life and real estate

PREPARATIONS FOR THE 74TH ANNUAL NIRANKARI SANT SAMAGAM - CONFLUENCE OF FAITH, DEVOTION AND BLISS.

TL Bureau, Chandigarh

Nirankari Sant Samagam proves to be a glorious and a happy occasion for all the devotees, where the unique confluence of Humanity is seen. Through Spiritual awareness, Sant Nirankari Mission is perpetually spreading the message of Truth, Love and Unity across the globe, with the devotees rising above caste, colour, religion, language, attire, food; embracing each other and adopting the Spirit of Love and Peaceful Co-existence. This information was given by Smt. Raj Kumari Ji, Member Incharge Press and Publicity Department, Sant Nirankari Mandal. 74th Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam will be conducted virtually on 27th, 28th and 29th November, 2021, showcasing various cultures and chromatic shades of sovereignty across the globe. Keeping in mind the ongoing pandemic situation of Covid-19, all preparations of the Samagam are being carried out by adhering to the guidelines laid by the government, with a lot of alertness and vigilance. Theme Faith, Devotion and Bliss will form the theme for this year’s Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam and will be highlighted by the speakers, lyricists and poets participating from all over the world in their varied expressions. “Faith, Devotion and bliss” is the unifying chord for being Spiritually Awakened wherein we can worship the Almighty while being One with Him. Nirankaris across the globe are overwhelmed and excited with the news of the Samagam being held virtually though it was a practice gathers in person every Samagam; they welcomed this concept considering it to be the will of the Almighty. Webcast, Telecast The entire program will be webcast on the Mission’s website along with being telecast on Sadhna T.V channel. This is going to be the first time in the history of the Mission that the event will be telecasted live. On all three consecutive days of the Samagam, the Head of the Mission Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj will bless the Humankind with Her discourses. Vigorous and sincere efforts are being made by the Mission to adorn this Virtual Samagam with the hue of reality being blessed and guided by Her Holiness Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj. History of Nirankari Samagams Mission’s first Nirankari Sant Samagam was held in the year 1948 in the benign presence of Baba Avtar Singh Ji. The Sant Nirankari Mission was started by Baba Buta Singh Ji and the legacy was carried forward by Baba Avtar Singh Ji. Yugpravartak Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji, attributed the Samagam with a systematic approach and filled it with great enthusiasm. Yugdrishta Baba Hardev Singh Ji, while giving the Samagam an international recognition initiated concepts of ‘Universal brotherhood ‘ and ‘World without walls’ based on Oneness of God thus, making Humankind rise above the differences of caste, creed, religion and country; putting Unity in Diversity into action. Mata Sawinder Hardev Ji, the epitome of love, kindness and motherhood, created a new era, fulfilled all her duties and was considered as Yugnirmata. Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj, the present head of the Sant Nirankari Mission is elevating the Samagam to new heights guided by the spirit of communal harmony and mutual co-existence while inculcating new approach and concentration.

Tobacco use falling: WHO urges countries to invest in helping more people to quit tobacco

TL Bureau, Geneva

The fourth WHO global tobacco trends report released today, shows that there are 1.30 billion tobacco users globally compared to 1.32 billion in 2015. This number is expected to drop to 1.27 billion by 2025. Sixty countries are now on track to achieving the voluntary global target of a 30% reduction in tobacco use between 2010 and 2025: two years ago only 32 countries were on track. Millions of lives have been saved by effective and comprehensive tobacco control policies under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and MPOWER – a great achievement in the fight against the tobacco epidemic “It is very encouraging to see fewer people using tobacco each year, and more countries on track to meet global targets,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We still have a long way to go, and tobacco companies will continue to use every trick in the book to defend the gigantic profits they make from peddling their deadly wares. We encourage all countries to make better use of the many effective tools available for helping people to quit, and saving lives.” The report also urges countries to accelerate implementation of the measures outlined in the WHO FCTC in an effort to further reduce the number of people at risk of becoming ill and dying from a tobacco-related disease. “It is clear that tobacco control is effective, and we have a moral obligation to our people to move aggressively in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” says Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of WHO Department of Health Promotion. “We are seeing great progress in many countries, which is the result of implementing tobacco control measures that are in line with the WHO FCTC, but this success is fragile. We still need to push ahead.” A new WHO Global Investment Case for Tobacco Cessation, highlights that investing US$ 1.68 per capita each year in evidencebased cessation interventions such as brief advice, national toll-free quit lines, and SMS-based cessation support, could help 152 million tobacco users successfully quit by 2030, saving millions of lives and contributing to countries’ long-term economic growth. To facilitate this process, WHO has established a tobacco cessation consortium, which will bring together partners to support countries in scaling up tobacco cessation. The report and the investment case are released right after of the ninth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) and during the second session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP2) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. Delegates meet to counter the ambitions of the tobacco industry to keep millions hooked on its products, as recent evidence also show that the tobacco industry used the COVID-19 pandemic to build influence with governments in 80 countries. Key findings of the WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2025: In 2020, 22.3% of the global population used tobacco, 36.7% of all men and 7.8% of the world’s women. Target: Currently, 60 countries are on track to achieve the tobacco use reduction target by 2025. Since the last report two years ago, two other regions – the African and South-East Asian regions - have now joined the Americas region ontrack to achieve a 30% reduction. Children: Approximately 38 million children (aged 13-15) currently use tobacco (13 million girls and 25 million boys). In most countries it is illegal for minors to purchase tobacco products. The goal is to achieve zero child tobacco users. Women: The number of women using tobacco in 2020 was 231 million. The age group with the highest prevalence rate among women for tobacco use is 55-64.

Regional trends:

Trends in the Americas: Of all WHO regions, the steepest decline in prevalence rates over time is seen in the Americas Region. The average rate of tobacco use has gone from 21% in 2010 down to 16% in 2020. WHO’s African Region trend: this region has the lowest average rate of tobacco use at 10% in 2020, down from 15% in 2010. WHO’s European Region trend: in Europe 18% of women still use tobacco – substantially more than in any other region. Women in Europe are the slowest in the world to cut tobacco use. All other WHO regions are on track to reduce tobacco use rates among women by at least 30% by 2025. WHO’s Eastern-Mediterranean Region trend: Pakistan is the only country in this region that’s on track to reach the tobacco reduction target. Four of the six countries in the world where tobacco use is increasing are in this region.

WHO’s South East Asian Region trend: The region currently has the highest rates of tobacco use, with around 432 million users, or 29% of its population. But this is also the region where tobacco use is declining fastest. The region is likely to reach tobacco use rates similar to the European Region and the Western Pacific Region by 2025. WHO’s Western Pacific Region trend: This is projected to become the region with the highest tobacco use rate among men, with more than 45% of men still using tobacco in 2025. Policy action: One in three countries are likely to achieve the 30% reduction target, and low-income countries are currently achieving the most progress against tobacco. Upper middle-income countries are, on average, making the slowest progress in reducing tobacco use. In some 29 countries, data quality is low or insufficient to know the trend, so more monitoring is needed. The data behind these estimates are from 1728 national surveys run by countries between 1990 and 2020, which together asked 97% of the world’s population about their tobacco use. Article 20 of the WHO FCTC underlines the importance of running surveys to obtain evidence of the tobacco epidemic, and now 190 countries have run at least one national survey - up from 140 in 2004 when the treaty was not yet in force. WHO and partners have made a large contribution to filling the data gaps in low- and middleincome countries via the Global Tobacco Surveillance System surveys, the STEPS survey and the World Health Survey. Highlights from the Global Investment Case for Tobacco Cessation To meet global targets in reducing tobacco use, cessation services need to be scaled up, along with strengthening tobacco control measures. Offering cessation services can accelerate the downward trend in tobacco use prevalence, saving more lives and protecting the health of more people. Population-level cessation interventions include brief advice, national toll-free quit lines, and mCessation (support through mobile phone text messaging). These interventions cost very little yet deliver significant returns on investment within 10 years. Pharmacologic interventions including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), Bupropion, and Varenicline are more expensive but are proving effective. Data from 124 low- and middleincome countries are used to generate the analysis.

9 life and real estate

PREPARATIONS FOR THE 74TH ANNUAL NIRANKARI SANT SAMAGAM - CONFLUENCE OF FAITH, DEVOTION AND BLISS.

TL Bureau, Chandigarh

Nirankari Sant Samagam proves to be a glorious and a happy occasion for all the devotees, where the unique confluence of Humanity is seen. Through Spiritual awareness, Sant Nirankari Mission is perpetually spreading the message of Truth, Love and Unity across the globe, with the devotees rising above caste, colour, religion, language, attire, food; embracing each other and adopting the Spirit of Love and Peaceful Co-existence. This information was given by Smt. Raj Kumari Ji, Member Incharge Press and Publicity Department, Sant Nirankari Mandal. 74th Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam will be conducted virtually on 27th, 28th and 29th November, 2021,

showcasing various cultures and chromatic shades of sovereignty across the globe.

Keeping in mind the ongoing pandemic situation of Covid-19, all preparations of the Samagam are being carried out by adhering to the guidelines laid by the government, with a lot of alertness and vigilance. Theme Faith, Devotion and Bliss will form the theme for

this year’s Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam and will be highlighted by the speakers, lyricists and poets participating from all over the world in their varied expressions. “Faith, Devotion and bliss” is the unifying chord for being Spiritually Awakened wherein we can worship the Almighty while being One with Him.

Nirankaris across the globe are overwhelmed and excited with the news of the Samagam being held virtually though it was a practice gathers in person every Samagam; they welcomed this concept considering it to be the will of the Almighty. Webcast, Telecast The entire program will be webcast on the Mission’s website along with being telecast on Sadhna T.V channel. This is going to be the first time in the history of the Mission that

the event will be telecasted live. On all three consecutive days of the Samagam, the Head of the Mission Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj will bless the Humankind with Her discourses. Vigorous and sincere efforts are being made by the Mission to adorn this Virtual Samagam with the hue of reality being blessed and guided by Her Holiness Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj. History of Nirankari Samagams Mission’s first Nirankari Sant Samagam was held in the year 1948 in the benign presence of Baba Avtar Singh Ji. The Sant Nirankari Mission was started by Baba Buta Singh Ji and the legacy was carried forward by Baba Avtar Singh Ji. Yugpravartak Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji, attributed the Samagam with a systematic

approach and filled it with great enthusiasm. Yugdrishta Baba Hardev Singh Ji, while giving the Samagam an international recognition initiated concepts of ‘Universal brotherhood ‘ and ‘World without walls’ based on Oneness of God thus, making Humankind rise above the differences of caste, creed, religion and country; putting Unity in Diversity into action. Mata Sawinder Hardev Ji, the epitome of love, kindness and motherhood, created a new era, fulfilled all her duties and was considered as Yugnirmata.

Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj, the present head of the Sant Nirankari Mission is elevating the Samagam to new heights guided by the spirit of communal harmony and mutual co-existence while inculcating new approach and concentration.