Ghulam Nabi Azad Receives Padma Bhushan Award

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday received the Padma Bhushan award in the field of Public Affairs.

He received the award from President Ram Nath Kovind today. Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

These awards are conferred by President Ram Nath Kovind at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March/ April every year. This year the President has approved conferment of 128 Padma Awards including 2 duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one) as per list below. The list comprises 4 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards.

34 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 posthumous awardees. (ANI)

Weekly Update: Rise And Rise Of Kejriwal & What Makes Nations Happy

At 53, by the standards of Indian politics, Arvind Kejriwal has a lifetime ahead of him for his political career. But already he has made impressive strides. Currently serving his third term as chief minister of Delhi, Kejriwal and his party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) recently swept the elections in Punjab, recording a historic event in Indian politics by a relatively small regional party, long confined to only Delhi, to spread its wings to another much bigger state.

Under Kejriwal’s leadership, AAP’s trajectory in Indian politics has been controversial. A civil servant with an engineering degree from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kejriwal turned to political activism and then joined a nationwide movement against corruption. Then, in 2012 he formed the AAP to contest elections in Delhi. AAP won the Delhi elections three times and Kejriwal has since then established his party’s dominance in that state.

The victory in Punjab, however, marks his party’s move to other states and can be considered as a stepping stone to establish the party on the map of national politics. What works for AAP is the party’s demonstrated commitment to clean politics and accountability. Unlike other national parties that have traditionally formed governments in the state of Delhi–the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)–AAP has provided citizens with tangible results. Delhi’s schools, mohalla clinics, water and electricity supplies, especially for the poorest, have all significantly improved during AAP’s tenure.

Not surprisingly, such focus on the “aam aadmi” or common man has ensured that his party gets the mass support that it has consistently in Delhi and now in Punjab. AAP contests elections by talking about promising improvements on basic local issues. Its rivals such as the Congress and the BJP, on the other hand, either push personality-driven campaigns or ones that are less granular when it comes to improving people’s lives. 

As the AAP victory in Punjab shows, the ordinary voter is tired and sometimes even fed up with so-called career politicians that lead the older, national parties. To many of them, AAP represents a breath of fresh air–a political party that identifies with their real needs. The question, however, is whether Kejriwal and his party can leverage this image to make a mark on national politics. Could Kejriwal become an alternative to, say, a national leader such as Narendra Modi?

You could say it is too early to pitch Kejriwal as an alternative to Modi but in Indian politics, nothing is impossible. Nothing can be ruled out. AAP’s storming of Punjab bears testimony to that. The next parliamentary elections are due in May 2024, which is barely two years away. Before that, later this year there will be elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. Next year, there will be many other states where elections will be held, notably Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (but also in Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Karnataka, Mizoram, and Telangana).

If AAP has a gameplan to spread its wings wider, it could, at least in theory, surely focus on states such as Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. These are in a manner of speaking low hanging fruit that the party could focus on. All three are states where the majority of the population is poor and under-privileged, which is quite clearly the groups that AAP targets not only in its campaigns, but also by way of the policies that it adopts–its achievements in Delhi are evidence of that. If AAP can make inroads in these three states (and it already has Delhi and Punjab), could it not be a force to reckon with when the parliamentary elections are held?

You could call it wishful thinking but consider this: on the horizon of national politics in India, there is a dearth of alternatives to the BJP and to the towering image of Modi. The Congress is a faltering shadow of its past, unable to win elections, either in the states or nationally. The other regional parties, be it those that run states in the south such as the DMK in Tamil Nadu, or in the east such as the Trinamool Congress, may have charismatic leaders such as M.K. Stalin and Mamata Banerjee, respectively, but till date they have not demonstrated the prowess required to spread their electoral wins beyond their regional fiefs. Against that background, could Kejriwal and his party stand apart as a future alternative to the BJP at the Centre? It could be a point to ponder.

Happiest Nations Of The World

For five years, a popular survey has ranked the tiny Nordic country of Finland (population 5.5 million) as the happiest country in the world. Finland, along with other Nordic countries are at the top of that ranking list consistently. What makes people in nations such as that feel “happy” is a bunch of things but mainly these: a robust social welfare system, low crime rates, an abundance of natural beauty, an emphasis on community and co-operation, universal health care, and very few people living in poverty. These factors are taken so much for granted in, say, Finland that people living in that country are often bewildered why their nation is ranked as being the happiest! 

At the other end of the ranking, the picture is grim. Afghanistan ranked the lowest among the 149 countries surveyed. Ravaged by wars and the recent return of the Taliban regime, its performance in the survey should not come as a surprise. 

But it is India’s performance that should be of grave concern. India hasn’t fared much better than Afghanistan. It ranks at 136 among the 149 countries. China with which India likes to compare itself ranks at 82. The USA is at 19. And even Pakistan at 103, and Bangladesh at 99 are higher than India. 

Surveys come with caveats such as small sample sizes, biases, and other inaccuracies, but if the people of a country perceive themselves as being so unhappy, isn’t it time for the government to take note and address the problem?

Modi Expresses Grief On Plane Crash In China

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the passenger plane crash in China’s Guangxi on Monday.

PM Modi tweeted, “Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the crash of the passenger flight MU5735 with 132 on board in China’s Guangxi. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the crash and their family members.”

A China Eastern Airlines plane with 133 people on board crashed in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Monday, causing a forest fire, Sputnik reported citing China Central Television (CCTV).

According to CCTV, the search and rescue operations are underway, the Russian News Agency reported. (ANI)

Daughters Of CDS Rawat Receive His Padma Vibhushan Award

India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, who died in a helicopter crash in December last year, was posthumously conferred Padma Vibhushan. His daughters Kritika and Tarini received the award on the CDS’s behalf.

The daughters received the award from President Ram Nath Kovind today.

General Bipin Rawat, who was India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, died in a helicopter crash in December last year. General Rawat’s wife Madhulika Rawat and 12 other defence force personnel had also died in the helicopter crash.

Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz. art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

These awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhavan usually around March/ April every year. This year the President has approved conferment of 128 Padma Awards including two duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one).

The list comprises 4 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards. 34 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 posthumous awardees. (ANI)

Indian Army Contingent Arrives In Seychelles For Joint Military Exercise

The Indian Embassy in Seychelles said that the Indian Army contingent arrived in Mahe, the largest island of Seychelles, on Monday morning, for the 9th edition of India-Seychelles joint military training, “Exercise LAMITIYE”.

“#LAMITYE22: #IndianArmy contingent arrived on Mahe Island this morning for participating in the 9th edition of Joint exercise LAMITYE-2022, going to be conducted from March 22 to 31 with the #Seychelles Defence Forces,” Indian in Seychelles tweeted.

‘Lamitye’ in the local dialect ‘Creole’ means friendship.

The eighth bilateral exercise between the two nations was held in April 2018.

India and Seychelles have been conducting this joint exercise since 2001 intending to enhance military cooperation and interoperability between the armies of the two countries.

The focus of the ongoing exercise is to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in the semi-urban environment under the United Nations (UN) Charter. (ANI)

BJP’s First Woman Rajya Sabha MP Is From Nagaland

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader S Phangnon Konyak won the Rajya Sabha seat from Nagaland on Monday.

Konyak is the Mahila Morcha president of BJP’s Nagaland unit. It is pertinent to mention that Konyak has become the first woman MP and the first Rajya Sabha MP for the BJP from Nagaland.

She filed her nomination earlier this morning in presence of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and BJP state president Temjen Imna Along.

The election for the lone Nagaland seat was to be held on March 31 but Konyak was elected unopposed to the seat.

Now, elections to three Rajya Sabha seats in two other Northeastern states: two seats in Assam and one each in Tripura are slated for March 31. (ANI)

Modi, Morrison Express Concern Over Myanmar Situation

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison were concerned about the violent situation, protection of the citizens, and humanitarian access in Myanmar during the India-Australia virtual summit on Monday.

Addressing a special briefing following the conclusion of the summit, Foreign Secretary said both sides spoke about supporting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) initiative in Myanmar.

“Both sides were concerned about the violent situation (in Myanmar) and that the civil population should be protected and humanitarian access to Myanmar was also emphasised,” Shringla said.

“We stressed that our relationship with Myanmar is historical and based on people to people ties. Both sides spoke about supporting the ASEAN initiative in Myanmar and the International community must also come together for humanitarian assistance to Myanmar,” Foreign Secretary said today.

The ASEAN’s five-point consensus, which includes dialogue, humanitarian assistance, and an end to violence, was reached last year.

The Myanmar military junta took control of the country following a coup on February 1 last year. Myanmar’s junta has carried out a brutal nationwide crackdown to suppress those opposing military rule.

The junta’s systematic and pervasive abuses, including mass killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) had said.

Since the coup, security forces have killed at least 1,600 people and detained more than 12,000, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Over 500,000 people have been internally displaced since the coup, while tens of thousands have fled as refugees to Thailand and India, the HRW report had further said citing United Nations refugee agency, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) data. (ANI)

Aamir Khan Praises ‘The Kashmir Files’

Actor Aamir Khan has become the latest celebrity to come out in support of filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s latest film ‘The Kashmir Files’, which revolves around the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990.

On Sunday, Aamir visited the national capital to attend a fan event for the SS Rajamouli directorial ‘RRR’.

On being asked by the media if he had watched ‘The Kashmir Files’, Aamir said in Hindi, “Ji zaroor dekhunga main…Wo ek history ka aisa hissa hain jo dil dukta hain usme…jo Kashmiri Pandits k sath hua hain, wo dukh ka baat hain…aur aise film jo bani hain uss topic pe woh yakennan har Hindustandi ko dekhna chaiye (Yes, I will definitely see. The story is a part of our history and whatever happened with the Kashmiri Pandits was really sad. Any film on such a topic must be seen by all Indians).”

He added, “This film has touched the emotions of all people who believe in humanity and that is what is so beautiful about it. I will definitely watch the film and I am happy to see that the film is successful.”

‘The Kashmir Files’, which has crossed Rs 150 crore mark at the box office so far, features Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumaar, Puneet Issar, Mrinal Kulkarni and others. (ANI)

Mallikarjun Dubs AIMIM BJP’s ‘B Team’, Rejects Alliance

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday dismissed the possibility of an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and dubbed it as Bharatiya Janata Party’s “B-team”.

Slamming AIMIM, Kharge said that Congress needs to be cautious of such parties which try to defeat “secular parties”.
“Congress has not yet received any proposal (of an alliance),” Kharge told ANI.

A strategy for an alliance is decided within the party, he said, adding that “there is a need to be cautious of such parties which attempt to defeat secular parties.”

Kharge further alleged that the AIMIM is working at the behest of the BJP.

His remarks come after Shiv Sena also termed AIMIM as BJP’s “B team” while rejecting scope for an alliance with AIMIM.

Earlier, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rout also rejected the possibility of AIMIM’s alliance with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), saying “those who bow before the grave of Aurangzeb cannot become Maharashtra’s ideal”.

“Maharashtra government is formed by three parties, Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. There will be no inclusion of any fourth party,” Raut said.

The AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel steered the alliance discussions after he said that the party is willing to enter into an alliance with Congress and the NCP in the upcoming Maharashtra civic polls in order to defeat the BJP.

“The AIMIM is always held responsible for the BJP’s victory. It is said that we are ‘B’ team of the BJP, so we gave them (Congress) an offer to form an alliance with us. Since they are with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, they’ll never agree to form an alliance with us,” Jaleel had said. (ANI)

Educational Concerns Of Evacuated Students: Centre To SC

The Central government on Monday told the Supreme Court that the Government of India has evacuated 22,500 students from conflict-ridden Ukraine and it is also looking into the educational concerns of the evacuated students.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana was informed by the Attorney General of India KK Venugopal, appearing for the Centre that students have given representation to the government on the issue of continuation of their studies and the government is looking into it and will make a decision.

“A mammoth task has been completed,” AG told the apex court adding that along with Indian nationals, nationals from other countries have been evacuated by the government.

The apex court then closed the two petitions pending before it on the issue.

“Both these writ petitions were filed seeking reliefs… Attorney General has made submissions, all students are brought back to India and nothing survives. Petitioner counsel submits that government has to consider studies of students who have not completed their studies due to the war. Attorney General submits government is considering this issue. The case is accordingly closed,” the bench said.

Earlier, the Supreme Court expressed concern for the lives of students caught in the middle of the conflict zone in Ukraine. The Centre had said that government efforts have resulted in the swift evacuation of Indians from Ukraine.

The apex court had suggested to the government to open helplines so the students or their families can communicate.

The government of India is equally concerned as the Supreme Court is and is leaving no stone unturned to bring the citizens back, AG had told the top court.

The petition filed by Ahana claimed that over 250 students stranded in Ukraine were looking for hope towards the Government of India.

The plea sought direction from the government “to secure permission to cross the checkpoint in Moldova from Ukraine en route to Romania for boarding the Air India evacuation flight, and to immediately take effective diplomatic steps and measures for the evacuation of the Petitioner including other stranded students from Ukraine.”

Another petition was filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, seeking directions for the protection of thousands of students and families who are stranded in Ukraine in wake of the ongoing conflict. (ANI)