Spain has experienced a record-breaking spring heatwave over the past couple of days. A plume of hot, dry air originated over northern Africa, where it has already produced record April temperatures, and spread northwards across Iberia. This resulted in a maximum temperature of 38.7C at Córdoba airport on Thursday, the highest April temperature recorded in Europe. Portugal also beat its April temperature record on Thursday. The heat is expected to subside slightly into the weekend.
In Australia, parts of New South Wales are braced for heavy rain over the weekend. A low pressure system is forecast to affect the region through Saturday and Sunday, with 30-60mm of rainfall expected quite widely, and well over 100mm possible for some coastal areas. The focus of the heaviest rain is likely to be to the south of Sydney. Strong winds are also expected near the coast, especially on Sunday.
In the US, an area of low pressure brought heavy rain and severe weather across parts of the central and southern plains on Wednesday. A cold front associated with this low pressure advanced from west to east across central Texas, forcing stationary warm, moist air upward, which induced several supercell thunderstorms. Large amounts of instability bolstered the longevity of strong updrafts within these storms, promoting the formation of large hailstones.
A person holds hailstones in their hand after a hailstorm in Hurst, Texas. Photograph: @Braynsford1/Reuters
Hailstones with diameters between 5-7cm – similar to that of a tennis ball – fell widely across central Texas, accompanied with gusts of up to 60mph recorded at the surface. The largest hailstone recorded during the event was found just east of Waco, Texas; it was larger than a grapefruit, with a diameter of 11.4cm, caused by a sustained updraft in excess of 100mph.
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Hailstones with a diameter in excess of 5cm were also recorded across much of the Florida peninsula. These were caused by two sea breezes, one either side of the peninsula, converging to create strong uplift, with an updraft ranging between 60-70mph.
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#Weather #tracker #Spains #spring #heatwave #breaks #April #records
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
Gold is not just a precious metal but its rates in Hyderabad, Dubai, Riyadh and other big cities of the world indicate the market trends. The rates of the yellow metal depend on various factors including geopolitical stability, wars, pandemic, uncertainties, etc.
As gold is also a commodity, its rates depend on demand and supply. In case of any uncertainty, the rates of yellow metal increase drastically as investors consider it save heaven.
However, during the market boom period, its rates return to normal as investors start exploring options that can give them higher returns when compared to gold.
Gold rates in Hyderabad
Gold rates in Hyderabad and other cities in India depend on various factors including its currency exchange rates as the country is a net importer of the yellow metal.
If the dollar rate goes up against the rupee, India has to spend more to import gold thereby making the yellow metal costly in the local market.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 27
55,950
61,040
Gold rates in Dubai, UAE
A host of factors are responsible for the rise and fall in gold rates in Dubai. The common factors are inflation, tax rates, demand, and supply, etc.
It is a precious metal for both those who buy it for personal use and investors who want to diversify their investments.
When the values of other investment options such as stock, mutual funds, etc go down, the gold value increases thereby reducing the net losses of the investors.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 27
2223
2400
Gold rates in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The gold rates in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, mainly depend on global factors. However, other factors such as inflation, taxes, and demand-supply also plays role in the price movement of the yellow metal.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 27
2290
2460
Gold rates in Doha
As Doha, the capital of Qatar sells gold at tax-free rates, the rates are cheaper when compared to India.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 27
2285
2430
Gold rates in Washington
Due to the history of using it as currency, gold is considered a monetary metal. It becomes the most in-demand metal in case of uncertainty in any part of the world.
Asia is experiencing weeks of “endless record heat”, with sweltering temperatures causing school closures and surges in energy use.
Record April temperatures have been recorded at monitoring stations across Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, as well as in China and South Asia.
On Tuesday, four weather stations in Myanmar hit or matched record monthly temperatures, with Theinzayet, in eastern Mon state, reaching the highest, at 43C (109.4F). On Wednesday, Bago, north-east of Yangon, reached 42.2C, matching an all-time record previously recorded in May 2020 and April 2019, according to Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist and weather historian.
There had been “endless record heat in south-east Asia, with weeks of records falling every day,” said Herrera.
In Thailand last weekend the authorities advised people in Bangkok and other areas of the country to stay home to avoid becoming ill. Temperatures hit 42C in the capital on Saturday, and the heat index – meaning what the temperature feels like combined with humidity – reached 54C.
Many still braved the sticky weather – sheltering under umbrellas and carrying fans to stay cool, or seeking respite in air-conditioned malls. In some areas, water has been sprinkled from apartment or university buildings, to ease temperatures and air pollution caused by seasonal agricultural burning.
Rain on Wednesday in Bangkok brought respite from the heat, and the authorities have said they believe the hot season has now peaked.
The hot weather has contributed to record electricity consumption in Thailand, with the country consuming more than 39,000 megawatts on 6 April – higher than the previous record of 32,000 megawatts in April last year.
In the Philippines, managing the heat is a particular challenge because the school calendar shifted during the pandemic, meaning students now spend the hottest months of the year in their classrooms. Hundreds of schools have switched to distance learning to prevent students from falling ill, while one teacher’s group has called for shorter teaching times and smaller class sizes to ease conditions.
Last month, more than 100 students were treated in hospital in Laguna, south-east of Manila, due to dehydration after taking part in a fire drill when temperatures were between 39C and 42C.
Globally, 2022 ranked as one of the hottest years on recorded, and the past eight years were collectively the hottest documented by modern science. It is believed that a return of the El Niño weather phenomenon this year will cause temperatures to rise even further.
“The poorest of the poor are going to [suffer] the most. Especially, it is devastating for the farming community, the people who are dependent on agriculture or fishing,” said Dr Fahad Saeed, regional lead for South Asia and the Middle East at Climate Analytics, a climate science policy institute.
“The heat is not foreign to this part of land,” he said, but added that temperatures were rising beyond the limits of people’s adaptability.
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In Bangladesh, temperatures rose above 40C in the capital, Dhaka, earlier this month, marking the hottest day in 58 years and causing road surfaces to melt.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (Icimod), an intergovernmental group, has raised particular concern about the impact of global heating on the Hindu Kush Himalaya region.
The region holds the third largest body of frozen water in the world, and is warming at double the global average, according to the Icimod. “In the most optimistic scenario, limiting global warming to 1.5C, the region stands to lose one third of its glaciers by 2100 – creating huge risk to mountain communities, ecosystems and nature and the quarter of humanity downstream,” said Deepshikha Sharma, a Climate and Environment Specialist at Icimod.
“Human-induced climate change is the major cause of the growing number and ferocity of heat-waves we’re seeing across Asia. These signal to the fact that the climate emergency is here for this region,” said Sharma, who called for faster emissions reductions and increased investment to help protect areas adapt.
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
New Delhi: The Delhi University (DU) will release a ‘Panchang’ (religious almanac) prepared by it on April 28, which will be shared among the students across the country with an aim to connect the youth to the rich ancient Indian knowledge system and tradition.
The Panchang will be released by DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh in the presence of several personalities from the fields of literature and culture, including the varsity’s department heads, teachers, students, and researchers, among others.
The chief guest at the programme will be Ramlal, the all-India Sampark Pramukh of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The varsity will release the Panchang with a focus on the theme ‘Indian Knowledge Tradition’ on the occasion of its centenary year.
The Panchang has been prepared by the varsity’s Value Addition Courses Committee.
“Our Panchang is more advanced than the Western calendar. It is more scientific and informative. Delhi University’s Value Addition Courses Committee is all set to script a new history on this,” the committee’s president, Niranjan Kumar, told IANS.
“It is quite unfortunate that Panchang has disappeared from our homes as well as from the minds of the youth. Through this Panchang, DU is trying to connect the students to the Indian knowledge system.
“The Western calendar only provides dates and holiday-related information. But the Indian Panchang contains dates, days of the week, ‘nakshatra’, ‘karan’, ‘yog’ etc., along with all our festivals and other important dates,” Kumar added.
The Panchang will be provided for everyone free of cost during the programme at the varsity.
According to DU, it would also tell students about the importance of ‘Indian Panchang’ and the accuracy of mathematical calculations of Panchang in the Indian knowledge tradition.
Describing the launch of the almanac as a historic event, Kumar said that this is happening for the first time in the history of DU when the varsity is releasing a Panchang for the dissemination of ancient Indian knowledge.
“The Panchang will be a useful step in introducing students to the rich and ancient Indian knowledge tradition,” he said.
Gold is not just a precious metal but its rates in Hyderabad, Dubai, Riyadh and other big cities of the world indicate the market trends. The rates of the yellow metal depend on various factors including geopolitical stability, wars, pandemic, uncertainties, etc.
As gold is also a commodity, its rates depend on demand and supply. In case of any uncertainty, the rates of yellow metal increase drastically as investors consider it save heaven.
However, during the market boom period, its rates return to normal as investors start exploring options that can give them higher returns when compared to gold.
Gold rates in Hyderabad
Gold rates in Hyderabad and other cities in India depend on various factors including its currency exchange rates as the country is a net importer of the yellow metal.
If the dollar rate goes up against the rupee, India has to spend more to import gold thereby making the yellow metal costly in the local market.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 26
55,950
61,040
Gold rates in Dubai, UAE
A host of factors are responsible for the rise and fall in gold rates in Dubai. The common factors are inflation, tax rates, demand, and supply, etc.
It is a precious metal for both those who buy it for personal use and investors who want to diversify their investments.
When the values of other investment options such as stock, mutual funds, etc go down, the gold value increases thereby reducing the net losses of the investors.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 26
2,248
2,428
Gold rates in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The gold rates in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, mainly depend on global factors. However, other factors such as inflation, taxes, and demand-supply also plays role in the price movement of the yellow metal.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 26
2,310
2,480
Gold rates in Doha
As Doha, the capital of Qatar sells gold at tax-free rates, the rates are cheaper when compared to India.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 26
2,300
2,445
Gold rates in Washington
Due to the history of using it as currency, gold is considered a monetary metal. It becomes the most in-demand metal in case of uncertainty in any part of the world.
Gold is not just a precious metal but its rates in Hyderabad, Dubai, Riyadh and other big cities of the world indicate the market trends. The rates of the yellow metal depend on various factors including geopolitical stability, wars, pandemic, uncertainties, etc.
As gold is also a commodity, its rates depend on demand and supply. In case of any uncertainty, the rates of yellow metal increase drastically as investors consider it save heaven.
However, during the market boom period, its rates return to normal as investors start exploring options that can give them higher returns when compared to gold.
Gold rates in Hyderabad
Gold rates in Hyderabad and other cities in India depend on various factors including its currency exchange rates as the country is a net importer of the yellow metal.
If the dollar rate goes up against the rupee, India has to spend more to import gold thereby making the yellow metal costly in the local market.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 25
55,850
60,930
Gold rates in Dubai, UAE
A host of factors are responsible for the rise and fall in gold rates in Dubai. The common factors are inflation, tax rates, demand, and supply, etc.
It is a precious metal for both those who buy it for personal use and investors who want to diversify their investments.
When the values of other investment options such as stock, mutual funds, etc go down, the gold value increases thereby reducing the net losses of the investors.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 25
2228
2405
Gold rates in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The gold rates in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, mainly depend on global factors. However, other factors such as inflation, taxes, and demand-supply also plays role in the price movement of the yellow metal.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 25
2290
2470
Gold rates in Doha
As Doha, the capital of Qatar sells gold at tax-free rates, the rates are cheaper when compared to India.
Gold rates as on
22-carat (10 grams) [Change]
24-carat (10 grams) [Change]
April 25
2300
2445
Gold rates in Washington
Due to the history of using it as currency, gold is considered a monetary metal. It becomes the most in-demand metal in case of uncertainty in any part of the world.
New Delhi: The Directorate of Education will organise a mega parent-teacher meeting at MCD and Delhi government schools on April 30, Minister Atishi said on Monday, noting that guardians are an important cog in providing a conducive learning environment.
This will be the first time that Delhi government schools, under the ambit of the Directorate of Education, and those run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will hold mega parent-teacher meetings (PTMs) together.
Addressing a press conference here, Education Minister Atishi urged all the parents to take part in the mega PTM and provide suggestions for their children’s education and the improvement of schools.
“Education has always been the priority of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government. In the past few years, the government raised the budget for education, improved school infrastructure and focused exclusively on providing a conducive learning environment to children in government schools,” Atishi said.
“…we also worked to connect the parents, who are important stakeholders in the education system, with the schools. Due to this, very positive changes were seen not only in the education system but also in the children’s learning levels.
“Now we are going to start this process of change in MCD schools as well through the mega PTMs,” she added.
Atishi also appealed to the parents to join the mega PTMs in their children’s schools and said it would be held on a Sunday to enable both a student’s mother and father to participate.
“From day one itself, the Kejriwal government has believed that if we want to provide quality education to all children, we will have to make the parents participate in the process,” she said.
“Before the Kejriwal government came to power, it was thought that PTMs happen only in private schools and (are) for those parents who are educated. But ever since PTMs started in Delhi government schools, parents have been part of this education process. This has also paved the way for positive development among children and their learning abilities,” Atishi said.
Oberoi said the mega PTM would prove to be a revolutionary step.
“The increased participation of parents in schools will bring a big change in MCD schools. Through the mega PTM, our teachers will be able to share with the parents how they can create a conducive environment for their children to study at home,” Oberoi said.
“The parents can also give their suggestions on school improvement,” she added.
Oberoi also appealed to all the parents to take part in the mega PTM and help MCD schools build a bright future for their children.
A file picture of Osmania University’s Art College in Hyderabad.
Hyderabad: Osmania University on Monday said that the results of the Telangana State Eligibility Test (TS SET) 2022 will be announced on April 25.
The test results will be uploaded on the official website of Telangana SET website at 8:00 am.
“The scorecard can be downloaded by the individual candidates by entering their hall ticket number and date of birth,” said the press release from OU.
Qualified candidates will be further informed about the certificate verification schedule through the website.
Across 29 subjects, 50,256 candidates registered for the TS SET exam. About forty thousand candidates appeared for the exam conducted in March and 2857 qualified, said OU.
SRINAGAR: Amid forecast for mainly “warmer days” till April 25, night temperature continued to hover below normal.
Quoting a meteorological department official, GNS reported that generally cloudy weather was expected from April 26 to 28.
He said there was possibility of rain and snow over upper reaches at some places duringthe time.
Regarding temperature, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of 5.1°C and it was 3.8°C below normal for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 3.6°C and it was 3.9°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of 0.5°C and it was 3.5°C below normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of 6.2°C and it was 1.2°C below normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of 3.2°C and it was 0.1°C below normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at 3.7°C and it was 3.9°C below normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 17.6°C. It was 3.4°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 5.4°C (below normal by 4.0°C), Batote 9.0°C (below normal by 3.0°C), Katra 14.2°C (3.9°C below normal) and Bhadarwah 6.6°C (1.8°C below normal). Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 0.4°C and 1.6°C respectively, the officials added.
Remains of the ill-fated army truck that went up in flames after suspected militants attacked it in Bhata Dhurian area in Mendhar (Poonch) on April 20, 2023. Six soldiers were killed and one survived injured.
In anticipation of preparations for the G20 meeting in Kashmir, suspected militants targeted an army vehicle killing five of the six soldiers. The surviving soldier is battling for his life in the hospital. The attack occurred at Bhatta Durrian (Mendhar), where four soldiers were killed in a gun battle with the militants in October 2021. Army statement said militants hiding behind bushes and a cluster of trees opened firing on the Army truck moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch at Bhatta Durrian on April 20, 2023, at 3 pm taking advantage of rains and thunderstorms. While one militant used grenades to stop the truck, another opened calibrated fire towards its fuel tank, triggering a massive blaze as yet another militant opened fire at onboard soldiers. Four of five Rashtriya Rifles soldiers are from Punjab.
In order to hunt down the assailants, authorities have suspended civil traffic in the Bata-Doriya area. An NIA team is visiting the area for investigations.
How will the attack impact the cold relations between India and Pakistan remains to be seen. Interestingly, Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is expected to lead a delegation to India for a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit on May 5 that Goa hosts. It would be the first visit by any Pakistani Foreign Minister since Hina Rabbani Khar’s in 2011.
LG Manoj Sinha says Kashmir will produce Mustard oil worth Rs 800 crore in 2023.
PUNJAB
State Investigation Agency
In a first of its kind, Jammu and Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) has attached a Punjab resident’s property for “his links with militants”. Identified as Amarbhir Singh of Baba Darshan Singh Enclave at Ram Tirath Mahal in Amritsar, he is living in Dubai but is wanted in many cases in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. The SIA seizure with the help of Punjab Police was in a case of recovery of Rs 15 lakh hawala money at Nagrota from two alleged JeM associates Parvez and Farooq, who were arrested in 2021. This is the first action taken by the SIA outside Jammu and Kashmir.
Formally opened on November 4, 2022, the Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) has received 10000 calls from people in distress. Women callers constitute 70 per cent.
SRINAGAR
High Court of Jammu and Kashmir
The High Court has quashed a series of detention orders under the Public Safety Act, including the one against journalist Fahad Shah. In the case of Srinagar resident Peerzada Mohammed Waseem, the court said the prosecution accused him of rioting and stone pelting in 2020 when the person was in jail since 2017. “How can a detenue already in jail and facing trial participate in rioting and stone pelting during that intervening period?” Judge Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal asked.
Wildlife officials said the direct sightings during the biennial census reveal improved numbers of Hangul within Dachigam National Park. In 2021, 261 Hangul were counted.
KASHMIR
Ramzan 2023 was the most peaceful month of fasting in the last more than three decades. In Kashmir, there were no killings of militants or by militants. There was one encounter but the militants managed to flee. In Ramzan 2022, 19 militants, two civilians and two security personnel forces also lost their lives in militant violence. More than 20 militants were killed in Ramzan 2021.
Peace, however, did not help markets that remained struggling to earn. The inclement weather added to their crisis. Even though the month of fasting was extended to 30 days, the last days did not help the market revive. Lal Chowk remained deserted unlike in the past and part of the credit goes to the ongoing smart city works.
However, Ramzan 2023 would be remembered for the mess that Kashmir’s so-called grand Mufti, Nasirul Islam landed in. He was in a controversy at the beginning of the month when he declared that his “moon-sighting committee” could not locate the Ramzan crescent. People defied his claim and started fasting as Shia ulema had moon-sighting evidence. On April 19, a brief recording came on social media in which he was saying that his committee could not locate the crescent of Shawaal month on April 20, so Eid is being celebrated on Saturday, This triggered a serious controversy leading Nasir to send a formal request to Jammu and Kashmir Police to investigate the issue. He said he had been recorded for Doordarshan in advance. DD insider confirmed it saying this is the tradition. “We keep two versions recorded and then run the one that he permits at the appropriate time,” an insider said. The question, however, remains – how can anybody record something in advance when he or she lacks knowledge of it? On the flip side of it, police have investigated the issue and have answers. Will they ever reveal? Wait.
Against Rs 217.43 crore, the Government generated Rs 260.94 crore with the e-auction of 257 retail liquor vends for the year 2023-24. Some more vends are auctioned soon.
KISHTWAR
A youth was killed and his brother survived injured in a mysterious blast in their own kitchen at Chitran village in Kishtwar’s Simbol area. The dead young man was identified as Shabir Ahmad, 20, and the one struggling to survive as Mohammad Yaseen, 18. Gucchi mushroom hunters, the two brothers had located something in the hospital and were heating it when it exploded. In another interesting incident, Ghulam Hassan, an ex-serviceman, from Angloe area opened fire on his wife, Rubeena, and Yasmeena, his minor daughter and rendered them injured. He used a 12-bore rifle. He lost his cool when his wife and daughter pleaded with the drunkard not to have liquor. Now, he is being tried for an attempt to murder.
Kashmir’s mutton requirements are expected to go up post-Eid from the prevailing 35 truckloads of sheep a day to 160.
DELHI
Jammu and Kashmir’s erstwhile foot-in-mouth governor, Satya Pal Malik has landed in yet another controversy for accusing Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and NSA, Ajit Doval, of making him silent on February 2019 Pulwama attack. The tragedy pushed India and Pakistan to the brink of a war in which the US had to intervene.
“CRPF personnel had requested aircraft to transport their personnel because such a large convoy does not normally travel by road. They had made the request to the Home Ministry, then held by Rajnath Singh, who refused. If they had asked me, I would have provided the aircraft. They had requested five aircraft,” Malik told Karan Thapar. “I told the Prime Minister the same evening (after the incident) that it happened due to our mistake. If we had provided them with aircraft, it could have been averted. He (PM) told me, ‘You keep quiet for the time being.’ I had already told one or two TV channels about it. He (PM) said, ‘Don’t talk about it. This is something else…’. Ajit Doval (NSA) also told me the same thing, ‘Satpalbhai (brother), you don’t talk about it. Please stay silent on this’.” Malik said, it took him a bit of time to realize “that the blame will now be shifted towards Pakistan, so I better keep quiet.”
Though Malik made several claims and told some very interesting stories about the politics in Delhi, it was the Pulwama attack that people have focused on. Congress is seeking a white paper on the Pulwama attack that killed nearly 40 CRPF personnel, days ahead of the national election. “Satya Pal Malik has brought out the explosive satya (‘truth’) which is more explosive than the Pulwama explosion itself…but this is nothing new. People were aware at the time that some Indo-Pakistan incident would be manufactured for political gain. Was the terror attack staged with the aim of winning elections?” Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanhjay Rauat has said. “Was there a plot to get 40 jawans killed for political gain? We [Opposition] had repeatedly tried to ask such questions at the time but were silenced by the ruling party and branded as ‘traitors’.”
The anti-climax of the controversy is that even Pakistan is using Malik’s statement. “His [Malik’s] disclosures demonstrate how the Indian leadership has habitually used the bogey of terrorism from Pakistan to advance its sham victimhood narrative and the Hindutva agenda, clearly for domestic political gains,” a statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
Nearly four lakh people have visited Tulip Garden in the last month.
KATHUA
Kathua
An embarrassed Jammu and Kashmir government had no option but to admit that little Seerat Naaz’s video clip about the condition of the government high school in Lohai-Malhar is “not far from truth”. Naaz addressed the Prime Minister in the 5-minute video that she shot and commented on. After introducing herself as a student of the particular school, she goes on a virtual tour of her school. “Modi-ji, mujhe na aap se ek baat kehni hain (Modi-ji, there is something I need to tell you.)” Seerat then pans the phone camera towards an uncovered concrete surface, right in front of two closed doors which she identifies as the “principal’s office and the staff room” and comments: “Dekho humara farsh kitna ganda ho chuka hain. Humein yahan niche bithate hain (Look how dirty the floor is. They make us sit here).”
“Chalo mein aap ko bari si building dikhati hoon aapne school ki (let me show you the big building where our school is),” she goes on, “Yeh dekho, pichle 5 saalon se, dekho kitni gandi building hain yahan pe. Chalo mein aap ko andar se dikhati hoon (Look how unclean the building has been for the last 5 years. Let me take you on a tour of the inside of the building)”.
It was againt this backdrop, she makes a reqiest: “Please, aap se na request karti hoon, aap na achha sa school bana do. Humein niche baithna parta hain aur hamari uniform gandi ho jati hain aur phir humein Mamma marti hain. Humare pas bench bhi nahin hain (I request you to build us a nice school. We have to sit on the floor because of which our uniforms get dirty. My mother often scolds me for this. We don’t even have benches to sit on).” She adds: “Please Modi-ji, mein aap se request karti hoon ki achha sa bana de yeh school. Meri bhi baat sun lo (Please Modi-ji, I am requesting you to make my school better. Please grant my wish)”. She even films the toilet: “Dekho, humara kitna ganda toilet aur tut gaya hain (Look how filthy and broken our toilet is).” She then directs her lens towards a pit where the students go to relieve themselves. “Humein iss naali mein jana parta hain (We need to head to this pit to relieve ourselves.)”
The Government will now offer an ex-gratia relief of Rs 25 lakh (Rs 20 lakh out of UT Budget and Rs 5 lakh out of SRE) to the families of personnel who die in the line of duty and are from Jammu and Kashmir.
