Month: September 2021

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, on Sunday night, bid adieu to Lord Ganesha, with a pray to seeing him again next year.

Khan took to his Instagram handle and shared a picture of Lord Ganesha’s idol at home. Sharing the picture, the Padma Shri winning actor wrote, “May Lord Ganesha’s blessings remain with all of us until we see him again next year… Ganpati Bappa Morya!!!”

The picture accumulated love from more than one lakh fans within a few minutes of being shared.

For the unversed, in 2018, SRK was trolled for making his youngest son AbRam Khan pray to Lord Ganesha during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

At that time, the superstar posted a picture on his Instagram handle which saw AbRam praying to Lord Ganesha at home. Sharing the picture at that time, SRK wrote, “Our Ganpati ‘Pappa’ is home, as the lil one calls him”.

While some appreciated the actor for his secular approach; many slammed him for celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi being a Muslim and called it a “sinful act.”

However, without getting bothered by the negative comments, Khan continued to follow the tradition of welcoming Lord Ganesha at his home every year during Ganesh Chaturthi.

Currently, SRK, who was last seen in Aanand L Rai’s ‘Zero’, has been shooting for ‘Pathan’ which co-stars Deepika Padukone and apparently, John Abraham too. The film has grabbed many eyeballs as it will also feature an extended cameo of Salman Khan. (ANI)

Actor Richa Chadha shared her definition of an ideal Sunday with her fans, and it sounds perfect for a relaxing day off.

In a recent QnA session on Instagram, Richa asked her fans “What is an ideal Sunday for you?”
She initiated the conversation by revealing what her ideal Sunday looks like.

“Watching TV shows with 3 of the most adorable people on earth (@alifazal9 and my cats) in my PJ’s. PS: If I’m not shooting,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Richa was recently featured in the podcast ‘Virus 2062’ with her beau and actor Ali Fazal on Spotify.

Richa was also seen in the recently released web series ‘Candy’ on Voot Select, starring along with Ronit Roy.

In another recent virtual session on Instagram, Richa revealed she is currently busy writing something.

“(I have said) no to quite a few scripts recently. I am writing something right now and producing, And of course, there’s a film too..but it’s vilaayti,” the actor shared.

‘Richa and Ali’ fans will once again see them sharing screen space in the film ‘Fukrey 3’. (ANI)

Pakistan has said that it has suffered most from the Afghanistan war stressing that it faced nearly “80,000 casualties” and over “USD 150 billion” in financial losses, local media reported.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Office, on Saturday said that after Afghanistan, Pakistan has suffered most has been the biggest victim of decades of the Afghan conflict.

“Of all the countries of the world, Pakistan has suffered the most — with over 80,000 casualties and more than 150 billion US dollars in economic losses,” he said.

Earlier, the European Parliament in a resolution over Afghanistan’s situation, alleged that Pakistan is “assisting the Taliban” in fighting the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) in the Panjshir Valley “by supplying its special forces and providing air support”, according to The News International.

Ahmad expressed dissatisfaction over the remarks saying that Islamabad played a crucial role in the Doha peace process and subsequent intra-Afghan negotiations.

However, Afghans and the previous Kabul government had blamed Pakistan for its proxy war in Afghanistan.

In August, Afghans all across the world had staged protests against Pakistan and called for a UN sanction against Islamabad. (ANI)

First ‘Thalaivii’ then ‘Dhaakad’ and now ‘Tejas’, actor Kangana Ranaut has been working non-stop. This hectic schedule might prompt someone to take a break, but the ‘Queen’ star has no qualms of shooting continuously.

On Sunday, Kangana took to Instagram and shared a picture from the sets of ‘Tejas’, updating fans about her working weekend schedule.

“Mood when you haven’t had a break in ages and have to work through weekends also …..But the show must go on. Current mission #Tejas,” she wrote.

Helmed by Sarvesh Mewara and bankrolled by Ronnie Screwvala, ‘Tejas’ features Kangana in the role of an Air Force Pilot.

Kangana also has ‘Manikarnika Returns: The Legend Of Didda’, ‘Emergency’ and ‘ The Incarnation: Sita ‘ in her kitty. (ANI)

Actor Deepika Padukone, who is badminton legend Prakash Padukone’s elder daughter, spent her Sunday afternoon playing the sport.

After sweating it out at the court, Deepika posted a picture of herself on Instagram.
“The post (badminton) glow,” she captioned the photograph.

Netizens are in complete awe of her glow. “That glow,” a user commented.

“Wow. Your skin looks so refreshing,” another one wrote.

Her post has also caught ace shuttler PV Sindhu’s attention. “After how many calories,” Sindhu quipped.

Deepika and Sindhu recently met each other for a dinner in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, on the film front, Deepika will be seen sharing screen space with Ananya Panday and Siddhant Chaturvedi in Shakun Batra’s next. She is also a part of ‘The Intern’ remake. (ANI)

Capt Amarinder Singh, who resigned as Punjab Chief Minister on Saturday, made it clear that he will oppose any move to make state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu chief ministerial face of Congress government in the state and said he will be a “disaster for Punjab”.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Captain Amarinder Singh said Sidhu is not a magic word for Punjab.

“He is going to a disaster. It is up to the Congress Party that they made him the party state president. But if they made Sidhu the face of the Chief Minister I will oppose him. Because it is a matter of national security,” he said.

Capt Amarinder Singh resignation came months before the assembly polls in the state amid unending factionalism in the state Congress.

The party’s central leadership had appointed Sidhu as PCC chief in July after an internal crises that saw MLAs being called to Delhi and to meet an AICC committee.

Amarinder Singh was apparently opposed to appointing Sidhu, his bete noire, as PCC chief.

Hitting out at Sidhu, Amarinder Singh said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and its Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa were his friends.

“And, I know what kind of relationship he maintains with Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan and General Bajwa are his friends,” he said.

Sidhu had hugged Bajwa during his visit to the country for oath-taking ceremony of Imran Khan and had faced criticism. Capt Amarinder Singh had then termed it as “not a nice gesture” and “completely avoidable”.

“Everyday drones, ammunition, RDX, AK-47, weapons and explosives are being trespassed here. Heroin is coming. These all things are coming from Pakistan. When you know the bigwigs on the top and we have a common border of around 600 km. It is a matter of national security. I will oppose him. I will not allow him to come in. I will oppose Sidhu if Congress makes him the face of Chief Minister for the sake of my country,” Amarinder Singh said in the interview .

Singh said Sidhu is “incompetent”.

“Everyday our jawans are being killed in Kashmir. Do you think I am going to accept Sidhu? I know him. Something is unstable in that man I do not what it is. He is an incompetent man. He was a minister in my cabinet and I had to take him out from the ministership. That was a very important department in my government. The man who cannot run a ministry how can he run the entire state? His only target is to become the chief minister,” he said.

Amarinder Singh said he had called party chief Sonia Gandhi in the morning to convey his decision to resign.

Asked what did she say, Amarinder Singh said: “She said sorry Amarinder”. (ANI)

As Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down from his post on Saturday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) co-incharge for Assembly Elections 2022 Raghav Chadha called Congress the “sinking Titanic” and said that the governance of Punjab has come to a grinding halt.

“In the Game of Thrones that have been going on in Punjab Congress for the last so many months, the greatest causality has been governance. The administration and the governance of Punjab have come to a grinding halt and this naked display of greed for power has only resulted in the worsening of the governance of Punjab,” Chadha told ANI.

“Congress party has become irrelevant now. They are on a suicide mission. They are in a self-destruction mode. Voting for them is like wasting your vote. Congress is like the sinking Titanic,” he said while adding that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP party cares for the people of Punjab.

Speaking further, the AAP leader said: “What is of concern to us (AAP) is that with the toppling of administration and governance of Punjab, it is the people who are the greatest sufferers. Congress was voted so that Punjab could have a stable administration and not fight for power due to factionalism. Today, Congress has no vision or commitment for the people of Punjab.”

The statement came after Captain Amarinder Singh tendered his resignation from the post of Punjab Chief Minister to Governor Banwarilal Purohit today.

After resigning, the Chief Minister expressed his unhappiness with the decision of the party leadership. “I feel humiliated,” he said, adding that he had been summoned thrice by the central leadership in the past two months.

The move came as factionalism again surfaced in the state unit with sections opposed to him requesting a meeting of Congress Legislature Party. Punjab is scheduled to go to the polls early next year.

Four rebel ministers and MLAs had written to the party’s command demanding a meeting of the legislature party. Some of them conveyed that he does not enjoy the support of the majority of MLAs.

When the tussle in Punjab escalated in August, the party’s central leadership has sought to bury the hatchet by appointing Navjot Singh Sidhu as the Congress chief apparently against the desire of the Chief Minister. (ANI)

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday handed over Forest Rights Act Certificates to members of Tribal Communities of the Jammu division of the Union Territory.

“We have formulated a robust mechanism to ensure these rights are decided at the grassroots level in consultation with PRIs and forest department. The Centre will provide financial assistance to develop infrastructure in every tribal habitat,” Sinha said.

Highlighting the newly launched schemes to extend education and medical facilities, besides offering sustainable employment opportunities to youth from tribal communities, Sinha said, “We have finalised a plan to build transit accommodation for migratory population and to develop tribal villages as model villages.”

“Work on transit accommodation will begin soon in tribal areas of Kandi, Thanamandi in Rajouri, Behram Gala in Poonch, and Udhampur and Ramban along the National Highway (NH). A similar plan is for Dubjan and Lal Ghulam in Shopian and along NH in Pulwama,” he added.

About 10,000 individual and community claims have been received in 10 districts of Jammu province, out of which more than 8000 claims have been scrutinized at the Gram Sabha/Forest Rights Committee (FRC) level.

Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, the Secretary of Tribal Affairs Department said, “It is a historic moment that the FRA is being given to the tribal communities. As the rights of the communities are recognized, the conservation of the forests will also improve. This will empower then them.”

“We aim to dispose of all applications with the next 75 days. It will be our ardent try to include all genuine people and to make sure no illegal entry is there,” he added.

Thanking PM Modi for the initiative, Jamat Ali, a beneficiary said, “The act was first introduced in 2006 under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and has been overlooked ever after. Today, under the leadership of PM Modi and LG Manoj Sinha, it was reintroduced in September 2020 and has now been implemented.”

“Under the FRC, the tribals who own no land will not be moved from the forest anymore. They will have a place to stay where they are. Several castes are covered in it who were facing several issues earlier. The facilities would take time to implement but the development would be immense,” he added.

Nazir Hussain, a beneficiary said, “I would like to thank PM Modi, who after independence, allotted us land today. We faced a lot of difficulties when living like nomads. With the depths of my heart, I thank the Central government, especially PM Modi, for giving us our rights. Our lives will change now. It will be better. Even our children will study now.”

Mohammad Ali, FRC Chairman said, “I thank the Central government for implementing the program at a ground-level and extending the benefit to Bakarwals and Gujjars. We didn’t have a home earlier and were moved from one place to the other. But now, with this act, we will have a fixed place to be at. We’ll also be getting several other benefits like schools and healthcare, and I am really thankful for that.” (ANI)

There is so much Talibanisation happening in Kerala, especially in certain pockets that in the next 5-10 years the state could become another Afghanistan.

“The Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF) have actively contributed to extremism in Kerala. There is so much Talibanization happening in Kerala, especially certain pockets of Kerala in the past 25 years. In the next 5-10 years Kerala could become another Afghanistan,” said Alphons.

“This is extremely sad and I am warning both LDF and UDF not to play with fire, but to deal with the situations and put out the spark otherwise entire Kerala would have a big fire,” the former Union Minister said.

“It’s tragic because I belong to Kerala cadre of the IAS and have never seen Kerala like this at all. There has been peace and harmony. There have never been communal clashes and people lived peacefully but these two friends have been promoting these things. I give you the example of UDF, one of the main components. Once upon a time people used to say it’s soft fundamentalism but today it is not soft but hard fundamentalism. There are all kinds of extremist elements in the party. They have protection from the party and nobody wants to speak,” the BJP MP said.

“Now LDF front wants Muslim votes. Therefore, they don’t have the guts to speak out at all. That’s why they are trying to satisfy these extremist elements and it’s sad because it’s easy to plant seeds of extremism even in such an educated place like Kerala. We can see it flourishing in certain parts. The largest number of reports of ISIS have been from Kerala,” he said.

Commenting on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a Prime Minister, Alphons said that in a democracy everyone has the right to dream of becoming whatever they want to even a Prime Minister.

“Obviously they have partly said the truth that Rahul Gandhi has failed, he is not a Prime Minister material and does not study or work hard. But saying that Mamata Banerjee as Prime Minister needs to be introspected. There was a time when in West Bengal we had an honest bureaucracy but now it is the most corrupt bureaucracy and most of the corruption takes place with the blessings of Mamata Banerjee and her family member,” he said.

“If CM Mamata Banerjee wants to become the prime minister let her set West Bengal right, let her set their own house in order and then dream of becoming a Prime Minister if she can,” Alphons said. (ANI)

By Saurabh Trivedi

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will provide a ‘stay visa’ to all Afghanistan nationals who are staying in India due to disturbed conditions in the war-ravaged country.
It will allow them to stay for a longer period in the country.

Afghan nationals, who were evacuated to India under the new e-Emergency X-Miscellaneous visa, were initially granted a six months visa.

A senior MHA official confirmed that initially a one-month visa was granted to all the Afghan nationals who came to India after political turmoil in their country before the emergency visa was introduced on August 17.

The visas of all Afghan nationals will be converted into a stay visa that has one-year validity and it can be extended further.

“Members of minority communities in Pakistan/Bangladesh/Afghanistan, namely, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians are eligible for grant of Long Term Visa (LTV) and for others, there is a provision of stay visa,” said the official.

Under the LTV, he added that one has to stay for seven years in the country to be eligible to apply for nationality and, in the case of ‘Stay Visa’, one has to stay for 12 years and one has to complete last year without moving out of the country to get permanent citizenship.

“For the ‘stay visa’, they do not need to submit an application to the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO). We received queries from several Afghan nationals regarding the extension of their visa as the one-month validity is about to expire. We would like to convey to them not to panic, they will be given an extension of one year,” said the official.

After the August 15 episode, a total of 53 Afghan nationals that include 34 men, nine women and 10 children were evacuated out of which 28 were Muslims and the rest were Sikhs. (ANI)