sunvillasamachar/ Editor : Kapilkumar M. Hirpara January 14, 2021 I Thursday Year : 7 I Issue : 21 Page : 4 I Price : 1/Annual Subscription : 300/www.sunvillasamachar.com Ahmedabad Edition
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LEADING ENGLISH DAILY MORNING NEWSPAPER, AHMEDABAD
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Rahul Gandhi hits out at Centre as farmers’ plan for Republic Day tractor rally face obstacles Page : 2
Hanuma Vihari takes down Babul Supriyo with two-word salute in ‘murdered cricket’ response Page : 3
Devbhoomi Dwarka district Community leader’s son booked for abetting suicide Page : 4
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Makar Sankranti 2021: Here’s why kite flying is a major part of the festival Agency News: Ahmedabad Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in India and is dedicated to the Sun God, Surya. It is the first major festival to be celebrated in India and usually takes place in January, this year the festival will be celebrated on January 14. Makar Sankranti marks the sun’s transit into Makara (Capricorn) raashi (zodiac sign), with the sun moving northward this period is also known as Uttarayan and is considered to be auspicious. The harvest festival is both a religious as well as seasonal observance. While the festival is celebrated across India, different states celebrate the festival under different names, with their own unique traditions and festivities. The harvest festival is called Maghi and is preceded by Lohri in north India by Hindus and Sikhs. Makara Sankranti and Poush sôngkrānti in Maharashtra,
Sanjeeda Shaikh is breaking the internet with her latest Instagram posts.
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Covishield doses reach Kolkata The first set of vaccine reached Kolkata on Tuesday. The first consignment of Covid-19 vaccine by Serum Institute of India (SII), has around 6.89 lakh vials, which is stored at Central Family Medical store in Kolkata’s Bagbazar. Four airlines are operating 9 flights to transport 56.5 lakh doses of the vaccine from Pune to 13 cities across the country on Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. Other states that receive the Covid consignments are Karnataka, Telangana (3.64 lakh doses), Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, the Puducherry CM said the government will administer vaccine free.
Sankranti, the festival of festivals is being celebrated throughout Andhra Pradesh with rich fervour. As per Vedic Hindu philosophy, Sun is considered to be the king of all the planets and Makar Sankranti commemorates the expedition of Sun to the Northern Hemisphere. Makar is a Sanskrit word that literally means Capricorn whereas Sankranti denotes transition, hence, Sun’s transition from Sagittarius to Capricorn sign in the northern hemisphere, during winter. This festival also comes as thanksgiving to mother nature for an abundance of crops, well being and prosperity. The festivities include sweets made of rice, jaggery, green gram and sesame. The situation is different this year due to the COVID pandemic and people celebrate the festival cautiously by following all the COVID protocols. It is a four-day festival in Andhra
Goa, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka and Telangana, Sukarat in central India, Magh Bihu in Assam, and Thai Pongal or Pongal by Tamils.Usually, devotees take holy dips in rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery as it is believed this washes away their sins. People meet their loved ones and distribute sesame and jaggery ladoos or chikkis, popularly referred to as til-gud. This symbolises that people must stay united despite their differences. Kite flying is also a major part of Makar Sankrani, although the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan indulge in this with
Pradesh, Sankranti, Kanuma and Mukkanuma. The rituals are a mix of various regions around the state, with plenty of kites flown and special sweets and new clothes and books and home appliances purchased. The Festival is being celebrated in Godavari Districts of West Godavari and East Godavari in a big way and Godavari Districts are known as ‘rice bowl’ of Andhra Pradesh.Kite festivals and Rangoli festivals are being organised in several pockets across the State. AIR correspondent reports, festival of festivals, Makar sankranti is celebrated for four days, from this Wednesday to Saturday in Andhra Pradesh. The first day, that is Bhogi Panduga, people burn all old articles. The second day, Pedda Panduga is the Sankranti day when the big festival is held. People are dressed in new clothes and pray to God.On the third day, Kanuma is celebrated. Kanuma is very intimate to the farmers as it is the day.
SC stays three new farm laws; forms committee to resolve crisis Agency News: New Delhi
The Supreme Court has put a stay on the implementation of the three farm laws until further orders. It has also set up a committee of agricultural experts to facilitate talks between the Centre and farmer unions to resolve the impasse. The Apex Court said, it was trying to solve the problem in the best way and had the power to suspend
the laws. The bench headed by Chief Justice of India, S. A. Bobde and comprising Justices A. S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, said those genuinely interested in finding a solution would appear before the committee. The bench was hearing a batch of petitions regarding the Constitutional validity of three farm laws passed by Parliament and a plea to disperse the protesting farmers.
Agency News: New Delhi
with the situation the States were asked to coordinate with the Department of Health and Forest and sensitize them about the issue. States
were also asked to maintain sufficient supply of protective equipment and maintain biosecurity measures in poultry farms. They have been
a lot more enthusiasm. In Gujarat, people make kites in their homes months before Makar Sankranti, and the day is celebrated as the International Kite Festival in Ahmedabad and was started in 1989. According to some beliefs, the tradition of kite flying was started so that people would be exposed to the sun which would rid them of the illness caused by winter.
Defence Ministry says, 321 school children and 80 folk artists to feature in cultural programme of Republic Day Parade Agency News: New Delhi The Defence Ministry has said that 321 school children and 80 folk artists will feature in the Cultural Programme of Republic Day Parade this year on 26th January. School children from four Delhi schools and folk artists from East Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata will take part in the cultural programme. The Ministry said, ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat: Vision for a Self Reliant India’ is the theme of Mount Abu Public School, Delhi and Vidya Bharti School, Delhi. The students of
Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Delhi will present a programme on the theme - Hum Fit toh India Fit. Besides, the students from DTEA Senior Secondary Schools, Delhi will showcase folk dances of Tamil Nadu in their traditional attires. 80 folk artists of Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata will present folk dance Bajasal from Kalahandi, Odisha. The number of participating children and folk artists have been cut down to 400 this year, compared to more than six hundred last year, in view of the COVID-19 restrictions.
Agency News: Vadodara In Gujarat, the world’s tallest statue- the Statue of Unity of Sardar Patel at Kevadiya will be linked by Railway to boost domestic tourism. According to sources, the Railway link with the Statue of Unity will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narenrdra Modi on next Sunday. AIR correspondent reports that after getting connected with road, air and sea plane routes, the Statue of Unity will have Railway connectivity very soon.According to sources, the Railway infrastructure connecting Kevadiya Railway Station in Narmada
district is now ready. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kevadiya Railway Station through virtual mode. The Prime Minister will also flag off several express trains connecting Varanasi, Dadar, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Rewa and Chennai with Kevadiya Railway Station. Ahmedabad will be linked to Kevadiya through Jan Shatabdi Express.the Mainline Electric Multiple Unit- train will also run to link Kevadia with Pratapnagar Station of Vadodara. According to sources, a new eco-friendly station at Kevadiya will have water harvesting and solar system attached.
WHO team set to arrive in Wuhan amid a spike in daily COVID numbers in China Agency News: New Delhi The team will undergo quarantine when they reach Wuhan, in central Hubei Province, a National Health Commission (NHC) official said at the press conference on Wednesday. WHO experts will communicate with Chinese medical experts by video during their quarantine period in Wuhan. China has been sensitive about accusations of a cover-up that delayed its initial response and allowed the virus to spread. Also, China actively pursued to shift the narrative that COVID originated elsewhere, amid allegations on the World Health Organisation’s role, especially in the beginning of the pandemic. Since then, many theories came about the origins of the coronavirus and much remains to be known. It will be a joint investigation by
Government advises States to efficiently manage spread of Avian Influenza in accordance with Action Plan 2021 Government has advised States to efficiently manage the spread of Avian Influenza in their respective States in accordance with the Action Plan 2021.In a statement, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said, as on today, the cases of Avian Influenza have been confirmed in ten States. The cases of unnatural mortality of birds have been reported in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir and four districts of Jharkhand. The Ministry said, to deal
Statue of Unity of Sardar Patel at Kevadiya to be linked by Railway to boost domestic tourism
Kite flying is also a major part of Makar Sankranti, although the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan indulge in this with a lot more enthusiasm.
Andhra Pradesh celebrates ‘Sankranti’ with rich fervour Agency News: New Delhi
Parineeti Chopra’s ‘The Girl On The Train’ to be streamed on Netflix
directed to identify BSLII labs at the state level for speeding up the identification of infection in the state and timely introduction of control mechanisms. States were also asked to ensure that the infection does not spread among poultry, as it would have a high economic cost for the poultry farmers. The Ministry said, it was found that many states are banning supply of poultry and poultry products from other states. It has requested states to reconsider such a decision, as this will add a negative impact on the poultry industry.
A World Health Organization team of experts probing the origins of the pandemic is set to arrive in Wuhan on Thursday as per the plan, amid a spike in new COVID cases in China. WHO and Chinese scientists and not much details have been published about the action
plan. NHC said on Wednesday that Chinese mainland on Tuesday reported 115 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, the biggest daily number in months, of whom 107 were locally transmitted. Of the locally transmitted cases, 90 were reported in the hardest hit Hebei Province neighboring Beijing, 16 in Heilongjiang Province and one in Shanxi Province, the commission said in its daily report. In addition, 38 new asymptomatic cases were also reported which China does not classify as confirmed
cases. Sunday also saw a high number of cases, with 103 new cases. The number of new cases reported in recent days are less as compared to last year’s outbreak, however, recent wave of infections comes ahead of next month’s Lunar New Year holiday, when hundreds of millions of Chinese typically travel to their home towns. Far fewer people are expected to travel this year, and many provinces have asked migrant workers to stay put during the break. Heilongjiang province on Wednesday declared a COVID-19 emergency. The city of Suihua, which borders the provincial capital Harbin, put its 5.2 million people under lockdown. Hebei province has already put three cities - Shijiazhuang, Xingtai and Langfang under lockdown which border Beijing city. Meanwhile,
to guard the capital Beijing against the recent outbreaks in neighboring Hebei, Beijing city authorities have stepped up screening and prevention measures to prevent another cluster from developing there. State media said that the latest outbreak has the hallmark of long-duration, speedy-transmission, and centering in rural regions. Community and multigeneration virus transmission are also spotted. It reported that authorities have warned about weak supervision and control measures in some villages, after the latest wave in Hebei’s villages. Threelevel anti-epidemic response mechanism will be rolled out in China’s vast villages, to improve epidemic control and prevention. Villages are also required to improve monitoring and screening of returnees from other places.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and UAE for Scientific and Technical Cooperation Agency News: New Delhi The MoU provides for sharing of knowledge, data and operational products for meteorological, seismological and oceanic services, such as Radar, Satellite, Tide gauges, seismic and Meteorological stations. Exchange of experience/visits in term of scientists, research scholars and specialists, etc. for the purpose of research, training, consultation, focused on climatic information services, satellite data utilization for now casting and tropical cyclones forecasting Exchange of scientific and technical information related to common interest activities. Organization of bilateral scientific and technical seminars/ workshops/ conferences and training courses on problems related to the fields of
cooperation mentioned in the MoU and of interest to both countries.Other fields of cooperation as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties.Deployment of Meteorological observation networks on mutual agreement over Ocean waters. Cooperation in the development of special capacities of Tsunami models researches for faster and more reliable forecasts of
Tsunamis propagating through the Oman Sea and Arabian Sea which affect the coastal areas of India and North East of UAE.Cooperation to support the Tsunami Early Warning Centre (TEWC) in the form of forecast modelling software, specifically designed to support the Tsunami forecasting operations. Sharing the real-time seismic data of some of Seismic stations situated in south and west of India and North of the UAE for monitoring the seismic activities which may generate Tsunami in Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman.Cooperate at the field of Seismology which includes the study of Seismic activities having the potential to generate Tsunami waves in Arabian Sea and Oman Sea.Cooperation in Early warnings of Sand and Dust storms through the exchange of knowledge.
SUNVILLA SAMACHAR Editorial
SUNVILLA SAMACHAR can have a view on whether the government is right or the farmers The Supreme Court is increasingly looking like one of those fantasy creatures with disjointed shapes, where nothing is what it appears to be. The forms keep mysteriously changing, with benign faces masking more ominous fangs, and shapes shifting as the need arises. So this is a constitutional court that does not pronounce on the constitutionality of laws. Instead, it wades into political and administrative management without the imprimatur of any law. It positions itself as a saviour of democracy only to make a mockery of the parliamentary process. It wades into conflict management, only to hide behind the façade of some expert committee. It pretends that distributive conflicts are technical ones. It finds ruses to defuse genuine democratic protest. Yet it will not facilitate the orderly and law-bound expression of protest.It will accuse governments of not responding, while it itself perpetually refuses to pronounce on constitutionality and law in a time-bound manner. It speaks the language of neutrality, of being above the fray, but is clearly willing to disrupt the normal political give and take in a democracy. The court’s order putting on hold the farm bills is terrible constitutional precedent, bereft of judgment. It has an odour of cynicism behind it. The issues in the farm bills are complex. But no matter which side you are on, you should now worry about how the Supreme Court is interpreting its function. It has suspended the implementation of the farm laws, and created a committee to ascertain the various grievances. But it is not clear what the legal basis of this suspension is. The court’s action, at first sight, is a violation of separation of powers. It also gives the misleading impression that a distributive conflict can be resolved by technical or judicial means. It is also not a court’s job to mediate a political dispute. Its job is to determine unconstitutionality or illegality. Even in suspending laws there needs to be some prima facie case that these lapses might have taken place. But instead of doing a hearing on the substance — the possible federalism challenge, the possible challenge based on the ouster of grievance redressal — and then pronouncing a stay, it has simply decided to create a committee to hear farmers’ grievances and wade into political territory. The framework governing agriculture needs serious reform. The objective of reform must be to improve farmers’ incomes and well-being, to increase crop diversification, make agriculture more environmentally sustainable, make subsidies less counterproductive, keep food inflation down, and ensure that nutrition reaches all. Achieving all these objectives in no easy task, especially in states like Punjab. It will require immense trust to move to a new regime in agriculture. The government was right to think reforms were necessary. But it was prioritising the wrong reforms by beginning with the hollow promise of “choice of traders,” which did not tackle the underlying issues, but created more uncertainty all around. In not responding to legitimate concerns of the farmers, the government was forfeiting their trust. The farmers were well within their rights to protest, and did so with grace, despite repeated government attempts to delegitimise them as anti-national. There was a stalemate. In principle, any mediation to break the stalemate is welcome. But the mediation has to be a political process between the government and the people. If there is no unconstitutionality involved, Parliament has to fix what it broke. Here is why what the Supreme Court has done is dangerous. It has set a new precedent for putting on hold laws passed by Parliament without substantive hearings on the content of the laws. It has muddied all the possible lines of judicial procedure, where it is not clear what the locus standi of different counsel are, what are the specific prayers that need to be addressed and how the court’s remedies address them. It has not really heard the farmers, whose counsel were not fully heard before the passing of orders. This is a monumental irony since a court whose own procedures seem to be opaque sets itself up as the arbiter of responsive government. This is not public interest litigation, it is whimsy on steroids. The court is, perhaps unintentionally but damagingly, seeking to break the momentum of a social movement. You can have a view on whether the government is right or the farmers. But it will be up to the people and the political process to decide who is correct, as long as there is no unconstitutionality involved. But political movements require collective action and timing, they - Kapilkumar M. Hirpara are not easy to assemble.
Editor
14.01.2021, Thursday
EDITORIAL
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Rahul Gandhi hits out at Centre as farmers’ plan for Republic Day tractor rally face obstacles Agency News: New Delhi Since the end of November 2020, thousands of farmers have remained parked at Delhi’s borders, protesting against three contentious farm laws. Multiple rounds of talks with the Centre have failed to provide concrete results, as the protesters remain adamant that the laws be repealed. As the deadlock continues, the farmers have announced their intention to amplify the protests with a tractor rally on Republic Day. Since
the end of November 2020, thousands of farmers have remained parked at Delhi’s borders, protesting against three contentious farm laws. Multiple rounds of talks with the Centre have failed to provide concrete results, as the protesters remain adamant that the laws be repealed. As the deadlock continues, the farmers have announced their intention to amplify the protests with a tractor rally on Republic Day. But such an event might not materialise. The Supreme Court has issued
notice on an application filed by the Centre through Delhi police seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor
or trolley march or any other kind of protest which seeks to disrupt the gathering and celebrations of the Republic
As India prepares for the world’s biggest vaccine rollout on January 16 : Shekhar Iyer Agency News: New Delhi As the D-day of January 16 draws nearer, one is reminded of the fact that only ten years ago, we declared India polio-free. Of course, it was not until 2014 that the World Health Organisation certified our country as polio-free because of the mandatory three-year wait to see if any fresh case was reported.But hopefully, the lessons of that successful polio drive have been well learnt. It is also what has given confidence to our health administrators about the success of the corona vaccination drive, billed as the world’ largest inoculation programme’. In the anti-polio campaign, nearly 173 million children were given
polio drops, after 2.3 million vaccinators went to more than 200 million homes. In the 1980s, when the vaccination was still a work in progress, polio claimed 200,000 of our children annually. India has had a wide primary health care system under the Universal Immunisation Programme
(UIP), reaching out to 27 million children and 29 million pregnant women every year.2nd most-infected countryCurrently, India is the world’s second most coronainfected country. It has had more than 1.03 crore cases and almost 1.5 lakh deaths but its rate of infection has come down significantly, from a mid-September peak of more than 90,000 cases daily.In a bid to ensure complete success, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has personally invested a lot of his political capital and leadership into different aspects of the Covid vaccine, visiting the laboratories that were involved in its development and holding numerous meetings with officials to check on every aspect of the rollout.
Delhi, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand have been affected by bird flu caused by Avian Influenza. So far, there has been no case of human transmission of bird flu. But still, there’s a rising fear about safety concerns when it comes to eating chicken or eggs till the outbreak of bird flu is on. Nutritionist Pooja Makhija recently took to Instagram to clarify whether or not its safe to have chicken or eggs during the bird flu. “Bird flu or Avian Influenza is one of the various viruses that affects birds. Among them,
H5N1 is the virus which is of a concern. This virus is contagious among birds,” The virus can spread from birds to humans through faecal droppings of the bird or through the nasal, oral or eye secretion of the bird. This is the reason why people working at poultry or farming need to be concerned about bird flu.“There is little to no scientific evidence to show that consumption of bird meat can affect a healthy person with bird flu. As long as the meat or eggs are well-cooked, transmission of bird flu.
Expert Gives Tips To Cook Chicken And Eggs Till The Outbreak Is On Agency News: New Delhi
There is little to no scientific evidence to show that consumption of bird meat can affect a healthy person with bird flu. As long as the meat or eggs are well-cooked, transmission of bird flu cannot happen to healthy human: Pooja Makhija, nutritionist. If you’re still confused whether or not to have chicken or eggs amidst the bird flu outbreak, then you’ve landed just at the right place. As many as 10 states, including
Nearly 72.46 lakh farmers benefitted from ongoing Kharif Marketing Season procurement Operations Agency News: New Delhi The government has said that nearly 72.46 lakh farmers have been benefitted so far from the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season- KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of over one lakh 2 thousand crore rupees.Ministry of Agriculture in a statement said that Paddy procurement for Kharif 202021 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat,
Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Karnataka and West Bengal. It said, so far over 541
Lakh Metric Tonnes of paddy have been procured which is an increase of 26.07 per cent against the last year corresponding purchase of 429.20 Lakh Metric
Tonnes.The Ministry said, out of the total purchase of over 541 Lakh Metric Tonnes, Punjab alone has contributed 202.77 Lakh Metric Tonnes which is 37.47 per cent of total procurement.The Ministry said, based on the proposal from the States, approval was accorded for procurement of 51.66 Lakh Metric Tonnes of Pulse and Oilseeds of Kharif Marketing Season 2020 for the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh under Price Support Scheme.
Day on January 26. Reacting to the same, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at the Centre. “The Modi government was not embarrassed by the martyrdom of more than 60 farmers but they are embarrassed by the tractor rally!” he tweeted in Hindi. As most people will recall, on January 26 every year, there is a massive parade held in the national capital - with participation from people across the country. And this year, if the protesting farmers get their
way, this will be followed by a tractor rally. Farmer leader Darshan Pal Singh had said earlier that their proposed parade will be called “Kisan Parade” and it will be be held after the Republic Day parade - from from different parts of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to the national capital. while hearing a slew of petitions pertaining to the farm laws and the ongoing protests, the SC had put a temporary halt to the implementation of the new laws, forming a committee to help solve the deadlock.
BSF detects tunnel along International Border in Kathua
Agency News: Jammu & Kashmir The Border Security Force (BSF) detected a tunnel beneath the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday detected a tunnel beneath the International Border in
Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The tunnel constructed from across the border to facilitate infiltration of terrorists was detected by BSF troops in Bobiyaan village during an operation this morning, the officials said. Senior BSF and police officers have rushed to the spot.
Chennai airport’s new terminal to be commissioned by 2022-end: AAI Agency News: Jammu & Kashmir The Chennai airport’s new integrated terminal, which would be constructed after demolishing existing terminals 2 and 3, would be commissioned by December 2022, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said on Wednesday. The new terminal will have a total area of 2,18,000 sqm and function as one large integrated terminal for international and domestic operations, the AAI said. The new terminal will enhance the present capacity from 21 million passengers per annum to 35 million passengers per annum,
the AAI said in a press release. The project will be completed in two stages. In the first stage, domestic terminal 2 has been demolished for construction of new facility which is scheduled to be commissioned by June 2021, it said. In the second stage, international terminal 3 would be demolished and new terminal would be constructed in its place. “The total project (single integrated terminal) will be commissioned by December 2022,” the AAI noted. The Chennai airport is India’s fourth busiest airport in terms of the number of passengers handled every year.
Sonu Sood is ‘habitual offender’, : Bombay HC
Facebook draws out our desire to impress people : Aditya Mukherjee
Agency News: Kolkata The other day, a friend posted some photographs of his marriage anniversary on Facebook. It garnered ‘likes’ of seismic proportions. A middleaged friend of mine, holidaying in Goa, shared some beach pictures; his whole frame resting
in perfect stillness and repose as he gazed at the sea; the breeze ruffling the stray wisps of his hair. What should have ideally been his unforgettable private experience, in one fell swoop, morphed into a public spectacle, as his Facebook friends erupted into a feeding frenzy. The dividing line between private
and the public is no longer sacrosanct.Another young FB friend keeps posting photographs of his visit to foreign countries while on official tours. He, like any other FB addict, revels in the very idea of living in the public glare. Facebook gives him that much-needed visibility he always craves. His friends go into raptures and the ‘likes’ are followed by soapy compliments and buttery praise. A prerequisite to being liked on FB is to promote yourself unabashedly, with rare verbal scintillation and confidence. It also beggars the question: Are FB friends for real? We often interact with those on social media with whom we have neither met nor spoken over the phone.
Agency News: Mumbai
Esha Gupta looks mesmerising clad in green bikiniMany might know that Esha Gupta made her debut with the film ‘Jannat 2’ in 2012. Esha Gupta shared a post on Instagram
In an affidavit filed in the Bombay High Court by Mumbai civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Sonu Sood was called a ‘habitual offender’. In response to the actor’s petition, the civic body submitted an affidavit at the court. For the uninitiated, a complaint was file against Sonu and his wife Sonali Sood for allegedly having made unauthorized changes to Juhu’s Shakti Sagar Building without the BMC’s permission. The
affidavit read as “The appellant is a habitual offender and wants to enjoy the commercial proceeds of the unauthorised work and therefore once again started reconstructing the demolished portion to make it operational as a hotel albeit illegally and without permission from the License department.” The civic body also said that Sood is trying to protect the ‘ex-facie illegal commercial hotel which has been constructed and modified by the appellant (Sood) contrary to the sanctioned building plan.’
SUNVILLA SAMACHAR
14.01.2021, Thursday
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Tiger Shroff sends fans into a frenzy
SPORTS - BUSINESS
Tiger Shroff has time and again proved that he is a multitalented star. Apart from his stellar performances in films and his amazing dance skills, he is a brilliant singer too. After releasing his first single Unbelievable, Tiger has yet again dropped his second song Casanova and it will surely make you groove in no time. The actor has lent his vocal for the song and he has also turned a producer for the same. The track has been directed by Punit Malhotra, produced by Qyuki and Tiger.
Hanuma Vihari takes down Babul Supriyo with BOLLYWOOD-HOLLYWOOD two-word salute in ‘murdered cricket’ response Bollywood parties include ‘drunken Agency News: Sydney Hanuma Vihari, the hero of the 3rd Test between India and Australia, was criticised by Parliament member Babul Supriyo who feels the batsman has ‘murdered cricket’ with his slow batting.Taking to Twitter, Supriyo wrote: “Playing 109 balls to score 7 !That is atrocious to say the least•Hanuma Bihari has not only killed any Chance for India to achieve a historic win but has also murdered Cricket.. not keeping win an option, even if remotely, is
criminal.” Vihari, however, had a two-word comeback which
took down Supriyo’s statement. “*Hanuma Vihari,” the 27-year-
Parupalli Kashyap retires mid-way from opening clash Agency News: New Delhi
India’s Parupalli Kashyap made an early exit from the Thailand Open Super 1000 tournament after he was forced to retire midway in his openinground match against Jason Anthony Ho-Shue of Canada here on Wednesday.Kashyap, a former Commonwealth Games champion, was trailing 8-14 in the third game when he chose to retire as he pulled his calf muscle. He had lost the first game 9-21 before making a comeback to take the second 21-13. n the men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty came from behind to defeat the South Korean pair of Kim Gi Jung and Lee Yong Dae 19-21 21-16 21-14. The two were
Gold futures dip over 0.5% after days of gains
Gold prices on Wednesday dipped slightly in futures trade after days of rising demand. On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), gold contracts for February delivery traded lower by over Rs 200, or 0.53 per cent, at Rs Rs 49,080 per 10 gram.Silver, however, continues to rise with contracts for March delivery trading at Rs 65,827.00, up 0.41%. Gold prices in the national capital jumped on Tuesday gaining Rs 297 to Rs 48,946 per 10 gram, in line with rally in international precious metal prices, according to HDFC Securities.In the previous trade, the precious metal had closed at Rs 48,649 per 10 gram.Silver also gained Rs 1,404 to Rs 65,380 per kg, from Rs 63,976 per kg in the previous trade.In the international market, both gold and silver were trading in the green at USD 1,858 per ounce and USD 25.39 per ounce, respectively.“Gold prices gained strength as investors turned cautious over rising coronavirus cases across the world. The revisited pandemic fears raised concerns over economic recovery which boosted buying in bullion prices,” said HDFC Securities Senior Analyst (Commodities) Tapan Patel.
1980 - showed exactly what Ashwin meant when he spoke about playing like true warriors at the end of the fourth day’s play at the SCG. A hamstring injury notwithstanding, Vihari hit an unbeaten 161-ball 23 while Ashwin hit 39 off 128 balls as the two defended away any hopes Australia had of registering a win. With an injured Ravindra Jadeja waiting in the pavilion, it was important for the two to ensure they saw India to the end and that is just what they did as the players shook hands with an over left.
Let’s see if Smith repeats SCG act at Gabba : Michael Vaughan Agency News: New Delhi
delighted by the win over their idol. “Lee Yong Dae was an idol for both of us when we were started, so it was excellent playing him today, and we are happy to get the win,” Satwiksairaj said.“Our strategy was to attack as much as possible, but not to hurry. We gave up some points in the first game by hurrying too much. But we always knew
what we had to do.” However, it was curtains for Arjun Madathil Ramachandran and Dhruv Kapila, who lost to the Malaysian duo of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi 21-13, 8-21, 22-24. The mixed doubles pair of N Sikki Reddy and Sumeeth Reddy B also failed to cross the opening hurdle, losing to Chung Man Tang and Yong Suet Tse 20-22, 17-21.
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan on Wednesday said that he would be interested to see if Steve Smith repeats his Sydney act of scuffing up the batting crease in the fourth and final Test against India at the Gabba. Smith was seen scuffing up the area around the batting crease on day five of the third Test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground and social media users started questioning the Australia batsman for his gamesmanship. Vaughan who had posted on Instagram about rules of the game regarding what
IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will acquire GE’s stake in Tata Consultancy Services Saudi Arabia for USD 12,471 (about Rs 9.13 lakh).In September 2013, TCS announced the creation of an all-women business process services centre in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) in partnership with GE.“Given GE’s planned exit from this partnership, the partners have entered into a definitive agreement subject to closing conditions for transfer of GE’s stake in the venture to TCS,” a regulatory filing said. On completion of required governance and business changes to effect this transition, TCS will assume full responsibility of the centre, it added.This will secure the centre’s viability
in the longer term and allow it to continue to serve as a source of opportunity and skills development for women in the country, the statement said.Saudi Desert Rose Holding BV (wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric International (Benelux) BV) holds 24 per cent share in TCS Saudi Arabia, while the balance 76 per cent is held by Tata Consultancy Services Netherlands BV (a wholly owned subsidiary of TCS). TCS said the centre has expanded from 20 to almost 1,000 women employees over the past seven years, and won several awards including the King Khalid Awards 2019 for ‘Responsible Competitiveness’ and the 2018 Future of Workplace Awards for ‘Best women development and leadership programme’.
clarifies as trying to change the nature of the pitch, got a reply from former Australia batsman Mark Waugh that he is reading too much into a nothing situation. ”You’ve lost your marbles Vaughney. I’d be more worried about deliberate time wasting in the modern game,” Waugh wrote.
When a Reddit user asked Imran Khan to spill the beans on what happens at Bollywood parties, the former actor described it in vivid details. Agency News: Mumbai Aamir Khan’s nephew Imran Khan who had made his acting
debut with ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ in 2008 had recently quit Bollywood. Today, the former
Agency News: Mumbai Petrol price touched a new high of ₹ 84.45 per litre in the national capital after stateowned fuel retailers hiked prices after a five-day hiatus. In the national capital, the price of petrol were increased by 25 paise from Rs 84.20 per litre to ₹ 84.45 per litre and diesel was hiked by a similar amount from ₹ 74.38 per litre to ₹ 74.63 per litre, according to Indian Oil
Agency News: New Delhi
against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.13 per cent to 89.98“US dollar Index extended losses this morning in Asian trade against major peers as a retreat in US yields sapped momentum from its recent rebound and investors cautiously resumed bets that it can resume sliding,” Reliance Securities said in a research note. The euro, sterling and Japanese yen were higher against the US dollar this
actor is celebrating his 38th birthday and on his special day let’s revisit a 2014 Reddit Ask Me Anything session, where he answered various questions about nepotism, Bollywood parties, and hinted at giving up his acting career. A Reddit user had asked Imran, “From the interviews I have seen, you seem like one of the few actors who are not completely consumed by Bollywood. You seem to be in touch with the real world. Do you make a conscious effort to keep in touch with the outside world? Also, do you consider yourself an ‘insider’ in the industry?”
Manoj Bajpayee is MIA and on new mission Samantha Akkineni’s look finally out The teaser for The Family Man Season 2 is finally out! The 66-second long video starts with Manoj Bajpayee’s character being MIA and his near and dear ones get worried about him. From his wife played by Priyamani to his colleague and friend played by Sharib Hashmi, everyone calls him but the efforts go in vain. Then Srikant Tiwari (Manoj) is shown while in the background it’s heard that he has been given a new task. The teaser ends with an
injured Manoj pointing his gun towards someone and there Samantha Akkineni is introduced. The South beauty
is making her web series debut with The Family Man Season 2 and her look which was kept under wraps is finally out.
30 on Tuesday and celebrated her big day with all her close friends. Shweta partied at a bar in Mumbai and joining her
were some popular faces from Bollywood. Shweta shared pictures from her birthday party on Instagram on Tuesday night. She was seen in a stunning red dress, surrounded by all her friends. There was actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, dressed in a grey shirt and blue pants, and Sanya Malhotra, who was seen in a black dress. There were also Saqib Saleem, Suhail Nayyar and filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar.
Shweta Basu Prasad’s glam birthday party, Nawaz, Sanya Malhotra attend
bai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai Corporation, the country’s largest fuel retailer. This is the highest ever price of petrol in Delhi, while diesel is at a record high in Mumbai. The previous highest ever rate of ₹ 84 a litre for petrol in Delhi was touched on October 4, 2018. On that day, diesel too had scaled to an all-time high of ₹ 75.45 a litre. In Mumbai, the revised petrol and diesel prices stood at Rs 91.07 per litre and ₹ 81.34 per litre respectively Oil marketing companies - Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum align the prices of domestic fuel with global benchmarks by taking into account alterations in the foreign exchange rates. Any changes in fuel prices are implemented with effect from 6 am every day.
Rupee appreciates 13 paise to Rs 73.25 against US dollar The rupee appreciated 13 paise to 73.12 against the US dollar in opening trade on Wednesday, as heavy buying in domestic equities and weakness of the American currency in the overseas market lifted investor sentiment. At the interbank forex market, the domestic unit opened at 73.16 against the US dollar and inched higher to 73.12 against the greenback, registering a rise of 13 paise over its previous close.the rupee had settled at 73.25 against the American currency.Traders said rupee was trading on a stronger note against the greenback as the dollar rally lost steam. Moreover, FPI flows into the domestic equity markets also supported the domestic unit.Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength
hookups and fights’ : Imran Khan
Agency News: Mumbai
TCS to acquire GE’s stake Petrol and diesel prices hiked by 25 paise in Mumin TCS Saudi Arabia Agency News: New Delhi
Agency News: New Delhi
old responded. Compatriot Ravichandran Ashwin could not hold back his laugh at Vihari’s ultimate response to Supriyo. “ROFLMAX!!,” Ashwin tweeted, adding a few laughing emojis to his tweet. the Indian duo of Vihari and R Ashwin stood ground and managed to do just that as they eked out a draw in what was nothing short of an action-packed fifth day in the third Test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.Batting out 131 overs -- the most India have batted in the fourth innings of a Test since
morning in Asian trade.On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex was trading 168.23 points higher at 49,685.34, and the broader NSE Nifty advanced 64.50 points to 14,627.95.Foreign institutional investors were net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth ₹571.47 crore on a net basis on Tuesday, according to provisional exchange data. On the domestic macro economic front, declining vegetable prices brought down the retail inflation to a 15-month low of 4.59 per cent in December and within the comfort zone of the Reserve Bank.Industrial production contracted by 1.9 per cent in November, entering the negative territory after a two-month gap, mainly due to poor showing by manufacturing and mining sectors, official data.
Agency News: Mumbai Film and television actor Shweta Basu Prasad turned
Parineeti Chopra’s ‘The Girl On The Train’ to be streamed on Netflix Agency News: Mumbai
Parineeti Chopra is all set to make her debut on Netflix! Yes, the actor’s upcoming film The Girl On The Train skips theatrical release and will be streaming on Netflix from February 26, 2021. The announcement was made along with a short and thriller teaser of the film. In the teaser, an alone woman named Meera played by Parineeti is running and finding clues in the busy city of London. The premise of The Girl On The Train is described as “A bright city, dull morning and a curious girl on the train. When a voyeuristic divorcee fixates on the lives of a perfect couple from afar, she soon gets embroiled in a murder mystery that unfolds revealing truths about her own life. Get onboard a thrilling experience with Parineeti Chopra, Aditi Rao Hydari, Kirti Kulhari and Avinash Tiwary. Catch Ribhu Dasgupta’s The Girl On The Train on 26th February, only on Netflix.”
The Girl On The Train skips theatrical release and will be streaming on Netflix from February 26, 2021
SUNVILLA SAMACHAR
LOCAL NEWS
14.01.2021, Thursday
4
19 arrested for violation Surat New Civil Hospital or of Covid protocol SMIMER Hospital for Covid19 test Agency News: Rajkot
As many as 19 people have been arrested Sunday night in Gandhinagar for allegedly playing cricket violating Covid-19 protocol. The accused, who were found without masks and skipping social-distancing norms, had brought more than 100 people to the venue.According to an FIR lodged at Infocity police station on Tuesday, 19 men, aged between 30 and 45 years of age, were taken to the PS on late Sunday night after they were found playing cricket at JP Patel cricket stadium venue in Nabhoi village under Gandhinagar. As per police, all accused are residents of different societies in Ahmedabad and were playing a cricket match
“As per the notification released by the state government, more than 100 persons cannot assemble at any social, educational or sports activity.
when they were stopped around 10:30 pm on Sunday night by a police patrolling team.According to police, the
players were not seen wearing masks and were not following social distancing norms. “As per the notification released by the state government, more than 100 persons cannot assemble at any social, educational or sports activity. The accused had organised cricket matches on Sunday night and were seen not wearing masks as well. We arrested them at the police station and later released them on bail as we have booked them under bailable offences,” said Vaghela. All the accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease), 188 (disobedience to order given by public servant) and sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act.
Eight-year-old ‘child bride’ rescued from kidnapper’s clutches in Rajkot Agency News: Rajkot An eight-year-old girl was saved from being sold off in themarriage market after she was rescued from the clutches of herkidnapper, a farm labourer in Rajkot district’s Padadhari taluka.Accused Dayaram Bhil, who had abducted the girl nearly three weeksago, was bringing
her up with his family. “Bhil told us about a traditionamong tribal communities that the groom’s family pays money to thebride’s at the time of marriage. So he wanted to take care of the girl for afew years then marry her off for the money,” said investigating officer Kiran Jadeja.Daughter of farm labourer couple, the girl
had gone missing from Hidad village on December 24 after she had gone to buy snacks. Not finding her anywhere, the parents later approached police. Rajkot rural police had registered a case of kidnapping but there was no headway. Cops could see the girl in the footage of a few CCTV cameras installed in the village.
Ahmedabad 4 schools quit WhatsApp Online teaching Agency News: Ahmedabad Four schools in Ahmedabad associated with Udgam Consultancy have decided to do away with the messaging app WhatsApp for online teaching due to “data security concerns”.Udgam School For Children (USFC) Thaltej, Zebar School For Children (ZSFC) Thaltej, Satellite School For Children (SSFC), and Bodakdev School For Children (BFSC) have switched over to the Microsoft Kaizala. Parents have been informed through e-mails on Tuesday and asked to download the app and get started. The
four schools have around 243 different WhatsApp groups and close to 13,700 parents actively using this messaging platform, majorly run as ‘only admin can post’ groups. Manan Choksi, Executive Director, Udgam School For Children said, “This popular app has now made
it mandatory to accept new privacy norms. WhatsApp’s biggest problem is the lack of trust with its users since parent company Facebook faces severe criticism around the world with regards to privacy practices.”Another issue felt by the schools using WhatsApp was the easy access of these schoolparent WhatsApp groups by children, Choksi said adding that the decision to shift from WhatsApp to Microsoft Kaizala is also motivated by the fact that it does not rely on advertisement for survival and is committed to protecting data privacy and security.
CIMS hospital fined for overcharging Covid patient “Many Covid-19 patients were reported to be stable and asymptomatic admission, but still they were for 10 days,” the notice states. Agency News:Ahmedabad The Ahmeabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has issued a show-cause notice to CIMS Hospital, a private hospital in Ahmedabad city’s Science City area, Tuesday for several discrepancies, including inflated bills, missing medical records and admitting nonhealth staff under staff quota, in the bills submitted for reimbursement against the treatment of Covid-19 patients under the civic body’s
Agency News: Surat A private doctor has come under fire from the district and sessions court which ordered the city crime branch to launcan inquiry against him for giving contradictory statements regarding treatment of Dinesh Vekariya, one of the accused in 2019Takshashila Arcade fire and trying to protect him.As many as 22 young lives were snuffed out in the fire.The court ordered the assistant commissioner of police, Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), to conduct an investigation againstDr MS Kathrotiya and also find out if he had helped other accused in the past to get temporary bail by issuing medicalcertificates. Court also ordered the police to produce accused Vekariya to be taken to the New Civil Hospital or SMIMER Hospital for Covid19 test.Vekariya (56) was enlarged on temporary bail
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani virtually inaugurated the job fair fortnight and “Rozgar Setu” programme,
on December 5, 2020 for 21 days on the ground of his mother’s demise. He hadto surrender on December 26. However, he had informed the court through his advocate that he had fallen sick and testedpositive for Covid-19 on December 21. His advocate told the court that Vekariya was isolated at home for treatment as perdoctor’s advise and he will not be able to surrender on December 26. On December 23, the court extended his interim bail tillJanuary 11 and allowed Vekariya to produce the Covid-19 report from NCH or SMIMER by 5:30pm Tuesday. However, his advocate prayed for bail extension till January 25 claiming that Vekariya was unable to take Covid-19 test due topoor health. He produced Dr S Katharotiya’s certificate which mentioned that Vekariya needed 15 days’ quarantine.Special public prosecutor PN Parmar argued that Dr M
Ahmedabad
A two-week long “online job fair” that promises to fill 25,000 vacancies in 600 firms across Gujarat began a statement issued by the state government said. Between January 12 and 24, a total of 270 online job fairs will be held to fill up these vacancies. The job fairs will be conducted by the labour and employment department of the state government, it stated. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani virtually inaugurated the job fair fortnight and “Rozgar Setu” programme, where the youths can get telephonic counselling regarding academic and career oriented issues. The Rozgar Setu programme also helps provide information to youths regarding self-employment and job placements in both private and government sector, through call centres.
homequarantine. The doctor told the court that Vekariya had gone toVishruti Laboratory for a blood test directly with his referenceand that he had neither taken his blood samples nor sent them to the laboratory. However, on January 11, Vekariya’s advocateproduced Dr Kathrotiya’s certificate in which he had mentioned that Vekariya’s blood sample was taken at his hospital onJanuary 5 and sent to the same laboratory.“As per the certificate, the doctor said that it was a Sunday on January 5 but actually it was Tuesday on January 5. This showsthat the doctor is protecting the accused by giving false information,” the court observed.
Devbhoomi Dwarka district Community leader’s son booked for abetting suicide Agency News: Rajkot
Agency News:
S Katharoitya had told the Surat crime branch that SMC was notinformed about Vekariya’s Covid status because he did not have severe symptoms. “This shows that the accused does nothave a serious illness and it’s doubtful whether he was actually infected with Covid-19,” argued Parmar.The court also found contradictions in the statements given by Dr Katharotiya regarding the treatment. The contradictionsDr. Kathrotiya had told the crime branch said Vekariya had come to him with a laboratory report on January 5 which showed hehad Covid-19 symptoms and dengue fever. He gave him treatment till January 9 and discharged him, advising 10 days
Son of a community religious leader was booked on charges of abetting the suicide of a married woman along with fiveyear-old son in Vadinar town of Khambhaliya taluka of Devbhoomi Dwarka district late on Monday night. Vadinar Marine police booked Baudin Pirzada, son of religions leader Sadrumiya Pirzada, for threatening and abetting thesuicide of 27-year-old Shirin Jabbar Chamadiya on January 9.Shirin was found hanging
Police said that Shirin had come in contact with Baudin three years ago when he used to visit her house for his father’sreligious work frequently. at her house in Vadinar on January 9 in the morning by her in-laws. Her husband is
currently workingon a port in Dubai for the past one month. According to police, deceased’s father Karim Sanghar (52) found call recordings on her mobile phone where Baudin is heardthreatening Shirin for a relationship with him. Baudin is also heard threatening to kill Shirin’s father, brother and defaming herentire family if she did not concede to his demands. Based on these recording, Karim lodged a complaint against Baudin and police booked him under Indian Penal Code (IPC)section 306 (abatement
to suicide) and 506 (criminal intimidation), said police subinspector A I Chavda of Vadinar marinepolice station.Police said that Shirin had come in contact with Baudin three years ago when he used to visit her house for his father’sreligious work frequently. About eight months ago, the duo had eloped but Shirin had returned within a day to her husband’shouse. However, she forgot her mobile phone with Baudin. Shirin’s husband and in-laws had pardoned her she was back toliving with them.
IIM student demand for conservation of dormitories designed by American architect Louis Kahn on the institute’s main campus Agency News: Ahmedabad Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) director and Governing Council members, has once again raised the demand for conservation of student dormitories designed by American architect Louis Kahn on the institute’s main campus. In their appeal, Sarosh Anklesaria, T David Fitz-Gibbon Professor of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, Riyaz Tayyibji, team lead of National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) Ahmedabad and Shubhra Raje, visiting faculty at CEPT University Ahmedabad, have raised four “key concerns” that remain unanswered.
Stressing on their importance to have “credibility towards building public trust and maintaining support of key stakeholders”, the panel of architects have demanded that the institute “must
commit to transparency of process when consulting with, and appointing experts to future committees.” Given the repeated mention of reports and findings of expert architect by IIM-A in its letters seeking support for bringing down the dorms designed by Luois Kahn and constructions new ones, the architects have demanded the institute to make public key reports and findings on the basis of which future recommendations are made. Further, the appeal seeks transparency for “professionals of stature who have the breath and technical expertise to rehabilitate structures, to reimagine their adaptive transformation, and appreciate the intangible cultural legacy of its architecture.”
Gujarat agri varsities saddled with livestock
at the time of
admitted in HDU
The doctor told the court that Vekariya had gone toVishruti Laboratory for a blood test directly with his referenceand that he had neither taken his blood samples nor sent them to the laboratory.
Agency News: Surat quota. The discrepancies, officials said, were detected during an audit of the bills by the AMC.The notice, issued by AMC medical officer (health) Dr Bhavin Solanki, states: “Keeping in mind all these issues, your hospital and hospital staff has attempted to misguide AMC and get more than entitled amount, thus financially affecting the corporation. This is a serious issue. You are required to submit a written explanation in this within seven days. It adds that Covid patients’ daily clinical notes with vital stats recordings by the doctors were missing. Further, instead of treating an AMC-referred
patient in an isolation ward, they were treated in the High Dependency Unit (HDU) or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with ventilator, the notice states.The notice highlights that despite improvement in the condition of four patient, they were not shifted to other isolation wards. It mentions the names and registration numbers of the four patients. The AMC audit team also found that several patients were given treatment in an HDU or ICU with ventilator back-to-back. “Despite the patient showing no signs they were kept in these wards for three to four days,” the notice states.
The state government directed Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University (SDAU) in Sabarkantha district to cancel its scheduled auction of 82 cows and buffaloes, leading to protests by farmers who had turned up at the university campus hoping to buy Kankreji cows or Mehsana buffalos. The SDAU is now stuck with these animals for more than a week.Junagadh Agricultural University’s (JAU) cattle breeding farm (CBF), among the oldest organised farms in the state, too has 1,100 heads of the coveted purebred Gir cattle and Jaffrabadi buffaloes.“This is around 100 to 150 heads more than what
we require for research. The restriction on disposing of such animals through auction is becoming a problem for us as local panjrapoles are not accepting them even as the size of our herd is increasing. This is straining our resources and also preventing the transfer of high-quality genetic material to farmers,” professor VP Chovatia, in-charge vicechancellor of JAU said.As part of the state government’s effort to promote indigenous Kankrej and Gir cattle breeds and Mehsana, Surti and Jafrabadi buffaloes breeds, the four staterun agricultural universities have been conducting research on these breeds for the last five decades. While SDAU is researching on Kankrej cattle and Mehsana buffaloes, JAU
is researching on Gir cattle and Jaffrabadi buffaloes. The Anand Agricultural University (AAU) is experimenting with crossbreeding Holstein Friesian with Kankrej (HFK) while the Navsari Agricultural University (NAU) is working on Surti buffaloes and Surti goats.On an average, the universities require to dispose
of one-third heads of their herds annually to maintain an elite stock of a breed and for the propagation of a given breed by selling them to farmers through open auction. Selling animals not needed for research also help universities earn some revenue.In 2018, following complaints from animal rights activists that
cattle heads auctioned by these universities were ending up at slaughterhouses, the state government had directed the latter not to give such animals to farmers and instead send them to panjrapoles (cattle shelters run by charitable organisations). In 2019, the government issued another circular allowing the sale of experimental animals having a productive life to farmers. In December 2020, SDAU attempted to auction 53 Kankrej cows and 29 Mehsana buffaloes but backtracked at the last moment, apparently after animal rights activists put pressure on the government. Currently, the Livestock Research Station (LRS) at SDAU is still saddled with 82 heads it doesn’t require.
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