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Hindu man accused of blasphemy after raising voice against temple desecration in Pak

New Delhi (NVI): A man from Hindu minority community in Pakistan’s Sindh province, who had an argument with members of another community over the desecration of a temple in Karachi, has now been accused of desecration.

In another act of violence and intolerance against the Hindu minority community, an ancient Hindu temple was vandalised in Karachi on Monday as Hindu Gods and relics mounted in the temple were desecrated and found to be in damaged condition.

According to The Rise News, a man who belongs to Meghwar community in Shahdadpur city of Sindh province has been accused of blasphemy.

A group of locals held protests against the minority Hindu community and demanded that three men should be arrested. As per the news website, one of them is arrested and an FIR has been registered.


This is just another instance of minorities in Sindh being targeted for their faith.

The attack temple comes just days after the two incidents of vandalism in October (October 10 and October 24) of Hindu temples in Pakistan’s Sindh province. One person was said to be arrested in connection with the October 10 incident.

First-ever District Development Council polls in J&K from Nov 28

LUBNA FAYAZ

Srinagar (NVI): The Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission today announced the first ever District Development Council (DDC) polls to be held in eight phases from November 28.

“The DDC elections will be held from November 28 in eight phases and will conclude on December 22,” said KK Sharma, J&K Election Commissioner while addressing a press conference in Jammu.

“Along with the DDC pols, by-elections for the vacant sarpanch and panchayat seats will also be conducted simultaneously. Polling will happen through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and postal ballots will also be available for Covid-19 patients in isolation, senior citizens and differently-abled persons,” he said.

“With today’s announcement regarding elections, model code of conduct is in vogue from today itself. The first formal notification for the first phase of elections will be issued tomorrow (on Thursday),” Sharma added.

Interestingly, KK Sharma was recently appointed as first Election Commissioner of J&K EC.

Speaking about delimitation, he said, “the process has been completed for all the constituencies. Also, 280 DDCs have been identified across the J&K UT for the process.”

“The term of the DDC will be for five years and West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) will also be entitled to exercise their right to vote for the first time,” he said, adding, “Each DDC in Jammu and Kashmir has 14 constituencies and all arrangments for conducting the elections have been finalised. COVID-19 protocol will be followed religously.”

Sharma further said that the elections for 228 vacant seats of ULBs will also be held subsequently.

“After taking the feedback from various security agencies, a proper security mechanism will be in place and all concerns have been addressed,” he said.

-ARK

PM Modi to meet Italy’s Conte at virtual summit on Friday

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte at a virtual summit on Friday to review the broad framework of the bilateral relationship and exchange views on major regional and global issues of mutual concern.

India and Italy share a warm and multifaceted relationship based on strong historical ties, common democratic traditions, rule of law and a shared goal of international peace and stability, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

India views Italy as an important member of the EU and values its positive contribution in furthering India-EU ties, MEA said.

India-Italy relations are marked by regular high-level exchanges which saw incoming visits by Italian Prime Ministers in 2017 and 2018. Bilateral trade stood at Euros 9.52 billion in 2019, it said.

Italy is India’s 5th largest trading partner in the EU, after Germany, Belgium, UK and France. Around 600 large Italian companies are active in India, covering varied sectors such as fashion and garments, textiles and textile machinery, automotive components, infrastructure, chemicals, energy confectionery, insurance etc.

Several Indian companies are also active in Italy. Several Government-to-Government and Private Sector agreements/MoUs are under finalization and will be concluded on this occasion, the ministry added.

-ARK

Cabinet approves MoU signed with Israel for cooperation in health, medicine

New Delhi (NVI): The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Israel for cooperation in the field of health and medicine.

The MoU covers areas of cooperation such as exchange and training of medical doctors and other health professionals, assistance in development of human resources and setting up of health care facilities and exchange of information regarding regulation of pharmaceutical, medical devices and cosmetics, the statement said.

In addition to this, it includes sharing expertise for vulnerability assessment for health of citizens against climate risk and public health actions targeted towards mitigation and adaptation.

“Furthermore, sharing of expertise for facilitating climate resilient infrastructure as well as providing support for development of ‘Green Healthcare’ (climate resilient hospitals) and promoting mutual research in various relevant areas, besides any other area of cooperation as may be mutually decided upon,” the statement read.

Each party shall encourage the participation of the representatives of their countries in round tables, seminars, symposia, workshops and conferences on issues of cooperation, organised by the other party’s relevant bodies, the statement added.

-CHK

Thai Airways launches spiritual ‘flight to nowhere’; to fly over Buddhist sites

New Delhi (NVI): Thai Airways has launched a special spiritual “flight to nowhere” for passengers who want to recite mantras while flying over some of Thailand’s holiest Buddhist sites.

The airline will fly a one-off flight under the “THAI Magical Flying Experience Campaign”, which will last for three hours on November 30 and fly over 99 religious sites across the nation.

Wiwat Piyawiroj, a vice president at Thai Airways, said in a statement that the flight is intended to fall under the country government’s plan to boost domestic tourism in Thailand.

The plane will take off from Bangkok and journey over Wat Arun and the Temple of Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, Phra Samut Chedi in Samut Prakarn, Wat Phra Boromma That Chaiya in Surat Thani and the UNESCO-listed heritage sites in Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, the CNN Travel reported.

In total, passengers will travel over 31 of Thailand’s 77 provinces including, before returning to the Thai capital.

During the journey, a celebrity fortune teller and religion history expert, Dr Khata Chinbunchon, will lead the in-flight chanting of Buddhist mantras.

Thailand, like many other destinations around the world, has experienced a significant decrease in tourism revenue amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The sightseeing flights in places like the Grand Canyon and the Nazca Lines have existed for a long time, but the “flight to nowhere” is a more recent trend.

As the airlines in Thailand struggle to recover their losses and travelers are hemmed in by closed borders, these sightseeing flights have become an option to meet in the middle.

Furthermore, the airways has confirmed that the flight will only accept bookings up until November 25. The economy class tickets for the flight start from 5,999 baht (€165) for economy class and 9,999 baht (€275) for premium class.

-RJV

Delhi witnessing third wave of COVID-19: Kejriwal

Free Covid vaccination
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi (NVI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said a third wave of coronavirus is now sweeping through the city and the government is preparing for all contingencies.

While inspecting the process of converting stubble to fertiliser at Hiranki village, Delhi CM said, “For some time now, Delhi has seen an increase in the number of the coronavirus cases. We may refer to it as the third wave. We are holding a review meeting tomorrow over this.”

There would soon also be a decision on the use of firecrackers in the city during the festival season, Kejriwal said.

He said authorities are preparing to ensure there is no shortage of hospital beds during any emergencies.

The CM also said that the Delhi government would move the Supreme Court (SC) to vacate the stay imposed by the Delhi high court (HC) on the city administration’s order of reserving 80 per cent of the intensive care unit (ICU) beds for Covid-19 patients in 33 private hospitals.

Kejriwal’s statement came after Delhi reported 6,725 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday and the overall tally went past 4,00,000.

-CHK

Amul to help develop dairy sector in J&K, launch milk products in Srinagar

Representational image

LUBNA FAYAZ

Srinagar (NVI): To provide benefits of Amul brand to the dairy farmers of Kashmir valley, the board of Jammu and Kashmir Milk Producers Cooperative Limited (JKMPCL) and Amul has announced the launch of pouch milk and fresh milk products in Srinagar.

Nisar Ahmad Bhat, among the Board of Directors of JKMPCL, said, “To undertake dairy development activities in the UT and to empower the milk producers of the Valley, JKMPCL with the support of Amul was established in the year 2004.”

“As on today, JKMPCL procures 1 lakh liters per day from 30,000 dairy farmers under Anand 3 tier model and has emerged as a financially viable dairy cooperative in the region,” Bhat added.

He also expressed gratitude towards Amul in bringing transparency in the system by investing in Automated Milk Collection System.

He further said that with the launch of Amul in the Valley we will further encourage dairy farmers to invest more in animal husbandry.

“We will reach out to more consumers in the Valley and this initiative will enable us to integrate the uncovered dairy villages of Kashmir and extend benefits of the Amul brand to more milk producing farmers, thereby creating employment opportunities for the youth,” Nisar said.

“The products will be packed at Chehsmashahi milk plant, which is laced with modern machinery and offers wholesome and hygienic products with high quality standards,” Nisar Ahmad added.

According to Amul’s branch head Amir Gupta, Amul will sell milk in three variants which will include Toned milk, standard milk and double toned milk. The company will also sell yogurt in cups.

-CHK

9 dead in major fire at Ahmedabad godown

New Delhi (NVI): At least nine people were killed in a major fire incident that broke out at a clothes’ godown in Ahmedabad, Gujarat today.

The fire broke out inside a warehouse on Piplaj-Pirana road in Ahmedabad, about 33 km south of Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat.

Following the blaze, the firefighters were rushed to the spot who pulled out 12 people from the rubble of the godown and shifted them to the LG Hospital, Ahmedabad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the fire incident. “Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire in a godown in Ahmedabad. Condolences to the bereaved families. Prayers with the injured. Authorities are providing all possible assistance to the affected,” PM Modi tweeted.

Reportedly, the building housing the godown located on Pirana-Piplaj Road collapsed due to the explosion after a fire.

Of the total 12 injured persons, four were declared as brought dead, while the eight others were under treatment, the hospital officials said.

-RJV

Cabinet approves investment of Rs 1,810 cr for Hydro Power Project in Himachal

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today approved investment of Rs 1,810.56 crore for 210 MW Luhri Stage-I Hydro Electric Project, located on river Satluj, which is situated in Shimla and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh.

This project will generate 758.20 million units of electricity annually, according to a CCEA statement.

The project is being implemented by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) on Build-Own-Operate-Maintain (BOOM) basis with active support from the Central and state governments.

It will be commissioned within a span of 62 months, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar announced.

The MoU for this project was signed with the Himachal Pradesh government during Rising Himachal, Global Investor Meet, which was inaugurated by PM Modi on November 7, 2019.

Furthermore, Centre is also supporting this project by providing grants of Rs 66.19 crore for enabling infrastructure which has helped in reducing in power tariff.

In addition to this, the power generated from the Hydro Power Project will help in providing Grid stability and will improve the power supply position. Besides adding valuable renewable energy to the Grid, the project would also lead to reduction of 6.1 lakh Tons of carbon dioxide from environment annually, thus contributing to improvement in air quality.

The construction activities of the project will result in direct & indirect employment to around 2000 persons and will contribute to overall socio-economic development of the state.

Himachal Pradesh will also benefit with free power worth around Rs 1,140 crore from Luhri Stage-I Hydro Electric Project, during project life cycle of 40 years.

The Project Affected Families will be provided with 100 units of free electricity per month for ten years.

-CHK

Clarks streamlines omnichannel strategy with Fynd

New Delhi (NVI): India’s biggest omnichannel platform Fynd today announced a partnership with the British footwear brand Clarks, to power the brand’s omnichannel strategy.

Fynd’s technology enables Clarks to digitally expand its brick and mortar stores and fulfill orders from customers anywhere in the country.

As more shoppers turn towards eCommerce, the brand understands the hesitation towards in-store shopping and has exercised a unified approach of bringing together e-commerce and brick and mortar stores, to provide customers with a great experience, a press release by Fynd said.

Fynd’s omnichannel solution helps Clarks solve inventory challenges by balancing the brand’s inventory across sales channels and improving its store and warehouse efficiency. It also empowers the store associates with a higher degree of autonomy to enable store sales, the release stated.

Kunal Sethi, General Manager, Ecommerce and Digital at Clarks, said: “The Retail industry has faced an onslaught of challenges during COVID-19. Fynd stands out as a retail vaccine for brands like Clarks, by providing us with an omnichannel ecosystem that ensures increased loyalty and conversions through a smooth, unified and personalized customer experience.” 

Clarks is already live on Myntra marketplace. In the coming months, Fynd and Clarks look forward to creating seamless customer journeys by integrating all the touchpoints, be it a store or warehouse.

Harsh Shah, Co-founder at Fynd said: “We’re thrilled to partner with Clarks to help bring their products to newer customers without a hassle. Our technology allows brands to extend their digital reach by unifying their inventory and sales channels in real-time. In omnichannel selling, the brand’s brick and mortar stores take an even more important role to strengthen retail.” 

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