Month: September 2023

India ODI

India Replaces Pakistan As Top ODI Team In ICC Ranking

By LokMarg

India climbed to No.1 in the Men’s ODI Team Rankings after registering a win against Australia by five wickets in Mohali on Friday. With the win, India also accomplished a rare feat by becoming the top team in all three formats. 

According to ICC, India (116 rating points) displaced their arch-rivals Pakistan (115) at the top of the rankings after the win in the first ODI. Australia remain third with 111 points.

As a result of the win, India now reigns supreme across all formats as the No.1 team, having already occupied the top spot in Tests and T20Is.

India cruised to a five-wicket victory over Australia in the first ODI to achieve the feat. Mohammed Shami’s five-wicket haul was the highlight of their bowling innings after stand-in skipper KL Rahul opted to field first.

In reply, Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a fifty each and stitched a 142-run opening stand. Despite losing a few quick wickets, the fifties from Rahul and Surykumar Yadav held the fort and guided the hosts to victory.

It has been a scramble at the top of the ODI Team Rankings lately with India, Pakistan and Australia all in contention for the top spot during the recently-concluded Asia Cup and Australia’s ODI series against South Africa.

Pakistan held on to their No.1 spot despite not making it to the Asia Cup Final. Both India and Australia had opportunities to reach the ODI summit during the Asia Cup and the South Africa series but lost games when it mattered.

As a result of the defeat, Australia no longer stands a chance to be the No.1 team heading into the World Cup. However, Pakistan could still go to the top if Australia win the remaining two matches.

India remain in the box seat now, with a series win guaranteeing them the top spot heading into the marquee event at home.

India’s dominance now extends across all formats with them already occupying the No.1 spot in Tests and T20Is. This is only the second time in men’s cricketing history that a side has achieved the No.1 ranking across the formats. Prior to this, only South Africa had achieved the feat back in August 2012.

In the longer format, India have displayed remarkable consistency as a result of which they made their second consecutive World Test Championship Final in June, though they failed to conquer the final frontier again. Their recent record in bilateral series is almost spotless, with the series loss against South Africa in 2021-22 being the only blemish.

In T20Is, India reached the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in 2022. Their run in bilateral T20I series has been all the more impressive, having lost just one series out of 14 since the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup. (ANI)

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‘Positive Impact of Delhi-Meerut Expressway is Multifaceted’

By LokMarg

Paras Anand, owner of sports brand SG (Sanspareils Greenlands), says shorter travel time has helped in expansion of business and more consumers for manufacturers in Meerut. His Views:

National Expressway 3 or the Delhi-Meerut Expressway is the broadest 96-kilometer road system connecting Delhi with Meerut via Dasna. Partly funded by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), this controlled-access expressway has been a boon for the business community and manufacturers based out of Meerut. Since I am a sports goods manufacturer, I can share the information that as of January 2023, it the sports goods industry exports from Meerut stood at an estimated ₹765 crores and valuation is growing exponentially with each passing month.

With the expressway cutting down the time taken to fulfil the commute between the capital city of New Delhi and Meerut, the linked benefits for the sports industry in Meerut are many. Not only cricket gear — English and Indian willow bats to soft leather goods and cricket balls are manufactured in Meerut and exported to several corners of the globe – even other sports like football, tennis, TT, hockey make Meerut a one-stop sports production hub of India.

The transit time having reduced between Delhi and Meerut to a mere 45-minutes, not only is it becoming possible for the manufacturers to employ manpower from other parts of NCR, more Meerut-based companies are opening offices in New Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram, giving a boost to their business. Conversely, global buyers are finding it easier to make the commute between the two cities, thereby gaining easier access to this industry on a global scale. Even the consumers from Delhi, Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad find it easy to visit Meerut for their sports purchases for a variety of choices.

ALSO READ: Meerut DJs – ‘A Businessman Must Adapt Change To Survive’

The positive impact of the Delhi Meerut Expressway is on several fronts. Exporting goods to other countries like the UK, South Africa, and Australia, most sports goods manufacturers here have dealings with the leading retail brands of the globe from the sports goods industry. We have definitely observed more global queries coming our way, as well as frequent meetings with representatives of global brands which had become difficult because of the earlier commuting time that was anything between 4-6 hours through everyday traffic jams all along the highway.

Plus, the entire highway was not the least presentable to people coming from other countries. It was dirty, clogged and more like a passage from one village or town to the next with every possible vehicle on it.

This National Expressway 3 is simply beautiful, has speed limits with green open farms on both sides. This soothing commute has also helped those athletes who want to just check out their equipment before using them at the highest level. So, the visits of stars to Meerut has gone up by several counts. The players don’t even hesitate to come and check out their stuff whenever they are in Delhi, even for a day. This shows the kind of gap which was there earlier because of not having an Expressway. Some athletes just take a day off and come to Meerut from other cities just to ensure that their sports equipment is prepared well.

As told to Deepa Gupta

Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

Nobody Knows When Women Reservation Will Be Implemented: Rahul

By LokMarg

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the Women’s Reservation Bill is a “distraction tactic” by the BJP-led government to take away the attention of people from demands such as caste census and said nobody knows when the legislation will be implemented.

Addressing a press conference at here a day after the Bill was passed in the Special Session of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi demanded that the data of the previous caste census should be released immediately and that a fresh caste census should be held to determine the population of OBCs and other weaker sections.

Rahul Gandhi said the party extended its full support to the Women’s Reservation Bill but there is no certainty about the date of its implementation and it requires Census and delimitation exercise. He said should have been implemented immediately.    

“Women’s Reservation Bill is great but we received two footnotes that Census and Delimitation need to be done before that. Both of these will take years. The truth is that the reservation can be implemented today…This is not a complicated matter but the government doesn’t want to do that.  The government has presented this before the country but it will be implemented 10 years from now. Nobody knows if this will even be implemented. This is a distraction tactic, diversion tactic,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“What is it that you are being diverted from? From OBC Census. I spoke of one institution in Parliament, that which runs the Government of India – Cabinet secretary and secretaries…I asked why only three out of 90 people belong to the OBC community?…I don’t understand that PM Modi speaks of OBCs every day but what did he do for them?” he asked.

The Congress leader had spoken about the lower representation of OBCs in the secretary-level posts at the Centre while participating in the debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.  The BJP countered him by saying that it gives larger representation to OBCs and the number of MPs of the party from the community was more than the total number of parliamentarians of Congress.

The 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2023, also called Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, was passed during the Special Session of Parliament which began on Monday. The two Houses were adjourned sine die on Thursday, a day before the scheduled ending of the session, after the Bill was passed.

Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is the first bill passed by Parliament in its new building.  (ANI)

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Raghav, Parineeti Receive Grand Welcome At Udaipur Airport

By LokMarg

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha and actor Parineeti Chopra received a grand welcome at Udaipur airport on Friday.

Several photographs and videos of the couple arriving at the Udaipur airport from Delhi have circulated on social media.

The couple was greeted with Dhols and music as they exited the airport gates. Raghav and Parineeti will tie the knot in Udaipur reportedly over this weekend.

A group performed bhangra to welcome them.

Parineeti wore a red jumpsuit with a cream shawl. She finished her look with black sunglasses. Raghav opted for a black sweater and blue denim.

Earlier, the duo hosted Sufi night for their close friends and family members. Parineeti Chopra’s cousin Priyanka gave it a miss but the actor’s mother Madhu Chopra and brother Siddharth marked their presence at the special function organised at Raghav’s residence in the national capital. Prior to the musical night, Parineeti and Raghav sought blessings at a Gurudwara in New Delhi, where they participated in Ardas and Kirtan.

The duo exchanged rings on May 13 at Kapurthala house in New Delhi in the presence of their loved ones. The star-studded ceremony was attended by several politicians including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, former finance minister P Chidambaram, and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray.

Before their engagement, both Raghav and Parineeti had kept mum about their relationship. Parineeti and Raghav reportedly knew each other for several years before they began dating. The couple was recently spotted scouting for locations for weddings in Udaipur, hinting that they will follow in her cousin Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ footsteps and tie the knot in a lavish wedding in Rajasthan.

Reportedly, the couple will tie the knot in Rajasthan. Wedding festivities will take place on September 23 and 24, as per several reports. 

Meanwhile, on the work front, Parineeti will share screen space with Diljit Dosanjh in ‘Chamkila’. Helmed by Imtiaz Ali, the film revolves around two famous Punjabi singers Amarjot Kaur and Amar Singh Chamkila.  She also has ‘Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue’ alongwith Akshay Kumar in her kitty. (ANI)

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Tejashwi Bihar

Land For Job Scam: Delhi Court Summons Lalu, Tejashwi

By LokMarg

The Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi on Friday issued summons to former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and others accused in relation to a fresh chargesheet in alleged Land for Job Scam case.

The Special Judge Geetanjali Goel took cognizance of a fresh chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and issued summons against all accused.

According to the CBI, this is the second chargesheet in the designated court against 17 accused including the then Union Minister of Railways, his wife, son, then GM of West Central Railways(WCR), then two CPOs of WCR, private persons, private company, etc. in a case related to Land for Job Scam.

Recently, the CBI has filed a chargesheet in the alleged Land for Job scam case against Lalu Prasad Yadav including his son Tejashwi Yadav and others.

CBI had registered a case on May 18, 2022, against Lalu Yadav and others including his wife, two daughters, unknown Public servants and private persons.

It was alleged that the then Union Minister of Railways during the period 2004-2009 had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members etc. in lieu of appointment of Substitutes in Group “D” Post in different Zones of Railways. It was further alleged that in lieu thereof the substitutes, who were residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold & gifted their land situated at Patna in favour of the family members of said Minister and a private company controlled by his family members, which was also involved in transfer of such immovable properties in the name of said family members.

It was also alleged that no advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointments of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different Zonal Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur.

Searches were earlier conducted at multiple places including in Delhi & Bihar etc, said CBI.

“During the investigation, it was found that then Union Minister of Railways with intent to acquire the land parcels situated at the places where his family was already owning land parcels or the places which were already connected to him entered into conspiracy with associates and family members and allegedly derived a design to grab the land of various land owners by offering /providing group D employment in Railways,” CBI said.

The accused had allegedly collected applications and documents of such candidates through associates and then sent those to West Central Railway for processing and providing jobs in Railways and the General Managers of West Central Railways under the influence /control of the accused accorded approval for engagement of candidates, the CBI further said.

The CBI said that for providing jobs in Railways, they allegedly devised an indirect way wherein the candidates were engaged firstly as substitutes and subsequently, were regularized.

“A hard disk containing lists of candidates (who were engaged) was also recovered during searches. It was further alleged that a land parcel was purchased in the name of a private company at Rs.10.83 Lakh in 2007 and subsequently, the said land along with some other land parcels purchased by the said company, were brought into the ownership/control of his wife and son of then Union Minister of Railways by way of transfer of shares at Rs. One Lakh only,” the CBI said.

The CBI further said that at the time of transfer, the company was allegedly owning land parcels purchased at a total cost of Rs 1.77 crore (approx) and it was transferred for a mere Rs.1 Lakh (approx) only, however, the market value of the lands was much more.

Earlier, a chargesheet was filed on October 7, 2022 against 16 accused. The investigation is continuing, CBI informed the Court. (ANI)

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Bhumi Shehnaaz

Bhumi, Shehnaaz Dance Their Heart Out On ‘Desi Wine’ Song

By LokMarg

After ‘Haanji’, the makers of ‘Thank You For Coming’ unveiled a new track titled ‘Desi Wine’ from the film.

The high-spirited song is composed by Qaran, sung by Nikita Gandi, The Rish and Arjun and lyrics are penned by Qaran and I.P.Singh.

The highlight of the track’s music video is Bhumi Pednekar, who dances her heart out with Shehnaaz after consuming alcohol at the party.

One can also spot Shibani Bedi, Kusha Kapila, Dolly Singh, Karan Kundrra and Sushant Divgikar in groovy mode. At the end of the clip, veteran actor Anil Kapoor makes a special appearance.

Take a look at the video.

‘Thank You For Coming’ is directed by Karan Boolani. It delves into the themes of female friendship, single women, love, and the pursuit of pleasure. Also, it was the only Indian feature film honoured with the Gala World Premiere at TIFF this year.

Ahead of the premiere Bhumi recently said in a statement, “As an Indian actor I feel proud to represent my country globally at such an esteemed event. The film conveys a very special and important message. It celebrates the unbounded spirit of young girls who are in search of love and how they want to live their life freely. It is very encouraging to see that the jury at TIFF deemed this as a significant theme to be reflected on.”

Produced by Balaji Telefilms Limited and Anil Kapoor Film Communication Network Pvt. Ltd, directed by Karan Boolani, and written by Radhika Anand and Prashasti Singh, the film will be released in theatres worldwide on October 6, 2023. (ANI)

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Omar, Mehbooba Relieved Over Mirwaiz’s ‘Release’

By LokMarg

Welcoming the decision of the Jammu and Kashmir administration to release Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from house arrest, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday expressed hope that the cleric will be “allowed to move freely, interact with people” and “resume his religious responsibilities”.

Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said that Mirwaiz Umer Farooq will “walk a free man after years of denial about his detention” by the administration of Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Finally Mirwaiz Umer Farooq will walk a free man after years of LG admin’s denial about his detention. As a religious head he is held in high regard by muslims across J&K. Unfortunately a tussle has already begun between BJPs and various political outfits to claim credit for his release,” the People’s Democratic Party Chief posted on Twitter, which is now X.

Abdullah said: “I welcome the step taken by the administration in J&K to release Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from house arrest. I hope that they allow him to move freely, interact with people & resume his social/religious responsibilities. Today eyes in Kashmir will be on the Mirwaiz as he delivers his first Friday sermon in Jamia Masjid after 2019.”

The management of Kashmir’s grand mosque- Jamia Masjid said in a brief statement said that the cleric will be allowed to offer Friday prayers after four years of “house arrest”.

“Mirwaiz Umar Farooq will be allowed to offer Friday prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid after 4 years of house arrest,” the statement said.

Mirwaiz Manzil, which identifies to be the Centre of religious and political discussions, posted on X, “After FOUR years (212 Fridays) of illegal & arbitrary incarceration, Mirwaiz Kashmir will today offer congregational Friday prayers & deliver the sermon at Jama Masjid Srinagar”.

Mirwaiz Umar has repeatedly alleged that he has been put under house arrest by the police after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

However, contradicting his statement, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha told the media in Srinagar last month that Umar Farooq was a “free man and not under detention”.

Earlier in August, the Centre celebrated the fourth anniversary of its decision to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate the erstwhile state into two Union territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is the son of Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq who was killed on May 21, 1990, by terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen.

Earlier in May this year, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said that the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested two absconding terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen in the case.

The arrested terrorists Javaid Ahmad Bhat and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat were residents of Srinagar. They were absconding after murdering Mirwaiz Farooq on May 21, 1990. (ANI)

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India Canada US

Both India And Canada Our Important Partners: US

By LokMarg

Amid the rising tensions between India and Canada, US State Department’s Hindustani Spokesperson Margaret MacLeod on Thursday emphasized that the US has their own relations with India and Canada, noting that both are important for the United States.   

Macleod further said that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations are concerning. 

‘The allegations levied by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau are very concerning. We are keeping in touch with our Canadian allies. We urge the Indian govt to cooperate in this investigation,” she added. 

Notably, she said, “US and Canada have their own relation and US and India have their own relation, both are important partners for us. But most importantly, the guilty should be brought to justice.” 

Earlier today, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, Adrienne Watson rejected reports of the US rebuffing Canada after the latter accused the Indian government of being behind the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Watson said they are “coordinating and consulting” with Canada and also “engaging” with the Indian government.

Watson made the statement in response to reports in the American media that Washington has distanced itself from Canada’s allegation about New Delhi’s involvement in the killing of Nijjar, a wanted Khalistani leader in India. The report highlighted the diplomatic challenges faced by the Biden administration as it seeks to maintain strong relations with both India and Canada.

Earlier, US National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said “serious allegations” were levelled by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau against India in the killing of Nijjar, adding that the US wanted the matter handled in a “transparent” way.

In an interview with CBS News, an American television news channel, Kirby urged India to cooperate in the investigation. “These allegations are serious and we know that Canadians are investigating and we certainly don’t want to get ahead of that investigation. We urge India to cooperate in that investigation as well,” Kirby said in the interview.

Moreover, on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the allegations made by Canada regarding the “potential links” of India being behind the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are “politically driven”.

“Yes, I do think there is a degree of prejudice here. They have made allegations and taken action against them. To us, it seems that these allegations by the government of Canada are primarily politically driven,” Bagchi said. 

Bilateral relations between India and Canada have hit a sharp downward spiral after Prime Minister Trudeau on Monday alleged that “Indian agents” were behind the shooting of Hardeep Nijjar.

Nijjar, the chief of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) — a Sikh extremist organisation banned by India and a “designated terrorist” was killed in a targeted shooting at British Columbia in Canada’s Surrey in June 2018.

India, however, rejected the allegations by the Trudeau administration, terming them “absurd” and “motivated”.

“We have seen and reject the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. (ANI)

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Punjab Police

Punjab Police Launches Crackdown on Gangsters, Associates

By LokMarg

Amid the ongoing drive to break the gangster-terrorist nexus in Punjab, the state police on Thursday launched a state-wide crackdown against various gangsters and raided over 1159 suspected places and hideouts of their associates.

As per the police officials, one person was arrested while 30 were detained for further questioning.

The simultaneous raids were carried out from 7 am to 2 pm on the directives of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, wherein, all the residential and other premises of associates, relatives and friends linked with various gangsters, were thoroughly searched in all the 28 police districts in the state, an official statement from the police department said.

Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla said that all the Commissioners of Police (CPs) and Superintendents of police (SSPs) were directed to depute an adequate number of police parties to conduct these raids and meticulously check the whereabouts of these associates to make this operation successful, which was aimed at disrupting the nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers based in India and abroad.

Police teams were also asked to detain suspicious persons during the operation, he added.

He further said that around 625 police teams, involving over 2500 police personnel, carried out this operation at as many as 1159 places linked with associates of various gangsters.

The Special DGP said that the Police teams have also arrested one person and recovered 120 grams of heroin and one 32-bore pistol along with five live cartridges during the operation.

“Apart from this, several persons have also been rounded up for questioning during the operation for further verification and incriminating material has been seized from their possession. The material and data collected during the search operation are being examined further,” he added.

Shukla also said that the searches were planned after the questioning of several persons arrested during recently busted modules backed by different gangsters. (ANI)

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Sara Kareena

Sara Wishes Kareena on B’day, Calls Her Queen of Hearts

By LokMarg

Actor Sara Ali Khan on Thursday penned down a sweet birthday wish for Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Taking to Instagram, Sara shared a happy picture on her stories which she captioned, “Happiest Birthday to the queen of hearts @kareenakapoorkhan.”

The picture features Sara, Kareena, Saif Ali Khan, and Ibrahim Ali Khan.

Meanwhile, Sara will be seen in Anurag Basu’s ‘Metro…In Dino’. Billed as an anthology, the film also features Aditya Roy Kapur, Konkona Sen Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Anupam Kher, Ali Fazal and Neena Gupta in lead roles.

‘Metro…In Dino’, a film that apparently draws its title from the famous song ‘In Dino’ from ‘Life in a… Metro’, will showcase bittersweet tales of human relationships based on contemporary times.

She also has ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ in her kitty.

Kareena on the other hand is currently getting a lot of praise for her recently released thriller film ‘Jaane Jaan’.

Helmed by Sujoy Ghosh, the film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma in the lead roles.

The film is streaming on the OTT platform Netflix.

Apart from this, Bebo also has director Hansal Mehta’s next film and ‘The Crew’ alongside Kriti Sanon, Tabu and Diljit Dosanjh.

The film is all set to hit the theatres on March 22, 2024. (ANI)

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