SRINAGAR, Jan 27: The Anti Corruption Bureau on Friday said it caught a Patwari red-handed while demanding and accepting bribe in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. Quoting an official, that Tariq Ahmad Shah, posted as Patwari Halqa, Hathbura, Ganderbal was caught red handed by sleuths of ACB of CBI Srinagar in a well laid trap while demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 50,000 from a complainant.
He said the amount was recovered from the accused Patwari on the spot in the presence of the independent witnesses.
He said the ACB Srinagar has registered a formal case FIR .No.01/2023 under section 7 of the Prevention of corruption act, 1988. ( as amended in 2018).
The official said the accused Patwari was arrested on spot and taken into custody.
ACB Arrests Patwari While Accepting Bribe In J&K’s Ganderbal
Rajasthan: Malaseri Dungri village ready to welcome PM
The Malaseri Dungri village of Bhilwara district in Rajasthan is wearing a fresh look. Brisk preparations are going on to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to address a mammoth gathering, being organized to mark the 1111st birth anniversary of Shree Devenarayan’s Birth Anniversary.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Governor Kalraj Mishra are expected to attend the event, said a BJP spokesman.
Malaseri Dungri in Bhilwara district has a famous temple of Shree Devnarayan, the deity of the Gurjar community. About 12 kms away Asind town in Bhilwara district, Malaseri Dungri holds great religious importance for the Gurjar community, being the birth place of Shree Devnarayan.
People of the community, about 2 to 3 lakh, are expected to participate in the PM’s programme from Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Maharashtra. Anyway, the Gurjar community people used to visit this temple every year. This time, Shree Devnarayan’s idol will be decorated with 1111 flowers on his birth anniversary, and prominent Gurjar community saints will share the dais with the Prime Minister.
Union Minister of State for Cultural Affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal, BJP President Satish Poonia and State BJP General Secretary, Alka Gurjar are camping in the district to supervise the preparations.
Preparations are in the final stage to erect a huge dome for lakhs of devotees to sit and listen to the PM and the Saints. Special helipads are ready for the PM and other dignitaries.
Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee said that the BJP has finalized the entire schedule of the Prime Minister to woo the Gurjar Community in view of the upcoming Assembly polls later this year. The area has no MLA from the Gurjar community.
Swarnim Chaturvedi, Congress Spokesman, said the Congress party has 7 Gurjar community MLAs in the Assembly, and the Gehlot Government has given a number of schemes for the welfare, scholarship and Devnarayan Board to the community.
“We expect that the PM shall oblige the community by giving the national monument status to Malaseri Dungri and its temple area”, Swarnim demanded.
Pathaan crosses ₹ 235 cr gross at the worldwide Box office
As expected, Pathaan is getting tremendous response across the nation, where Shah Rukh Khan has made a comeback after a period of four years to the screen.
His fans in many places in the country and abroad celebrated the release of the Hindi action thriller film by dancing and bursting fire crackers in and around the cinema halls.
On Day 2, January 26, the film reached in the vicinity of Rs 70 crore in the country as the nation was celebrating the Republic Day. Meanwhile, it crossed Rs 235 crore worldwide.
After its release, Pathaan, has taken the box office by storm.
With Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, the film took a bumper opening at the box offices. According to the early trends, the film earned around Rs 70 crore on Day 2 in the country alone. The Siddharth Anand-directorial clocked an occupancy of 65 per cent.
Meanwhile, the Tamil and Telugu dubbed version put in another Rs 2 to 3 crore to the total. The total worldwide box office collection of Pathaan stood over Rs 100 crore on Day 1.
According to trade analyst Ramesh Bala, “#Pathaan crosses ₹ 235 cr Gross at the WW Box office in 2 days (sic).”
Bharat Jodo Yatra To Resume From Jammu And Kashmir’s Banihal
JAMMU, Jan 27: The final leg of the Bharat Jodo yatra of Congress led by Rahul Gandhi will resume from National Highway-44, Banihal Railway station, Ramban district on Friday.
Security has been tightened in the area in the wake of the recent twin blasts on the outskirts of Jammu city.
“People are very excited and have come to welcome Rahul Gandhi despite the severe cold. Bharat Jodo will resume from Banihal and reach Anantnag on January 27,” Congress Leader, Jairam Ramesh said on Friday.
“Rahul Ji will address the media on January 29 in Srinagar. From Banihal we will reach Srinagar. The next three days will be important as we are marching through Jammu,” Jairam Ramesh said.
The Yatra had been cancelled due to poor weather conditions and landslides on Wednesday, Jairam Ramesh informed earlier.
The yatra will resume Friday morning while Thursday will be a rest day, he said on Wednesday.
Congress supporters were seen dancing and celebrations were underway to welcome Rahul Gandhi.
“Residents here feel that Rahul Ji is coming for them. They feel Rahul Ji is going to do something for them. He wants to give a new direction to the future of their children. The previous governments, both Centre and State did not do anything for them,” a Congress supporter said.
Jairam Ramesh further said that on January 30, there will be a meeting of opposition parties.
He said: “All security arrangements have been made in connection with the Yatra”.
The Yatra reached Jammu on Monday amid rain and snowfall forecast.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which started in Kanyakumari on September 7, will conclude on January 30 in Srinagar after covering 3,970 km, 12 states and two Union territories.
Delhi BJP to discuss organisational issues upcoming programmes in 2-day executive meeting
New Delhi, Jan 27 In the aftermath of its defeat in the MCD polls, the senior leaders of Delhi BJP will take stock of the existing organisational issues within the party at a state executive meeting on Friday.
The two-day executive committee meeting will also discuss roadmaps for the upcoming events including the 2024 Parliamentary and 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, a senior party functionary said.
A political proposal will be presented in the meeting that will seek to “expose” the Kejriwal government’s alleged “corruption and failure to deliver” besides highlighting various initiatives and development works in Delhi by the BJP-ruled central government, he said.
A discussion on the party’s performance in the past six months will include its defeat in the 2022 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections at the hands of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an office bearer said.
Some announcements of programmes in view of the 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly polls are also expected, he said.
The first day of the meeting will be held at the Delhi BJP office on Pant Marg. Working president Virendra Sachdeva will chair the meeting to be attended by senior state office bearers and the party’s MPs and MLAs in Delhi.
Union minister Anurag Thakur will address the second day of the executive meeting at Ambedkar International Centre on Janpath Road, party leaders added.
9 Palestinians killed by Israeli troops in Jenin clash, several injured
Nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, were killed by Israeli forces on Thursday during clashes in the refugee camp of Jenin, CNN reported, referring to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The raid that took place in the West Bank city took the overall toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces to 29 this year. Israeli military claimed there had been no injuries on their side, but they added that they were looking into “reports regarding more casualties during the exchange of fire.”
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC), Israeli forces first made it impossible for medical personnel to get to the Jenin camp, where four injured people were in serious condition.
It went on to say that Israeli forces also shot tear gas canisters at the Jenin Government Hospital, resulting in children suffering from inhalation injuries, according to CNN.
However, the Israeli force refuted claims of innocent Palestinians being killed in the raid and added that they were operating in Jenin Thursday to catch a “terror squad belonging to the Islamic Jihad terror organization,” saying in a statement that it killed three “terrorists,” the American broadcaster CNN reported.
As bloodshed continues to remain a part of Palestine, the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh called on the United Nations and international human rights organizations to “intervene urgently to provide protection to the children, youth and women.”
Active Covid Cases In Country Decline To 1,896
New Delhi, Jan 27: India logged 99 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases declined to 1,896, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.
The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,82,437).
The death toll stands at 5,30,739 with one death reported by Maharashtra, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The daily positivity was recorded at 0.10 per cent while the weekly positivity was pegged at 0.08 per cent.
The active cases now comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.81 per cent, the ministry said.
A decrease of 10 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to
4,41,49,802, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.
According to the ministry’s website 220.36 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.
The country crossed the grim milestone of four crore on January 25 last year.
PM Modi to interact with students, teachers, and parents in ‘Pariksha Par Charcha’ program today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with students, teachers, and parents in the yearly ‘Pariksha Par Charcha’ program today.
The program will start at 11.00 am. “Pariksha Pe Charcha is among the most exciting programs, giving an opportunity to discuss ways to make exams stress-free and support our Exam Warriors. I look forward to the program on the 27th of this month and urge you all to take part in this unique interaction,” PM Modi said in a tweet earlier.
Registration for the 6th edition of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ began on November 25 and closed on December 30.
As per the official of the Ministry of Education, registrations for the program have more than double this year compared to the year 2022.
About 38.80 lakh participants (Students- 31.24 lakh, Teachers – 5.60 lakh, and Parents – 1.95 lakh) have registered for PPC-2023 compared to about 15.7 lakhs for PPC-2022.
“Students from over 150 countries, teachers from 51 countries, and parents from 50 countries have also registered for PPC-2023,” an Education Ministry official told ANI.
Education Ministry officials further said that students, teachers, and parents have enthusiastically participated in big numbers from State Boards, CBSE, KVS, NVS, and other Boards.
About 2,050 participants selected through the creative writing competitions on MyGov will be presented with a special Pariksha Pe Charcha kit comprising of Exam Warriors book in Hindi and English, written by the Prime Minister, and a certificate. Some of the questions by the participants, to be selected by NCERT, may feature in PPC-2023.
According to the Ministry of Education, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conceptualized this unique interactive program – Pariksha Pe Charcha wherein students, parents, and teachers from across the nation and also from overseas interact with him to discuss anxieties related to examinations and life after school.
The event seeks to help in overcoming stress in order to celebrate life as an ‘Utsav’.
This event was organized successfully for the last five years by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.
The program is proposed to be in a town hall type format, as in the year 2022, while adhering to the COVID-19 protocols, as determined by the Ministry of Health.
Republic Day 2023: PM Modi dons multi-colored Rajasthani turban to symbolize India’s diverse culture
On the occasion of India’s 74th Republic Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known for celebrating the diverse culture of the country with his sartorial choices, donned a multi-coloured Rajasthani turban this year to symbolize India’s diversity.
Before the Republic Day parade, as PM Modi arrived at the National War Memorial, the first look at his outfit was revealed. Along with the distinctive turban he was seen wearing a white kurta with a black coat and white pants. The PM was also carrying a white stole around his neck.
The Republic Day celebrations commenced with the homage ceremony at the National War Memorial where PM Modi paid floral tributes to fallen heroes by laying a wreath.
Later, PM Modi and other dignitaries headed to the saluting dais at Rajpath to witness the Republic Day parade.
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings to all Indians on the occasion of the 73rd Republic Day.
“Many wishes for Republic Day. This time the occasion is more special because we are celebrating it during the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. I wish we move ahead unitedly to make the dreams of the great freedom fighters of the country come true. Happy Republic Day to all fellow Indians!” PM Modi tweeted in Hindi.
Last year, the PM sported a unique Uttarakhand traditional cap, which was embellished with a Brahmakamal-inspired brooch. Brahma Kamal is the state flower of Uttarakhand that the PM uses whenever he visits Kedarnath for pooja.
Meanwhile, Republic Day is being celebrated across the country with great fervour. On this day, 74 years back, India officially adopted its Constitution following its Independence from British rule.
India brace for T20 appetiser against NZ ahead of marquee Australia Test series
India are set for a T20 appetiser ahead of their marquee Test series against Australia when they face the touring New Zealand in a three-match series beginning here on Friday.
With less than two weeks left for the Border Gavaskar Trophy matches against Australia that will determine India’s World Test Championship Final fate, a T20 series in the midst of a packed ODI calendar ahead of the 50-over World Cup may seem purposeless.
As a result, Hardik Pandya, who led a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka earlier this month, is back leading the T20 side with some regulars and fringe players in the squad.
While skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami are being rested, the likes of Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and Kuldeep Yadav will get an extended run before they assemble for Test series camp at Nagpur from February 2.
There is also the welcome addition of attacking Mumbai opener Prithvi Shaw, who returns to the team on the back of a series of superlative performances in the domestic cricket including a record-breaking 379 against Assam in the Ranji Trophy.
It’s been over a year since the 23-year-old last played for India in July 2021 — and it remains to be seen if Pandya is tempted to fiddle his set opening combination of Gill and wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan.
Gill has been in the form of his life, especially in the ODIs where he has scored his career-best 208 to go alongside two centuries in last four innings.
When it comes to the T20 format, the elegant Punjab batter may look a bit iffy but he has showed that he has all the shots in his armoury to cement the opening slot.
In such a scenario, it remains to be see how Pandya slots in the spirited Shaw as he may have to wait for his chance.
Suryakumar also had a quiet ODI series against New Zealand but when it comes to T20 format the 360-degree batter becomes a dangerous entity as he would look relish the challenge and come back into groove ahead of the Test series.
While the batting looks sorted, it’s the bowling department that may demand some attention.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who returned from injury, was in the eye of storm in the series against Sri Lanka. He leaked 37 runs in two overs as India lost the T20I in Pune, their only reverse in the 2-1 series win. He would look to come up with a tidy show.
But there was also a bright spot in the bowling department with Shivam Mavi capping an impressive debut with 4/22.
Mavi bowled with pace and the way he cleaned up Pathum Nissanka is still fresh in the mind. The speedster would look to form a potent combination with Umran Malik.
In the last ODI, India had got a chance to witness ‘Kul-Cha’ in action after a long time but come the T20s, India may have to fret over the inclusion of either Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal.
Chahal has been the preferred option in the format and in the absence of Axar Patel it remains to be seen if the leg-spinner is persisted.
India have been at their marauding best in the ODIs they would expect some fightback by the Kiwis team led by Mitchell Santner in the T20 leg.
Left-hander Devon Conway showed his imperious form for the Black Caps scoring 138 from 100 balls as they gave India a run for their money in their defence of 386 in Indore.
Michael Bracewell too was at his consistent best with 188 runs from three matches as they would look to carry their momentum in the T20 leg.
Teams (from)
India: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (Captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wk), Dane Cleaver (wk), Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Benjamin Lister, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips (wk), Michael Rippon, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi and Blair Tickner.
Match starts: 7.30pm.