Tag: Indian express

Ashoka University founders have bartered away its soul: Raghuram Rajan after Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Arvind Subramanian exits

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


Eminent economist and former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan has said free speech is the soul of a great university, and by compromising on it, the founders of Ashoka University have bartered away its soul.

Describing Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s exit from the varsity earlier this week as “a sad development for India”, Rajan wrote in a post on LinkedIn, “Ashoka’s founders should have realised that their mission was indeed not to take political sides but to continue to protect the right of people like Pratap Bhanu Mehta to speak, for in doing so, they were enabling Ashoka to make its greatest contribution to India’s wellbeing –– identifying what is wrong and encouraging us all to remedy it.”

Rajan also referred to the departure of Arvind Subramanian, former chief economic advisor (CEA) in the Modi government, saying both his and Mehta’s resignation letters suggest the founders of the university, which “till this week was considered India’s likely competitor to Cambridge, Harvard ad Oxford in coming decades”, have succumbed to outside pressure to get rid of a troublesome critic.

“The reality is that Professor Mehta is a thorn in the side of the establishment. He is no ordinary thorn because he skewers those in government and in high offices like the Supreme Court with vivid prose and thought-provoking arguments. It is not that he has much sympathy for the opposition either,” Rajan said.

According to him, Mehta is an equal opportunity critic just as how a true academic should be. “He is, and I hope will continue to be, one of the intellectual leaders of liberalism in India,” Rajan opined.

Putting on record his reason for leaving Ashoka University, Mehta had said in his resignation letter that the founders made it “abundantly clear” his association with the institution was a “political liability”. Calling the exit “ominously disturbing”, for academic freedom, Subramanian had sent in his resignation too.

The developments had led to student protests on campus; the faculty issuing a statement calling for Mehta’s return; and over 150 academicians from international universities, including Columbia, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Oxford, and Cambridge, coming out in support Mehta.

At least two more faculty members are said to be on the verge of quitting.

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Leave a comment , , ,

Odisha govt begins reviewing paddy procurement after irregularity claims

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


The Odisha government has announced that it has started reviewing the procurement procedure of paddy across districts to ensure maximum procurement from all registered farmers. The move comes after allegations of irregularities in the procurement procedure raised by the opposition.

“There has been a bumper harvest but we ensure that paddy from all the registered farmers from the state will be procured by March 31. We have already procured 61.24 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. The total procurement so far is nearly 18 per cent more compared to the procurement in Kharif season last year,” State Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said on Friday.

“Even if any MLA points out any specific irregularity from their constituencies, efforts will be made to resolve the issues at the earliest. The government has already started reviewing the procurement procedure in each district to resolve all the issues, if any, being faced by the farmers,” Swain added.

On Monday, a delegation of BJP MPs requested Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Piyush Goyal to ask the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to pick up more rice from Odisha’s warehouses — which are running out of space to store foodgrain procured from farmers of the state.

In their memorandum, the MPs had said, “The movement plan for the month of March 2021 has been reduced substantially. At this pace, the surplus 30 lakh of rice cannot be evacuated by the start of the next kharif marketing season or till the start of the next calendar year, which will greatly hamper the ensuing Rabi procurement and the next Kharif procurement. If, like, previous years, FCI lifts only 17 lakh tonnes of rice, then 13 lakh tonnes of rice will be left with Odisha. Long storage of rice will lead to discolouration and then, even FCI will then not accept it. Loss of 1 lakh tonnes of rice due to deterioration in quality would mean a loss of about Rs 320 crore and the state would lose Rs 4,160 crore this way.”

The next day, on Tuesday, a delegation of BJP MPs led by Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan had met Goyal, requesting him to ask the Odisha government to expedite the process of procuring unsold paddy in the state.

Pradhan later tweeted: “The State Govt. of Odisha is misleading the farmers on issues of paddy procurement and has been conveniently trying to belie its own systematic failure in governance and in providing allied agricultural services to Odisha’s farmers. Despite this years’ better-than-expected harvest of paddy due to a favourable monsoon, farmers in Odisha are suffering due to the State Govt. apathies, administrative inefficiencies and long-standing malpractices.”

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Leave a comment , , ,

Himachal minister warns of looming water crisis, says sources drying up

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


Himachal Pradesh Water Minister Mahender Singh on Friday once again warned about the looming threat of a severe water crisis, which may affect the state this summer.

Replying to a private member resolution on depleting water levels in the state during the ongoing Assembly session, Singh said that water sources in Himachal have never started drying up so early during the year.

“It’s an alarming situation. Wells, nullahs and khads have started drying up already. Even river water levels have gone down. At some places, people can now simply wade through the Beas river to cross it,” said Singh.

The state received deficient snow and rain in the winter, due to which water sources are not being adequately recharged through meltwater from snow cover and glaciers, he said. Several other MLAs spoke about water shortage in parts of the state.

The minister appealed to members of the House to start constructing small water harvesting structures in their constituencies to tackle the oncoming water crisis. “We will also be restarting the installation of handpumps and borewells this year as per requirement, and water harvesting tanks will be built in each subdivision of the Jal Shakti department,” he said.

📣 JOIN NOW 📣: The Express Explained Telegram Channel

‘Need to expand rail services’

Following a private resolution by MLA Ram Lal Thakur, the House discussed the need to expand rail connectivity in the state. Col. Inder Singh said that Himachal has not been able to realise its potential as a state due to lack of rail connectivity. Hoshyar Singh said that rail lines in Himachal were mostly laid down during the British era, and there has not been much rail expansion since then.

Lakhvinder Singh Rana said that the Ghanauli-Nalagarh rail line, which was functional in British India, needs to be revived. Jagat Singh Negi said that the Shimla-Kalka heritage railway track is an engineering marvel and contains over 900 sharp curves and more than a hundred tunnels. Any further attempt at widening the track could damage it altogether, he said.

Transport minister Bikram Singh said that railways fall under the purview of the central government. The land acquisition for two new rail lines – Bhanupalli-Beri and Chandigarh-Baddi – is underway, he said.

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Leave a comment , , , , , ,

Milind Soman, Ankita Konwar look striking in PETA India lookbook showcase

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


At the ongoing FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week, the world of fashion and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India continued its collaboration with the Sustainable Fashion Day, as part of which leather-free creations were promoted.

The lookbook, curated from various brands, featured actor Milind Soman and his wife, Ankita Konwar — both of whom have been vocal ambassadors of PETA India. “With so many wonderful vegan shoes, bags, and jackets available today, nobody has to hurt animals for clothing and accessories. The designers and brands showcased in PETA India’s Vegan fashion Look Book know compassion is always in fashion,” Sachin Bangera., PETA India Director of Celebrity and Public Relations said in a statement.

“Every time we wear vegan, we are choosing to be kind. I’ve teamed up with my friends at PETA India to showcase some of the many luxurious Vegan, eco-friendly materials available these days at FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week” Milind Soman, who looked dapper in the wide range of outfits, from ethnic to athleisure, said.

“PETA India’s Vegan fashion Look Book is about showing how easy it is to look killer without killing animals,” Konwar said.

Milind Soman looked dapper in this blazer. (Source: PR Handout)

The garments showcased were created without fur, leather, wool, exotic skins, cashmere, mohair or silk. The designers involved in this project were Proyog, Daisy Days, Urvashi Kaur, Outhouse, Papa Don’t Preach by Shubhika, The Frou Frou Studio, Azga, Equiivalence, Ethik, Mati, Strey, A Big Indian Story, Paaduk’s, Countrymade, Kunal Anil Tanna, Jenjum Gadi, No Nasties among others.

The couple cut a sharp picture as they posed in earthy colours and different styles of outfits.

The couple posed for the shutterbugs. (Source: PR Handout)

They also posed wearing altheisure . (Source: PR Handout)

Ankita looked lovely in a halter-neck red dress with pockets. The look was pulled together with hair closely braided.

Ankita looked pretty in this red dress. (Source: PR Handout)

In another look, she was seen in a dress with ruffled details which was styled with softly curled hair and chic jewellery.

“Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs,” Ankita said. (Source: PR Handout)

In a video shared by Lakme Fashion Week, the couple spoke about the need to protect animals. “Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs,” Ankita said.

What do you think about their looks?



[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Leave a comment , , , , , ,

‘Don’t tell me this means something in Morse code’: Chrissy Teigen on new tattoo

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


Chrissy Teigen’s social media accounts are for the keeps. She keeps sharing snippets from her personal life, making her fans and followers partake in her experiences. It was no different this time when she got herself a new tattoo — a minimalistic design featuring tiny dots on her fingers.

Sharing a picture of the same, she wrote, “please don’t tell me this means something in morse code, I just like dots.”

Artist Winter Stone (Daniel Winter) also shared the same picture and wrote, “TINY TINY DOTS ON… @chrissyteigen hands got the pleasure of drawing this little design on her hands Lastnight! Always fun always and full of laughs at these sessions!”

Early this year, she had got another tattoo done by the same artist which was dedicated to her husband and singer John Legend.

In the video shared, Chrissy could be seen getting inked with John Legend’s famous “Ooooh Laaaa”. It is the name of John Legend’s track from his 2020 album, Bigger Love. And of course, the song was playing in the background of the video.

Daniel Winter had also shared the video of the tattoo on Chrissy’s spine and wrote, “OOOOH LAAAA @chrissyteigen @johnlegend what a blessing to honour Chrissy with this ooh laa tattoo down her spine! John wrote this sexy song for her so naturally, she should have it tattooed on her right?!!! And if you haven’t heard BIGGER LOVE John’s new album: listen it’s so good!”

What do you think of her new tattoo?



[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Leave a comment , , , ,

Delhi HC refuses to further hear plea for vaccinating judges, lawyers on priority following SC stay

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


The Delhi High Court Friday refused to further hear a PIL to declare all people associated with the judicial functioning, including judges, court staff and lawyers, as “frontline workers” to enable them to get COVID-19 vaccination on priority in view of the Supreme Court’s order staying the proceedings.

A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli adjourned sine-die the hearing in the PIL which was initiated by the high court on its own.

The apex court on Thursday had stayed proceedings in the Delhi High Court on giving priority to the legal fraternity for administering COVID-19 vaccine and favoured transferring the suo motu case on the issue to itself for adjudication.

The Centre has opposed creating a separate class of lawyers and said that though it is not opposed to the legal fraternity members but tomorrow journalists and banking sector employees may also come forward seeking priority in vaccination.

During the brief hearing, central government standing counsel Anil Soni informed the high court that in the seven district courts here, the facility of COVID-19 vaccination for lawyers, who are eligible for it as per the policy, has started.

The Delhi High Court and all the district courts here have resumed full-fledged physical functioning from March 15.

Earlier, the Centre had told the high court that the decision for COVID-19 vaccination is based on vulnerability of citizens to the disease and is not profession wise and the government is sensitive to the needs of the country.

Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India (SII), the country’s leading COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, had told the high court that adequate capacity of vaccines was available for the vaccination of judicial staff, advocates and judges as frontline workers.

The PIL was initiated to examine the demand to declare all people associated with the judicial functioning, including judges, court staff and lawyers, as frontline workers so that they could receive COVID-19 vaccination on priority and without limitations of their age or physical condition.

As per the current policy, those above 60 years of age or between the age of 45 to 59 years with comorbidities are eligible for the vaccination.

The government has said that rather than going by profession, the government is starting with vulnerability to COVID-19 infection.

The high court had on March 4 asked the Centre to explain the rationale behind keeping strict control over class of persons who can be vaccinated against COVID-19 currently as under the present system those above the age of 60 years or with comorbidities can receive vaccination.

It had said the two institutes which have developed the vaccines COVISHIELD and COVAXIN — Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech — have more capacity to provide the vaccines but it seems that their full capacity is not being exploited.

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

Defence Ministry seals deal with BDL to acquire 4,690 anti-tank guided missiles

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


The Defence Ministry on Friday sealed a deal with state-run Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) to acquire 4,960 anti-tank guided missiles at a cost of Rs 1,188 crore for the Indian Army.

The missiles, having a range of 1,850 metres, can be fired from ground as well as vehicle-based launchers and their induction is planned to be completed in three years, the ministry said.

In the last few months, the ministry finalised a range of procurement projects for the three forces to enhance their overall combat capabilities.

“The acquisition wing of the Ministry of Defence signed a contract with defence public sector undertaking Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for supply of 4,960 MILAN-2T anti-tank guided missiles to Indian Army at a cost of Rs 1,188 crore,” the ministry said in a statement.

The missiles are being produced by BDL under license from French defence major MBDA Missile Systems.

“These missiles can be fired from ground as well as vehicle-based launchers and can be deployed in anti-tank role for both offensive and defensive tasks,” the ministry said.

“Induction of these missiles will further enhance the operational preparedness of the armed forces. Induction is planned to be completed in three years,” it added.

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

Sachin Waze had faced chargesheet in 2018 for destroying proof in extortion case

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


Suspended Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waze, arrested earlier this week by NIA for his alleged role in the Ambani security scare, was chargesheeted in 2018 by Vasai police’s crime branch for allegedly destroying evidence in an extortion case filed on the complaint of a developer.

Waze was not part of Mumbai Police then, as he had been suspended in 2004 in connection to the custodial death of Khwaja Yunus. He was reinstated on June 5, 2020.

Vijay Sagar, DCP of Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar police, said that Waze was chargesheeted for extortion. Crime branch sources said he was never arrested, as he had secured anticipatory bail. While the trial is yet to begin in the case, Waze was accused by the local crime branch of violating his anticipatory bail conditions.

According to case details, in 2017, a real estate developer had lodged a complaint at Vasai police station, alleging that a gang was extorting from him and threatening to take action against his project in Naigaon. The complainant had named Dr Anil Yadav (42) and his aide Amol Patil (46) in the FIR registered on March 26, 2017.


The modus operandi of the gang was to collect information about developers under the Right to Information Act and threaten to take action against them. The FIR says a gang member had allegedly pointed a licensed pistol owned by Yadav and threatened to kill the complainant un less he paid the extortion. The accused had allegedly demanded Rs 25 lakh and extorted Rs 2 lakh. They were threatening him for the rest of the amount, the FIR says.

“The complainant had not named Waze in the FIR. Waze’s name cropped up during investigations,m along with the name of a former corporator from Nalasopara. But the corporator was not named in the chargesheet, as there was no strong evidence,” an officer said.

Waze had allegedly helped Anil Yadav flee to Ghaziabad in 2017 and further tutored him on how to destroy evidence by throwing away his cellphone.

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Leave a comment , , , , ,

Janhvi Kapoor looks ravishing in red; check pics

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


Janhvi Kapoor, whose latest film Roohi recently released in theatres, continues to impress with her stylish fashion game. Styled by Mohit Rai, she has been giving us one memorable look after the other. But the recent one might be the best.

The Gunjan Saxena actor was recently spotted looking ravishing in a red dress from the label Valdrin Sahiti. The off-shoulder outfit accentuated her frame rather well but it is the train detailing and the thigh-high slit that stole the show.

She completed the look with bright red lips and hair styled in soft curls. Check out the picture here.

Prior to this, she had stepped out in an outfit from Ziad Nakad. This risqué dress had sequin and feather details and the look was completed with hair parted at the center. The make-up was minimal and impeccable.

Here are some other pictures from the promotions.

We hope she never stops experimenting and continues to give fashion goals!



[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Leave a comment , , ,

Maharashtra reports 25,833 new coronavirus cases, highest since pandemic began

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


Maharashtra on Thursday recorded 25,833 new coronavirus cases, the highest one-day spike since last March when the first coronavirus infection was detected.

It took the caseload to 23,96,340, said a health official. With 58 fatalities, the death toll jumped to 53,138. The earlier record was 24,886 cases, reported on September 11 last year.

The state is in the beginning of second COVID-19 wave, a central team report had said earlier this week.

On Thursday, 12,764 patients were discharged from hospitals, the highest in single day this year.

The total of recoveries now stands at 21,75,565. There are 1,66,353 active cases in the state. Nagpur city on the second consecutive day recorded highest number of new COVID-19 cases at 2,926, followed by 2,877 in Mumbai and 2,791 in Pune city.

Pune division comprising civic bodies of Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad as well as districts of Pune, Solapur and Satara reported cumulative 5,583 new cases, highest among the divisions.

Mumbai’s COVID-19 tally increased to 3,52,851 and eight deaths took the fatality count to 11,559. Mumbai division reported 5,190 new cases and 14 deaths.

With 1,21,335 tests carried out on Thursday, the state has so far tested 1,79,56,830 samples for coronavirus.

There are 8,13,211 people in home quarantine while 7,079 are in institutional quarantine.

Out of 58 deaths, 38 occurred in the last 48 hours and 15 in the last week. Remaining five deaths are from the period before the last week.

Maharashtra’s COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases: 23,96,340, new cases: 25,833, death toll: 53,138, discharged: 21,75,565, active cases: 1,66,353, people tested so far: 1,79,56,830.

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Leave a comment , , , , , , ,
1 2 3 … 6