Category: National

National News & Politics

Nearly ₹ 3,000 Crore And 170 Lives Washed Away In Uttarakhand

HT News

Uttarakhand glacier break on Sunday highlights its vulnerability to flash floods and landslides and calls for review of power projects in the ecologically sensitive mountains.

What was the disaster?

The hill state came under shock when a glacier broke into floods near Raini village above Rishiganga river endangering the life and liberty of people. Air Force carried reconnaissance flights and found rubble all over from the entrance of Nanda Devi glacier to Pipalkoti and Chamoli along Dhauliganga and Alaknanda. The disaster resulted in heavy loss to Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower plant and 170 people missing from the facility.

Where was Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower plant situated?

Located at the confluence of Dhauliganga and Rishiganga rivers, the dam faced maximum damage from the flood. The Air Force found that it was completely washed off in the disaster. It was a 520 MW hydro-electric project being constructed by state-run NTPC Limited at a cost of nearly ₹ 3,000 crore. NTPC also said that its Vishnugad project was damaged in the avalanche and that it was monitoring the situation. Picture from the reconnaissance flight also showed the two bridges situated at the entrance of Malari valley and near Tapovan washed away in the flood.

Is there any collateral damage assessment?

Construction work and hutments in the valley were damaged in the pictures. But the road connectivity from Joshimath and Tapovan was seen intact in the aerial survey. Soon after the tragedy, Air Force, Army and Navy were pressed into action to expedite the rescue work.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3cS0q8z

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National Today's Special

10 Points Of The 9th Budget Of The Modi Government

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The nineth budget of the Modi government is expected to be different in many ways. The economy is in recession, jobs are gone and the pandemic has hit the country the hardest. Every sector requires expenditure but the people are also looking for relief from taxes. So, would the budget expectations be fulfilled.

Here’re 10 important points of the Union Budget that the FM will present at 11 AM today

  1. Finance Minister Ms Sitharaman has promised that this budget is going to be unprecedented as the PM has already hinted towards extension of the measures announced in 4-5 mini budgets in 2020.
  2. Ms Sitharaman was seen carrying a tablet with the national symbol embossed on it instead of papers indicating that it is going to be a paperless budget. And it will be the first time in the history.
  3. The FM is expected to unveil plans to revive the economy to achieve 11% growth target on the face of a forecasted 7.7% contraction in the current financial year.
  4. The FM needs doing more to revive the economy that was already in the slow down mode before the pandemic and slipped into recession to its lowest in 11 years during the crisis. There could be 15% more spending on healthcare and infrastructure. Also, the taxpayers could get further relief in the budget.
  5. The healthcare budget could be doubled to raise the expenditure to 4% of the GDP to meet healthcare needs highlighted during the pandemic. Also, there could be 1% of income and corporate tax to fund the healthcare budget.
  6. Pandemic-hit sectors like real estate, aviation, tourism and automobile are expecting tax relief in the budget.
  7. The FM could suggest measures to drive the fiscal deficit
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National News & Politics Today's Special

What Are The Priorities Of Padma Awardee Sridhar Vembu?

HT News

Sridhar Vembu, who founded Zoho Corp, has been awarded the Padma Shri on the 72nd Republic Day. A graduate of IIT Madras and Princeton University, Sridhar Vembu recently moved back to his hometown Tenkasi village in Tamil Nadu in India. But he denied that he moved to India due to pandemic.

Zoho Corp

In 1996, Sridhar Vembu founded Advent Net Inc. along with his siblings and Tony Thomas. At that time, the company was headquartered in Pleasanton, California, US. But the company was morphed into Zoho Corp in 2009 and headquarter shifted to Chennai in India.

Today Zoho Corp is valued a $1 billion company and it boasts of having over 60 million users that include Levi’s, Amazon, Philips, Whirlpool, Ola, Xiaomi and Zomato according to an online publication, Friday Magazine.

Sridhar Vembu on Zoho Corp

Vembu said that he built Zoho at the right time. The segment was also right and conditions favourable. He further said that the company flourished by serving the underserved. And he said that entrepreneurs needed to be fearless.

Sridhar Vembu was speaking at an event organized by the Start India Initiative on 16th January. He said that entrepreneurs must be fearful of competing with big giants. But what could be worst than going back to a job. Other than software development, Sridhar Vembu is … Read the rest

National News & Politics Today's Special

What Celebrities Tweeted On 72nd Republic Day?

HT News

Today the country is celebrating its 72nd Republic Day. It was on this day in 1950 that the constitution of India came into force. Since then, 26th January is celebrated as Republic Day in the country. On this day, everyone including eminent personalities and celebrities extend their wishes to the country.

72nd-Republic-Day

PM Modi’s Republic Day plan

Before the Republic Day celebrations start, PM Modi would visit the National War Memorial near India Gate and lay wreath on the memorial to pay solemn tributes to the fallen heroes. Afterwards, the PM will move to the dais at the Rajpath to witness the Republic Day parade. It will be a 90-minute parade that will showcase the military prowess of the country.

Parade under the shadow of pandemic

Due to pandemic, only 25,000 visitors are allowed at Rajpath. Earlier, lakhs of visitors used to sit at Rajpath to watch the parade. Also, the parade will be shorter this year and it will conclude at the national Stadium instead of marching towards the Red Fort.

Celebrities tweeted best wishes to the nation

Amitabh Bachchan tweeted some of his pictures with his best wishes. Sonu Sood also sent his best wishes for the 72nd Republic Day. He had become a national during nationwide lockdown for helping common men.

Source:- https://bit.ly/36b4WuH

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News & Politics Spiritual

Ayodhya Mosque Construction Will Start On January 26

HT News

The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) trust will start construction of the Ayodhya mosque at the prescribed five-acre plot on January 26. Also, it has planned a plantation drive and raising of the national flag to mark the beginning of the project.

Reason given for plantation drive

IICF said that it wanted to highlight the cause of climate change with plantation drive and give the message that climate change was the biggest threat to humanity. The upcoming mosque includes a green area that will have plants from all geographic regions and varieties from Amazon rainforest to bushfires in Australia to aware people about the challenge of climate change.

It will be a modern design

The IICF unveiled a futuristic design with beautiful mosque featuring a massive glass dome sitting in a picturesque garden. Also, a hospital building is seen just behind the mosque. But IICF also intends constructing an Indo-Islamic cultural research centre, library, museum, publication house and a community kitchen.

The nine trustees of the foundation recently held a meeting to discuss the design and clearances for foreign contribution from Income Tax Department. They also discussed issues related to the new design and decided to apply to the Ayodhya District Board to allow construction of library and other facilities.

Settlement of Ayodhya dispute

Supreme Court in its November 2020 verdict made it clear that the disputed site at Ayodhya belonged to Lord Ram but it also ordered a suitable place be allotted for construction of a mosque.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3izedC9

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National News & Politics

Delhi Gets Repeated Quakes Starting April

HT News

Two earthquakes sent tremors across Delhi NCR in late evening on Friday. While the first quake was of a medium intensity, the second was a low intensity. The epicenter was of the quake was Rohtak in Haryana that is approximately 60 km from Delhi.

First quake

It occurred around 9:08 pm and it measured 4.5 magnitude on Richter scale. The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) recorded that the quake happened at a depth of 5 km in the epicenter. Tremor of this quake were felt across the national capital and the adjoining areas including Noida.

Second quake

It occurred within a span of one hour of the first quake. But it was a low intensity quake. The second earthquake occurred at 10 pm and it was measured 2.9 on the Richter scale. The NCS said that it was a low intensive quake with the epicenter in Rohtak in Haryana.

Could Delhi withstand quakes?

Quakes of less than 5 magnitude could cause damage only in the areas where structures are weak or compromised. But quakes of more than magnitudes could cause large-scale damage. India is divided into different seismic zones with Zones IV … Read the rest

International National News & Politics

Indian-American Scientist Bags Prestigious Science Award

HT News

Renowned Indian-American inventor Rajiv Joshi has bagged the prestigious Inventor of the Year award for his great work in the field of electronic industry and artificial intelligence.

Early life and qualification of Dr Joshi

The master inventor has more than 250 patented inventions in the US and he works at the IBM Thomson Watson Research Center in New York. He is an alumnus of IIT Mumbai and holds an MS degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Also, he has done PhD in mechanical/electrical engineering from Columbia University, New York.

He remembered that his parents always inspired him with the stories of the renowned inventors like Guglielmo Marconi, Madame Curie, Right Brothers, James Watt, Alexander Bell, Thomas Edison and others. He said that the stories of the great stalwarts shaped his mind and encouraged him to do inventions.

Award

The prestigious annual award was presented by the New York Intellectual Property Law Association early this month but it was a virtual award ceremony. In his acceptance speech, Dr Joshi said that could, artificial intelligence and quantum computing not only remained the buzzwords but their utility, widespread usage was advancing by leaps and bounds.

Work of Dr Joshi

His inventions are used in many electronic items including processors, supercomputers, laptops, smartphones, handheld and variable gadgets. His innovations are said to have advanced day-to-day life, global communication, health sciences and medical fields. Dr Joshi said that he felt attracted towards artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

Source: https://bit.ly/36u9HhY

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National News & Politics

China-India Border Tension Reaches Next Level

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India and China have escalated their surveillance along LAC (line of actual control) but it isn’t the regular patrolling as both the sides are busy building troops on the LAC. Military experts say that it is a bigger crisis than Doklam in 2017.

Face-off between Indian and Chinese troops

India has increased its military strength in Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley after the China deployed around 2,000 to 2,500 troops in these contentious areas. And the Chinese army is gradually building temporary infrastructure to support its military. But the strength of the Indian army is much better in comparison to the Chinese side.

India is more concerned about the key points where China is deploying more troops. Their presence in Indian Post KM120 along the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley is cause of tension for the Indian army.

Chinese army strengthening its positions

They have erected around 100 tents in the Galwan Valley and they are bringing heavy equipment for construction of bunkers in the area. And it happened in last two weeks. On the Indian side, the army has resorted to “aggressive patrolling” to areas including Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldi.

Recent skirmishes

On May 5, both the armies involved into a violent face-off in eastern Ladakh and it spilled over the next day until local commanders decided to hold a meeting to disengage the troops. The Chinese army hit the Indian soldiers with iron rods, sticks and they even resorted to stone pelting in Pangong Tso lake area.

Source: https://bit.ly/2LWlJaF

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Devotional News & Politics

How Do Muslims Observe Fasting In Ramzan?

HT News

“Ramzan” or “Ramadan” is taken from an Arabic word “Ramad” that means “scorchedness of the earth due to excessive heat”. And the festival of fasting stands true to its name as it is observed in the hot month of May. Also, it is surprising to see that the period of fasting remains same throughout the world.

Fasting in Ramadan

Muslim fasting is an opportunity to practice abstinence from the appetites that drive their existence. But it is voluntary fasting observed from dawn to dusk in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic calendar. Dates for the Ramadan fasting are set according to the Hijri calendar and Muslims across the observe fasts on the set dates.

History of Ramadan

The start of Ramazan fasting can be traced back to the Islamic New Year of AD 622. It was the time when Prophet Muhammad migrated from Makkah (Mecca) to Yathrib that is now known as Medina and established the first Muslim community of Ummah with his followers.

The Hijri calendar has 12 months (354 to 355 days) in a year and it moves back 11 days each year as compared to the universal Gregorian calendar based on solar movement. And for this reason, the first day of Ramadan changes according to the Hijri calendar.

Rules for fasting

Observance of fast strictly follows the movement of celestial bodies – sun and moon. Hilal is the new moon in Arabic and it has a specific importance in this holy month. The fasting follows and concludes on the sighting of this new moon. It takes a period of 29 to 30 days in completing its cycle.

Source: https://bit.ly/3gv8FXQ

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National News & Politics

WHO Makes Harsh Vardhan Chairman Of Its Executive Board

HT News

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is now the chairman of the 34-member World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board. He will take charge today from Dr. Hiroki Nakatani of Japan. Harsh Vardhan has been at the forefront of India’s battle against COVID-19.

Harsh Vardhan said on his appointment

He said that he was aware that he was entering that office at a time of global crisis on account of that pandemic. At a time, when the world was aware that there would be many health challenges for in the next two decades. All those challenges demand a shared response.

Functions of WHO Executive Board

The board executes the decisions and policies of the Health Assembly. Also, it advises WHO and facilities its work. 194-nation World Health Assembly signed the proposal to appoint India’s nominee to Executive Board on Tuesday.

The 34 members of the Executive Board are designated by the elected member states of the World Health Assembly. They were elected for a three-year term. The board meets twice a year – first in January and the second time in May. The meetings are scheduled just after the Health Assembly.

India’s nomination to the Executive Board

The decision to elect India’s nominee to the executive board was taken last year when the South-East Asia group of WHO unanimously made the decision to regarding India’s nominee. Union Minister for Health Dr. Harsh Vardhan will start his three-year term at Executive Board from today.

Source: https://bit.ly/2ZqMDiO

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