Regional

Jaipur, Sep 15 (IANS) With the aim of providing a platform to young female cricketers in its home state of Rajasthan, Royals Sports Group-owned IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals today announced the launch of a women's T20 competition in partnership with the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA).

The competition - Rajasthan Royals Women's Cup 2022 - will be held from September 16th to 19th in the city of Jodhpur, with the trials scheduled for 16th September 16 followed by six league matches along with the final from September 17- 19.

A total of six teams will be taking part in the inaugural edition of the RR Women's Cup, representing the six major cities of Rajasthan - Jaipur Warriors, Jodhpur Gladiators, Udaipur Thunderbolts, Ajmer Blazers, Kota Mavericks and Bikaner Strikers. Each team will have a pool of 25 players at its disposal, with 15 players each shortlisted from the trials to be held at the Spartans Cricket Academy Ground, Uchiyarda on September 16 and overseen by Royals' Head of High Performance Operations Romi Bhinder.

The six league matches will be conducted at the Spartans Cricket Academy Ground, Uchiyarda in Jodhpur on 17th and 18th September, followed by the Final on September 19. The league matches on both days will have start timings of 7 AM, 10:30 AM and 2 PM respectively, with Rajasthan Royals' explosive all-rounder Riyan Parag and local hero Shubham Garhwal set to be present for the Final. All matches will be livestreamed on Indian cricket streaming platform CricHeroes.

Commenting on the purpose of the competition, Rajasthan Royals CEO, Jake Lush McCrum said, "Transforming society through cricket is our overarching purpose as a franchise, and with the RR Women's Cup 2022, we are delighted to be bringing such an exciting opportunity to the talented girls of our home state with the support of the Rajasthan Cricket Association. With as many as 150 players from across the state expected to participate in the tournament, we are sure to witness some intense battles on the field and also identify potential talents that could be part of the state and national team, as well the Women's IPL in the future."

Royals' Head of High Performance Operations Romi Bhinder along with delegates of the Rajasthan Cricket Association will also be providing guidance and support to all the players during and post the tournament for their continued development.

--IANS
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Bharuch (Gujarat), Sep 15 (IANS) Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) chief Chhotu Vasava announced on Thursday that BTP will field candidates in all the 27 tribal reserve seats in the Gujarat Assembly elections scheduled to be held later this year.

"Not a single political party is interested in the welfare and development of either the tribes or the tribal areas. So we have decided to give effective representation to the tribal community, which is possible only if like-minded tribals get elected and fight for tribals' rights. BJP will field candidates in all the 27 reserved tribal seats, from Danta (North) to Umargam (South)," Vasava told IANS.

Refuting rumours that he took the decision after meeting BJP leaders to cut opposition votes, Vasava said, "I have not travelled to Gandhinagar for more than a month now, nor has any BJP leader approached me with any such suggestion. I fail to understand how such rumours surface."

Explaining why the party's alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) didn't work, Vasava said, "AAP was offering our cadres posts in their party... Such an alliances cannot work for long."

He also clarified that his party was never in talks with the Congress for seat-sharing.

--IANS
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Toronto, Sep 15 (IANS) As the so-called Khalistan referendum by the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) on September 18 nears, Toronto's most prominent BAPS Swaminarayan Temple was vandalised with pro-Khalistan graffiti on Wednesday.

The graffiti by the miscreants read 'Khalistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad'.

Posters have come up in the city of Brampton in Toronto suburbs, which is home to the biggest concentration of Indian community in Canada, calling for people to vote in the referendum. But there is hardly any support for the referendum among the local Sikh community.

The Indian High Commission in Ottawa has demanded strict action against the culprits for desecration at the BAPS temple.

"We strongly condemn the defacing of BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto with anti-India graffiti. We have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action against the perpetrators," a tweet read.

Expressing her outrage, Brampton South MP Sonia Sidhu tweeted, "I am distraught by the act of vandalism that has taken place at the #BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto.

"We live in a multicultural and multi-faith community where everyone deserves to feel safe. Those responsible should be located to face the consequences of their actions."

Calling the act of vandalism disgusting, Brampton North MP Ruby Sahota said, "All faiths have the right to practice in Canada without intimidation or fear. The criminals behind this act should be punished."

Chandra Arya, a prominent Hindu MP in the House of Commons, also tweeted to express his shock at the act of vandalism.

"Vandalism of Toronto BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir by Canadian Khalistani extremists should be condemned by all. This is not just an isolated event. Canadian Hindu temples have been targeted in the recent past by these kinds of hate crimes. Hindu Canadians are legitimately concerned," Arya tweeted.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 15 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate has issued a summon to Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar in connection with a money laundering case.

Reacting to the ED move, the senior Congress leader, who is currently busy making arrangements for the arrival of Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in the state, questioned the timing of the summon.

"In the midst of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the ongoing Assembly session, they have again issued me a summon to appear before the ED. I am ready to cooperate with the probe, but the timing of this summon and the harassment I am made to go through is coming in the way of discharging my constitutional and political duties," Shivakumar, who is in Mysore, tweeted on Thursday.

Even as the Karnataka Assembly session is underway, Shivakumar has been busy making preperations for the arrival of Bharat Jodo Yatra in the state.

In August this year, a Delhi court had granted bail to Shivakumar and other accused persons in connection with a 2018 money laundering case registered by the ED.

According to the financial probe agency, Shivakumar, who was a minister in Karnataka during the Congress regime, had generated huge amount of illegal and unaccounted cash and a criminal conspiracy was hatched with other co-accused persons for tax evasion and the tainted cash was transported from Bengaluru to Delhi.

The Income Tax Department had conducted search and seizure operations on August 2, 2017 at various properties in Delhi belonging to the accused persons, seizing unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 8,59,69,100, the probe agency had said.

--IANS
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Chennai, Sep 15 (IANS) As many as 282 people have tested positive for HINI influenza and are under treatment across the state, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian said here on Thursday.

He was briefing media persons after inspecting the fever ward at the Institute of Child Health (ICH) and Hospital for Children at Egmore, Chennai.

The minister said that of the 282 people who tested positive, 13 were admitted to government hospitals, 215 to private hospitals, and 54 were in home isolation.

Ma Subramanian said that 129 children were admitted to the Institute of Child Health (ICH) for fever but none tested positive for H1N1 influenza. Eighteen children were being treated for dengue fever. The minister said that there was no bed shortage at ICH and added that 637 children are admitted at ICH and that there are 837 beds in the hospital.

Circulars have been issued for managing children with H1N1 influenza, fever, and dengue. The minister said that pharmacies have been directed not to sell medicines for fever without prescriptions and have also asked laboratories to report to district health authorities on H1N1 and dengue cases.

There was no need for panic or fear as the number of H1N1 cases when compared to 2017 and 2018 was much lower and added that during the Covid-19 period the number of cases was less as people were wearing masks and social distancing was in place.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, Sep 15 (IANS) Women leaders and workers of the BJP on Thursday took out a bike rally from Bhagyalaxmi temple at historic Charminar as part of Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations.

Holding national flags and raising slogans, the participants on motor bikes marched from the historic monument to the Assembly where they offered tributes to India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Union minister for tourism and culture G. Kishan Reddy led the rally, which was organised by the BJP Mahila Morcha.

The rally passed through the busy Gulzar Houz, Patthergatti, Madina Circle, Nayapul, Afzalgunj, Siddi Amber Bazar, Moazzam Jahi Market and Nampally to reach Sardar Patel's statue in front of the Assembly building.

Kishan Reddy and other BJP leaders garlanded the statue of Sardar Patel and paid homage to him.

Union ministry of culture is organizing Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations on a grand scale to mark 75 years of the accession of erstwhile Hyderabad State with the Indian Union.

The bike rally was part of the year-long celebrations which kicked off on Wednesday with Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan inaugurating a photo and art exhibition.

The exhibition showcases archival images associated with the erstwhile Hyderabad State and its unification with India on September 17, 1948.

The main event will be held on September 17 at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad where Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hoist the national flag and review a parade.

Personnel of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Rapid Action Force (RAF) and other central armed police forces were rehearsing for the parade.

Meanwhile, Telangana Legislative Council chairman Gutta Sukhender Reddy has alleged that certain forces were trying to create communal hatred in the name of Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations.

Without naming anyone, he remarked that individuals holding Constitutional posts were also participating in the attempts to vitiate the atmosphere.

The government of Telangana has announced that the occasion will be celebrated as national integration day. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will hoist the national flag and address the people to launch year-long celebrations.

The state government also plans rallies by students, youth and women on September 16. A big procession is also planned in Hyderabad the next day culminating in a public meeting at NTR Stadium. The public meeting will be addressed by the chief minister and other leaders.

--IANS
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Sitapur (UP), Sep 15 (IANS) Four members of a family were killed and more than 35 injured when a truck laden with hay rammed into a tractor-trolley on NH 24 on Thursday.

The injured have been admitted to the Sidhauli health centre where the condition of few is stated to be serious. They re being referred to Sitapur district hospital.

According to reports, the impact of the collision was so strong that the tractor-trolley broke up into two parts.

The truck, meanwhile, rammed into a roadside shop after crossing over the divider.

All the passengers in the tractor-trolley were en route to Dewa Sharif in Barabanki from Shahjahanpur.

The highway had been jammed after the accident and the police are removed the blockade now.

--IANS
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Chennai, Sep 15 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday inaugurated the free breakfast scheme for the government school students of Classes 1 to 5 at Madurai.

The Chief Minister in his inaugural speech said that in the first phase 1.16 lakh students will be provided free breakfast. Stalin said, "This will be further expanded. No one should think that this is a freebie. It's the duty of the government to do this." He said that no poor and underprivileged student should drop out of school for the need of food.

The Tamil Nadu government has chosen September 15 for inaugurating the scheme as this is the birthday of the DMK founder leader and former Chief Minister, Late C.N. Annadurai.

In the first phase, the free breakfast scheme will be implemented in 1,545 schools. The free breakfast includes Pongal, Kichdi, Upma and on Fridays a sweet will be provided in addition to the regular breakfast which is either rava kesari or semya kesari.

A total of 417 schools located in Municipal corporations, 163 schools in municipalities, 728 schools in village panchayats and 237 schools in interiors of the state and hilly areas will be covered under the first phase of the scheme.

--IANS
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Gandhinagar, Sep 15 (IANS) Former Minister of State and ex-chairman of Mehsana District Cooperative Producers Union Ltd (Dudhsagar Dairy) Vipul Chaudhary was arrested by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on alleged corruption charges from his Gandhinagar residence, officials said on Thursday.

"In May, a complaint was filed against Vipul Chaudhary and his personal secretary for siphoning off dairy's money with ACB Mehsana branch. A case was then registered under various sections of IPC for criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, forgery of valuable security, and conspiracy," the ACB said in a statement.

His personal secretary, Chartered Shailesh Parikh, has been detained in the case.

The action against the two was taken late on Wednesday night.

Reportedly, around Rs 300 crore of Dudhsagar dairy has been diverted in the name of an agency doing business with Dudhsagar dairy.

Vipul Chaudhary, along with his supporters, was running a campaign for the Dudhsagar dairy upcoming elections.

Chaudhary is also BJP leader and represents Aanjan Chaudhary (Patel sub caste), which has dominance in at least a dozen Assembly seats in North Gujarat.

--IANS
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Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Sep 15 (IANS) Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district made a group of Muslim pilgrims from West Bengal apologise for offering namaz by the roadside before they were allowed to continue their journey to Ajmer Sharif Dargah (Rajasthan).

A video clip, purportedly of the incident, showed some men holding their ears in a gesture of apology. A couple of them were seen doing sit-ups.

The incident took place earlier this week.

Superintendent of Police (Shahjahanpur), S. Anand confirmed that a few people from West Bengal travelling to Rajasthan in a bus were found offering namaz on the road under Tilhar police station limits in Shahjahanpur.

The Muslim pilgrims were issued challans and then left for their journey ahead, he added.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Vajpayee, told reporters, "Eighteen people, who were on their way to Ajmer Sharif Dargah, were brought to the Tilhar police station with the complaint that they were offering namaz on the roadside. These people were released after they gave a written apology and were issued a challan."

Local VHP leader Rajesh Awasthi, who reported the matter to police, said, "I was on my way to some place when I saw some men offering namaz on the roadside."

Awasthi added that he told them that they were in Uttar Pradesh, where offering namaz in the open was prohibited.

In a video that surfaced on social media, the VHP members were purportedly heard asking some passengers of a bus to hold their ears and apologise.

--IANS
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