India

New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) The festival of Lohri was celebrated with great enthusiasm on Monday. On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Lohri celebrations held at Naraina Vihar in the national capital. The PM also attended the Pongal celebrations at the residence of Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy.

In a post, the Prime Minister wrote, "Lohri has a special significance for several people, particularly those from Northern India. It symbolises renewal and hope. It is also linked with agriculture and our hardworking farmers. This evening, I had the opportunity to mark Lohri at a programme in Naraina in Delhi. People from different walks of life, particularly youngsters and women, took part in the celebrations. Wishing everyone a happy Lohri!”

In the pictures, PM Modi can be seen affectionately interacting with a young child and taking a selfie with another child.

At the Pongal celebration at G. Kishan Reddy’s residence, PM Modi engaged with the artists present and greeted them with folded hands. He shared pictures on social media platform X, writing, “Attended Sankranti and Pongal celebrations at the residence of my ministerial colleague, Shri G. Kishan Reddy Garu. Also witnessed an excellent cultural programme. People across India celebrate Sankranti and Pongal with great fervour. It is a celebration of gratitude, abundance and renewal, deeply rooted in the agricultural traditions of our culture. My best wishes for Sankranti and Pongal. Wishing everyone happiness, good health and a prosperous harvest season ahead.”

During the Pongal celebrations, PM Modi also lit the Bhogi Agni (the ritual fire).

Lohri is a major festival for the Sikh community, particularly celebrated in Punjab and Haryana. It marks the harvesting of Rabi crops and the end of winter. On this day, prayers are offered to Lohri Mata. In the evening, friends, relatives, and families gather around a bonfire, circling it while offering jaggery, peanuts, rewari, gajak, and popcorn as part of the ritual.

Pongal, on the other hand, is dedicated to the Sun God. According to tradition, it signifies the end of the winter solstice and the beginning of the sun’s six-month-long northward journey (Uttarayan). A sweet dish called Pongal is prepared for the occasion and first offered to the deities. Sometimes, cows are also given the prasad, after which it is shared with family members.

--IANS

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Srinagar, Jan 13 (IANS) The Sonamarg tunnel, dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, is an economic game changer whose short-term and long-term benefits cannot be overstated.

Built at 8,562 feet above sea level in the Gagangir area of J&K’s Ganderbal district, the 6.4 km long double-lane tunnel was completed at a whooping cost of Rs 2,700 crore.

The tunnel bypasses the Gagangir-Sonamarg stretch of the Srinagar-Sonamarg road, which is prone to avalanches and heavy snowfall during the winter months, making the tourist resort of Sonamarg unavailable to visitors and locals. In fact, the residents of Sonamarg and Neelgrad villages would migrate before winter to lower heights in the Ganderbal district as the villages remained inaccessible during winter. These hardy souls will not have to abandon their homes now.

Thanks to the Sonamarg tunnel, after Gulmarg, this tourist destination can become a world-famous ski resort given its lofty slopes and high snowclad pastures.

The Sonamarg tunnel will open new avenues of employment for the local youth, and give year-round work to pony wallahs, sledge operators, and tour and travel operators, in addition to boosting the local economy through trade and tourism.

The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) oversaw the Z-Morh tunnel constructed by APCO Infratech Private Ltd.

Once the Zojila tunnel across the Zojila Pass is completed, it will make all-weather access from Sonamarg to Dras in the Kargil district possible.

National Highway-1 connects Kashmir with Ladakh and lies south of the Line of Control (LOC).

The highway was under attack during the 1999 Kargil conflict and has strategic significance in connecting two northern regions of India - Kashmir and Ladakh.

The Zojila tunnel will start from Baltal in the Ganderbal district to Minimarg in Dras and will have an approach road of 18 km. It is expected to be completed by 2028.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) The residents of Munirka village, falling under the RK Puram Assembly constituency have been facing drainage problems for the past many years but unfortunately none of the elected representatives including the councillor and legislator from the area took note of their problems.

As the capital gears up for Assembly elections, many voters from the Munirka village spoke to IANS and shared their persistent pain because of the overflowing drains in the area.

Parmila Tokas is currently the MLA from here and she has been given a ticket by Aam Aadmi Party for the third time.

Dirty sewer water accumulates on the roads and streets due to which school-going students and office-goers face a lot of problems. Those operating shops also face a lot of trouble.

Many locals said that the local MLA didn’t make any effort to solve the sewer problem.

An elderly woman said, "We are facing a lot of trouble because of the broken sewer. I fall every day. The government should take note and repair the road and drains here."

“Clogged drains are a big problem for all of us living here. We have to get them cleaned on our own. Repeated requests to the administration fall on deaf ears. The legislator doesn’t pay heed to our complaints. We have to get them cleaned on our own, at our own expense,” said another local resident.

Another local said, "Sewer water has been flowing here for the last seven-eight days. Despite being a local, the MLA has not done any work."

A woman pointed to the drain water, flowing on the streets and said the residents of the area have been subjected to suffer because of the overflowing drains.

"The problem is quite severe. Children have to wade through sewer water in the morning. Close relatives have stopped coming home."

Another woman said, "Sewage water has been flowing on the road for a week. Sewer water is also coming into the house. Only we know how we are living our lives."

Meanwhile, the elections for the 70-member Delhi Assembly are to be held on February 5 and the counting of votes is scheduled for February 8.

--IANS

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Muzaffarnagar, Jan 13 (IANS) BJP leader and former Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan on Monday wrote a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, complaining about the attitude of the police.

In his letter, Balyan also raised the issue of his security being withdrawn. He alleged that his security had been taken away because he raised his voice against the corruption of the Muzaffarnagar Police.

He further stated in the letter that he was attacked during the Lok Sabha elections, and if he is attacked again, the responsibility would lie with the state government officials.

He also informed CM Yogi Adityanath about the encroachment of land belonging to a temple and dharamshala in Khanupur village by Mansurpur Distillery.

In the letter, former Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan stated: "The land of the temple and dharamshala in Khanupur village was illegally transferred with the collusion of previous government officials to Mansurpur Distillery. On January 1, in connivance with Muzaffarnagar police, the distillery occupied the land and filed false cases against the villagers."

He added that the Muzaffarnagar police officers might not have brought this matter to the Chief Minister's attention.

The BJP leader also mentioned that he, along with the villagers, went to the Mansurpur police station on January 12 in protest.

He further stated that he had previously lodged complaints with senior police officers regarding the involvement of Muzaffarnagar police in property disputes, but no action had been taken so far.

In his letter to CM Yogi Adityanath, Balyan demanded immediate action on this matter.

He wrote: "Considering your life's journey, I am confident that you will take just action regarding the land encroachment of the temple and dharamshala."

Regarding the withdrawal of his security, Balyan stated that while he was not concerned about his own safety, the attitude of the police towards a former Union Minister raised concerns about the condition of ordinary BJP workers.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) The battle for Delhi is witnessing a fierce rivalry among political parties to woo and lure the voters, particularly from slum dwellers in various parts of the capital.

As those living in slums take centre stage in Delhi Assembly elections, IANS undertook a reality check of the slum dwellers of Geeta Colony, their living conditions and also about the development in the past 10 years of the AAP government.

Many residents of Geeta colony shared that they are facing problems of water scarcity, and poor hygiene and their multiple complaints have gone unheard despite their multiple appeals to the administration.

Chandravati, a local resident said that they have to struggle to get clean drinking water on a daily basis.

“Party leaders forget us after getting elected. They come here just to ask for votes. They give us assurance with folded hands but after the elections are over, no one comes to take cognizance of our problems. People living in slums are remembered only during elections,” she said.

Kiran Devi venting her anger with the local legislator said that they have been left to fend for themselves.

“There is a water problem, there is a drainage problem,” she said.

“We face water crisis in all seasons including Summers and Winters. We drink water by buying a water bottle for Rs 20,” she stated.

Sulekha said that during elections everyone comes to seek vote. But after getting votes, no one comes to show their face. Delhi government has done one good thing a road has been built here. But the water problem has not been solved.

Shyam Mishra however, looked convinced with the incumbent government. He said that the local MLA has worked in our colony.

“We will support the Delhi government in the elections. They have made electricity-free,” he said.

Gopal Singh said that the Delhi government has not done any work and demanded that the needs of children and the elderly should be addressed.

Vinay said that the local MLA hasn’t done anything. The people of the colony do not even recognise the MLA.

“The local MLA got his son a ticket from here. If he had worked, he would not have needed to get a ticket for his son. Delhi needs change this time and it should start from here,” he said.

--IANS

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New Delhi, January 13 (IANS) Acting swiftly on the recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium, the Centre on Monday cleared the appointment of Patna High Court's Chief Justice Krishnan Vinod Chandran to the apex court.

In a post on X, Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal announced that the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI), was pleased to appoint Justice Chandran as a Supreme Court judge.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Krishnan Vinod Chandran, Chief Justice, Patna High Court, to be a Judge of the Supreme Court of India with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office," said a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.

Last week, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended the name of Patna Chief Justice Chandran for elevation as a judge of the apex court.

"While recommending his name, the Collegium has taken into consideration the fact that there is no representation on the Bench of the Supreme Court from the High Court of Kerala," said a statement released by SC Collegium.

Justice Chandran was appointed as a judge of the Kerala High Court in November 2011 and was elevated to the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on March 29, 2023.

"He has served as a Judge of the High Court for more than 11 years and as a Chief Justice of a big High Court for more than a year. During his long tenure as a Judge and Chief Justice of the High Court, Mr Justice Chandran has acquired significant experience in diverse fields of law,” the SC Collegium said.

In its meeting, the apex court Collegium deliberated on and discussed the names of Chief Justices and senior puisne judges of the High Courts eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court.

Born on April 25, 1963, Justice Chandran stands at serial no. 13 in the combined all-India seniority of High Court Judges. He obtained a law degree from Thiruvananthapuram’s Kerala Law Academy Law College and started practice in 1991. Before elevation, he served as Special Government Pleader (Taxes) of the Kerala government from 2007 to 2011.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva on Monday said that AAP National Convenor and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has completely lost his political ground in Delhi.

Out of desperation and on seeing his imminent defeat, anarchist Kejriwal has now started maligning the Election Commission and the election process, he said, referring to an attempt by the AAP to create a controversy over its Patparganj candidate Avadh Ojha’s vote from Greater Noida to Delhi.

Sachdeva posed a question to Kejriwal: Avadh Ojha joined the AAP on December 2, and it was decided that he would contest the elections from that very day, why did he remain inactive until the final day of the vote transfer process on January 6?

The Delhi BJP President noted that while Kejriwal is pushing for Avadh Ojha’s vote transfer even after the stipulated timeframe, he has objections to timely processed voter registrations of residents staying at BJP MPs’ houses in the New Delhi constituency.

Sachdeva stated that Kejriwal is sure to face a massive defeat in the New Delhi Assembly constituency. In Jangpura, Manish Sisodia is losing, and, in Kalkaji, Chief Minister Atishi Marlena is out of contention due to a strong BJP candidate.

Out of sheer desperation, Kejriwal is now preparing the ground to justify his defeat on February 8 by levelling allegations against the Election Commission.

Sachdeva added that Kejriwal has made it a habit to level wild allegations before approaching the Election Commission but after meeting poll panel officials, he comes out saying, “I am grateful.”

Earlier, Member of Parliament from West Delhi Kamaljeet Sehrawat stated that due to Kejriwal neglecting rural Delhi’s development, not only the Jat community but all 36 communities from Bijwasan to Narela have decided to reject him.

Sehrawat said that Kejriwal, frustrated by the despair of impending defeat, alternates between trying to incite religious unrest by raising issues of temple demolition, scaring slum dwellers with the fear of their slums being demolished, and provoking the Purvanchali community.

Kejriwal’s efforts to mislead the Jat community in the name of caste reservation are falling flat.

Sehrawat added that during his decade-long tenure, Kejriwal never cared about the Jat community.

She said that former Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot has revealed that whenever he raised issues related to the welfare of the Jat community during the last 10 years, Kejriwal downplayed and ignored them.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Monday succesffuly conducted the field evaluation trials of the indigenously developed Missile 'Nag Mk 2'.

According to the ministry of Defence, this is a third-generation 'Anti-Tank Fire-and-Forget Guided Missile.'

The trials were successfully conducted at the Pokhran Field Range.

During the trials, the missile demonstrated its precision by accurately destroying targets at both maximum and minimum ranges, thereby validating its firing capabilities.

The defence experts said that the 'Nag Missile Carrier' (version 2) was also evaluated during the tests. With these successful trials, the complete weapon system is now ready for induction into the Indian army.

During the three field trials, the missile systems destroyed precisely all the targets - maximum and minimum range, thus validating its firing range.

“The trials of the Guided Missile, were successfully conducted recently at Pokhran Field Range in the presence of senior officers of the Indian Army,” the MoD said in statement on Monday.

The Nag Missile Carrier version-2 was also field evaluated. With this, the entire weapon system is now ready for induction into the Indian Army.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, Indian Army and industry for the successful field evaluation trials of the entire weapon system of Nag Mk 2.

Secretary, Department of Defence R and D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat also appreciated the efforts of all the stakeholders for making the missile ready for induction into the Indian Army.

Last year, India had done successful launch of an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile, Agni 4. The launch was carried out from Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha on September 06, 2024.

The launch of 'Ballistic Missile, Agni 4' had successfully validated all operational and technical parameters. It was conducted under the aegis of Strategic Forces Command.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) Distribution of home voting forms for the Delhi Assembly election has begun with nearly 2,971 confirmations being received by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from elderly and disabled voters till Monday, an official said.

A total of 2,443 absentee voter senior citizens (AVSC) have expressed a desire to avail of the home voting facility by filing Form 12 D, an official said.

Till Monday, 528 absentee voter person with disability (AVPD) had sent in their requests to BLOs, expressing a desire to avail home voting, he said.

Nearly, 1.69 lakh Form 12 D have been distributed by the Delhi election office so far, an official said.

There are 1.10 lakh absentee voter senior citizens (AVSC) and for such voters, the Delhi election office has distributed 97,729 Form 12 D for home voting. The maximum number of 14,772 Form 12 D have been given to the elderly in the West district.

There are 79,438 AVPD in the city out of which 71,632 have got Form 12 D so far. The maximum number of 12,139 disabled voters who have received the form so far are in South West district, the official said.

The recipients of Form 12 D have time till January 20, the last date for withdrawal of candidature for contestants, to inform their BLO about their intention to avail of the home voting facility, the official said.

Home voting will take place over three days whose dates will be announced after January 20, said an aide of Chief Electoral Officer R. Alice Vaz.

Earlier, the Gazette Notification for the Delhi Assembly election was issued on January 10. The last date for filing nominations is January 17, the date for scrutiny of nominations is January 18, and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is January 20. Voting will take place on February 5 and the result will be declared on February 8.

The date before the elections should be completed is February 10.

The poll schedule was announced on January 7 by Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu who addressed a press conference in Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital.

As per the CEC, Delhi has 70 constituencies, including 58 general and 12 SC, across 11 districts. There are 83.49 lakh male voters, 71.74 lakh female voters, and 25.89 lakh young voters, culminating in a total of 1.55 crore voters. He mentioned that the total number of polling stations is 13,033 in the national capital, out of which PwD and women-managed are 70 each.

CEC Kumar also mentioned that the Saksham App for the PwD voters, Home Voting facilities for the senior citizens, and CVIGIL for complaints will also be available to address the concerns of the people.

The term of the current Delhi Assembly ends on February 23, and the whole election process has to be completed before that.

--IANS

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Patna, Jan 13 (IANS) The controversy surrounding the protests over Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exams is likely to deepen further as educator and YouTuber Faisal Khan, popularly known as Khan Sir, has refused to apologise for his alleged derogatory remarks about the commission's officials.

Khan Sir's reaction came two days after BPSC issued a 5-page notice to him (on January 11), citing certain remarks he made during the protests about the officials.

The notice accused Khan Sir of provoking agitating candidates and making objectionable remarks against senior BPSC officials, including the chairman and secretary.

He has been given 15 days to issue a public apology. However, Khan Sir has firmly denied the allegations and defended his actions.

Despite the threat of a criminal case, Khan Sir firmly said: "I would prefer to face a jail term rather than apologise to the BPSC. The commission is labelling a teacher as a criminal and the people of the country are watching that."

The BPSC has accused Khan Sir of instigating candidates during protests and using inappropriate language against its officials.

He emphasised that apologising would demoralise the students who are protesting for their rights, as it would undermine their cause and discourage future efforts to demand justice.

He affirmed that his fight is not personal but aimed at safeguarding the self-respect and aspirations of the candidates. Khan Sir, in his defence, stated that he was present at the Gardanibagh dharna site solely to support students who belong to middle-class families and lack resources, not to provoke them.

“These candidates are mature, aspiring officers of DSP and SDM ranks who cannot be easily influenced,” Khan Sir said.

BPSC claims that Khan Sir alleged that seats in the commission were sold, which it considers a serious and baseless accusation.

Khan Sir clarified that his comments regarding seats being "sold" were based on widespread media reports and public discourse, reflecting dissatisfaction with the commission.

He reiterated that this sentiment is shared by many.

“I proposed a narco test for myself first and then the BPSC chairman, and other officials. The tests should be conducted in the presence of the media, to determine who is truthful about allegations of corruption and misconduct,” Khan Sir said.

Referring to the examination held on December 13, 2024, he criticised the commission for failing to ensure fairness, especially at the Bapu Centre, which the BPSC claimed to be a secure venue but faced allegations of massive irregularities.

Khan Sir pointed out frequent incidents of exam paper leaks and large-scale irregularities during BPSC examinations, such as the chaos at the Bapu Centre, which was supposed to be highly secure.

He argued that the commission's inability to conduct fair and secure exams has tarnished its image more than any external criticism.

Khan Sir suggested that if BPSC conducts a re-examination across the state, he would comply with whatever conditions the commission sets, signalling a willingness to collaborate for a resolution.

Khan Sir has taken a bold and defiant stand against the Bihar Public Service Commission's (BPSC) notice, emphasising his commitment to supporting students and defending their rights.

--IANS

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