Month: January 2023

Rendezvous With Simi Garewal Is Back With A 'Bigg Boss' Twist | Lokmarg

Rendezvous With Simi Garewal Is Back With A ‘Bigg Boss’ Twist

By LokMarg

Former actress Simi Garewal, who is best known for hosting ‘Rendezvous with Simi Garewal’, recently returned to TV after 16 years, and that too with ‘Bigg Boss 16’.

In today’s episode, viewers will not only witness the entry of family members of the housemates but also a special guest who is known for inspiring candor on her celebrity talk show.
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Simi Garewal will be hosting a unique talk show. She poses some interesting questions to contestants. She asks Priyanka Chahar Choudhary and Shiv Thakare what they will choose between love and success. The suspense escalates when Simi asks Shalin Bhanot to choose between Tina Datta and a plate of chicken. It seems that Shalin has a change of heart because he declares that he will choose anything but Tina. A clever repartee comes from Simi who quips, “Don’t be hard on her.”

In tonight’s episode, the first family member to step inside the house after the freeze announcement is contestant Soundarya Sharma’s mother, Usha Sharma, who hugs her frozen daughter. Soundarya’s mother happily declares that she watches everyone in the show every day and she’s very proud that she’s known as Soundarya’s mother. After watching her daughter play the game for 100 days, it will be interesting to see what advice she gives her to come out stronger than the other contestants.

Just like every mother who graced this season, Soundarya’s mother brought light into the house and that’s when Sumbul Touqeer Khan’s uncle, Iqbal Khan entered the house. His entry is well timed when Sumbul, in a unique garb, is playing a game in the garden area. Sumbul’s reaction to his entry leaves him confused about whether she’s crying or laughing. He reminds her that the crybaby version of Sumbul doesn’t exist anymore and offers her chicken cooked by her father.

Sumbul breaks down at the mention of her father. To cheer her up, her uncle sings ‘Chehra Hain Ya Chaand Khila Hain’ dedicating it to her. Sumbul’s journey has been a rollercoaster ride and it remains to be seen what her uncle has to say about it in this episode.

Following the entry of Sumbul’s uncle, the housemates expect Sreejita De’s fiance Michael Blohm-Pape, who is deemed as the ‘daamaad of the house’ to make an appearance on the show. The contestants begin preparing for his griha pravesh with a vessel of water placed at the entrance for him to kick and make a solemn entrance into the house.

Archana Gautam rushes to replace the water vessel with rice, ‘Bigg Boss’ commands freeze. Michael enters beaming, kicks the water vessel, and hugs a frozen Sreejita. While everyone is released, Sreejita remains frozen until Michael greets all the contestants. When ‘Bigg Boss’ finally releases her, she jumps with joy and hops on her fiance making everyone smile and blush.

‘Bigg Boss 16’ premiered on Colors TV on October 1. Shalin Bhanot, Tina Datta, Abdu Rozik, MC Stan, Gautam Vig, Shiv Thakare, Ankit Gupta, Nimrit Kaur, and Priyanka Choudhary are also a part of the ongoing season. (ANI)

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Ludhiana: Anti-Sikh Riot Victims Burn Rahul's Effigy | Lokmarg

Ludhiana: Anti-Sikh Riot Victims Burn Rahul’s Effigy

By LokMarg

On the arrival of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ludhiana, members of the 1984 Sikh Massacre Riot Victims Society, raised slogans and burnt an effigy of Rahul Gandhi at the Ghantaghar Chowk.

The protesters alleged that the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib was on the orders of Rahul Gandhi’s grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. They also pointed out that Sikhs were massacred during the time of Rahul’s father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. They claimed that the Bharat Jodo Yatra has again cut open their wounds.
The protesters demanded that Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi should apologize for the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib and the massacre of Sikhs.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra is just a drama, they claimed.

However, in view of the apprehension of protests from the riot victims, adequate security arrangements had already been made by the police. The demonstration took place under police supervision.

The yatra will cover several parts of Punjab over eight days before reaching Jammu and Kashmir, its final stop, on January 19

The yatra, which started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, will end at Srinagar on January 30, where Rahul plans to hoist the Tricolour.

The foot march has so far covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and is presently in Punjab. (ANI)

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Cold Wave: 10-15% Surge In Heart Attacks, High BP In Delhi-NCR | Lokmarg

Cold Wave: 10-15% Surge In Heart Attacks, High BP In Delhi-NCR

By LokMarg

Emergency departments of private and government hospitals in Delhi witnessed more patients with heart attacks, brain strokes, and high BP during early mornings this winter, as Delhi recorded its third worst cold wave in 23 years.
According to Dr. Suresh Kumar, Medical Director, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, “We are getting approx 10-15 percent more patients of heart attacks, brain strokes and high blood pressure especially during early hours because of the cold waves since 12 days and the most affected age group is between 50-70 yr old.”

He also said that OPDs are filled with viral infections.

He advised, “People should monitor their diabetes and blood pressure regularly, avoid walk during the morning and wear warm clothes.”

Some private hospitals also witnessed a 9% uptick in stroke patients in the Delhi-NCR region.

” We have observed that there has been an increase of 9% in the number of stroke patients during winters,” Said Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director – Neurosurgery & Neuro-Intervention, at Fortis Hospital, Noida.

“About 25% of patients are below 45 years of age, especially in metro cities. This is also attributed to lifestyles like lack of sleep, multi-tasking, poor quality of food, and too much mental stress. Diabetes and hypertension are now detected as early as the late twenties. They require strict control and regular visit to doctors but the young generation neglect these early warnings and suddenly develop stroke.”

“Recent excessive prescriptions of antiplatelet drops like Ecosprin, prophylactically by physicians or cardiologists to prevent ischemic stroke or heart attack has also increased the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke,” he added. (ANI)

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CM In Joshimath, Announces Rs 45Cr Rehab Package | Lokmarg

CM In Joshimath, Announces Rs 45Cr Rehab Package

By LokMarg

Uttarakhand state government has announced a relief package of Rs 45 crore to families in Joshimath, where large cracks appeared in homes and on roads.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the relief package has been released for nearly 3,000 families affected by gradual land subsidence in the Himalayan state.
“For the time being, interim assistance of Rs 1.50 Lakh per family is being given. An advance amount of Rs 1 lakh has been given to the affected land owners or families due to landslides in the affected area before the permanent settlement displacement policy is prepared,” Dhami told reporters.

The Chief Minister also announced that Rs 50,000 have been given by the state disaster authority to each family as a non-adjustable one-time special grant for the transportation of goods and immediate needs of their buildings.

Due to landslides in the Joshimath city area, over 720 buildings have been identified that developed cracks. Residents, as a part of the rehabilitation, have been moved to safer places even as geologists and experts scramble to ascertain the reasons for subsidence in the ecologically fragile region.

Officials have stopped construction projects in the region and the government formed a committee to look into the incident and the situation arising out of the sudden crisis.

Dhami has instructed the Chief Secretary to ensure speedy assistance to people affected by the sinking of their town.

“From the point of view of security, the families who are being shifted to other places should be ensured that all better necessary arrangements are there,” the Chief Minister added.

Dhami, who is in Joshimath to hold meetings in the wake of land subsidence in the area, started his day on Thursday by offering prayers at the Narsingh Temple.

“On-site inspection of the affected areas in Joshimath and meeting with local citizens,” Dhami tweeted on Wednesday.

According to an official statement, the Chief Minister will hold a meeting with army officers and ITBP officers along with a meeting of the committee constituted for the transparent distribution of interim package to families affected by landslides and to determine the rate of rehabilitation package.(ANI)

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Cong Is A Sinking Ship, People Have Rejected Communist Rule: Shah

Shah Chairs High-Level Meet On Joshimath

By LokMarg

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation on the ‘sinking’ town of Joshimath, a town in Uttarakhand facing land subsidence affecting the lives of hundreds of families.

Shah chaired the meeting with Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, RK Singh, Bhupendra Yadav, and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat participating, on issues related to roads, power supply, water scarcity, and environment in the Joshimath in the wake of land subsidence.
Other senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, including Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, attended the meeting that lasted for nearly 40 minutes at the Home Minister’s residence.

As of now over 720 buildings have been identified that have reportedly developed cracks in the Joshimath city area due to land subsidence. Residents, as a part of the rehabilitation, have been moved to safer places even as geologists and experts scramble to ascertain the reasons for subsidence in the ecologically fragile region.

Shah took stock of the situation and directed to take relief measures in the meeting which was also learned to be attended by the National Disaster Management Authority, Senior officers of Uttarakhand; and experts from IIT Roorkee, National Institute of Disaster Management, Geological Survey of India and Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology through video conferencing.

The Home Minister was apprised that the district administration is working with the affected families to evacuate and relocate them to safer places with adequate arrangements for food, shelter, and security.

Officials have stopped construction projects in the region and the government formed a committee to look into the incident and the situation arising out of the sudden crisis.

Uttarakhand government has also ordered the authorities to start surveying and dismantling the infrastructures that are posing a threat to the surrounding buildings as well.

Uttarakhand government has also announced a relief package of Rs 45 crore to families in Joshimath, where large cracks appeared in homes and on roads. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has also declared a relief package for nearly 3,000 families affected by gradual land subsidence in the Himalayan state.

The Chief Minister has also announced that Rs 50,000 have been given by the state disaster authority to each family as a non-adjustable one-time special grant for the transportation of goods and immediate needs.

Joshimath, on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway (NH 7), is an overnight halt for the people visiting the holy shrines at Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and tourist destinations Auli, and the Valley of Flowers.

Along with Joshimath, the same phenomenon of land subsidence is also being reported from other areas of Uttarakhand including Uttarkashi, Tehri, Pauri, and Karanprayag. (ANI)

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No Comments', Rakhi On Pregnancy Rumours | Lokmarg

‘No Comments’, Rakhi On Pregnancy Rumours

By LokMarg

Reality TV queen Rakhi Sawant has revealed that she got married to beau Adil Khan Durrani last May.

On Wednesday Rakhi took to her Instagram to post that she had gotten married to Adil in 2022. She also shared a photograph of their purported marriage certificate which shows that the wedding took place on May 29, last year.
“Finally, I’m happy so excited, and got married my love is 4 Ever unconditional love for you Adil,” the 44-year-old captioned the post.

Photos of the duo have been doing the rounds on the Internet.

The actress, however, has refused to comment on rumors about her pregnancy.

“No comments,” she told ANI when asked if she was indeed expecting a child with Adil.

Celebrities took to her social media stream to flood the TV star with wishes.

Actress Mahima Chaudhry wrote, “Congratulations. Blessings.”

Singer Jaan Kumar Sanu and TV actress Devoleena Bhattacharjee also took to social media to extend their congratulations.

Meanwhile, Rakhi posted an Instagram reel video where she is seen garlanding Adil and reshared a video of her with Adil and what seems to be a Qazi officiating a ceremony.

In the video, Rakhi was dressed in a light-pink sharara, whereas, Adil was donning casual wear, a black tee, and blue denim.

Rakhi used to regularly post lovey-dovey photos with Adil on her social media.

On Adil’s birthday, she posted a picture with him and captioned it, “Happy Birthday to the love of my life. Thanks for always being there for me throughout. Can’t be enough thankful to god for giving u to me. Words are not enough to express my feelings for you. Have an amazing year ahead. Though I m in bb right now here’s my wish to you. My papuddiii.”

Rakhi Sawant was previously married to Ritesh Raj.

The two even appeared together in Salman Khan’s reality show Big Boss 15.

Rakhi parted ways with her boyfriend Abhishek Awasthi long back and the relationship reportedly ended on a sour note. (ANI)

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Haldwani Eviction Issue

‘Media Looks At Haldwani Eviction Issue From A Communal Lens’

By LokMarg

Rajni Joshi, the convener of Basti Bachao Sangharsh Samiti in Banphoolpura, explains the origin of alleged encroachment issue in Haldwani, and the media’s attempt to communalise it

The issue of eviction in Banphoolpura, Haldwani which abruptly got national attention in the last week of 2022 and drawn the Supreme Court attention, is something that we have been engaged in since 2007 with Krantikari Lok Adhikar Sangathan, a socio-political organisation. This issue needs to be understood in two parts.

The total population of Banphoolpura is around 60,000 with a total of 4,365 families residing in various colonies and hamlets. A part of this is Ghafoor Basti and Dholak Basti, which comprises around 3,000 people. These two hamlets are claimed by the Railway as encroached land due to their proximity to the railway line. In 2007, the district administration wanted to evict these people and demolish the two settlements. We opposed this move and demanded fair rehabilitation before eviction.

The then Chief Minister ND Tiwari wrote a letter for the rehabilitation of these two settlements. The High Court also directed the District Magistrate to rehabilitate these people on the other side of the Gwala river. However, the rehabilitation process was not carried out in a proper manner.

When people started relocating to the other side of the Gwala river on oral orders, the forest department claimed that it was their land and would not allow them to settle. Eventually, the relocated people were sent back. They again raised hutments and slums adjacent to the railway wall.

So, what was essentially an encroachment issue way back in 2007 did not get resolved in the absence of a relocation policy. The people of Ghafoor Basti and Dholak Basti are living there for over 50 years though it is also true that they are possibly encroachers they need to be properly rehabilitated and relocated. This is our demand to date.

ALSO READ: ‘Bulldozer Is The New Symbol Of Communal Oppression’

As for the other lot that comprises around 57,000 people of Banphoolpura, it is clear that most of them have formal ownership and land titles dating back to 1914. This settlement is as old as 1815 and the Railways is claiming this land on the basis of a map dated 1959. Here, people pay taxes; they have functional government schools, dispensaries, and other institutional structures that speak at the outset that this is a legalized settlement. So there is no point in them getting relocated anywhere. We are demanding that they not be evicted in the first place.

These two issues got mixed up in the course of a 2013 PIL filed in the High Court by the BJP leader Ravishankar Joshi over a bridge collapse on the Gwala river. The High Court had ordered the setting up of a team to inquire about the reasons behind the bridge collapse. The team observed that it happened because of illegal mining by encroachers on railway land. The whole matter then got diverted to the encroachment.

In 2016 the state government claimed that it was their land and in fact, the railway was encroaching by expanding its limits. In 2022, Joshi again filed a petition but this time it had nothing to do with the bridge; rather he demanded the eviction of encroachers on the railway land. The state government changed its stance and agreed that the land belonged to the Railways.

In March 2022 we formed the Basti Bachao Sangharxh Samiti with representatives from many socio-political organizations of Haldwani. The Samiti filed an independent case in the High Court demanding relocation and rehabilitation for Ghafoor Basti and Dholak Basti residents while stopping the eviction of the rest. These two demands were entirely different depending on the character of the settlement but somehow they got mixed up in the course of the hearing. We approached Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves to pursue the matter in a higher court.

The media and outsiders came into the picture when Ghafoor Basti and Dholak Basti were highlighted by a section of people as predominantly Muslim settlements. The media jumped on the scene and projected the narrative as Muslim settlers. Essentially, all these people are from the working class, whether encroachers or not. We have treated them as a single entity. There is no division inside the Banphoolpura community but the media has been trying to divide it into communal lines.

There is hope after the SC stays on the eviction notice. We do not care who gets credit for this success. Being a socio-political activist, I only care about people’s lives and their concerns. Essentially people’s resistance and peoples organizations are behind this success, like Uttarakhand Parivartan Party, Inqalabi Majdoor Kendra, Pragatisheel Mahila Ekta Kendra, Pragatisheel Chhatra Sangathan, Samajwadi Lok Manch, and many more. We all are trying to convert this resistance into a larger movement at the state level.

As told to Abhishek Srivastava

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They Are Farmers, Not Criminals…': Sushil Modi On Action In Buxar | Lokmarg

‘They Are Farmers, Not Criminals…’: Sushil Modi On Action In Buxar

By LokMarg

Former Bihar chief minister Sushil Modi has lashed out at the “insensitive” Mahagathbandhan government a day after the midnight violence in the Buxar district of the state in which a large group of farmers clashed with police who alleged that the police had assaulted villagers during a raid.

Condemning the incident, the BJP leader also called for an immediate suspension of the policemen involved in the incident.
The BJP leader alleged that the police barged into farmers’ houses and assaulted them.

“They are farmers, not criminals. Maybe they clashed with the police but barging into their homes and beating them up brutally at midnight is very condemnable. Even the video of the incident has gone viral now,” Sushil Modi told ANI.

“Such policemen need not only be transferred but they need to be sacked immediately,” the former Bihar chief minister said.

“Police should not have taken any action with a sense of revenge,” Modi said.

He alleged that police barged into the houses of the farmers in Bihar’s Buxar at midnight and beat up the farmers, their children and women.

The BJP leader appealed to the agitating farmers not to resort to violence else, he said it would become easy for the government to crush them.

“The farmers were demanding that they should be given compensation for their land not at the rate of 2013 but at the rate of 2022. BJP is standing with the farmers. I also talked to the CMD of the corporation last night. He said that we are ready to give what the state government asked for,” Modi said.

“The Deputy CM and the CM of the state say that they don’t even know when the students and farmers were being lathi-charged. What kind of government is this, what an insensitive government…? They do not know what the issue is, the agitation has been going on for three months, and dozens of meetings were held, why do they want to pay 2013 rates in 2022, and that too when the electricity development corporation is ready to pay? Why does the Bihar government doesn’t cooperate? The demand of the farmers is absolutely justified,” the BJP leader said.

Modi said that an investigation should be launched and police personnel involved in the incident should be dismissed from service.

A farmers’ protest in Buxar’s Chausa area on Wednesday turned violent as villagers attacked the power plant and also torched the police vehicles, after the midnight “police crackdown” on their stir.

The Buxar Police allegedly attacked the homes of protesting farmers in the middle of the night while they were sleeping and dozens of villagers including women were injured. Police brutality was captured in the CCTV footage.

For over two months, farmers are on protest demanding better rates for their land being acquired by a state-run power company in the district’s Chausa block.

Police vehicles were vandalized and set on fire. The gate of the power plant was also set on fire, police said.

The police tried to disperse the crowd by firing in the air. The entire area had been turned into a police camp. Stone pelting took place from both sides.

Earlier on Tuesday, the farmers demonstrated at the plant’s main gate. After which the police allegedly entered their houses last night in Badarpur village of Mufsil police station area and beat them up. (ANI)

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Delhi Police Gears Up To Curb Hooliganism On Holi Festival

Kanjhawala Case: Forensic Experts Visit Sultanpuri

By LokMarg

A team of experts from the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar on Thursday visited the national capital’s Sultanpuri as part of the ongoing investigation into the Kanjhawala hit-and-drag case, the Delhi Police said, adding that a ‘dummies’ were being used to recreate the crime scene.

The five-membered team of NFSU involves professors and forensic experts.

According to the police, the forensic experts visited the crime spot on the request of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Outer Delhi, Harendra K Singh. The incident on January 1, New Year’s day, in which 20-year-old Anjali Sing, who was riding a scooter, was found dead on the street, with her clothes torn off, after being allegedly hit and dragged by a car driven by five youths in Outer Delhi’s Khanjawala area.

A total of seven persons, including the five occupants of the car, have been arrested in connection with the case.

Delhi Police scanned through footage of more than 300 CCTVs from the Kanjhawala and Sultanpuri areas to establish the sequence of events in the case.

Earlier, Anjali’s maternal uncle claimed, that her friend Nidhi, an eyewitness in the case who claimed earlier that Ajali was drunk on the day of the incident, was part of a larger conspiracy in the matter.

“Nidhi surfaced all of a sudden after Anjali’s last rites were performed. Why is it that the thought of reporting the incident to the police or us never crossed her mind? She claimed she was scared at the time. Is she not scared anymore? There is a conspiracy and she is a part of it,” Anjali’s maternal uncle told ANI earlier.

He said Anjali never touched alcohol, a claim corroborated by her mother as well. “My niece did not have a drink. If she was drunk that night of the incident, as Nidhi has claimed, the post-mortem report would have mentioned it. So, either the post-mortem report is false or Nidhi lied,” he said.

The Delhi Police earlier said that examining the CCTV footage helped them trace Nidhi and record her statement. She claimed to be riding pillion on Anjali’s scooter at the time of the incident.

A total of 18 teams of the Delhi Police are part of the ongoing probe in the case. (ANI)

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Regular Contact With Uzbekistan Drug Regulator: Health Ministry | Lokmarg

WHO Not Using Two Cough Syrups Of Noida-Based Marion Biotech In Uzbekistan

By LokMarg

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that two cough syrups made by Noida-based company Marion Biotech should not be used for children in Uzbekistan.

In a medical product alert on Wednesday, the WHO said the “substandard medical products”, manufactured by Marion Biotech, “are products that fail to meet quality standards or specifications and are therefore out of specification.”
“This WHO Medical Product Alert refers to two substandard (contaminated) products, identified in Uzbekistan and reported to WHO on 22 December 2022. Substandard medical products are products that fail to meet quality standards or specifications and are therefore out of specification,” the WHO said in an alert released on its website.

“The two products are AMBRONOL syrup and DOK-1 Max syrup. The stated manufacturer of both products is MARION BIOTECH PVT. LTD, (Uttar Pradesh, India). To date, the stated manufacturer has not provided guarantees to WHO on the safety and quality of these products,” the alert added.

Noida-based pharma Marion Biotech has come under a cloud as reports emerged about the death of children after consuming cough syrup came in from Uzbekistan.

According to WHO, laboratory analysis of samples of cough syrups, undertaken by national quality control laboratories of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan found both products contained unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and /or ethylene glycol as contaminants.

“Both of these products may have marketing authorizations in other countries in the region. They may also have been distributed, through informal markets, to other countries or regions,” the WHO alert added.

The UN health agency added that “the substandard products referenced in this Alert are unsafe and their use, especially in children, may result in serious injury or death.”

On December 22, Uzbekistan alleged that 18 children had died after consuming medicines manufactured by Marion Biotech company. On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration department suspended the production license of Marion Biotech company linked to Uzbekistan’s deaths of 18 children.

“We have suspended the production license of Marion Biotech company after not providing enough documents, a show-cause notice was also given by the state licensing authority depending upon the documents asked during the inspection which they didn’t provide,” said Gautam Buddh Nagar Drug inspector Vaibhav Babbar.

He further said that sample results are still pending.

Last month, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that all manufacturing activities of the Noida-based pharma company have been stopped in view of the reports of contamination in cough syrup Dok1 Max. (ANI)

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