BJP Is Content With 20 Seats In Tamil Nadu State Elections

AIADMK made an important announcement regarding seat sharing for the upcoming Tamil Nadu elections. It has allotted 20 seats to BJP for assembly elections. Also, BJP will get Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat. But another regional ally PMK is allotted 23 seats.

What was the announcement?

Signed by Chief Minister Edapaddi Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Pannerselvam, BJP state in-charge CT Ravi and its state unit chief L Murugan, the announcement states that BJP will fight elections on 20 seats. It will also fight for Kanyakumari Lok Sabha bypolls. The seat has been vacant due to death of Congress MP Vasanthakumar.

Who will fight from where?

While the BJP is yet to receive the names of the seats it has been allotted, AIADMK has announced its first list of candidates including Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Panneerselvam that will contest from Edappadi and Bodinayakanur constituencies respectively. Ministers D Jayakumar and C Ve Shanmugam will retain their seats – Royapuram and Villupuram respectively.

What are the dates of Tamil Nadu elections?

The state will go to polls on April 6 and the elections results will be declared on May 2. Elections for 234 seats for Tamil Nadu assembly will be held in single phase. There are two major alliances – Congress-DMK and BJP-AIADMK – are fighting for elections.

How are the Tamil Nadu elections important for BJP?

It is the first election after the death of two iconic leaders – J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi. Also, BJP is hoping to revive its fortunes after facing complete rout in 2019 Lok Sabha election when it lost 38 of the 39 seats it contested from.

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Joe Biden Relies Heavily On Indian-Americans

Joe Biden is happy to appoint Indian-Americans in his administration. And he displayed his happiness about Americans of Indian descent taking to public life. It is to be noted that there are at least 55 Indian-Americans at the key leadership positions in the present American government.

What did Joe Biden say about Indian-Americans in his government?

Biden was interacting with NASA scientists when he mentioned the cooperation he’s getting from Indian-Americans including Swati Menon Guidance and Controls Operations Lead, Mars 2020, that wasn’t a political appointee.

Joe Biden appointed at least 55 Indian-Americans to his government within 50 days of being sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. And these Indians don’t include Vice President Kamala Harris and Neera Tanden who withdrew her name from a cabinet post due to stiff opposition from the Republicans.

What is the position of Indian-Americans in US politics?

Indian-Americans are getting higher positions in United States. It started with Obama government that started inducting Indian-Americans to high positions. Joe Biden has continued to patronize the Indian-American community. But it was Donald Trump that appointed the first ever Indian-American in the National Security Council with a cabinet rank.

What is the response of Indian-American community to Biden’s remarks?

Eminent Indian-American philanthropist and Indiaspora founder M Rangaswami said that it was impressive to see how many Indian-Americans were ready to go into public service. He further said that he was so proud to see their community was going strength to strength.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3cioW15

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Francisco Trincao Led Barcelona To Victory Against Red Betis

Barcelona won its sixth league games on Sunday by beating Real Betis with 3-2 score in a striking show of football by Lionel Messi and Francisco Trincao who was the real hero of the game. Earlier on Wednesday in Copa del Rey quarter-final tie match, Barcelona beat Grenada in an impressive win of 5-3 in extra time. It now stands with 43 points just 7 points behind Atletico Madrid that still has two games remaining.

Francisco Trincao stole the show

Barcelona To Victory Against Red Betis

Trincao shot his first goal for the club and snatched victory in 87th minute into the game. It was his 17th appearance in all competitions. He smashed that shot from inside the box to ensure victory for his club.

After the victory, he praised his teammates while talking to reporters. He said that his team had always encouraged him and that they congratulated him on the goal. He further said that he didn’t need to score for his own good, but players had to help their teams when they can. Also, that he was happy that they managed to win the match.

It was a tough match for Barcelona

The match didn’t start well for Barcelona as the defender Ronaldo Araujo injured his ankle in the 12th minute of the game and had to retire to the pavilion. The coach Ronald Koeman sent De Jong at the centreback.

Koeman said that they were little fearful in the first half as they didn’t take risks, but they changed their attitude in the second half and it proved fruitful for the team.

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Brighton vs Tottenham: The Spurs Paid A Price For Harry Kane’s Absence

Brighton & Hove Albion defeated Tottenham Hotspur in a closely fought match where the host could score only one goal but they effectively prevented the away team from even equaling the single goal.

Tottenham Hotspur relegated to 6th place with 33 points

It was the 20th match of Spurs but they could make little difference to their points tally that was stuck at 33 only. It was the second defeat of the team in a week after they lost a game on Thursday to Liverpool by 3-1 score. Tottenham Hotspur were playing without their striker Harry Kane that got injured in an earlier match. Manager Jose Mourinho brought Gareth Bale as replacement but the Welshman was largely peripheral.

Playing out of the form, Jose Mourinho’s Spurs missed many opportunities of equaling the goal in the first half but they couldn’t. The manager also felt that his boys were probably too sad with the lead Brighton took over them. He felt lack energy in his team due to the goal. Spurs even changed their formation by bringing Carlos Vinicus on front to assist Bale but it didn’t prove fruitful.

Brighton & Hove Albion looked unstoppable

The Brighton faced some nervy moments but the home side managed the three crucial points that took them further ahead of the relegation zone. Brighton manager Graham Potter said that it was their best performance that season and last. From start to finish, they did whatever they could to win the game. He also said that the team could win with 2-0.

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10 Points Of The 9th Budget Of The Modi Government

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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January 27-30 Could Be Severely Cold For North, Central And West Indian States

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert across six northern states and union territories and central India for 3-4 days. People of these regions will experience severely cold weather until the weekend.

Dry northwesterly winds

The IMD website predicts dry northwesterly winds over north and central India for next few days. These winds could create severe cold conditions in pockets of northwest India, Madhya Pradesh in central India and Gujarat in the west from January 27-30. In the northwest part, states including Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan will continue experiencing cold wave.

Temperature will be below normal

The overall temperature in north, northwest and north-central pockets will remain 2-4°C below the normal temperature. Also, a fall in the maximum mercury level is forecasted across north, northwest and central India.

Orange alert areas

Following the weather forecast, the IMD team has placed Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh under orange alert but it will be downgraded to yellow alert from Friday onwards. But Rajasthan is kept under yellow alert for this week. Orange alert is also suggested for Saurashtra and Kutch subdivisions in Gujarat. For Madhya Pradesh, IMD has suggested a yellow watch till Thursday.

Dense fog to prevail

IMD has predicted that some areas of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh will remain under dense to very dense fog for the next 24 hours. But it will decrease gradually. Also, ground frost conditions are also forecasted for Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and north Rajasthan in the coming days.

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What Is The Response To IRFC IPO?

KFin Technologies Private Limited could finalise the allotment of shares in IRFC IPO today. The said company is managing the allotment and refund of IRFC shares. Investors can check the website of the said company to get more information on allotment of shares. The information will also be available on BSE website. Listing of shares could go on January 29.

IRFC IPO

Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) opened its IPO on January 18 and closed on January 20 after receiving bids for 4,35,22,57,225 shares against 1,24,75,05,993 shares on offer. The subscription ratio of the retail individual investors segment, Qualified Institutional Buyers category and non-institutional investors was 3.66 times, 3.78 times and 2.67 times respectively. The IPO was offered at ₹25-26 per share and the IRFC raised about ₹1,400 crore from anchor investors ahead of the IPO.

The government wants to bring its shareholding in IRFC to 86.4% from 100% with the IPO that was subscribed nearly 3.5 times. The total IPO is of 178.20 crore shares and it comprises a fresh issue of 118.80 crore shares and sale of 59.40 crore shares. The government expects raising a capital of ₹1,544 crore from the IPO.

What is IRFC?

Indian Railway Finance Corporation raises funds for Indian Railways from domestic as well as overseas market. Dedicated for fund mobilisation, IRFC the first non-banking financial company (NBFC) offering an IPO. Leading brokerage companies recommended subscribe for IRFC IPO leading to a huge response from the public. The experts have done attractive valuation. Also, they expect healthy return ratios for the investors.

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What Is New In The New Tata Altroz iTurbo?

Tata Motors launched the 2021 variant of Tata Altroz iTurbo model with an introductory price of ₹ 7.73 lakh to ₹ 8.85 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). This premium hatchback car is now available in three iTurbo variants – VT, XZ and XZ+ trim. The XZ+ trim is available in both petrol and diesel variants and it is priced between ₹ 8.25 lakh to ₹ 9.45 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) respectively.

Engine

Tata Altroz iTurbo is powered by a new 1.2-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. While similar engine is used for Tata Nexon facelift but the company says that it has made several changes in the engine and the most important change is the iTurbo that stands for intelligence. Paired with a 5-speed manual transmission, the engine produces 108 bhp of raw power and a torque of 140 Nm between 1,500 – 5,500 rpm. The company claims 18.13 kmpl fuel efficiency with this engine. Also, it is claimed to achieve 100 kmph sprint in 11.9 seconds.

Interior

The new iTurbo trims will come with black and light grey interior topped with new perforated leatherette upholstery. On technology side, there will be a 7-inch stick-out display panel, automatic climate control, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, fast-charging USB port and a cooled glovebox.

Exterior

While the new Tata Altroz iTurbo is nearly identical to the regular model, the company has offered a new Harbour Blue trim for XM+ and upward variants. Similarly, the XZ and XZ+ trims are provided with a contrast black roof. Other features like projector headlamps, glossy black grille and dual-tone alloy wheels will continue with the new trims.

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Could BJP Get Political Mileage With Parakram Diwas In West Bengal?

The Government of India has declared birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on 23rd January as “Parakram Diwas”. PM Modi will visit Kolkata on the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji to start the celebrations.

PM Modi addressed the people of Bengal as dear sisters and brothers of West Bengal. He said that he was honoured to in their midst that too on the auspicious day of “Parakram Diwas”. During the programmes in Kolkata, the nation would pay tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Highlights of PM’s West Bengal visit

• The visit will start with visiting Netaji Bhawan at Elgin Road followed by an inaugural function of the “Parakram Diwas” celebration at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata
• Visit Jerenga Pathar in Sivasagar, Assam where PM will distribute 1.06 lakh land pattas/allotment certificates
• PM will also release a commemorative coin and postage stamp on Netaji
• Visit to National Library, Kolkata for an international conference “Re-visiting the legacy of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the 21st Century”
• Amra Nuton Jouboneri Doot, a cultural programme based on Netaji’s life will be held
• PM will also inaugurate a permanent exhibition and a Projection Mapping show on Netaji

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also has plans for several events related to the birth anniversary of Netaji. She will also visit different places and attend celebrations.

Political importance of Parakram Diwas

West Bengal is witnessing a massive political rivalry between BJP and TMC. Many bigwigs of TMC have switched sides to BJP and more switchovers are expected post the Parakram Diwas.

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Capturing Carbon Emission Technology Can Get You $100 Million Prize

Inspired by the inaugural speed of president Joe Biden, Tesla Inc chief and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk announced a $100 million prize to encourage development of technology to capture carbon emission. He said on Twitter that the best technology will get the award.

Capturing carbon emission

It is fast becoming a crucial part of plans made to cut carbon footprint. But there’s little progress registered in this field as all efforts are put at reducing carbon emission than taking carbon dioxide out of the air. But the shift in approach was noticed last year when the International Energy Agency highlighted the need to develop a technology that can capture carbon emission. According to the agency, only this technology can help meet the net-zero emission target.

$100 million prize

The announcement was made on Twitter by Elon Musk. Also, the billionaire entrepreneur said that he would provide more details in his second tweet. Tesla officials were approached for further information on the prize but they didn’t give any response.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk is heading a couple of futuristic companies in addition to Tesla. He has a rocket company named SpaceX. Also, he owns a startup Neuralink that is developing technology to allow human brain to connect to computers.

Joe Biden on climate change

In his inaugural speech, president Biden pledged to work on developing carbon capture technology to manage climate change. He even named Jennifer Wilcox as his principal deputy assistant secretary for fossil energy at the US Department of Energy. Wilcox is an expert in carbon removal technologies.

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