New Delhi (NVI): In an interesting turn of events in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder, the Delhi High Court today refused to set aside the trial court’s order issuing death warrants to the convicts.
The Delhi government had informed the High Court that the four death row convicts cannot be hanged on January 22 as one of the convicts has filed a mercy plea, which is pending before President Ram Nath Kovind for consideration.
The court also has asked Mukesh’s counsel to approach trial court and apprise it about the pending mercy plea.
Nirbhaya, a 23-year-old girl, was brutally raped and murdered on the night of December 16, 2012, in a south Delhi area.
New Delhi (NVI): The government has released a list of 74 coal mines which it plans to auction under commercial mining after it lifted restrictions on the mining regime and opened the gates for private entry.
A company or a joint venture company incorporated in India is eligible to participate in commercial coal auctions, the coal ministry said in a statement.
The Ministry of Coal is initiating the process for auction of coal mines for its sale. Expected to be held in multiple tranches, the first tranche is proposed to be launched in the current financial year.
Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi said this is a historic step towards Ease of Doing Business and democratization of coal and mining sectors. Moving ahead after the recent amendments in Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act 1957 and the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015.
While releasing a list of 74 mines which it plans to auction under commercial mining, the Ministry of Coal has urged the interested stakeholders to view the Discussion Paper and the mine specific details, submit their views and suggestions, indicate their preferences for the mines to be considered for auction under the first tranche, as per the instructions provided in the Discussion Paper.
New Dehi (NVI): Audi India has launched its flagship crossover SUV, the Q8 with the price starting at Rs 1.33 crore.
The German luxury carmaker, Audi new Q8 is the new face of the Q family which currently includes Q3, Q5 and Q7.
The new Audi Q8 combines the elegance of a four-door luxury coupe with the practical versatility of a large SUV.
Some of the more prominent styling cues on the new Q8 include the massive front grille, distinctive LED headlights, its coupe-like roofline, frameless doors and flared wheel arches.
The rear features an angular tailgate and bumper design, but what dominates this area is the full-width tail-lights.
The Q8 is wider than the Q7 but lower and shorter than the latter. It gets a 605 litre-boot.
There are standard 21-inch alloys, with an option for 22-inch alloys.
The Q8 is powered by a BS6-compliant 3.0-litre TFSI engine with a 48V mild-hybrid system that puts out 340PS of power and 500Nm of torque.
This unit comes coupled with an 8-speed automatic gearbox and is offered with an AWD drivetrain.
The interiors of the Q8 conveys a luxurious charm and, together with the optionally-adjustable rear seat, also offers plenty of space in the rear.
The lounge character of the interior makes it an ideal companion for business or leisure.
Srinagar (NVI): Internet services were partially restored in Jammu and Kashmir today.
This comes after the J&K administration on Tuesday issued orders to restore broadband services in all government offices and institutions offering essential services like hospitals and banks.
However, there will be a complete ban on social media, the government order said. A review will be conducted after a week and the Lieutenant-Governor will then take a call on the restoration of cellphone internet services, it said.
The order came days after the Supreme Court, on January 10, had asked the UT administration to review all curbs, including a ban on the internet after the abolition of Article 370 in August last year.
New Delhi (NVI): India and Finland inked an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries, an official said.
The MoU on co-operation in the field of production, procurement, research and development of defence related equipment and industrial cooperation, has been inked on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue 2020.
It was signed by the Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Ministry of Defence of Finland Permanent Secretary Jukka Juusti.
Under the broad ambit of the MoU, cooperation between Finnish companies and Indian defence public sector undertakings could be explored.
A draft of this MoU was under discussion since the DefExpo 2018 and has now been formalised in the run up to DefExpo 2020 which to be held in Lucknow , Uttar Pradesh between February 5-9, 2020.
In 2019, Juusti had led a delegation to Aero India in Bengaluru and post his visit, the Permanent Secretary had evinced their interest to participate in the ‘Make in India’ vision and formalise an arrangement for Defence Industrial cooperation through an MoU.
On February 13, 2016, Prime Minister of Finland Juha Sipila had bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India for the inauguration of the ‘Make in India’ week.
On April 17, 2018, Prime Minister Modi held a bilateral meeting with Sipila during the first India-Nordic Summit in Stockholm, Sweden.
A delegation from Finland had also visited India between November 29 – December 02, 2018 to explore new business opportunities for Finnish companies.
New Delhi: With an objective of raising awareness on Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY amongst farmers, the National Health Authority has signed an MoU with ITC e-Choupal.
The MoU was signed with an aim of helping eligible farmers to have better understanding of the scheme and seek hospital treatment for serious illnesses through the scheme.
Through this collaboration, the two organisations will also conduct outreach and training activities.
Through this partnership, millions of farmers would be able to access the information via 6,000 e-choupals.
E-choupal which means “village meeting place” will constitutes a network of rural kiosks, providing number of information and communication related services for rural population.
Speaking about the collaboration, National Health Authority CEO Dr. Indu Bhushan said taht this partnership between National Health Authority and ITC e-Choupal, will empower millions of citizens in the rural India and Indian farmers with digital interventions.
“The collaboration focuses on providing secondary and tertiary treatment for a range of serious illnesses such as cancer, heart ailments, etc to farmers and their families in rural areas. It will also demonstrate how such innovative models can reach the remotest corners of the country, ” she added.
While, ITC corporate affairs senior vice president Anil K. Rajput said that the partnership with the National Health Authority will help to improve the health scenario in rural India.
“E-choupal will empower farmers in the hinterland by providing necessary information through an integrated network. Signing of MoU will help pave the way to quality curative care for farmers and all citizens outside urban centers,” he added.
As part of the MoU, ITC will conduct awareness camps through 400 Village Health Champions (VHCs) covering nearly 800+ villages across 10 Districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on a pilot basis.
These VHCs will make women and adolescents aware of the programme through group meetings and door-to-door connect.
ITC will also promote AB PM-JAY thorugh 23 Choupal Saagars and 18 fuel stations.
NHA will provide training modules and kit to train VHCs and Choupal Sanchalaks who will in turn raise awareness about the scheme among farmers and their families.
New Delhi (NVI): President Ram Nath Kovind today stressed upon the need for organ donation in the country while asserting that there is a need to create awareness on the issue.
The President, while addressing the 10th Foundation Day of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, ILBS here said, “There is a huge gap between the requirement and availability of organs needed for saving lives. The dearth of donors results mainly from the lack of awareness about organ donation.
President Kovind also urged ILBS to prepare a roadmap suggesting ways and means to encourage liver donation, to improve the related procedures and protocols, and to strengthen the infrastructure needed to support a higher number of liver transplants than is currently possible.
Speaking on the issue, he said that in the country, around two lakh liver transplants are required in a year, while only a few thousand are done every year.
The President said that the growing incidence of liver diseases is also linked to our unhealthy lifestyles.
He noted that, at present, nearly one out of four Indians have fatty liver and maybe ten per cent of them have liver diseases due to excessive body fat.
“This condition is known to be a precursor to development of diabetes and heart disease. And diabetics have greater incidence of liver disease than others,” he said.
“It is for institutes like ILBS to take up research that can clarify the linkages between our lifestyle and liver diseases. That would help in developing a preventive care system based in lifestyle changes,” he added.
New Delhi (NVI): The last date to comply with the new FASTag rule is today, January 15, 2020. People not having a FASTag for their cars will be penalized and will have to pay double the fees at toll plazas across all national highways (NH) in the country.
The deadline has already been extended twice. The first deadline was December 15, which was extended to December 31 and then finally to January 15.
Since December 15, 2019, 75% of all lanes at toll plazas were converted into FASTag lanes, but now only one hybrid lane in either direction will accept cash payments.
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has decided to relax the conditions regarding the declaration of FASTag fee lanes for 30 days from today at the identified 65 high cash transactions fee plazas of NHAI. The concerned fee plazas have been allowed to convert up to 25 per cent of all fee lanes to hybrid (cash plus FASTag) lanes during this time.
Srinagar (NVI): He is still known by his fans as ‘Sher Khan’ – the character he played some 25 years ago in one of his folk plays at his local village. Those days ‘Baand Pather’ was a popular medium of entertainment among the masses in Kashmir.
With the advent of newer forms of entertainment, the folk-art has almost disappeared now and 51-year-old Sher Khan aka Sonaullah Bhat, is struggling to earn a livelihood.
Bhat, along with some 50 folk artists from the village of Palhallan in north Kashmir now have to find some other means of living after the invasion of digital media. The volatile situation in the Valley after the 1990s also dented this art beyond repair.
Sonaullah Bhat
Sonaullah Bhat, who runs Gulmarg Luke Theatre – one of the folk groups in Palhallan, was introduced into the art of Baand Pather by his father Abdul Gani Bhat, who was a famous Shehnai player (Surnai in Kashmiri) at a very young age.
“My father introduced me to this form of art and the response, at that time, was tremendous. People used to love our art and we were earning handsome money to run our lives,” says Bhat while sitting in his ancestral home that is mostly made up of mud.
He says that over 100 families were associated with ‘Baand Pather’ in Palhallan alone but now the number has gone down considerably and the younger generation is showing little or no interest to carry forward the ancestry.
“Like Hangul, this profession too is at the verge of extinction. I don’t know how many years it will take but I am sure if it continues like this, the end for this form of art is sure,” says Bhat.
Till 1970s, the folk theatre was ruling the minds and hearts of Kashmiris as it was the main source of entertainment. People used to eagerly wait for the Baands (artists) to perform in their villages. ‘Baand Pather’ mostly used to highlight social problems and historical events. The artists would perform in open ground and the format of ‘Baand Pather’ comprised of songs and dialogues interspersed with humour.
Bhat remembers how he used to accompany his father to different villages and be part of the street plays. He says that with even with limited media at that time, Baands used to enjoy good fame and respect among the masses.
“Earlier, Doordarshan and Radio Kashmir used to telecast 4-5 shows in a month but now they telecast one show in three months, so you can imagine how folk art is being treated,” he lamented.
Other than doing street shows and participating in folk festivals, these Baands used to perform in marriage ceremonies as well. But with the advent of newer forms of entertainment and music, the taste of people changed directly, affecting the livelihood of these artistes.
“Western music has also contributed to our fall. We don’t perform in marriages now. Apart from it, the lackadaisical approach from government as well as from the cultural academy has forced many artists to switch to other menial jobs,” says a hopeless Bhat while pointing towards an old Dhol (drum) which was used in their street plays.
In 2008, Bhat’s Gulmarg Luke Theatre was invited by Sangeet Natak Academy to perform in Mumbai. In 2016, they performed at Tagore Hall Srinagar, besides being part of many folk festivals. But all these achievements and years of hard work to keep alive the folk art have gone in vain.
Many among these artists (Baands) who were popular some 20 years ago are now either working as labourers or street-hawkers.
Bhat, who is the president of one of the folk theatres, sells needles and other cosmetic items in different villages now.
“As this art started disappearing, we too started looking for other means to run our families. It is unfortunate that most of us are now going door to door and selling clothes, cosmetics and other items. Those who can’t even do this are sitting idle,” says Bhat.
He says that Baands never had agricultural lands and they used to perform folk plays to meet their daily requirements.
Like Sonullah Bhat, his uncle and a known Shehnai (Surnai) player in the region, Ghulam Nabi Bhat’s condition in no different. Nabi, who has played Surnai for some 46 years now, is a fragile old man with hopelessness on his face. Though he still plays Surnai whenever he gets a chance to perform, the energy and the intensity with which he played the instrument some 40 years ago is gone now.
Ghulam Nabi Bhat
Nabi remembers how the voice coming out of his Shehnai use to attract the large crowd in the villages a few decades ago but now he searches opportunities to take out his instrument to play it.
“From some years I am sitting idle. There is no work left as nobody is showing interest in it. I played Shehnai in Mumbai, Delhi, Manali and other places but now new generation doesn’t want to learn this instrument as many electronic musical devices are available in the market,” Says Nabi.
He said it is difficult to learn to play this instrument and people don’t have time to spend learning old instruments like these. “Over the years, my hands and mouth are not responding to the instrument as I get chance to play once in three months,” says Nabi.
New Delhi (NVI): Abolition of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir has disrupted Pakistan’s proxy war, Army Chief General MM Naravane said today and asserted that his force will not hesitate in using the options available to it against those who promote terrorism.
On the occasion of Army Day, he said the force is working towards procuring new weapon systems while focussing on the future warfares.
“The abrogation of Article 370 is a historic step. This will play an important role in integrating Jammu and Kashmir with the mainstream. This decision has also disrupted the plans of our western neighbour and its proxies,” he said while addressing officers and jawans to mark the 72nd Army Day.
Gen Naravane said the Army has a zero-tolerance towards terrorism. “We have many options to counter those who promote terrorism and we will not hesitate to use them,” he said.
He said the Army’s focus is also on the nature of future warfares. “The formation of integrated battle groups to face the challenges of 21st century is an important step forward. We are also working towards promoting niche capabilities like cyber, space, special operations and electronic warfare,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter and hail the armed forces on the occasion.
“Our Army is known for its valour and professionalism. It is also respected for its humanitarian spirit. Whenever people have needed help, our Army has risen to the occasion and done everything possible!” he tweeted, adding that he is “proud” of the soldiers.
President Ram Nath Kovind also tweeted, “On Army Day, greetings to the valiant men and women of the Indian Army, to veterans and to their families. You are our nation’s pride, the sentinels of our liberty. Your immense sacrifice has secured our sovereignty, brought glory to our nation and protected our people. Jai Hind!”
Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and were also present on the occasion. This is the first time that Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) has attended the event.
The Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year to mark Lt Gen KM Cariappa taking over as commander-in-chief of the Indian Army in 1949 from General Francis Butcher, the last British commander-in-chief of the Indian Army.
