April 24 can be considered a historic day in the world of cricket, as it marks the birthday of cricketing legend, Sachin Tendulkar.
The Maharashtra-born player, who turned 49 on Sunday, made his Test debut on November 15, 1989, at the age of 16. In the same year on December 18, he played his first ODI match. The legendary batter has the most number of runs in the longest format of the game, amassing 15,921 runs. Along the way, Tendulkar scored 51 Test centuries, the most by any player.
Apart from Test cricket, Sachin has created numerous records in the ODI format as well. He stands at the top of the list of most runs in ODI, with a total of 18,426 runs, including 49 tons and 96 half-centuries.
During his long career, the former batter represented India in six World Cups. He was also a part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad.
He has also achieved a historic milestone of scoring 100 international tons and holds the record for registering the most centuries in Test and ODIs. He was also the first batsman to score a double ton in the 50-over format.
Sachin was last seen playing in Road Safety World Series in 2021, where he led India Legends to the title win. Currently, he is the mentor of the Indian Premier League franchise, Mumbai Indians. (ANI)
Witnessing a steady rise in the number of new COVID-19 infections, India recorded 2,593 new cases in the last 24 hours, with a daily positivity rate of 0.59 per cent.
Earlier country had reported 2,527 new COVID-19 infections with a daily positivity rate of 0.56 per cent on Saturday and 2,451 new cases with a daily positivity rate of 0.55 per cent on Friday. As per today’s government data, India’s active caseload currently stands at 15,873. They now constitute 0.04 per cent of the country’s total positive cases.
A total of 4,36,532 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. The weekly positivity rate is 0.54 per cent.
With 1,755 recoveries reported in the last 24 hours, the cumulative recoveries rose to 4,25,19,479. The recovery rate is at 98.75 per cent.
In the last 24 hours, 44 people succumbed to the virus. The death toll in the country is currently at 5,22,193. The case fatality rate is 1.21 per cent.
In the nationwide vaccination drive against COVID-19, which commenced on January 16 last year, more than 187.67 crore doses have been administered to eligible beneficiaries. (ANI)
Hailing the Amrit Sarovar scheme of the Central government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday while quoting from ancient scriptures said water conservation is a social and spiritual duty of every person.
The PM on Sunday in his 88th monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann ki Baat’ emphasised on water conservation in the country while stating that it’s key to the progress of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced the construction of 75 Amrit Sarovar (ponds) in every district of the country.
“This rising heat equally increases our responsibility to save water. During the (Azadi ka) Amrit Mahotsav, 75 Amrit Sarovars will be built in every district of the country. You can imagine how big the campaign is. The day is not far when there will be 75 Amrit Sarovars, one in your own city,” said PM Modi.
Emphasising efforts for water conservation, PM Modi said, “Vedas and Puranas have termed water conservation as the social and spiritual duty of every person.”
“In Valmiki Ramayana, special emphasis has been laid on water conservation, on connecting water sources. Similarly, students of history would know, how much engineering was developed in India regarding water even during the Indus-Saraswati and Harappan civilizations,” he added.
PM Modi also said that “the availability of water determines the progress and speed of any country”.
PM Modi hailed the efforts made by a Panchayat in Uttar Pradesh by rejuvenating a pond that used to be filled with garbage.
“I have come to know about Gram Panchayat Patwai of Rampur in UP. There was a pond on the land of the Gram Sabha, but it was full of filth and heaps of garbage. With a lot of hard work, with the help of local people, with the help of local school children, that dirty pond has been transformed in the last few weeks,” he said.
“Now, many arrangements have been made on the banks of that lake like retaining wall, boundary wall, food court, fountains and lighting. I congratulate the Patwai Gram Panchayat of Rampur, the people of the village, the children there for this effort,” he added.
“I am eager to inaugurate the Amrit Sarovar initiative which marks a special moment in the collective endeavours to rejuvenate our water bodies and conserve every drop of water. Under this initiative, 75 water bodies will be developed and rejuvenated in each district,” PM Modi tweeted. (ANI)
Nisha Prasad, a teacher at St. John’s School in Gr Noida West, says the return to physical schooling is full of challenges for both students and teachers
When after two years, we returned to ‘normal’ schooling, the classrooms were adorned with posters, balloons and flowers. It was surely a welcome change as students trickled into classrooms after studying online for two academic years. However for parents and teachers it’s a mixed bag of emotions of cheer, relief and fear.
School teachers have done admirable work during the pandemic: adapting to online teaching; learning how to use software tools; finding new ways of teaching students; coping up with the changes in the exam pattern; presenting teaching materials and simultaneously managing their families at home. Yet, most teachers faced a 25 percent deduction (in some cases, more) in salary during Covid times.
Covid-19 did scare the hell out of us. All the time I worked during the surge, I was scared of getting sick myself and scared of bringing the virus home to my family. It was thus not without a sense of fear that we returned to physical classrooms a few weeks back.
In the ‘new normal’, the schooling has changed a lot. Children too are getting re-integrated into the system. Most children think ‘it’s a relief to be back in school’ instead of interacting with teachers and classmates through a screen. However, everyone is worried about a resurgence also.
Prasad feels children will need some time to readust into ‘new normal’
For the teachers, the challenges with regards to getting children back to physical schooling are endless. Post-pandemic students do not like being in school for long hours; handwriting and written work have taken a backseat; students are comfortable sitting alone rather than making friends; outdoor activities and physical games do not excite them; their sleeping, studying, eating, interacting patterns have changed; making the usual teaching and learning style are a little difficult to maintain.
I guess we should give children some time to adjust and let them be. Keeping students calm and helping them ease back into the everyday routine is key at this point.
Students who come from the families of low income groups were the most affected by school closure as many of them did not have access to devices for attending online classes. However, they are also struggling with the transition back to the classroom.
Their challenges are different and in some cases more serious. Many lost their jobs during the pandemic. It is traumatic for their children to think about stationery or uniform expenses. This is not something that students should be bothered about. There is a drastic number of dropouts too in case of female children as these parents need more helping hands at home and can’t afford education at this cost.
Thankfully, the school management is taking all necessary precautions. Yet, if you notice, the cases in schools are rising once again. We are seeing an average of 65 percent attendance in classrooms from the past two weeks. As of now any student showing symptoms of cough, cold or fever is asked to refrain from physically coming to school. We as teachers are really worried and scared for our students. Many teachers are ready to quit rather than putting their lives at risk.
However, it appears that the dilemma among school, teachers, parents and the governments is likely to continue until the world sees a way out of the impasse, which could only be through the much-awaited vaccine for across all age groups.
Days after the Centre reduced the areas under AFSPA in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the armed forces are in favour of the withdrawal of the Act from Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at the felicitation ceremony of 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War veterans here, Rajnath Singh said it is no small thing that for the last three-four years the work of removing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was being done in northeastern states.
“The three wings of our defence forces want Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to be removed from Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible. The circumstances are responsible for the imposition of AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir, not the Army,” Rajnath Singh said.
He said AFSPA was removed from 15 police stations each in Manipur and Nagaland.
“That in itself means a lot. This is the result of durable peace and stability in this area,” Rajnath Singh said.
He said AFSPA was recently completely removed from 23 districts of Assam.
The minister said that people from all parts of the country had taken part in the 1971 war.
“We should take inspiration from the 1971 war, there were commanders from different castes, they belonged to different religions and all unitedly protected India. This social harmony of Assam should not be broken at any cost,” he said.
The minister said that the Narendra Modi government is “working to wipe out terrorism from the country” and the North East Region (NER) is moving fast on the path of development due to synergy between the Centre and the states.
Speaking about the eastern border, Rajnath Singh said that it is more peaceful and stable compared to the western frontier and noted that Bangladesh was a friendly neighbour.
The Centre had last month removed AFPSA from 15 police station areas in seven districts of Nagaland, 15 police station areas in six districts of Manipur and 23 districts entirely and one district partially in Assam.
The AFSPA Act empowers the governor of the state or administrator of Union territory or Centre to issue an official notification concerning disturbed areas after which the central government has the authority to send in armed forces for civilian aid. (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday announced the hike in the ex gratia given to the soldiers who die on the line of duty and a job to one person in the family to “recognise and compensate their sacrifices”.
Addressing an honour ceremony for the veterans of the 1971 India-Pakistan war, Sarma said, “The soldiers who lose their lives for the country will now be given Rs 50 lakh instead of 20 lakh and a government job will also be given to one person in their family.”
“We understand that while our bravehearts keep us secure, we also at the same time have a responsibility to stand by them and their families,” the Chief Minister added.
Taking to Twitter, Sarma said, “Our government has made efforts to recognise and compensate the sacrifices made by our soldiers by way of offering Rs 50 lakh as ex gratia, jobs for next of kin, 2 per cent job reservation in government jobs, and reservation of seats for their wards in medical studies.”
Defence Minister Rajanth Singh was also present on the occasion and felicitated the veterans of the 1971 Indo-Pak war at the function.
Over 300 war veterans, Veer Naris and their families attended the felicitation ceremony organised by the government of Assam to honour the valour, dedication and sacrifice of the bravehearts who fought the enemy and ensured victory in the 1971 war. Lt Col Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahir (Retd), a Bangladeshi veteran of the 1971 war who was awarded a Padma Shri was among those present. Some of the veterans of the 1965 war were also in attendance.
Addressing the event, Singh expressed his happiness at meeting the war heroes and ‘Veer Naris’ and paid tributes to those who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the Nation. He described the veterans as important assets of the nation who are an inspiration to every Indian. “An in-service soldier is India’s strength and a veteran is an everlasting inspiration to stand by that strength,” he said.
Rajnath Singh further said that India would not hesitate to act against terrorists who target the country from across borders and to take bold decisions to protect the unity and integrity of the country.
The Defence Minister also released a book ‘The Bravehearts of 1971’ at the programme. (ANI)
Amid speculations of a leadership change in Rajasthan Congress, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said that his resignation is ‘permanently present’ with Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi.
“My resignation is permanently present with Sonia Gandhi, so there is no point in repeatedly asking if the Chief Minister is going to change. The Chief Minister will change when it has to be changed and no one will get to know anything about it,” said Gehlot in Jaipur in Rajasthan.
He further added that there have been talks of changing the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for the last two and three days.
The talks of leadership change came up after former deputy CM Sachin Pilot met with Congress President Sonia Gandhi recently.
Earlier on Friday, Gehlot’s remarks came after Congress leader Sachin Pilot met party president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday. The pilot’s meeting with the Congress’ High Command sparked speculation about a change of guard in Rajasthan Congress leadership.
Earlier this month, Sachin Pilot had met Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party leader Rahul Gandhi. As per the reports, he is continuously in touch with the party high commands.
As Sachin held deliberations with the Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, there is enough indication that Congress will make changes in the leadership of its Rajasthan unit ahead of the state Assembly elections in a bid to retain the power in the state and break the 30-year-old trend of alternative governments in Rajasthan.
In view of the Rajasthan Assembly elections 2023, according to the top sources, timely intervention is important in Rajasthan to win the upcoming polls.
“Leadership change in Rajasthan Congress is expected soon. The final decision is likely to be taken soon in view of Assembly elections in 2023. Timely intervention is important in the state of Rajasthan. If any decision of changes has to take place it should be taken immediately. It is important to take a decision timely. So that leaders can get the time to perform better and there could be no issues at the end moment,” sources had said.
After facing a major debacle in the five states, the Congress working committee (CWC) had decided to make changes in organisation for at least one year ahead of the upcoming elections in various states.
Congress convened a three-day key meeting at the residence of Sonia Gandhi, 10 Janpath to discuss the party’s preparations for the upcoming state elections and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including organizational reforms in the party. (ANI)
Pakistan Peoples Party’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will take the oath as the Foreign Minister in one or two days, PPP’s leader Zaman Kaira confirmed on Saturday.
While conversing with journalists in London, Kaira revealed that Bilawal has left for Pakistan after holding two meetings with Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif to exchange views on political matters, Geo TV reported.
Former Prime Minister and PPP Chairman, in their last meeting, discussed ways forward after a “constitutional victory for democracy, the rule of law and supremacy of parliament” and agree to work closely to “repair the rot across the board,” read a joint statement.
Notably, PML-N and PPP are the two key alliances of the ruling coaling government, Geo TV reported.
In the meeting, both the party’s leaders also discussed the roadmap for the future with the consensus of all democratic forces and the unfinished business left on the “Charter of Democracy”.
“It was also agreed that high-level summitry is needed to brainstorm the path ahead for a new charter,” read the statement.
Earlier, there was speculation that PPP is seeking more stake in the government but the sources confirmed that Bilawal and Nawaz did not discuss anything related to the posts of Senate, Governor Punjab or Presidency, according to Geo TV.
The three-hour-long meeting between the PML-N leader and PPP chairman was held in two parts. In the first part, Bilawal and Nawaz held a one-on-one meeting, while in the second half, other senior leaders of both parties also joined their leaders.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also confirmed that the PPP chairman would take the oath after he returns to Pakistan, reported Geo TV.
Earlier, on Friday, Pakistan President Arif Alvi administered the oath to three new federal ministers and one minister of state for the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet at the Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad.
On Tuesday, 33 lawmakers were inducted into the new PM’s cabinet after they were sworn in by Acting President Sadiq Sanjrani in the absence of the president, who had earlier refused to administer the oath to the lawmakers.
Although the oath was taken by 33 lawmakers, a notification issued by the country’s Cabinet Division carried the names of 26 federal ministers and two ministers of state, Dawn newspaper reported. (ANI)
Even though Earth Day, which is globally marked on April 22 to spread awareness about various environmental issues, just went by, for Bollywood actor Ananya Pandey “every day is earth day”.
On Saturday, the ‘Gehraiyaan’ star took to her Instagram and posted a series of pictures of her in which she could be seen having a good time on a sunny day in the arms of nature.
In the pictures, the 23-year-old actor could be seen sporting a white sports bra; she clubbed it with a pair of military print activewear tights. Ananya accessorized her whole look with a dusty sling bag. She captioned the picture, “every day is earth day “.
Reacting to the post Ananya’s best friend Shanaya Kapoor dropped a bunch of hearts and commented, “Prettiest”, while Navya Nanda, granddaughter of veteran superstar Amitabh Bachhan commented, “Didn’t you come in this yesterday”, “I’m confused now”.
Talking about Ananya’s upcoming project, she is currently busy shooting for her upcoming movie ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’ alongside Siddhant Chaturvedi and Adarsh Gourav. (ANI)
China has taken full advantage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, grabbing the huge discount offered by Moscow on coking coal which is used in steel mills, as Japan and the European Union have curbed imports leaving the Russian companies scrambling for buyers.
China imported 321,380 tonnes of liquefied natural gas from Russia last month roughly the same amount as in March last year despite an overall 17pc year-on-year decline in its gas imports, driven by soaring prices. Beijing’s willingness to work with Moscow will feed frustration in the West, as it undermines the effectiveness of sanctions launched over the past two months, media reports stated. China needs coal as it is the most common energy source in the country, representing more than half of total consumption despite efforts over recent decades to reduce usage.
On one hand, China is fulfilling its requirements and on the other hand, it is assisting Moscow in limiting the effect of Western sanctions keeping in view it itself does not face sanctions and its internal food security is not compromised.
China has moved to step up domestic coal mining, but its mines produce an inferior quality of material that is unsuited for use in steel mills, forcing it to rely on foreign imports.
Imports of the fuel, which is used in making steel, rose to 1.4m tonnes in March from 590,000 a year earlier, reports suggested.
Intellasia further stated that Brent crude oil was trading at around $108 a barrel on Wednesday afternoon. In mid-March, traders had been selling Urals blend the most common Russian variety at discounts of $25 to $30 a barrel.
The EU purchased euro 5.2 billion of Russian coal in 2021. As a whole, coal imports fell 31pc year-on-year, driven by a collapse in demand for thermal coal, which is used for power generation, reported Intellasia.
Holger Schmieding, an economist at Berenberg, said that timing “should allow EU members to find alternative sources”. It will also give Russia time to redirect its exports.
The lure of cheaper energy, in the form of gas, coal and oil, and low-cost wheat from Russia far outweighs the fear of sanctions as China has decided to make deals with Russia as long as it can. (ANI)
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