Jammu: The BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit on Sunday conducted working committee meetings of 12 districts across the Union Territory as part of efforts to strengthen the organisation.
A day-long working committee meetings of 12 organizational districts including Samba, Kashmir Displaced, Doda, Rajouri, Jammu South, Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Anantnag, Kulgam and Pulwama, a Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson said.
In Doda district, J&K BJP General Secretary (organization) Ashok Koul chiefly addressed the working committee meeting of district, while Lok Sabha MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, BJP Vice-President and former minister SS Salathia chaired meeting in Samba district.
Former deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta addressed the meeting of South Jammu district, and BJP General Secretary and former MLC Vibodh Gupta chaired meeting in Rajouri district, spokesperson said.
In Kashmir Displaced district, Jammu Municipal Corporation Mayor Rajinder Sharma addressed the working committee meeting, while the meeting in Srinagar was chaired by Anwar Khan, prabhari, and Ashok Bhat, BJP’s district president.
February: The International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIITH) in collaboration with the Pravaha Foundation conducted a PAN India Hackathon for students between the ages of 10-17 years.
Hackathon is an event where a large number of people meet to engage in collaborative computer programming.
There were 3 stages of filtration in the hackathon and the final stage was conducted physically at the IIITH campus where a total of 55 teams(3-4 students in each) registered in two categories from different cities of India.
The topic of the Hackathon was ‘Sustainability through Technology’, the purpose of which was to build solutions using technology for climate change issues and to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) no.10 and 13.
For the final phase, the 1st category(10-13yrs) tried to find solutions for the problem statement on Automated water management- Monitor and control usage of water.
The 2nd category (14-17 years) tried to build solutions around Automated Disaster management (including forest fire, litho-disaster, and water-borne disasters).
Participants worked on their solution model for 2 days in their respective teams at the IIITH campus using Robotics, IoT, and App Development combinations to execute the solutions.
For the finale, 3 faculty members from IIITH (Prof Ramesh Loganathan, Prof Hari K and Prof Prakash Yalla), 2 faculty members from Mahindra University and economists(Asst Prof. KeertiPendyal and Asst Prof. Anjali Rajan), environmentalist/founder of the rainwater project, Kalpana Ramesh, and advisor, Agustya International Foundation- M G Subramanian were invited to evaluate the teams based on their solutions and presentations.
On the last day, the panel members not only evaluated the model solutions presented by kids but also gave them suggestions/opportunities to apply the prototype and extend it to real-life implementation.
Everyone including mentors, judges and the organizing team was impressed by the enthusiastic, innovative, and conscious young mindset of the participants.
The Hackathon developed problem-solving abilities, design thinking capability, presentation and entrepreneurial skills, and environmental awareness among the students.
Winners and runners-up received mementoes, cash prizes of up to Rs 25,000, certificates and an opportunity to participate in the next international Hackathon organized by Pravaha.
Bengaluru: A day after accusing Congress state president D K Shivakumar of being involved in a conspiracy behind the sex scandal that led to his resignation as minister in 2021, BJP leader Ramesh Jarkiholi on Tuesday held a lengthy discussion with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, sources said.
Jarkiholi had on Monday demanded that the sex scandal case should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation as a “big racket” is involved in which politicians and bureaucrats are honey trapped and blackmailed.
Calling for the arrest of the young woman in the case and her accomplices including two people from Mandya, the BJP MLA had charged that Shivakumar was behind the scandal.
“Today, Ramesh Jarkiholi had a long meeting with the Chief Minister. He met him at his residence for 10 minutes, then travelled with him in the flight till Hubballi,” sources close to the Chief Minister told PTI.
The sources also said the meeting revolved mainly around the sex scandal and the alleged role of Shivakumar and a few others from Belagavi district.
Jarkiholi had insisted that the case should be handed over to the CBI for thorough investigation. It was not clear whether the Chief Minister heeded to the demand.
In a press conference on Monday, Jarkiholi had claimed that there are at least 120 sleaze video clippings available involving various officers and politicians who are being blackmailed.
He said the issue is very serious and the government should get it investigated by the premier investigation agency.
SRINAGAR: Asking Home Minister Amit Shah to opt for a Jammu to Srinagar yatra if the security situation has improved in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Chinese sitting on Indian land must be dealt with by the centre. He was speaking to the media in Srinagar after the conclusion of the 134-day-long yatra during which he addressed 15 news conferences.
Rahul said a Ladakhi delegation clearly said that 2000 square km of the Indian Territory was taken by the Chinese.
“Government is under the impression that the Chinese have not taken any land from India. I recently met some ex-army people and even a delegation from Ladakh has clearly said that 2,000 sq km of Indian territory has been taken over by the Chinese,” Rahul said. “They also said that many patrolling points that used to be in India are now firmly in Chinese hands.”
Terming it “extremely dangerous”, Rahul said: “The approach Government is following by completely denying that the Chinese have taken our land is dangerous and it will give them more confidence to do more aggressive things. We have to deal with the Chinese firmly and tell them they are sitting on our land, won’t be tolerated.”
Asked about the situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir, Rahul Gandhi said he met people and is extremely unhappy.
“Target killing and bomb blasts are happening in Jammu and Kashmir and if the security situation has improved then the conversation the security personnel are having with me should not have been required,” Rahul said. “If the situation is so good why don’t the BJP people walk from Jammu to Lal Chowk? Why doesn’t Amit Shah walk from Jammu to Kashmir if the situation is so secure? I don’t think that argument holds.”
Congress has alleged a security lapse during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir. Earlier on Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that police arrangement “completely collapsed” during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir and he had “to cancel” his walk.
Responding to a volley of several questions about Jammu and Kashmir, Rahul said the restoration of statehood should be the first step.
“Statehood and restoration of the democratic process is a fundamental and very important first step. The other steps will come later and I do not necessarily have to comment on it here,” he said. “All states have an assembly. The democratic process is the right of the people and it should be restored in Jammu and Kashmir. A solution should be found for the people of Ladakh as well.”
In response to a question about the revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution in 2019, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress Working Committee has already made its stand clear on the issue. Notably, Article 370 granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked by the Modi government on August 5, 2019.
Hyderabad: The Startup20 Engagement Group, initiated under India’s G20 Presidency in 2023, held its inception meeting in Hyderabad.
The second day of the two-day inception meeting on Sunday was addressed by Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, YourStory founder and CEO Shradha Sharma, and actor and active investor in the Indian startup ecosystem Suniel Shetty. The three addresses focused on personal stories and their journey through the startup ecosystem in India.
The Startup20 Engagement Group aims to create a global narrative for supporting startups and enabling synergies between startups, corporates, investors, innovation agencies, and other key ecosystem stakeholders.
The engagement group comprises three taskforces – Foundation & Alliance, Finance, and Inclusion & Sustainability, where delegates will come together to discuss efficient policy frameworks to promote scaling up of startups in the G20 nations.
Startup20 Chair, Dr Chintan Vaishnav launched the Startup 20X, which has also been incorporated under the Startup20 Engagement Group.
Startup20X has been launched to bring together leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, visionaries, educators, incubation professionals, women, youth, artisans, artists, activists, and others, to discuss experiences and best practices. The conferences and series of talks will enable efficient policy formulation throughout Startup20 Engagement Group and task force discussions.
Following the Startup20X launch, the delegates proceeded to round table discussions on the objectives and deliverables of each of the task forces where each participant recorded their opinions and discussion through an online form. This was followed by nominations for the international and national delegations to the three task forces. The session concluded with closing remarks from Vaishnav.
Post the networking lunch, the country representatives proceeded to a closed-door session on Startup20. This was followed by a cultural excursion tour to Hussain Sagar Lake and Golkonda Fort for the Incredible India light and sound show.
Cape Town: The Indian women’s hockey team remained unbeaten on their South Africa tour thus far as they registered a 2-2 draw against the hosts in its fourth match against them, here on Sunday.
This was India’s last match against the South African side before they take on World No.1 Netherlands on January 23.
It was Vaishnavi Vithal Palkhe, playing her debut tour for the senior side, who starred for the team, scoring two crucial goals that helped them hold the home team to a draw.
South Africa made a strong start on Sunday, after a series of losses against India. The home team had lost 1-5, 0-7, and 0-4 to India thus far. Determined to end the matches against India on a good note, South Africa was the first to make a breakthrough when they capitalized on an Indian infringement.
The penalty stroke awarded to them was utilized well with Quanita Bobbs beating young goalie Bichu Devi Kharibam to convert the goal in the 8th minute.
India was able to equalize only in the 29th minute when a good PC variation helped them score a goal. It was Vaishnavi who did well to remain calm and pump the ball into the post.
South Africa managed to snatch the lead again when Tarryn Lombard struck a field goal in the 35th minute. The next few minutes remained tense with both teams playing on par with each other.
Vaishnavi finally brought some respite when she converted from a PC in the 51st minute. India did well to tighten their defense in the dying minutes of the match to ensure they walked away with a draw.
Germany has declined to take a decision on whether to give Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine at a special international summit, prompting frustration in Kyiv and a warning from Poland that lives could be lost because of hesitation in Berlin.
It had been hoped in Europe and the US that Germany would at least allow Leopards owned by countries such as Poland and Finland to be re-exported, but despite days of pleading, Berlin’s newly appointed defence minister said no final decision had been taken.
Instead, Boris Pistorius said on the sidelines of the 50-nation meeting at the Ramstein US air force base in Germany on Friday that he had asked his ministry to “undertake an examination of the stocks” of the tanks available.
Germany’s Leopard 2
Although it was the closest Germany has come to suggesting it might be contemplating the use of the tanks in the conflict, it provoked a number of pointed comments from Ukraine and its allies as the meeting broke up without progress on what has come to be seen as the core issue.
Zbigniew Rau, Poland’s foreign minister, said Ukrainian lives would be lost because of Germany’s reluctance to act. “Arming Ukraine in order to repel the Russian aggression is not some kind of decision-making exercise. Ukrainian blood is shed for real. This is the price of hesitation over Leopard deliveries. We need action, now,” he tweeted.
Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, said after the meeting that there was “not a long time” available to provide Ukraine with extra equipment before the expected renewed offensives on both sides as the weather improves. “We have a window of opportunity between now and the spring,” he added.
The chair of the US joint chiefs of staff, Gen Mark Milley, said: “This year, it would be very, very difficult to militarily eject the Russian forces from every inch of Russian-occupied Ukraine.”
Milley told reporters that a “continued defence stabilising the front” would be possible, but that would depend on the delivery and training of military equipment to Ukraine.
Prior to the meeting, Ukraine’s president said pointedly that his country was waiting for a “decision from one European capital that will activate the prepared chains of cooperation on tanks”. In an address, Volodymyr Zelenskiy added it was “in your power” to at least make a decision in principle about tanks.
Poland, which had said it could donate its own Leopard 2 tanks without seeking permission from Germany, said it had participated in a meeting of defence ministers of 15 countries to make progress on the topic.
Mariusz Blaszczak, the country’s defence minister, said he was still “convinced that coalition-building will end in success”.
Berlin is at the centre of the tanks debate because it has yet to allow the re-export of any of the 2,000-plus German-made Leopard 2 tanks owned by Nato countries, holding out for the US to agree to send some of its own Abrams tanks in addition.
The US argues that its Abrams tanks, which run on jet engines, are fuel-inefficient and so difficult to supply, but earlier this week the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, directly asked the US president, Joe Biden, to send US tanks in return for sending its own Leopard tanks.
Yet Berlin said on Friday it had backed away from such a demand, leaving Germany to carry on considering the issue in isolation. Steffen Hebestreit, a German government spokesman, said Scholz was not making the decision on the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks dependent on whether or not the US delivered its M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
“At no time has there been any deal or demand that one thing would follow on from another,” the spokesperson said. “I find it difficult to imagine a German chancellor dictating any conditions or making demands to an American president.”
Berlin, he further insisted, did not expect Poland to carry out its threat to deliver Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine unilaterally, without receiving the necessary export licence from Germany. Hebestreit said: “All our partners will surely want to behave in a law-abiding way.”
Leopard 2 inventories
There had been hope that Germany might, as a compromise, allow export licences to be issued to European owners of the Leopard 2, while withholding its own Leopard tanks.
But in the end that too was dashed at Friday’s meeting of 50 western defence ministers in the Ukraine international contact group. Ukraine says it wants 300 tanks to help force out the Russian invaders in the spring, although western analysts say the supply of 100 would be enough to make an immediate difference.
Zelenskiy had begun the meeting, arguing that urgent action was necessary because “Russia is concentrating its forces, last forces, trying to convince everyone that hatred can be stronger than the world”.
It was vital to “speed up” weapons supplies, Zelenskiy added, because the war with Russia amounted to a battle between freedom and autocracy. “It is about what kind of world people will live in, people who dream, love and hope.”
Earlier this week, Britain said it would donate 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, while Poland said it wanted to follow suit with a similar number of German-made Leopard 2s. Finland has said it wants to donate tanks, while France has indicated that it is considering supplying some of its own Leclerc armoured units.
But it is the Leopards that are considered crucial because they are the dominant tank model in Europe. Germany itself has 321 Leopards in active service, plus another 255 in storage, out of a Nato total of more than 2,300.
Austin also announced a fresh $2.5bn (£2bn) military aid package to Ukraine, including 59 more Bradley fighting vehicles, on top of 50 already announced earlier this month, and 90 Stryker eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers and 350 Humvees.
The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the war in Ukraine was escalating, and argued that Nato countries were playing a direct role in the conflict, although the western military alliance is not at war with Russia.
“It really is developing in an upward spiral. We see a growing indirect, and sometimes direct, involvement of Nato countries in this conflict,” Peskov said.
“We see a devotion to the dramatic delusion that Ukraine can succeed on the battlefield. This is a dramatic delusion of the western community that will more than once be cause for regret, we are sure of that.”
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
