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New Delhi, September 10 (IANS): Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Australian counterpart Peter Dutton in Delhi on September 10 and discussed defence cooperation as well as emerging regional issues. "Both sides have agreed to work jointly to realise the full potential of India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership based on shared vision of a free, open, inclusive and rule-based IndoPacific region," a Defence Ministry statement said. Rajnath Singh said that he had a fruitful and wide-ranging discussion with Dutton on bilateral defence cooperation as well as regional issues.
Continued on Page 3
India, Australia navy exercise to foster stability in Indo-Pacific New Delhi, September 10 (IANS): India and Australia conducted a joint maritime exercise to consolidate their shared commitment to regional and global security challenges and promote peace, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The Indian Navy Task Group comprising INS Shivalik and
Kadmatt, under the command of Eastern Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral Tarun Sobti, participated in the fourth edition of AUSINDEX from September 6 to September 10.
Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Anzac Class Frigate, HMAS Warramunga, which participated in exercise Malabar along with the Indian Navy units, is part of the
exercise.
"This edition of AUSINDEX includes complex surface, sub-surface, and air operations between ships, submarines, helicopters and Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft of the participating Navies," an Indian Navy statement said.
Against muzzling of press but can't create separate avenues: Indian Supreme Court New Delhi, September 8 (IANS): The Supreme Court on September 8 said it does not want freedom of the press to be muzzled, but it also cannot create a separate avenue for journalists to approach it directly in connection with quashing of FIRs against them. The apex court made this observation while hearing a plea filed by Foundation for Independent Journalism, which
runs news portal The Wire, and three of its journalists seeking quashing of three FIRs lodged against them in Uttar Pradesh over some news reports.
A bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao, B.R. Gavai and B.V. Nagarathna granted two months' protection to the news portal and three of its journalists -- Seraj Ali, Mukul Singh Chauhan and Ismat Ara -- in three FIRs.
Continued on Page 3
Paralympics: Nagar, Yathiraj help India end Tokyo 2020 campaign with 19 medals IANS
Tokyo, September 5 (IANS): India ended the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with 19 medals -- five gold, eight silver, and six bronze, a dramatic and historic rise for the country that had collected only 12 medals while participating in 11 editions of the Games from 1968 till 2016. On September 5, the final day of the Tokyo Paralympic Games, India claimed two medals -- a gold and a silver in badminton -- and finished 24th among 162 nations in the overall medal tally on the basis of gold medal count, while it is placed 20th based on the number of medals (19) it won.
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India, Australia navy exercise to foster stability in Indo-Pacific IANS
Force P-8A and F-18A aircraft, along with integral helicopters of both the navies. The exercise provided an opportunity for both navies to further bolster interoperability, gain from best practices and develop a common understanding of procedures for maritime security operations, the statement said.
Continued from Page 1
The participating Indian Naval Ships Shivalik and Kadmatt are the latest indigenously-designed and built guided missile stealth frigate, and anti-submarine corvette, respectively.
maritime exercise, AUSINDEX has grown in complexity over the years and the 3rd edition of the exercise, held in 2019 in the Bay of Bengal, included anti-submarine drills for the first time.
They form part of the Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command.
In the fourth edition, the surface units of both the countries exercised with HMAS Rankin, a Collins Class Australian Submarine, Royal Australian Air
Commenced in 2015 as a bilateral
It is a true representation of Joint Guidance signed by the Indian Navy chief and Royal Australian Navy chief on August 18, aligned to the '2020 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' between the two nations and aims to further consolidate shared commitment to regional and global security challenges promoting peace, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, it added. The conduct of this exercise despite Covid restrictions is also a testimony of existing synergy between the participating Navies, the statement said.
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Paralympics: Nagar, Yathiraj help India end Tokyo 2020 campaign with 19 medals Continued from Page 1
Krishna Nagar in Men's Singles SH6 class, won India's lone gold medal on September 5, storming back after losing the second game to beat Hong Kong China's Chu Man Kai 21-17, 16-21, 21-17. It was India's second gold medal from the badminton courts and fifth overall in Tokyo. Suhas Yathiraj claimed a silver medal as he went down fighting to France's world No 1 Lucas Mazur in three well-fought games in the final of the Men's Singles SL4 class. An IAS officer who is currently posted as the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Yathiraj stunned the Frenchman, the three-time World Champion, in the first game and had handy leads in the second and third but Mazur was too experienced and too skilled and fought back from a game down to win 15-21, 21-17,21-15 in just over an hour to win the gold medal. India was expecting five medals from para-badminton but that was not to be as Tarun Dhillion lost in the bronze medal match. Pramod Bhagat and Palak Kohli, the scratch mixed doubles pair that had never practiced together till a month before the Paralympic Games, also missed out on a bronze medal as it went down to Japan's Fujihara Daisuke and Akiko Sugino 21-23, 19-21 in two close games. Dhillon, the second Indian in the SL4 class, who had lost to Mazur in three games on September
4, failed to overcome the disappointment as he went down tamely 21-17, 21-11 to Indonesia's Fredy Seitiawan to miss out on a bronze medal. Dhillon was the second seed in the SL4 class behind Mazur and expected to meet him in the final. But a loss to Seitiawan in the Group Stage meant he finished second in the standings and thus had to play the top seed Mazur in the semifinal. There was disappointment in the Asaka Shooting Range too as Sidhartha Babu missed out on a place in the final of the R6 - Mixed 50m Air Rifle Prone SH1 by just 0.2 points. Babu finished ninth in the qualifying stage with a score of 617.2 while China's Dong Chao took the eighth and last qualifying spot with a score of 617.4 points. Among the other Indians, Avani Lekhara ended 28th with a score of 612 while Deepak Kumar was placed 46th among participants with a score of 602.2 points. With this, India finished its campaign in the Paralympic Games shooting with five medals -- two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. Lekhara and Manish Narwal won the two gold medals while Singhraj Adhana bagged silver and bronze medals. Avani claimed the other bronze medal. India had sent its largest-ever contingent of 54 para-athletes and participated in nine sports including badminton and taekwondo, which made their debut in Tokyo.
Against muzzling of press but can't create separate avenues: Indian Supreme Court IANS
Continued from Page 1
"Both of us are keen to work jointly to realise the full potential of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. "Both Australia and India have tremendous stake in peace, development and free flow of trade, rules-based order and economic growth in the region," he said. He said that their discussions focused on bilateral defence cooperation and expanding military engagements across
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services, enhancing defence information sharing, cooperation in emerging defence technologies, and mutual logistics support. Both sides noted with happiness that Australia joined the Malabar Exercise in 2020. "In this context we also expressed satisfaction in the continued participation of Australia in Malabar Exercise this year," Rajnath Singh said. He apprised Dutton about India's recent efforts towards "Atmanirbhar Bharat" and growing innovation ecosystem in India.
"We discussed opportunities to work together in defence science and technology areas," he said, inviting the Australian industry to take advantage of India's liberalised foreign direct investment policies in the defence sector. "We both agreed that there are opportunities of bilateral collaboration for co-development and co-production," said Rajnath Singh, adding that India is committed to building a robust partnership with Australia for security and growth of the entire region.
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Continued from Page 1
The bench told the petitioners' counsel that they have to go to the high court and argue for quashing the FIRs. "We will protect you in the interim," it noted. "We are aware of fundamental rights and don't want freedom of press to be muzzled," it said, but also added that if the petitioners' plea is allowed, then it would "open a Pandora's box". "We cannot create a separate
avenue for journalists to directly come to this court under Article 32 for quashing of FIRs," noted the bench. As Nitya Ramakrishnan, counsel appearing for petitioners, sought the court's permission to withdraw the petition to pursue other remedies available under the law, the bench ordered: "No coercive steps shall be taken against the petitioners for a period of two months from today. Writ petition is, accordingly, dismissed as withdrawn."
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ADVERTORIAL
Hindu culture growing in Springfield steady rate, said Mr Chandran. “We create good friendships and bonds between people who were total strangers before attending our group events. “Rather than spending the morning sleeping in, coming out to enjoy the fresh air of the park gives members a new perspective to Sunday mornings. “It creates a fun environment for kids and adults where they get to exercise their mental and physical skills out in the open area of Robelle Domain Parklands. A fair bit of yoga and group games are held around the tall trees of Robelle Domain.”
A
Greater Springfield community-based group is growing in numbers, with local families keen to celebrate the Hindu culture. Madhav shakha (branch) is a Hindu social welfare group that functions under Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh (HSS) Australia. Manoj Chandran, from the Madhav Shakha (sub chapter) Springfield Central, moved to the Springfield area in 2019 and works nearby. Mr Chandran looks after the Springfield chapter alongside
Yashpal Dhanda, a public relation officer (Brisbane Chapter), and Jogindra Modi, joint secretary (Brisbane Chapter).
“This makes it a wonderful experience for people who are in and around the Springfield area,” he said.
Madhav Shakha Springfield Lakes was started in 2019 by the local members of HSS Australia, Queensland chapter.
There are a variety of games, including Dodge ball, Kabadi and mind games that are played among the group.
The organisation is a familyoriented group that has a high focus on physical and mental well-being. Every Sunday, those who follow and respect Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) meet at Robelle Domain Parklands and the numbers are growing at a
The games enhance the group’s ability to work as a team, increase stamina, physical strength or strategic skills. They bring about a spirit of cooperation and create a light, free atmosphere. The group celebrates all major Hindu festivals including Navaratri,
Gurupuja, Rakshabandhan, and Vijaya Dashami.
other means of support during the early days of the Covid crisis.
“It is important for young children in the Greater Springfield Hindu community to learn about and acknowledge the Hindu culture. We help the children learn more about their cultural heritage and traditions of Sanatana dharma, we also involve them in Sewa (charity) events whenever there is a need in the broader community,” he said.
“We are open to supporting all events wherever humanity is held prime.”
“All Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Shakhas in Brisbane are regularly involved with Clean up Australia Day and blood donation drives by the Red Cross. “Our members were one of the first to come forward with groceries, mask preparation and
Springfield City Group Managing Director Raynuha Sinnathamby said Greater Springfield welcomes all religious groups to Greater Springfield, as cultural diversity is an important spiritual dimension to our emerging new city. “Brisbane’s western corridor is growing quickly, and the diverse community is reflected in the breadth of faiths represented here,” Ms Sinnathamby said. “We are an inclusive city, and welcome people from all over Australia and the world to call Greater Springfield home.”
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Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6
States celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi; CMs greet people IANS
bring health, prosperity, joy and happiness to all.
NEWS FROM INDIA
Indian Army Chief visits Western Command, reviews operational preparedness IANS
She also appealed to people to celebrate the festival by following the Covid appropriate behaviour. The Chief Minister also greeted the people of the state on the occasion of Vinayaka Chaturthi, saying that Ganapathi is worshipped to ensure success in all the endeavors without any impediments, and in Hindu tradition, Vinayaka is given utmost importance as a deity who removes obstacles.
Panaji, September 10 (IANS): The auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated under the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic across states on September 10, marking the beginning of the 10-day festival also called Vinayaka Chaturthi in many parts of the country.
"We have completed 100 per cent of the first dose of vaccination. I also urge the people of Goa to take the second dose after completion of 84 days, so that we can declare Goa as a state which has completed 100 percent coverage of both the doses," Sawant added.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that in his prayers to Lord Ganesh, he urged the deity to rid Goa and the rest of the world of Coronavirus.
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao also greeted people on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and appealed to them to celebrate the festival by following Covid appropriate behaviour.
Speaking to reporters after performing puja at his residence in North Goa, Sawant urged the people of the state to ensure that they take the second Covid vaccine jab. "I wish you a lot of joy on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. I performed puja along with my family. Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi at home and in public with great enthusiasm, while also observing the Covid protocols. We have to defeat this scourge too. I pray to God to rid Goa, India and the world of Corona," Sawant said. Ganesh Chaturthi is the most popular Hindu festival in Goa.
"I extend heartiest festive greetings and wishes to all the people of Telangana on the auspicious occasion of Vinayaka Chaturthi," the Governor said in her message. "I pray and wish that Lord Ganesh, worshipped as the remover of obstacles, may clear all the hurdles in our path to unity, peace, progress and prosperity of our state and our nation," she added. The Governor wished that the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations
The Chief Minister also advised the people to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in an environmentallyfriendly manner with utmost devotion and enthusiasm. Rao said the state government has taken all measures to avoid inconvenience to the people during immersion at the end of the festivities. He also prayed to God to shower prosperity on the people of the state. Tamil Nadu also celebrated Vinayaka Chathurthi on September 10 with people across the state performing poojas of the idol of Lord Ganesh. Special prayers were conducted at the grandly-decorated Ganesh temples by the temple priests. Many houses also wore a festive look as several people held special prayers at home too. The aroma of 'kozhakattai', a rice flour and jaggery dumpling, wafted through many of the kitchen windows. After offering prayers on the occasion, neighbours and friends got together to share 'kozhakattais'. This time, public celebrations have been banned by the state government owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane
New Delhi, September 10 (IANS): Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on September 10 visited the Western Command headquarters at Chandimandir and reviewed operational preparedness. The Army chief was updated on various operational and trainingrelated issues by the Western Army commander, Lt Gen R.P. Singh.
Gen Naravane also addressed officers of the Western Command during which he exhorted them to serve with pride and uphold the military ethos and the rich culture of the Indian Army. While highlighting the various force modernisation measures being undertaken, he emphasised that soldiers must also keep themselves abreast with latest trends in Information Technology, emerging cyber threats, and counter-measures. Later, Gen Naravane interacted with the troops, commending them for their professionalism and undaunted spirit in maintaining a high state of combat readiness despite the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
continue working with zeal and be prepared for any future operational challenges. Since Independence, the Western Command has been instrumental in effectively blunting the Pakistan aggression in 1947, 1965 and 1971, and subsequently carrying the battle into enemy territory. Earlier in August, Gen Naravane had visited the Pune-headquartered Southern Command as well as big private firms engaged in defence manufacturing. During his two day visit, spanning Pune and Goa, he visited Tata Motors at Pimpri and the Strategic Systems Complex of Larsen & Toubro at Talegaon. At Tata Motors at Pimpri, he observed the operations of the assembly lines of passenger and commercial vehicles and the Engineering Research Centre. At the Strategic Systems Complex of Larsen & Toubro at Talegaon, he witnessed their production facilities and developmental efforts towards modernising the Indian armed forces. In Goa, he also visited INS Hansa.
He exhorted all ranks to
Suspend campaigning in Punjab, farmers leaders tell political parties Ommcom News
deliberations with the political parties, except the BJP, that they had told the political parties not to hold big rallies till elections in the state are announced.
"The rallies not only divert people from the 'morcha', but also divide the people along political lines and could threaten the morcha of farmers against the three agriculture laws," he said.
Chandigarh, September 10 (IANS): Fearing losing momentum in the agitation against the three contentious Central farm laws, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a group of 32 farm unions, on September 10 asked the political
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parties in Punjab to suspend their campaigning till the assembly elections, slated in early next year, were announced. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Balbir Singh Rajewal told the media here after the day-long
Rajewal said both the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) were not categorically clear about their stand on the agitation of the farmers. Earlier in the day, the farmers met Congress leaders led by its state President Navjot Sidhu. They also held separate interactions
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with SAD and AAP leaders.
The SAD had asked the farmers leaders to retain the national character of the farmer agitation by not imposing any restrictions on political activities in the state even as it offered all help to buttress the ongoing agitation on the borders of Delhi. Talking to the media after the meeting with the farmers representatives, SAD leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra and Maheshinder Singh Grewal said "a conspiracy is afoot by the Centre to restrict the kisan movement to Punjab and then suppress it by imposing President's Rule in the state". "Our fight is with the BJP at the
national level. Political activity has not been restricted due to the kisan andolan in any other state in the country. Going to the people is as much your right as ours and this should not be restricted," they said.
They also reiterated their unstinting support to the farmers' agitation. "We understand that the kisan movement should not be affected at all. We will not hold rallies on any day on which the SKM announces a special programme. We are also ready to support the 'sangharsh' by sending our cadre to the Delhi border protest sites. The SKM is also free to set a quota for participation from every political party and we will adhere to it."
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Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6
NEWS FROM INDIA
Taliban must follow 'real' Islamic Sharia Congress leader draws analogy between RSS, Taliban to set an example: Mehbooba Mufti IANS
become an example for the world. "Taliban are emerging as a reality. They must not rule Afghanistan like they did in their first term," she said. The People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader said the image of Taliban in their first term was against humanity and human rights, but this time if they want to rule Afghanistan they should follow the real Islamic Sharia as mentioned in the holy Quran which, specifies rights for women, children and the elderly and govern as per the model of Madina given by the prophet.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti
Srinagar, September 8 (IANS): Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on September 8 if the Taliban
follow 'real' Islamic Sharia in Afghanistan where rights for women, children and elderly people are specified, they can
Thiruvananthapuram, September 9 (IANS): The Syro Malabar Church Pala diocese bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt on September 9 said that Catholic girls in Kerala were now becoming the victims of 'Love and narcotic Jihad'.
come ladies from other religions reached the IS camps," said the bishop.
"If they (Taliban) adopt that model, then only the countries of the world will do business with them. But if God forbid they follow the methods used by them in the nineties, it will be very difficult for Afghanistan and the rest of the world," she said.
Catholic girls becoming victims of love, narcotic jihad: Kerala Syro Malabar Church
He said this while speaking at a Church celebration in Kottayam district's Kuruvilangadu, which comes under his diocese. "Wherever arms cannot be used, narcotics are being used and it's here Catholic girls become the victims. And to help this there is a group in Kerala which is functioning. To understand this, one needs to just analyse, how
"As part of Love jihad, ladies are getting converted and there is an increased usage of drugs by Catholic youths. All this is being done to see no non-Muslims are there and to help in all this there is a group and all should be cautious," added the bishop. He went on to state that any attempt to deny that there exists 'Love Jihad' in Kerala is like closing eyes to reality as it is being done by vested interests with a reason. "There is a plan going on to
forcefully bring in Muslim thoughts and all Catholics should be aware of this and be watchful," said Kallarangatt. The news of Keralites joining the IS surfaced after the Kerala government contacted various Central agencies -- IB, NIA and RAW in 2016 about the veracity of reports about 19 missing people from the state, and according to some of the relatives, they are believed to have joined the IS. These 19 included 10 men, six women and three children and of these, most of them hail from Kasaragod and a few from Palakkad districts and includes Christian and Hindu converts.
New Delhi, September 10 (IANS): Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on September 10 drew an analogy between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Taliban, after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement about the working women.
Singh was commenting on Bhagwat's comment on men being breadwinners and women the housewives. Digvijaya Singh in a tweet said, "Do Taliban and RSS have a similarity of views on Working Women? Looks like it, unless Mohan Bhagwat ji and Taliban change their views." This is the second time this week that the terror organisation has been compared with the RSS. Incidentally, Singh has supported and defended lyricist Javed Akhtar and told reporters on September 7 when asked that everyone has freedom of speech: "I do not know in which context he said so. But our Constitution has given us the right to express ourselves." Digvijaya, who is bitter crtitic of the RSS, has been slamming the RSS and had alleged that the organisation was dividing the Hindu and Muslim communities by spreading lies and fake narrative. He said that when the DNA of
Hindus and Muslims is one, then "why were issues like 'love jihad' raised if that was the case?". The DNA statement was also made by Mohan Bhagwat. As per the reports, the Bollywood-lyricist Akhtar had said he saw an uncanny resemblance between the Taliban and the RSS as 'just like the Taliban want an Islamic State, there are those who want a Hindu Rashtra here in India'. He had said that the right wing across the world wants the same things. "Just like the Taliban want an Islamic State, there are people who want a Hindu Rashtra. These people are of the same mindset, be it the Muslims, Christians, Jews and Hindus," Javed Akhtar was quoted by some TV channels. The BJP had slammed the statement of Akhtar, while he got the support of 150 eminent people. Over 150 citizens from different walks of life have condemned the hounding of prominent Bollywood personalities, Javed Akhtar and Naseeruddin Shah. In a signed statement, the citizens said, "We, the undersigned, unequivocally support the recent interview given by author and poet Javed Akhtar to the media in the context of the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan.”
Telangana CM calls meeting on implementation of Dalit Bandhu scheme Telugu 360.com
Many reforms introduced in J&K after it became UT: Minister New Delhi, September 9 (IANS): The Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh on September 9 said that several governance reforms were introduced in J&K after it became Union Territory (UT) which were not there earlier. Addressing the capacity building programme for senior officers of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service ( JKAS), he said that the Prevention of Corruption Act of India with its amended form was introduced in J&K last year whereas in the past the then State of Jammu & Kashmir had its own Anti-Graft Law. “The new Act will not only be more effective in curbing corruption but also provide several safeguards to honestly performing officers, like, for example, the bribe-giver will be equally guilty as the bribe-taker and permission for prosecution
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against an officer will have to be obtained at all levels, whereas in the past this privilege was only available to the officers at the level of Joint Secretary and above,” the Minister said.
The abolition of interview for recruitment based solely on written tests was also introduced in J&K only recently, he added. The Minister regretted that for several years, the ‘Cadre Review’ of the Civil Services officers was deferred or delayed by the erstwhile State government but now the officers of the Union Territory have been directly reporting to the Centre and the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has initiated the exercise to expeditiously conduct Cadre Review. This will also help in timely promotions as well as timely induction of UT officers into All India Services like the IAS, the Minister said. Singh also called upon the J&K
officers to adopt best practices in governance being followed at the Centre as well as several state governments and replicate them in their respective areas of work.
With the kind of patronage and support being offered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Jammu & Kashmir, the Minister said that this was an opportunity for administrators and civil servants there to establish a new work culture aimed at obtaining the ultimate objective of ease of living for every citizen through the mantra of “Maximum Governance Minimum Government”. Exhorting the officers who have now undergone training to empower themselves with new ethos and practices, he said that the DoPT seeks to provide an officer friendly environment that will propel the administrative system to work for the people and ensure that grievances are handled in a prompt and efficient manner.
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Hyderabad, September 10 (IANS): Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on September 10 decided to convene a preparatory meeting for the implementation of the Telangana Dalit Bandhu scheme in four mandals on a pilot basis. The chief minister recently announced that Dalit Bandhu will be implemented in four mandals -- Chintakani in Madhira constituency, Tirmalgiri in Tungaturthy, Charakonda mandal in Achampet and Kalwakurty constituencies and Nizam Sagar in Jukkal constituency. This is in addition to the ongoing implementation of the scheme on a pilot basis in Huzurabad Constituency. Ministers, zilla parishad chairpersons, collectors from the four districts of Khammam, Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar and Nizamabad, legislators from
Madhira, Tungaturthy, Achampet, Kalwakurty, Jukkal constituencies, SC welfare minister Sri Koppula Eswar, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, SC Development Secretary, CM Secretary Rahul Bojja, Finance Secretary will participate. The CM said the Karimnagar district collector will attend the meeting as a special invitee and share his experiences at the ground level while implementing the scheme in Huzurabad. The government has selected four mandals in four Assembly constituencies, which are represented by Dalit MLAs (constituencies reserved for scheduled castes) in the north, east, west and southern parts of the state. The scheme will be implemented for all Dalit families in these mandals.
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Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6
Karnataka govt to omit controversial religious texts from school books Ommcom News
lesson also discussed rituals of the sacrifice of animals. The lesson further said it was believed that such rituals are only to find solutions. Common people could not understand chants as they were in Sanskrit, whereas Buddhism and Jainism taught simple ways which led to their growth, it mentioned.
Bengaluru, September 10 (IANS): The Karnataka government is all set to form a high-level committee to remove controversial lessons from the textbooks pertaining to religion from Class 1 to 10. It will also remove controversial texts blaming Vaidika dharma (Vedic way of life, Hinduism) for the rise of other religions such as Jainism and Buddhism in India. The government will form a highlevel committee to take a look at all such contentious issues in Class 1 to 10 textbooks, sources said. The committee is being formed as objections came for the controversial text in the Social Science subject Part 1, prescribed for 6th standard students. The contentious content talks about the birth of new religions, especially Buddhism and Jainism. The lesson says, during the Vedic period (1500 BC to 600 BC), the rituals like 'homa' and 'havana' (tradition of offering precious food items into the sacred fire to please gods), in which large quantities of foodgrains, milk, ghee led to food scarcity. The
The Karnataka State Brahmin Development Board had met then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in February objected to the parts of a chapter in social science textbooks. The Yediyurappa government issued a circular on February 17 instructing that the chapter should neither be taught nor used for evaluation. Sources in the government said, it has already been decided to remove this controversial chapter from the next academic year. "It has been decided to form a committee under the chairmanship of Rohith Chakratheertha, a member of the Kannada Development Authority. The government will announce the formation of a committee soon," the sources said. It has also been decided to appoint 16 other members, including representatives from the Rashtrothana Parishat, the frontier organisation of RSS, researchers from Mythic Society, folklore studies and from other reputed institutions. The committee will also include representatives of reputed educational institutions of the state. The committee will take a relook at the content of the page
numbers 82 and 83 under the title "Reasons for the emergence of new religions" in the Social Science Part -1 textbook prescribed for Class 6 students.
Owaisi booked for hate speech in UP IANS
The content given in the first two paragraphs under the title and six beginning lines of page number 83 will also be discussed. Sources explain that the content claiming drawbacks of Vedic religion giving way for the emergence of new religions will be dropped from the academic year 2021-22. The committee will also take a relook at contentious issues related to religion in textbooks of Social Science, Environmental Science and Languages from Class 1 - 10. The government has already directed the Department of Public Instruction to form a committee of experts and academicians to find out any content hurting sentiments of any religion in the form of lessons prescribed for children from Class 1 to 10. The government has also said a high-level committee will further deliberate on the report by the Department of Public Instruction. Sources explained that the government is expected to announce the committee soon. The decision to exclude the chapter from teaching was earlier opposed by experts who maintained that the students will lose out on critical thinking. It is to be seen how the academicians respond to the recent decision to overhaul all the textbooks from Class 1 to 10 on contentious religious issues in the state.
Delhi CM announces pact with International Baccalaureate for schools IANS
NEWS FROM INDIA
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi
Barabanki, September 10 (IANS): The All India Majlis-e-Itthehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, has been booked for allegedly trying to spoil communal harmony through a provocative speech in Barabanki district. Owaisi alleged in his speech that the administration had earlier this year "martyred" a century-old mosque. He also used indecent language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the police said. SP Barabanki, Yamuna Prasad, said that Owaisi was booked on September 9 night under Indian Penal Code Sections 153a, 188, 169 and 170 along with relevant sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act for violating Covid protocol and the conditions laid down for the meeting.
Earlier on September 9, while addressing a public meeting in Barabanki, Owaisi referred to the mosque in Ramsanehi Ghat which was demolished in May by the administration. "A 100-year-old mosque was martyred in Barabanki," he said and blamed the administration for not following the law in the demolition and attacked Opposition parties for not speaking out against the incident. The AIMIM leader also termed it a "political demolition." The Barabanki administration had, in May this year, after carrying out the demolition, without making a reference to any mosque, said an "illegal residential complex" was found situated opposite to the subdivisional magistrate residence in the Ram Sanehi Ghat tehsil compound.
UP Cong to take out 'Pratigya Yatra' IANS
schools this year, including 20 of its new Schools of Specialised Excellence (SOSE). "Currently, we are starting with 30 Delhi government schools. Later, private schools can also get affiliated with the board," the Chief Minister said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
New Delhi, September 10 (IANS:) The Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) has entered into an agreement with the International Baccalaureate (IB) that would change the face of education in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on September 10. "Under this agreement, international experts will visit
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our schools, our teachers will be trained accordingly, a student assessment programme will be planned out and Delhi's schools will be verified and certified, all as per international standards," Kejriwal said at a press conference here. The DBSE signed the MoU with International Baccalaureate on August 12 to implement IB programmes in 30 government
"Till now, we have seen two kinds of educational systems around us, as per which a child from a poor family would study in a government school and a child from a well-off family would go to a private school. Now, Delhi government's new agreement with IB will narrow this gap and children from the poorer section of the society will also get quality education, which is important for eliminating poverty in the society." The IB is a private international education board with its headquarters in Geneva. It has around 5,500 schools in 169 countries. There are currently 193 IB schools in India, all of which are top-end elite private schools.
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Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Lucknow, September 10 (IANS): The Congress in Uttar Pradesh will take out a 'Congress Pratigya Yatra' with the tagline -- 'Hum Vachan Nibhayenge', ahead of the Assembly elections, due early next year. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who is in Lucknow on a two-day visit, said that the yatra would cover a distance of 12,000 kilometres and will pass through all major villages and towns. The date of the yatra is yet undecided though sources said
that it was likely to begin from Gandhi Jayanti on October 2. Addressing a meeting of the advisory and political affairs committee of the UPCC, she said that the yatra would mobilise party workers across the state and also establish a contact with the people. Programmes to be held during the yatra will be decided in phases. Later in the day, Priyanka will hold a meeting with the election committee and decide on the selection process for candidates for the Assembly elections.
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PM slammed over interstate travel amid lockdowns IANS
Australia.
NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA
Interest in gardening rises among Australians amid lockdown
IANS
"I live in Sydney. I often have to be here for work. There was no requirement to get an exemption to go to Sydney. "The exemption I require is to come back here to the ACT and, as prime minister, of course I need to come back to the ACT," he added. It came as Australia reported 1,485 new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 on September 7 morning, increasing the overall infection tally to 63,154, while the death toll stood at 1,044. Of the new cases, 1,220 were from New South Wales (NSW), the epicentre of the current outbreak, where the state health department also recorded eight deaths on September 7 morning.
Canberra, September 7 (IANS): Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended his decision to travel to Sydney despite current Covid-19 outbreaks and lockdowns in major cities. It was revealed on September 7 that Morrison flew from Canberra to Sydney on September 3 on a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) jet to spend time with his family in his home city before returning to the capital, reports Xinhua news agency. Under current Covid-19 restrictions, anyone who travels from Sydney to Canberra must quarantine for 14 days. However, Morrison was granted
an exemption on the condition that he restricts his movement while in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and undergoes frequent coronavirus tests. The exemption prompted criticism of the Prime Minister, with senior Opposition Labor Party member Bill Shorten accusing Morrison of "appalling judgement" at a time when more than half of the population is in lockdown and barred from travelling interstate. In response, Morrison said there had been a "lot of misinformation" about the trip. "I can understand people's frustration," he told Sky News
"There have been 139 Covid-19 related deaths in NSW since June 16, 2021," said the statement from the NSW Health. Victoria, the second-most populous state, reported a further 246 new local cases. The ACT recorded 19 new cases, 13 of which had been linked to previously known infections or exposure sites, taking the number of active cases in the nation's capital to 230. Andrew Barr, the Chief Minister of the ACT, said he could understand the community's frustration about Morrison's exemption but that he was an essential worker, adding that Canberra "faces a challenging set of circumstances as the seat of government and the national capital".
Success of vaccine rollout depends on Australian public uptake: Task force chief Canberra, September 8 (IANS): The head of Australia's Covid-19 Task force Lieutenant-General John Frewen has said the success of the vaccine rollout is now reliant on public uptake rather than supply as the country continues to battle the third wave of infections.
The early stages of the vaccination program in Australia was plagued by under-supply problems. Frewen said that an imminent influx of mRNA Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would ramp up the rollout in September, reported Xinhua news agency. "This takes us beyond the phase in the vaccine rollout where we were really mRNA supply constrained," he was cited by Australian Community Media as saying on September 8. "The vaccines are coming, the
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distribution networks are in place and expanding. It all comes down now to public willingness to come forward," he said. On September 8 morning, Australia reported 1,721 new locally-acquired Covid-19 infections, 1,480 of which were from New South Wales (NSW), the country's most populous state with Sydney as the capital city, where the state health department also recorded nine deaths. "There have been 148 Covid-19 related deaths in NSW since 16 June 2021," said the statement from the NSW health authorities.
Victoria, the second-most populous state with Melbourne as the capital city, reported a further 221 new local cases. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) recorded another 20
new cases on the 27th day of its lockdown, which is due to end on Sept. 17. Andrew Barr, the chief minister of the ACT, stressed that restrictions would only be eased when it is safe to do so. "Our primary goal remains health and protecting the health of our community," he told reporters. "We are very acutely aware of the need to also consider the economic impacts and the mental health and wellbeing impacts that come from ongoing public health restrictions," he added. So far about 64 percent of Australians aged 16 and over had received at least one coronavirus vaccine and 39 percent were fully inoculated, according to the Department of Health.
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Sydney, September 7 (IANS): Over the course of the pandemic, interest in gardening has surged as people look for new ways to get outside to nature while being stuck at home.
"People who were stockpiling seeds were worried we may be cut off from food sources. People also saw a benefit in becoming selfsufficient in some areas," Barnes said.
As residents in Sydney entered into their precious days of spring and the 11th week of lockdown, old green thumbs and novices talked about the important role gardening has played during the pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency.
In her own work, she had noticed an increase in followers asking for guidance for growing edible plants, and a number of seed supply companies have struggled to keep up with the increased demand for seeds.
Wendy Stanford who lives in the Greater Sydney region is just one of the thousands of Australians who have taken to their gardens in new ways during the pandemic. She told the news agency that during the most recent Sydney lockdown, gardening has become an important part of her life and has given her and her partner something to focus on each day. "When lockdowns first started, we planted some purple bulbs. We have enjoyed watching them grow every day. Now with spring here we get to see them bloom." When the local nurseries have been closed, Stanford said she had to adapt by using more local seeds. "Because we haven't been able to buy new seeds, we have been walking around and finding native trees that drop their seeds, and then experimenting with growing them into plants." As gardening supply stores have shut down due to health restrictions, Sydneysiders have to come up with new ways to source their seeds. Sandy, a representative from Happy Valley Seeds, said the seed companies' recent uptick in online sales has been twofold. "We have seen an uptick at the start of each lockdown. On top of this, all-seed sellers across Australia have increased interest in Spring," he told Xinhua. Diana Barnes, who runs a website and podcast called Growing Vegetables Down Under, said the benefits of gardening and its role in people's lives have grown especially during the pandemic. She said during a time when supply chains are stretched, and visiting a supermarket could pose a health risk, gardening has provided an alternative source of fresh food, she said.
Besides food security, Barnes thought getting into gardening and doing something in nature will help people maintain good mental health and draw them away from devices. "It takes you outdoors in the sun and fresh air and this also improves your mood and outlook. It is a great education to pass on to children and everyone is keen to get them outdoors to play in the dirt." She said the pandemic had shifted people's priorities. For many people, it has been the first time they have had enough free time to get down into the soil. "People's lives slowed down as we were told to stay home and so those who have always wanted to start a garden, actually had the time to do it," said Barnes. In a time where the days can meld into one another and the plodding of routine becomes particularly stark, being able to nurture something can counteract these negative emotions. "When you plant a seed, tend it, see it sprout, watch it grow, see it start to form the vegetable you eat, you receive a great sense of accomplishment," said Barnes. Barnes said anyone can start gardening even if they don't have a backyard. "You can garden anywhere. You just need to adapt to your circumstances." "If you are in an apartment with no balcony, focus on growing leafy crops at the window hydroponically or in small pots with drainage. Leaves like lettuce and baby spinach have shallow roots and can live in small pots." Gardening takes practice and patience, and there has been no better time to take it up than during a lockdown. If you don't have any luck the first time, as it occurred to Barnes -"Just sow more seeds next spring."
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INDIA NEWS
NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA
Covid epicentre announces roadmap out of lockdown IANS
all adults are vaccinated (not including children aged 12 and under).
There will also be an easing of restrictions at a wide range of venues including shops, hairdressers, restaurants, pubs, stadiums, gyms, theatres and public swimming pools.
Sydney, September 10 (IANS): New South Wales (NSW), Australia's current Covid-19 epicentre, has unveiled a "roadmap to freedom" out of the prolonged lockdown imposed on much of the state as it continues to battle a raging outbreak of the virus. Addressing reporters in state capital Sydney, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the newfound freedoms would be contingent on 70 percent of people aged 16 and older receiving their two doses of vaccine, reports Xinhua news agency. "I cannot stress enough how important it is for people to
get vaccinated, if you have not had both doses of the vaccine by the time we hit the 70 per cent milestone, you will not be able to take advantage of these freedoms," Berejiklian said. No date has been given for the roadmap introduction, however, the state's present uptake of jabs means its vaccine rollout target should be reached by midOctober. The freedoms would begin the week following that milestone. It will mean stay-at-home orders for fully vaccinated adults will be lifted and up to five visitors will be allowed in a home where
People who have been locked in their homes for months on end will finally be able to travel throughout NSW and camping grounds will reopen. "For the areas coming out of lockdown, you are not coming back to a pre-lockdown environment," Barilaro said. "There will be capacity limits for our hotels, cafes and restaurants, including the four-square meter rule, mask-wearing, social distancing." The announcements come at a time as the outbreak continues in Sydney and other regions. Since the first case of the Delta variant was discovered on June 16, there have been 32,296 cases in NSW. Fatality figures have also steadily
PM flags home quarantine for international arrivals Canberra, September 9 (IANS): Prime Minister Scott Morrison on September 9 promised citizens stranded overseas that home quarantine on arrival in the country will be available soon. Morrison acknowledged the "very heavy burden" carried by Australians who have been stuck overseas since the start of the pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency. "I know, for Australians overseas, it has been a very difficult and frustrating time," he said in a video message to an awards event, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. So far, about 38,000 Australian citizens and residents overseas had registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade (DFAT) to return home. Morrison previously promised Australians overseas that they would be home by December 2020 but domestic outbreaks of Covid-19 interrupted the hotel quarantine system. Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has criticised the Prime Minister for the delay, saying that Morrison had not done enough to help Australians stranded overseas get home. Morrison said that the government was working to make home quarantine the "primary" option for arrivals rather than hotel quarantine, significantly boosting the number of people who can enter the country. On September 9 morning, Australia reported 1,745 new
locally-acquired cases of Covid-19, taking the overall infection tally to 66,318, while the death toll stood at 1,013. Of the new cases, 1,405 were from New South Wales (NSW), the country's most populous state and the current epicentre of the pandemic, where the health department also recorded five deaths. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) recorded 15 new cases, taking the number of active cases in the nation's capital to 227. So far about 64 percent of Australians aged 16 and over had received at least one coronavirus vaccine and 39 per cent were fully inoculated, according to the Department of Health.
Australia sees surge in domestic violence during pandemic
Canberra, September 10 (IANS): Researchers from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) published a survey report on September 10 that detailed how the Covid-19 pandemic has made domestic and family violence in Australia more common and severe. Published in the Australian Journal of Social Issues, the study said 62 per cent of domestic and family violence (DFV) sector workers reported an increase in demand during the pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency. In addition, 67 percent of workers reported abuse victims seeking help for the first time during the pandemic. Lead author of the study, professor of education and social
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justice at QUT, Kerry Carrington said the findings were not completely surprising.
"We did expect that the lockdown conditions would create a perfect storm for anyone who is in a coercive controlling relationship, there was just no space," Carrington told Xinhua on September 10. A government study from Australian Institute of Criminology that interviewed 15,000 women across Australia in May of 2020 found that 11.6 per cent of respondents had been the victim of some kind of domestic abuse. Two-thirds of the respondents reported that the abuse had either started or escalated since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Carrington told Xinhua that there are a multitude of factors behind the coinciding of this uptick with the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns. "So the pandemic itself created the perfect storm for insecurity, financial loss, loss of jobs and of course intense conflict within families, kids home, home schooling, inability to escape." "So, the whole thing was that they were locked down with the perpetrator." Carrington said the most shocking part of their findings was the ways that perpetrators of domestic violence were weaponising the pandemic and other health restrictions. "Covid actually gave perpetrators
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climbed, with a further five deaths reported on September 9, bringing the overall number to 153. Such alarming statistics means that neighbouring states will probably not be enthusiastic about the prospect of people in NSW being on the move.
The state of Queensland to the north of NSW, for instance, has so far avoided the crisis that has occurred just beyond its southern border. On September 9, Queensland recorded only one new case during the previous 24 hours. Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk has frequently been at loggerheads with her NSW counterparts about how to reopen their shared border. Palaszczuk said on September 9 that Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles was talking to Barilaro about the easing of restrictions in regional NSW and she said it was too soon to say whether her state would relax it's hard border. Meanwhile, the state of Victoria as another neighbour of NSW also
has its reasons not to roll out the welcome mat to NSW any time soon.
In recent days, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has said it had been "totally unfair" how NSW had received hundreds of thousands of vaccines from the national stockpile, seemingly at the expense of other states eager to raise their own rollout numbers. Victoria has imposed many lockdowns on its residents, particularly those in the state capital city of Melbourne, throughout the past 18 months. Despite all its strenuous efforts, the state is currently confronting its own battle against the virus. Victoria recorded 324 new cases, concentrated around Melbourne, bringing its overall total to 2,166 active cases. Despite the mounting Covid-19 figures, Victoria lifted the lockdown on much of its regional districts from September 10. Since the onset of the pandemic early last year, Australia has registered a total of 69,923 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 1,076 deaths.
Aus reports record Covid cases amid battle against 3rd wave
Canberra, September 10 (IANS): Australia reported a record 1,901 new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 on September 10 morning as the country continues to battle the third wave of the pandemic. With the new spike, the country's overall caseload has increased to 69,923, while the deaths stood at 1,076. Of the new cases, 1,542 were from New South Wales (NSW), the current epicentre of the pandemic, where the health department also recorded nine deaths, reports Xinhua news agency. "There have been 162 Covid-19 related deaths in NSW" since June 16, 2021, said the statement from NSW Health.
Victoria, the second-most populous state, reported a further 334 new local cases. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), where the adult vaccination rate has hit 50 per cent, reported 24 new cases on the 29th day of its lockdown, taking the number of active cases in the nation's capital to 238.
ACT the first state or territory to hit the milestone. "We are the first jurisdiction in the country to reach this important two-dose milestone for our 16 plus population," he said. "Over the weekend we are on track to reach the 75 per cent first dose milestone for our 16-plus population." Despite the current outbreaks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged state and territory leaders to hold on to their plans to re-open. Morrison recently reiterated that it was time for Australia to "live with the virus", calling for fellow state premiers and territory chief ministers to "hold your nerve" and ease restrictions when vaccination targets are met. Leaders in July signed off on Morrison's plan to ease coronavirus restrictions when 70 percent to 80 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the vaccination rate made the
So far about 65 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over have received at least one coronavirus vaccine and 40 per cent are fully inoculated in the country, according to the Department of Health.
another weapon. It gave them a weapon to actually further enhance the control of their victims."
with perpetrators, the latter have monitored victims more closely, including victim's communication with others," the respondent said.
An anonymous respondent who worked as a domestic family violence counsellor in Tasmania said victims' support networks were often severely reduced during times of lockdown.
The study reported that the vast majority, 86 percent of workers in the DFV sector, reported an increase in complexity of abuse victim's needs during the pandemic.
"In situations where victims live
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UPAA commemorates 75th Indian Independence Day, launches e-magazine
NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA
NSW minister praises India’s approach to digital transformation V
ictor Dominello, the inaugural NSW Minister for Customer Service recently lauded India’s approach to digital transformation during a webinar titled “Building Trust in Technology” held on 6th September by Ceda, an independent Australian think tank.
U
ttar Pradesh Association of Australia (UPAA) jointly celebrated the 75th Indian Independence Day and launched their community e-magazine “Desh ka Aangan” on 12th September, 2021 in a virtual event. The event was a joint initiative of UPAA and the Consulate General of India, Melbourne. In his message during the virtual event, Jason Wood, Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs and the chief guest on the occasion; praised the Indian community members in Australia and hailed them as law-abiding citizens. He also remarked that he felt privileged to have worked with the Indian community. He further said that the current times are opportune for Australia to closely engage
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with India, the world’s largest democracy especially in the context of the Indo-Pacific region. He expressed his gratitude for India in bringing vibrancy and colour to Australian society. He also showed appreciation for the hardworking nature of Indians and the close and tenacious bond that they share with their parents. He also expressed optimism about the return of normalcy and resumption of air travel in full swing once the vaccination targets reached the eighty percent mark. Expressing his gratitude towards the Indian community in lending a generous helping hand to Australia’s fight against the deadly Coronavirus, he said that the Indian diaspora in Australia had been instrumental in providing succour to the international students while they
braved the uncertainty that came in the wake of the nationwide lockdown last year. The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath sent a recorded video message to be played during the event. In this recorded message, the minister is heard congratulating the virtual event participants, on India reaching its 75th year as a sovereign. He also commended the members of the UPAA for keeping the rich culture and heritage of the Hindi heartland alive despite being thousands of miles away from their place of origin. Uttar Pradesh Association Of Australia (UPAA) is a non-profit community based organization supporting migrants from Uttar Pradesh, India.
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Hailing India’s digital transformation as visionary, the minister went on to say that the trust structures that India has in place to foster trust in digital technology are not only exemplary but also worth emulating. He admitted that Australians in general still have trust issues with regard to digital technology and digital identity. He went on to say that the authorities concerned in Australia need to take a page from India’s book and have necessary discussions and deliberations on how to streamline digital transformation in Australia. The webinar was held with a view to forging business and consumer trust in digital technology for it is imperative to the adoption of such cutting edge technology and Australia’s digital evolution. The event focused on the lucrative avenues presented by the new technologies and how it is essential to counter the obstacles which prevent the optimal utilization of such opportunities. While Minister Dominello was
Victor Dominello, the inaugural NSW Minister for Customer Service
the keynote speaker at the virtual event, Stuart Macdonald, CEO, TechnologyOne acted as the moderator. He is a senior technology executive with more than 15 years’ global experience managing diverse teams within NASDAQ and ASX-listed software companies. Since joining TechnologyOne; Australia’s leading ERP software company, in 2016, Stuart has transformed the global business’ sales function and led the Australian company’s transformation from a software company, to a world- leading global SaaS provider. Other participants included Natasha Brack, Director and Group Head of Technology, Edelman; Gisele Kapterian, Senior Director-Public Sector Strategy, Salesforce and Lucinda Longcroft, Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy ANZ, Google.
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NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA
IAIE celebrates third anniversary
T
he Institute for Australia India Engagement celebrated its third Anniversary on 4th September 2021. IAIE Chief Executive Officer Dr Ashutosh Misra welcomed the guests and expressed gratitude towards the Board members- Mr Matthew Hayden AM, Prof. Shaun Star, Prof. Jacqueline Drew, Prof. Sarah Kelly, Dr Amy Illidge, Mr Matthew Hayden, Mr Muthuraj Guruswamy, Mrs Sweta Misra, University of Queensland and the highly accomplished international panel of advisors- Prof C. Raj Kumar, VC OP Jindal Global University, Prof Jack Anderson, University of Melbourne, Prof. Priyankar Upadhyay, UNESCO Chair, India, Amb. Virendra Gupta, former diplomat, Mr Dale Sheehan, Director Training and Capacity, International Centre for Sports Security, Qatar, Dr Uttam Kumar Sinha, Fellow,
MP-Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, India, and Dr Rajiv Nayan, Senior Fellow, MPInstitute for Defence Studies and Analyses, India.
Dr Misra also thanked the IAIE Sports and Wellness Program Director Dr Amol Wagholikar, India News Chairman Dr Ram Mohan, Business and Accounts Advisor Matt Connor, Institute Secretary and Media Coordinator Kartik Pratap Singh, and Cinematographers and Photographers Mr Agastya Yeturi and Mr Talha Baig, and institute advisor Mr Stephen Illidge. Mr Jim Varghese, AM, the National Chair for the Australia India Business Council expressed his appreciation for IAIE’s successful and effective role since 2018 in promoting bilateral ties, especially in business and trade, sports, education and diplomacy. Taking stock of the last 12 months
Dr Ashutosh Misra, Dr Amol Wagholikar, Mr Matt Connor, Dr Jacqueline Drew, Ms Sweta Misra, Mr Jim Varghese, Dr Amy Illidge, Prof. Shaun Star and Mr Stephen Illidge
Dr Ashutosh Misra in discussion with Board members
Cutting the cake to commemorate the occasion
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India News Team members Kartik Pratap Singh, Talha Baig and Agastya Yeturi with Ashutosh Misra
AIBC National Chair Jim Varghese
Dr Ram Mohan, Mr Jim Varghese and Prof. Shaun Star
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NEWS FROM QUEENSLAND
On land and on sea: new Indigenous rangers safeguard country Brisbane, Sept 11: For more than 50,000 years, Australia’s First Nations communities have been the custodians of country, developing a rich knowledge and cultural connection to land and sea. Today, the Palaszczuk Labor Government reaffirms the ongoing recognition of Indigenous knowledge and connection, announcing 54 new First Nations rangers for 13 communities across Queensland. Joining Kombumerri traditional owners at the Guanaba Indigenous Protected Area on the Gold Coast, Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the government would invest $24 million to help First Nations organisations foster the next generation of community leaders. “This is about recognising the oldest living culture on earth, the knowledge and connection our First Nations communities have to land and sea, and to giving young Indigenous people the opportunity to work in their country,” Minister Scanlon said. “I’ve had the privilege of seeing just how important a role Indigenous rangers play in their community and in looking after our national parks and protected areas. “To see the knowledge being shared between Indigenous rangers and our Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service is incredible, and why we’ve committed and delivered funding for more positions. Funding will provide rangers at: Brisbane, 11 Sept: For more than 50,000 years, Australia’s First Nations communities have been the custodians of country, developing a rich knowledge and cultural connection to land and
sea. Today, the Palaszczuk Labor Government reaffirms the ongoing recognition of Indigenous knowledge and connection, announcing 54 new First Nations rangers for 13 communities across Queensland. Joining Kombumerri traditional owners at the Guanaba Indigenous Protected Area on the Gold Coast, Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the government would invest $24 million to help First Nations organisations foster the next generation of community leaders. “This is about recognising the oldest living culture on earth, the knowledge and connection our First Nations communities have to land and sea, and to giving young Indigenous people the opportunity to work in their country,” Minister Scanlon said. “I’ve had the privilege of seeing just how important a role Indigenous rangers play in their community and in looking after our national parks and protected areas. “To see the knowledge being shared between Indigenous rangers and our Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service is incredible, and why we’ve committed and delivered funding for more positions. Funding will provide rangers at: Minister Scanlon said the announcement added to the government’s work on Queensland’s Path to Treaty, the transfer of protected areas on Mulgumpin (Moreton Island) and support for rangers through a record $1.4 billion environment investment. “Jobs have never been more important as we deal with the pandemic and Queensland’s
COVID-19 economic recovery plan, and so to be able to deliver something like this just has so many benefits.” Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Craig Crawford this week spent three days in the remote indigenous community of Doomadgee, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, 2180 km north-west of Brisbane. Under the expanded indigenous ranger program, the local Waanyi people, who are traditional owners of the spectacular Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill Gorge) National Park, will for the first time get four ranger positions to be based at Gregory Downs.
will receive funding to establish a ranger team on Wuthathi country, which includes Shelburne Bay, a unique landscape of high ecological and cultural importance. Chairperson Keron Murray said securing a ranger program for country was a monumental achievement and the culmination of more than 30 years of hard work. “From the removal of our people in the past, to the fight to stop mining and have our lands returned, this has been a priority of the highest order for the Corporation and for the Wuthathi
people,” Chairperson Murray said. “The funding for a ranger team will support our people in caring for our remote and special country as our Elders before us, so we can continue to meet our cultural obligations and manage our lands.” The Wuthathi ranger team will undertake cultural mapping and recording of story places, middens and other sites and contribute to Raine Island recovery projects, supporting the world’s largest remaining green turtle nesting population.
“I know how successful the ranger programs are from visiting Indigenous communities across Queensland,’’ Minister Crawford said. “These rangers are the next generation of leaders, they have a real sense of pride in putting on the uniform. “They get to work On Country, protect natural jewels like Boodjamulla, the kids look up to them, it really works.” Waanyi chairman Alec Doomadgee said it was a dream of his late Dad and tribal lawman Don George. “To know his dream of ranger program is about to become a reality is a powerful emotion,’’ he said. “I am over the moon. Waanyi mob are all about healing and caring for country. “It gives us employment, and a chance to share our spiritual and cultural practices. “It’s something we are passionate about.’’ Wuthathi Aboriginal Corporation
New COVID-19 vaccination location opens at Mount Warren Park
Dallas Morning News
Brisbane, Sept 10: Another largescale community vaccination centre will open in Beenleigh tomorrow providing even more opportunities for locals to be vaccinated.
who have been coming out in force to be vaccinated, keeping the community safe.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Mount Warren Park Sports Centre will provide 1000 vaccinations each day to start and will quickly ramp up to 1500.
“The Logan Entertainment Centre Vaccination Hub has delivered well over 50,000 jabs since it opened in mid-July and we know that opening this additional centre at Mount Warren Park is important to keep that momentum going.”
“The large sporting venue will host up to 30 vaccination stations giving Beenleigh and Logan residents more opportunity to get their vaccine,” the Premier said. “I’d like to thank all involved including Queensland Health and Logan City Council for their hard work in getting this ready for this weekend. “And I’d also like to thank the people of Logan and Beenleigh
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“The Logan community is doing a fantastic job and we want to see that continue.
Member for Macalister Melissa McMahon said bookings for the Mount Warren Park Vaccination Centre were essential to manage demand and reduce waiting times, but that walk-in days and special group days would be announced over the coming weeks.
“We want to make getting your vaccination quick and easy and that’s why we are asking residents to make a booking,” she said. “So, we are calling on all Beenleigh and Logan residents to register their interest and roll up their sleeve for their COVID-19 vaccination to help protect themselves, their loved ones and vulnerable members of the community against COVID-19.” Ms McMahon said the clinic is open to eligible members of the Logan and Beenleigh community aged 12 or over and times would be according to booking confirmations. “You can register your interest and make a vaccination appointment by visiting vaccinebookings.health.qld.gov. au,” she said.
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NEWS FROM QUEENSLAND
Newly appointed chief and lead executives in Social distancing and the Queensland public sector announced restrictions for South East University of Queensland.
Mr Martyn has a 24-year career within the Queensland public sector, with senior roles in a wide range of economic agencies covering industries including agriculture, mining, energy, tourism and technology. Brisbane, Sept 10: The Queensland Government has announced key appointments in senior roles. Under Treasurer, Queensland Treasury Mr Leon Allen Leon Allen was appointed to the role of Deputy Under Treasurer in 2020 and since April 2021 has been acting as Under Treasurer. He brings a wealth of relevant experience gained in State and Commonwealth public service, and private sector roles including 13 years’ experience in financial services. He spent four years in the US as CEO and Managing Director of the Commonwealth Bank Australia in the Americas. Since his time with Queensland Treasury has played a key role in in supporting the economic, fiscal and commercial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in developing the organisation’s strategic plan and workforce
development. Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner Mr James Purtill James Purtill is a senior executive with high level capability and experience within the public and private sectors in Australian and international settings. Mr Purtill has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Centenary Medal, led large organisations of up to 2500 employees and has broad experience in engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples including significant workforce reforms, professional development, reconciliation strategies and joint management programs. Director-General, Department of Energy and Public Works Mr Paul Martyn Paul Martyn holds a Masters of Public Policy from the University of London, Bachelor of Laws and Arts, both with Honours, from the
There are also concerns about
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an interstate truck driver who tested positive after visiting Queensland, who was infectious in the community last Sunday and Monday. Please check the list of contact tracing venues here: https://www. qld.gov.au/health/conditions/ health-alerts/coronaviruscovid-19/current-status/contacttracing#QLD. Public is being urged to keep up social distancing and good hand
Reuters
Special Commissioner Equity and Diversity, Public Service Commission Dr Linda Colley Prior to her appointment as Special Commissioner, Dr Colley was an Associate Professor of Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations and Leader of the Work and Employment Research Group at the School of Business and Law, at CQUniversity. Her research interests include gender and public sector management, and she has conducted research projects with all Australian public service jurisdictions. Dr Colley is Chair of the Work Health and Safety Board, and worked in employment policy and practice during her previous career in the public sector. Dr Colley holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and a Doctor of Philosophy from Griffith University.
Brisbane sees new locally acquired Covid-19 cases Brisbane, Sept 10: There has been one new community case of COVID-19 recorded in Queensland. A 13-year-old Brisbane schoolgirl tested positive and students have been sent home from St Thomas More College in Sunnybank. All students and families of St Thomas More College have been put into 14 days of mandatory home quarantine.
Queensland announced
hygiene. If you are unwell, stay home and immediately call your GP or 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) to arrange a test.
It would be appreciated if you could please advise your community of these important messages to assist in stopping the spread of COVID-19. For more information please visit www.health.qld.gov.au or www. covid19.qld.gov.au.
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Brisbane, 11 Sept: The 11 Local Government Areas in South East Queensland will continue following stage 3 restrictions until 4:00pm Friday, 24 September 2021. Restrictions are consistent across Queensland with the exception of mask requirements in South East Queensland and from 1:00am Saturday, 11 September 2021, additional restrictions are in place in high-risk settings in the Logan City Council area and Brisbane City Council area, south of the Brisbane River. Current restrictions for the South East Queensland Local Government Areas include: 1.
2.
up to 100 people in your home, including people who live there up to 200 people at an indoor wedding ceremony or funeral service or 1 person per 2 square metres or 100 per cent capacity with ticketed and allocated seating (whichever is greater). Indoor wedding ceremonies must have a COVID Safe Checklist in place and collect contact details via the Check in Qld app. Outdoor ceremonies have no restrictions and do not have to collect contact
details 3.
there are no density restrictions for venues that operate only outdoors. All indoor settings can have up to one person per 2 square metres or 100 per cent capacity with seated, ticket allocations including stadiums.
From 4:00pm Friday, 10 September 2021 increased face mask restrictions continue to apply to the 11 Local Government Areas in South East Queensland until 4:00pm Friday, 24 September 2021. These Local Government Areas are declared impacted areas and include the following: 1.
City of Brisbane
2.
Moreton Bay Regional Council
3.
City of Gold Coast
4.
City of Ipswich
5.
Lockyer Valley Regional Council
6. Logan City 7.
Noosa Shire Council
8. Redland City 9. Scenic Rim Regional Council 10. Somerset Regional Council 11. Sunshine Coast Regional Council.
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NEWS FROM VICTORIA
Victoria’s longest-serving New pop-up vax sites for 100 postcodes across Victoria established teachers recognised a new program covering 100 postcodes that establishes community and school based pop ups in areas that need them most and where barriers to vaccination may exist.
Melbourne, Sept 12: The Victorian Government is bringing the vaccines to areas that need them most, by launching a massive community pop-up vaccination program targeting 100 priority postcodes across the state, with an immediate focus on the northern and western suburbs of Melbourne. With new vaccination records being set every day and under 100,000 doses to go before we reach our 1 million doses in five weeks target, Victorians are well and truly rising to the challenge of getting vaccinated and we want to keep this momentum going. Using already announced supply secured through agreements with Singapore and the United Kingdom, Victoria is launching
Five community-based pop-ups and eight school-based pop-ups will initially begin administering vaccinations over the next two weeks, with many more to open soon.The five community popups will be based in the Hume, Dandenong and Casey local government areas and will be hosted in council and religious settings to offer tailored support for local diverse communities, like has been done previously with the Greek Orthodox Church vaccination site in Thornbury, a Hindu temple site in Mill Park and a mosque in Newport.The first eight school pop-up clinics will be at Dandenong High School, Point Cook Secondary College, Gladstone Park Secondary College, Roxburgh College, Brunswick Secondary College, Tarneit Senior College, Werribee Secondary College and Lakeview Senior College. These are aimed
at school students.
The next round of secondary schools will provide access to COVID-19 vaccines for students and their families, staff and those in the local community. Those first schools will include Narre Warren South P-12 College, Mount Ridley P-12 College and Hazel Glen College. The number of school-based popups will expand rapidly, with approximately 70 school sites eventually earmarked for all members of the community. Additional bookings will be available from Monday, 13 September at the Melton Drive Through Vaccination Hub, Wyndham City Council Civic Centre, Melbourne Showgrounds, Broadmeadows Town Hall, South Morang Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre and the Ford Factory in Campbellfield. Several sites will also be extending opening hours until 8pm, and more Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses will be released this week across state sites.
Connection to Aboriginal culture, country and family being strengthened Melbourne, Sept 10: The Victorian Government is increasing the number of Aboriginal organisations authorised to look after children in care, ensuring more Aboriginal children are connected to culture, Country and family. Minister for Child Protection Luke Donnellan announced at the Aboriginal Children’s Forum, held during Child Protection Week, that Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative and Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-Operative will commence pre-authorisation to look after Aboriginal children in care. They join the two Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations in preauthorisation, and two already authorised. The Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency is also expanding their Aboriginal Children in Aboriginal Care team to look
after Aboriginal children in care in Morwell. More authorised care providers will mean more Aboriginal children can be case managed by Aboriginal organisations – because Aboriginal people are best placed to understand the needs of Aboriginal children, giving children better opportunities to lead happy, healthy lives.
Through culturally appropriate, trauma-informed, and timely case management, children involved in child protection managed by Aboriginal organisations are returning home sooner, or being placed into stable, culturally safe alternative care. This builds on the Government’s reforms to enable the care of Aboriginal children subject to a Children’s Court protection order to be delegated to an Aboriginal organisation under the Children Youth and Families Act.Victoria’s child protection strategy for
Aboriginal children and young people is guided by Wungurilwil Gapgapduir – a landmark partnership with Aboriginal communities and the child and families sector based on the principle of self-determination.
An unprecedented $2.2 billion has been invested in transforming the children and family’s system over the last two Victorian Budgets, including $31.5 million in the 2021/22 Budget to support Aboriginal organisations to case manage Aboriginal children in care and provide culturally safe and responsive reunification support services.The Government has committed to reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal children in the care system by 45 per cent by 2031 as signatories of the Closing the Gap National Agreement and has invested $160 million since 2018 to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in child protection and out-of-home care.
TAFE graduate becomes new Victorian TAFE ambassador Melbourne, Sept 6: Member for Eastern Metropolitan Sonja Terpstra will be the Victorian Government’s new TAFE Ambassador, to make skills and training better than ever and showcase the work of Victorian TAFEs and trainers across the state. Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney announcement the new TAFE Ambassador today – part of the Government’s record investment in the post-secondary education sector. TAFE formed the foundation of
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Ms Terpstra’s own career. She studied typing and shorthand at TAFE before securing a job in administration which opened the door to representing working people within the union movement and eventually led to a career in politics. Her son has now started plumbing as part of the signature Free TAFE initiative. In her new role as TAFE Ambassador, Ms Terpstra will leverage her personal connection to promote the benefits of TAFE and training and the life-changing opportunities it provides in Victoria. The government is
prioritising supporting more students into TAFE courses in 2022 by facilitating careers fairs and visiting schools, building on the 10.5 per cent increase in commencements in the year to June 2021. Ms Terpstra will also visit TAFEs and engage with staff and students to share their TAFE stories, strengthen industry partnership models, work with employers to make TAFE graduates their first choice, and provide advice and ideas to Government to make TAFE better than ever.
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Melbourne, Sept 10: Hundreds of Victorian teachers, principals, school administrators and policymakers are being recognised for their long-serving dedication to students and families through the Recognition of Service to Victorian Education program. Minister for Education James Merlino today congratulated 342 staff across the state being honoured for more than 40 years of service each to Victorian education, acknowledging their dedication, hard work and persistence over many decades – and particularly their resilience and support for their school communities during the pandemic. Teachers receiving recognition include Sandringham East Primary School teacher Sheila Pfeffer, who has 55 years’ experience as a teacher – one of the longest-serving school staff members in the state. A total of
174 teachers and staff are being recognised for 40 years of service, 119 staff for 45 years of service, 40 staff for 50 years of service, and nine staff for 55 years of service. Some schools boast a number of long-serving staff members – including Bendigo Senior Secondary College with three 40year, one 45-year and one 50-year recipient, and Colac Secondary College with one 40-year, one 50year and one 55-year recipient. Strathmore Secondary College has one 40-year, two 45-year and one 50-year recipient, McKinnon Secondary College has three 40-year recipients – and Mount Waverley Secondary College has two 50-year recipients. While coronavirus restrictions have made it impossible to hold a ceremony to recognise the service of these long-serving staff members, recipients will receive a personalised Certificate of Recognition and a commemorative booklet.
Coronavirus restrictions to lift for regional Victoria Melbourne, Sept 8: Lockdown restrictions will be lifted in regional Victoria from tomorrow night, following advice from Victoria’s Chief Health Officer.
Victorians continue to do an incredible job keeping each other safe and while metropolitan Melbourne and Shepparton are still managing serious outbreaks, case numbers in the rest of regional Victoria have remained low and contained which gives us options to ease restrictions. Because of this, from 11.59pm on Thursday 9 September, the five reasons to leave the home will be removed in regional Victoria, except for Greater Shepparton. There will be no limit on the distance regional Victorians can travel from home – other than restrictions on entry to metropolitan Melbourne. The Authorised Worker list will no longer apply in the regions, meaning most businesses and venues can reopen with capacity and density limits. Regional Victorians will return to the rule ‘if you can work from home, you should work from home’ but office workers will be able to return up to 25 per cent or up to 10 people, whichever is greater. There remains a significant risk of Delta cases seeding from NSW or metropolitan Melbourne, and as a Victorian TAFE helps more than 130,000 people each year get the skills they need for the indemand jobs that are available across the state. Since 2014, the government has made a record $3.2 billion investment to rebuild TAFE and support universities and higher education to ensure Victorians have access to high quality education and rewarding career pathways.
result the Chief Health Officer has recommended this careful easing. Regional schools will reopen for onsite learning for Prep to Grade 2 and Year 12 students who live in regional Victoria, while remote learning will remain for all other levels. Onsite supervision at schools remains available for vulnerable children and children of essential workers in all year levels, including for students from metropolitan Melbourne. Funerals will be permitted for up to 20 people and weddings will be permitted for up to 10 people, plus those required to conduct the service. Stricter limits will be in place for both weddings and funerals with people from Melbourne in attendance. Restaurants and cafes can reopen for seated service with patron caps. Retail, hairdressing, entertainment venues and community facilities will also open in line with density limits and patron caps. Masks will continue to be required indoors and outdoors, apart from private residences, unless an exception applies. The only change to restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne right now will see single parents now able to access childcare, regardless of whether they are an authorised worker. The Victorian Budget 2021/22 includes a $383.8 million investment in the TAFE sector to ensure more Victorians get the training they need for in-demand jobs. Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney said: “We want all Victorians to have access to TAFE and training – which is why we’ve announced the new TAFE
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ISI sending ISKP cadre to PoK to hit J&K majorly: Intel IANS
New Delhi, September 9 (IANS): Keeping its nefarious eye on Jammu and Kashmir, the Pakistan's intelligence wing Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has been sending the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) cadre to the Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK) with an aim to hit J&K in a big way. As per the latest intelligence inputs, these ISKP cadres were released from the Afghanistan jails recently and had returned to Pakistan and now the ISI has instructed to execute its terror agenda in the Valley. The sources have revealed that the security agencies in Kashmir have tracked the movement and presence of ISKP commander Munsib who has been reportedly coordinating with various terror
outfits for this purpose. He has been quite active on social media for the past few months, they added.
Around 25 youths from Kerala have recently gone to Afghanistan and had joined the ISKP cadre, now the inputs are coming that the ISI can use those radicalised youths of Kerala to carry out attacks in India, the sources further said, adding that their movements are on the agencies' radar. After the Taliban occupation in Afghanistan, now the ISI has been actively planning to push its trained and supported terror outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e Taiba and al-Badr into the union territory for the last two months and now the ISKP ultras to various launch pads in PoK along with the line of control, the sources in the intelligence agencies also revealed. The intelligence inputs also confirmed that the launch pads in Pakistan have been humming with activities near the border indicating an increase in planning for infiltration. These launch pads
New Delhi, September 8 (IANS): China and Pakistan have changed their military commanders overlooking the borders with India after the Taliban completely took over Afghanistan.
Reiterating zero tolerance to terrorism, CRPF Director General Kuldeep Singh and J&K Police Chief Dilbagh Singh have said that the security forces are on high alert and ready to handle security situation arising from the development in Afghanistan even if they try to infiltrate with latest weapons.
Baradar recently. Baradar, the co-founder of Taliban, has been made the Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
Top sources said that threats along the borders with China and Pakistan have also increased manifold as foreign terrorists would make attempts to enter into India to unleash unrest. Interestingly, China has thrice changed its military commander for the Western Theatre Command, which is responsible for borders with India, in the last nine months. "These moves are definitely a matter of concern for India," said a senior government official, adding that the resolution of disputes along the borders with these two countries would be nowhere in near future. On September 7, Pakistan appointed Lieutenant General Azhar Abbas, who was responsible
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for the security of the Line of Control (LoC) with India, as the next Chief of General Staff. The post is considered the most influential position within the army after the Pakistan Army chief. Chief of General Staff looks after operational and intelligence matters at the General Headquarters with the directorates of Military Operations and Military Intelligence. Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza has been posted as the Commander of Rawalpindi Corps and Lieutenant General Muhammad Chiragh Haider has been given the responsibility of the Commander of Multan Corps, which is one of the main strike Corps of the Pakistan Army. Rawalpindi Corps looks after the Line of Control (LoC). The changes took place after Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed met Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani
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On September 6, Chinese President Xi Jinping appointed General Wang Haijiang as the Commander of the Western Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army. The Western Theatre Command oversees the Xinjiang and the Tibet Autonomous Regions, as well as the borders with India. General Wang Haijiang, 58, replaced General Xu Qiling, 59, who was only promoted in July this year to head the Western Theatre Command. Earlier, General Xu replaced General Zhang Xudong, 59, in July who was appointed around mid-December last year to head the command, replacing 65-yearold Gen Zhao Zongqi who retired from the PLA. It is not yet clear what will be the new role of General Xu Qiling and General Zhang Xudong, both still in service, after being relieved from the Western Command. Seeing a change of guard on northern and western borders, the Indian military has enhanced security apparatus along the borders and are making strategic changes.
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Saturday, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said: "QUAD is a platform where four countries have come to cooperate for their benefit and world's benefit." Junking China's reference to QUAD as Asian NATO, Jaishankar said: "Looking back, I think a term like NATO is a Cold War term. QUAD looks at the future. It reflects globalisation and compulsion of countries to work together.
Indian security agencies are also getting inputs that the presence of Pashtun speaking terrorists in some of the terrorist camps located in PoK, has increased the possibilities of ISKP ultras in these launch pads near the border areas in Jammu and Kashmir.
China, Pak change military commanders overlooking Indian borders The Sentimental Assam
India, Australia junk China terming QUAD as Asian NATO
were abandoned after a ceasefire was announced in February this year.
"The J&K Police is aggressively trying to track down those over-ground workers who can give shelter to foreign terrorists and make their mission even easier. They are constantly trying to ensure that the infiltrating terrorists do not find any hideout or take shelter in the villages of Kashmir", a senior official in the security set up said.
WORLD NEWS
New Delhi, Sep 11: India and Australia on Saturday jointly junked China's claims that the QUAD is akin to Asian NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation). The QUAD, officially the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, came up as an informal group of three countries: The US, Australia and Japan. Later India joined the group. Formed in 1949, NATO is a military alliance of 28 European countries and two North American nations to promote democratic values and commitment to peaceful resolution of disputes. With growing QUAD influence in the Indo-Pacific region promoting free, open and inclusive regionbased international law, China has been calling it as the Asian NATO. After the India-Australia 2+2 ministerial dialogue here on
"If you look at the issues QUAD has focused on today like vaccines, supply chains etc., I can't see any relation with NATO or any other organisation. I think it's important not to misrepresent what is the reality out there." Jaishankar's Australian counterpart Marise Payne also expressed similar views on China's claims. The Australian Foreign Minister said: "As Australia and India have re-energised relations, there is also the opportunity to work through smaller groups like the QUAD or other pieces of regional architecture like ASEAN. QUAD members are champions of ASEAN's centrality." The QUAD Leadership Summit is likely to take place on September 24 and it is expected to be attended by the heads of the QUAD member states, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India, Australia discuss Af crisis after Taliban takeover
New Delhi, Sep 11: India and Australia discuss the prevailing crisis in Afghanistan, maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region and cooperation in multilateral formats on Saturday in New Delhi. India on Saturday hosted the first-ever 2+2 ministerial dialogue in New Delhi with Australia. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Australian counterparts -- Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Moreign Minister Marise Payne -- and discussed the crisis in Afghanistan arising out of Taliban takeover. After in-depth discussion on bilateral and regional issues, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the 2+2 dialogue signifies the importance of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. India and Australia share an important partnership which is based on a shared vision of free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. "As two democracies we have a common interest in peace and prosperity of the entire region," he said. Singh said, "We have discussed various institutional frameworks for wide ranging collaboration including defence cooperation and fight against global pandemic.
We exchanged views on Afghanistan, Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific, cooperation in multilateral formats and other related topics.
During the discussions, both sides emphasised the need to ensure free flow of trade, adherence to international rules and norms and sustainable economic growth in the entire region. On the bilateral defence cooperation, Singh said that both the countries have decided to expand military engagements across services, facilitate greater defence information sharing and to work closely for mutual logistic support. "In the context of Defence Cooperation, both sides were glad to note continued participation of Australia in the Malabar Exercises. We invited Australia to engage India's growing defence industry and to collaborate in coproduction and co-development of defence equipment," he said. The 2+2 dialogue is the outcome of a decision made at the IndiaAustralia leaders' virtual summit in June 2020 to elevate bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. India and Australia admit that diplomatic ties between the two countries are at an all-time high right now.
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INDIA NEWS
Afghan nationals in Delhi protest against Pakistan IANS
food nor water. If they step out of the house there, the Taliban will take them away." The protesting Afghan nationals held Pakistan responsible for their plight.
New Delhi, September 10 (IANS): Afghan nationals living here held a protest against Pakistan on September 10, accusing it of sending terrorists into their country. The Afghans gathered in Delhi's Chanakyapuri area and protested carrying posters and banners. They wanted to go to the Pakistani High Commission, but were not allowed by the Delhi Police. Afghan citizen Dr Abdul Ghafoor Arab told IANS, "Pakistan has been sending terrorists to our country for the last 40 years. They have torn our country into pieces. Pakistan's army is present in Afghanistan. All these Talibanis
are Pakistanis." "We are dying every day, hundreds of Afghans have died so far. Taliban, Daesh are all made in Pakistan. Without Pakistani training Taliban cannot do anything." Among the protesters was 8-yearold Mohammad Ilyas, who said, "I am fighting for my country. We have helped other countries in difficult times, but they did not help us in difficult times." "My complaint is with America, why are they doing this to us? Why are they not helping us? America is helping the Taliban. "My family members are trapped in Afghanistan. They have neither
After the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, a new government was formed. According to information, there are about 14 such members in the interim government of Afghanistan who are on the UN's list of designated terrorists. These include caretaker Prime Minister Mullah Hassan and both his representatives. Afghan citizen Neelab told IANS, "Who has given Pakistan the right to enter our country and blast bombs there? We call upon all the countries to warn Pakistan. Why is it spreading violence in our country? Pakistan should take care of its own country, don't interfere with ours." "All Talibanis are Pakistanis, Afghani people don't kill their own people, Masood's son is trying to save his country because he is a true Afghan. If he was a Pakistani, he wouldn't have been fighting the Taliban and Pakistan."
Changing global scenario rapidly changed equations between nations: Indian minister twitter
Singh stressed, "In such a situation, the strength of our security and our self-reliance is not an achievement, but a necessity." Talking about the self reliant India campaign, the minister said that from being tagged as the number one defence importer in the world, India today is supplying defence systems and sub-systems to foreign countries and this is something to be proud of. "We are taking all such measures that will help our defence sector to stand on its legs," he said. Speaking about the induction of the missile, Singh said that the missile system will prove to be a game changer in air defence. "The induction of this missile by the Air Force is also a great example of the steps towards self-reliance in the defence sector," Singh added.
Jaisalmer, September 9 (IANS): The changing global scenario, including the developments in Afghanistan, has changed equations between nations quickly as per their interests, said Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on September 9.
missile MRSAM into the Indian Air Force, the minister said, "Whether it is South China Sea, Indian Ocean region, Indo-Pacific region or Central Asia, we can see uncertainty everywhere. The current developments in Afghanistan is one such example."
The minister said that uncertainty has spread everywhere in the world.
He added that the global scenario is changing very quickly and in an unexpected way and the changing geopolitics is affecting trade, economy, as well as the current security scenario.
Speaking at the induction of medium range surface-to-air
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The missile was developed in collaboration between the Defence Research and Development Organisation and an Israeli company. Singh said, "This project has played an important role in strengthening the defence industrial base of both the countries of India and Israel. It is a win-win situation for both the countries. Also, I was told that during this period many new test facilities and infrastructure have been created in the country," he said.
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WORLD NEWS
Afghan embassies, including one in India, turn their back on Taliban New Delhi, September 9: The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Italy has announced that it will be closed on September 9, 2021 to mark the respect of Afghanistan's national hero Ahmad Shah Massoud on his 20th death anniversary. Massoud was the only chief Afghan leader who never left Afghanistan in the fight against the Soviet Union and later in the armed struggle against the Taliban.
with airpower against the Taliban.
Massoud,who was leading the last remaining resistance to the Taliban capture of Afghanistan, was killed by suicide bombers of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in his residence on September 9, 2001, two days before the 9/11. After the Taliban's fall in 2001, he was declared the national hero of the country and September 9 was marked as martyr day.
This is a repeat of 1996 when the then Afghan ambassador to India Masoud Khalili refused to pledge allegiance to the Taliban following India's refusal to recognise the Taliban regime. Khalili, was a close friend of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the leader of the anti-Taliban force, the Northern alliance.
Unsurprisingly, the Taliban detest Massoud and his clan. They even tried to destroy his tomb in Panjshir on September 7. Two decades later, Massoud's son Ahmad Massoud is once again fighting the Taliban to protect his father's legacy. He is ably assisted by Amrullah Saleh, a former aide to Afghanistan's famous war hero. "The Taliban want the world to recognize them, and then they want to oppress the Afghan people again," Ahmad Massoud has declared. "If someone invades our land, we will fight against it and defend ourselves and the rights of the Afghan people." The junior Massoud has launched a guerrilla war against the Taliban who have managed to capture parts of the Panjshir valley with the active support of the Pakistani army. Pakistani Air Force planes and special forces battalions provided military support to the Taliban operation in Panjshir, Russian news agency Sputnik reported on September 8. The report says that four JF-7 fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force including 27 Pakistani special forces helicopters and drones, are assisting the Taliban in their quest. Like Italy, many embassies of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan are opposing the regime of Islamic Emirate Afghanistan foisted by the Taliban. Afghanistan's embassy in India has also refused to represent the Taliban government. Abdulhaq Azad, a spokesperson of the Afghan embassy in Delhi told Deccan Herald that it will continue to represent the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in India and not the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan established by the Taliban. "The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi will continue to provide services to the citizens of Afghanistan in India," Azad said. Earlier, during the Taliban's aggression, the Afghan envoy had asked India to help his country
"The avoidable suffering of Afghanistan is man-made and at a scale beyond all civilised contemplation," he had said. Afghanistan is going through a difficult time, and only good leadership, compassionate attitude and international support to the Afghan people "would somewhat bring an end to these miseries", Farid Mamundzay, the Afghan envoy observed.
The previous Taliban regime was recognised only by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. While countries of the world have yet to decide about giving recognition to the Taliban government, all the Afghan embassies will be known as representatives of the previous Afghan government, as per the recognition by the United Nations. Other Afghan embassies have also refused to pledge allegiance to the Taliban government. Ashraf Haidari, Afghanistan's ambassador to Sri Lanka has been always critical of the Taliban. On September 7, he slammed the Taliban for their government formations. "The beginning of the end of imposed totalitarianism: foreign madrassa militants deployed to target Afghans -- Afghan women -- at point-blank range is unforgivable by any standards of humanity. The UN knows, Biden knows which UN member-state plays with Afghan lives," Haidari posted on Twitter. Said T Jawad, Kabul's envoy to Russia, retweeted a video of protests by Afghans in front of the Embassy of Pakistan in the capital of his country. Shukria Barakzai, Afghan envoy in Oslo retweeted a post from a journalist which slammed the Taliban. "The Taliban government has 33 mullahs and 4 people under US sanctions but zero women or people from other political groups. Son of late leader Mullah Omar is Defence Minister. They say they have changed but this is hardline." Afghanistan's envoy to Tajikistan, Mohammad Zahir Aghbar had accused the Taliban and Pakistan of plotting to kill anti-resistance leaders, Ahmad Massoud and acting president, Amrullah Saleh in the Panjshir battle. It may be recalled how Pakistani security agencies ill treated the Afghan envoy's daughter's kidnapping case, following which, the then Afghan government had to recall its diplomats from Pakistan.
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INDIA NEWS
Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6
WORLD THIS WEEK
WORLD THIS WEEK Contributed by the National Institute for Advanced Studies, Bengaluru
Compiled by Joeana Cera Matthews, Keerthana Nambiar, Dhanushaa P, Dincy Adlakha and Jeshil Samuel, Sukanya Bali and Avishka Ashok
The New Afghanistan, with an Old Taliban Voice of America
What happened? On 4 September, Kabul airport became functional, and news reports mention the first domestic flight taking off. On 4 September, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar told Al Jazeera, “I assure the people that we strive to improve their living conditions and that the government will be responsible to everyone and will provide security because it is necessary for economic development, not just in Afghanistan but in the whole world… If we are able to provide security, we will overcome other problems, and from here the wheel of progress and advancement will begin.” On 4 September, Amrullah Saleh, former Vice-President, released a video informing that he is staying in the Panjshir valley and organizing a resistance against the Taliban. There have been contradicting reports from the Taliban and the National Resistance Front, about the capture of the Panjshir Valley by the former. On 4 September, a group of women marched in Kabul. According to an Al Jazeera report, “dozens of women took to the streets of the capital on Saturday to demand their right to work, a role in any future government, and a seat at the table in discussions with the Taliban.” On 31 August, President Biden made a lengthy statement after completing what he considered as the “biggest airlifts in history, with more than 120,000 people evacuated to safety.” And he said: “This is a new world. The terror threat has metastasized across the world, well beyond Afghanistan. We face threats from al-Shabaab in Somalia; al Qaeda affiliates in Syria and the Arabian Peninsula; and ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq, and establishing affiliates across Africa and Asia. The fundamental obligation of a President, in my opinion, is to defend and protect
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America — not against threats of 2001, but against the threats of 2021 and tomorrow. That is the guiding principle behind my decisions about Afghanistan. I simply do not believe that the safety and security of America is enhanced by continuing to deploy thousands of American troops and spending billions of dollars a year in Afghanistan.” On 30 August, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Afghanistan. According to the press release from the UNSC, the resolution was “adopted by a vote of 13 in favour with two abstentions (Russian Federation and China), the 15-member organ demanded that Afghan territory not be used to threaten or attack any country and reiterated the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan.” What does it mean? The Taliban is back in Afghanistan. Though they are yet to announce the new government, the people are adjusting to the new normal in Afghanistan. Until 31 August, those countries that were engaged in Afghanistan, including the US, were preoccupied with the evacuation. Now the exit is complete, the international community is assessing their likely interests in Afghanistan, and exploring options to deal with the Taliban. The UN Security Council stands divided, with Russia and China backing the Taliban; will the rest of the UNSC members leave the fate of Afghanistan to these two countries, along with Iran and Pakistan, or will they continue to invest? Biden’s recent statement is vital in the above context: “I respectfully suggest you ask yourself this question: If we had been attacked on 11 September 2001, from Yemen instead of Afghanistan, would we have ever gone to war in Afghanistan — even though the Taliban controlled Afghanistan in 2001? I believe the honest answer is “no.” That’s because we had no vital national interest in Afghanistan other than to prevent an attack on America’s homeland and their our friends. And that’s true today.” Emphasis added.
on China’s military, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry presented a far graver view of China as a rising threat than last year, when China still lacked the capability to launch a full assault on Taiwan. This year’s report said that China can launch “soft and hard electronic attacks”, including blocking communications across the western part of the first island chain, the string of islands that run from the Japanese archipelago, through Taiwan and down to the Philippines. China “can launch wired and wireless attacks against the global internet, which would initially paralyse our air defences, command of the sea and counterattack system abilities, presenting a huge threat to us,” said the Ministry
In its annual report to parliament
Modi. The Foreign Secretaries held “substantive discussions on advancing the India-US Strategic Partnership across healthcare, defence & security, trade & investment, S&T, climate change, clean energy, people to people ties, continued coordination on Afghanistan and strengthening Indo-Pacific cooperation through the Quad.” tweeted the Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. India: 101 sterilisations in 8 hours on tribal women
India: Envoy meets Taliban leader in Doha On 31 August, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that its Ambassador to Qatar, Deepak Mittal met with the head of the Taliban’s political office, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai in a move that indicates India’s softened stance on the Taliban. This is the first public acknowledgement by the government of India about engagement with the Taliban. The meeting came as a request from the Taliban as they are keen to receive some “acceptability” while India remains “cautious” about its approach to the group. The discussion focused on safety, security, the early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan as well as the travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish to visit to India. According to the statement by the MEA, the Taliban leader assured that all the issues would be “positively addressed” as well as called for India to continue its political, trade and connectivity ties with Afghanistan. India: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visits the US for talks officials
ALSO IN NEWS
China: Armed forces can “paralyse” Taiwan’s defences
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
On 2 September, India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla arrived in Washington for meetings with officials including the US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. The Foreign Secretary’s visit to the city precedes a possible month-end visit by Prime Minister Narendra
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“As Muslims, we also have a right to raise our voice for Muslims in Kashmir, India or any other country.” There has been violence on the Indian-run side of India-Pakistan’s Muslimmajority territory for 30 years, due to a separatist insurgency. This is the first time that the Taliban has commented on Indian-administered Kashmir. In a previous interview with CNN-News18 Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid urged Pakistan and India to sit together to resolve all issues. He added that the Taliban “had no policy” of launching armed operations against any country. His remarks after India raised concerns about Afghanistan’s Hindu and Sikh minorities under the Taliban. Nigeria: Almost 6,000 Boko Haram fighters surrender
On 4 September, the Chhattisgarh health department served notices to two doctors who allegedly conducted over a hundred tubectomy surgeries on poor tribal women in a matter of eight hours in the Surguja district of Chhattisgarh, in violation of government norms. The mass sterilisation reportedly took place at the Narmadapur community health centre between 7 pm and 3 am on 26 August. Sri Lanka: President Rajapaksa declares economic emergency On 1 September, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency under the Public Security Ordinance on the supply of essential goods. The emergency which came into effect on the same night is aimed to prevent the hoarding of essential items, including rice and sugar. The government has also appointed a former army general as commissioner of essential services, who will have the power to seize food stocks held by traders and regulate their prices. The emergency move followed sharp price rises for sugar, rice, onions and potatoes, while long queues have formed outside stores because of shortages of milk powder, kerosene oil and cooking gas. Sri Lanka, a net importer of food and other commodities, is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths which has hit tourism, one of its main foreign currency earners. Afghanistan: Taliban will ‘raise voice for Kashmir Muslims’ Suhail Shaheen told the BBC:
On 2 September, the Nigerian armed forces said that close to 6,000 fighters from the Boko Haram Islamist insurgent group in northeast Nigeria have surrendered in response to the military’s counter-insurgency efforts. Close to 350,000 people have died in the conflict between Boko Haram and the Nigerian army since it began 12 years ago, according to UN estimates, with the fighting spilling over to the neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad and Cameroon. The UK: Government announces plans to introduce E10 petrol to cut emissions On 1 September, the BBC reported that the UK was making the shift to E10 petrol in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions. E10 consists of comparatively lesser carbon than other available alternatives and makes use of ethanol. The use of Ethanol to run vehicles has been used previously in Brazil. The current shift will ensure that the fuel used will consist of 10 per cent of Ethanol which is derived from plants like sugar beet and wheat. This shift in the UK will help cut on carbon emissions by 7,50,000 tonnes every year. About the authors D Suba Chandran is a Professor and Dean in the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Sukanya Bali and Avishka Ashok are Research Associates at NIAS. Juan Mary Joseph is a research intern at NIAS. The report has been modified by India News due to space considerations.
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INDIA NEWS
Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6
Sport as an 20 years on impact sector from 9/11 will strengthen T Aus-India ties By Scott Morrison
here are moments in time when things we thought were certain can change in a heartbeat and we know that nothing will ever be the same again. We recall exactly where we were, what we were doing, and the shock we felt as the foundations of our world seemed to shake. September 11, 2001 in the United States was one of those days. That night in Sydney, as dawn broke in America, Jen and I were at home having a quiet evening together watching television. When the news broke through, we sat and watched in numb disbelief.
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ustralia as a sport loving nation has a pivotal role to play in this regard. It encourages an outdoor lifestyle in the community to achieve a work-life balance and connect physical and mental fitness with nature and sports. Australia’s leadership in sporting excellence is respected globally. During his visit to Australia in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined Australia’s contribution and leadership in sports and recommended bolstering bilateral cooperation in sport. Peter Varghese’s report An India Economic Strategy to 2035 also mentioned, “India already looks to Australia as a model in sports for achieving results. Supporting India’s sports agenda can help Australia entrench positive relationships with India government and businesses”. India’s growing $350 million Khelo India Khelo sports ecosystem beholds enormous opportunity for Australian stakeholders, which the AIBC can help facilitate. Following Prime Minister Modi’s 27 September 2014 speech in the United Nations General Assembly, India’s stellar leadership in yoga has been recognised by the United Nations, declaring 21 June as International Day of Yoga. India’s proposal had received the support and co-sponsorship of 177 nations, a record. Images of mass yoga events from around the world make the headlines every year and Australia can benefit from India’s excellence in yoga. An MoU in sports cooperation exists between the two sides signed in 1999 that needs to be expanded and include the wellness industry. India’s sport ecosystem currently faces several challenges, inter alia, inefficient resource allocation; social and economic
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inequalities; inadequate sporting infrastructure; organisational, regulatory and administrative inefficiencies; gender discrimination; and corruption across sporting codes. Over the years Australia has been addressing some of these challenges through training to Indian officials in sports administration, sports education, sports science and capacity building to several Indian sports departments, associations and federations. Spearheaded by the Australian Sports Commission, Australia has been contributing to ‘increasing the capacity to planning and conducting quality sport-based activities" and contributing to the ‘locally identified development priorities" which is encouraging the participation of marginalised children and youth in sports and using sports to improve livelihoods. Corruption in sports remains a potent challenge to many nations including India, which can benefit from best practices in preserving integrity in sport from Australia, where sporting codes, regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies work closely to preserve integrity in sport. As India’s global footprint in sport expands it needs to constitute policy mechanisms and sport practices to keep sports clean. The 2021 tour of the Indian women’s cricket team to Australia is a timely and a great opportunity to build sports engagements further and create a more conducive atmosphere for the larger Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Sport as an impact sector has a key role to play is shaping perceptions on both sides, and together, both sides can leverage sport to create a better future for bilateral ties.
Twenty years have now passed since New York and Washington were attacked. On this anniversary, we remember and honour the 2,977 people who lost their lives on that day and the many more since. Our hearts go out to the families of the 10 Australians among them, and the many other Australians affected by those terrible events. It was a time when we saw both the worst and the best of humanity. Amid the devastation, we saw acts of love, great bravery and sacrifice. The calls being made to loved ones from burning towers, as the tragedy came down around them. Messages of love and good-bye. But also calls of brave defiance. ‘Let’s roll’ Tod Beamer said, as he and others on board took back Flight 93 and crashed into the fields of Pennsylvania, to thwart the terrorists’ evil plans. And the thousands of first responders, many sacrificing themselves, as they charged into the burning towers, and those who then converged to find survivors and clear the rubble of ground zero.
EDITORIAL
so it will be for the families of the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks today.
So on this anniversary, let our first thoughts be with them as we send our sincere condolences for their terrible loss and to President Biden and all the people of the United States. But let us also appreciate that September 11 reminds us that we can never take our peace, our freedom and our way of life for granted. A little more than a decade before the terrible events of September 11, the Berlin Wall fell. Some thought this marked ‘the end of history’ and that the cause of freedom had forever prevailed. September 11 reminded us that freedom is always fragile. As Ronald Reagan said, it “must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation”. That day was an attack on free peoples everywhere. It was an attack on our way of life and the values of liberal democracy. Despite the pain inflicted on that day, the terrorists ultimately failed in their attempts to crush our resolve and change our way of life. Our then Prime Minister John Howard was in Washington D.C. on that terrible day. He saw the smoke plume in Washington. He also saw the great spirit and enduring faith of the American people. The Howard Government invoked the ANZUS Treaty, for the first and only time in its 50 year history. As John Howard said to Parliament on his return, “if the comradeship, the friendship and the common bonds of democracy and a belief in liberty, fraternity and justice mean anything, it means that the ANZUS Treaty applies.”
So when the Taliban refused to hand over Al-Qaeda terrorists, we supported a US-led operation to hunt down Osama Bin Laden and eliminate the capacity to stage more attacks against the West from Afghanistan. Together with the international community, we also laboured long and hard to help the Afghan people secure a better future. Sadly, the fruits from those seeds of hope are now very uncertain. But let us never doubt that our cause was, and always will be, a just one. So on this day of remembrance, we also honour all who served in Afghanistan, especially the 41 Australians who died in the service of our country. And on this day we re-dedicate Australia to the cause of peace and freedom and to the constant vigilance required to deny the threat of terror. Let us appreciate all those who work every day to keep us safe. Our police and security agencies, our defence forces, and thank them for their service. Let us commit ourselves to continue to stand with our partners and allies - especially the United States - as we work together for a world that favours freedom. Let us reaffirm the liberal democratic values that guide us and the truths we hold dear. And above all, let us hold all those we love a little closer and be grateful for their blessing in our lives. Mr Scott Morrison is the Prime Minister of Australia
We pay tribute to all their heroism and sacrifice. First and foremost, let us remember this terrible event as an awful human tragedy, causing great personal suffering and grief to so many. When I think of September 11, my mind always casts forward to just over a year later on October 12, when the same evil terror, that blasphemes the very religion it claims to serve, was visited on 88 Australians in Bali. Each year the families and friends of those Australians killed on that day gather on the cliffs at Coogee in Sydney to remember. I have often joined them there. Despite the passing of the years, their sorrow and mourning, their loss and grief continues. And
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INDIA NEWS
Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6
SPECIAL FEATURE
Taliban 2.0: Dark times ahead for women By Professor Ishani Naskar
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n August 15, 2021, the world watched in sheer incredulity and dismay as the Taliban stormed back into power and took over Kabul. The return of the Taliban has laid bare the myopic policy of the United States and the failure of the western coalition to understand the Afghan system as it was, as it is. One of the outcomes of this imbroglio is the fate of the women of Afghanistan. Afghan society is a multi ethnic society with Islam as the predominant religion. What is important is that the basic social matrix of the land is that of a tribal society wherein honour is a very critical component of social status of the various groups especially the Pashtuns. Women constitute the key ingredient of honour and that is reflected in the way the purdah relegates them into social oblivion. They are segregated from their male counterparts and confined to the domestic as a part of the drive to see them as protected and their honour preserved. It is thus upon the men to interpret honour and limit women through proscriptions. However the purdah system is not strictly practised by many of the ethnic minorities. Throughout Afghan history, tribal mores and religious authority have challenged the central authority; it applies to the issue of women.. Every time there were attempts to introduce reforms to liberalise the ‘protected’ women of the country, there was fierce opposition from both tribal systems and religious authorities. Nonetheless, the reforms of the 1920s, the 1950s and particularly of the communist regime of 1970s emancipated and empowered women through constitution but reforms remained confined primarily to the urban young women. A substantial section
of the Afghan society remained as feudal, as tribal and as fiercely resistant to women’s advancement as before.
Further, fate of Afghan women was sealed in 1992 with the establishment of the Islamic State of Afghanistan; they were required to use hijab (the head scarf) but could continue with their respective professions. They did not enjoy equal economic and legal rights. During the mujahedeen period, women were subjected to rape, forced marriages and torture. The point here is that the Taliban took the responsibility of a society where women were already objectified, violated and repressed drawing from tribal cultural traits and religious beliefs. The Taliban with no exposure to liberal systems, deeply ingrained in Quaranic discourse and the cadre largely belonging to rural-peripheral background believed in the brutal use of force to enforce a Shaira-based administration. In the name of discipline and moral rigour, Taliban administration used force and crude penalizing methods to provide justice and prevent crimes within society. During the first phase of the Taliban rule Human Rights Watch have reported the systematic violations against women and girls in complete contradiction to the rights provided to them in the Afghan Constitution. In the post Taliban period, the elected governments have tried to bring about a political system that reinstituted women’s rights, gave them education and brought them to the forefront of professional life. Again, urban areas like Kabul reflected this empowerment of women but beyond that, there was not much transformation. As the Taliban returned to the rural areas, the sting of the harsh dictums of regulation and corporal punishments were back and women were
again the subjects of religious regimentation.
One may wonder why women are of such concern to the Taliban. Reasons are far more practical than ideological. A large section of the recruits of the Taliban are young males from rural background with least exposure; the Taliban leadership fears that softening stance on women will lead to alienation of that large rural base and create indiscipline within rank and file. One must also realise that the Taliban emerged as a regulatory force not an administrative force. With no certain idea about administration, their policy towards government was also a policy to deal with women particularly. Women were seen as vulnerable and were subjects of the prohibitive Islamic policies. Moreover, the Taliban preferred a rentier economy and depended on a few outside agencies and a state or two like Pakistan, UAE and Saudi Arabia for trade and recognition. Thus they were not bothered about whether the international community condemned their policies towards women. Limited research has revealed that Taliban did employ some women to act as informers, domestic supervisors (to ensure that household ran according to Taliban directives) and control female prisoners. Whether such women supported Taliban or had
other reasons, data on that is very limited, but scholars like Povey and De Leede have indicated that there may be some subtle ideological support for these radical Islamists. Cristiansson exposed the role of women (particularly women related to Taliban fighters) in support of the recent Taliban insurgency vis-a vis international forces, but that was more to protect family. This aspect needs further intellectual probing. Earlier women have played supportive role to the Mujahedeen fighters during Soviet control. Yet the Taliban do not entertain the idea of women in the as frontline and would prefer to confine them in homes.
Afghan women have also put up resistance against religious discrimination and have learnt to deal with various adversities, through self-help and community support system. The decades between the Taliban regimes have empowered women and now in Kabul, they are marching for their rights. How the Taliban will respond? There is a view that Taliban has had a better international exposure and have seasoned politicians and statesmen who can think flexibly about women. However these soft views are constantly outbalanced by the hard liners and the field commanders who are trained to regulate and dominate. The Conversation Much of the verbal commitments
about women are directed towards the international audience in search of recognition and aid rather than out of true realisation about treating women as equals. Thus women of the land will either have to flee or struggle to survive; such fear and scepticism grips women’s rights activists in Afghanistan. But herein is the catch. Unlike the popular understanding, Afghan women are not a monolith and they do not share a common platform vis-a vis the Taliban. Only time will tell if this amorphous approach of Taliban 2.0 towards Afghan women turn into a humane one and how they will react to it. Professor Ishani Naskar is based at the Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India
Afghan female football team evade Taliban threat New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS): Female footballers from Afghanistan along with their families crossed the Torkham border to reach Pakistan on Tuesday night after the government issued emergency humanitarian visas to evacuate them from their country following the Taliban takeover, Dawn reported. The footballers belonging to the national junior girls team were facing threats from the Taliban due to their involvement in sports. They had been originally due to travel to Qatar, where Afghan refugees have been housed at a facility for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but were left stranded after a bomb blast at the Kabul airport on August 26, Dawn reported. While most of the Afghanistan national women's team had flown
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out in the last week of August after an arrangement with the Australian government, the youth team were unable to get flights because they lacked passports and other documentation. They had since been in hiding to evade the Taliban.
were still in Afghanistan. "We launched these efforts a few weeks ago and we're extremely thankful to the government and
PFF president Ashfaq Hussain Shah and vice president Aamir Dogar for facilitating us," Pakistan ambassador of Football for Peace
Sardar Naveed Haider Khan, a former member of Ashfaq's PFF, told Dawn on Tuesday night.
The move to bring the 32 footballers - a total of 115 people, including their families - to Pakistan was initiated by Britishbased NGO Football for Peace in cooperation with the government and the Pakistan Football Federation of Ashfaq Hussain Shah, which isn't recognised by FIFA. FIFA president Gianni Infantino had visited the Afghan refugees during his trip to Doha last week, but the global football body has been criticised for its inaction in aiding the female footballers who
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INDIA NEWS
Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6
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 destination in 2019 by the World Investment Report 2020 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
A Review of India’s Credit Ecosystem mainly through the strength of India’s young population and an aspiring middle-income class that is slowly moving away from a saving mentality and are now willing to take loans for instant gratifications based on their lifestyles.
By Strategic Investment Research Unit (SIRU)
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redit industry in India is witnessing historic changes owing to several reforms undertaken by the government in the latter part of the last decade. India’s domestic credit growth has averaged at 15.1% from March 2000 to March 2021. The number of people willing and able to take loans from formal channels is at a neverbefore-seen level. This is driven
The report throws light on the key economic indicators ranging from unemployment to inflation which have remained well within the target level despite the pandemic. More modern indicators such as internet connectivity and the number of people availing of bank services have also taken dramatic strides. The report highlights the opportunity in Tier 3 and Tier 4 regions of India and talks about how rural India is finally coming at par with the urban areas. The number of people willing and able to take loans from formal channels is at a never-beforeseen level. The flagship digitisation initiatives have propelled the growth of Digital payments which grew to almost 40% in the pandemic year and are predicted to surpass cash payments by 2025.
This uptick in digital payments vis-à-vis cash payments is the driving factor augmenting formal credit consumption whilst furthering financial inclusion contemporaneously. Further, with embedded finance and utility apps turning their strategies to become super-apps, another trend that can be watched closely and to which retail credit promotion and elevation can be attributed. Fintechs and NBFCs have carved out their market share by targeting customers who were otherwise unable to borrow. This has brought a whole new section of customers, and this market is far from being saturated. NBFCs have leveraged deep understanding of consumer preferences and differentiated business to grow as a preferred choice, especially in unorganised markets. The report finally discusses the effect of the pandemic on the economy, especially on the credit industry, and the resilience the country has shown under its able leadership and empowered private sector.
Blockchain: Powering India’s Technological transformation
By Vivek Sigchi
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f you are reading this article, chances are that you’ve already heard about the widely popular ‘blockchain technology’. The term has gained massive traction since Satoshi Nakamoto (father of Bitcoin), published his famous white paper on a cryptography mailing list describing a digital currency that would allow secure, peer-to-peer transactions without the involvement of any middleman, whether that be the government, financial system or a company. Although Satoshi disappeared soon after he gave the world its first cryptocurrency, the technology has only scaled up with new innovations and better use cases. In 2020 itself, the global blockchain market size was estimated at $3 bn and is expected to reach $39.7 bn by 2025, growing at an impressive CAGR of 67.3% during the said period. That said, the technology is also being received well in India. Many enterprises are trying to explore the technology by
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incorporating it in their daily business processes and a number of new start-ups are becoming a part of the big picture. In India, blockchain solutions have found the most takers in banking, financial services and insurance industry. The public sector has also been actively using this technology for use cases such as land title registry, vehicle lifecycle management, farm insurance and electronic health record management. Furthermore, India ranks second in terms of crypto adoption worldwide behind Vietnam, but ahead of countries such as the US, UK, and China, according to the 2021 Global Crypto Adoption Index by blockchain data platform Chainalysis. So, the rising adoption of this technology is evident but the main question that remains for us to answer is - how long before we fully exploit the power of this disruptor and can India position itself as the biggest technology hub adopting this technology? As per a report released by
NASSCOM, titled ‘NASSCOM Avasant India Blockchain Report 2019’, majority of the mid and large service providers have less than 5% of blockchain projects in India, which is low when compared to their projects in other geographies such as North America and Europe. Even among blockchain start-ups, while venture capital investments worldwide were as high as $5.6 bn, India was able to attract only 0.2% of them. Furthermore, India accounted only for about 2% of all the blockchain startups, globally. This shows that while the technology is being well received, it is still at a very nascent stage. There are many industries for which this concept is yet to be understood. Lack of knowledge and understanding are the primary challenges hindering the adoption and growth of blockchain technology. There are also misconceptions that blockchain will be replacing the current systems, which is not true. Unlike other technologies, which have the potential to
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Textile Machinery Industry in India By Strategic Investment Research Unit (SIRU)
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$2.5 bn textile machine industry which is growing at 5% currently reflects on the growing strength of this subsegment in the textiles value chain in India. A strong textile engineering industry that can grow, compete, and export would be able to provide support to the rising Indian textile industry, adding vibrancy and competitiveness. There are about 3,250 companies involved in the manufacturing of textile machineries, accessories, and trading of equipment in India. The industry not only caters to rising domestic demand but also has the potential to establish India as an export hub for textile machinery with spinning machines representing the largest export opportunity. A major component of the textile machinery industry in India thrives on the global partnerships that companies in India have forged with their global counterparts be it in Germany,
deliver completely new services to citizens and other stakeholders alike, blockchain has the potential to revamp currently existing processes to unlock new sources of efficiency and value. Thus, the nascency of this idea presents India with huge opportunities to expand this market if it is able to tackle the bottlenecks well. Now at this stage, many of us might be wondering why we should even expand and explore this idea. There are other sectors and challenges that require addressal. The current pandemic
Italy, or Japan. As per the 60th Annual Report by the Textile Machinery Manufacturing Association (TMMA), the Asian region will account for more than 90% of the total textile machinery market share, and in order to expand its technical horizons, many textile machine companies in the country are joining hands with their western counterparts to produce technologically advanced machines.
has also brought in dozens of other problems making it more difficult to implement this technology. So why should we? There are several factors driving blockchain adoption in India, one of them being digitisation. Over the past decade, India has successfully created foundational digital infrastructure envisaged to enable private sector applications running on top of it such as Aadhaar, UPI, e-Sign and Digilocker along with digitally enabled tax governance networks like GSTN or digitally
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INDIA NEWS
Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6 enabled health coverage such as Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). These already lay a good base for us to experiment with the adoption of this technology in different sectors. Moreover, governance in India faces several challenges given the scale, diversity and complexity of processes involved in the delivery of varied public services. Blockchain offers unique possibilities for addressing issues relating to improving governance. In business, by allowing ‘selfregulation’, India can considerably move towards improving the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ by allowing entities to interact through a trusted medium with a reduced dependency on cumbersome regulatory oversight and compliance. By empowering citizens through features of transparency, decentralization and accountability, blockchain would help in improving ease of living as well. There are also several benefits that would directly affect the economy such as better contract management and procurement, greater accountability and quality control across supply chains and decentralization of authority in decision making. For example, blockchain can radically transform the agricultural sector in India by revamping the utility of eNAM, creating an audit trail of all farmer produce and removing the mistrust between farmers and arhatiyas (mandi intermediaries). Blockchain applications can also be used to explore certification of the provenance of organic produce, thus increasing marketability to foreign markets. Some more use cases for the Indian context are illustrated through the charts below. Blockchain has extensive practical applicability. It can introduce a
MAKE IN INDIA completely new way of dealing with business problems with improved efficiency. There are several businesses adopting the idea and given how India wishes to position itself in the technology space in the coming years, this trend is only to continue. Moreover, technology efforts in India are being supported by players abroad as well. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in computer software and hardware jumped over threefold to $26.14 bn during 2020-21 on account of significant growth in the country’s technology space, according to data from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. The sector received $7.67 bn FDI in 2019-20 and $6.41 bn in 2018-19. The computer software and hardware sector accounted for about 43% of the total $59.63 bn foreign inflows that India attracted in 2020-21. The technology space in India is growing significantly on the back of the rapid end-to-end digitisation of businesses. This has especially accelerated during the lockdowns over the last year that has forced businesses to automate processes across the value chain and this is likely to further accelerate this year and in the next 2-3 years. Thus, we can see how India is set to become one of the most important technological hubs of the world. And, while we have witnessed how the ‘Internet of Information’ has changed our society over the past two decades, we are now entering a phase where Blockchain may do the same by ushering in a new paradigm comprising ‘Internet of Trust’ and ‘Internet of Value’. SOURCE: Invest India, National Investment Promotion & Facilitation Agency, Government of India
Bhatamala Pariyojana – Visionary Corridor across India science and technology in planning, implementing and monitoring of the programme. COMPONENTS
INTRODUCTION •
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Bharatmala Pariyojana is an umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The scheme aims to optimize the efficiency of movement, both freight and passenger, across India by developing critical infrastructure – corridors, highways, waterways, etc. It also aims to create direct and indirect employment in the sector besides enabling National Highway linkages for over 500 districts in the country.
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This ambitious programme has subsumed all existing highway projects.
KEY FEATURES •
Improvement in the quality of roads
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Improvement in the efficiency of corridors through operationalization of Multimodal Logistics Parks and by addressing the issue of choke points.
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Improvement in the levels of connectivity in the North East and also increasing alignment of connectivity efforts with inland waterways Emphasis on the use of
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Economic Corridors [9,000KM]
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Inter-corridor and feeder roads to National and Economic Corridors [6,000KM]
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National Corridors Efficiency Improvement [5,000KM]
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Border and International connectivity roads [2,000KM]
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Coastal and Port connectivity roads [2,000KM]
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Green-field expressways [800KM]
LOOKING FORWARD •
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Bharatmala Pariyojana focuses on the enhancement of existing infrastructure and therefore catalyses the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan and Make in India programme. The use of technology-based and scientific planning will
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pave the way for the practice of Asset Monitoring and Project Preparations in the future. •
Further, with efficient
highway connectivity in the North-East, a boost in tourism and in the infrastructure development sector is anticipated.
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ENERGY & RESOURCES
India, Denmark discuss cooperation World leaders to accelerate shift to clean energy against climate change IANS
The Sentimental Assam
New Delhi, September 9 (IANS): Indian Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav on September 9 met Danish Climate, Energy and Utilities Minister Dan Jorgensen to discuss general bilateral cooperation in the areas of environment and climate change.
Jorgensen is on a five days' visit to India with a business delegation. Acknowledging the historical and friendly ties between the two countries, Yadav highlighted the contribution of Denmark in the 'White Revolution' in India, because of which today India is the largest producer of milk in the world, an Environment Ministry release said. Yadav also appreciated the contributions of Denmark in setting up the clean and wind
energy hub in Tamil Nadu and Danish companies that have made significant investments in India in diverse sectors. Both the ministers held discussion on Green Strategic Partnership (GSP) and upcoming COP26 meeting, the annual climate change conference that would be held at Glasgow.
Reinstating the findings of the recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Physical Science Summary for Policy Makers (SPM), Yadav highlighted that the world must recall about the forgotten phrases 'Equity, CBDR-RC, and National Circumstances' that are the bedrock of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its
Indian Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav
up by the Delhi government will reach out to these states for a dialogue.
year to prepare the action plan ahead of the winter, Rai said: "The problem of pollution is not limited to Delhi alone. If there's a bump in pollution levels in Ghaziabad, it will naturally impact Delhi as well. Similarly, if something happens in Haryana, Rajasthan or UP, that too will impact Delhi. Thus, a team will be put together which will hold discussions with the neighbouring states of Delhi and discuss solutions with them."
Paris Agreement and emphasised that COP26 should ensure a balanced outcome with equal treatment to all agenda items like adaptation, finance, response measures, etc. The two environment ministers also discussed the Joint Action Plan to take forward the Green Strategic Partnership (GSP) in the environment sector.
Delhi govt to launch 10-point winter action plan to combat pollution IANS
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai held a meeting to chalk out an action plan based on the 10-point agenda.
Delhi Rural Development Minister Gopal Rai
New Delhi, September 9 (IANS): The Delhi government on September 9 announced that it will come out with a 10-point winter action plan to combat city's toxic air pollution. Prime among the points for the action plan is controlling the stubble burning in neighbouring states, for which a committee set
The other issues for the winter action plan are to control dust pollution, stop waste burning, identification of new hot spots of air pollution, and special care of areas which are most polluted in the city.
The report 'Roadmap for Implementation of WaterSensitive Design and Planning in Uttar Pradesh: Stormwater Harvesting in Parks and Open Spaces' was released at an online event titled 'Water-sensitive Urban Design and Planning: Approach, Challenges and Potential'. The CSE prepared the report in partnership with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Jal Shakti Ministry. NMCG Director General, Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, shared
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The High-level Dialogue on Energy, which will be convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the summit level at the request of the General Assembly, is an historic opportunity to close this gap, as the first gathering of leaders in more than 40 years at the UN solely devoted to energy issues.
"A complete winter action plan will be ready by the end of September," he added.
It will produce a roadmap toward net-zero emissions and universal energy access and provide an opportunity for governments, as well as businesses and civil society organizations, to present plans and commitments in the form of “Energy Compacts”, that will help achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 and the Paris Agreement.
how Namami Gange mission has evolved from a rivercleaning project to a holistic river rejuvenation mission. "Water sensitive urban design and planning is one of the key focus areas of the Namami Gange mission. The NMCG, in association with other stakeholders, has released a 'River sensitive master plan' and 'Guidelines to protect urban wetlands," he said.
overexploitation of river stretches and aquifers and deterioration and encroachment of urban lakes and ponds. In such a scenario, cities need a water-sensitive approach."
As of early September, over 100 Energy Compacts have been submitted from organisations in over 26 countries, including: member states; businesses; UN and international organisations; foundations; financial institutions; regions and cities; and civil society groups, including several youth networks.
He also pointed out that it is time to remind urban city planners and managers that if the city has to survive and thrive, they need to focus on urban water bodies.
The report advocates the application of storm water harvesting in parks and open spaces to tackle urban flooding issues and augment the groundwater resources of these cities. An estimated 2,624 million litres of storm water can be harvested from parks and open spaces in these five cities, which is a missed opportunity and ends up as a liability for the city causing urban flooding, it said.
Smog towers, setting up a war room for pollution-related issues, upgradation of 'Delhi green App' and regular dialogue with the Central government are the other points on the agenda of the action plan committee. Chairing the first meeting of this
He said that a high-level meeting to be held soon will also have officials from the Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCDs), the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and the Public Works Department (PWD).
Five UP cities can harvest 2,600 mn litres of storm water, curtail flooding
New Delhi, September 8 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Moradabad cities together contain more than 2,000 ha of planned open spaces, which provide an opportunity to harvest over 2,600 million litres of storm water annually, according to a report from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
New York, September 11 (IANS): Faced with the rapidly accelerating impacts of climate change and urgent need to reduce carbon emissions from the energy sector, while ensuring that all people have access to electricity and clean energy, the UN is bringing together heads of state and government as well as leaders from business, foundations and other organisations on September 24 to mobilise commitments and actions.
Senior Director, Urban Water programme, CSE, Suresh Kumar Rohilla spoke about the key issues and challenges in the Ganga basin. "The urban built-up area has increased by approximately 44 per cent between now and 200506. This has widened the water demand-supply gap, leading to
The report provides a brief overview of the Ganga basin with respect to urban water management, focusing on the five cities which are located on the banks of the Ganga and its tributaries.
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They include commitments on boosting access to electricity and clean cooking, increasing the share of renewables and energy efficiency, spurring investment and showcasing other new technologies. Many more compacts are expected prior to the High-level Dialogue and in the months ahead, as the commitments are tracked through the 2030 target year and partnerships expanded. Among the large-scale Energy Compacts already previewed, the Rockefeller Foundation and IKEA Foundation have committed $1 billion to spearhead a new global funding platform and empower one billion people with access to distributed renewable energy,
such as mini-grids. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) pledged to invest an additional $1.3 billion by 2023 to finance district energy investments and other services as part of its Green Cities programme in nearly 40 countries. The recent IPCC report showed that urgent action is needed to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal in reach, in order to limit the impacts of climate change. At the same time, this goal will not be reached unless all people have access to clean, affordable and reliable energy, as agreed to by all countries as part of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals -- Goal 7. Globally there are 759 million people without access to electricity. A further 800 million or more people have unreliable or intermittent access to the essential electricity that is needed at home, work, school, health facilities and community services for people to live healthy and productive lives. Nearly three billion people do not have access to clean cooking fuels and technologies. The energy sector currently accounts for almost threequarters of greenhouse gas emissions. While energy access-deficit countries may contribute little today to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, achieving access for everyone to sufficient energy for productive use, industrialization and economic growth would cause their emissions to increase significantly if that energy comes from fossil fuels, such as coalfired power and continued use of diesel-powered generators. Taking place less than two months before the critical UN Climate Conference in Glasgow this November, COP 26, the Energy Dialogue is also an important step towards mobilising commitments and defining the actions that will enable countries to reduce their emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement.
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INDIA NEWS
Australia identified as 'transmission hotspot' for deadly avian malaria Sydney, September 8 (IANS): Bird species across the globe are suffering and dying from avian malaria and while these strains are not infectious to humans, they're spreading quickly through global transmission hotspots including Australia.
This research, unveiled by Australia's University of Queensland (UQ) on September 8, was published in the journal of Global Ecology and Biogeography, Xinhua news agency reported. The research compiled and analysed what is likely the largest data of wild bird infections with avian malaria parasites to date, with more than 53,000 wild birds examined. The team combined infection statistics with remotely sensed environmental data, such as climate or forest conditions, and bird life history information, such as body size and migration patterns, into computer models to identify which factors best
described the infection risk with avian malaria parasites.
"We've found that there are hotspots transmitting these parasites across the world," said one of the authors of the research, UQ's Dr. Nicholas Clark. "In fact, here in Australia, some of these blood parasites are causing high infection rates in our songbirds," Clark said. Clark explained that the disease is caused by a group of blood parasites, known as haemosporidian parasites, similar to human malaria which is transmitted via blood-feeding insects like mosquitoes. Although it can't harm humans, it is known to have significant impacts on bird populations. He noted in an article in the local media Brisbane Times that Australia has areas that have quite high infection rates, and those areas also see rates of mosquitoborne diseases in humans,
such as north Queensland and subtropical regions around south-east Queensland.
Avian malaria was one of the major causes of extinction of about one-third of the 55 known species of Hawaiian honeycreepers when it was introduced into Hawaii in the late 1800s to early 1900s, and it affects between 13 percent and 14 percent of bird species worldwide now. Depending on different parasite variants, the researchers also identified hotspots across North America and Europe, with the most significant rates worldwide recorded in parts of the SaharaArabian region. Dr. Konstans Wells, who leads the research group at Swansea University in Britain, said predicting which conditions facilitate the infection of wild birds with avian malaria is crucial for understanding infectious disease hazards.
More than 200 health journals call for emergency action on climate change IANS
London, September 6 (IANS): More than 200 health journals across the world have, for the first time, come together to simultaneously publish an editorial calling on world leaders to take emergency action to limit global temperature increases, halt the destruction of nature, and protect health. In a year of Covid-19, the editorial warns that the greatest threat to global public health into the future is the continued failure of world leaders to take adequate action to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius as decided in the UN-mandated Paris Agreement in 2015 and to restore nature. The editorial has been published in leading titles from every
continent including The BMJ, The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the East African Medical Journal, the Chinese Science Bulletin, the National Medical Journal of India, the Medical Journal of Australia, and 50 BMJ specialist journals including BMJ Global Health and Thorax. "As health professionals, we must do all we can to aid the transition to a sustainable, fairer, resilient, and healthier world," the experts wrote in the editorial. "We, as editors of health journals, call for governments and other leaders to act, marking 2021 as the year that the world finally changes course," they added. According to a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, every fraction of a degree hotter endangers our health and future. The editorial urged wealthier nations to act faster and do more to support those countries already suffering under higher
temperatures. "The impact on health and survival of extreme temperatures, destructive weather events, and the widespread degradation of essential ecosystems are just some of the impacts that we are seeing more of due to a changing climate. "They disproportionately affect the most vulnerable, including children and the elderly, ethnic minorities, poorer communities and those with underlying health conditions. "The environment and health are inextricably intertwined. The changing climate is endangering us in many ways, including its critical impacts on health and health care delivery. As medical and public health practitioners, we have an obligation not only to anticipate new health care needs but also to be active participants in limiting the causes of the climate crisis," said Eric J Rubin, Editor-in-Chief of NEJM, and one of the co-authors of the editorial.
HEALTH
Do Covid shots have the potential to improve mental health? New York, September 10 (IANS): While Covid vaccinations are known to reduce risk of death and hospitalisation from the infectious disease, a new study points out that they can also reduce anxiety and boost mental health.
A team of researchers at the University of Southern California has found evidence suggesting that people who were vaccinated against Covid-19 experienced less stress afterward and saw resulting improvement in their mental health. They found that people experienced a 15 percent decrease in the likelihood of feeling very depressed after being vaccinated and a 4 per cent reduction in the likelihood of feeling just mildly depressed. The team estimates that based on their data, it is likely that one million people have felt reductions in mental distress
after being vaccinated. The findings are published in the open-access site PLOS ONE.
The researchers further suggest that their data indicates that getting vaccinated against Covid-19 does more than just protect people from infection -- it also greatly reduces the fear and anxiety people feel about their likelihood of being infected. For the study, the team sent out more than 8,000 surveys to people across the country with questions geared toward gauging how the pandemic was impacting the mental health of people in general and impacts on their mental health after receiving a Covid-19 vaccination. Data from the surveys showed that the majority of people queried have been experiencing some degree of anxiety and depression as a result of the pandemic.
Kerala records 25,010 new Covid cases, TPR at 16.53% Thiruvananthapuram, September 10 (IANS): Kerala saw 25,010 people turn Covid positive on September 10 after 1,51,317 samples were tested and the test positivity rate was 16.53 per cent, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on September 10.
Addressing the media here, he said by the end of this month, all people above the age of 18 in the state will get one dose of vaccine and as on date, 78 percent people have been administered the first dose while 30 per cent have been given both doses. "Even though the numbers of Covid positive cases are high, there need be no reason to be worried. The need of the hour is that each and every one should get vaccinated as the only way to fight Covid is by taking vaccine jabs," Vijayan said. "We are now in contact with experts and it is now time to see that we reopen educational institutions and a decision will be taken after detailed talks," he added. Steps would be taken to see
vaccination is done in colleges, he said.
Vijayan also noted that, even though the Covid numbers were high, there was a sharp drop in the number of people reaching hospitals. "Covid deaths were also reported, but it was found out that many who died failed to take vaccination and those who took the vaccine jabs had two or more other ailments," he said. The day saw 23,535 people turning negative taking the total active cases to 2,37,643, of which only 12.9 percent are admitted in hospitals. There were 177 Covid deaths taking the death toll to 22,303. Vijayan said from now on, only those who have not taken the vaccine dose and have symptoms should mandatorily take RT-PCR tests and antigen tests will be done only for emergency needs. All those youths who are positive and undergoing home quarantine should get their blood sugar tested, he advised.
India sees slight decline in new Covid cases after 2 days The Statesman
New Delhi, September 10 (IANS): After witnessing a spike in new Covid cases for t two days, India saw a slight decline on September 10 with 34,973 fresh Covid cases reported in the previous 24 hours, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Affairs.
deaths to 4,42,009. The fatality rate was reported at 1.33 per cent.
India had reported 43,263 Covid infections on September 9 while on September 8, the number stood at 37,875 cases.
The weekly positivity rate was reported at 2.31 per cent, which is less than 3 per cent for the last 77 days, while the daily positivity rate at the same period was reported at 1.96 per cent, which is less than 3 per cent for the last
At the same time, the country registered as many as 260 deaths, pushing the total Covid related
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A total of 37,681 Covid-infected patients recovered, pushing the country's total recovery numbers to 3,23,42,299. As per the data, the Covid recovery rate stood at 97.49 per cent.
11 days. The total active cases rose to 3,90,646, which is 1.18 per cent of the total Covid cases reported in the country. Kerala has been the most Covid affected state in the country for the last many weeks, and on September 9, it registered 26,200 fresh cases. The health ministry's report also said that a total of 53,86,04,854 samples for Covid-19 have been tested in the country, of which 17,87,611 were tested.
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INDIA NEWS
Haryana CM thanks Centre for hiking MSP for six crops the minimum support price (MSP) for six Rabi crops before the sowing season begins even as the agitating farmers bodies continued their protests in Karnal city in his state. He said this decision would prove to be an important step towards the goal of doubling the income of the farmers. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar
Chandigarh, September 10 (IANS): Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on September 10 thanked the central government for hiking
The Chief Minister said Haryana is the first state in the country where the highest price of sugarcane is being given. This state government has increased the price of sugarcane by Rs 12 per quintal with which the price has been increased to
Rs 362 per quintal. This rate is the highest in the country and Rs 2 more than the price being given in neighbouring Punjab. Khattar said for the six Rabi crops, the MSP has been increased from Rs 40 to Rs 400 and in many crops there has been an increase of up to 100 per cent. The Karnal agitation is the second batch of protests started by the farmers against the three contentious laws passed by the Centre last year. The agitations began on November 26, 2020. The Karnal protests entered its fourth day on September 10.
RBA warns of delay to economic recovery Canberra, September 7 (IANS): Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Philip Lowe on September 7 said the severe Delta outbreak and subsequent prolonged Covid-19 lockdowns in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria would "delay, but not derail" the nation's economic recovery.
The RBA's monetary policy decision report, released on September 7, announced that its bond buying stimulus of A$4 billion ($3 billion) per week would no longer be tapered off this year, but would be extended until at
least mid-February 2022, reports Xinhua news agency. The move is an indication that the economic recovery from the outbreak is predicted to take longer than previously expected. The lockdowns in Australia's two most populous states continue to plague the nation's economy and are costing an estimated A$2 billion per week.
"GDP is expected to decline materially in the September quarter and the unemployment rate will move higher over coming months," Lowe added. The bank also reaffirmed that its 0.1 per cent cash rate would not rise until inflation was sustainably within the 2 per cent to 3 per cent target range, a scenario that likely will not be met before 2024.
Lowe said the restrictions of activity were inflicting uneven but widespread impacts across the Australian economy, and would likely result in declining growth in the coming months.
"The economy will be growing again in the December quarter and is expected to be back around its pre-Delta path in the second half of next year," said Lowe.
segments, the July data, on a YoY basis, showed that manufacturing of primary goods grew by 12.4 per cent from (-) 10.8 per cent, while capital goods production rose 29.5 per cent from (-) 22.8 per cent, and intermediate goods increased by 14.1 per cent from (-) 10.7 per cent.
marginal 0.3 per cent, on account of the drag imposed by consumer durables on manufacturing, whereas mining and electricity posted a healthy growth relative to their July 2019 levels. On an encouraging note, all the usebased categories except consumer durables recovered to or above their pre-Covid levels in July 2021."
India's July industrial production rises over 11% YoY
New Delhi, September 10 (IANS): Low base effect, along with rising demand, pushed India's industrial output higher by 11.50 per cent, on a year-on-year basis. The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) for July rose by over 11 per cent from a decline of 10.5 percent reported for the same month a year ago. Last year, while the country observed a fullfledged lockdown, the same was partially imposed across different regions of the country. However, the production rate was flat on a sequential basis. "For the month of July 2021, the 'Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production' with base 2011-12 stands at 131.4," the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said. "The Indices of Industrial Production for the Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity sectors for the month of July 2021 stand at 104.6, 130.9, and 184.7, respectively." Among the major use-based
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Similarly, the production of infrastructure or construction goods rose by 11.6 per cent from (-) 8.2 percent, and consumer durables' production grew by 20.2 per cent from (-) 23.7 per cent. However, the sub-segment of consumer non-durables showed a negative growth of (-) 1.8 per cent from a rise of 1.8 per cent. "The pace of IIP growth decelerated to 11.5 per cent in July 2021, with the healthy sequential up move benefitting from easing restrictions and rising mobility, being dwarfed by the continued normalisation of the base," ICRA Chief Economist, Aditi Nayar, said. "Industrial output in July 2021 trailed the pre-Covid level by a
India Ratings and Research's Principal Economist, Sunil Kumar Sinha, said: "The industrial output, though still below the pre-Covid period (February 2020), is showing a relatively faster rebound than post Covid 1.0. Several other high frequency indicators such as power generation, fuel consumption, auto sales, railway freight etc were already indicating faster recovery." "The momentum which had been built up after Covid 2.0 related lockdown was lifted seems to have continued in July with monthover-month increase of over 7 per cent from June 2021."
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BUSINESS & TRADE
Govt booster for strategic disinvestment, no gift tax on transfer of shares in PSUs
the transaction amount was less than the fair market value of such equity shares.
New Delhi, Sept. Sep 14 (IANS): The government has decided to exempt investors picking up state's equity shares under strategic disinvestment programme from the provisions of gift tax. A notification issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has amended the Income Tax Rules, 1962 to provide that taxability of gift is not applicable on transfer of any movable property, being equity shares, of the public sector company, received by a person from the Central Government or any State Government under strategic disinvestment. The provisions related to applicability of gift tax on transfer of movable property earlier included all such deals where
The gap between fair market price and actual amount paid (should be less than FMP) was chargeable to gift tax. But in cases of strategic disinvestment where sale price has to consider a lot of other factors, the government thought it right to keep strategic sale of its shares in PSU out of the ambit of gift tax. Thus, the amendment provides relief to strategic investors from applicability of additional tax on payments made for picking up government's stake in public sector undertakings. The CBDT notification had said that the amended provisions of taxability of gift will come into effect from 1 April 2022 and shall be applicable for the assessment year 2022-23 and subsequent assessment years.
Refund for unutilised Input Tax Credit can't be claimed on input services: SC New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the validity of a rule of the Central Goods and Service Tax, which prescribes a formula excluding the refund of unutilised input tax paid on input services as part of input tax credit (ITC). A bench comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah upheld the validity of Rule 89(5), overturning a 2020 Gujarat High Court judgment which had held that Rule 89(5) was ultra vires Section 54 (3) of the CGST Act, 2017. Rule 89(5) of the CGST Rules provides for the computation of the refund of ITC on account of an inverted duty structure. The rule was amended on April 18, 2018, with prospective effect, to ensure that refund of unutilised ITC can only be availed on input goods. The bench said: "When there is neither a constitutional guarantee nor a statutory entitlement to refund, the submission that goods and services must necessarily be treated at par on a matter of a refund of unutilised ITC cannot be accepted." Such an interpretation, if carried to its logical conclusion, would involve unforeseen consequences, circumscribing the legislative discretion of Parliament to fashion the rate of tax, concessions and exemptions, it added. The bench noted that in the field of taxation, the top court has only intervened to read down or interpret a formula if the formula leads to absurd results or is unworkable. "In the present case however,
the formula is not ambiguous in nature or unworkable, nor is it opposed to the intent of the legislature in granting limited refund on accumulation of unutilised ITC. It is merely the case that the practical effect of the formula might result in certain inequities," said the top court, in its 140-page judgment. The bench noted the purpose of the formula in Rule 89(5) is to give effect to Section 54(3)(ii) which makes a distinction between input goods and input services for grant of refund. "Once the principle behind Section 54(3) (ii) of the CGST Act is upheld, the formula cannot be struck down merely for giving effect to the same," it said. The top court said, however, given the anomalies pointed out by the assessees, "we strongly urge the GST Council to reconsider the formula and take a policy decision regarding the same". It observed the formula makes a presumption that the output tax payable on supplies has been entirely discharged from the ITC accumulated on account of input goods and there has been no utilisation of the ITC on input services. The top court also upheld the Madras High Court ruling in a separate connected matter. "We have come to the conclusion that the judgment of the Madras High Court needs to be affirmed by dismissing the appeals challenging that verdict while the appeals against the judgment of the Gujarat High Court by the Union of India should be allowed," it said.
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Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6
BUSINESS & TRADE
AIBC establishes new Industry Chapter to foster bilateral opportunities in defence and security A
ustralia India Business Council (AIBC), in collaboration with the ACT AIBC Chapter, launched their newly formed Industry Chapter for Defence and Security at a time when the relationships between Australia and India is most opportune.
As stated in the India Economic Strategy by Hon. Peter Varghese, as regional security partners with a growing strategic convergence, there is value in Australia and India exploring opportunities for enhanced defence industry cooperation. As also stated in the Australia Economic Strategy by Ambassador Anil Wadhwa, the defence industry in both countries can increase technology collaborations, research partnerships, and aim to increase defence exports. As part of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), India and Australia concluded a Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement and a Defence Science and Technology Arrangement to facilitate improved collaboration between relevant Australian and Indian organisations. The QUAD agreement between Australia and India is also providing further momentum to defence cooperation and partnerships between the two countries. To boost ‘Make in India’ in
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defence production, the Government of India has raised the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit in defence manufacturing opportunities which allow 74% FDI on many nominated segments of products and services. Apart from Cyber Security, there are several emerging sectors and technologies that will contribute to the defence industry like Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Unmanned Mobility, Secured Communication, Surveillance and Green Technologies.
Australian industry can tap into the growing Indian market through partnerships with Indian SMEs looking to enter the defence manufacturing space. Australian manufacturers can provide licenses and technology to Indian partners which have local manufacturing capabilities. AIBC therefore considered it timely and important to establish a new Industry Chapter for Defence and Security to foster the above identified opportunities. The Defence and Security chapter will be supported by Ms Radhika Reddy, President of ACT Chapter of AIBC and chaired by Joe Williams, a member of AIBC in ACT. Joe Williams has over 25 years of work experience working in India, Australia, and the US
multinationals. Joe has extensive experience working with Australian and Indian defence through his various engagements in Australia and India.
“The Quad is now taking on increasing importance in Australia’s defence arrangements. The timing of this appointment is impeccable. It is also appropriate that the ACT Chapter has its first national industry chair located in the ACT, particularly in the areas of defence and security” said Jim Varghese, National Chair, AIBC. “I am looking forward to extending any support required for the AIBC initiatives in the Defence Sector from the AIBC ACT Chapter and noting that ADF have recently launched their Data Strategy for 2021- 2023 in which they acknowledge efficient data management is the key to rapid and informed decision making. This is another signal for the two countries to benefit from the expertise of each other” said Ms Radhika Reddy, President AIBC ACT Chapter. “It is an exciting opportunity and I look forward to contributing to forging partnerships between Australian and Indian defence organisations, research institutions offering new technologies,” said Joe Williams, the newly appointed Chair of the AIBC Defence & Security Chapter.
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TRAVEL
Escape into the mountains and let your spirit soar high IANS
company. EXPERIENCES Guided Historical tour - Shimla
Tired of waking up to the usual alarm? How about starting your mornings with the sounds of birds chirping instead, with the added bonus of lush, green afternoons, and nights spent under brightly lit skies? What about picnics by waterfalls and long, rambling walks to discover unexplored lakes? That’s just the thing about mountains. You won’t know the wonders you can come across, or the experiences you can have. All of this makes the mountains the perfect escape from the city. Here are some suggestions from Airbnb with stays and experiences that can set the backdrop for the perfect mountainous holiday. Seclude Ramgarh - GrishmaNainital Forget finding shapes in clouds, learn what it’s like to live in them instead. At 4900 feet above the ground, your head will indeed be in the clouds at this secluded stay in Ramgarh. The hill station boasts of a cool climate throughout the year, and with plenty of outdoor areas, balconies, and large windows, you can make the most of the idyllic weather. Seclude Ramgarh is also home to a large common
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fire pit to warm up your evenings and make it a truly immersive experience. Windflower - Manali Manali has always been the go-to place for the avid traveller but the Windflower will make you fall in love with the mountain town even more. This four-bedroom Airbnb home is the perfect place to settle down for any kind of personality - whether you’re the outdoorsy type who is looking for an adventure or the laidback kind who prefers to curl up and take it easy. Either way, Windflower’s rustic wooden finish, earthy palette, open-air sit-outs, sauna and fireplace will charm you to no end. After all, there's nothing like sitting by the crackling fire on a cold night after a long day of exploring the mountains. Cozy Dome & Attic - Himachal Pradesh If you are tired of seeing highrises, why not wake up to high Deodar trees instead? Ditch the regular getaways and try something completely new at Airbnb’s Cozy Dome, which offers all the luxury of a regular stay but elevates it a notch higher with a unique hilltop experience. With no city hustle and bustle assured,
you can choose to stay snuggled in or take an invigorating hike, explore the valley, meet the locals, and enjoy their culture along with their delicacies. Meena Bagh - Shimla If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live in a calm Himachali home then Meena Bagh will be perfect. It combines the inspiring charm of the breath-taking locations with comfortable interiors. Made with wood, brick, and mud, its eco-friendly designs add a unique character and style to the already appealing look as if epitomizing everything that Shimla stands for. Private Villa - Mussoorie When planning a trip to the mountains, Mussoorie can’t be far off the traveller’s radar. Its beauty can be best enjoyed from this gorgeous Airbnb stay, which also happens to be just five minutes from Mall Road. It’s the perfect place to enjoy the beauty of the mountains, while spending adequate time indoors. Charming and nicely furnished, it has a comfortable, relaxed feel and with three spacious rooms, would be perfect for large families or groups of friends looking to unwind and enjoy each other’s
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If you do take a trip to Shimla, the guided historical tour is a great way to learn about the city. It’s the best way to absorb the beauty of its historical architecture, which has been preserved in its original state and is something that has intrigued travellers for ages. Along with learning about its design and 'Tudorbethan' architecture, you can be assured plenty of stories from the past. What all will be covered? The Mall and the Ridge, and most of the heritage buildings in the city including the former Viceregal Lodge,. You will also see the Gaiety theatre, General Post Office, Imperial Bank, Railway Board Building, Gorton Castle, Knockdrin, Kennedy Cottage, Cecil Hotel, and Viceregal Lodge. Bird Watching - Sattal Speaking of waking up to the call of birds, visit the Garur lake area in Sattal for an experience of a lifetime. If birds have ever distracted you while you’ve been typing away, then this could be your true calling. In about two and a half hours you can learn the calls of Thrushes, Blackbirds, and Parakeets to name a few. Through the walk, you will go from Garur Lake to Hanuman Lake and enjoy everything in between. Hilloferry - A guided Bike Ride Dharamshala Escape the city traffic and go back to feeling like a child biking through the mountains of Dharamshala. Through this guided bike ride, you will ride far
away from the roads and into the wild by lanes of the forests. Who knows, you may even discover a new trail or two. But one thing’s for sure, the beautiful landscape of the Dhauladhar ranges and its tea gardens will leave you awestruck. Hiking - Manali With laptops and work from home, our minds have been exercised all day with little attention being paid to physical exercise. Hitting the gym for a couple of hours each week doesn’t quite feel as invigorating. Nothing comes close to walking in nature. And that’s why perhaps, hiking is soon becoming another reason to hit the mountains. If you happen to be in Manali, then even better. Sign up for this Airbnb experience and you won’t regret it no matter where you are in your hiking journey. The hike covers Lamadugh, Patalsu and Jogni. Food & Culture Tour – Himachal Pradesh If you’re in Bir, Himachal Pradesh sign up for this culture tour that takes you through a journey of peace. Take a walk through the village with a special stop at the small-scale handloom factory where you will witness how a handloom works. You can also visit a local home and try out their traditional Kangri Dham or the Himachali Thali. This means, indulging in local conversations, getting to know their traditions up close, and getting a better understanding of their way of living, which summarises life in the mountains like no other.
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TRAVEL
Hotels, homestays or rental apartments, which should you pick? W
hen one travels as extensively as we do, you start missing homely comforts (and discomforts) even though you continue to practically live out of a suitcase. We started experimenting with local apartments while travelling over 10 years ago and over the last few years have gravitated towards picking an apartment over hotel every single time. Especially when travelling internationally and staying in a city for more than 2 nights we always prefer to stay in an Airbnb or in local homestays. There are so many advantages to staying in an apartment while travelling. However, here are just a few, to begin with: Value for money Apartments and local homestays are always more value for money. For a similar-sized hotel in the same locality, you will end up paying much lesser if you choose to stay in an apartment. During our trip to Venice, we chose a small Airbnb overlooking the canal. It cost us one-third of what a hotel in the same area with the same view was charging. The apartment was well appointed with all modern amenities that you could want and at the same time had an old-world charm to it. So, no you do not end up “compromising” in comfort and service when you choose an apartment over a hotel. In fact, many a time, the apartments are fancier and better equipped than top hotels in the same area.
Local flavour
IANS
Because you stay in a local building in an area around local people, you end up interacting with them. You also get a flavour of the local culture without being too intrusive. We learnt so much about the Chinese by just riding with them in lifts during our apartment stay in Shanghai. They are so adorably nosey! Local hosts Local homestays would inadvertently be hosted by locals which means you get a free masterclass into the local life. They can tell you about local watering holes, must-visit areas, must-eat places, where to shop, where not to go, which are the rip off places and so many local tips and tricks. Our hosts in Johannesburg cooked local delicacies for us and regaled us with many local tales over some brilliant South African wine. They also told us the best route for our drive next day to Kruger and helped us discover secret spots and avoid the overrated famous ones. Amenities An apartment has all the worldly pleasures that you might need. Washer, dryer, dishwasher, gym, pool (you can select apartment buildings accordingly), reception, car park, gorgeous views and of course a well-appointed kitchen. I don’t know about you but we get bored of the hotel breakfast buffet after the second day. The apartment kitchen allows us to
wake up on our time (without the worry of missing breakfast), cook our own breakfast using local ingredients or simply order in. The freedom to just be is so much with an apartment that once you stay in one you cannot go back to a hotel. In Mauritius, we would go to the local bakery for breakfast and have lunch at one of the many beautiful cafes while we were out and about. However, the days the little one would feel sleepy, we would come back home in time for dinner- the husband would whip up something nice and once the little one went off to sleep, quietly enjoy a lot of couple time with a bottle of wine. Privacy There are no other guests like in a hotel so no noisy floors and
you have complete privacy. It’s like having your own house in a foreign land. In Seychelles, our apartment overlooked a beach which actually was a small stretch of private land. Imagine having your own piece of heaven without any distractions all through the day!
wonderful. It is like living in your own house away from your house.
Space
Like with everything else, staying in apartments also comes with its cons. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives. And, let me say it again, value for money does not mean cheap. Apartments are more luxurious, cleaner and better appointed than most of the five star hotels I have stayed in. So, do your research, read reviews and select properties after having checked out the photos thoroughly but do give apartments a try the next time you are travelling.
And, this is literally the best part. When you’re staying in a hotel you end up staying in a room with your little ones because an upgrade to a suite costs a fortune and they are too young to stay in a room by themselves. In an apartment, you have space and more space and then some. Of course, you need to choose a 2 bedroom apartment but it’s hardly a stretch. So, you have your own space and your children have their own space and that’s just
In Ljubljana, our apartment had a kid’s room which had so many games and toys, our daughter would keep busy the whole time we were in. It allowed us a lot of couple time and we never had to worry about keeping her engaged.
Milind Soman and Ankita Konwar celebrate a milestone, running of course
T
heir names are synonymous with fitness, so it is only becoming that Milind Soman and Ankita Konwar celebrate a milestone occasion doing their favourite thing, running. Ankita, who turned 30 earlier this week commemorated the day with a spectacular 30 KM run. That’s not all, she topped off the challenging run with 30 Surya Namaskars! Through eight years of marriage, the couple has been upfront about choosing health and fitness. Running has been a passion for both of them, and the duo can often be found sprinting away, be it high up in winding mountains or on the streets and flyovers of Mumbai. However, this time, the duo decided to leave the hustle and bustle of the city and bring in Ankita’s birthday at an Airbnb Villa in Alibaug, which also happens to be the place they tied the knot.
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The villa features a luxurious four-bedroom setup, designed with contemporary comforts and rustic charm, making it a great place to unwind. The spacious home also boasts of a sprawling lawn, a gorgeous lake view, and a Grecian pool, perfect for an afterrun relaxing dip. Speaking about their relaxing getaway, both Milind and Ankita agree that it was the ideal way to bring in a special birthday and they wouldn’t have it any other way. “I wanted to mark this special occasion by doing something I love the most. And of course, running is what both of us are passionate about. The idea of running my age for my birthday has been a thing I’ve been doing for the last 3 years now. And what made it even more special was that we were able to bring in the occasion at a heavenly Airbnb villa in Alibaug. The highlight of
the stay was the private garden which was the most beautiful place to get our dose of 30 Surya namaskar done. This birthday is definitely one to remember for a long time to come!” said Ankita.
IANS
There you have it, if you are a seasoned ultra-runner or even an aspiring one, running may soon become the next cool way to celebrate a birthday.
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SPORTS
Gender equality the key to AustraliaTaliban govt bans women Afghanistan historic Test going ahead: CA from playing any sport Sydney, Sep 8 (IANS): Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive Nick Hockley has said that "gender equality" and the new Afghanistan regime's stand on women cricketers hold the answers to the whether the historic men's Test between the two countries will take place as planned in November or not. Hockley said that while the discussions were ongoing with the Australian and Tasmania governments over the Test match against Afghanistan, he added that the Taliban regime in the country had presented "an extremely challenging and complex situation" to Cricket Australia. "What is absolutely unequivocal is our stance on cricket as a sport for all, driving gender equality," Hockley told Melbourne radio
station SEN on Wednesday.
The two countries are scheduled to play their maiden Test at Hobart's Blundstone Arena from November 27, but Tasmania Premier Peter Gutwein has expressed serious concerns about the game going ahead given that there are no commitments forthcoming from the new Afghanistan regime on women's sport. Taliban officials have recently offered assurance that the Afghanistan men's team will travel to the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman in OctoberNovember and the subsequent Test in Australia. But the new caretaker regime has not offered clarity on whether it would allow women the freedom to work, play and attend school. As per the International Cricket
Council's (ICC) rules, countries with Test status must field both men's and women's teams. Afghanistan earned the status in 2017.
"We want to see cricket for women and men thrive all around the world. The current situation is very new, international cricket is working to understand the implications but it's something we'll continue to watch very closely," said Hockley. Hockley expressed confidence the matter would be resolved. "We don't yet have all of the answers but we're in dialogue and taking our advice from all the relevant organisations. We're working very closely, and having all the right discussions, with the ICC, the Australian Government and ultimately we'll take our lead from them."
India vs England Test cancelled: We are absolutely gutted and devastated, says Lancashire CEO New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS): Following the postponement of the fifth and final Test between England and India on Friday, Lancashire county cricket club CEO Daniel Gidney said he feels "gutted and devastated" as the cancellation of the series finale will have significant financial implications and also impact the reputation of the prestigious Old Trafford venue.
postponement will definitely prove costly for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which gets much of its revenue from men's Test matches and could be down a further 20 million pounds ($27.7 million) with no Test at Old Trafford, and also English county Lancashire, which misses out on a Test match and is not staging one next year when New Zealand and South Africa visit.
Just hours before the toss to take place, the series finale was called off amid health concerns among India's players following a coronavirus outbreak in their camp.
"Obviously there are significant financial implications. We have reputation issues as well, I mean, Old Trafford has a proud history of hosting Test cricket going back to over 100 years. We are absolutely gutted and devastated,"
According to reports, the
Gidney told Skysports. "I feel for all our staffs, suppliers, stakeholders, partners and sponsors and our guests today. "But above all the ticket holders, everybody who has spent their hard money amid the difficulties of the pandemic over the last few months, who have been desperate to watch a fantastic game of cricket and unfortunately they can't do that and on behalf of Lancashire cricket club, I am truly sorry that those fans have been left so disappointed." Gidney further admitted the situation was not in their control and promised a full refund to the ticket holders.
Queensland to host India's multiformat series against Australia
Kabul, Sep 9 (IANS): With the announcement of the newly elected cabinet of the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan (IEA) in the non-time bound interim government setup under the Taliban, statements and orders have started to come out from various ministries, which are putting the issue of acceptance and legitimacy of the group's rule in the country, under serious scrutiny. One of the decisions taken by the IEA's cultural commission, womens have been barred from playing cricket or any other sport, in which their bodies could be seen. "It wasn't necessary for women to play cricket because they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this", said Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of Taliban's cultural commission, during an interview with SBS News. The decision has raised many questions over the future of Afghanistan in international cricket and other sports. The ban has already started to get strong reactions as Cricket Australia has said that it would cancel the upcoming Test match against Afghanistan, scheduled for November this year, if women are not allowed to play the sport under the Taliban regime. "If recent media reports that women's cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no other alternative
Melbourne, Aug 30 (IANS): Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Monday that the state of Queensland will host the multiformat women's series between Australia and India. The reason behind the shift in venue is due to the ongoing lockdowns and border closures in New South Wales and Victoria. The seven-game series -- three ODIs, one Test match and three T20s -- had been scheduled to begin in Sydney on September 19. The series would then have moved to Melbourne and Perth before returning to Sydney. But
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With the Allan Border Field unavailable due to renovation works, the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay will host the ODIs on September 21, 24 and 26, two days later than the scheduled start of the series. The one-off pink-ball Test will be played at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast between September 30 and October 3 followed by three T20Is on October 7, 9 and 10.
Ythisenews
The Indian cricket team along with 12 players of Australia's squad from New South Wales and Victoria will be in quarantine for two weeks in Queensland. It will be a hard quarantine for all members, who will be restricted to their rooms with no training till September 13. "We've been monitoring the situation across the country and it is clear that the current COVID challenges prevent the original schedule from proceeding as
initially planned," said CA CEO Nick Hockley. "We are incredibly grateful to the Queensland Government for agreeing to quarantine the Australian and Indian players and enabling this important series to be played in Queensland. We are also delighted to be bringing our World Champion women's team to Mackay and regional Queensland. Having had to postpone the series last summer due to the pandemic, we are looking forward to hosting an Indian team which boasts some of the best players in the world in this historic series featuring the first ever day-night Test match between the two sides." The multi-format series will be the first meeting between India and Australia since the 2020 T20 World Cup final on March 8. The series serves as crucial preparation for both teams ahead of next year's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand in March and April.
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"Individual Afghanistan athletes would continue to be welcome in Australia but not under the Taliban flag if females cannot compete." The International Cricket Council (ICC) has also stated that the issue of Afghanistan's new status will come under discussion at their next board meeting. The ICC said that it is closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and expressed concerned about reports of women being barred from playing cricket. "This and the impact it will have on the continued development of the game will be discussed by the ICC Board and its next meeting," said a Council spokesperson. On the other hand, the Afghanistan Cricket Board expected such a stance by the Taliban led government and admitted that women game was in perils. Afghanistan's men's cricket team is a full member of the ICC and is due to play in the T20 World Cup. However, with the ban on female cricket and sports in the country, cricket authorities are now looking towards the implications of the ICC recognition to Afghanistan, a country that happens to be the only nation to be given full membership status to the ICC without having an operational women's team in place.
BCCI asks England board to reschedule the final Test
IANS
COVID-19 enforced restrictions meant that the entire series had to be shifted to Queensland.
but to not host Afghanistan for the proposed Test Match due to be played in Hobart," said Australian Sports minister Richard Colbeck.
New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS): The Indian cricket board has asked the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to reschedule the fifth and final Test of the ongoing series after it was cancelled due to the Indian players' reluctance to play it following emergence of a fresh Covid-19 positive case. India lead the series 2-1 after four Tests. "In lieu of the strong relationship between BCCI and ECB, the BCCI has offered to ECB a rescheduling of the cancelled Test match. Both the Boards will work towards finding a window to reschedule this Test match," said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a statement. The BCCI along with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
had earlier jointly decided to call off the fifth Test scheduled at Old Trafford in Manchester. "The BCCI and ECB held several rounds of discussion to find a way to play the Test Match, however, the outbreak of Covid-19 in the Indian team contingent forced the decision of calling off the Old Trafford Test Match," the BCCI added further in the statement. "The BCCI has always maintained that the safety and well-being of the players is of paramount importance and there will be no comprise on that aspect," it said further. "The BCCI would like to thank the ECB for their co-operation and understanding in these trying times. We would like to apologise to the fans for not being able to complete an enthralling series," it added. On Thursday, team assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar had tested positive a few days after head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar had tested positive.
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Mental health issues force Amelia PM Modi meets India's Paralympics stars Kerr to skip WBBL this season DNA India
IANS
and cheering the team on from New Zealand."
Kerr has emerged as one of the most exciting players in women's cricket since she made her debut as a 16-year-old in 2016 in WBBL-5, when she was a part of the Brisbane Heat's title-winning side. She took 31 wickets in 30 games, maintaining an economy rate of 5.80.
Auckland, Sep 10 (IANS): Biobubble life continues to take a toll on cricketers' mental well-being, with top New Zealand women's team leg-spinner Amelia Kerr announcing on Friday that she would not turn out for Brisbane Heat in this year's edition of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) in order to focus on her mental health.
playing in the WBBL . Kerr had also pulled out of the White Ferns' current white-ball tour of England. "I am very grateful for the Heat's support. I am making really good progress and want to keep that going. It's a tough decision as I love representing the Brisbane Heat and can't speak highly enough of the support team and players," Kerr was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
The WBBL commences on October 14 and the 20-year-old Kerr, who had a two-year contract "I will be following the with the Heat said it was a "tough tournament with great interest decision" to make as she loved Disciplined bowling helps South Africa take 1-0 lead vs Sri Lanka
The New Zealand cricketer's withdrawal has left Brisbane Heat the task to fill one overseas players' spot in WBBL-7. "We have been in regular contact with Melie (Kerr), her family and wider support network and fully understand and support the decision she has made," Heat coach Ashley Noffke said. "She has been honest and brave with her decisions and the Heat will be ready and willing to assist her in the future, whether for a return to playing or simply as part of her Australian circle of friends and teammates who will happily do what is best for her."
Disciplined bowling helps South Africa take 1-0 lead vs Sri Lanka Cricketnmore.com
their 20 overs.
In reply, Sri Lanka had a steady start with openers Dinesh Chandimal and Avishka Fernando looking steady at the crease. But they could not capitalise and convert it into a big stand as Fernando was run-out on 11 by Anrich Nortje. It was the best of starts for skipper Keshav Maharaj on his T20I debut as he trapped Bhanuka Rajapaksa on a golden duck. Charith Asalanka also struggled during his brief stay at the crease, scoring a 19-ball 6 before being dismissed by Tabraiz Shamsi.
Colombo, Sep 11 (IANS): A disciplined effort from the South African bowlers, especially Keshav Maharaj (1/19) and Tabraiz Shamsi (1/20), helped the tourists defeat Sri Lanka by 28 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo here on Friday evening.
best all-rounders in the shortest format of the game.
Batting first, the visitors posted 163/5 thanks to a brisk start to their innings with openers Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock looking in fine touch. The pair established a 73-run opening wicket stand as South Africa look set for a big total. But Wanindu Hasaranga again showcased why he is regarded as one of the
The pair did exactly that, with vital contributions which ensured that the Proteas registered a competitive score on the board. They came up with a 65-run stand, but both perished in the end, trying to up the ante. Markram scored 48, while Miller contributed with 26 as the visitors ended up with a total of 163/5 in
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He dismissed de Kock on 36 and then followed it up with the scalp of Hendricks for 38 in his next over. Heinrich Klassen soon follow suit, being trapped by Maheesh Theekshana on 2. Aiden Markram and David Miller were then left with the rebuilding job.
The onus was now on the set Chandimal along with his skipper Dasun Shanaka to guide the hosts to a victory. Chandimal brought up a brilliant half-century, but had to see his skipper depart soon after. Shanaka was bowled by Bjorn Fortuin on 16, just as he was looking to tee up in the final phase of the innings. Hasaranga too couldn't trouble the scorers, attempting a big shot against Dwaine Pretorius, as the visitors edged closer to a series lead. Despite Chandimal's knock of 66 not out, the target proved to be too much for the hosts as they eventually ended up losing the contest by 28 runs with the Proteas going 1-0 up in the threematch series. Brief scores: South Africa 163/5 in 20 overs (Q de Kock 36, R Hendricks 38, A Markram 48; W de Silva 2/23) beat Sri Lanka 135/6 in 20 overs (D Chandimal 66 not out; K Maharaj 1/19, T Shamsi 1/20).
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New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met India's Tokyo Paralympics stars, at a function here following their record show in the 2020 Games. The Indian para-athletes registered their best-ever performance in the Tokyo Games by winning an unprecedented 19 medals, including five gold, eight silver, and six bronze. It is learned that PM Modi has shared words of motivation while interacting with the Paralympians during the breakfast meeting. More details are awaited. Earlier on Wednesday, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur hailed India's stellar show, saying a new era had begun for Paralympic Sports.
"New Era of Paralympic Sports has begun! Modi govt will continue to support and enhance facilities for our athletes in a targeted manner to achieve 'Podium Finish' in 2024 & 2028 Performance of athletes has been extraordinary; it's changed attitude towards sports in India!" Anurag Thakur tweeted after felicitating the Tokyo Paralympics medallists. The 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo was held from August 24 to September 5 this year entirely behind closed doors due to the prevailing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation. Just like the Olympics, the multi-sports event was branded as Tokyo 2020 despite being delayed a year due to the pandemic.
I will cherish the Tokyo Olympics experience for a lifetime: Lalremsiami New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS): From braving the personal tragedy of losing her father during the 2019 FIH Women's Series Finals to scripting history with the Indian womens hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, young striker Lalremsiami has come a long way. The 21-year-old striker was an integral part of the team that finished fourth at the Tokyo Games.
added.
Fondly known as Siami, Lalremsiami has been an inspiration to many. Despite hearing the news about her father's death during FIH Women's Series Finals 2019, the young gun decided to stay back with the team, which went on to win the tournament, beating hosts Japan 3-1.
Speaking about her Olympics experience, Lalremsiami said, "I was a bit nervous, to be honest, and it kind of reflected in my performances in the first three matches. But senior players and coaching staff helped me and other junior players to calm our nerves down. They kept motivating us and asked us to express ourselves freely. We stuck to each other, played like a unit, and I think that really helped us to do well when it mattered the most."
Having fulfilled her late father's dream by featuring in the Indian Women's Hockey team that scripted history in Tokyo, Lalremsiami is now aiming to win an Olympic Medal for her father. "One of the dreams of my father is fulfilled. And now, I want to win an Olympic medal for him. No doubt, we missed the Bronze medal by a whisker, but if we look at the positives, I think we have gained a lot of confidence, and it will help us to do even better in the future," said the young striker from Mizoram.
"We went on to beat a strong team like Australia in the quarter-finals and qualified for the first-ever semi-finals at the Olympics. You know, it's a very special feeling to be a part of history, and this is something I will cherish for a lifetime. The love and support from our fans have motivated us to do even better, and we want to make them proud again," she
The 21-year-old player further added that it's time to move forward and focus on the qualifications for the Paris Olympics. "It's time to move forward, and focus on the Paris Olympics. Our priority is to win the Gold medal at the Asian Games 2022, which means we qualify directly for the 2024 Olympic Games," she concluded.
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ART & CULTURE
Truschke's anti-India stance due to disruptions in family business of conversions
IANS
academician and historian with an anti-India stance makes it highly imperative for everyone to know her background and the people behind her. A thread by a Twitter handle '@ OSINTWa_com' has exposed Truschke and dissected the reason behind her sudden upsurge in attacks on India, its culture and history.
Audrey Truschke, an Associate Professor at the Rutgers University in the US
New Delhi, September 10 (IANS): Audrey Truschke, an Associate Professor at the Rutgers University in the US, has been in the headlines for the past few days. She is one of the key speakers in the upcoming event "Dismantling Global Hindutva". Her knowledge and academic works on Indian history is not only distorted, but completely manipulated and biased. She rose to the mainstream after the launch of her book "Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth". Presently, she is known to be one of the most controversial figures in India due to her derogatory remarks on Hindu Gods. Her sudden upsurge as an
The thread starts by stating that the real story is not "what she is saying" but the story is "who is she" to get to know her ulterior motive. In-laws and Missionary Business in India Truschke's father-in-law Nathan Rehn and her husband Thane Rehn once had a very long and extensive business of church/ missionary activities in India. Nathan Rehn is a lead pastor at the Baptist Church of Monterey, California. He has been associated with the Church since the 1990s. He came to India post 2000 during which he saw a potential of conversion business through the church and later via his NGO. In 2008, he formed an NGO, Bless India Ministries Incorporated (BIMI), with the motto "To Win India For Christ ". BIMI used to fund crores of rupees annually to the Christ the
King of Kings Ministries Welfare Association (CKKMWA) headed by Devdas Mekala, one of Nathan's disciples in Andhra Pradesh. BIMI sent over Rs 6.86 crore to CKKMWA between 2010 and 2017 for the purpose of setting up churches and performing conversions.
During his stay in India, Nathan Rehn continued to open several branches of his NGO for conversion business in Andhra Pradesh, and in Orissa border until 2017. But the Government of India brought in the new Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and tightened the noose of thousands of NGOs in India. After that, BIMI stopped sending funds to India via the same channel, which also halted Nathan's ancestral business in the country. Since then, Truschke turned against India by resorting to propagating her distorted and manipulated academic works and toying with Indian history by glorifying the likes of Aurangzeb and deeming India as a fascist state. OSINTWA in its thread has put forth very well that Truschke's anti-India and anti-Hindu stance is not a fight about ideology. It's because her family business was blemished due to tightened FCRA laws by the Indian government.
Deep-links with Pakistan
US and Pakistan.
In yet another thread posted on September 9, OSINTWA exposed Truschke's deep connections with Pakistani institutions. Before getting established as a historian, Truschke came in contact with some key people not long back.
Manan Ahmed is one of the managing trustees of AIPS, while Truschke is still an active member of the institution.
She met Thane Rehn in 2007, and later got married to him. Thane Rehn was in India with his father Nathan Rehn in the conversion business. He also visited Pakistan as a summer intern in the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan during the early stages of his career. In 2007, Truschke also met a Pakistan-origin professor named Manan Ahmad Asif, a historian with critical views and academic works on India. Manan Ahmad played a significant role in establishing Truschke into the entire ecosystem. Both of them attended several events together and promoted each other on various platforms. Truschke also obtained a fellowship course from the American Institute of Pakistan Studies (AIPS) in 2012-13. AIPS is an organisation with the mission to encourage and support research on issues relevant to Pakistan and promotion of scholarly exchange between the
The thread also mentions that prior to visiting Pakistan, Truschke had also visited India in 2006, which she has never revealed or mentioned till today. Team OSINT did a thorough research which now answers as to why she came, who called her, where she came and what all she did before turning against India. Truschke's ulterior agenda behind her distorted academic works on India and derogatory remarks now becomes unconcealed. She blatantly deems India and its establishment as fascist and promoters of genocide. But on the contrary, she herself is an apologist of a genocide maniac like Aurangzeb. She regularly attacks India on the lines of minority freedom in South Asia, but also refrains from speaking about the minority population in Pakistan. In its latest thread, OSINTWA also stated about coming up with the third part of Truschke's expose that would explain about the people behind her and the nexus that backs her globally.
Varanasi: Where tradition meets modernity
IANS
Lucknow, September 9 (IANS): Development may take different forms depending on the intent of the government. Though largely it is apparent through infrastructural improvements or technological advancements, in Varanasi, the developmental route has not been limited to these sectors alone, but has also focused on spirituality, traditions and religion. Though there has been a holistic development of the city that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself represents in the Parliament, the last seven years have seen major strides being made in the area of spiritual tourism, particularly with regard to cleanliness of religious centres. Kashi, as Varanasi is commonly referred to by its residents, has been a historically revered place with a deep-rooted spiritual ethos that is now being protected
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Therefore, it is widely expected that art aficionados from across the world would begin to accord priority to Varanasi that would enable the city to become a genuine centre of cultural exchange as it was in the years of yore.
with utmost care. Recently, a state-of-the-art facility built with Japanese support, i.e., the International Cooperation and Convention Centre titled 'Rudraksha' was inaugurated by the Prime Minister. Touted as an advanced and wellequipped facility meant to host large seminars and workshops, Rudraksha has the potential to emerge as an ideal venue for intellectual discussions as well as various cultural activities. In fact, within days of its inauguration, reputed art surveyors and numerous art connoisseurs flocked to Varanasi to witness the marvels of this newly-developed Centre first hand. Most importantly, unlike many state-of-the-art facilities, this one is inclusive by its very design and character to facilitate individuals needing special care.
Further, while the centre has been developed with the intent of holding cultural programmes, it also possesses the potential to give a solid thrust to trade and business. In the realm of textiles, with the world famous Banarasi silks and weaving patterns originating from this place, the lives of weavers, handloom workers have taken a turn for the better with schemes in places that specifically benefit this segment. With Rudraksha developing as a new centre, weavers, officials, entrepreneurs and merchants can get together under a single roof to transform the place into a unique forum meant to blend people from different cultural backgrounds engaging in varied livelihoods. In the health sector, the region of eastern Uttar Pradesh of which Varanasi is a part was traditionally known to have meager medical facilities. However, with acute planning and rapid pace of decision-making, Varanasi has
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today emerged as a medical hub for the local residents.
With the establishment of medical colleges in and around the area, facilities have almost quadrupled. Treatment of those diseases which required regular visits to Delhi or Mumbai are now aptly handled in Varanasi itself with adequate infrastructure in place. Recently, a complete overhaul of the medical setup was undertaken with a 100-bed maternity and child healthcare wing set up within the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in a span of a few months. Similarly, a 50-bed district hospital also became functional within months of its expedited approval. However, no account of Varanasi can be complete without a reference to the ghats of the river Ganges. Better connecting corridors and sanitation facilities have been built along the ghats to make them more tourismfriendly. For better safety of visitors, particularly women, advanced surveillance cameras are being installed at more than 700 locations within the city and especially at the ghats. Large technology-equipped TV screens have been put up at the busiest junctions to provide information and updates about relevant events
and occurrences in the city.
These interfaces have been crucial in providing valuable information to the tourists and visitors about the architectural wonders and crafts related to this historical place. In addition, these screens broadcast the famous Ganga aarti and the main 'aarti' at the Kashi Vishwanath temple enabling every passerby to immerse himself/herself in the spiritual experience this holy city has to offer. Undoubtedly, while maintaining its traditional identity, the city of Varanasi has moved ahead on the path of development incorporating construction works related to a massive National Highway, multiple railway overbridges and flyovers that facilitate better connectivity. Together with local stakeholders, NGOs,cleanliness workers, the administration has also been working hard to ensure provision of better facilities in the sectors of health, education, sanitation to not only positively impact the lives of citizens but those of tourists as well. At the cusp of tradition and modernity, it is true that a visit to Varanasi with all its aura and spiritual energy is something one should just not miss.
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INDIA NEWS
BOOKS & LITERATURE
Sandeep Bamzai's 'Princestan: How Penguin to release Amitav Nehru, Patel and Mountbatten Made Ghosh's 'The Nutmeg's Curse' in October India' bags KLF award KLF Women/Dalit/Tribal/ Minorities Literature Award 2020-21 include Gopinath Mohanty's 'Harijan: A Novel' -translated by Bikram Das (Aleph Book Company), Sudarshan Ramabadran and Guru Prakash Paswan's 'Makers of Modern Dalit History' (Penguin Random House India), 'A Plate of White Marble' (Shwet Patharer Thala) by BaniBasu (Translated by Nandini Guha, Niyogi Books), Pradeep Srivastav's 'Ramvilas Paswan: Sankalp, Sahas aur Sangharsh' ( Penguin Random House India) and Shafey Kidwai's 'Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: Reason, Religion and Nation' (Routledge).
IANS
K
alinga Literary Festival (KLF) has announced KLF Book Awards 2020-21 in various categories e Non-fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Hindi, book in Translation , Bhasa First book, Business, Strategic Affairs, Environmental, Biography/Autobiography, Children Book, Sports, Life Style and Emerging Trend and others & others. In the non-fiction category, the books selected include IANS Editor-in-Chief and CEO Sandeep Bamzai's 'Princestan: How Nehru, Patel and Mountbatten Made India' (Rupa Publications), Shashi Tharoor & Samir Saran's 'The New World Disorder' (Aleph Book Company), Vinay Sitapati's 'Jugalbandi: The BJP Before Modi' (Penguin Viking-Penguin Random House India), Pavan K. Varma's 'The Great Hindu Civilisation: Achievement, Neglect, Bias and the Way Forward' (Westland), T.M. Krishna's 'A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers' (Context, Westland), Ashutosh Bhardwaj's 'The Death Script' (HarperCollins India) and Prem Prakash's 'Reporting India' (Ebury Press, Penguin Random House India). These awards are for the years 2020 and 2021. In the fiction category, the five books include -- Jahnavi Baruah's 'Undertow' (Penguin Random House India), Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal's "Betrayed by Hope: A Play on the Life of Michael Madhusudan Dutt' (HarperCollins India), Tarana Husain Khan's 'The Begum and the Dastan' (Tranquebar, Westland), Ashwani Sanghi's 'The Vault of Vishnu' (Westland) and Ashok Kaul's 'Undercover in Bandipore' (Vitasta Publishing Pvt Ltd). The five books for the Poetry Book of the Year Award are: Gulzar's 'A Poem a Day' (HarperCollins India), Abhay K's 'Kalidasa: Meghaduta-The Cloud Messenger' & "Kalidasa: Ritusamhara-The Six Seasons" ( Jointly), (Bloomsbury), Greta Rana's 'From Castleford to Kathmandu' (Vajra Books), Basant Chaudhary's 'Anek Pal aaur Mai' (Vani Prakashan).
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For the Hindi Book of the Year Award, five books including Neelakshi Singh's "Khela", (Setu Prakashan), Alka Saraogi's 'Kulbhooshan Ka Naam Darj Kijiye', (Vani Prakashan), Mamta Kalia's 'Ravi Katha: AndaazE-Bayan Urf Ravi Katha' (Vani Prakashan), Praveen Kumar Jha's 'Wah Ustad' (Rajpal & Sons), Shirish Khare's 'Ek Desh Barah Duniya' (Rajpal & Sons) have been selected. Perumal Murugan's 'Estuary"Translated by Nandini Krishnan (Eka, Westland) has been selected for the KLF Book in Translation of the Year Award. For KLF Bhasa Award, Manoranjan Byapari's 'The Runaway Boy' (Eka, Westland) has been selected. The KLF Debut Book Award 202021 is for Sonu Sood & Meena Iyer's 'I am no Messiah' (Penguin eBury Press). For the KLF Business Book of the Year Award, R C Bhargava's 'Getting Competitive: A Practitioner's Guide for India' (HarperCollins India), Urjit Patel's 'Overdraft' (HarperCollins India), and Tamal Bandyopadhyay's 'Pandemonium: The Great Indian Banking Tragedy' (Roli Books) have been selected. Titles selected for the KLF Diplomacy/Strategic Affairs Book of the Year Award 2020-21 include S. Jaishankar's 'The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World' (HarperCollins India), Zorawar Daulet Singh's 'Powershift: IndiaChina Relations in a Multipolar World'(Pan Macmillan) and Subramanian Swamy's 'Himalayan Challenge: India, China and the Quest for Peace' (Rupa Publications). Books selected for the KLF Environmental Book of the Year Award 2020-21 include Shekhar Pathak's 'Hari Bhari Ummid' (Vani Prakashan), The Chipko Movement: A People's History, (Permanent Black) and Amitav Ghosh's 'Jungle Nama' (Fourth Estate India- HarperCollins India).
IANS
Titles selected for the KLF Biography/Autobiography Book of the Year Award include Tenzin Geyche Tethong's 'His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: An Illustrated Biography' (Roli Books), Gopalkrishna Gandhi's 'Restless as Mercury: My Life as a Young Man Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi' (Aleph Book Company), Yatindra Mishra's 'Akhtari: The Life and Music of Begum Akhtar' (HarperCollins India), Rasheed Kidwai's 'Bharat Ke Pradhan Mantri' (Rajkamal Prakashan) and John Zubrzycki's 'The House of Jaipur: The Inside Story of India's Most Glamorous Royal Family ( Juggernaut). The two titles selected for KLF Children Book of the Year Award include Ruskin Bond's 'Miracle at Happy Bazaar: My Best Stories for Children' (Aleph Book Company), Sudha Murthy's 'Grandparents' Bag of Stories' (Puffin, Penguin Random House India). Ramachandra Guha's 'The Commonwealth of Cricket'(HarperCollins India) has been selected for the KLF Sports Book of the Year Award. Rujuta Diwekar's 'Eating in the Age of Dieting', (Westland) has been selected for the KLF Lifestyle & Emerging Trend Book Award. The winners will be felicitated and awarded during the annual Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF), scheduled to be held from December 10 to 12 at Bhubaneswar. "KLF Book Awards jury members have chosen the best thought provoking contributions across different categories published during 2020-21. The objective is to contribute to debates and discourses in the national and global public sphere and encourage more thoughtful, reflective, unique and inspiring contributions. There will be dedicated sessions on these books by the authors and erudite reviewers to enrich the intellectual discussion at Kalinga Literary Festival," said Rashmi Ranjan Parida, Founder and Director of Kalinga Literary Festival.
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B
efore the 18th century, every single nutmeg in the world originated around a group of small volcanic islands east of Java, known as the Banda Islands. As the nutmeg made its way across the known world, it became immensely valuable - in 16th century Europe, just a handful could buy a house. It was not long before European traders became conquerors, and the indigenous Bandanese communities - and the islands themselves - would pay a high price for access to this precious commodity. Yet the bloody fate of the Banda Islands forewarns of a threat to our present day. Amitav Ghosh argues that the nutmeg's violent trajectory from its native islands is revealing of a wider colonial mindset which justifies the exploitation of human life and the natural environment, and which dominates geopolitics to this day. Written against the backdrop of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests, and interweaving discussions on everything from climate change, the migrant crisis, and the animist spirituality of indigenous communities around the world, "The Nutmeg's Curse" offers a sharp critique of Western society, and reveals the profoundly remarkable ways in which human history is shaped by non-human forces. "What do you do when the subject matter of life on this planet seems to lack . . . life? Your read 'The Nutmeg's Curse', which eschews the leaden language of climate expertise in favour of the reanimating powers of mythology, etymology, and cosmology," says Harvard University's Naomi Oreskes, a professor of the History of Science.
"Ghosh challenges readers to reckon with war, empire, and genocide in order to fully grasp the world-devouring logics that underpin ecological collapse. It's widely recognized that the climate crisis is multidimensional, yet American cultural conversations about it are mostly stuck in its scientific, technological, and economic dimensions. In this tour de force, Amitav Ghosh defiantly moves the conversation into the realms of history, politics and culture, insisting that we will never resolve our planetary crisis until we acknowledge that the "great acceleration" of the past fifty years is part of a larger historical pattern of omnicide. "For centuries, the dominant global powers have seen Earth -- its plants, its animals, and its non-white peoples -- as brute objects: mute, without agency, and available for the taking and killing. The solution to the climate crisis, Ghosh insists, is not injecting particles into the stratosphere to block the sun, or even to build a bevy of solar farms (as important as the latter is). Rather, the solution lies in reengaging with the vital aspects of life, in all its capaciousness, and in doing so move past our long history of destruction and into true sustainability," Oreskes adds. Amitav Ghosh was born in Calcutta in 1956. He grew up in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. He studied at the universities of Delhi and Oxford and published the first of eight novels, "The Circle of Reason", in 1986. The first novel in his Ibis trilogy, "Sea of Poppies", was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. He received the Jnanpith Award in 2018.
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WHAT’S ON
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Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6
INDIA NEWS
Kangana says she doesn't plan to join politics 'just now' Instagram
Mumbai, Sep 12 (IANS): National Award-winning actress Kangana Ranaut, who portrays the iconic politician J. Jayalalithaa in the trilingual biopic titled 'Thalaivii', says that even though she is a patriot, she has no immediate plan to join politics. Kangana was in conversation with radio jockey Raunac for his new YouTube show, #13raJawabNahi. During the conversation, while asked if she has any ambition to join politics, Kangana said, "I currently have no such plans. I strongly believe that without working on the ground level one cannot win even a Gram Panchayat election. People can see through you and understand ingenuity. For entering politics, one needs to make genuine investments in people. If people wish, I can think about it. If
you see, long after she's gone people still love Jaya Maa as she connected with the masses and helped them in all ways possible."
ENTERTAINMENT
Radhika Madan, Sunny Kaushal's 'Shiddat' to release digitally on Oct 1 Instagram
Continuing the conversation, Kangana also mentioned that she has paid a heavy price for speaking like a patriot. While answering one of Raunac's questions she said "I have lost many contracts because I speak towards nation-building, the loss of these contracts meant losing out on revenue. However, I chose my country over money. I have a very simple approach to life and don't have two faces." The show was released on YouTube on Sunday morning. 'Thalaivii' is directed by A.L. Vijay, based on the life journey of the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa, also features Arvind Swami.
Dino Morea: I love acting but producing is also great Instagram
or acting, Dino shared: "When I constantly started saying no to all the terrible offers coming my way I wanted to stay connected to the film industry. I wanted to produce and create content that I would like watching... My first film was 'Jism 2'." The 45-year-old actor took almost nine years for his next production venture 'Helmet', starring Aparshakti Khurana. He revealed why: "I took some time after that because I was really confused about whether to produce or act... I decided to let me do both and it is possible. I am capable. I can make great content and the content I am confident about..." Fortunately, 'The Empire' came his way.
D
ino Morea has got a great response for his performance as Shaibani Khan in the latest series 'The Empire' and his production venture 'Helmet'.
He says he loves to act but he also finds creating content as a producer greatly satisfying. Talking to IANS about which one is more daunting producing
Mumbai, Sep 13 (IANS): The trailer of Radhika Madan and Sunny Kaushal's upcoming romantic film 'Shiddat' released on Monday. The film will release digitally on October 1. The film also stars Mohit Raina and Diana Penty. Radhika uploaded the trailer of the film on her Instagram account and captioned it as: "Shiddat trailer! Feel the power of love with #ShiddatTrailer, out now. Shiddat releasing on 1st October on @ disneyplushotstar."
"After all the hard work and saying no for so long, I think the red light has turned to green... The patience and persistence is paying off. I am happy about... I still love acting but producing is also great. I want to create more content, we are pitching for three more movies," he said.
The film will be released digitally on October 1 on Disney+ Hotstar. The film is directed by Kunal Deshmukh and produced by Bhushan Kumar and Dinesh Vijan.
the love we have received for the film thus far is resonance of the fact that good cinema is the need of the hour. Cinema is a medium meant to entertain people and so is our film. "Audiences have showered Pratik with love for his work and we hope that this film will only see it multiply. It's a film that is close to our hearts and we are confident that audiences will love it with all their hearts too."
Director Hardik Gajjar said: "I am happy to honour the wishes of my stakeholders and audience,
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The trailer shows the story of two strangers who meet. While Radhika's character is engaged to someone else, Sunny's character is head-over-heels in love with her." Mohit and Diana are seen getting married in the trailer.
Pratik Gandhi starrer 'Raavan Leela' now titled 'Bhavai'
Mumbai, Sep 14 (IANS): The makers of Pratik Gandhi's upcoming film on Tuesday issued a statement announcing that 'Raavan Leela' will be titled 'Bhavai'. The move comes after receiving audience's requests and moreover to respect their sentiments.
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Sunny also uploaded the trailer with a similar caption.
'Bhavai' also stars Aindrita Ray, Rajendra Gupta, Rajesh Sharma, and Abhimanyu Singh in pivotal roles, the musical drama is all set to enthrall the audience on October 1. Presented by Jayantilal Gada (Pen Studios), produced by Dhaval Jayantilal Gada, Aksshay Jayantilal Gada, Parth Gajjar, and Hardik Gajjar films in association with Backbencher Pictures, the film is set to release in cinemas on October 1.
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Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6
ENTERTAINMENT
Richa Chadha: Social Priyanka Chopra, Usher, media campaigns great Julianne to co-host 'The Activist' way to reach max people Instagram
inspire real change, as the series progresses from the US to Rome for the activists' final challenge at the G20," said Hugh Evans, CEO and Co-Founder of Global Citizen.
"The audience will see the activists' passion and commitment for their causes tested, as they petition world leaders to take urgent action to resolve the interconnected crises we face," according to Deadline. com. The activists go head-to-head in challenges to promote their causes, with their success measured via online engagement, social metrics, and hosts' input. The three teams have one ultimate goal: to create impactful movements that amplify their message, drive action, and advance them to the G20 Summit in Rome.
P
riyanka Chopra Jonas, Usher and Julianne Hough are set to co-host the Global Citizen competition series from CBS, 'The Activist'. The five-week reality series will premiere on October 22 on the CBS and will be available for live streaming on demand on Paramount+.
'The Activist' is a competition series that features six activists teamed with three high-profile public figures working together to bring meaningful change to one of three vitally important world causes -- health, education and environment. "'The Activist' is a first-of-itskind competition series that will
There they will meet world leaders in the hope of securing funding and awareness for their causes. The team that receives the largest commitment will be declared the overall winner at the finale, which will also feature musical performances by some of the world's most passionate artistes. The series is produced by Global Citizen, the international education and advocacy organisation working to catalyse the movement to end extreme poverty, said the CBS and Deviant Media.
Ayushmann Khurrana: I'm trying to tell people to not stereotype themselves Instagram
would limit us from realising our potential and make a difference. It told us that when we break this cycle, we can action positive change in society," said the actor. He added: "My character Karamveer broke away from stereotyping himself when he decided to become Pooja. To me, that was a fresh and disruptive thought and it hit home for me because I'm constantly looking out for such subjects that stand out and has a message to give to audiences."
R
icha Chadha is doing her bit to create awareness about Covid-19 through her initiative on social media. She says social media campaigns are a great way to reach many people at one go. Richa has started a social media initiative 'The KINDry', which is a space to discuss happenings around. This time around, she has used her page to spread awareness about the pandemic and help people in maintaining Covid appropriate behaviour. Richa said: "Social media campaigns are a great way to reach many people at one go and through The KINDry, my ultimate
purpose is to educate people on covid appropriate behavior and encourage them to get vaccinated at the earliest." Through her page, Richa urges people to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest and be prepared to face the worst possible situation mentally and physically. She added: "The threat of the third wave of infections still persists and it is very important for people to maintain social distancing and stay at home. The second wave was devastating and a change in our behaviour is much needed."
Ayushmann reveals he will be satiated as an actor if he continues to be on this mission to shatter stereotypes.
A
ctor Ayushmann Khurrana says that his aim as an artiste is to constantly tell people not to stereotype themselves or others.
we aren't even aware that we are either getting stereotyped or stereotyping others or, stereotyping ourselves."
He said his film 'Dream Girl', which completes its second release anniversary on Monday, intended to do just this.
The star credits his director Raaj Shaandilyaa and his producer Ekta Kapoor for trying to convey this important message through the film.
Ayushmann said: "Consciously or unconsciously we are constantly conditioned to stereotype everything around us. Sometimes,
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"I loved the script of 'Dream Girl' because it told us to not stereotype ourselves because that
"If you look at the films that I have done like Bala, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhaan, you will see that I'm trying to tell people to not stereotype themselves. I hope that I can get some really good scripts that helps me push this message more. That would make me really happy as an artiste," he said. Ayushmann currently awaits the release of his three films 'Anek', 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' and 'Doctor G'.
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Luxury, lifestyle, location — welcome to Dress Circle
Sept 16-30, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 6
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