler and didn’t start running until his 20s.

He is the current Oceania and Australian record holder in the 100m with a time of 9.93 sec – the first person of non-African

“I want parents to see me and think – if she can do it, my daughter can as well.”

Beny Bol was also recognised for his tireless work as the President of the Queensland African Communities Council and advocate for Queenslanders of African background.

Other winners were Habib Jamal for his ongoing mission in unifying the diverse Muslim community and Pushing Barriers, an organisation helping refugee youth feel connected through participating in community sport.

“These tough penalties hit offenders where it hurts – their wallet,” he said.

“It’s simple. If you don’t want a fine, don’t break the rules.

“The funds from distracted driver cameras, as with all camera detected offences, are reinvested in road safety initiatives and education programs.

“This year alone, we have over $1.7 billion invested in road safety initiatives to prioritise road safety upgrades, improve driver education, make school zones safer and develop policies to reduce road crashes and trauma.

“Thanks to this investment, we can roll out new technologies like the school zone and roadworks cameras and the successful StreetSmarts initiative, which has brought us campaigns like #LiftLegend and Drive smarter, not faster.”

heritage to break the 10 second barrier.

Both are charged with ensuring ALL of Queensland shares in the pride of the 2032 Games.

“The Olympics changes people’s lives,” Nat said.

“Soon, we will go out into the regions identifying the 10, 11 and 12 year olds who will compete in 2032 as part of our You-for-2032 campaign.

“I know the power of sport to inspire and uplift.

“That’s especially true of these games because they are so close to home.”

Patrick, the proud son of a Kaanju mother, has his sites set on spreading the Olympic spirit in Queensland’s remote indigenous and Torres Strait Islander

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This year the award categories are: • Outstanding Contribution by a New Queenslander

• Diversity and Inclusion Champion • Multicultural Sector Outstanding Achiever • Minister’s Multicultural Award - for the outstanding achievements of a nominee, selected by the Minister from all nominations.

Nominations close on Sunday 1 May 2022 and winners will be announced during Multicultural Queensland Month in August. For more information, to nominate or to download the nomination form visit www.qld.gov.au/MQA.

Morrison government challenged to deliver a fair health deal for Queensland

Mr Bailey made no apologies for hitting drivers with $1033 fines when caught on the phone behind the wheel.

Key nominees for Olympic Board announced Brisbane, March 28: Premier and Minister for the Olympics, Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced key nominees to the board organising Queensland’s 2032 OIympic and Paralympic Games.

this is to change families’ perspectives about girls in sporting environments because in Afghanistan and Pakistan there’s stigma around women being outdoorsy or physical.

Brisbane, March 27: Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Yvette D’Ath said the Morrison government needed to immediately commit to a fairer health funding model in the upcoming budget, including an even 50/50 split towards the cost of running Queensland’s public health system.

“This Tuesday, Scott Morrison and his Treasurer can deliver Queensland the health funding it needs,” the Minister said.

“As things currently stand, Queensland is bearing the cost of 55 per cent versus the Commonwealth’s 45 per cent.

“As fewer Queenslanders can access GPs, there is more and more pressure on our hospitals.

“Increasing the Commonwealth’s funding contribution to 50 per cent will mean we can create more beds, hire more doctors, nurses and health workers and deliver more services.

“Queensland isn’t alone in calling for more Commonwealth funding. communities.

“The Olympic motto is faster, higher, stronger, together,” Patrick said.

“The most important word is ‘together’.

“The Olympics and Paralympics have always been about promoting peace and togetherness through sport.

“I’m looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape the Queensland version of this amazing event.”

Stirling Hinchliffe, Minister for Sport and Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympic and

“All the States and Territories, regardless of their political persuasion, have been calling on the Morrison government demanding a fair 50/50 funding split.

“We also want to see the federal budget fund care packages for the almost 600 Queenslanders in public hospital beds who would be better placed in more appropriate care settings.

“That’s why we want to see a fair share of health funding from the Morrison government on Tuesday.”

The Palaszczuk Government is calling on the Commonwealth to use Tuesday’s Federal Budget to deliver the meaningful reforms that they have neglected since 2013: • o 50/50 funding for the public health system o Removal of 6.5 per cent growth cap on health funding o Fix Primary Care o Ensure people who require aged and disability care are getting access to accommodation rather than getting stuck living in our hospitals o Restoring the coalition’s 30 per cent cut to the National Partnership Agreement on Public Dental Services

Paralympic Sport Engagement will chair the powerful Legacy Committee.

It includes 12 people from across Queensland looking at the long term benefits of the Games.

The Premier’s announcement completes her nominees to the 22 member Organising Committee for the Olympic Games Board.

Five more independent directors, agreed to by the Premier and Prime Minister, derived from an international search will be announced soon.

It is anticipated all board nominees will go before Cabinet next Monday.

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More projects to boost regional recovery Melbourne, March 29: The Andrews Labor Government is investing in a suite of new projects across regional and rural Victoria to deliver the infrastructure that locals and visitors need.

Minister for Regional Development Mary-Anne Thomas today visited the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BADAC) to announce a $2.6 million grant, one of many projects funded through the Regional Infrastructure Fund – Round 2.

The Cooperative plans to develop a culturally safe, independent living community for local Aboriginal Elders. The grant will support the construction of selfcontained units, a large central hall for community meals as well as gardens and cultural spaces.

Elders will be fully engaged in the design of the village, which will be able to house up to 16 residents.

This project builds on support provided by BADAC to Aboriginal

Victorians across five local government areas in western Victoria. The Cooperative delivers health, social and community development programs to Aboriginal people – including more than 700 people aged 45 and over who need culturally sensitive support as they get older.

BADAC’s new village is just one of a range of new projects to be announced in coming weeks, as part of the Regional Infrastructure Fund – Round 2.

The new round follows a competitive process where local regional and rural councils and other eligible groups applied for grants. Other successful projects were announced last year under the 2020/21 Stimulus Round.

The Regional Infrastructure Fund is part of the Victorian Government’s flagship $156 million Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund, designed to help businesses create more jobs in regional Victoria and support community projects.

Grand Prix circuit build delivers jobs for Victorians Melbourne, March 22: Melbourne’s major events recovery is racing ahead as the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix returns to the city, with a sell-out crowd locked in for race day.

Ricciardo, will soon race on the recently modified and resurfaced track – the first upgrade since it was originally laid in 1995. This circuit upgrade created 500 jobs across 85,000 construction hours.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula was today joined by representatives of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and Harry the Hirer to inspect the circuit before hundreds of thousands of fans pour through the gates.

In addition to the on-track action, ticket holders can enjoy trackside entertainment, live music and food and wine experiences from the biggest names in Victoria’s famed restaurant scene.

The circuit build and pack down takes 16 weeks and will support more than 2,500 jobs over an estimated 400,000 hours of work.

Victorian owned business Harry the Hirer is playing an integral role to deliver the circuit build, with its employees bumping in the Grand Prix after recent work at the Australian Open, Moomba and the Melbourne Fashion Festival.

The world’s best drivers, including Australia’s own Daniel

Spread across five new fan precincts – Melbourne, Phillip Island, Grampians, Yarra Valley and the Great Ocean Road – the event will showcase the very best of Victoria in 2022.

The Grand Prix has been a pillar of the state’s renowned major events calendar since it was brought to Victoria from South Australia in 1996. The world-renowned four-day event beams images of Melbourne and Victoria’s regions into millions of homes around the globe.

New U.S. route brings more tourists and jobs to Victoria Melbourne, March 27: A new route and expanded services to the United States will bring more visitors to Victoria, boost trade with the world’s largest economy and create more than 800 local jobs – thanks to support from the Andrews Labor Government.

Minister for Industry Support and Recovery and Minister for Trade Martin Pakula today announced Qantas will fly a new direct passenger route between Dallas Fort Worth and Melbourne and increase its Los Angeles to Melbourne services. Flights to Dallas Fort Worth will start in December, with four services a week on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

week, Qantas expects to bring around 105,000 U.S. visitors a year to Melbourne, creating more than 800 tourism and aviation jobs in Victoria.

The U.S. is Victoria’s second largest trade partner, with two-way goods trade valued at $12.2 billion in 2020-21, and a key source of investment into Victoria. The U.S. economy provides Victorian businesses with significant export opportunities in digital and medical technologies, pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture, defence and aerospace, and tourism.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said Djilang Alliance had been appointed as the preferred contractor to deliver the project.

Melbourne, March 26: Passengers on the Geelong line can look forward to more frequent train services thanks to the South Geelong to Waurn Ponds Duplication. The project is being delivered by the Australian and Victorian governments as part of more than $1 billion in rail upgrade projects between

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“The Australian Government is committed to delivering this important project – which is another step closer to boosting the number of train services on the Geelong Line,” the Deputy Prime Minister said. “The South Geelong to Waurn Ponds Duplication will provide a huge benefit to passengers, while creating jobs and providing

Unemployment hits new record low in regional Victoria Melbourne, March 24: The Andrews Labor Government is continuing to create jobs for Victorians across the state, with unemployment in regional Victoria hitting a record low in the three months to February.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today showed Victoria’s regional unemployment rate fell to 3.0 per cent – the lowest of all the states – as well as the lowest ever recorded for regional Victoria. Victoria’s regional unemployment rate is a full percentage point lower than the national regional rate of 4.0 per cent.

The new Dallas Fort Worth to Melbourne service announced today follows Qantas’ Delhi to Melbourne route, which started in December 2021. Qantas joins Emirates, Etihad Airways and Bamboo Airways in providing more direct international flights to Victoria.

More than 550,000 jobs have been created across Victoria since the Labor Government was elected in November 2014 – the biggest proportional jump of all the states. In the twelve months to February, Victoria’s regional youth unemployment was the lowest of all the states at 8 per cent.

Melbourne, March 25: White Night will return to Geelong on 8 October this year, with tens of thousands of locals and visitors expected to attend the event and provide a significant boost to tourism businesses. In 2018, White Night Geelong attracted 70,000 attendees and injected $6.1 million into the region.

vibrant and inclusive celebration of immersive art and community participation.

ABS figures show that under the Government’s watch, unemployment has fallen in every area of regional Victoria. In Shepparton, the unemployment rate has dropped to 3.2 per cent, in Ballarat to 2.8 per cent, and in the Bendigo, Warrnambool and South-West regions to 3.1 per cent. In Hume, the unemployment rate has fallen to 2.4 per cent, while in Geelong it is at just 2.0 per cent.

Supported through the Andrews Labor Government’s Major Events Fund, Geelong will come alive for an extra special event this year after the global pandemic forced the local event to be postponed in 2021.

The Surf Coast also welcomes the return of Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach this year, joining White Night and a long list of blockbuster events scheduled for Victoria in 2022.

This is the first time a flight has connected the U.S. state of Texas with Victoria. In a further boost, starting today, Qantas will increase its flagship Los Angeles to Melbourne service from four to eight flights per week. With a total of 12 flights to the US every

White Night to shine bright in Geelong in 2022

The program, directed by Joseph O’Farrell, will feature artists from the categories of installation, visual art, lighting, audio-visual, projection, film, music and performance. The theme will be ‘everything on the land is reflected in the sky’.

Since the first White Night in Melbourne in 2013, the event has built a strong reputation as a

This year, thousands of visitors are once again expected to visit Geelong to see the city transformed through illumination with a program that celebrates the city’s reputation for design and its rich music scene.

The Labor Government is committed to supporting regional events because they support local jobs and businesses, and further strengthen the state’s reputation as Australia’s home of events.

The Geelong event will be in addition to White Night Bendigo on 3 September and White Night Shepparton on a date to be confirmed.

Unemployment hits new record low in regional Victoria Geelong and WaurnPonds.

NEWS FROM VICTORIA

a much-needed boost to the economy. It’s great to see this project progressing, with more frequent and reliable services on the way for passengers.”

The project includes duplicating approximately eight kilometres of track and signalling upgrades between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds to deliver additional services from Marshall and Waurn Ponds stations – with five trains every hour at peak times and three every hour between the peaks.

Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said the level crossings at Fyans Street and Surf Coast Highway will also be removed, with new elevated

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rail bridges built to reduce congestion and improve safety for the more 36,000 vehicles that travel through these areas each day.

“We’re getting on with this important project to deliver more frequent and reliable services along our state’s busiest regional rail line and get passengers where they need to go,” Ms Allan said.

“Removing these level crossings and building elevated rail bridges will provide a huge benefit to the community – slashing travel times and easing congestion for thousands of motorists as they travel throughout the area.”

The stations at South Geelong and Marshall will also be upgraded

Victoria’s participation rate climbed to a record high in February, and there is now a higher proportion of Victorians with a job than ever before.

The state has led the nation in job creation since the peak of Victoria’s second COVID-19 wave, with more than 282,000 jobs created since September 2020.

The Government has invested more than $13 billion in support to get businesses through the pandemic, and industries are surging back to life across the state.

Additionally, the Government is helping regional Victoria recover from the impact of bushfires and the pandemic with a roadmap outlined in the Visitor Economy Recovery and Reform Plan.

This state-wide strategy aims to achieve $35 billion in annual visitor expenditure and support 300,000 jobs by 2024. with new station buildings and landscaped forecourts, second platforms, accessible pedestrian overpasses and more than 200 new parking spaces at Marshall to service the growing communities south of Geelong.

Concept designs were released last year to give locals a glimpse of what the project will look like once complete. More than 500 locals provided feedback, with further community consultation to take place in the coming weeks to inform the final design of the project.

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Nov 1-15, 1-15,2022 2021 -- Vol Apr Vol2,2,Issue Issue9 18

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Commonwealth Day 2022 celebrated

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ommonwealth Day 2022 was celebrated in Australia with a service being held at St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane in the presence of Dr Jeannette Young PSM Governor of Queensland,

dignitaries, community leaders and artists. The service promoted the theme for 2022, ‘Delivering a Common Future’ which was followed by a reception.

Commonwealth Day, held on the second Monday in March each year , is an opportunity for individuals, communities and organisations to promote the Commonwealth’s shared values of peace, democracy and equality , and to celebrate the Commonwealth’s rich diversity.

GCQ wins FICQ 2022 cricket event

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ujarati Community Queensland (GCQ) beat Brisbane Super Kings (BSK) on 20th March, 2022 at Matt Oval Heathwood in the final match of this year’s cricket event organised by the Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland (FICQ) and BSK. GCQ triumphed by 94 runs in the final. Krishna Solapurvala was chosen Player of the Match and Best Batter for his destructive 135-run knock in 54 balls. The awards ceremony was attended by many community leaders and dignitaries, including Cr Angela Owen, who came to congratulate and celebrate the FICQ Multicultural Cup’s success.

WA Multicultural Awards winners announced

T

he winners of the Western Australia(WA) Multicultural Awards were announced on March 14, 2022. Ten outstanding individuals and organisations were recognised for their commitment to making WA more inclusive and equitable. Following is the list of the winners: Outstanding Individual Achievement Award — Dr Bernadette Wright Youth Award — Zahra Al Hilaly

Community Organisation Award — CaLD — Umbrella Multicultural Community Care Services Community Organisation Award — General — Royal Life Saving WA Local Government Award — City of Stirling Arts Award — Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa Sportsperson of the Year Award — Peter Bol Premier’s Community Response and Recovery Award — Sikh Gurdwara Perth Sir Ronald Wilson Leadership Award — Hayden Marchetto Laksiri Jayasuriya Lifetime Community Service Award — Nick Agocs OAM

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COMMUNITY NEWS

ICGC celebrates Holi, the Festival of Colours

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oli came early to the Indian Community Of Gold Coast (ICGC) at Broadwater Parklands, GC as the members marked the vibrant festival on 13th March, five days ahead of the actual day on which Holi was supposed to be celebrated this year. It was a fun day filled with colours, music and dancing While the ICGC team organised the Holi event, dignitaries AC Brian Wilkins, Sam O’Connor MP and Cr. Ryan Bayldona were present to launch the festival.

Premiere show of “The Kashmir Files” in Brisbane

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irector Vivek Agnihotri’s magnum opus “The Kashmir Files”, which narrates the heartwrenching tale of the atrocities faced by the Kashmiri Pandits at the hands of terrorists, was recently shown in Brisbane.

Those who made the event possible included Rupinder Sahota from Shaandaar Photos; Anand from Guru PropertyReal Estate Agents, Amar from RealWay Edge and many more.

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ICAQ observes International Women’s Day

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ndian Council of Australia, Queensland (ICAQ) celebrated International Women’s Day on March 12th, 2022 at the Indian Brother Taringa. It was a family friendly event with men, women and children being a part of the celebrations. The event also recognised women of Indian origin who have significantly contributed to Brisbane’s economy, the arts, entertainment or social services and achieved success through their work, business, family care or volunteering.

Research and statistics has shown that it is not easy for ethnic women to sustainably keep working and contributing to society. Some may also have trouble getting a job as their overseas degrees are not recognised. Even if they get the job they face many hurdles such as the lack of childcare support which hinders their desire to work. As a result, migrant and refugee women most likely end up working in low income, low skill, insecure jobs. Australian Bureau of Statistics data also shows that culturally and linguistically diverse women have a significantly lower rate of workforce participation compared to CALD men (47.3% and 69.5% respectively).

Yet, women of Indian origin have paved significant pathways for themselves and their peers.

Hence, ICAQ felt there was the need to recognise these women and applaud their contributions.

ICAQ PRO Amrita Deshpande says, “As mother, sister, daughter or wife, we created our paths of survival coming to and living in Australia and it has not been easy to do so to live your daily life in a

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country culturally different from the country of your origin. You have to alter yourself right from the way you look to the way you think, the way you conduct in a workplace, or the society you live in. Many of the comforts have to be let go of, challenging yourself to adapt to the new. Yet, many of us have broken those barriers and risen above and beyond, standing strong and surviving everyday.

Kudos to all women who dared to pave the paths for themselves and achieve a respectable status.

I am thankful to the Indian Council of Australia for giving me the opportunity to organise International Women’s Day to recognise the women of Indian Origin.”

Indeed, the achievements must be celebrated and a program to recognise the efforts must be implemented by every community organisation.

At the event ICAQ President Mr. Parminder Singh gave a speech on how religion has seen women’s role in its practices.

He said “All religions describe the importance of women in our life.

Sikhs have an obligation to treat women as equals, and gender discrimination in Sikh society is not allowed. However, gender equality has been difficult to achieve”.

Cultural Coordinator for ICAQ, Ms Neetu Singh Suhag, gave a motivating speech on how we can overcome our fears. She soon became popular among the women present at the event by her humour and bold statements about women’s equality.

Mr. James Martin MP, member for Stretton presented the awards.

In his speech he mentioned that Australia has been striving hard

to achieve gender equality and women’s equal representation in the Government and today Queensland has its Governor General a Woman and its Premier also a Woman.

ICAQ was also happy to receive a message from Lord Mayor Mr. Adrian Schrinner and Lady Mayoress Ms. Nina Schrinner who could not attend the function but sent ICAQ a beautiful message which included the following “International Women’s Day is an incredibly important occasion which encourages us to reflect on the contribution and value that women from all over the world make. We have always admired the contributions of Indian women in Brisbane. Indian women are brave, kind, generous, smart and incredibly communityminded. They are the first to put up their hand to help, no matter what that help may look like.”

Community Work Apte, Ketaki nominated for Business Bandiwadekar, Pallavi nominated for Business Chauhan, Seema nominated for Business and Community Chitti, Kavitha nominatied for Community work Ghurye, Anjali nominated for Business Jehu, Manju nominated for Social Work and Community Kaur, Adjiab nominated for Social Work

Kaur, Charanjit nominated for Social Work Kaur, Gian nominated for Social Work Kaur, Surinder nominated for Social Work Lathker, Seema nominated for Social Work Nishi, Saran nominated for Community work Pinky, Singh nominated for Social Work and Government Pragya, Sharma nominated for Social Work and Entertainment

Kaur, Amanpreet nominated for Entertainment

“We and our children have been warmly welcomed by Indian women at many community events and we have also admired the entrepreneurism, agility and business sense that we see day in, day out in Indian Businesswomen.”

Ms. Sudha Manian who is a known Sitar player, graciously offered to co-MC with Ms Amrita Deshpande at the award ceremony. It was a great pleasure to hear Ms. Sudha Marian’s composed piece of Sitar recital as a background score to introduce all the award winners.

17 women of Indian origin living in Brisbane were felicitated at the IWD event by Indian Council of Australia. Queensland. They are: Adhikari, Bina nominated for Social Work Ahuja, Shelly nominated for

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Pravasa Bharateeyulu Community marks IWD 2022

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ravasa Bharateeyulu Community observed the International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022 recently, celebrating the contribution of Telugu women and also launched the Telugu Women Empowerment Group.

FICQ hosts multicultural cricket contest W

ith the objective to bring the various multicultural communities together, Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland (FICQ), in partnership with Brisbane Super Kings (BSK), hosted its first ever multicultural cricket event on March 20 at Matt Oval Heathwood this year.

Gujarati Community Queensland team beat BSK in the final by 94 runs. Krishna Solapurvala was adjudged the Player of the Match and Best Batter. He scored 135 runs off 54 balls.

Cr Angela Owen was among the various community leaders and VIPs who attended the event.

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ICAQ hosts breakfast meeting with H.E. Manpreet Singh Vohra

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n March 19th, High Commissioner of India, His Excellency Mr Manpreet Singh Vohra, and Hon. Consulate General of India, in Brisbane Mrs Archana Singh met with executive committee members of Indian Council of Australia, Queensland Inc. (ICAQ) for a breakfast meeting at the Corner Store Café in Toowong. This was his second visit to Brisbane and ICAQ was fortunate for the opportunity to interact with him on matters that have a significant impact on the Indian diaspora in Queensland.

His Excellency Mr Manpreet Vohra was very keen to know about the Indian Council of Australia (ICAQ), its activities, vision, strategic plan and engagement in the community sector. Some of the issues that were discussed with his Excellency were: • Full counsellor service in Brisbane and streamlining and making services easy His Excellency made it clear that Full Counsellor Service in Brisbane is currently not possible as Hon. Mrs Archana Singh is not a member of the Indian Foreign Services, hence all issues will have to be dealt with by the Canberra office under His excellency Mr ManpreetVohra. There have been issues with VFS, and he is aware of those, however, there cannot be a quick fix. COVID also caused many other issues and resolving them meant increased costs to the customers. The high volume of the Indian population entering Australia and wanting to go to India has impacted the services of VFS. But if it is an emergency, those cases are dealt with immediately.

• Direct flights from Brisbane to India As the High Commissioner of India in Australia, he has recommended for more destination flights to India to be started in Australia, including a direct flight from Brisbane to Mumbai being the top priority.

Air India is no more the national carrier, hence it is a commercial

decision now.

• issues

Domestic violence

Domestic violence issues cannot be handled or interfered with by the Indian High Commission, they have to be dealt with by the local commissions. However, the Indian population in Australia is steadily growing almost reaching 750000. He urged that “with this large population, we can definitely influence policies and create a strong and positive impact. Organisations such as yours can make that difference and must approach the appropriate local services for help and intervention.”

Executive committee members of ICAQ present at the meeting shared their thoughts on various matters,s such as international student arrival, Australia-India institute engagement with the community sector, the impact of recent floods on communities, visa/passport processing for people affected by floods, and the progress on India club, etc.

The committee members were impressed by the insights and suggestions of H.E. Mr. Manpreet Vohra.

ICAQ President Mr. Parminder Singh said, “We are grateful that the High Commissioner is playing an important role in increasing the social, economic, defence, education, trade, cultural, and sports ties between Australia and India. At the same time, he puts the welfare of the Indian Diaspora on priority.”

ICAQ PRO Mrs Amrita Deshpande said, “It is important to have direct connection with the high commission office for organisations such as ICAQ so that we can better serve the Indian community in resolving various emergency issues. The connection is also important in understanding and taking proper steps in resolving those emergency issues. Many pressing questions were clarified and resolved for us by both H.E. Mr Manpreet Vohra and Hon. Consul Mrs Archana Singh through this

open dialogue with the ICAQ committee.”

The meeting was very empowering and these meaningful conversations and sharing of ideas and thoughts encouraged the committee to progress with the agenda for making a difference in the lives of people and communities. The meeting certainly echoed a spirit of collaborative partnership,

commitment to community service and an environment of positivity.

This unique outcome is something that will uplift the spirit of ICAQ. To this effect, ICAQ Secretary Mr. Ganesh Deshpande said, “ICAQ has a space for everyone, and the Executive Committee comprises of members from various regions of India. ICAQ is not a traditional

NFP community organisation but with a differentiator having a clear vision and objective towards social wellbeing. Collectively, ICAQ members have a rich experience and knowledge to serve the Indian diaspora in a better manner.”

Please send inquiries to join ICAQ or comments to pro@icaq.com.au

By Amrita Deshpande, PRO, ICAQ

Glimpses from High Commission’s IWD 2022 event

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he High Commission of India in Canberra organised an event to celebrate the International Women’s Day 2022.

The event included a thought-

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provoking interactive session featuring the guest speaker Prof.

Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt, and this was followed by a Bollywood dance program.

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Australia threatens China with sanctions for supporting Russia

Canberra, March 17 (IANS): Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said China would face consequences if it backs Russia’s war on Ukraine, arguing such a move would be an “abomination” while hinting at new international sanctions for Beijing.

Asked whether any penalties were in store for China over its refusal to condemn the ongoing Russian assault, the Prime Minister said that Australia would join with

allies in sanctioning the country, RT reported.

“We will move in lockstep with our partners and allies on these issues, and the United States has made some very clear statements about this and we support those statements,” he said on March 16, calling on “the whole world” to “put an end to this terrible violence and aggression by Russia in Ukraine”.

Morrison went on to argue that Beijing must be “very transparent” about its ties to Moscow, including “when it comes to throwing them an economic lifeline during this global crisis” and “potentially what, if any, support has been

discussed for military support for Russia”, adding the latter decision “would be an abomination”.

The leader’s comments follow similar statements from Washington, which has also warned of “significant consequences” for any military or economic assistance to Moscow.

“We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had said previously, ahead of a meeting with Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome.

New Delhi, March 24: Instead of fighting the no-confidence vote in the parliament, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is hell bent to fight on the streets, outside the Pakistan National Assembly.

In a recent move, his office has released a video of Imran Khan where he is seen asking his supporters to reach Islamabad on March 27, to “stand with the good and against evil” as he asked them to show their support and attend the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf’s (PTI) public gathering.

“They (opposition) are buying the parliamentarians openly. I want the people to join me against this crime being committed against democracy and the nation. Let us show them that we are against these looters who are buying the public representatives through their money,” said Khan in his message.

Harping on the anti-corruption theme, he further urged the people to send a message on March 27, to ensure there is no horse-trading in the future and

teach lessons to “plunderers and looters”, who have indulged in corrupt practices for the past 30 years, and had come together and put a price on the “conscience of public representatives”. He asked his supporters to send a “clear” message on March 27, to ensure there is no horse-trading in the future.

According to various media reports, Khan’s ruling party, PTI has been making batons with nails on them, which will be carried by their “tiger” force on D-Day. Facing the defeat, the beleaguered Imran, who has been virtually threatening the elite with a people’s revolution has been avoiding to face the noconfidence vote in the parliament as many of his allies and members of the ruling party have decided to vote against him. According to the leaders of the combined opposition, Khan’s allies will announce their decision to withdraw support on March 26, a day after the commencement of the special session of the Assembly.

Imran Khan told a few Pakistani reporters, “Why should I resign?

I do not understand why people are talking about resignation. The fighting has not started yet.” Khan made it clear that come what may, he will never “reconcile” with the opposition leaders who are

thieves and robbers, reported BBC Urdu, whose correspondent was also there along with others.

“You will get a surprise on my last ball,” the cricketer turned playboy turned politician told the reporters on March 23.

According to these reporters, Khan was abusive and aggressive and repeatedly cursed and warned the opposition leaders.

“Whether a no-confidence vote succeeds or not, they think I will do nothing? In either case, I will not leave them,” Khan declared, saying that he has massive public support, more than any Pakistani leader ever had.

Meanwhile, the Speaker, who belongs to the ruling party has again extended the voting date.

He said that the no-confidence vote will take place on April 1 or 2.

There is another battle going on in the Pakistani Supreme Court where the opposition has challenged the presidential reference which they claim is on behalf of the ruling party and it seeks an unconstitutional approval from this august Court, whereby all elected MNAs, will be left at the mercy of the Speaker of National Assembly.

Amid the political drama, there are speculations that Imran Khan may not last till the last bowl of the match and there will be early elections this year.

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who landed in Delhi on March 24 evening, held bilateral talks on trade and the pending border dispute in Ladakh that is almost two years old now.

Yi was scheduled to meet Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on March 25.

This was the first high-level

Chinese diplomatic visit to India in over two years since the border dispute began between the two countries in Eastern Ladakh.

So far, 15 rounds of military-level talks have taken place between the two sides to resolve the issue.

Yi’s visit to Delhi is part of his ongoing South Asia tour. He was in Kabul on March 24 morning, following his participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Islamabad, where he raked up the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

In Islamabad, Yi had said: “In Kashmir, we have heard again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope.”

India, however, had rejected the “uncalled reference” to Kashmir during Yi’s speech in Islamabad.

“Matters related to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are entirely the internal affairs of India. Other countries, including China, have no locus standi to comment. They should note that India refrains from public judgement of their internal issues,” spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, had said on March 23 while reacting to Yi’s comments.

The Chinese Foreign Minister was expected to be in Nepal from March 25-27.

On the verge of defeat, Pak PM Imran Khan threatens elite with a people’s revolution

Trade, border dispute in focus as Chinese Foreign Minister lands in Delhi

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WORLD NEWS

Indian Foreign Minister discusses Ukraine situation with Austrian counterpart New Delhi, March 20 (IANS): Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on March 20 exchanged views on the Ukraine situation, Indo-Pacific and Afghanistan with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg in New Delhi.

During his meeting with the Austrian Foreign Minister, Jaishankar held a “wide ranging and fruitful discussion”, and also reviewed the bilateral cooperation and identified new economic possibilities.

“An interesting evening with Austrian FM @a_schallenberg who spent his early years in New Delhi. Appreciated his insights on India’s progress in the last decade. Held wide ranging & fruitful discussions. Reviewed our bilateral cooperation & identified new economic possibilities,” Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.

Earlier on March 20, Jaishankar welcomed Schallenberg to India and said that he “looks forward to productive discussions”.

“A warm welcome back to Austrian FM @a_schallenberg to India. Look forward to productive discussions today,” Jaishankar tweeted.

Schallenberg’s visit to India comes amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

Meanwhile, the India-Australia Virtual Summit was to be held on March 21 wherein Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott

IANS

Morrison were to discuss a wide range of issues.

With a focus on technology and critical minerals, Morrison was expected to announce a Rs 1,500 crore investment package in India at the summit.

Modi held a bilateral meeting on September 23, 2021 with Morrison in Washington DC on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit.

The Prime Ministers also met on November 1, 2021 in Glasgow on the sidelines of CoP26 Climate Summit.

Morrison addressed the Bengaluru Tech Summit on November 17, 2021, wherein he announced the new AustraliaIndia Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy and the intention to establish a new Consulate General in Bengaluru.

He also delivered the keynote address at the Sydney Dialogue, on India’s technology evolution and revolution on November 18, 2021 From December 15, 2021, fully vaccinated eligible visa holders (Indian students and professionals) became eligible to travel to and from Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption.

Russia’s Rosatom continues building N-plant for India Chennai, March 24 (IANS): Even as Russia is fighting a war against Ukraine, the former’s integrated nuclear energy player Rosatom continues to manufacture the components needed for the 1,000 MW plant that is being built in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu.

According to Rosatom, its machine building division Petrozavodskmash has started manufacturing guide vanes for the housings of reactor coolant pump sets (RCPS) intended for the fifth unit at Kudankulam.

India’s atomic power plant operator Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) has two 1,000 MW plants (Units 1 and 2) at Kudankulam, while four more (Units 3, 4, 5 and 6) are under construction.

All the six units are built with Russian technology and equipment supplied by Rosatom.

According to Rosatom, the first guide vane has already passed the fitting-up and welding operations.

The guide vane refers to the RCPS internals and consists of upper and lower disks, between which 13 guide blades are to be welded.

The guide vane is to be mounted in the pump housing rigidly and is intended for setting centrifugal direction of coolant flow inside

the pump.

The RCPS housing is the first safety class item. The reactor plant equipment of one power unit includes four RCP sets.

Be that as it may, NPCIL officials are wondering about the impact of Russia-Ukraine conflict on the delivery of atomic power plant components from Russia’s Rosatom for four plants under construction.

The NPCIL has to arrange ships for bringing the reactor components from Russia to India.

Following the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the US, the UK and other Western countries have imposed economic sanctions on Russia.

Speaking to IANS, a senior NPCIL official, preferring anonymity, had said the shipping sector is affected because of the conflict.

The official also said Rosatom will inform about the items that can be lifted from Russia and ships will be arranged accordingly.

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INDIA NEWS

Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

WORLD THIS WEEK A publication of the National Institute for Advanced Studies, Bengaluru

Compiled by Avishka Ashok, D Suba Chandran, Ashwin Immanuel Dhanabalan, Angkuran Dey and Meghna Manoj

China: A careful strategy on Russia and Ukraine

What happened?

On 18 March, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a video conference to discuss the crisis in Eastern Europe and other bilateral issues between the countries. Xi encouraged the US and NATO to engage with Russia directly to resolve the Ukraine issues.

President Xi referred to the situation and said: “Let whoever tied the bell on the tiger’s neck take it off.” He used the wellknown Chinese proverb to imply that the US and NATO must undo their actions to bring peace in the region. A senior official from the US referred to the call and said: “The president really laid out in a lot of detail the unified response from not only governments around the world, but also the private sector to Russia’s brutal aggression in Ukraine.” Xi Jinping also spoke of the Taiwan issue and said: “If the Taiwan issue is not handled properly, it will have a subversive impact on the relationship between the two.”

On 16 March, Global Times reported that Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian addressed a press briefing and warned the US against sanctioning China. He reprimanded the US for its double standards where it threatened to impose sanctions and aimed at better trade and cooperation.

On the same day, the Guardian reported that the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had confirmed the decision to support its allies and partners in imposing sanctions on China if Beijing decides to supply weapons to Russia.

On 17 March, Zhao Lijian in a press briefing responded to Japan’s remarks urging China to be responsible for Ukraine’s crisis. Japan also imposed sanctions on Russia and the US, and other countries for its actions in Ukraine.

On 14 March, the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat and member of the Political Bureau Yang Jiechi held a seven hourlong meeting in Rome to discuss China’s military aid to Russia and its consequences to Ukraine.

The Whitehouse readout said:

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“Sullivan raised a range of issues in US-China relations, with substantial discussion of Russia’s war against Ukraine. They also underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and China.”

On 15 March, Xinhua Net reported on the meeting in Rome and said that the officials discussed bilateral issues and other issues of international and regional importance. The report mentioned the discussion on the cooperation over the Taiwan issue, Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Iran nuclear issue and the Afghanistan issue. The Chinese media barely mentioned the discussion on Ukraine.

What does this mean?

China’s response is measured.

It has economic interests in Russia and is keen to prevent any fallouts to its investments due to sanctions on Russia. On the other hand, China also has an economic interest in Ukraine, through the BRI. The Chinese media and other research institutes believe that the meeting in Rome aimed to force China to pick a side on the issue. However, the outcome of the meeting did not change China’s neutral stance as it continues to portray the issue as a grey area. Although the US placed heightened emphasis on the crisis in Eastern Europe, China seems to have downplayed the urgency of the issue during the meeting in Rome.

The threat of sanctions and the economic implications on its domestic economy are major contributors to China’s mild approach to the issue. China wishes to remain uninvolved in the war. However, given its relations with Russia and Ukraine and the role played by China as a major superpower, remaining neutral may not be an option in this war.

Second, the North Korean upper hand. Pyongyang has been pushing for the development of nuclear weapons with ICBMs as its priority. The North here gains supremacy over South Korea, paralyzing Seoul's defense posture and strategic planning.

In a broader aperture, South Korea walks on a tightrope and questions the sustainability of South Korea's strategic ambiguity.

The US and Europe: Isolate Moscow, without a direct military engagement

published by the White House referred to the telephone conversation between the American and Chinese Presidents.

It said: “(The telephone conversation) was substantive and it was detailed. The two leaders spent the preponderance of their time discussing Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, as well as the implications of the crisis for U.S.-China relations and the international order.” The media note also referred to President Biden’s message to President Xi on China’s Russia support.

According to the statement, “President Biden made clear the implication and consequences of China providing material support — if China were to provide material support — to Russia as it prosecutes its brutal war in Ukraine, not just for China’s relationship with the United States but for the wider world.”

On 16 March, President Biden said, “We are crippling Putin’s economy with punishing sanctions that’s going to only grow more painful over time with the entire NATO and EU behind us, and many other countries.”

On 16 March, President Biden also said, “The American people are answering President Zelenskyy’s call for more help, more weapons for Ukraine to defend itself, more tools to fight Russian aggression.

And that’s what we’re doing…

On Saturday, my administration authorized another $200 million to keep a steady flow of weapons and ammunition moving to Ukraine. Now I’m once again using my presidential authority to activate additional security assistance to continue to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s assault — an additional $800 million in assistance. That brings the total of new U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to $1 billion just this week. These are direct transfers of equipment from our Department of Defense to the Ukrainian military to help them as they fight against this invasion.”

On 17 March, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the German Parliament; in his message, he said: “This is the wall now, and it will grow ever taller.

Chancellor Scholz, tear down this wall.” Earlier, on 16 March, he also addressed the US Congress. He reminded the Americans of the Pearl Harbour attack in 1941 and the 9/11 attack.

What happened?

What does this mean?

As the War in Ukraine enters into the fourth week, the strategy of the West is getting clearer. First, the US and Europe do not want to engage Russia militarily in Ukraine. The objective of this strategy is to prevent a direct military engagement that could escalate into a larger regional war.

The West aims to keep the war localized and limited to Ukraine.

Second, though the West does not want to fight the Russian troops in Ukraine, it does not want Russia to expand its political and military footprint. The West aims to achieve this by arming Ukraine with advanced weapons. Third, the US and Europe want to pin down Russia by isolating Moscow politically and economically at the global level. The sanctions and phone calls are a part of this.

ALSO IN NEWS

India: Second security dialogue with Indonesia

On 18 March, Indonesia’s Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs of Indonesia, Mohammad Mahfud MD, met India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in Jakarta. A statement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs stated: “the importance of traditional friendly relationship and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries and expressed confidence that the IISD would strengthen the cooperation between them to overcome common challenges and identified opportunities for further close collaboration in the field of political and security issues.” Both signed an MoU for security dialogue.

Sri Lanka: India extends USD one billion line of credit

On 17 March, India and Sri Lanka signed an agreement in New Delhi to extend a “short term concessional loan facility” to Colombo. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said: “Neighborhood first. India stands with Sri Lanka. US$ 1 billion credit line signed for the supply of essential commodities.

Key elements of the package of support extended by India.” The current assistance would help Sri Lanka import necessities like food and medicine. India till now has extended USD 2.4 billion to assist Colombo in its economic crisis.

Russia: Kremlin warns against panic buying OOn 18 March, the Kremlin warned its citizens not to panic-

On 18 March, a media note

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WORLD THIS WEEK buy as a few regions reported shortages of staple goods across the country. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Russians have absolutely no need to run to the shops and buy-up buckwheat, sugar and toilet paper.” However, at the same time, prices of food items have risen in Russia, and the economic implications of war were being felt on the ground. Moreover, the ruble also fell drastically due to Western sanctions and the disruption in the supply of imported food and goods.

Russia: Western businesses unable to withdraw from Moscow due to legal complications On 18 March, the BBC reported about a few Western firms which could not withdraw from Russia due to legal arrangements. For example, Burger King stated that it would not be able to close its 800 stores as the franchise partners refused their closure.

Restaurant Brands International president David Shear said: “We contacted the main operator of the business and demanded the suspension of Burger King restaurant operations in Russia. He has refused to do so.”

Similarly, many other firms like Marks and Spencer (M&S) have not been able to shut down due to complex legal contracts.

Russia: President Putin celebrates Crimea’s reunification

On 18 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a concert that marked eight years of Crimea’s reunification with Russia. At the concert, Putin also said: “On our land, united by a common fate. This is what the people of Crimea and Sevastopol must have been thinking as they went to the referendum on 18 March 2014…Happy anniversary!”

Putin further talked about how the people of Donbas and Ukraine felt the same way and added: “The main goal and motive of the military operation that we launched in Donbas and Ukraine is to relieve these people of suffering, of this genocide.”

About the authors Avishka Ashok is a Research Associate at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. D Suba Chandran is a Professor and Dean at the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Ashwin Immanuel Dhanabalan is a Project Associate at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Angkuran Dey and Meghna Manoj are Postgraduate scholars at the Center for South Asian Studies at Pondicherry University.

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INDIA NEWS

Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

EDITORIAL

India captures only 8% of 4K ‘The Kashmir Files’ billion cubic meters of rain reveals tip of the iceberg PAVAN KAUSHIK

by Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza The movie released in India called “The Kashmir Files” is a brave attempt to reveal the atrocities committed by the Pakistan sponsored Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front and other Jihadi proxies and with conformity of a significant

M

any historians and archaeologi­sts believe that the Indus Valley Civi­lisation that existed about 2,500 years ago mysteriously lost its existence and disappeared suddenly due to catastrophic water scarcity caused either by shifting rivers or by drastic climate change.

In India, a major portion of the population does not have a reliable and constant means of getting water for their daily needs.

About 70 per cent of our sources are contaminated and country’s major rivers are dying because of pollution. In June 2019, a report suggested that 65 per cent of all reservoirs in India reported below-normal water levels, and 12 per cent were completely dry.

A NITI Aayog report of 2018 clearly stated that nearly half of India’s population, about 600 million people, is all set to face extreme water stress in coming years. NITI Aayog also estimated that 21 major cities, including Delhi, would run out of groundwater by 2030.

With time, India has become the world’s largest extractor of groundwater, accounting for 25 per cent of the total available water. Agriculture consumes over 85 per cent of water in India, contrary to the popular belief that domestic usage or industrial usage captures most of the water.

With only 40 per cent assured irrigation, the farmers depend heavily either on rains or on groundwater for their needs.

Surprisingly, the irony is, the demand for water through rains is much less than actual rainfall received during the year. Even though the monsoon season in India extends over four months, and we barely get 30 days of heavy rainfall in all, India has not put-in much required efforts to wishfully capture this abundance of rainwater.

India needs a maximum of 3,000 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water a year while it receives 4,000 billion cubic meters of rains. The country captures only 8 per cent of its annual rainfall, which is amongst the lowest in the world. This also means that rain water harvesting and replenishing the ground water, and also conserving the available water resources seems to be one of the most efficient and doable solution, that has scope and opportunity to resolve water scarcity.

There are many lessons in

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number of local Islamists in the Valley of Kashmir. traditional water harvesting system in India too. One of the most popular rainwater conservation practices has been raindrop conservation. Water from the rooftops was collected during the rains and stored in tanks.

Water in community areas was collected and stored in artificial wells. Another method was harvesting monsoon water by diverting water from overflowing streams to be stored in water bodies.

The traditional procedures for saving water had their own methods too. The PATS of Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh are irrigation panels. These irrigation panels are fed using water that is diverted from fast moving hill streams. Then there is JAUHAD, the earthen check dams that were meant to collect rainwater. Because of their earthen nature, water percolated easily into these systems. This resulted in tremendous rise of the groundwater levels. SANJHA KUWAN are wells built on a partnership basis. With multiple users, these SANJHA KUWAN were primarily used for irrigation.

A group of farmers usually had one made amongst themselves.

TALAAB have been very famous in the golden old days and even today. These are reservoirs -- natural, as in Bundelkhand, or man-made, as in Udaipur.

These reservoirs were used to meet irrigation and drinking water requirements. These constructions lasted only as long as the monsoon. Post-monsoon, the beds of these water bodies were cultivated with rice.

Rajasthan has PAAR, a harvesting practice used in the desert areas of Rajasthan. This involves collecting rainwater from the catchment to let it percolate into the soil.

The atrocities were executed against the indigenous Hindu minority living in Kashmir during the 1990 and led to the genocide and forced exodus of nearly 500,000 Kashmiri Hindu Pandits from the Valley.

However, what the movie reveals is like peeling the first layer of the onion. The genocide of the Kashmiri Hindus, in modern day and age, did not begin in 1990 in the valley. It goes way back to when the Pakistan army attacked the independent state of Jammu and Kashmir on October 22, 1947.

At the time of partition of India, Jammu and Kashmir territories occupied by Pakistan today (PoJK) had a thriving Hindu and Sikh population. The table below gives a breakdown of the Hindu and Sikh demography in several districts in PoJK in 1941.

A survey conducted by Snedden and published in 2012 mentions that “there are no estimates of Hindus or Sikhs left today in the region and the entire population is assumed to have either been expelled or killed”.

The report, widely quoted by research scholars, confirms that they were not able to find a single Hindu or Sikh in the entire region of PoJK. It is estimated that

to swell. For instance, Bhimber received at least 2000, Mirpur 15,000, Rajouri 5,000 and Kotli an unaccounted number of Hindu and Sikh refugees.

The Hindu population in Bhimber tehsil was 35 per cent. None have survived the 1947 Pakistan sponsored Hindu-Sikh genocide.

But the worst atrocity, to my knowledge, was committed in my hometown of Mirpur where 25,000 Hindus and Sikhs were rounded up, mutilated, shot and beheaded and the women raped by “Allah O Akbar” ; chanting Pakistan army and religious fanatic members of Lashkar.

To this day November 25 is observed as Mirpur (Massacre) Day by the family members of those who were lucky to reach Jammu. On that ill-fated day in 1947 Pakistan army and the mercenary tribal Lashkar entered Mirpur setting on fire several parts of the city, burning down shops and houses of “Kafir” A couple of days before the fall of Mirpur, a convoy of 2,500 Hindus and Sikhs had managed to make their escape along with the state troops of Jammu Kashmir and reach Jammu safely.

Those who were left behind were rounded up and marched to Ali Baig where the invaders said that a Gurdwara had been converted into a refugee camp.

What was thought to be a march to safety soon turned into a death march as the Pakistan army and members of the mercenary Lashkar killed over 10,000 Hindus and Sikhs along the way. They abducted a further 5,000 of our women, most of whom were sold

in the bazaars of Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Peshawar.

Out of 25,000 Hindu and Sikh captives, only 5,000 made it to Ali Baig. However, the killing and rape of the captive men and women continued unabated by their prison guards. Only 1,600 were later rescued by the International Committee of Red Cross who brought the survivors to Rawalpindi and transferred to Jammu.

By 1951, only 790 non-Muslims were alive out of a total population of 114,000 Hindu and Sikh in PoJK. Today there are none. The Mirpur massacre death toll is over 20,000. Many women committed suicide by consuming poison or by jumping over a cliff.

Similarly, numerous men also committed suicide.

The genocide of Hindus was repeated in Rajouri, Baramulla, Muzaffarabad, Bhimber just to mention a few and continues to this day in Kashmir. The movie “The Kashmir Files” has just revealed the tip of the iceberg.

The horror of the Hindu genocide is far more deep-rooted and horrific than it might seem on the silver screen.

(Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza is an author and a human rights activist from Mirpur in PoJK. He currently lives in exile in the UK)

around 122,500 Hindus and Sikhs went missing from PoJK during and after the 1947 invasion of PoJK. Let us not forget that thousands of Hindus and Sikhs had fled the communal riots in Punjab and had sought sanctuary in today’s PoJK towns bordering Punjab.

This resulted in the number of Hindus and Sikhs in PoJK in 1947

According to Central Water Commission’s report, India would reach a population of about 1.66 billion by 2050. The annual food requirement will also exceed 250 million tonnes. This also means that demand for water will also increase substantially.

Certainly, we do not want to be a civilization that became extinct just because we could not preserve the most precious natural resource -- the Water.

(Pavan Kaushik is a leading Communicator, Storyteller and Writer)

A survey conducted by Snedden and published in 2012 mentions that “there are no estimates of Hindus or Sikhs left today in the region and the entire population is assumed to have either been expelled or killed”.

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20

INDIA NEWS

Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

SPECIAL FEATURE

Why real estate is a better option than gold

by Annuj Goel

G

old has always been a favourite investment vehicle of Indian households as many people transfer the yellow metal from one generation to another.

The biggest advantage of gold is that one can be flexible with investment size or the amount.

Whether you have to put in Rs 1,000 or Rs 1 crore +, gold is accessible to everyone to buy.

Also, gold is highly liquid.

Real estate also scores high for investment purposes but in comparison to gold, real estate requires bigger funds and the buyer needs to have long holding power. Well, real estate can be an attractive long-term investment option where the property value increases over time. So, if approached in the right way, real estate can deliver you incredible profits.

The one thing that is common between gold and real estate is that both have a strong sentimental value for the Indian

investors, with strong reliability and sustained nature. So how do you choose where to spend your money if you have a sizable amount to invest?

Well, I would recommend real estate any day as there are various reasons because of which real estate scores over gold. Let’s have a look at them: Passive income Real-estate has the potential to create regular income with additional tax benefits.Whether residential or commercial, real estate has the potential to generate passive income for the investors in form of monthly rentals in cash, which gold investments cannot do.

Rate of return History suggests that real estate can give up to 15 per cent of annual return, thanks to rising rentals. The value of property improves with the market and economy. On the other hand, gold is used to hedge against

inflation, which means that the return from gold is in line with the inflation, which is aimed low by all governments. Also, gold shines when your paper currency is depreciated, making the return nominal.

Volatility and risk Real Estate is a highly stable investment option, which comes with low risk. Property brings mental satisfaction due to it securing your future. On the other hand, gold is a commodity, which is traded on the bourses. It comes with higher volatility and risks of being stolen.

Expenses add to the value One may argue that property incurs the cost of maintenance and renovations, unlike gold which is altered at will. However, this cost not only appreciates your asset, but also allows you to take taxation benefits.

Long-term value creation It is a no-brainer that the value of real estate increases, the longer

you hold it. It is simply because you can not create land and with rising population, the demand increases, which ultimately leads to price rise. On the other hand, gold can be purchased in digital form as well. This might reduce the risk of being stolen, but still it is just an intangible asset.

Aids the economy Real estate might require large funds, but survival of a lot of sectors depends upon it. From debt servicing, cement, housing finance, building materials and various others, everything depends upon real estate at large. It also creates a large number of informal and indirect employment opportunities, serving the economy at large.

Tax Benefits The investment in real estate comes with numerous tax benefits such as tax deduction on mortgage interest, operating expenses and legal costs, property taxes and depreciation.

The real estate investment is not only a safe investment but can generate better returns over a period of time while you are still earning a regular income if you are using it as a rental property.

It is a great investment option for many reasons such as a fantastic tax advantage, and you can leverage it to build wealth and assets.

(Annuj Goel is Chairman & MD Goel Ganga Developments)

India abstains 6th, 7th time on Ukraine resolution; UNGA throttles S Africa resolution

K

eeping up its streak of abstentions on Ukrainerelated resolutions at the UN, India on March 24 abstained in rapid succession for the sixth and seventh time at the General Assembly which confronted duelling resolutions.

The Assembly approved a resolution on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine proposed by that country criticising Russia’s role, but it throttled another put forward by South Africa that did not mention Moscow.

India’s Permanent Representative T.S. Tirumurti said at the Assembly’s emergency session that New Delhi abstained on the resolution proposed by Ukraine because it “did not fully reflect” India’s expected focus on “cessation of hostilities and urgent humanitarian assistance”.

The resolution squarely blaming Russia for the humanitarian crisis that was proposed by Ukraine with the backing of about 90 countries passed with 140 votes, with five against and 37 abstentions.

It had more than the required two-thirds majority to pass.

On a procedural matter raised

by Ukraine, the Assembly voted not to take up South Africa’s resolution, effectively killing it.

It called for humanitarian aid, ceasefire and safe corridors for refugees and assistance, but without criticising Russia.

As many as 65 countries were against taking up South Africa’s

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resolution, while 49 wanted it voted upon and 33 abstained.

Tirumurti said that humanitarian assistance should be based on humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence and “should not be politicised”.

“We firmly believe efforts at the United Nations should contribute to de-escalation of the conflict, facilitate immediate cessation of hostilities to promote dialogue and diplomacy and bring together parties to find an immediate end to the suffering of the people,” he said.

Speaking to reporters after the vote, US Permanent Representative Linda ThomasGreenfield said: “What I say, and what I said, to the countries who abstained previously, is that there’s no neutral ground here.

We’re watching every day what is happening in Ukraine. And we have to stand with the Ukrainian people.”

But on March 23, India had joined the US in abstaining at the Security Council on a resolution submitted by Russia on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, which failed because only China joined in voting for it while all the other 13 countries abstained, depriving it of the required nine votes to pass.

India did not speak at the Council on its abstention.

India had earlier abstained on an Assembly resolution that was carried condemning Russia’s invasion, and in the Council on two procedural votes related

to Ukraine and on a resolution censuring Moscow’s invasion that was vetoed by Russia.

Russia had withdrawn its request for a vote on its Council resolution on March 18, but suddenly called for a vote on it on March 23 in a failed attempt to upstage the Assembly vote.

Russia’s resolution made several proposals to deal with the humanitarian situation but, of course, did not refer to its invasion, which is the reason for the abstention by the US and its allies.

Vetoing the resolution would have opened it up to propaganda campaigns ignoring the context.

The resolution proposed by South Africa at the Assembly called for a cessation of hostilities and for a comprehensive humanitarian response, but it also would not have named Russia.

In calling for a vote against taking it up, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative Sergiy Kyslytsya denounced it as a “twin brother” of Russia’s Council resolution.

South Africa’s Permanent Representative Mathu Joyini said: “While we should not ignore the context that gave rise to this crisis, and nor should we ignore any violations of the UN Charter and international law, that should not ever divert our focus from the fact we ought to be immediately doing.”

South Africa resisted tremendous pressure from the US and its allies to drop its resolution.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor on March 23 to dissuade Pretoria from going ahead with the resolution saying that there should be a unified international response to Russia’s invasion.

Joyini said that there should be no attempt to “muzzle” countries seeking independently to find solutions.

“The vast majority of countries in this assembly have never invaded or colonised other countries, yet have suffered the consequences.

There are a few powerful countries that have been parties to most of these conflicts, often in the form of proxy wars in other countries or regions,” she said.

“In Iraq for example, over 2.4 million people are reported to have died since 2003”, the year of the US-led invasion, she asserted, Beijing cosponsored, South Africa’s resolution and China’s Permanent Representative Zhang Jun said that developing countries were not parties to the Ukraine conflict and should not be drawn into it and forced to pick a side as “friend or foe”.

Several countries, including Brazil, Malaysia and Indonesia, which voted for Ukraine’s resolution, said that they did not see a contradiction between it and South Africa’s for which they would have also voted.

India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who had come to New York on March 22 in the midst of heated diplomatic

activity, left for India on March 23 ahead of the Assembly votes.

Tirumurti said at the Assembly: “India continues to remain deeply concerned at the ongoing situation which has rapidly been deteriorating since the beginning of the hostilities.”

“We have constantly called for cessation of hostilities. The humanitarian situation continues to worsen particularly in the conflict zones in urban areas.

Women, children and elderly are disproportionately affected by the prolonging of this conflict,” he said.

“We hope the international community will continue to respond positively to the humanitarian needs of Ukraine,” he said.

India has already sent over 90 tons of humanitarian supplies, including medicines and essential supplies, to Ukraine and its neighbours and will provide more, he added.

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

INDIA NEWS

Employment rose by 22% since 2013-14: Indian Labour Minister

Indian Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS): There has been a 22 per cent increase in employment in the last seven years since 2013-14, Indian Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav on March 24 told the Parliament.

Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, he also said that as per the Periodic Labour Force

Survey (PLSF), the unemployment rate among graduate-level jobseekers, between the age group of 18 and 40 years, has come down.

Replying to the supplementary questions in the House, Yadav said that apart from the farm sector, other sectors such as transport, education, hospitality, education, trade, and information technology have witnessed an increase in employment.

Over 27 crore informal workers have also been enrolled on the e-SHRAM portal during the last six months, he said.

The e-SHRAM portal was

launched in August, 2021 with an objective to create a national database of unorganised workers and to facilitate delivery of social security schemes/welfare schemes of the Central and state governments to them.

Any unorganised sector worker between 16 and 59 years of age group is eligible for registration on this portal.

The government has made a provision for all registered workers to get an accidental insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh free of cost for a year through the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, the Minister said.

Australia’s unemployment rate drops to 4% labour force data for February, revealing that the unemployment rate fell from 4.2 per cent in January to 4.0 per cent, reports Xinhua news agency.

Canberra, March 17 (IANS): Australia’s unemployment rate has fallen to the equal-lowest level in recorded history as the monthly working hours in all jobs rebounded after the Omicrontriggered Covid-19 wave of absences in January, according to official data published on March 17.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) published the

It equaled August 2008 as the lowest figure since ABS data began in 1978.

According to the ABS, the number of employed Australians increased by about 77,000 between January and February.

The total number of hours worked

by Australians increased by 8.9 percent in February after a large fall of 8.6 percent amid the Omicron wave in January.

The underemployment rate,

which measures the portion of the labour force working fewer hours than they would like, fell to 6.6 per cent.

However, the ABS noted that the number of people working reduced hours due to illness or sick leave remained higher than usual.

“The number of employed people working no hours over the entire week due to illness or sick leave was around 80 per cent higher than what we would usually see in February, having been around triple the usual level in January,” head of labour statistics Bjorn Jarvis said in a statement.

Australian central bank warns of higher inflation IANS

Canberra, March 15 (IANS): The board of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said that supply would tighten over the situation in Ukraine, leading to higher inflation in the country.

In the minutes of the RBA’s March board meeting released on March 15, the bank recognised that increasing prices of energy and other commodities including food would continue to drive up headline inflation in Australia

from its current 3.5 per cent, reports Xinhua news agency.

A report from the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) released recently said that inflation in Australia could surpass 5 per cent by mid2022 over “higher petrol and food prices”.

“In year-ended terms, underlying inflation was expected to increase further over coming quarters before moderating as supply problems are resolved,” read the minutes, adding that the situation in Ukraine and the associated increase in energy prices have created additional uncertainty about the inflation outlook.

They said that this has led to “high

international shipping rates” that was creating cost pressure for firms across many industries.

The minutes reaffirmed the resilience of the Australian economy, noting strong growth in Australia’s housing market and a tight labour market, which is expected to prompt a pickup in wage growth.

The bank has maintained that it would not lift interest rates until wage growth is sustainably in the 2 percent to 3 percent range.

“Members observed that wages growth had picked up, but at the aggregate level was only around the relatively low levels prevailing prior to the onset of the pandemic,” the minutes read.

BUSINESS & TRADE

Indian Defence Ministry bans import of 107 strategically significant sub-systems New Delhi, March 24 (IANS): Indian Ministry of Defence has banned import of 107 strategically important line replacement units or sub-systems aimed to enhance self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

“In continuous pursuit of self-reliance in defence manufacturing and to minimise imports by DPSUs under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, Ministry of Defence has approved another list of 107 strategically important Line replacement Units (LRUs)/subsystems with a timeline beyond which there will be an embargo on their import,” the Ministry said in a statement.

These 107 sub-systems will be indigenised in the coming years and will only be procured from Indian Industry after the timelines indicated against each of them in the list.

Indigenisation of these items will be taken up by DPSUs under ‘Make’ category. ‘Make’ Category aims to achieve self-reliance by involving greater participation of Indian industry.

Projects involving design and

development of equipment, systems, major platforms or upgrades thereof by the industry can be taken up under this category.

DPSUs will offer these identified LRUs/Sub-systems for industry led design and development.

This will be a great opportunity for the Indian industry to get integrated in the supply chains of manufacturing major defence platforms.

“The indigenous development of these LRUs/Sub-systems projects will bolster the economy and reduce the import dependence of DPSUs,” the statement read.

In addition, it will help harness the design capabilities of the domestic defence industry and position India as a design leader in these technologies.

This list is in continuation to the positive indigenisation list of 2,851 sub-systems, assemblies, sub-assemblies and components which had been earlier notified by the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence on December 27, 2021.

Australian PM urged to cut fuel tax Canberra, March 14 (IANS): Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing calls from within the government to temporarily scrap taxes on fuel to address record high prices.

The price of unleaded petrol has spiked to above A$2.2 ($1.6) per litre across the country from about 1.7 as a result of rising global oil prices, reports Xinhua news agency.

Amid the spike, Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg have been urged to cut the fuel excise -- a flat tax placed on the sale of petrol, which is currently 44 cents per liter -- in order to ease the cost of living pressures.

Susan McDonald, a government senator from Queensland, on March 14 joined calls for the excise to be reduced, saying it was the “bluntest instrument” available to address the crisis.

“The idea of pausing the fuel excise, or a portion of it, I think

is something that we’re going to have to look at,” she was quoted as saying by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“Because we just can’t afford to absorb the prices that we’re looking at currently,” she said.

Her comments came after Morrison on March 13 said that any move to lower the excise would be contained in the federal budget, which he and Frydenberg are expected to hand down later this month.

On Sunday, Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar conceded that the cost of living was a significant issue with a general election due to be held in May. “There is no doubt the budget will seek to build the recovery, ensure that we keep our foot on the economic accelerator, but will also take into account the fact households are feeling the pressures of cost of living,” he told Sky News Australia.

Financial impact of climate-related risks to Indian companies estimated at Rs 3,285 bn Indian companies responding to CDP’s climate, water and forests questionnaire in 2021.

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS): The financial impact of climaterelated risks to Indian companies responding to global non-profit environmental disclosure system CDP was estimated at Rs 3,285 billion, with climate-related opportunities cited at Rs 3,000 billion.

CDP India launched its 2021 Annual Disclosure report on March 24 at a virtual event. The report, Disclosure Imperative for a Sustainable India, details the climate action disclosed by 88

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CDP’s new 2025 strategy, Accelerating the Rate of Change, recognises the urgent need for such climate commitments to be translated into swift, effective action, with increased accountability and transparent climate plans from companies, cities, states and regions alike.

It sets out how CDP will respond to the interlinked crises of catastrophic climate change and an irreversible loss of nature and habitats.

Indeed, this rate of change seems to be accelerating in the Indian market. In 2021, 85 Indian

companies disclosed to CDP’s Climate Change questionnaire in response to a request to do so from investors, representing a 27 per cent growth since 2020 when 67 companies responded.

It is evident that Indian companies are becoming increasingly climate conscious, with 64 Indian companies joining the Science-Based Targets initiative in 2021, making India the leader among emerging economies when it comes to committing to making sciencebased targets for the transition towards a low carbon economy.

The report also showed that 72 companies, representing 85 per cent of all Indian companies responding to CDP, engaged with

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suppliers at different levels across their value chain on climate related issues, an essential step in addressing Scope 3 emissions.

Tech giant Wipro has also become the first Indian company to join CDP’s Supply Chain Program as of 2022, representing an exemplary step forward in corporate climate action within the market.

These many achievements by Indian companies responding to CDP in 2021 will be celebrated at the annual event, which will feature exclusive sessions engaging corporates on key areas of the transition to a sustainable India.

Prarthana Borah, Director, CDP India, at the report launch said,

“This report captures a landmark year for India’s climate ambition trajectory, as the regulatory board SEBI introduced mandatory sustainability reporting for the top 1,000 listed companies by market capitalization and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at COP26 the country’s commitment to reach net-zero by 2070.”

The companies demonstrated impressive climate action and environmental leadership across water security and forest protection, and included ACC, Infosys, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tech Mahindra, WIPRO in climate change; Mahindra & Mahindra, Tech Mahindra and Ambuja Cement in water.

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

MAKE IN INDIA

MAKE IN INDIA

As world economies restart their engines in a bid to regain lost ground due to the Covid-19 pandemic, India too shows signs of economic buoyancy and promise. India’s Make in India initiative holds a key to the global economic revival, something that should interest Australian government ministries, corporate sector, entrepreneurs, institutions seeking R&D collaborations and Australia Inc in general, among others.

India assumes greater importance as several major world economies including American, Japanese, German, British and South Korean look to move out and diversify their businesses from China. India has jumped to 63rd rank in the World Bank’s Ease of Development 2020 report, and has also been ranked as the 9th largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment destinations in 2019 by the World Investment Report 2020 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Budget 2022: Decoding Resilience of Indian Agriculture an approximate increase of 10 percent every year.

By Karishma Sharma and Bhavya Tyagi, Strategic Investment Research Unit (SIRU)

F

inance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Economic Survey 2021-22 in parliament ahead of the Union Budget 2022. The survey comes at a time of extreme uncertainty and supply-chain disruptions caused by repeated waves of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, the results of the survey do not present just the state of the economy, as traditionally understood, but a saga of resilience and recovery in the face of crisis. In this article, we highlight the resilience displayed by the agriculture sector both in the front of production and exports.

Faced with uncertainty in policy making owing to the global health crisis, the Government of India opted for a unique response strategy, called the ‘barbell strategy.’ The strategy, commonly used in finance, suggests a balance between risks and rewards by investing in extremes across a spectrum of low-risk and high-risk bonds. When looked at from a welfare perspective, this strategy is the bringing together of two unrelated factors, in this case, safety nets for the vulnerable sections and realtime information-based policy adjustment for challenges posed by the pandemic. This barbell strategy is in stark contrast to the ‘waterfall strategy’ that is marked by sticky policies based on rigorous initial analysis.

In the agricultural sector alone, this strategy can also

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be seen as the combination of innovation on farmers’ end and progressive policy push from the government’s end to minimize the risk posed by the pandemic.

The economic survey for this year brought out important statistics for agriculture, highlighting a buoyant growth in Gross Value Added (GVA) of 3.9 percent in 2021-22 after the sector grew at 3.6 percent in the previous year. Exports of agriculture and allied products also grew by 23.2 percent to $ 31 billion during April-November 2021. This provides hope to 18.8 percent of Indians who are dependent on agriculture for livelihood. While it seems like this growth and resilience is obvious considering that the pandemic had a little direct effect on the production of crops, it is critical to note that the agriculture sector is highly dependent on a strong supply chain network and families engaged in agriculture are often dependent on remittances from members who migrated to cities.

While the reverse migration during the pandemic did provide additional hands on the field, we cannot say for sure which factor had a higher impact on the sector across the country.

However, despite the loss of income of migrants’ households, SAS 2021 reveals that the average monthly income per agricultural household, as per paid-out expenses approach, works out to be Rs. 10,218 compared to Rs. 6,426 as per the last SAS Report of 2014 estimated by the same approach indicating

With supply chain disruption and reverse migration seen during the pandemic, the sector as a whole faced a threat that was linked to the pandemic.

Additionally, in a crisis, the banking system, traditionally, succumbs to financial stress and financial aid happens to be a key factor in Indian agriculture. With this background, decoding the growth in agriculture despite the ongoing challenges is more than just dismissing it to the lack of pandemic-induced stress as compared to other sectors.

This growth comes as a result of consistent policy intervention, in particular, the interventions focused on making the agriculture sector Aatmanirbhar.

The measures taken by the government to enhance credit facilities, promote infrastructure, increase investments, create market facilities, and increase the provision of quality inputs along with good monsoon and ingenious innovations in agritech have helped create favourable circumstances for agriculture to not just sustain but also expand.

Powered by the Startup India initiative, there are over 1000 agritech startups in India as of December 2021. DeHaat, for instance, provides end-to-end farming services to the farming communities including crop consultation, crop reminder, local voice calls, market to sell and buy inputs and produce, advisory services, etc. These tech innovations have played a vital role in empowering farmers and supporting the agriculture ecosystem at a time when the importance of technology penetration has been laid bare in front of the world.

In view of nutritional requirements, changing dietary patterns, and achieving self-sufficiency in pulses and oilseeds production, the government also fixed higher minimum support prices for these crops to encourage crop diversification. As a result, the oilseed production in India has grown by almost 43 per cent from 2015-16 to 2020-21. Moreover, Kharif and Rabi season 2020-21 saw a record procurement of 11.87 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT).

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The minimum support price is of immense importance in a market marked by the prevalence of intermediaries and low bargaining power with farmers.

Acknowledging the prevalence of poverty in rural communities, food subsidies remain a deciding factor in agricultural growth. Only a secure rural India can give rise to a growing agricultural sector.

The economic cost of wheat has increased from Rs. 1,908.32 per quintal in 2013-14 to Rs. 2,993.80 per quintal in 2021-22. Similarly, the economic cost of rice has increased from Rs 2,615.51 per quintal in 2013-14 to Rs. 4,293.79 per quintal in 2021-22. However, as a pro-poor measure, the Central Issue Prices for National Food Security Act beneficiaries have not been revised since the commencement of the act.

Infrastructure development in the form of an extensive network of highways increased from 71,772 km in 2011 to 1,40,152 km in 2021 and the network of airports increased from 62 in 2016 to 130 in 2021. This represents a 95 per cent and 110 percent increase, respectively. The National Agricultural Research System of India has also produced remarkable results in terms of mechanisation of agriculture, development of climate-resilient technologies, and high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds. Along with this, key government initiatives like e-NAM, India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA), and the National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA) have given a fillip to agriculture by enabling a resilient farm supply chain. Thus, with the right combination of physical and digital infrastructure, Indian agriculture got a cushion against pandemic-induced challenges and was in fact able to grab the opportunity that the crisis provided.

Agriculture emerged as a silver lining during the pandemic, showing some semblance of normalcy and growth as contact-based services like construction and tourism contracted. It remained ‘isolated’ from the impact of Covid-19 due to proactive policies of the government under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan and key innovations in agritech.

Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor: Securing the nation

By Strategic Investment Research Unit (SIRU)

I

ndia is the world’s largest military hardware importer and among the top 5 military spenders. The Indian defence industry is going through a rapid change and indigenous manufacturing is being promoted extensively under the ‘Make in India’ scheme. The Finance Ministry of India has also announced foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 74 per cent under the automatic route in the defence sector. The Union Budget 2021-22 allocated $ 49.55 bn for defence services and other organizations/departments under the Ministry of Defence (excluding defence pensions).

The government is encouraging collaborations like joint ventures, partnerships, offsets, etc. with an aim to decrease foreign dependency.

To expand the defence manufacturing capability within the country and reduce foreign dependency, two Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs) in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are progressing at a rapid pace.The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor is a Greenfield project.

In order to initiate growth of the manufacturing industry, the state has come out with various incentives and subsidies in its Defence & Aerospace Unit and Employment Promotion Policy.

A large number of industries including MSMEs and Start-Ups from the non-defence sector in the region would be able to take advantage of the Aerospace & Defence Policy and integrate into the defence manufacturing ecosystem. The state also provides all desired approvals to the Aerospace and Defence manufacturing units through a single window system.

The state has declared 6 districts (Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, Lucknow, Kanpur and Chitrakoot) as the defence node. In order to initiate growth of the manufacturing industry, the state has come out with various incentives and subsidies in its Defence & Aerospace Unit and Employment Promotion Policy.

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

Adani Green raises $288 mn construction facility, increases construction revolver pool to $1.64bn Ahmedabad, March 21: Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) has extended its Construction Financing Framework to $1.64 billion by raising a $288 million facility for its under-construction renewable asset portfolio through definitive agreements signed with a group of leading international lenders.

The facility will initially finance the 450 MW hybrid portfolio of solar and wind renewable projects that AGEL is setting up in Rajasthan, India. In March 2021, AGEL had closed a $1.35 billion construction revolver facility in one of Asia’s largest project financing deals.

According to the definitive agreements, seven international banks – BNP Paribas, Coöperatieve Rabobank, Intesa Sanpaolo, MUFG Bank, Societe Generale, Standard Chartered Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation – committed for the facility which is a certified green hybrid project loan.

The extended pool of liquidity strengthens AGEL’s strategy to fast-track the development of its under-construction asset portfolio in sync with accelerating the energy transition.

“The construction facility is the

key ingredient of AGEL’s capital management plan, enabling us to deliver on our focus on decarbonising power generation,” said Mr Vneet S Jaain, MD & CEO, AGEL. “We are committed to sustainable growth and to catalyzing energy transition. AGEL has set a target of achieving 45 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030, representing 10 percent of the Govt of India’s 450GW countrywide renewable energy target. Our development agenda is in sync with overall capital stewardship maintained through our capital management philosophy focused on sustainable growth.”

Underpinning AGEL’s infrastructure development is the project excellence framework that follows the highest standard of due diligence covering all international standard Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) aspects.

AGEL is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has incorporated them into the Strategic Pillars of its ESG Strategy. AGEL’s sustainability roadmap is aligned with the goals of ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services and to substantially

increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

The Facility is also certified by Second Party Opinion provider ISS ESG based on AGEL’s sustainable strategy, alignment with Green Loan Principles and sustainability quality of the asset pool, with ‘very high’ transparency standards and significant contributions to SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) and SDG 13 (climate action). As per the assessment, AGEL shows a high sustainability performance on key ESG issues in the Renewable Energy industry, representing the highest relative ESG performance.

Standard Chartered Bank acted as Mandated Lead Arranger, Bookrunner (MLAB), Documentation Bank and E&S Co-Ordinator bank. MUFG Bank, Ltd., and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation acted as MLABs, jointly acted as CoTechnical Advisors and Co-Green Loan Advisors. Further, BNP Paribas, Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A., Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. and Societe Generale each acted as MLABs for the Facility.

Among other partners, Latham & Watkins LLP and Saraf & Partners were the borrower’s counsel. The lenders’ counsel were Linklaters and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

Canberra, March 20 (IANS): Australia’s national science agency on March 20 announced its commitment to help reduce the country’s plastic waste by 80 percent over 10 years.

and disposes of plastics.

said in a statement.

Australians currently use 1 million tonnes of single use plastic every year, only 12 percent of which is recycled.

“By turning plastic waste into a renewable resource, the Mission will deliver collaborative scientific and manufacturing capabilities to drive new technologies across the entire plastics supply chain and grow Australia’s circular economy.”

Top Australian scientists to tackle plastic waste

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) announced a further investment in its Ending Plastic Waste Mission, reports Xinhua news agency.

The initiative will receive A$50 million in funding from the CSIRO, industry, governments and universities to develop cutting-edge innovations for how Australia makes, uses, recycles

Larry Marshall, chief executive of the CSIRO, said that without significant action the plastic waste problem would continue to grow.

“The Ending Plastic Waste Mission will bring together the whole innovation system, from government, industry and academia to turn science into solutions that will benefit the environment and create economic opportunities for Australia,” he

The CSIRO launched its “Team Australia” missions project in August 2020 with an aim of using major scientific and collaborative research initiatives to solve the country’s biggest challenges including plastic waste, climate change uncertainty, pandemics and natural disasters.

Adani Power, IHI & Kowa collaborate for environmentally sustainable power generation Ahmedabad, March 22 (IANS): Adani Power Limited (APL), IHI Corporation, and Kowa Company Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to study the feasibility on a modification to achieve 20 per cent liquid ammonia co-firing ratio and thereafter extend this to a ratio up to 100 per cent monofiring at the Adani Power Mundra Coal Fired Power Plant.

conducting a global survey of hydrogen and ammonia-related technologies being utilised for power generation. IHI Corporation has already successfully demonstrated its ammonia co-firing technology at a large-scale commercial coalfired power plant in Japan and responded to many inquiries related to ammonia co-firing globally.

APL aims to lead India's initiatives in achieving greenhouse gas reduction targets by evaluating the possibility of potential implementation of ammonia as a fuel in thermal power generation that will utilise green hydrogen-derived ammonia in the existing thermal power plant.

To achieve de-carbonisation of APL's coal-fired assets, the parties, by considering the

Kowa supported APL by

These studies contribute to

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possibility of ammonia co-firing through the studies, aim to de-carbonise APL's coal fired assets with the objective to potentially implement the technology in other coal-fired units within India.

carbon neutrality in India in line with the "India-Japan Clean Energy Partnership (CEP)" announced by the Indian and Japanese governments on March 19, 2022.

This will aim to promote energy cooperation between Japan and India through diverse and realistic energy transitions utilising all energy sources and technologies to ensure energy security, carbon neutrality and economic growth.

In addition, the parties intend to conduct research and development, demonstration and commercial implementation in parallel with that in Japan to achieve early global implementation of fuel ammonia supply chain.

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ENERGY & RESOURCES

‘Shape Our Future’ theme of Earth Hour 2022

New Delhi, March 26: Skylines across Delhi and other cities in India went dark, as every year, to observe the ‘Earth Hour 2022’ on March 26 at 8.30 p.m. with the theme ‘Shape Our Future’ which aims to herald a new era that puts people and the planet first.

The World Wide Fund-India (WWF) has come out with the ‘Earth Hour India’ anthem, composed by Shantanu Moitra with vocals by Mohit Chauhan that also appeals to people for urgent action to save the planet.

In Delhi, the BSES appealed to its over 46 lakh consumers - around 1.8 crore residents - to join the effort to make the “right choice for the planet and for the future generations that will inherit it”.

“As we continue adapting our lives to the impacts of Covid-19 and the catastrophic events of the past two years, Earth Hour 2022 aims to signal to Shape Our Future. It will herald a new era that puts people and the planet first,” WWF said.

Sharing his experience about working on the anthem, Harmony and Hope Ambassador for WWF India, Shantanu Moitra said: “The Earth Hour anthem is the binding force for everyone to be part of this global movement. I want to thank Mohit Chauhan, who has lent his voice to this noble cause.

Lyrics written by Tanveer Ghazi share the sentiments of people to protect nature before it is too late.”

Mohit Chauhan sharing his views said: “I’m very glad to be part of Earth Hour through the Earth Hour anthem. I look forward to millions getting together this Earth Hour, to support and act for our mother nature.”

Ravi Singh, secretary general and CEO, WWF India, said: “Earth Hour is an important step forward in our lives every year. Spend this hour to meditate and think of positive actions that we can take, individually and collectively, to better the environment.”

As many as 190 countries across the globe participate in the Earth Hour every year, this year being the 16th edition, with residents switching off their electrical appliances and non-essential lighting fixtures for one hour starting at 8.30 p.m. (local time) to show their concern for the environment.

A BSES spokesperson said: “We sincerely appeal to our over 46 lakh consumers and around 1.8 crore residents in our area to make the right choice for the planet and for the future generations that will inherit it.

This Earth Hour, all our actions, albeit small, will ‘Shape Our Future’. Citizens can help protect the natural world to safeguard our future by switching off.”

Moreover, BRPL and BYPL will also switch off all non-essential lights at their over 400 offices, spread across an area of around 900 sq km, during the appointed hour.

Top Australian scientists to tackle plastic waste Canberra, March 20 (IANS): Australia’s national science agency on March 20 announced its commitment to help reduce the country’s plastic waste by 80 percent over 10 years.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) announced a further investment in its Ending Plastic Waste Mission, reports Xinhua news agency.

The initiative will receive A$50 million in funding from the CSIRO, industry, governments and universities to develop cutting-edge innovations for how Australia makes, uses, recycles and disposes of plastics.

Australians currently use 1 million tonnes of single use plastic every year, only 12 percent of which is recycled.

Larry Marshall, chief executive of the CSIRO, said that without significant action the plastic waste problem would continue to grow.

“The Ending Plastic Waste Mission will bring together the whole innovation system,

IANS

from government, industry and academia to turn science into solutions that will benefit the environment and create economic opportunities for Australia,” he said in a statement.

“By turning plastic waste into a renewable resource, the Mission will deliver collaborative scientific and manufacturing capabilities to drive new technologies across the entire plastics supply chain and grow Australia’s circular economy.”

The CSIRO launched its “Team Australia” missions project in August 2020 with an aim of using major scientific and collaborative research initiatives to solve the country’s biggest challenges including plastic waste, climate change uncertainty, pandemics and natural disasters.

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

Global Covid caseload tops 477.1 mn

Pak pharma companies yet to make $430,000 payment to Indian exporters

hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 79,888,564 and 975,838, according to the CSSE. India accounts for the second highest caseload at 43,014,687.

Washington, March 25 (IANS): The global coronavirus caseload has topped 477.2 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 6.10 million and vaccinations to over 10.84 billion, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on March 25 morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 477,186,449 and 6,109,163, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 10,849,877,219.

The US continues to be the worst-

The other countries with over 10 million cases are Brazil (29,775,568) France (24,823,603), the UK (20,770,686), Germany (19,265,563), Russia (17,433,393), Turkey (14,760,331), Italy (14,153,098), Spain (11,378,784) and South Korea (11,162,232), the CSSE figures showed.

The nations with a death toll of over 100,000 are, Brazil (658,600), India (516,672), Russia (358,919), Mexico (322,119), Peru (211,981), the UK (164,874), Italy (158,436), Indonesia (154,343), France (142,476), Iran (139,865), Colombia (139,531), Argentina (127,780), Germany (127,363), Poland (114,626), Ukraine (112,459) and Spain (102,053).

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS): Pakistani pharmaceutical importers are holding back payments of $430,000 to Indian exporters for pharmaceutical products exported to Pakistan from April-December 2021, the Indian government told Parliament on March 24.

“As per available records, India has exported $203.68 million worth of pharmaceutical products to Pakistan from April 2021-December 2021. Some instances of non-payment of dues to Indian exporters of pharmaceutical products by Pakistani importers have been brought to our notice. As per the data available, the total amount of dues unpaid to Indian exporters is around $430,000,” Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

Responding to the query of BJP member Subramanian Swamy who had asked whether some pharmaceutical companies and suppliers supplied pharmaceutical items to Pakistan and if they have not been paid for the goods exported to Pakistan, he said that the matter of unpaid dues has been taken up with the relevant authorities in Pakistan through the High Commission of India in Islamabad but the Pakistani side are yet to revert on the issue.

Covid pandemic has put India’s ‘End TB’ progress at risk 44 cholera “As 2025 is only three years from now, it doesn’t seem that we will be able to achieve the target and Covid has played a big role. It seems that it will take at least 20 years to eradicate TB and to meet the target that India has set as a goal,” Pratibha Pandey, Sr Health Specialist at non-profit ChildFund India, told IANS.

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS): Though the government is committed to making India Tuberculosis-free by 2025, the ‘END TB’ programme initiated

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2017, looks at five indecisive years ahead of the global target of 2030, public health experts said on the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day, globally observed on March 24 every year.

Covid-19 has played a big role in derailing efforts and reversed the gains made so far in controlling the infectious disease both in India and worldwide. It is because healthcare resources were diverted to combat the rising Covid cases that affected diagnosis, notification and treatment as well as nutrition post treatment, which also contributed to relapse cases.

A study by the ‘Stop TB Partnership’ in May 2020, suggested that the Covid pandemic could lead to an additional 6.3 million TB cases globally between 2020 and 2025.

In March last year, an analysis by the health ministry notified that Covid brought down TB detection by 25 per cent in India in 2020.

The decreases occurred in both the public and private sectors.

There has been some recovery subsequently, but not to 2019 levels.

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“We applaud the commitment of our partners in the Health Ministry and state governments towards ending TB by 2025, but recognise that the Covid-19 pandemic has put ‘End TB’ progress at risk as funding and momentum for programmes and treatments has stalled,” added Vaishakhi Mallik, Associate Director, South Asia for Policy, Advocacy and Communications, Vital Strategies - a global public health organisation.

The major problem with this has been the notification. Though there is a big team of health workers, the notification is not as per the mandates and the contact tracing and identifying the latent TB is very low.

Another problem is the relapse cases happening again and again.

For example, nutrition support is a big requirement for patients who have just recovered from TB, but the food insecurity in our country is huge.

“Unless and until we don’t identify the underlying causes, the social determinants, we may not be able to eradicate TB from our country,” Pandey said.

Furthermore, tobacco is also a concern and achieving the goal of ending TB in India is difficult unless tobacco use is simultaneously addressed, the experts warned.

TB among children is also a major challenge as diagnosis is difficult. Children struggle to produce sputum - the specimen which allows simple detection of the bacterial infection. Also, the

diagnosis is difficult to establish whether the child has TB or not.

In India, only 6 percent of TB cases reported to the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) are children.

deaths reported in Cameroon

TB treatment among children has also been a challenge due to the long duration. A shorter regimen - 4-month regimen rather than the standard 6-month regimen - now approved by the WHO will ensure improved compliance and will also reduce the exposure of medicines and their side effects especially among children, Chadha said.

While not entirely unachievable, eradicating TB needs effective response which requires significant resources, including increased funding, training and protecting health workers, reinforcing systems for health.

Government’s new door to door TB screening programme is one such major effort that will help effectively trace, test and treat TB cases on time.

There is also a need to “reinvest in TB prevention and treatment programmes as well as urgently implement proven policies that push tobacco products further out of consumers’ reach”, Mallik said.

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Covid variant worse than Omicron in next 2 years: UK epidemiologist

London, March 24 (IANS): There is a “high chance” that a new Covid variant which is worse than Omicron will emerge in the next two years, England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty has warned.

He said that there was still a “long way to go” because the virus will continue to “throw surprises”.

He also insisted the virus - which now poses a similar death threat as flu - will be with us “for the rest of our lives”, Daily Mail reported.

Whitty noted that the strain could cause “worse problems” than Omicron and the challenges from the current strain are “not by any means trivial”, and its emergence could “significantly change our balance of risk”.

Dismissing the idea that Covid has become endemic, he said it is incorrect to assume the virus has reached a “stable state” around the globe, despite easing restrictions by many countries.

“And there’s a high chance that we will all be discussing, and I will be discussing with my colleagues, a new variant at some point in the next two years that actually significantly changes our balance of risk,” he said.

“If we look at the burden of TB among children, around 10-12 percent of children have it. But the identified children with TB is less than 6 percent in India, which means there are children that are not detected under the TB control programme,” Pandey said.

“Childhood TB in India is estimated to be approximately 10 percent of total adult incidence.

While the exact numbers remain unknown, it can be extrapolated that India comprises 2,20,000 children with TB, annually,” Dr Sarabjit S. Chadha, Regional Technical Director, India and SE Asia, at global non-profit FIND, told IANS.

HEALTH

Yaounde, March 25 (IANS) Hospitals in Cameroon’s Southwest region have been swamped with hundreds of patients as cholera deaths have increased to 44, a health official said.

“It is a very serious situation,” Filbert Eko Eko, public health chief of the region, told Xinhua news agency.

Over 1,700 cases have been reported in the region from March 11 to 23, according to figures released by the Southwest Regional Delegation of Public Health.

At least 14 people died of the disease between Wednesday and Thursday, raising the death toll to 44 in the last two weeks, Eko said.

“We have cases practically all over our region. Our three major treatment centres are completely overpowered,” Eko told Xinhua.

He said hospitals do not have enough beds for patients, some of whom are staying in tents or along corridors in the facility premises.

The situation is dire in the seaside resort town of Limbe, where at least 400 infections were detected on Wednesday, according to officials.

Eko blamed the outbreak mainly on the lack of clean water and public latrines in the region.

On Wednesday, the region’s governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, urged local officials to build toilets in the affected areas within 30 days.

“We could well end up with a new variant that produces worse problems than we’ve got with Omicron and the Omicron problems are by no means trivial,” he added.

UK’s SAGE advisors have warned of a “realistic possibility” that a more lethal variant could emerge that kills one in three people, in line with earlier coronaviruses such as MERS. This is because Omicron evolved from a different part of the virus’s lineage, and there is no guarantee the next strain will evolve directly from Omicron.

Meanwhile, the UK is seeing a resurgence in Covid cases and deaths, after a brief lull.

Covid deaths rose by a quarter, with 250 recorded, the report said.

Hospital admissions also increased by 17 percent,after 1,879 admissions were logged on March 18.

Experts have blamed the uptick on BA.2, which is now dominant in the country. But the strain is not thought to be any more severe than the original Omicron variant.

Whitty said the BA.2 Omicron variant is a “large part” of the current high rates that are rising “in virtually all parts of England”.

He said the strain, thought to be as contagious as chickenpox, is not translating into surges in deaths or intensive care admissions - but “that doesn’t mean that it is having no impact at all”.

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

INDIA NEWS

SPORTS

Indian Agriculture Women’s World Cup: England reach final after a superb 137-run victory over South Africa Christchurch, March 31 (IANS) On the back of a magnificent 129 from opener Danni Wyatt and a career-best 6/36 by leftarm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, defending champions England on Thursday reached the final of ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup with a superb 137-win over South Africa at Hagley Oval.

It continues the remarkable upward swing of England, who began their title defence with three losses but fought back to win next five matches in a row, including Thursday’s semifinal, to storm into their second straight World Cup final. They will now meet Australia in the final at the venue of their semifinal win on Sunday.

Chasing a mammoth 294 in a high-pressure knockout match, South Africa were never in the chase from the word go. Pacer

Anya Shrubsole removed both openers, Laura Wolvaardt and Lizelle Lee, cheaply in her first two overs.

Wolvaardt, the leading run-scorer in the tournament, departed without troubling the scorers, chipping a Shrubsole inswinger straight back to her. Lee, in a lean run throughout the tournament, chipped another inswinger from Shrubsole straight to mid-wicket.

Lara Goodall and captain Sune Luus tried to resurrect the South Africa innings. But England struck back as Kate Cross cleaned up Luus while Goodall tried to scoop against Charlie Dean, but the ball shattered her stumps. From 67 for 4, Ecclestone ran through the rest of the batting line-up with all six wickets as South Africa crumbled to 156 all out in 38 overs.

Earlier, England posted an imposing 293/8, thanks to Wyatt’s

knock laced with 12 boundaries.

She had plenty of luck on her side as she was dropped five times in the innings (22, 36, 77, 116 and 117), including twice in an Ayabonga Khaka over.

The reprieves meant Wyatt took the attack to South Africa’s bowlers and put their usually tight fielders under pressure in a rematch of a thrilling 2017 World Cup semi-final.

Wyatt also stitched handy partnerships with Sophia Dunkley (60) and Amy Jones (28) during the middle overs as England gained the upper hand in a match which will decide who will meet Australia in the final on Sunday.

For South Africa, their experienced pacers Shabnim Ismail (3/46) and Marizanne Kapp (2/52) did well. But England and Wyatt in particular scored big against South Africa’s other

Healy, Haynes power Australia into Women’s World Cup final Taylor-led West Indies for 148 in 37 overs to win the contest by 157 runs.

While Healy and Haynes were the star performers in the 45-oversa-side affair, they received plenty of support from their teammates as a disciplined performance in the field and clinical effort with the ball ensured Australia’s spot in the final. The Meg Lanningled side will meet the winner of the second semifinal between England and South Africa on Sunday.

Experienced spinner Jess Jonassen (2/14) claimed two wickets and five others picked up one scalp each, while Beth Mooney came up with another superb catch to go with her unbeaten 43 with the bat.

West Indies skipper Taylor (48) played a lone hand in the run chase while Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews managed 34 runs each at the top of the order, but they received little support with two batters unable to take the crease as Australia romped to a big win.

Wellington, March 30 (IANS) A brilliant 216-run openingwicket partnership between Alyssa Healy (129 from 107 balls) and Rachael Haynes (85 from 100) helped Australia book their place in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final with a dominant 157-run victory over the West Indies at Basin Reserve here on Wednesday.

Thanks to Healy and Haynes’ stand, the six-time World Cup winners scored a mammoth 305/3 in their rain-reduced match before bundling out the Stafanie

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Earlier, Healy and Haynes looked in sublime form, scoring with ease as Australia amassed 305 after being sent in to bat first. It was a scintillating partnership from Healy and Haynes, as the duo feasted on some poor West Indies bowling and an even lacklustre fielding to put on the third highest opening stand in Australia’s Women’s One-day International history.

Initially, Healy took some time to get used to the overcast conditions as the Australian openers put on just 37 from their opening nine-over powerplay period. But it didn’t take long for Healy to find her rhythm as she

overtook Haynes and then went from 50 to 100 in just 28 deliveries to bring up the fourth ODI century of her career.

Healy found the boundary 17 times during her innings and even managed to clear the rope with a massive hit over mid-on from a rank Karishma Ramharack full toss that pushed her score into the 90s.

Haynes was more circumspect during her stay and was given a pair of lives off the bowling of the unlucky Ramharack, with the usually reliable Matthews’ culpable for dropping an easy chance at mid-on when Australia’s score was 141.

Shamilia Connell (1/45) finally made the breakthrough when she had Healy caught in the deep in the 33rd over, as the attention turned to Haynes to see if she could reach her own three figure milestone.

Chinelle Henry (2/51) made sure she didn’t and the West Indies seamer also picked up Ash Gardner - promoted up the order to number three - in the same over to help reduce Australia to 236/3.

But Mooney and Meg Lanning (26 not out) combined to boost the score past 300 and leave West Indies with a mountain that was too difficult to climb as Australia moved through to the title decider with ease.

Brief scores: Australia 305/3 in 45 overs (Rachael Haynes 85, Alyssa Healy 129, Meg Lanning 26 not out, Beth Mooney 43 not out; Chinelle Henry 2/51) beat West Indies 148 in 37 overs (Deandra Dottin 34, Hayley Matthews 34, Stafanie Taylor 48; Jess Jonassen 2/14) by 157 runs.

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bowling options.

Kapp provided South Africa the best start when she dismissed opener Tammy Beaumont (7) with the score on 10, before skipper Heather Knight joined Wyatt and the duo set about resurrecting England’s innings.

While Knight was overly cautious at the crease, Wyatt attempted to attack and Kapp provided her with a lifeline when she dropped an easy chance in the field. Khaka (1/66) trapped Knight lbw for one after taking a late review to add to England’s woes and it was 77/3 shortly after when Nat Sciver fell to Ismail for just 15.

Wyatt and Jones then put on 49 for the fourth wicket, until Kapp was introduced back into the attack and picked up her second when Chloe Tryon hung on to send Jones back to the pavilion.

Dunkley, with her second successive fifty in as many matches in the World Cup, proved to be the perfect partner for Wyatt as the duo combined for a 116-run stand that set England on course for a big score to set up a stiff chase for South Africa, which eventually was enough in the end to reach their sixth Women’s Cricket World Cup final.

Brief Scores: England 293/8 in 50 overs (Danni Wyatt 129, Sophia Dunkley 60; Shabnim Ismail 3/46, Marizanne Kapp 2/52) beat South Africa 156 all out in 38 overs (Mignon du Preez 30, Lara Goodall 28; Sophie Ecclestone 6/36, Anya Shrubsole 2/27) by 137 runs

Shane Warne Memorial: Former teammates, world cricket greats pay tribute to legend at MCG

Melbourne, March 30: Former Australian teammates, world cricket greats, noted musicians and tens of thousands of people paid tribute to legendary Shane Warne at his emotional state memorial service at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, here on Wednesday.

Warne, who is considered as one of the greatest cricketers of all-time, died aged 52 earlier this month from a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand.

During the service of the late spinner, his father, brother and three children gave moving speeches in front of thousands of people in attendance at the MCG, where Warne produced some of his milestone moments including taking his 700th wicket in test cricket in 2006.

Warne’s father Keith said the former Australia international packed more into his life “than most people would in two lifetimes”.

“Shane said of himself, ‘I smoked, I drank, and I played a little cricket’. Mate, your mother and I can’t imagine a life without you.

You have been taken too soon and our hearts are broken,” he added.

The legendary cricketer finished his stellar 15-year international career in 2007 with 708 Test wickets and was named as one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the 20th century alongside Don Bradman, Garfield Sobers, Jack Hobbs and Viv Richards.

“It has been exactly 26 days since you went to heaven and I miss you more than anything in the whole world. I would do anything just to have one more of your cuddles

and to hear your voice tell me how proud of me you were and how much you loved me,” said Warne’s daughter Summer.

“I know you will be forever watching me and be by my side the whole time,” she added.

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain, Warne’s former Australia captains Mark Taylor and Allan Border, former West Indies batter Brian Lara and ex-Australia bowler Merv Hughes were also on stage to pay tribute to the spin bowler.

A number of Warne’s other Australia team-mates, bowler Glenn McGrath, wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist and ex-captain Steve Waugh, were also in the audience, along with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Musician Elton John performed “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” via video while there were similar musical performances from Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams and Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

At the start of the ceremony, the Australian national anthem was sung by Greta Bradman, granddaughter of legendary Australia batter Sir Donald Bradman. The service ended with the unveiling of the Shane Warne Stand at the MCG by Warne’s children.

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

INDIA NEWS

1st ODI: Australia thrash Pakistan by 88 runs, take 1-0 series lead

IANS

Lahore, March 30 (IANS) Australia thrashed Pakistan by 88 runs in the first ODI, to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, here on Tuesday.

With this victory, Australia jumped to the fourth spot from seventh in the ICC Men’s World Cup Super League standings, with 70 points after 10 matches. On the other hand, Pakistan remained in the second half of the table, at the 11th position with 40 points.

Pakistan’s decision to bowl first backfired as Australia put up a daunting 313/7. Surviving a couple

of close calls, openers Travis Head and Aaron Finch put on a 110-run stand to lay the foundation. After Finch’s dismissal, Head combined with Ben McDermott to bring up a half-century stand for the second wicket.

ODI fifty.

Head got a superb hundred off just 70 balls but was out soon after, with debutant Zahid Mehmood claiming the important scalp. However, crucial contributions from the middle and lower-middle order, including a 30-ball 40 not out from Cameron Green, helped Australia set Pakistan a 314-run target, an ICC report said.

The hosts’ joy was short-lived, however, as debutant Ellis nailed Imam with a fiery yorker, and Pakistan slipped to 204/6. The home side imploded thereafter, with Adam Zampa going past 100 ODI wickets as Pakistan were bowled out for 225 runs.

In their reply, Pakistan lost Fakhar Zaman (18) early in the chase but a 96-run partnership between Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam frustrated the Australian bowlers.

Things turned around when Azam was out soon after he got his 18th

Three more wickets fell in the next six overs. However, Imamul-Haq continued to plunder runs and brought up a splendid century that pushed Pakistan past the 200-run mark.

The two remaining matches of the ODI series will be played at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore on March 31 and April 2.

Brief scores: Australia 313/7 in 50 overs (Travis Head 101, Haris Rauf 2-44) beat Pakistan 225 in 45.2 overs (Imam ul Haq 103; Adam Zampa 4-38) by 88 runs.

Las Vegas to host Formula 1 night race from 2023 places to now be rated fifth in the Women’s ODI rankings.

Dubai, March 29: South Africa opener Laura Wolvaardt on Tuesday replaced Australian batter Alyssa Healy as the No. 1 batter while India skipper Mithali Raj climbed three places to be at the sixth spot in the latest ICC women’s ODI rankings.

Wolvaardt has scored more runs (433) at the Women’s World Cup than any other player. She has made five half-centuries from seven innings, with her top score of 90 coming against tournament favourites Australia in Wellington last week.

The stylish South African batter moved up two places and overtook two Australians in the process to claim the top ranking.

She replaced Australia wicketkeeper Healy, who dropped four

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Healy’s teammate Beth Mooney remains in second place in the rankings, with Australia captain Meg Lanning (third) and England veteran Nat Sciver (fourth) rounding out the remainder of the top five batters on the latest rankings.

Mithali Raj’s fifty against South Africa helped her make a threeplace jump to No 6. However, the match ended in heartbreak for the Indian skipper as her team crashed out of the World Cup in a last-ball thriller.

Among other Indians, opener Smriti Mandhana occupied the tenth position. Veteran Jhulan Goswami is the only bowler from India in the top ten, while she has company from Deepti Sharma in the all-rounders’ category.

While there is plenty of movement in the latest rankings for the batter, the same cannot be said for the bowling or all-rounder rankings.

England spinner Sophie Ecclestone -- who is the leading wicket-taker at the World Cup with 14 scalps -- remains the highest-ranked bowler, while Australia’s Jess Jonassen is second.

In-form South Africa seamer Shabnim Ismail moves up one spot to take third in the rankings from Australia veteran Megan Schutt, while India pacer Jhulan Goswami rockets up two places to fifth.

It’s status quo in the all-rounder ranks, with Australia veteran Ellyse Perry remaining at the top of the rankings and the top eight players retaining their current spots. England’s Katherine Brunt moves up two places to ninth, while Goswami loses once spot to drop to 10th.

Pakistan all-rounder Nida Dar -fresh from 118 runs and 10 wickets at the World Cup -- moves up four places to 12th, while Bangladesh veteran Salma Khatun is up seven spots to 19th.

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SPORTS

Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup: Confident India eye winning start Potchefstroom (South Africa), March 31 (IANS) The Indian Junior Women’s Hockey team led

by Salima Tete is all geared up for the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup which gets underway here from April 1.

Having patiently waited for this moment, after the coveted quadrennial tournament was postponed from December 2021 due to the omicron-threat in South Africa, the Indian team’s dressing room is filled with excitement ahead of their first match in Pool D against Wales on 2nd April.

Reflecting the team’s sentiments, Captain Salima Tete who had led the U-18 team to a historic Silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 said, “There is a lot of excitement among the players. Everyone has worked so hard for this moment and used the postponement to gain better exposure, improve as a team so we can put up our best performance here.”

She further highlighted the team’s preparations in the lead to the tournament, having landed in Potchefstroom almost a week ahead of their first match.

“Coming here early has helped us tremendously. We have been able to get a good amount of training sessions here which has helped in acclimatizing to the weather. It gets very warm and humid during the day. It definitely helped to have our last camp before coming here in Bhubaneswar, Odisha where we trained in quite hot conditions.”

The Indian team will begin their campaign against Wales on April 2 followed by their second Pool D match against Germany. They will take on Malaysia in the third match and will hope to play the quarter final on April 8 while the Semifinals and final will be held on April 10 and 12 respectively.

“Definitely the team is confident of putting up our best performance. We are wellprepared and have a good mix of

experienced players. Our aim will be to take it match-by-match, get off to a good start and play as per plan,” added Tete, who was one of the youngest members of the Indian Women’s Team that finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Vice-captain Ishika Chaudhary, who recently made her debut in the Senior squad during the FIH Hockey Pro League, said, “Many of us in the team got an opportunity to play with the Senior team and we also trained alongside them in Bhubaneswar. I feel this experience will definitely help us in the Junior World Cup.” The Indian team also played two warm-up matches against England and Netherlands, both games ended in a draw. “We played 4x10 minutes warmup matches against England and Netherlands. It gave us insights into the areas we need to prioritize. We were creating many chances but didn’t convert enough. However, the fact that we have all been in the National program for the last 3-4 years helps us understand each other’s game well and overcome setbacks if any. We look forward to a good start,” Ishika concluded.

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INDIA NEWS

Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

4 indoor games for families to have a fun filled weekend

Keeping children entertained over the weekend, requires some new ideas.

CULTURE

Tech gadgets to help maintain a work-life balance Do you have kids at home? A spill-resistant keyboard is a must!

Price: INR 2,345/Available at: https:// in.boredgamecompany Skoodle Quest Wordwit: Make Your Word Known Wit and win with the most points, claiming the crowning glory of being the most witty with words. It’s simple and enjoyable, and you learn new words while challenging your opponents. Make Every Letter Count by adding letters in each turn and scoring points to form a continuous string of meaningful words.

March 23, 2022 (IANSlife) When it’s the weekend, we either go on a family vacation or stay at home and rest. While we are at home, television and other electronic devices can sometimes save the day, but we probably don’t want to give children unlimited screen time all day. Keeping children entertained over the weekend, requires some new ideas.

Skoodle Stackrr Classic: A game that brings the entire family together. Look no further if you want a great combination of sense, laughter, and maybe a little patience. It is the ideal game for everyone, providing an edge-ofyour-seat experience, gravitydefying action, and a floor game that promotes Strategic Thinking, communication, and logic among players.

Price: INR 679 Availability: https://www. skoodleplay.com/

Price: INR.535/Available at: https://www. skoodleplay.com/

Price: INR 799/-

Hasbro Pictureka: Laugh-OutLoud It’s a lot of fun for family and friends to see who can find it the fastest and first! The game consists of 9 game tiles with whimsical images that players must race to find as directed by their mission cards. They keep the mission card if they find the object. The player who has the most cards at the end of the game wins!

Handmade Trikona Dexterity Game: Trikona is a game of both physical and mental acuity. Using the simple premise of stacking blocks, try to select the right piece that corresponds to your pattern card. The game is won by the player who matches and completes his puzzle first before the tower collapses.

Available at: https://www. hamleys.in/

Bacardi NH7 Weekender back in Pune Red Bull Off The Roof returns India’s happiest multi-genre music, comedy, and gaming festival to its home city

March 16, 2022 (IANSlife) Nine years after making its first appearance at Bacardi NH7 Weekender, Red Bull Off The Roof returns to the festival this year with a line-up featuring some of India’s favourite hip-hop and pop artists, as well as the country’s freshest sounds.

Having the right tool for the job can help you stay productive and multitask without jeopardising your career.

It is critical to strike a balance between work and life. This is not an easy task for many people, but Arnav Mutneja, Founder, ZinQ Technologies, suggests some tech gadgets that can help you maintain a balance and easily cope with all of your responsibilities without losing productivity.

Worried that your laptop’s heat is harming your skin?

Many people are concerned about their laptops becoming too hot and causing skin damage.

This can be alleviated by using a cooling pad. A laptop cooling pad cools your laptop by blowing air from the bottom of the device up through it. This prevents the laptop from overheating and running too hot, which can cause it to shut down or overheat, both of which can be dangerous to your health. When you use your Cool Slate laptop cooling pad, you’ll stay cool. The cooling pad’s whisper-quiet fans will keep you comfortable while you work all day.

Looking for the best way to be successful both at work and in your family life?

People who want to balance their work and family lives can benefit greatly from the use of a webcam.

It allows them to see their children clearly while they are at work. It also provides continuous connectivity, allowing them to respond to their children’s or family’s needs as soon as possible.

Following a digital edition in 2020, NODWIN Gaming, esports companies and Bacardi are set to bring India’s happiest multigenre music, comedy, and gaming festival back to its home city Pune on March 26-27, 2022.

Playing on the bus this year are Parekh and Singh, a pop duo from Kolkata, Seedhe Maut a Delhi-based hip-hop duo, T.iLL APES hip-hop/neo-soul outfit from Bengaluru, When Chai Met Toast indie-folk band from Kochi, RANJ x Clifr rapper and producer and multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter Anoushka Maskey.

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March 20, 2022 (IANSlife) Using technology in conjunction with changes in workplace structure can boost productivity in all areas.

A modern working man or woman multitasks to cover their passion as well as their duties on a daily basis. People are busy balancing their professional and personal lives in order to remain true to themselves.

A webcam allows you to work from anywhere in the world and at any time of day. You can work from home, on vacation, or while on business travel. When you use your webcam, you don’t have to worry about long commute times or expensive international roaming charges. It also allows workers to achieve a better work-

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life balance by allowing them to spend more time with their families while still pursuing their career goals.

Now managing calls and household chores is so convenient It is true that today’s working man or woman must juggle many responsibilities. It takes a lot of time to balance work and family, household chores and phone calls. However, wireless earphones can now assist you with this!

Wireless earphones are no longer just for listening to music. They have become an essential part of our lives, and they can help us do more without having to deal with the hassle of constantly holding our phones. Wireless earphones are a godsend for office workers.

They can now multitask and manage phone calls or household chores while on the go. Wireless earphones come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so you can find the one that is right for you. They also have features such as noise cancellation, Bluetooth, and so on.

Work uninterruptedly anytime The UPS for Router service is ideal for people who need to work continuously at all times. You can set your own working hours and avoid time-consuming office visits with this service.

Working people frequently face the challenge of balancing their work and personal lives. This can be difficult when they are juggling work and family, both of which require a great deal of attention and time.

Do you have kids at home? A spill-resistant keyboard is a must!

How many times has coffee or another drink gotten on your keyboard and you had to go out and buy a new one? Spillresistant keyboards are one type that reduces the possibility of spilling coffee or water on your keyboard.

If you have children at home, this keyboard is a must-have. It has a special coating that protects it from any spills that may occur.

Its ergonomic design makes it both comfortable to use and simple to clean! So, if you want to improve your work life, this is the product for you!

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INDIA NEWS

Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

Amidi: Embroidering for Change

The Israel Embassy, designer Sahil Kochhar, the European Union, and Khushii come together to empower women

CULTURE

Optimise nutrition as you age No matter what age you are, drink plenty of water to keep your body well hydrated

very best while walking down the ramp as the stars that they really are.”

The celebration was hosted by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium in his mansion, which was designed by noted Indian artist Satish Gujral and provided the perfect backdrop for the occasion.

About the participating girls from Khushii Foundation

March 18, 2022 (IANSlife) In a fitting homage to the ongoing commemoration of 30 years of friendship between India and Israel, The Israel Embassy created a special show in collaboration with designer Sahil Kochhar, the European Union, and Khushii to commemorate women coming together for social change.

“Amidi” - infinite, beautiful, and magnificent - was the best way to characterise the women who walked the runway in a stunning capsule collection designed by acclaimed fashion designer Sahil Kochhar complemented their attractiveness. Minister of External Affairs and Culture for India, Meenakshi Lekhi, was also present to encourage and support the endeavour.

“Women and their power to drive social change needs to be celebrated across the different strata of society that they come from,” said H.E. Ambassador Naor Gilon. A woman’s empowerment is the same as a family’s empowerment. Amidi has been able to weave together a lovely story for social change through fashion with this gorgeous fashion exhibition and this incredible gathering of powerful women from many fibres of society.”

Speaking on the occasion, H.E. Ambassador Naor Gilon said, “Women and their power to drive social change needs to be celebrated across the different strata of society that they come from. Empowering a woman is equal to empowering a family.

With this beautiful fashion

showcase and this incredible group of powerful women coming from different fabrics of society, Amidi has been able to stitch together a beautiful narrative for social change through fashion.”

But this wasn’t your typical fashion show; the runway was transformed into a platform for bringing together women from all walks of life and allowing some of Khushii’s most brilliant ladies to share their inspiring experiences.

Taking centre stage were nine women who with the help of local NGO Khushii, despite their personal setbacks and challenges, have shown a unique determination to become successful and independent.

These women are now helping others in their community to become successful and independent as well. Together with them were diplomats from embassies as well as members of the European Union Delegation, walking alongside and applauding their spirit and strength Working together on the show has given the young women a great sense of empowerment and the funds raised will further help in empowering and skill building of more girls from across communities.

Talking about the collection, designer Sahil Kochhar said, “I am very happy to come together with the Embassy of Israel for this very special initiative. This collection is personal and unique to me.

It is a tribute to womanhood in all its forms coming together to celebrate these very special girls.

I hope these young girls feel their

Riya Kumari is one of three siblings and is from Azadpur, Delhi. Currently she is completing her second year from IGNOU. She aspires to be an independent woman who takes care of her family. She is studying towards becoming a nurse.

Hailing from Mukund, Bihar, 23-year-old Ruchi is highly passionate about stitching her own clothes or even suits for others and has trained herself in the art for the last 6 years. Through the constant love and support of her family, Ruchi imparts her knowledge to three students under her wing and hopes to pursue more opportunities in the stitching industry.

Laadli is altruistic in nature.

Determined to be able to help others as much as she can while thinking about herself the least, Laadli is a hard- working, sincere child. She has completed a GDA course and is interested in improving her skills in the field of design.

Babita, a 29-year-old woman, first discovered the Khushii NGO while working in an anganwadi. After her marriage, she encountered several problems. She was encouraged to pursue a GDA course. After completing it, she is now interested in working in either the field of nursing or any other field where she can help others. She says she will always want to stay associated with Khushii.

Nisha is interested in the field of tailoring and stitching. She completed a course for the same at Khushii and is looking to gain experience in this industry so that she can explore her interests as well as guide others.

Poonam is curious about everything new that she comes across and is eager to learn more about it. She also took a tailoring course at Khushii to learn more about it.

Manu is currently pursuing an MA from IGNOU. She has also completed a GDA course and is interested in being an independent, working woman so that she can support her mother, the way she supported her.

L-R_Designer Sahil Kochhar, Orly Goldschmidt, Head of Public Diplomacy at Embaasy of Israel, H.E. Mr François DELHAYE, Ambassador of Belgium to India, Naor Gilon, Ambassador of Israel,Meenakshi Lekhi, Ugo Astu

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Kritika has just completed the twelfth grade and has taken an interest in stitching. She is a quick learner and aspires to be an independent working woman.

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By N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe March 14, 2022 (IANSlife) Let’s pause to understand what healthy eating looks like for a woman.

Literally. What should we be feeding our bodies so that we can enjoy good health throughout the changing stages of our lives? Whether you’re a student attending online classes or a corporate honcho working from home these days; a homemaker who never gets a moment’s rest or maybe you’re none of the above but as a woman, you need to know what nutrition is right for you and more importantly, when.

Starting from the stage of a teenager, what you eat will define who you are in the years to come as nutrient needs are higher now than at any other time in your lifecycle. “As teenage years are a time of rapid growth and development, eating a wellbalanced diet is key, as healthy food is essential for proper hormonal balance. One must stay fit by consuming good fat from fish, avocado, nuts, olive oil etc. The onset of menstruation at this stage often causes low haemoglobin so load up on food rich in iron, protein and avoid junk food containing refined sugar, saturated and trans-fat.” said Dr Ganesh Kadhe, Associate Director, Nutrition Medical and Scientific Affairs, Abbott She adds, “If you’re under 30, it’s a good time to start increasing your calcium intake. In case the pandemic continues to play a spoilsport of how much sunshine vitamin you can absorb, add vitamin D into your diet to enable the absorption of calcium. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding then lean proteins, iron, and vitamin C (to absorb the iron) are all must-haves for you. In case you are planning a pregnancy, intake of supplements comprising of vitamin D, B12, iron, calcium and folic acid are essential. A well-balanced diet for all women this age should include some meat and dairy, seafood, green leafy veggies, pulses and grains, dry fruits, and citrus-rich fruit.”

Make the transition into menopause a smooth one by

limiting foods high in salt, preservatives, and saturated fats. “Women in their 40s and 50s must say hello to more calcium and iron, food rich in antioxidants like berries, cocoa, green tea and more fibrous food like whole grains, veggies, and fruit. In addition to vitamins D and C, another one that cannot be ignored as we age is B12 which is responsible for neurological function and is usually deficient in vegetarians so consciously supplement your diet with vitamin b12 fortified food if you don’t get it naturally. As the onset of metabolic disorders and vitamin deficiencies are seen often in this age group, following a low glycaemic, low-fat high protein diet topped with regular exercise is essential.” says Dr Ganesh.

“Age may only be a number but if you want to stay fit and active even over 60 then the number of nutrients in your food needs to increase in proportion. As a woman in her senior years, your diet should already include all that is recommended above. So that means foods rich in calcium, iron, protein get a big yes and processed foods, saturated fats and excess salt get a big no. The other red flags at this age are spicy foods that can trigger acidity issues, too many sweets that can lead to sugar imbalance and eventually diabetes. One should be conscious that avoidance of dairy due to lactose intolerance is not a solution and they should rather consume dairy products rich in calcium and proteins.”

No matter what age you are, drink plenty of water to keep your body well hydrated, add a nutritional drink to your diet for a healthy balance of nutrients, get enough sleep so that you feel fresh and rejuvenated; stay active with age-appropriate exercise and pay equal importance to your mental wellbeing. A lifestyle that combines all of this with a healthy, well-balanced diet will ensure that you relish womanhood at any stage in your life.

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Brookwater is the premier address in the Western Corridor.

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Located in the heart of one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, Brookwater is Brisbane’s best kept secret for luxury living. Crafted around the Greg Norman designed golf course, Brookwater provides a rare combination of prestige golfside living and natural bushland beauty. With the first stage of Brookwater completely sold, we are pleased to introduce the next stage of this exclusive community — your own architecturally designed piece of paradise — Dress Circle, only 15 minutes from Mount Ommaney.

Life on Brookwater’s Dress Circle is close to everything you need — public transport, schools, childcare centres, a university, a private hospital, shopping centres and a thriving commercial precinct. We welcome you to experience Brisbane’s best kept secret when it comes to luxury living, and choose from our leading architectural collaborators to design your dream home — complimentary with your Dress Circle land purchase.

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

TRAVEL

Five stays which feature out of the world beds... ... offering travellers the dreamiest sleeping experience

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early half (44 percent) of Indian travellers say sleeping in allows them to disconnect from their daily routines and feel rejuvenated, a Booking.com survey reveled. The platform has curated a list of five properties with unique beds that offer travellers the dreamiest sleeping experience. From a star bed in India that allows you to sleep directly under the stars to a bed made of salt blocks in Bolivia, there is a bed for every type of traveller (and sleeper!).

Jamtara Wilderness Camp, Madhya Pradesh, India

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Maldives

Adventure Suites, New Hampshire, United States

The Adventure Suites, located in North Conway, New Hampshire, is a themed hotel with exclusive bedrooms for every type of adventure. From an oystershaped bed that will make you feel like a mermaid under the sea to a round king-size bed with overhead candles inspired by Roman Ruins, guests will find themselves dozing off to enjoy a good night’s sleep in a fun and unique setting that will inspire some adventurous dreaming. This one-of-a-kind property is ideal for families, couples, or large groups of friends.

Hotel de Sal Luna Salada,Uyuni, Bolivi

Jamtara Wilderness Camp, located in Pench National Park, provides visitors with a one-of-a-kind experience. Each luxury tent at this resort is designed to make visitors feel at one with nature, but the Star Bed is a must-try.

These “machans,” which are built on stilts to accommodate a double four-poster bed for two, are set up on the land of a local farmer.

They can be booked for a night under the stars, with the majority of the revenue going back to the farmer. The accommodation, in collaboration with local communities, provides authentic wildlife, natural, and starry experiences. For an unforgettable stay, one can gaze out at the fields and wildlife during the day and up at the constellations at night.

Travellers can beat the heat and head to the luxurious Conrad Maldives Rangali Island that offers spacious private villas with beds submerged beneath the crystal blue waters of the Indian Ocean. The bed is a part of the accommodation’s undersea residence - first in the world, called The Muraka. It is a luxurious 2-level residence with a master bedroom submerged over 16 feet below sea level. Guests can tuck into a comfortable bed encased in acrylic and watch the passing sea life swim by.

Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is the world’s largest salt flat and one of the most incredible travel experiences in South America.

What better way to get the most out of this salt experience than to wake up every morning to breathtaking views of the salt flats and sleep in a house made entirely of salt blocks? Hotel de Sal Luna Salada is an ideal place to stay to experience this, with rooms overlooking the Uyuni salt mine and, if that isn’t unusual enough, guests can sleep in a bed made of salt blocks.

V 8 Hotel Köln at Motorworld, Cologne, Germany

Who said sleeping in a carshaped bed was only for kids?

Whether you’re a car enthusiast or not, waking up in the comfort of a restored car is sure to be a memorable travel experience.

Set on the grounds of the historic Cologne Butzweilerhof Airport, V8 Hotel Köln at Motorworld offers unique rooms with various car models transformed into beds, making this automobile themed hotel a perfect stay for travellers of all ages looking for something different.

8 of India’s top adventure sports places

Shillong, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Gulmarg and Uttarakhand get your adrenaline pumping with their activity options

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ndia is one of the few countries that has something to offer adventurers of all types. When it comes to adventure excursions in India, there’s something for everyone, from the majestic Himalayas to the vast Thar desert, the Rann of Kutch, the seashore, and the islands of Andaman and Lakshadweep. Trekking, hanggliding, bungee jumping, scuba diving, hot-air ballooning, white river rafting, and snow skiing are just a few of the exhilarating adventure activities available.

Adventure sports are becoming increasingly popular, and some locations have become hubs for these activities, earning them the title of county adventure destinations. If you want to feel thrilled, here is the list of the 8 best adventure sports places in India: Bungy Jumping in Rishikesh and Goa Rishikesh has become one of the best places to experience the bliss of weightlessness, with the highest bungy jumping platform, Jumpin Heights. That’s your own official ticket to getting high - figuratively speaking! Enjoy this adventure sports with your companions while relaxing in

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the Ganges’ clean water! You can experience bungy jumping with Jumpin Heights, which has a record of 1,00,000 jumps. Goa is also growing as one of the best places for bungy jumping in India.

Here also you can plan your bungy jumping with Jumpin Heights.

Giant Swing in Rishikesh Adapted from the Canyon swing in New Zealand, this is a once in a lifetime experience. The highest spot is in Rishikesh, from a height of 83 meters, where one is fitted with a chest and seat harness.

Due to the different processes of the Jump from the Bungy, the Giant Swing in India allows you to enjoy double the freefall of the Bungy, with considerably more speed, and almost as much fear.

River Rafting in Uttarakhand India’s most exciting adventure destination is Uttarakhand’s valleys. The tremendous Himalayas of Garhwal are one of the state’s many adventure attractions. The Tons River runs through Garhwal, making it the greatest place to go river rafting.

The Tons valley is located in the Jaunsar Bawar region, and the river gives numerous rafting opportunities.

Trekking in Sikkim Sikkim attracts hillside lovers from all around the world, particularly trekkers, thanks to Mount Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest peak. Most trekkers prefer solo hiking in Sikkim because it allows them to relax and enjoy the scenery. There are numerous treks in Sikkim to choose from, but Damthang to Tendong, Darap Village, Hillay to Varsey, and Ravangla to Maenam Hill Top are among the most popular short treks in the state.

Skiing in Gulmarg Gulmarg skiing is suitable for both beginners and experienced skiers. Gulmarg’s snowcovered hills and terrains are breathtaking. Consider Gulmarg as one of the top adventure destinations in India, with classes for amateurs and equipment available for everyone. Prepare to have the time of your life on this trip!

Caving in Meghalaya Meghalaya, known as the “Land of Clouds,” is always on the minds of travellers for a reason. ‘Caving,’ which means ‘exploring the wild cave systems,’ may or may not be a new phrase for you. This 5- to 10-day caving experience

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in Meghalaya takes you through those caverns available, ranging in difficulty from easy to medium.

You’ll need someone to help you with caving gear and equipment.

In addition, he will give a professional tour guide to assist you in navigating the caves.

Waterfalls, narrow corridors, flooded passages, and species such as small fish, crabs, beetles, and bats can all be found depending on the cave you’re in.

The longest cave in Meghalaya, and also one of the longest in the world, is Krem Liat Prah.

Waterfall Rappelling in Shillong Shillong, with several adventure sports, deserves to be considered one of India’s greatest adventure destinations. And going water

rafting at Elephant Falls in Shillong is a fantastic way to spend your weekend and clear your thoughts. This activity, which is among the most popular things to do in Shillong with friends in the winter, cannot be overlooked. The rappelling begins at the bottom of the 40-foot fall and goes all the way to the top.

Adventure awaits! So, what exactly are you looking for?

Choose from one of India’s top adventure sports destinations, and live your life. These exciting activities in India will stimulate your interest and fulfil all of your trip fantasies. So, be brave and try these things to sate your wanderlust!

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The Kumaon, a perfect long weekend getaway

The tranquility of the Himalayas and an abstract modernism principle of responding to the natural landscape bricks clad with bamboo sticks and copper wire. All of the chalets face north and have spectacular views of the valley and mountains, with the sun illuminating different aspects of the landscape as the day progresses.

March 18, 2022 (IANSlife) The Kumaon is a transformative luxury retreat in Uttarakhand’s Kasar Devi region. It is surrounded by spectacular undulating hills and rich biodiversity, with breathtaking views of the Himalayan range.

Dr. Vikrom Mathur, one of the owners, has a long history with the region and has spent the last 20 years researching and writing about environment, society, and development. The Kumaon’s genesis is rooted in his passionate beliefs as well as his interest in the region’s ecology and its relationship with the culture and livelihoods of Kasar Devi’s local communities.

The property is based on the abstract modernism principle of responding to the natural landscape and environment. The spaces are constantly referencing the outdoors, and a minimalist palette is used to highlight the picturesque backdrop.

The Kumaon’s low-intensity development encourages privacy and quiet, allowing residents to create their own interpretations of the breathtaking landscape.

The retreat is set on two acres of lush greenery, with ten magnificent chalets nestled in pairs and named after villages in the Kumaoni region. Each one offers breathtaking views of the mighty Nanda Devi range. The lower chalets are made of locally quarried stone and are modelled after local village homes, while the upper chalets are made of fly-ash

The sustainable architecture emphasises locally sourced materials such as bamboo, copper, and stones, which have been extensively used across various structures and spaces using various local techniques and skills from the region. The materials have been allowed to retain their natural qualities throughout the retreat’s various spaces and have become an integral part of the design language.

Experiential highlights - Nature, culture and culinary immersions

the Kumaoni region’s cultural history and natural heritage.

From surreal village walks or treks through the lush forests to nearby local temples and trips to the nearby Binsar wildlife sanctuary, each excursion reveals a new dimension of the location.

Seasonal produce and healthy local ingredients, sourced from nearby village farms and foraged from the forests, are an important part of The Kumaon’s culinary experience. Guests can also enjoy breathtaking views of the snow-capped Nanda Devi range or the star-studded sky from their own chalets, unwind in the main lounge or cosy library room by the fireplace, rejuvenate at the spa or unwind with yoga on the terrace, or indulge in culinary indulgence at the striking cantilevered restaurant suspended over the valley below.

Genuine warmth in hospitality

The tranquility of the Himalayas and outward-looking modern spaces, woven together with warmth in hospitality and perceptive service, make it a transformative experience in Uttarakhand’s hills.

The overall experience is immersed in nature, deeply rooted in the region’s distinctly diverse flora and fauna, which is a haven for the elusive Leopard, Blue Magpie, Himalayan Cedar (Deodar), Rhododendron, and many other species.

With the property as a base camp, one can explore the rich biodiversity and uncharted landscapes. A diverse range of tailor-made nature walks and trails allow guests to connect with

An escape to heaven

The property is situated in the charming Gadholi Village of Kasar Devi, a picturesque ridge above the city of Almora in Uttarakhand, which has long been known for its rich history.

The people of the Kumaoni region exude a genuine, instinctive warmth, and many locals who worked on the site were seamlessly accommodated and trained into various technical roles at The Kumaon, where they remain a part of the core service team. Many have incredible stories to tell about their transformations from masons to The Kumaon’s anchors of heartfelt hospitality and service.

TRAVEL

Abu Dhabi Eases COVID-19 restrictions and protocols for Inbound Travellers

Unvaccinated inbound travellers must still show a negative PCR test result obtained within 48 hours of their scheduled departure

March 22, 2022 (IANSlife) Abu Dhabi has revised its COVID-19 travel restrictions and protocols in response to positive indicators that the emirate has entered the pandemic recovery phase.

The updated regulations from the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) have removed the Green List system for all passengers flying into Abu Dhabi. Fully vaccinated inbound travellers from India are no longer required to take a rapid RT-PCR test before boarding their flight at Indian airports. They must still present an official COVID-19 vaccination certificate with a readable QR code upon arrival.

Unvaccinated inbound travellers must still show a negative PCR test result obtained within 48 hours of their scheduled departure, or a COVID-19 recovery certificate dated within 30 days of departure, complete with a readable QR code.

Travellers under the age of 12 are exempt.

Regardless of vaccination status, the on-arrival PCR test at Abu Dhabi International Airport is no longer required. However, the testing facility at the airport remains open for those who want to take a test for AED 40 per swab.

Though it is not required to take the PCR test at the airport in order to activate their Green Pass on the Al Hosn app, which is still required to gain access to many

of Abu Dhabi’s indoor tourist attractions such as malls, hotels, theme parks, and restaurants.

The Green Pass feature on the AlHosn app is available to those who have been fully vaccinated and have a 14-day valid negative PCR test result, or who are officially exempt from vaccination and have a 7-day valid negative PCR test result, or who are under the age of 16. The PCR test had to be performed in the UAE. Even if they haven’t had a booster shot, tourists are considered fully vaccinated.

For entry into exhibitions and events, the GreenPass on the Al Hosn App or a negative PCR test result obtained within 96 hours is still required.

Vaccinated tourists can enter public places by presenting their COVID-19 vaccination certificate, or by displaying their full vaccination status on their home country’s mobile app, as well as a negative PCR test result obtained within the last 14 days. The PCR test had to be performed in the UAE. Quarantine is no longer required for those who have had close contact with a positive COVID-19 case. Instead, they should perform daily PCR tests for five days in a row.

Facemasks are no longer required in outdoor areas in Abu Dhabi, but they are still required indoors.

Social distance is no longer necessary.

The Kaudia Estate invites you to experience the unexplored

March 16, 2022 (IANSlife) Nestled within a cedar forest and alluring skylines of the snow-capped Himalayas, Kaudia Estate is a private haven. A perfect luxury escape from the stress and distractions of modern-day life, it immerses you in the epic scenery and wilderness of the Himalayas.

Located at the edge of the Kaudia Forest near Kanatal, Uttrakhand the private oasis is the refinement of the Himalayan, “L’art de vivre” where nature takes centre stage.

Three elegantly designed villas along with the carefully curated Walnut Lounge makes this

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property an exceptional private estate.

At the estate they believe in fair pricing with no hidden surprises for their guests, hence all their prices are listed on the website inclusive of all meals, activities, and experiences that the guest enjoys while staying with them.

Not everyone gets a chance to stay as each guest is allowed after a thorough background check of where they come from, what is the purpose of visit and much more to keep the property safe and hidden from the commercial hustle-bustle.

At Kaudia experience Farm to Table meals, Forest Walks with its loft Deodar trees and heady Cedar aroma. Outdoor activities like badminton, table tennis, a pool table and board games are available as well.

The property offers a panoramic view of snow peaks. The peaks on the far left are the border of China. The holy peaks of Neelkanth, Satopanth, Bandarpunch, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Chaukhamba, Dunagiri, and Sunehri Parvat take the centre stage. At the far right is the glorious Nanda Devi.

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INDIA NEWS

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

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INDIA NEWS

Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

India’s first skincare inspired showcase at the FDCI X LFW

FASHION

Sustainability to the forefront at FDCI X LAKMÉ Fashion Week

Shantnu and Nikhil partner with realme to The Alpana Neeraj X Lakmé Lumi Cream collection will be presented showcase environment friendly, innovative on Day 1 and has been creatively directed and choreographed by and sustainably driven design fierce with Alpana Neeraj’s brings out the best in you. We are Neeraj Gaba signature extreme construction excited for audiences to witness style, ebbing and flowing into shimmering pastels and neutrals with pops of strawberry reds.

FDCI x LFW - Alpana Neeraj Lit With Lumi Showcase

March 21, 2022 (IANSlife) Lakmé India, brings its latest skincare trend, the Lakmé Lumi Cream, to the runway in partnership with luxury-pret designers Alpana Neeraj with the #LitWithLumi showcase.

The Alpana Neeraj X Lakmé Lumi Cream collection will bring the shimmery luminescence of the Lakmé Lumi Cream to life with a no fuss, relatively minimal avatar that will retain the designers’ unique handwriting of blending 3D geometry with soft swathing drapes and diaphanous volumes.

The pieces will take a happy twist with bows and trails made

Commenting on the showcase, Sumati Mattu, Head of Innovations at Lakmé said, “Over the last two years, we’ve seen consumer needs evolve towards transformative skincare. Always at the forefront of consumercentric innovations, Lakmé has invested considerable energies in identifying well formulated, transformative skincare solutions.

Taking this commitment forward, for the very first time we will be hosting a showcase led by one of our trend statements in Lakmé Skincare, #LitWithLumi, at FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week.

Through this showcase we will be introducing consumers to the everyday, unique benefits of the Lakmé Lumi Cream. And we couldn’t have wished for more able partners than Alpana and Neeraj to work with us for this showcase. Their design philosophy much like the Lakmé Lumi Cream is focused on delivering functionality with flair.

Together, we aspire to provide consumers skincare and fashion that is easy to use and wear, accentuates your features, and

this showcase and wish the designer duo the absolute best.”

The Lakmé Lumi Cream is a lighttextured moisturiser with a hint of highlighter that draws attention to your features and gives them an instant 3D glow. The product combines functionality and beauty by being designed for all Indian skin tones and skin types.

Alpana Neeraj’s fashion design aesthetics are in sync with these characteristics. Their motifs will include the presence of crystals and diamonds in shades of peach, rose, and elegant whites that drape structurally yet artistically, combining elements of glimmer, shine, and glamour.

Designer Alpana of the label Alpana Neeraj said, “Our design philosophy has always been known to being unapologetic and effortlessly fluid. With the #LitWithLumi show, the collection will retain our core drapes and yet will see an evolution in functionality, as a progression in style post pandemic. Resonating and inspired by the sparkle, shine of the Lakmé Lumi Cream, the showcase will present a seamless blend that brings forth luminous and poised silhouettes.”

Suneet Varma’s first ready-to-wear collection at FDCI x LFW The Eternal Lightness of Being collection aims to celebrate life and living in the moment consumers’ feet with elegance more special occasion with just

March 21, 2022 (IANSlife) Bata India, one of India’s leading footwear brands, is set to collaborate with one of the country’s leading designers, Suneet Varma, as he prepares to launch his first ready-to-wear collection at the upcoming FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week in New Delhi. Suneet’s design ethos and breezy silhouettes will be combined with Bata’s timeless designs for the new Summer Spring Collection 2022.

Gunjan Shah, MD and CEOBata India Limited said: “We are pleased to associate with FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week as the official ‘Lifestyle Footwear Partner’ for the third year in a row. Bata has been influencing trends and dressing our

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and panache across the globe for over a century. We have carved a niche by being at the forefront of design innovation, bringing new styles through our Design centres across the world. Our partnerships with young and established designers and association with leading fashion events across the world have helped in bringing invogue designs to Gen Z and Millennials. This year, we are delighted to collaborate with designer Suneet Varma whose design philosophy complements our fashion forward imagery as reflected in our brands, Bata Red Label and Marie Claire. Our new collections draw inspiration from fashion trends across the world, like woven-strap designs, croco textures, square toes and have been curated keeping in mind the evolving lifestyles of the modern consumer. While the collection is up for preview at the FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week, it will soon be available across select Bata stores, Bata.in, and select online marketplaces.”

The collection, titled ‘The Eternal Lightness of Being,’ aims to celebrate life and living in the moment with youthful, elegant day and evening separates that transition easily from casual to a

a slight twist in styling. Suneet’s designs are known for being effortless, feminine, and elegant, and they closely mirror Bata’s design philosophy. The collection will feature crinkled chiffon, crushed georgette, sheer organza, and black, red, and colourful thread embroideries with caressing textures. Along with these, tasselled short dresses, trousers, color-on-color sequin and thread embroidery on long evening dresses with seductive slits, origami-inspired rope embroidery on jackets and short sexy sarees will demonstrate Suneet’s design philosophy of youthful sophistication.

Designer Suneet Varma said,“As the Spring gets us all geared up to add some drama to our wardrobe, we are excited to present our new collection at the FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week. Our collection has been carefully crafted in stylish and easy silhouettes at a diffusion price point and is texture and detail driven. We are also thrilled to have our super chic dresses paired with the timeless & stylish footwear from Bata. Bata India has always believed in capturing the imagination of the youth with value-driven trendy products and we completely resonate with their design philosophy.”

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March 19, 2022 (IANSlife) Shantnu and Nikhil’s haute couture collection ‘Nomad’ will look at design as a responsibility and bring out a new side to the designer’s aesthetic through pieces that are soft, yet intense.

The designers partner with realme, a smartphone brand to showcase environment friendly, innovative and sustainably driven design elements on Day 1 of the upcoming edition of FDCI X LFW in New Delhi.

Through the partnership, the designers, who are known for their structured, regimental inspirations, are set to bring forth the beauty of iconic silhouettes and the strong spirit of the NeoIndian. Through this collection, the designers aim to use the art of design to imagine a newer and more hopeful future.

Madhav Sheth, CEO – realme India, Vice President – realme and President – realme International Business Group, said, “Since the brand inception we have directed all our efforts to combine cuttingedge design with best-in-class

technology in all of our products and with each new product, we’ve introduced something new to our users. With our partnership with Shantnu and Nikhil for FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week, we’re ushering in a new era of sustainable, eco-friendly design language. Our realme GT 2 Pro brings industry-first bio-based polymer Paper Tech Master design for users supporting sustainability to its core for our users. We are confident that this collaboration with celebrity designer duo known for their inspired and innovative designs will help us advance our sustainability approach in India.”

“Returning to the ramps and the hustle of backstage after two years feels surreal, especially when FDCI and Lakme are united to create this groundbreaking synergy. Our new collection “Nomad” which we will be showcasing, is a line-up that came together despite its inherent differences, just like our country does every day without fail.” said Shantnu & Nikhil.

Sidharth Malhotra and Ananya Pandey team up for new campaign

Scott Eyewear celebrates 20th anniversary

March 10, 2022 (IANSlife) 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 goodlooking 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.

The collection also sees a revival of many popular retro shapes that are sure to make their way into fashionista closets. With RetroSquares, 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.

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

The modern drape

The Pant-Saree

FASHION The Belted Drape

Dhoti Style Drape

Sari styles to try this season March 12, 2022 (IANSlife) Draping our favourite saris gives us immense joy, but we often tire wearing it the same way time and again. Here are some celebrity drapes to up your style game:

The Cape Drape

The Mumtaz

All you need for this look is a statement belt to cinch your waist. It adds a modern and edgy twist to the traditional saree look.

Saree pants are a trendy look that we can’t get enough of. It’s chic and neutral, and it’s aimed at fashionistas who want to stand outs.

Neck Wrap Style

The Angrakha Drape

This retro style was made popular by actor Mumtaz and is a great festive look for a sexy chiffon 000sare with a bling border.

A matching cape teamed with a sari is draping technique which adds pizazz to your look. Choose your desired saree and look for a cape that has been stitched so that you can dress it up.

Inspired by Mughal garments, this striking way of draping a Royal Angrakha is not only in fashion but stunning!

Not only does a dhoti drape look great with winter blazers and jackets, its a comfortable and high fashion way to glam up a look.

You can wrap the pallu around your neck or wear it like a trendy scarf. Combine this with a handwoven piece to give the saree a modern twist.

Luxury, lifestyle, location — welcome to Dress Circle Located in the heart of one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, Brookwater is Brisbane’s best kept secret for luxury living. Crafted around the Greg Norman designed golf course, Brookwater provides a rare combination of prestige golf-side living and natural bushland beauty.

With over 800 families already calling Brookwater home, we are pleased to introduce the next stage of this exclusive community — your own architecturally designed piece of paradise — Dress Circle.

We welcome you to experience Brisbane’s best kept secret when it comes to luxury living, and choose from our leading architectural collaborators to design your dream home — with all architectural fees complimentary with your Dress Circle land purchase.

READY TO BUILD ON LARGE PREMIUM HOMESITES FROM $566,000

Life on Brookwater’s Dress Circle is within 10 minutes of everything you need — commuter rail to the city, private and public schools, childcare centres, a university, a private hospital, shopping centres and a thriving commercial precinct.

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INDIA NEWS

Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

Tech to maintain your summer tresses

Dyson Corrale Straightener Gift Edition available in Red colourway per second. This technology interacts with a microprocessor, which controls the heating system to deliver precise, accurate heat.

With three heat settings – 165°C, 185°C, and 210°C – users can tailor the settings to their hair type, length, and desired style.

March 22, 2022 (IANSlife) To commemorate the Spring Summer season, the Dyson CorraleTM Straightener debuts in red in India.

The straightener is suitable for all hair types and features pioneering flexing plate technology, which is designed to apply heat and tension evenly across hair strands in each pass and reduces reliance on heat. It is also designed to reduce colour fade in color-

treated hair by reducing exposure to excessive heat via increased control provided by the patented plates. The material combination used in the flexing plates provides the best flexibility, strength, and thermal conduction. Because the plates are so thin, they can shape and flex perfectly around hair.

It has an intelligent heat control and a dynamic heater system with an integrated sensor that regulates temperature 100 times

The gift edition will be available for Rs 38,900 at Dyson Demo Stores and on Dyson.in. It is also available on Amazon, Flipkart, Nykaa, Myntra, Tata Cliq, and Tata Cliq Luxury.

Nykaa SKINRX is a travel-friendly, dermatologically tested product, and is free from fragrance, alcohol, SLS, paraben, and cruelty hyperpigmentation, and revealing a radiant shine. It contains four types of Vitamin C - Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Kakadu Plum, and Amla - making it the ideal potion for achieving a bright, youthful glow.

and nourish the skin on multiple fronts, filling each skin layer with long-lasting, plumping hydration for a dewy glow. The formula is light and luxuriously moisturises the skin without leaving an oily, glossy, or heavy residue. All you have to do to achieve healthy skin is to Dot, Massage, and Moisturize. The dermatologically tested product is clean and extremely safe for anyone over the age of 16 to use.

The moisturiser’s formulation is meticulously designed to ensure high-performance efficacy, taking your daytime skincare regimen to the next level. This multitasking product with 3-in-1 benefits is available in two variants – Vitamin C and Niacinamide.

It moisturises, targets skin concerns such as blemishes, acne marks, hyperpigmentation, and dullness, and protects from sun damage with SPF 15.

Nykaa SKINRX 5 percent Niacinamide Day Moisturizer is a science-backed solution that provides the ultimate moisturization while also reducing dark spots, blemishes, and acne marks on normal to dry skin. It contains a potent blend of 5% Niacinamide, Zinc, and Alpha Arbutin. Niacinamide, also known as vitamin B3, is a water-soluble vitamin that benefits the skin by brightening it, reducing the appearance of enlarged pores, and regulating sebum production.

It’s essentially a genie in a bottle!

Day moisturisers, a great ally to the face serum, go above and beyond to seal and protect the newly achieved glow. Designed to address common skin concerns among Indian consumers, the moisturisers feature an effective ingredient blend that cares for

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Nykaa SKINRX Vitamin C Day Moisturizer for Normal to Dry Skin provides maximum moisturization while also removing dullness,

An ultimate guide to false eyelashes Place false eyelashes just above the eyelash line

It delivers cord-free performance when combined with Dyson’s 4-cell lithium-ion battery technology, making it the ideal tool for those who want to care for their hair by reducing heat damage without sacrificing style, joining the multi-hued Dyson hair care range that offers enhanced styling with its cord-free versatility.

Moisturisers that Moisturise, Target & Protect

March 19, 2022 (IANSlife) Daytime is when our skin requires the most attention – sun exposure, long hours of air conditioning at work, and a variety of other external factors all contribute to skin problems!

Following the success of its highly effective serums, Nykaa SKINRX enters a new category by introducing a new line of Day Moisturizers for Normal to Dry Skin.

BEAUTY

Nykaa Brands CEO Reena Chabbra “A moisturiser is essential to a skincare regimen and is one of the fastest growing categories.” With such a positive response to our Nykaa SKINRX serums, we’ve expanded the portfolio to include day moisturisers to boost the efficacy of a skincare routine. Our initial offering includes Vitamin C and Niacinamide, two potent active ingredients that provide consumers with targeted skin solutions. With Nykaa SKINRX, we aim to provide a skincare line that contains scientifically proven active ingredients that are internationally recognised and thoroughly researched, resulting in real, visible results.”

Nykaa SKINRX is a travel-friendly, dermatologically tested product, and is free from fragrance, alcohol, SLS, paraben, and cruelty. The collection will be available on the Nykaa website/ app and in-stores across India and is priced INR 399 onwards.

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By N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe March 19, 2022 (IANSlife) Eyelashes are an important part of make-up. They surround your eyes, make you look youthful, and add a lot of drama to your face. It’s always fun to layer mascara on your lashes, but sometimes you want a little more.

Even though you’ve heard about false eyelashes and false eyelash extensions, you still have doubts about these frilled cosmetological aids. Proarte, a beauty brand shares this handy guide with everything you need to know about false eyelashes.

Types of False Eyelashes: The best thing about false eyelashes are that you can customize them to suit your style and eye shape.

Individual lashes can be filled over the entire lash line, cluster, or strip (even magnetic ones for ease of application). You can choose eyelashes made from everything from real mink to human hair to synthetic fibres.

When it comes to style, you can go supernatural or super extra.

Trim Your False Lashes before Applying: One of the nonspecialist mistakes to avoid when applying false eyelashes is to pull the entire strip straight out of the package. Each person has different eyes, so you need to arrange your eyelashes to suit you. Start trimming from the outer corners instead of the inner corners until you reach the desired length. Also, be sure to cut off small edges that can get in your eyes or irritate sensitive eyes.

Be Sure to Curl Your Lashes: Another tip is to curl your eyelashes. That way, they will be curved, just like the false lashes you’ll be putting in. This will allow you to blend the two sets of lashes (your lashes and the lashes you bought at the store) more seamlessly and more easily.

Add Mascara to Your Lashes First: Eyelashes are to add to what you already have. To add colour and size to your lashes and better blend your natural lashes with your lashes, apply mascara first. Before you start applying the eyelashes, apply one or two layers

(not too much) on the actual eyelashes.

Let Your Mascara Dry before Applying Falsies: After coating the natural lashes with mascara, dry them before applying false eyelashes. This reduces dirt and unwanted fake damage and wear.

Know What Kind of Eyelash Glue You’re Using: If you have sensitive eyes or known allergens (and if not), check the ingredients of the eyelash glue. A component that can cause problems is the cyanoacrylate found in all eyelash adhesives. Burns, swelling, and itching can occur, but this is rare.

Be careful not to overuse the glue, leave a small space (1mm) between the glue and the skin/ eyelids, and use NanoMister to set the glue faster. Also, if you are allergic or sensitive, please be careful about latex. You can use vegan, latex-free, hypoallergenic, and cyanoacrylate-free / low cyanoacrylate adhesives.

Use Tweezers or a Lash Applicator to Handle Your Lashes: You can move your lashes with your fingers at any time, but it is safer to use tweezers or an eyelash applicator. When using your fingers, be careful not to pull the eyelashes sideways out of the container (the eyelashes may lose their shape). Instead, pull it down and gently slide it out of the container.

Don’t Use Too Much Glue: Don’t make the mistake of an amateur applying a lot of glue to false eyelashes. All you need is an even line that coats the row.

Let the Glue Dry to a Tacky Consistency: When the false eyelashes are glued, dry them a little until they become sticky and tacky. Some people, like Polaroid photos, shake their lashes to speed up the process. Another thing you have to do is rotate the tape back and forth to relax the band.

Put Your Lashes Right above the Lash Line: Place false eyelashes just above the eyelash line. The skin closest to the eyelids should be 1 mm. This keeps the glue away from the fragile eyelash line area and keeps the same distance when doing eyelash extensions

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INDIA NEWS

Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

BEAUTY

5 Holi Beard and Face Care Tips for Men Adverse effects of Protect your manly fuzz and experience all the fun and happiness changing seasons on skin chemicals, these colours can have harsh effects on both skin and beard. Therefore, men should refrain from chemical colours and opt for 100 percent organic colours that are skin-friendly, environment-friendly, and are less damaging to their follicles.

March 18, 2022 (IANSlife) Life without Holi would be so dull and colourless! However, getting rid of synthetic pigments post-Holi is a cumbersome task because most colours available in the market contain harsh chemicals that are immensely brutal on your skin and beard. But that shouldn’t stop you from participating in and enjoying the festival to the fullest.

All you need to do is prep well and follow a few tips.

So, here is a roundup of the best pre-Holi prep tips that will help you protect your beard from the harsh artificial colours, in the words of Suraj Chaudhari, the Co-founder and CEO of Zlade, India’s one-stop destination for men’s grooming products.

Your expert guide to caring for your face and beard this Holi Choosing organic colours - As most Holi colours are filled with

Taking a refreshing cold shower Before playing with colours, men must ensure to take a refreshing cold shower with either an activated charcoal-infused or an essential oil-filled soap, as hard soaps invite significant damage by causing dryness in the skin. The cold shower ensures super moist skin and prevents the colour from settling into the skin or beard.

Moisturize - Applying a good dose of moisturizer on the skin and beard is ideal for protecting the facial hair from dryness and damage caused by Holi colours.

They can also opt for a natural face mask containing aloe vera pulp and milk powder to prep the skin to deal with colours.

Using coconut or castor oil Massaging a small amount of coconut oil or castor oil ensures a protective layer against specks of dirt and colour from sticking to the beard before playing Holi.

Oil application enables easy washing away of colours and dirt. Opting for beard oil would also be an outstanding choice

to keep the beard conditioned and glossy. Beard oil penetrates beneath the facial hair dreaded beard dandruff at bay by bringing the much-needed hydration to the skin. The Ballistic by Zlade Beard Growth Kit offers three beautiful products: beard growth oil with Redensyl, beard wash, and beard softener. The Ballistic Beard Growth Oil by Zlade is well-equipped with Redensyl and 13 Essential Oils, which perfectly nourish beard hair and promote its growth.

Styling and trimming the beard - It would be best to trim the beard a little before participating in the festival. Trimming ensures that the colour clears off quickly from the dreadlocks. However, a regular beard trimmer can cause tug and pull, resulting in nicks and cuts. Therefore, you should choose a uniquely designed product to trim your beard. The Zlade Ballistic Manscaping Body Trimmer can be an ideal choice in this case. It comes with ceramic blades that effortlessly trim the hair without tugging and pulling.

As the trimmer is waterproof, men can use it efficiently under the shower.

Although Holi colours are harmful to your skin, hair, and beard, this small hazard should not stop you from enjoying this vibrant festival.

Now a sustainability-focused activist workshop store

British-born, ethical cosmetics company, The Body Shop, encourages you to return, recycle and repeat

March 16, 2022 (IANSlife) The Body Shop, launched its first flagship sustainable Activist Workshop store on Ground Floor, Palladium Phoenix Mall, Mumbai, Maharashtra. Famous for its high-quality naturallyinspired cosmetic and toiletry products, the brand is known all over the world for pioneering the philosophy that business can be a force for good, for launching new standards of ethics in business and for its change-making business for the last 45+ years.

In keeping with its Activist DNA, the brand strives for the long term, systemic change and on the occasion of this new store launch, the brand pledges its efforts towards ambitious sustainability goals through their Return Recycle Repeat (RRR) in-store plastic recycling program.

Continuing with its commitment towards reducing plastic waste from ending up in landfills and oceans, it piloted its RRR program during the pandemic in select stores. Through this pilot, it has already recycled 50,000+ plastic bottles. Under its renewed sustainability goals, the brand pledges to drive up its recycling

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goals to at least 1 million plastic bottles by 2024.

The brand’s RRR commitment is a natural next step for the brand after its launch of the world’s first Community Fair Trade (CFT) recycled plastic packaging made from plastic waste collected by Bengaluru waste pickers in 2019. Through this initiative, it sourced over 400 tons of recycled plastic in 2021, doubling this from 200+ tons in 2020. Currently, all product lines globally contain 75 percent postconsumer recycled plastic (PCR) including CFT plastic from India.

I n 2021, the brand launched its most sustainable haircare yet – all haircare bottles and tubs are

100% recyclable and are made from 100% recycled plastic. It also supported female waste pickers in South India through the Covid pandemic via Project NARI in 2020-21. Both the initiatives were created with the brand’s global CFT partner, Plastics for Change, in Bengaluru India.

Aside from being the brand’s first sustainability store in India, the new Activist Workshop store is an interactive and experiential space that encourages people to explore products, and campaigns and how the brand and consumers can together create a positive impact for the planet and its communities.

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Multitasking ingredients such as the ultranourishing hyaluronic acid and ceramide work great for both

By Dr. Chiranjiv Chabra February 26, 2022 (IANSlife) Besides being the largest organ, our skin is also quite adaptable— when seasons gradually roll on from one to another, it acclimatises to the prevalent one.

But even something as adaptable can react adversely when faced with sudden, brutal climate changes.

Blame it on climate change As a rule, a sizable variety of skin conditions and diseases are aggravated by climate change.

Inflammatory skin conditions such as dermatitis or eczema are likely to flare up when air pollution or stress is on the rise, as is the case with skin allergies.

So, how do you know if it’s dehydration that’s ailing your skin or dryness?

Dehydration or Dryness?

Dehydrated skin is completely different from dry skin. The former only lacks water and is a condition, while the latter needs additional natural oils or sebum to restore it to health and is a skin type. While dry skin is something you are usually born with, the prevailing season, hormones or the skin’s age may also play spoilsport and cause sebaceous glands to produce less than enough oils to keep it lubricated.

Dry skin can also be a result of some health issues.

If your skin is dehydrated, it can co-exist with symptoms such as dullness, under-eye dark circles, itchiness, patchy skin along with the increased incidence of fine wrinkles. And if you are battling general dehydration characterised by dry mouth, light-headedness, etc., then your skin is also bound to suffer from the same.

Dry skin can show signs such as irritated red skin that is scaly with white flakes and is regularly associated with skin diseases such as eczema, psoriasis, etc.

How to treat dehydrated and dry skin?

Dehydrated: Dehydrated skin is in dire need of water; so increasing water intake always helps, as will reduction in consumption of diuretics such as caffeine that drains water from the body. In addition, if you add an external barrier in the form of an emollient or cream to the outer

layer of your skin, you’re making additional preparation to protect it from moisture loss.

Dry: Dry skin type, on the other hand, needs intense care—from within as well as on the outside and usually all year round. While during in-between climates, it fares more poorly, the skin type in general needs additional care. So, in the present climate, ensure that you keep your skin moisturised at all times and keep it away from too much water and definitely hot water.

Absolutely nothing dries the skin out more than these factors and harsh chemicals. So choose only the heaviest emollients that are chemical-free.

You may also consider adding a humidifier to the house during the winter months and this sometimes hot, sometimes cold climate. If you still feel the need for something extra, after the daily nighttime CTM regime, consider adding a gel mask to the bed. This will keep your skin cocooned in moisture all the hours you’re asleep and on waking you will find plump happy skin waiting to be revealed, In this weather, you will find plant, seed or nut oils such as shea, almond and coconut nourishing for dry skin care while lactic and citric acids work great for the dehydrated condition.

Products that work for both conditions: Then there are those multitasking ingredients that work great for both, such as the ultra-nourishing hyaluronic acid and ceramide. Both seal in the oils into the skin barrier thus boosting its performance and preventing moisture loss. You can achieve healthy and glowing skin by adding a skin booster treatment or bio-remodeler to your regime, such as Profhilo, which is an ultra-pure hydrating hyaluronic acid in a rich dose delivered directly to your skin and lasts long. It is because Profhilo is a bio-remodeler, it stimulates collagen production, which improves skin tone, radiance, hydration, and suppleness, making your skin looks firm and moisturised. And your damaged skin will be replaced by a healthy sheen.

(Dr. Chiranjiv Chabra, Cosmetic Dermatologist, Director Alive Wellness Clinics)

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Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

INDIA NEWS

ENTERTAINMENT

Mrunal Thakur’s look from next film Sudha Chandran: Seema bears uncanny resemblance to Madhubala is a new experience for me She is the hero’s mother. Though she comes across as an arrogant person, Seema is a positive character. She is dominated by her husband, who is involved with many illegal activities but passes all the blame on Seema. So, basically she is the woman who runs the house, and at one point of time it’s already been revealed that she is subjected to domestic violence by her husband,” she says.

Sudha has begun shooting for the show and finished four episodes till now.

“Seema is a new experience for me. It will take me some time to relate to this character because I really need to know the shades of Seema better,” she adds.

Mumbai, March 25 (IANS) Mrunal Thakur, who was last seen in an extended cameo in Kartik Aaryan’s crime thriller ‘Dhamaka’, will be next seen debuting in a Telugu film opposite south sensation Dulquer Salmaan.

Indian actress of all time, Madhubala is an icon, so any comparison to her is a huge compliment.

What’s interesting is that the actor’s look from the film bears a striking resemblance with the yesteryear superstar, Madhubala.

The actor adds, “This film just got a whole lot special for me after being associated to such a legendary actor. Really look forward to this one and I hope

Often called the most beautiful

Mrunal says: “It’s an honour to be told I resemble one of the most beautiful actresses, Madhubala ji.”

that my fans love the film as much as we loved making it!”

Produced by Swapna Cinema, the film is being directed by Hanu Raghavapudi. It will be presented

by Vyjayanthi Films.

Mrunal Thakur will also be seen in Shahid Kapoor’s upcoming sports drama, ‘Jersey’, directed

by Gowtam Tinnanuri, releasing worldwide on April 14.

‘Sanak’ allowed Vidyut Jammwal to raise the bar for action

New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) The well-known dancer and actor Sudha Chandran is a part of Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Naagin 6’.

She had been a part of the first three seasons of the popular fantasy drama. Calling being a part of the show earlier a privilege, the actor is excited about her special cameo entry in the ongoing season.

“I’m playing the role of Seema.

Talking about collaborating with Ekta and Balaji, she says: “It always feels like home with them.

I have given hits with Ekta and her team. Each time I come back to the Hindi film industry, I do that with Balaji Telefilms. When people actually said that Sudha Chandran is just one film wonder or can only play sisters or sisterin-laws, Ekta offered me ‘Kaahin Kissii Roz’ as she believed in me.

I can never forget that. It’s almost around 20-25 years since I played that part but I’m still basking in the glory,” she sounds emotional.

First look of Nithiin-starrer ‘Macherla Niyojakavargam’ out

First look of Nithiin-starrer ‘Macherla Niyojakavargam’out

Mumbai, March 25 (IANS) Bollywood action star Vidyut Jammwal, who is known for his work in ‘Commando: A One Man Army’, ‘Khuda Haafiz’ and ‘Sanak’, considers his duty to bring out something unique with regards to action every time he appears on the screen, and his film ‘Sanak’ allowed him to push the envelope.

Elaborating on the same, he said: “Within the action genre, I love to try out everything that I have always been inspired by as the action hero of the country who represents the genre. It is my duty to showcase something unique for the action lovers, and with Sanak I

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was happy to raise the bar.”

The action-thriller ‘Sanak’, where Vidyut has worked under the direction of Kanishk Varma, is set to have its World Television Premiere.

Talking about his experience of working with Vidyut, director Kanishk Varma said that he is a very easy person to work with and praised him for his martial art skills.

Kanishk said, “It was a wonderful experience to work on ‘Sanak’.

Vidyut is really easy to work with especially for action films, owing to the fact that he is such

a brilliant martial artist. I am humbled with the kind of work the entire team put in. But the one person who positively surprised me was Neha Dhupia.”

“While I have always admired Neha’s work, this film turned me into her fan. Rukmini, Chandan were an absolute pleasure to work with. Always grateful to Vipul Sir for having unwavering faith in me. This sure was a dream team, and I am looking forward to collaborating with them again”, he concluded.

‘Sanak’ will have its World Television Premiere on Zee Cinema on March 27 at 12 p.m.

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Chennai, March 26 (IANS) The makers of director MS Raja Shekhar Reddy’s upcoming Telugu film ‘Macherla Niyojakavargam’, featuring actor Nithiin in the lead, on Saturday released the first look of the film.

The action entertainer will be Nithiin’s 31st film and sources say that the actor plays an IAS officer in the film.

He will be seen playing the district collector of Guntur in the film, a role he has never played before.

The poster has Nithiin sporting a getup that is completely different from his previous movies.

Sudhakar Reddy and Nikitha Reddy are bankrolling the project on behalf of Sreshth Movies in association with Aditya Movies & Entertainments.

Krithi Shetty and Catherine Tresa play the female leads in the film which is touted to be a commercial entertainer with political elements.

Music director Mahati Swara Sagar will be scoring music for a Nithiin film for the third time, after ‘Bheeshma’ and ‘Maestro’. Prasad Murella cranks the camera, while Mamidala Thirupathi has penned the dialogues.

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INDIA NEWS

Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

ENTERTAINMENT

RS Secretariat to screen ‘Bahubali: ‘Lock Upp’: Saisha offended as Kaaranvir The Beginning’ on April 1 refers to her as ‘he’

New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) Amid the controversy on the recently released film “The Kashmir Files”, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat Recreation Club has arranged a special screening of the Telugu film “Bahubali: The Beginning”, for all members on April 1 at the Films Division Auditorium, here in Mahadev Road.

According to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the move came after the suggestion from the Hindi Salahkar Samiti of the Upper House to encourage the linguistic exchange among the Hindi speaking and other languagespeaking people and the Members have been requested to watch this

movie. The subtitles of the film are in English.

In a parliamentary party meeting of the BJP held on March 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the MPs to watch the newly released film, The Kashmir Files.

“The Kashmir Files is a very good movie. All of you should watch it. More such movies should be made,” Modi said.

“The Kashmir Files” is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the Kashmir Valley in the 1990s, and endorsing the film, Modi said that there was an effort underway to prevent the truth from being told.

“History has to be presented in the right context. Just as books, poetry and literature play a role in this, films can do so too,” he said.

Taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for their demand to make “The Kashmir Files” tax-free in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the BJP should ask the film’s director Vivek Agnihotri to upload it on YouTube, and everyone will see it for free.

The Delhi BJP MLAs on Wednesday demanded during the on-going assembly session to make “The Kashmir Files” taxfree.

Shweta Tripathi heads to Kashmir for shoot of psychological thriller ‘Saaf’ Mumbai, March 25 (IANS) Actress Shweta Tripathi, who was recently seen in the web series, ‘Yeh Kaali kaali Ankhein’, has started work on her next project ‘Saaf’ - a series for which she has jetted off to Kashmir to kickstart the shoot.

She was intrigued about the project right the moment she got to know about its premise.

‘Saaf’ based on American series, ‘The Cleaning Lady’, is a psychological thriller, which will follow the aftermath of planned murders with a lady at the helm.

Mumbai, March 23 (IANS) Saisha Shinde is a well-known transwoman fashion designer and currently seen as an inmate in Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Lock Upp’.

She is often seen getting the limelight being a transwoman and a similar situation arose recently when Kaaranvir Bohra referred to Saisha as ‘he’.

Saisha wanted to smoke in the morning, but she couldn’t go to the smoking-room due to an activity in the yard, so she went in front of the camera and started ranting. She accused the show’s creators, saying: “You can’t do this to us!”

Kaaranvir arrives and instructs her not to act like this, but throughout the conversation,

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Kaaranvir refers to Saisha as ‘he’, which Saisha finds offensive because her pronouns are ‘she/ her’.

“First and foremost, it’s not he, it’s she!,” Saisha says to Kaaranvir.

Saisha’s friend Nisha Rawal comes to her aid and tells everyone to refer to Saisha as ‘she’.

Saisha had an emotional breakdown while speaking about the same. Munawar Faruqui was irritated by Nisha’s attempt to embellish the entire conversation, so he responded to her by stating: “You could keep the explanation a little short.”

Nisha became enraged and yelled to Munawar: “You can’t tell me what to do! This is a really sensitive topic.”

Talking about the project, Shweta said, “As soon as I heard the premise of ‘Saaf’, I knew I had to be a part of it. It is about young women trying to push boundaries and conquer both the world personal and professional. It talks about how no one multi-tasks better than women as if they are trained to compartmentalise and compromise with a super exciting plotline.”

Further giving an insight into the project’s tone and narrative, she said: “’Saaf’ challenges society’s set stereotypes, allowing the entire cast and me to explore more as artists. I am sure it will instantly connect with the audience and resonate with them.”

Backed by One Life Studios,

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‘Saaf’ will see Shweta playing the lead. In addition, Shweta also has ‘Mirzapur S3’, ‘Yeh Kaali

Kaali Ankhein S2’, ‘Gone Game 2’, ‘Escaype Live’, ‘Makkhichoose’, and ‘M for Mafia’ up her alley.

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INDIA NEWS

Luxury, lifestyle, location — welcome to Dress Circle

Apr 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 18

Located in the heart of one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, Brookwater is Brisbane’s best kept secret for luxury living. Crafted around the Greg Norman designed golf course, Brookwater provides a rare combination of prestige golf-side living and natural bushland beauty.

With over 800 families already calling Brookwater home, we are pleased to introduce the next stage of this exclusive community — your own architecturally designed piece of paradise — Dress Circle.

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We welcome you to experience Brisbane’s best kept secret when it comes to luxury living, and choose from our leading architectural collaborators to design your dream home — with all architectural fees complimentary with your Dress Circle land purchase.

READY TO BUILD ON LARGE PREMIUM HOMESITES FROM $566,000

Life on Brookwater’s Dress Circle is within 10 minutes of everything you need — commuter rail to the city, private and public schools, childcare centres, a university, a private hospital, shopping centres and a thriving commercial precinct.

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