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Tag: mission

  • Pope speaks of secret peace ‘mission,’ help for Ukraine kids

    Pope speaks of secret peace ‘mission,’ help for Ukraine kids

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    Deportations of Ukrainian children have been a concern since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Francis said the Holy See had already helped mediate some prisoner exchanges and would do “all that is humanly possible” to reunite families.

    “All human gestures help. Gestures of cruelty don’t help,” Francis said.

    The International Criminal Court in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s children’s commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety.

    Last week Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Francis at the Vatican and asked him to help return Ukrainian children taken following the Russian invasion.

    “I asked His Holiness to help us return home Ukrainians, Ukrainian children who are detained, arrested, and criminally deported to Russia,″ Shmyhal told the Foreign Press Association after the audience.

    Francis recalled that the Holy See had facilitated some prisoner exchanges, working through embassies, and was open to Ukraine’s request to reunite Ukrainian children with their families.

    The prisoner exchanges “went well. I think it could go well also for this. It’s important,” he said of the family reunifications. “The Holy See is available to do it because it’s the right thing,” he added. “We have to do all that is humanly possible.

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    #Pope #speaks #secret #peace #mission #Ukraine #kids
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Dubai ruler announces new moon mission called ‘Rashid Rover 2’

    Dubai ruler announces new moon mission called ‘Rashid Rover 2’

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    Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced on Wednesday the second attempt to land on the moon, the rover would be called Rashid 2.

    This came after the Japan’s Hakuto-R Mission 1 spacecraft, carrying the Rashid Rover, got lost moments before it landed on the moon on Tuesday.

    “The mission of the vehicle carrying the explorer Rashid did not succeed in landing on the surface of the moon… but we succeeded in raising the ceiling of our ambitions to reach the moon… and we succeeded in making a team of our young men and women capable of managing advanced space projects… and we succeeded in building a space sector from zero within 10 years,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted on Wednesday.

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    Sheikh Mohammed continued, “Today, explorer Rashid 1 is on the surface of the moon, carrying the flag of the Emirates… to constitute the greatest evidence of our courage… and our thinking outside the box… and our attempt to reach the moon… From today, work will begin on Rashid 2… a new explorer… for a new attempt to reach for the moon.”

    Sheikh Mohammed added, “We are a country founded on ambition. We are a country that has not stopped since December 2, 1971. It will not stop. It will not turn around. It will not set small goals for itself. The coming is more beautiful, greater and bolder, God willing.”

    Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, tweeted, “The biggest risk is not to take risks,” says the one whose name bears the space center, ‘Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid.’ The nature of the space sector is a high risk rate, and we accept that.”

    Sheikh Hamdan also said, “We have had the honor of trying to reach a new point in the history of the UAE… and we have had the honor of raising our ambitions so that space, its planets and stars will be its ceiling.

    “And we directed Mohammed bin Rashid to start immediately developing Rashid 2… a new vehicle… for a new attempt to reach the moon, God willing.”

    Both rovers are named after the late Sheikh Rashid, founder of modern Dubai and father of Sheikh Mohammed.

    The Rashid 1 mission was the first under the UAE’s local lunar exploration program, which took a team of 11 engineers at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center six years. No date has been set for the second attempt.



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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • EU to deploy mission to Moldova to combat threats from Russia

    EU to deploy mission to Moldova to combat threats from Russia

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    The EU will send a civilian mission to Moldova to help the Eastern European nation combat growing threats from abroad, officials have confirmed, following a string of reports that the Kremlin is working to destabilize the former Soviet Republic.

    In a statement issued Monday, the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said that the mission, under the Common Security and Defence Policy, would step up “support to Moldova [to] protect its security, territorial integrity and sovereignty” against Russia.

    Officials confirmed that the mission will focus on “crisis management and hybrid threats, including cybersecurity, and countering foreign information manipulation and interference.”

    In February, the president of neighboring Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Kyiv’s security services had intercepted Russian plans to “break the democracy of Moldova and establish control over Moldova.” The country’s pro-EU leader, President Maia Sandu, later alleged that “the plan included sabotage and militarily trained people disguised as civilians to carry out violent actions, attacks on government buildings and taking hostages.”

    According to Vlad Lupan, Moldova’s former ambassador to the U.N. and a professor at New York University, Brussels’ move comes after “multiple signals Moldova would not be able to deal with Russian influence operations alone.” He told POLITICO that the mission would now have to focus on “communicating why the EU’s rule of law and democracy brings both respect and prosperity to the people compared to the Russian autocratic model.”

    Home to just 2.6 million people, Moldova was for decades one of Moscow’s closest allies, and 1,500 Russian troops are currently stationed in the breakaway region of Transnistria. Elected in 2020, Sandu has repeatedly condemned the Kremlin for invading Ukraine and called for the withdrawal of its forces from her country. In June last year, EU leaders announced Moldova, as well as Ukraine, would be granted candidate status, beginning the process for its accession to become a new member state.

    However, Moscow still maintains a significant hold on the country, operating several popular Russian-language state media outlets and supplying almost all of its natural gas. After the Russian energy giant Gazprom announced last year it would raise prices, as well as turn off the taps unless past debts were paid in full, Moldova, one of the Continent’s poorest countries, has turned to Brussels for support in diversifying its supplies.



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    #deploy #mission #Moldova #combat #threats #Russia
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

  • Nitish meets Mamata as mission Oppn Unity paces; to meet Akhilesh next

    Nitish meets Mamata as mission Oppn Unity paces; to meet Akhilesh next

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    Lucknow: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has taken upon himself the task of uniting Opposition forces against the BJP-led government at the Centre, met Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday.

    He left Patna to meet with his Bengal counterpart at her office in the State secretariat ‘Nabanna’ today.

    He is also set to meet Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav at the Samajwadi Party headquarters today at 4 pm, officials said.

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    The Samajwadi Party’s National General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and Shivpal Singh Yadav will also be present in today’s meeting.

    Earlier on April 12, Nitish Kumar had met with Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and former MP Rahul Gandhi in the national capital.

    The meeting was seen as the major step to laying the groundwork for a grand Opposition alliance ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections.

    Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rahul Gandhi said it was a “historic step” towards Opposition unity and for an “ideological fight”.

    Rahul Gandhi, who posted a picture of himself with Kharge and JDU and RJD leaders, said they are “standing together, will fight together for India”.

    “In this battle of ideology, a historic step has been taken today towards Opposition unity. (We are) standing together, will fight together – for India!” Rahul Gandhi had said in a tweet after the meeting with the Bihar chief minister.

    CM Mamata Banerjee is also leaving no stone unturned in closing in ranks with other parties ahead of the 2024 polls, as she met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav at her residence in Kolkata last month.

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    #Nitish #meets #Mamata #mission #Oppn #Unity #paces #meet #Akhilesh

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • ISRO to send up uncrewed rocket as part of Gaganyaan Mission

    ISRO to send up uncrewed rocket as part of Gaganyaan Mission

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    Sriharikota: Ahead of the 2024 General Elections, the Indian space agency ISRO will launch the first uncrewed test rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) as a part of the Gaganyaan Mission – India’s human space mission.

    The Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) S. Somanath said here on Saturday the space agency is planning to send up the first uncrewed GSLV rocket in February 2024 as part of the Gaganyaan Mission. The human module will land in the sea.

    He was speaking to reporters here after the successful launch of two Singaporean satellites – TeLEOS-2 and Lumilite-4, with the rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

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    Somanath said prior that there will a test of Gagayaan Mission in June this year where the rocket will go up to 12-14 km and test its safety systems.

    Queried about the next step in ISRO developing a reusable rocket – similar to the USA’s Space Shuttle, Somanath said the space agency will send up a Oribital Recovery Vehicle. The vehicle will be in the space for some days and come back.

    On forthcoming space missions of ISRO, he said the space agency will send the Aditya L1, Navigation satellites, a commercial launch with the heavier rocket GSLV and a mission with Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).

    According to D. Radhakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director of NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) – the commercial arm of Department of Space, there is emerging demand for SSLV rocket for orbiting small satellites.

    Similarly after the successful launch of 72 OneWeb satellites – for a fee of over Rs 1,000 crore- with ISRO’s LVM3 rocket, there is a good business potential for that rocket as well, Radhakrishnan said.

    He said the NSIL is planning to build communication satellites and launch the same.

    Be that as it may, speaking about the Saturday’s successful PSLV rocket mission, Somanath said the space agency did some re-engineering to cut costs without compromising on its performance.

    The ISRO officials are also upbeat about using the PSLV rocket’s upper stage as a stablised orbital platform on which small payloads are fitted to carry out experiments.

    The upper stage of PSLV-C55 rocket that went up on Saturday had seven experimental payloads.

    According to M. Sankaran, Director, U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), the thought of using the upper stage came four years ago as it will be in the space for a long time.

    Sankaran said the space agency took steps to stabilise the upper stage in space and then upgraded the same.

    Somanath said commercial electronics are used in the upper stage to make it as an orbital platform and hence its life span will be short.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Air Force unit in document leaks case loses intel mission

    Air Force unit in document leaks case loses intel mission

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    The leaks have raised questions as to how a single airman could have removed so many documents without being detected, why there were not safety checks in place and how the documents could have lingered online undetected for months.

    “How could this guardsman take this information and distribute it electronically for weeks, if not months, and nobody knew about it?” Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana asked the Air Force leaders testifying before a Senate defense appropriations subcommittee.

    These are questions the Air Force is asking, too. For top secret information across the military, there’s supposed to be accountable control officers who are responsible for recording active top secret documents and ensuring they have been either properly secured or disposed of, such as through a shredder or by burning them.

    Pending further review, “The 102nd Intelligence Wing is not currently performing its assigned intelligence mission. The mission has been temporarily reassigned to other organizations within the Air Force,” the service said in a statement to The Associated Press.

    In addition, the Air Force is conducting a service-wide review of how each command handles classified information, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown told members of subcommittee.

    The Air Force’s own reviews are on top of a military-wide review directed on Monday by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Austin has ordered that all military facilities that handle classified information report to him within 45 days on how they access, share, store and destroy the nation’s secrets following the leaks.

    The leaked documents exposed to the world unvarnished secret assessments on the war in Ukraine, the capabilities and geopolitical interests of other nations and other national security issues.

    Teixeira posted the highly classified material in a geopolitical chat room on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers.

    “He had access to some aspects based on his job as a cyber administrator. He took advantage of that access,” Brown said.

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    #Air #Force #unit #document #leaks #case #loses #intel #mission
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • NIA takes over probe into attack on Indian mission in London

    NIA takes over probe into attack on Indian mission in London

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    New Delhi: Nearly a month after the national flag at the Indian high commission in London was pulled down during a protest by pro-Khalistan activists, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the case to investigate the matter, sources said.

    According to inputs, the case was handed over to the NIA by the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalization (CTCR) division of the Ministry of Home Affairs a few days back.

    The anti-terror agency registered a First Information Report (FIR) based on the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and began its probe.

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    The agency took over the case from Delhi Police, which registered an FIR in the matter under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and is currently investigating it.

    The MHA took the decision to hand over the case to the NIA following a meeting with UK representatives last week, the sources indicated.

    It is learnt that a special team of the NIA, including a Deputy Inspector General rank officer, may visit London “very soon”, said a source privy to the development.

    A tricolour flying atop the Indian High Commission in London was grabbed at by a group of protesters waving separatist Khalistani flags and chanting pro-Khalistani slogans on March 19.

    The national flag was pulled down during the protest by pro-Khalistani elements. Videos of the incident showed several protesters carrying the yellow and black Khalistan flag and calling for radical Sikh preacher and Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh to be “freed”.

    The videos showed one of the protesters clambering onto a balcony and pulling down the Indian flag from a pole at the front of the high commission to cheers from the other men. British policemen arrived on the scene and prevented the protestors from approaching an entrance of the Indian high commission. The protesters shouted slogans and abused Indian officials within, the videos showed.

    Centre amended the NIA Act in August 2019, empowering the agency to investigate terror activities against Indians and Indian interests abroad apart from cyber crimes and human trafficking.

    In the fifth India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue held on April 12, India raised concerns on the misuse of the UK’s asylum status by the Pro-Khalistani elements aid and abet terrorist activities here and requested better cooperation with the UK and increased monitoring of UK based Pro-Khalistan Extremists and take appropriate proactive action.

    India also pointed out its concerns over the breach of security of the Indian High Commission.

    Both sides reviewed the ongoing cooperation and identified further steps that can be taken to explore opportunities and synergies in advancing cooperation in counter-terrorism, cyber security and global supply chains, drug trafficking, migration, extradition, and anti-India activities in the UK including Pro-Khalistan Extremism among other issues.

    The Indian delegation was led by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and the UK delegation was led by Permanent Secretary, of Home Office, Sir Matthew Rycroft. The meeting was also attended by other senior officials of both countries.

    The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) last month summoned the UK deputy high commissioner after pro-Khalistan protestors took down the Indian flag at the high commission in London. The pro-Khalistan groups were protesting against the Punjab police’s crackdown on Sikh hardliner Amritpal Singh.

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    #NIA #takes #probe #attack #Indian #mission #London

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • UK PM Rishi Sunak aware’ of security review at Indian mission in London

    UK PM Rishi Sunak aware’ of security review at Indian mission in London

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    London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is aware of India’s security concerns following violent clashes at its mission in London and a security review is underway, Downing Street said on Thursday.

    The security review was announced by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in a statement last week following windows being smashed and the tricolour being attacked by pro-Khalistan flag-waving protesters at India House.

    The UK Foreign Office has since been leading on this review of the security at the diplomatic mission, along with the Metropolitan Police.

    “Discussions are being led by the Foreign Office with our police in the UK and our Indian counterparts. The Prime Minister hasn’t been involved directly but he is aware of them [discussions],” Prime Minister Sunak’s spokesperson told PTI at a Downing Street briefing.

    Asked if the issue is likely to impact the ongoing India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, which are now in their eighth round of talks, the spokesperson added: “The two issues are unconnected and the trade talks with India continue. Both sides want to see an enhanced relationship between our two countries.

    “On security, we expressed our concerns about the scenes we saw outside the High Commission and a review is underway.”

    It came as the latest set of protests outside India House in London are expected over three days until Saturday, with a demonstration also planned outside the Indian Consulate in Birmingham on Sunday.

    There has been a very visible Met Police presence around the Indian High Commission in London since the violent disorder on March 19, with protesters now confined behind barricades across the street from the mission premises.

    During a planned demonstration there last Wednesday, protesters hurled coloured flares and water bottles towards the mission. They have since taken to social media to allege that the objects were hurled by the Indian mission instead, allegations which have been countered by India House.

    India had registered a strong protest with the UK government and the issue was also raised in the House of Commons.

    It followed UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s statement to condemn the “unacceptable” acts of violence and an assurance to conduct a security review.

    “We will always take the security of the High Commission, and all foreign missions in the UK, extremely seriously, and prevent and robustly respond to incidents such as this,” said Cleverly.

    Meanwhile, government ministers have also been holding talks with Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami to reiterate plans to review the security measures at India House.

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    #Rishi #Sunak #aware #security #review #Indian #mission #London

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Pro-Khalistan protesters hurl objects at Indian mission in London

    Pro-Khalistan protesters hurl objects at Indian mission in London

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    London: Around 2,000 protesters waving Khalistan flags descended upon the Indian High Commission here on Wednesday for a planned demonstration and hurled objects and chanted slogans amid a heightened security presence and barricades.

    The Indian High Commission countered by unfurling an additional humongous tricolour on the roof of its building, which seemed to rile the protesters further who then hurled coloured flares and water bottles towards the mission building and at police officers and media covering the protest.

    Scotland Yard reacted by further blockading the area outside India House and several additional uniformed and mounted officers on horseback were deployed immediately to the area.

    Unlike the violent disorder on Sunday when India House came under attack, the protesters were barricaded across the road with uniformed officers standing guard and patrolling the area throughout. The protesters, including turbaned men, and some women and children, had been bused in from different parts of the UK and chanted pro-Khalistan slogans.

    The organisers used mikes to make anti-India speeches and attack the Punjab Police for alleged human rights violations. The speeches switched between English and Punjabi to make allegations of Indian media bias for calling them fringe elements and backed by Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.

    Banners for the so-called “National Protest”, organised by groups such as the Federation of Sikh Organisations (FSO) and Sikh Youth Jathebandia, have been circulating on social media since before a protest on Sunday, which ended in violent disorder at India House.

    The Indian government had registered a strong protest over the lack of security measures at its diplomatic mission, which ended in Khalistan flag-waving protesters smashing windows of the Indian High Commission and attempting to pull down the Tricolour.

    Since the weekend, several uniformed officers have been patrolling the area in Aldwych and Metropolitan Police vans have been stationed at India Place.

    Wednesday’s planned demonstration claims to be in response to alleged discriminatory actions of the police in Punjab.

    The Indian High Commission in London has been working to counter disinformation circulating around developments in Punjab, related to enforcement action against the separatist group ‘Waris Punjab De’.

    “Let me assure all our friends here in the UK, especially brothers and sisters with relatives in Punjab, that there is no truth to the sensationalist lies being circulated on social media,” Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami said in a video posted on Twitter.

    “The situation in your ancestral homeland is not what is being reported. The elected chief minister of the state and the local police authorities have put out detailed information, including interviews on television, please watch these. Do not believe the small handful of people putting out fiction and disinformation,” he said.

    In an update on the enforcement action since March 18, Doraiswami said that the Punjab Police launched an operation against elements of ‘Waris Punjab De’ against whom criminal cases have been recorded, in particular against Amritpal Singh, the chief of this organisation. He added that the constitutional rights to a legal defence for all those arrested will be protected and reiterated that all communication services, including mobile telephone networks and internet, are up and running in the state.

    British Sikh MPs, Labour’s Tanmanjeet Singh and Preet Kaur Gill, were among those to express concern for their UK constituents with relatives in Punjab.

    “Monitoring developments surrounding the Punjab. So many of my constituents are concerned for their loved ones given an internet blackout. Ministers should engage with Indian authorities so UK families who can’t reach their relatives regain contact as soon as possible,” Gill tweeted on Sunday.

    On being alerted to the violent protest at the High Commission, she added: “No one should resort to such attacks. This is unacceptable.”

    An attempted pull down by the extremists of the Indian tricolour that flies at the Indian High Commission was quashed by an official and has been followed up by an additional larger Tiranga on the main facade.

    Several diaspora groups gathered for a “We Stand By High Commission of India” festive demonstration outside India House in London on Tuesday as a show of solidarity following vandalism.

    The Metropolitan Police said its “enquiries continue” and one person arrested on suspicion of violent disorder has since been bailed to appear in court in mid-June.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • 40,000 women in J&K already lakhpati as they earn over Rs 1 lakh in one year: Mission Dir J&KRLM

    40,000 women in J&K already lakhpati as they earn over Rs 1 lakh in one year: Mission Dir J&KRLM

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    Srinagar, Mar 14: Mission Director, Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM), Indu Kanwal Chib on Tuesday said that 40,000 women in Jammu & Kashmir are ‘lakhpati’ as they earn over Rs one lakh a year and that under the supervision of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, a big e-commerce platform will soon be started for the women entrepreneurs in the Union Territory.

    Talking to the reporters, Chib, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that the J&KRLM is going to organize an 11-day National level fair SARAS (Sale of Articles and Rural Artisan Society) from tomorrow on the banks of world famous Dal Lake Near Ghat No- 8 Boulevard Road.

    She said that such events are being organized frequently outside J&K, but in the UT, the frequency was too low. However, we have started organizing such events and after Jammu, the event will be organized from tomorrow in Kashmir as well. SARAS is a marketing strategy for the rural artisans to sell their products,” she said.

    Under the UMEED scheme, she said that there are many platforms where the women are being skilled in both farm and non-farm skills.

    At present, Self help groups of 78000 people have been engaged, she said that there are many entrepreneurs in J&K. “For me, those selling milk at home are also entrepreneurs. 40,000 women are lakhati as they are earning more than one lakh a year and 65 per cent among them are entrepreneurs,” she said.

    “The time has changed as the women are not behind the men. From drivers to carpenters, women can do everything. But, it is not a race,” she said while replying to a query.

    She further said that under UMEED scheme, a big e-commerce platform is being made available under the supervision of Lieutenant Governor and that the work is already going on with ‘Meesho’—(KNO)

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    #women #lakhpati #earn #lakh #year #Mission #Dir #JKRLM

    ( With inputs from : roshankashmir.net )