January 2023 - Page 9 of 60 - Lokmarg

SRK Calls Salman ‘GOAT’

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

Shah Rukh Khan who is basking in the massive success of his film ‘Pathaan’, called Salman Khan “GOAT,” during an interaction with fans on social media.

On Saturday, SRK conducted the #AskSRK session, during which a fan said, “Sir Pathaan tho hit ho gyi lekin Salman Khan ka muqabla nhi kr paoge box-office pe #AskSRK.”

To which he replied, “Salman bhai is…woh kya kehte hain aaj kal…young log…haan….GOAT. ( greatest of all time ) #Pathaan.”

During the 15 minutes, #AskSRK session the ‘Don’ actor answered several questions related to Salman.

Another fan who went to watch ‘Pathaan’ as a Salman Khan’s fan but after watching the movie became an SRK fan.

The fan tweet wrote, “amazing Mindblowing Fantabolous Never Seen Before Avtar Gaya Tha Tiger Ka Fan Banke Aaaya Pathaan Ka Fan Banke.”

“Tiger ka toh main bhi fan hoon bhai….bas unke saath mujhe bhi dil mein rakho bas,” King Khan replied.

‘Pathaan’ marks SRK’s return to the silver screen after four years. It’s an action-spy film. Salman Khan appears in an extended cameo as his character from the Tiger movies, which are also a part of the new shared universe that YRF has set up. The franchise also includes War, directed by Siddharth only.

The film also featured Deepika Padukone and John Abraham were also seen in the lead roles.

‘Pathaan’ has received a massive response from viewers and SRK’s fandom globally has warmly welcomed the actor to his movie after four years. The film has crossed more than 300 crores gross worldwide.

Helmed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Yash Raj Films, ‘Pathaan’ was released on January 25, a day before Republic Day 2023, in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages. (ANI)

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Don’t Disturb Peace Of Hills In Name Of Gorkhaland: GTA’s Anil Thapa

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Chairperson Anit Thapa on Saturday accused the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) of playing politics with the people of the hills and trying to disturb the peace of the region.

“Do not disturb hills in the name of Gorkhaland. A permanent solution is nothing but misguiding people,” Thapa said.
Earlier speaking to reporters Thapa said that GJM withdrawing from the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) was a “political stunt.”

“It is a political stunt of the GJM. They are doing politics in the name of Gorkhaland, but people are not stupid. They are trying to misguide the people of the hills,” said Thapa.

Thapa, the Chief of Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha said that they are presently targeting the development of the hills and not focussing on the demand for separate statehood.

“We proved the majority in the Darjeeling Municipality and won the municipality. Democracy has been restored in Darjeeling again. Our target is to develop hills. We are not focussing on separate statehood now,” he added.

Expressing faith in Mamata Banerjee, Thapa said, “We are with the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal Government.”

“We are trying to develop the hills from every corner. They said that they are withdrawing support from the GTA. It is just politics, nothing else,” he added.

“We are the allies of the TMC and it is just a political alliance. We will meet Mamata Banerjee soon over the issues related to GTA,” he added.

The GJM has recently withdrawn its support from the GTA agreement. GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri has written a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informing them of the party’s withdrawal of support as a signatory to the memorandum of agreement of GTA was signed on July 18, 2012.

Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) is a semi-autonomous council for the development of the hills, Terai, and Dooars region. (ANI)

Govt Working For Underprivileged Like Lord Devnarayan: PM

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that many attempts were made to break India geographically, culturally, socially, and ideologically, but no force could destroy India.

India is not just a piece of land but an expression of our civilization and potential, the Prime Minister said in Malaseri Dungri in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan today while addressing a ceremony to commemorate the 1,111th ‘Avataran Mahotsav’ of Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan Ji in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara.
“We the people of India are proud of our thousands of years old civilization and culture,” the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi said that his government was following the mantra of “preference for the underprivileged” and of empowering every section of society just like Lord Devnarayan, who shunned a life of luxury and instead chose to serve people.

The PM said, “Bhagwan Devnarayan came from a well-off family but he shunned the luxurious life and chose to serve people and dedicated his life to public service.”

“Today the country is moving forward on this path. We are also working with the mantra of ‘preference for the underprivileged’. That is why today the poor are getting free rations and free treatment. The poor used to worry about the house, toilet, and gas cylinder. We are removing that too. Bank accounts of the poor are being opened,” Modi added.

PM Modi also stated that attempts to break India could not succeed.

He said, “We take pride in our thousands of years old history, civilization, and culture. Several civilizations of the world ended with time. Several attempts were made to break India geographically, culturally, socially and ideologically. But no power could finish India.”

“India is not just a tract of land but also an expression of our civilization, culture, harmony and possibilities. That is why India is laying the foundation for its glorious future. The biggest inspiration behind this is the power of our society which belongs to crores of people of the country,” the prime minister said.

PM Modi said that in every period in the country, such a power emerges from within the society which has shown the direction to everyone. Lord Devnayan was also such an incarnation who protected the country from the invaders.

PM Modi stated that Lord Devnarayan removed the evils spread in society and spread the spirit harmony, united the society, and worked towards establishing an ideal system.

“This is the reason that there is reverence and immense faith in him in every section of society,” he said.

He said that due to the efforts of the government, electricity, water, health, housing and banking facilities are reaching the common people.

The government’s efforts are also going on to provide water for agriculture and to protect livestock. For the first time, the facility of Kisan Credit Card has also been provided to the cattle rearers. More than 15000 cr has been deposited in the bank accounts of the farmers under PM Kisan Saman Nidhi, PM Modi said.

PM Modi also thanked the people of Rajasthan for inviting him on the auspicious occassion.

He said, “We will work hard. We all will work together and everyone’s efforts will lead to success. I am very grateful to society that it has invited me here as a devotee. The power and devotion of society inspired me and I am here today.”

The event was organised by the culture ministry.

Malaseri is the birthplace of Bhagwan Dev Narayan, greatly revered by the Gujjars in the area.

The Gujjars are about 9 per cent to 12 per cent of the population in the state and they are significant in 40 to 50 assembly seats in eastern Rajasthan.

Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan ji is worshipped by the people of Rajasthan, and his followers are spread across the length and breadth of the country. He is revered especially for his work towards public service.

Earlier this morning Prime Minister Modi prayers at the Malaseri Dungri temple in the district and also made offerings in the ongoing Yagya there.

Notably, this is Prime Minister Modi’s third visit to the poll-bound Rajasthan in the last four months. (ANI)

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Maurya Meets Akhilesh Amid Ramcharitmanas Remarks Row

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

Samajwadi Party MLC Swami Prasad Maurya met the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav at the Party office on Saturday amid row over his remarks on Ramacharitmanas.

Refusing to apologise for his remarks on the holy book of Hindus, Maurya said that the party is seeking justice for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and the backward classes of the country.
“To provide justice to the SC, ST and Backward classes of this country, the party will demand a caste-based census first of all. For this, we will write a letter to the Central Government. They (BJP) are slowly abolishing the only weapon of the tribals, Dalits and backward classes, i.e. reservation. We will not let them exploit us,” Maurya said while interacting with the media.

When asked about Akhilesh Yadav’s stand on his statement on Ramacharitmanas, Maurya said, “Akhilesh Yadav is the national president of our party. He will make a statement at the right time.”

Meanwhile, slogans were raised against Akhilesh Yadav by members of the BJP and Hindu Mahasabha. Black flags were also shown by the protesters while he visited Maa Pitambara temple in Lucknow to attend the 108th Mahayaga event.

Earlier this month, the SP leader sparked a major controversy after he demanded the deletion of “insulting comments and sarcasm” targeted at particular castes and sects in Ramcharitmanas, a poem based on the epic Ramayana.

Speaking to ANI, the former BJP leader had said, “I don’t have any issue with Ramcharitramanas but parts of it have insulting comments and sarcasm directed at particular castes and sects. Those should be removed.”

Maurya further claimed that in the Ramcharitmanas, which was composed by Tulsidas, there are words hurting the sentiments of the Dalit community.

“The government should take effective action and show sensitivity. It should see that the sentiments of any community are not hurt,” he added.

While Maurya’s remarks gave fresh ammunition to the BJP, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav distanced himself from the remark.

An FIR was filed against the former Cabinet minister over his remark.

The case against Maurya was filed at the Hazratganj police station for allegedly outraging religious feelings with his remark. (ANI)

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The 'Beating the Retreat ceremony this year will be graced by the President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Droupadi Murmu at Vijay Chowk in the national capital on January 29.

Beating Retreat: 3,500 Drones To Illuminate The Sky

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

Indian tunes based on Indian Classical Ragas will be the flavour of the ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony this year which will be graced by President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Droupadi Murmu at Vijay Chowk in the national capital on January 29.

According to the Ministry of Defence, 29 captivating and foot-tapping Indian tunes will be played by the music bands of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the State Police and the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will also be present at the ceremony. The event will witness the country’s biggest Drone Show, comprising 3,500 indigenous drones. The drone show will light up the evening sky over the Raisina hills, weaving myriad forms of national figures/events through smooth synchronisation. It will depict the success of the startup ecosystem, and the technological prowess of the country’s youth and pave the way for future path-breaking trends. The drone show will be organised by Botlabs Dynamics.

For the first time, a 3D anamorphic projection will be organised during Beating Retreat Ceremony on the facade of the North and South Block.

The ceremony will begin with the massed band’s ‘Agniveer’ tune which will be followed by enthralling tunes like ‘Almora’, ‘Kedar Nath, ‘Sangam Dur’, ‘Queen of Satpura’, ‘Bhagirathi’, ‘Konkan Sundari’ by Pipes and Drums band, said the Defence Ministry statement.

Indian Air Force’s band will play ‘Aprajey Arjun’, ‘Charkha’, ‘Vayu Shakti’, ‘Swadeshi’, while ‘Ekla Cholo Re’, ‘Hum Taiyyar Hai’, and ‘Jai Bharati’ will be played by the band of Indian Navy.

The Indian Army’s band will play ‘Shankhnaad’, ‘Sher-e-Jawan’, ‘Bhupal’, ‘Agranee Bharat’, ‘Young India’, ‘Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja’, ‘Drummers Call’, and ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’.

The event will come to a close with the ever-popular tune of ‘Sare Jahan se Acha’.

The principal conductor of the ceremony will be Flight Lieutenant Leimapokpam Rupachandra Singh. While the Army Band will be led by Sub Maj Diggar Singh, the Naval and Air Force band commanders will be M Anthoni Raj and Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar. The conductor of the State Police and CAPF bands will be Asstt Sub Inspector Prem Singh, said the official statement.

The Buglers will perform under the leadership of Naib Subedar Santosh Kumar Pandey, and pipes and drums band will play under the instructions of Subedar Major Baswaraj Vagge.

The ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony at the Vijay Chowk on January 29 every year marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations. It has emerged as an event of national pride when the Colours and Standards are paraded.

The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army indigenously developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands. It marks a centuries-old military tradition when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sound of the Retreat. Colours and Standards are cased and flags are lowered. The ceremony creates nostalgia for the times gone by. (ANI)

Two IAF Fighter Jets Crash Over Morena In MP

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

Two Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft crashed in Morena in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

The aircraft- a Sukhoi-30 was carrying two pilots and the Mirage 2000 was carrying one pilot during the time of the crash. Initial reports suggest the two pilots are safe while an IAF team is reaching the spot soon in a chopper to ascertain the condition of the third pilot, according to Defence sources.
An IAF court of inquiry will establish whether the accident happened due to a mid-air collision or not.

“The two aircraft had taken off from the Gwalior air base where an exercise was going on,” Defence sources said.

Sources further added that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is in touch with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari to gather details on the crash.

Further information is awaited.

Earlier reports confirmed that a charter plane fell down in Bharatpur in Rajasthan, however more details were awaited as officials at the spot were unsure if the plane was a military or a civilian craft. (ANI)

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China Compelling Doctors To Hide COVID Mortalities

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

To keep China’s COVID death figures low, the Chinese government has besides censorship, implemented a change in rules and procedures to compel doctors to hide COVID-related mortalities or delay updating them on death certificates, Voices Against Autocracy (VAA) reported.

Authorities in China have also stopped adding to the official count, COVID deaths that have occurred outside hospitals.
China amid growing global pressure, revealed that around 60,000 COVID-related deaths were reported between early December and mid-December, 2022. The number is big considering that China maintained a death toll of around 5,000 since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to VAA, many felt the actual number was much higher and accused Beijing of underreporting. Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) urged China for “more detailed” data as it expressed concerns over the under-representing of the severity of the viral outbreaks in the country.

COVID infections in China began to surge towards December end and hospitals began to fill up. Many patients did not find beds and were seen sleeping on floors. Even, funeral homes and crematoriums were completely filled, and bodies were seen in the queue for days.

The Chinese government, however, remained silent on the rising number of COVID patients.

The government stopped issuing routine health bulletins, leading to confusion over the COVID situation. A social media post by an eminent Chinese scientist and government official Wu Zunyou, however, revealed that over 80 per cent of China’s population was COVID-infected.

According to VAA, the Chinese government has issued notices and circulars to instruct doctors to not mention COVID as a reason for death. “On the death certificate, we fill in one main cause of death, and two to three sub-causes of death, so we basically leave out COVID,” a doctor in a Shanghai-based hospital said.

A doctor from Liaoning Province, Liu Chen (pseudonym), said that the government rules bar them from counting the death of COVID patients due to aggravation of underlying diseases as COVID deaths. “T stanhat is thedard we all have to follow. So, from the top to the bottom, no one knows the exact mortality rate of COVID,” he said, as quoted by VAA.

According to complaints received from people, deaths following COVID in China are being labelled as “heart diseases”, “pneumonia” or “underlying disease”.

According to Song Guo-cheng, a researcher at National Chengchi University, the latest death figures announced by Beijing are still suspicious. “The information obtained from various sources and online reports is in sharp contrast with the COVID figures disclosed by the Chinese Communist Party. This underscores that the CCP is still playing with the data, covering up the true scale of the outbreak,” Song said. (ANI)

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Pakistan's Economic Crisis Going From Bad To Worse

2023 Pakistan’s Economy: Analysts Warn Of Bankruptcy

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

The New Year, 2023, has brought more miseries to Pakistan’s already dwindling economy. Analysts are now warning that the country may go bankrupt, Islam Khabar reported.

Amid this Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government has agreed to meet all conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the early resumption of the next review.
Sharif on January 24 said that Pakistan’s ruling PDM alliance is ready to sacrifice its “political career for the sake of the country” by accepting IMF’s “stringent” conditions to revive the loan programme.

Reports reveal that over 9,000 containers are stuck at different Pakistani seaports, threatening to disrupt the supply chains of essential goods. Inflation in the country has risen to almost 30 per cent. The country’s funds are running low and food prices are increasing.

According to Islam Khabar, importers are unable to clear containers due to a shortage of dollars, while shipping companies are threatening to suspend Pakistan’s operations over the country’s failure to make timely payments. This will negatively impact both imports and exports.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has only USD 4.4 billion in forex reserves, barely enough for three weeks of imports, while the estimated needs to clear the containers and pending requests for opening more letters of credit is in the range of USD 1.5 billion to USD 2 billion, according to the Islam Khabar report.

Businesses in Pakistan are at risk of closure due to a breakdown of supply chains as domestically manufactured goods rely on imported raw materials. The textile industry in Pakistan is also in a critical position as it is losing credibility and market share among international buyers.

Hospitals in the country are running short of medicines, and there may soon be shortages of goods such as wheat, fertilizers, and gasoline.

Prime Minister Sharif has thus asked people to conserve resources such as water, gas, and electricity to assist the government in reducing its import bill, which has risen significantly in recent years.

Former Pakistan Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar recently said that Pakistan has become “politically and morally bankrupt”, according to a news report.

“We have become politically and morally bankrupt. Even today, people are not being told the truth, which the country needs,” Khokhar said while addressing the second session of the national dialogue in Quetta.

During the conference, the former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader said that communication between Pakistan’s people and political parties is broken. He said there is a need to address people’s issues rather than being engaged in irrelevant political discourses such as the Panama Papers and the Toshakhana case.

“There were discussions on (Panama papers) and Toshakhana (case), but where were the issues of people? The situation has gotten to a point where if one doesn’t leave the country, they are going to the mountains,” he said, as quoted by The News International Newspaper. (ANI)

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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the January 27 "security lapse" incident

Kharge Writes To Shah, Seeking Adequate Security For Bharat Jodo Yatra

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the January 27 “security lapse” incident of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and sought his personal intervention in ensuring adequate security to the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir.

Kharge’s letter comes after the Congress’ footmarch was suspended for the day with the party claiming that it was done on the advice of the officials in charge of the security of Rahul Gandhi.
“We are expecting a huge gathering to join the yatra over the next two days and also the function that will be held on January 30 at Srinagar. Many senior Congress leaders and leaders of other important political parties are attending the culmination functions to be held on January 30,” said Kharge in his letter.

“I shall be grateful if you could personally intervene in this matter and advise the concerned officials to provide adequate security till the culmination of the yatra and the function on the 30th January at Srinagar,” the Congress president said in his letter to Shah.

He also appreciated the statement of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, which said that they will continue to provide complete security till the culmination of the yatra.

Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a press conference on Friday said that the security arrangement had “completely collapsed” during the Yatra on Friday morning.

“This morning during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, unfortunately, the police arrangement completely collapsed and the police who were supposed to manage the crowd were nowhere to be seen. My security people were very uncomfortable with me walking further on the yatra so I had to cancel my walk. Other yatris did the walk,” said Rahul Gandhi while addressing a press conference.

Further speaking on security issues, Gandhi said, “I think it is important the police manages the crowd so that we can do the yatra. It’s very difficult for me to go against what my security people are recommending.” (ANI)

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US Under Secretary Of State To Visit India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Qatar

By LokMarg 28th January 2023

US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland will embark on an official visit to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Qatar from January 28 to February 3.

During her visit to India, Nuland will lead the US-India annual Foreign Office Consultations which cover the full range of bilateral, regional, and global issues and will also meet with young tech leaders, the US Department of State said in an official statement.
In Nepal, the top US official will engage with the new government on the broad agenda of the US partnership with Kathmandu.

The Under Secretary, on reaching Sri Lanka will mark the 75th anniversary of US-Sri Lanka relations and offer continued US support for Sri Lanka’s efforts to stabilize the economy, protect human rights, and promote reconciliation, the official release added.

Finally, the Under Secretary will discuss global issues in Qatar as part of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue.

“She will also meet with counterparts to discuss Qatar’s critical support for the relocation of Afghans with ties to the US, as well as our bilateral agreement to protect US interests in Afghanistan,” the US State Department press release added. (ANI)

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