Tag: begins

Voting begins for assembly bypoll in Suar, Chhanbey seats in UP

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Rampur: Voting got underway in the by-polls to the Suar and Chhanbey Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh Wednesday morning.
There is a direct contest between the ruling coalition and the opposition Samajwadi Party in the bypolls. Though the results will have no precipitative impact on the constitution of the assembly, it will be a morale booster for the victor before the Lok Sabha poll next year.
According to officials, voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm. A total of 774 polling booths have been set up by the Election Commission at 492 polling centres in the two constituencies, while there are 6.62 lakh (3.51 lakh mail, 3.11 lakh female and 82 third gender) eligible voters. A total of 14 candidates are in the fray — six in Suar and eight in Chhanbey.

The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party has decided to not contest the by-elections, while the Congress has fielded its candidate only in Chhanbey.
With leaders either campaigning in Karnataka or busy with the urban local bodies elections of Uttar Pradesh, the campaign for the two seats in Rampur and Mirzapur districts has been lacklustre.
The Suar seat in Rampur district, however, will be in focus as it was held by Abdullah Azam Khan, the son of senior SP leader Azam Khan, before it was declared vacant on February 13 after a Moradabad court sentenced the young leader to two years in jail in a 15-year-old case.
In the previous assembly also, the Allahabad High Court had in 2020 set aside his election for not declaring his correct age in the affidavit.
The Samajwadi Party is going all out in its attempt to defend what can be called its last citadel in Rampur while the Apna Dal (Sonelal), an ally of the ruling BJP, is leaving no stone unturned to breach it, especially after the saffron party managed to snatch the Rampur assembly as well as the parliamentary seats, both of which were Azam Khan’s stronghold.

Azam Khan himself was disqualified from the Assembly last year after a court sentenced him to three years in jail in a hate speech case.
In the 2022 UP Assembly election, Abdullah Azam Khan had defeated Apna Dal (Sonelal)’s Haidar Ali Khan on the Suar sear by a margin of over 61,000 votes.
This time, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Anuradha Chauhan from the seat and Apna Dal (Sonelal) has named Shafeek Ahmed Ansari.
The Chhanbey seat in Mirzapur fell vacant following the death of Apna Dal (Sonelal) MLA Rahul Prakash Kol in February. The party has fielded Kol’s wife Rinki Kol while Kirti Kol is contesting as the Samajwadi Party candidate. Eight candidates are in the fray for this seat.
The counting of votes will take place on May 13.
In the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the ruling BJP has 255 MLAs, and its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) and the NISHAD Party have 11 and six legislators, respectively.
The Samajwadi Party has 109 MLAs while its ally the Rashtriya Lok Dal has nine. The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party has six MLAs, the Congress and the Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) have two each and the Bahujan Samaj Party has one member in the assembly.
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#Voting #begins #assembly #bypoll #Suar #Chhanbey #seats
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 10, 2023
Voting begins for Karnataka Assembly polls

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Bengaluru: The polling for the Karnataka Assembly elections began amid tight security on Wednesday.
The voting started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.
All three major political parties in the state — BJP, Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS)– have put in efforts to woo voters, making promises and levelling accusations at each other to secure a majority in the state’s 224-seat Assembly.

The Lingayat and Vokkaliga voters will play a major factor in the elections. Lingayats comprise 17 per cent of the population and Vokkaligas 11 per cent.
The voting is being held for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray. The fate of the candidates will be known on May 13, the day of the counting of votes. Polling is scheduled across 58,545 polling stations including auxiliary polling stations.
According to the Election Commission of India, the majority mark to form the government is 113 seats.
A total of 42,48,028 new voters have been registered to vote for the assembly elections.
As many as 5.3 crore general voters are going to cast their vote in 58,545 polling stations in 37,777 locations. Out of which 11,71,558 are young voters and 12,15,920 are 80+ senior citizen voters. There are also 5,71,281 PwD voters. Around 4,00,000 polling personnel are engaged in poll processes.

84,119 State Police Officers and 58,500 CAPF police in 650 CoYs are on Law and Order and security duty today across the state. All Police officers are on rounds to ensure Law and Order efficiently and handle MCC violations. 185 Interstate Border Check-posts are on high alert by the Police and other personnel. 100 Excise interstate border check-posts are also on high alert. The Commercial Tax officers are deployed in 185 Check Posts (SSTs) and 75 Excise Check-posts.
CEC Rajiv Kumar said “CEO and DEOs have been instructed to provide all facilitation will be provided across more than 58k polling booths set up across 224 ACs. Specifically, 996 Women Managed Booths, 239 Booths were managed by Persons with Disabilities, 286 were managed by youths, and 737 theme-based and ethnic Polling stations.” Basic facilities like drinking water, toilets, ramps, wheelchairs, electricity, volunteers, shades, help desks and parking facilities have been provided at all the polling stations.
The high-voltage campaign for the assembly elections in Karnataka ended on Monday with all party leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding 19 public meetings and six roadshows while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi camped in the state for 12 days.
Some of the key constituencies which will make a major mark in the polls are Varuna, Kanakapura, Shiggaon, Hubli-Darwad, Channapatna, Shikaripura, Chittapur, Ramanagara, and Chikmagalur.
Both BJP and Congress are fielding some of their top guns in the major constituencies. The BJP has also taken a chance by contesting 50 new faces in its 224 candidates list. This move by BJP to deny tickets to several senior leaders ultimately led to them quitting the party and joining Congress or JD(S).
One of them is former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar who was denied a ticket for the Hubli-Darwad West Assembly constituency then joined the Congress and will be contesting from the same constituency as the Congress candidate. It is a seat Shettar has won multiple times.
Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is yet another key candidate who is contesting from the Shiggaon constituency where he has won three consecutive terms.
Also, Varuna is yet another-eyed constituency. Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah is contesting from Varuna which is also his sitting seat with a winning streak starting from 2008.
BJP’s veteran leader and former CM BS Yediyurappa declined to field his son BY Vijayendra from Varuna though reports suggested that party workers wanted Vijayendra to be fielded against Siddaramaiah. BY Vijayendra will be contesting from Shikaripura which is a stronghold of his father BS Yediyurappa.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar will be contesting from Kanakapura. He is also the Congress party’s chief ministerial candidate and he will be contesting against BJP’s Vokkaliga strongman and state revenue minister R Ashoka.
Coming to Channapatna, a seat of the hot battle between JD (S) leader and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, BJP’s Yogeshwar and Congress party’s Gangadhar. Both Kumaraswamy and Yogeshwara belong to the dominant Vokkaliga community.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge will be contesting from the Chittapur Assembly constituency. He was also a former minister in the Siddaramaiah government.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Deve Gowda’s grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy will be contesting from the Ramanagara Assembly constituency after hitting a loss in the 2019 elections. He will be facing Congress veteran HA Iqbal Hussain and BJP’s Gowtham Gowda.
Lastly, Chikmagalur is also among the major seats BJP will be eyeing during this poll. The party is fielding its national general secretary CT Ravi from the seat. Ravi has a winning streak from the Chikmagalur from 2004 and belongs to the Lingayat community giving him a stronghold in the constituency.
The BJP which is facing an air of anti-incumbency factor, is eyeing a second term in the state and has exuded confidence in retaining power with a full majority.
Significantly, Karnataka is the only state in the South where BJP is in power.
With top leadership including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah campaigning for the party, BJP has put all its might to strengthen its support base.
The Congress also conducted high-decibel campaigning with high promises with top leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are some of the promises assured by the BJP in its manifesto.
Congress in its manifesto promises to bring back the Muslim quota, higher reservations for various classes, cash handouts and freebies.
The counting of votes will take place on May 13.
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#Voting #begins #Karnataka #Assembly #polls
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 10, 2023
Countdown For G20 Meeting Begins, Dates Declared: Div Com

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SRINAGAR: Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, VK Bidhuri, said on Saturday that the countdown for the G20 meeting has begun and the dates for the summit have already been declared.
“The countdown for the G20 meeting has begun. The dates for the scheduled meeting have already been declared,” said Divisional Commissioner Kashmir VK Bidhuri while visiting a painting exhibition in Srinagar.
The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir added that the ongoing developmental works in Srinagar city and elsewhere will be accomplished in time. “The ongoing developmental works in Srinagar city and elsewhere will be accomplished in time. We should know that the G20 meeting will be very beneficial for the entire J&K,” he said.
“The meeting of the Tourism Working Group will boost the tourism industry in the region. During the visit, ambassadors of different countries will come to know the beauty of Kashmir which they will communicate to their people after returning back to their respective countries and nations,” Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Bidhuri said.
Regarding the back-to-back failures of deadlines, the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir VK Bidhuri said that due to bad weather, the ongoing developmental works were put on hold. “Initially, the government had fixed April 15 as the deadline for completion of works. We pressed our men and machinery day and night. The work continued uninterruptedly during Ramadan, but the works undergoing in the city were hampered for some time due to inclement weather,” he added.
He also added that the painting exhibition event will display the beauty of Kashmir. “The beauty of Kashmir has been captured and displayed in the event. It is the best opportunity for artists to showcase their talent,” he added. (KNS)

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#Countdown #G20 #Meeting #Begins #Dates #Declared #Div

( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

May 6, 2023
Registration process for Kaun Banega Crorepati 15 begins

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Mumbai: The immensely popular Indian reality show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ is all set to make a comeback with its 15th edition, much to the delight of its ardent fans. The new season of the show, which is hosted by the iconic Amitabh Bachchan, was announced on Saturday. The registration process for participating in the show’s contests has also commenced. Amitabh Bachchan himself announced the show’s return on Twitter, further adding to the excitement among its followers.
In the promo shared by the makers on social media, Amitabh Bachchan can be seen sitting on the host’s seat, while a woman tries to find her way to the hot seat. In the video, Big B is also seen advising a woman not to use any unnecessary tactics and simply register by picking up the phone, as registration opens at 9 p.m. on April 29. Check out the video below.
All the shows of the “KBC” were hosted by Amitabh Bachchan except for the third season in 2007, which was hosted by superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The 14th season concluded on December 30, 2022.

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#Registration #process #Kaun #Banega #Crorepati #begins
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 1, 2023
Saudi: Umrah visa begins on the day holder of visa enters the kingdom

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Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Haj and Umrah said that the duration of the Umrah visa is 90 days, and it begins from the moment the pilgrim enters the territory of the Kingdom.
This came in response to an inquiry on the ministry’s Twitter account, asking that Umrah visa has been issued, bearing in mind that it will expire after the Haj season, so will the pilgrims leave before the Haj?
In response, the ministry of Haj and Umrah stated that the visa “starts from the date of entry into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the necessity of adhering to the validity period of the visa.”

In the same context, the Ministry of Haj clarified that the length of stay for those coming with Umrah visas is 90 days.
On April 15, Saudi Arabia has opened reservations to perform Umrah at the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site in Makkah, during the current Islamic month of Shawwal that began on April 21.
Reservations are made through the Nusuk application, which allows Muslims wishing to perform Umrah or visit holy places in Saudi Arabia to obtain the appropriate visas and permits, in addition to packages related to purchasing online.
According to the Saudi authorities, obtaining an electronic permit for Umrah is still mandatory.
Millions of Muslims, who cannot physically or financially afford the annual haj, flock to Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah pilgrimage.

In recent months, the Kingdom has unveiled a host of facilities for Muslims abroad to come to the country to perform the Umrah.

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#Saudi #Umrah #visa #begins #day #holder #visa #enters #kingdom
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 30, 2023
Swiggy begins charging Rs 2 ‘platform fee’ per food order from users

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New Delhi: Online food delivery platform Swiggy has started charging all users a “platform fee” of Rs 2 per food order, irrespective of the cart value.
The company told IANS that the additional charges are being levied only on food orders on the main platform and does not apply on Instamart users.
“The platform fee is a nominal flat fee charged on food orders. This fee helps us operate and improve our platform and enhance app features to deliver a seamless app experience,” a Swiggy spokesperson said in a statement.

The platform fee is over and above the convenience and handling fees for food delivery.
As last reported, Swiggy claimed to have processed over 1.5-2 million orders through the day.
People in Hyderabad ordered a whopping 10 lakh biryanis and 4 lakh plates of haleem on leading food-delivery platform Swiggy during the holy month of Ramzan.
In March, the online food delivery platform said it delivered 33 million plates of idlis in the last 12 months, indicating the immense popularity of this dish among customers.
Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai were the top three cities where idlis were ordered the most.

The company, on average, has over 2.5 lakh restaurant partners enabled on its platform, and typically onboards about 10,000 restaurants every month.
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#Swiggy #begins #charging #platform #fee #food #order #users
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 28, 2023
Reliance Jio begins 5G services at Char Dham temples

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Dehradun: Reliance Jio on Thursday announced the beginning of its True 5G services at the Char Dham temples in Uttarakhand as the doors of Badrinath were opened for devotees.
It will enable all Jio True 5G users from across the country visiting Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri dhams to latch on to Jio’s True 5G network and experience its limitless possibilities, Reliance Jio press release said.
Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) Chairman Ajendra Ajay inaugurated the service in Badrinath whose doors were opened for devotees on Thursday.

BKTC Vice Chairman Kishore Panwar, CEO Yogendra and Badrinath Chief Priest Eshwar Prasad Namboodiri were also present on the occasion.
In a message on the occasion, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “I congratulate and thank Jio for bringing in transformational changes in the digital landscape of the state and commencing 5G services right at the beginning of yatra. It will allow millions of pilgrims to take advantage of high-speed data network.”
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 27, 2023
Trial begins in civil lawsuit accusing Trump of rape

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“Trump was almost twice her size,” Crowley said to the jury. “He held down her arm, pulled down her tights and then he sexually assaulted her.”
Trump, who isn’t required to appear at the proceedings, didn’t attend the first day of the trial. His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, sought to portray Carroll’s claim as a “sick story” while also trying to reassure jurors that they could side with his client even if they dislike him.
“You can hate Donald Trump. It’s OK,” Tacopina told jurors. “But there’s a time and a secret place for that. It’s called a ballot box. Not here, in a court of law.”
“While no one is above the law, no one is also beneath the law,” he continued. “Politicians don’t make this country great, jurors do.”
Carroll, Tacopina argued, was motivated by money and by politics. He questioned her claim that no shoppers or employees were around to witness the incident in the department store, and he emphasized that she couldn’t recall certain details, most notably the precise timing of the alleged attack.
“You learned that E. Jean Carroll can’t tell you the date. She can’t tell you the month. She can’t tell you the season. She can’t even tell you the year,” he said.
“Evidence will tell you that E. Jean Carroll can’t do any of those things because the story isn’t true.”
To combat some of those arguments, Crowley emphasized two main points in her opening statements: that Carroll’s account is corroborated by two friends she told contemporaneously and by former Bergdorf Goodman employees who can testify to physical attributes of the store at that time, and that Trump’s alleged assault of Carroll is part of a pattern. More than two dozen women have accused him of sexual misconduct.

Two other women who have accused Trump of sexual assault, Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stynoff, are set to testify, and Carroll’s attorneys have received permission from the judge to use the “Access Hollywood” tape — in which Trump boasts on a hot mic that “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything,” adding, “Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything” — as evidence at trial.
Trump’s lawyer, Tacopina, dismissed the significance of the tape, calling it a “lewd conversation from 20 years ago.” The tape was recorded in 2005 and became public in 2016.
“It’s foolish, but it’s locker room talk,” he said. “It’s not an admission.”
Crowley also seized on a statement Trump made in disputing Carroll’s claims that Carroll is “not my type!”
First, Crowley told the jury, “we all know what that means: He was saying she was too ugly to assault.”
Later in her remarks, she also argued that his comment was not only offensive but also a lie. Describing a portion of his videotaped deposition that Carroll’s lawyers intend to show the jury, Crowley showed jurors a black and white photograph of Trump with Carroll.
“When Trump was shown this photograph at his deposition late last year, he looked at it, he pointed to it, unprompted, and he said, ‘It’s Marla! Yeah, it’s Marla, my wife,’” Crowley said, raising her voice.
“He mistook her for Marla Maples, his second wife, a former model, who he admitted was exactly his type.”
The trial is expected to last between one and two weeks, and testimony is set to begin Wednesday. While Trump isn’t expected to attend the trial in coming days, the judge nevertheless offered an instruction that appeared aimed at the absent defendant.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who in court filings took issue with Trump’s recent comments urging his supporters to protest criminal charges against him, advised the lawyers to warn their clients against making remarks that “inspire violence.”
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 26, 2023
Telangana: Twelve-day Manjeera Kumbha Mela begins

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Hyderabad: Manjeera Kumbha Mela began with religious fervour and pomp at Sri Siddi Saraswathi Kshetram in Raghavapur village in Nyalkal mandal of Sangareddy District in Telangana State on Monday.
The 12-day Manjeera Kumbha Mela attracts pilgrims from not only Telangana and Andhra Pradesh but also the neighbouring States of Karnataka and Maharashtra besides Naga Sadhus and other sadhus from North India.
The Manjeera Kumbha Mela was first organised in 2010 by Panchavati Kshetra Seer Kasinath Baba, followed by in 2013 and 2018. But due to Covid, it was put off and is held after a gap of 5 years.

This 12-day Manjeera Kumbha Mela will be held from April 24 to May 5. Manjeera Kumbha Mela is the only one to be held in South India.
Panchavati Kshetram Peethadhi Kashinath Babu hoisted the festival flag and took a dip in the holy river along with other devotees to launch the Manjeera Kumbha Mela.
As part of the ritual, Ganga Aarthi is offered to the Manjeera River every day in the evening.
Bidar Shiva Kumar Swamy, Zaheerabad and Narayankhed MLAs K Manik Rao, M Bhupal Reddy, Sangareddy District Collector A Sharath, DCMS chairman Malkapuram Shiva Kumar and others participated in the inaugural programme on Monday. Health and Finance Minister T Harish Rao will attend the Kumbha Mela on April 28.
According to Panchavati Kasinath Baba, about three lakh devotees will attend the Kumbh Mela.

District Cooperative and Marketing Society (DCMS) Malkapuram Shiva Kumar told Newsmeter that all arrangements have been made for the Manjeera Kumbh Mela and basic facilities, transport, and medicare has been organised for the visit of devotees all through the Kumbh mela days.
River Manjeera is a tributary of River Godavari, which originates in Balaghat range in Maharashtra, very close to Gavalwadi village in Beed District. The river travels 724 km in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana States before reaching Godavari River downstream Nizam Sagar. It enters Telangana at Gauda Gav.
Hindus celebrate Kumbha Mela four times in a span of 12 years—the site rotating between four pilgrimage places on sacred rivers like Haridwar on Ganga River, Ujjain on Shipra, Nashik on Godavari River and Prayag Raj on the confluence of Ganga and Jamuna and Saraswathi. Each celebration is based on planetary position of the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter decided by pundits.
According to history, Kumbh Mela’s origin began in the 8th century when philosopher Shankara organised regular gatherings while in Puranas it is said Gods and demons fought over the pot (kumbha) of Amrit, the elixir of immortality produced by their joint churning of the milky ocean.
It is believed, drops of the elixir fell on the Kumbh Mela’s four earthly sites, and the rivers are believed to turn back into that primordial nectar giving devotees to bathe in the essence of purity. Kumbh comes from this mythic pot of elixir.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 24, 2023
Lenovo begins laying off employees as PC biz takes a beating

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New Delhi: Global technology brand Lenovo has reportedly started laying off employees, as its PC business suffers significantly amid economic downturn.
According to a report in CRN, the job cuts at Levono are “part of a roughly $115 million cost-cutting plan”.
Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing had informed in February about a coming “workforce adjustment” as part of a broader reduction in spending.

The company had about 75,000 employees at the end of its 2022 fiscal year.
“Like our CEO Yuanqing Yang said at our most recent quarterly earnings announcement, we are reducing operational expenses and making workforce adjustments where necessary and appropriate,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
“We continue to invest in the areas that accelerate growth and the overall transformation of the company,” the spokesperson told WRAL TechWire.
A “severe downturn” in the PC and smartphone markets caused the company’s revenue to drop 24 per cent (year-on-year) to $15.3 billion and net income to $437 million in the quarter ended December 31.
The company had hinted at the job cuts in future as part of the overall cost reduction.

Lenovo CFO Wong Wai Ming had blamed the downturn on a “confluence of global economic challenges and dynamic shifts in market demand”.
In the March quarter (Q1 2023), weak demand, excess inventory and a worsening macroeconomic climate resulted in the global shipments of traditional PCs recording 56.9 million, a huge 29 per cent drop compared to the same quarter last year, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
Lenovo led the global PC market with 22.4 per cent market share, followed by HP Inc at 21.1 per cent and Dell Technologies at 16.7 per cent.
According to the report, the pause in growth and demand is also giving the supply chain some room to make changes as many factories begin to explore production options outside China.
If recession in key markets drags into next year, recovery could be a slog.
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#Lenovo #begins #laying #employees #biz #takes #beating
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 24, 2023