Author: LokMarg

They say that ‘You can take an Indian out of India but you can’t take India out of an Indian.’ That’s exactly the case with our Bollywood diva Deepika Padukone, who is currently creating waves at Cannes Film Festival as a jury member.

She just attend the red carpet ceremony for the 75th annual Cannes film festival, wearing a saree designed by none other than Sabyasachi.

Taking to Instagram, Deepika dropped a string of images of her glamourous look.

In the images, she is seen exuding retro vibes with her golden-black shimmery saree. The ‘Piku’ star opted for bold make-up. Her dramatic winger eyeliner served as the major highlight of her look.

Speaking of her hair, she chose to tie them in a bun immaculately and accessorised it with a golden hairband.

Sabyasachi, too, shared the pictures of Deepika’s retro look on social media.

“Jury member Deepika Padukone on the red carpet at the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival in Sabyasachi clothing and high jewellery. Featuring the Bengal Tiger couture sari conceptualised by Sabyasachi as part of the iconic Aakash Tara collection that celebrates heritage Indian crafts and techniques through a modern lens. The stripes have been block printed and hand embroidered by some of India’s finest craftspeople at the Sabyasachi atelier. The look is paired with statement pieces from Sabyasachi Jewellery’s Bengal Royale Collection. The headband pays homage to the traditional Indian matha patti headpiece with Art Nouveau detailing, while the chandelier earrings updates a classic with an Art Deco gaze,” Sabyasachi wrote.

Deepika hit the red carpet along with other jury members such as Rebecca Hall, Noomi Rapace, Jasmine Trinca, Asghar Farhadi, Ladj Ly, Jeff Nichols and Joachim Trier. (ANI)

Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday denied a shortage of fertilisers in the country and said that India will soon become self-reliant in the sector and by 2025, the country with have self-sufficient urea production.

Speaking to ANI, Mandaviya said that around 3.25-3.50 lakh metric tons of urea consumption is estimated in the country annually and in the Kharif season, an estimate of 1.80 lakh metric tons of urea is expected to be required.
“1.50 lakh metric ton of urea will be produced for the Kharif season. The remaining 30 lakh metric ton of urea has already been arranged from different countries. I want to tell the farmers that there is no shortage of urea, DAP, and other fertilisers in India, despite the unprecedented global shortage of fertilisers,” the Union Minister said.

He further added that the Centre is promoting organic farming, the direct benefit of which would reduce 20 lakh metric tons of fertiliser consumption in the country.

An official of the Chemical and Fertilizer Ministry inform ANI that recently, a high-level delegation led by Mandaviya visited Jordan from May 13-15 for enhancing cooperation in the fertilizer sector.

This important visit came in the backdrop of the ongoing global fertilizer crisis, with a clear objective of securing fertilizers and raw materials both for the short and long term.

In the meeting held at Jordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) headquarters, India and JPMC signed memorandums of understanding for supplies of 30 lakh metric tons of rock phosphate, 2.50 lakh metric tons DAP, 1 lakh metric tons phosphoric acid for the current year, and the next five years with the Indian public cooperative and private sector companies.

“The discussions were held with the Minister of Investment Jordan, Chairman of Jordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) as well as Arab Potash Company (APC) for enhancing the cooperation in the fertilizer sector. The Minister during these meetings mentioned that Jordan is India’s preferred partner for fertilizer sector,” a Ministry said in a press release.

During the meeting, Mandaviya emphasized the need to increase supplies from Jordan to India, keeping in view the long-standing ties in the sector.

The thrust was to secure additional quantities for the Indian market and the Jordanian side was requested to consider additional production capacities in Jordan with India as a target prime market.

The Ministry said that there were important discussions to convince Jordan to take the lead in announcing India-specific terms for the supply of fertilizers.

It was discussed by both sides that the two countries have a long history of trade relationships and people-to-people contact. The Minister highlighted the need to strengthen the association, especially during these challenging times for the fertilizer sector.

“The Jordanian side appreciated that India being the largest buyers of phosphatic and potassic fertilizers, preferential treatment would be given. Both sides agreed to work on this aspect and draw a clear roadmap through Joint Committee in a time-bound manner. Both the sides agreed to constitute a Joint Committee to look into secured short/long term fertilizer supplies, fresh investments, new JVs etc,” the Ministry said in a press release.

The first of its kind visit by an Indian delegation led by Mansukh Mandaviya proved to be path-breaking in terms of ensuring the supply of Phosphatic and Potassic fertilisers to India, a better understanding of each other’s needs/concerns and further strengthening the bilateral relations.

“The talks initiated during this visit laid a very strong foundation for further firming up the future plans regarding investment opportunities towards mutual benefits of trusted partners– India and Jordan,” the release read. (ANI)

The Varanasi civil court on Tuesday removed the Advocate-Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra from the panel formed to survey Gyanvapi mosque.

The court-appointed special Commission has also received two-more days to submit the survey report.
“Court has granted two days time to submit the report. He (Advocate-Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra) was not cooperating,” Assistant Court Commissioner Ajay Pratap Singh told ANI.

The Commission had sought two-days time to submit the survey report.

“We had sought two days’ time from the court. The Court has granted us two days’ time for submission of the report,” Advocate Vishal Singh, the Court-appointed special assistant commissioner said.

The survey lasted for three days from May 14-16. According to Ajay Pratap Singh, only 50 per cent of the report was complete by Tuesday morning.

The three-day-long court-monitored videography survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi concluded on Monday.

The Hindu petitioner in the case, Sohan Lal Arya on Monday claimed that the committee found a Shivling at the complex. Arya, who accompanied the court commission for the mosque survey, said that they have found “conclusive evidence”.

The Supreme Court heard the plea seeking a stay on the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi today and observed that till the next date of hearing, they will issue a direction that DM Varanasi will ensure that the Shivling area will be protected but it will not impede access of Muslims to the mosque for prayers.

Meanwhile, the President of the Hindu Sena, Vishnu Gupta on Tuesday filed an intervention application seeking directions for dismissal of the petition filed by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Management Committee challenging the videography survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex, which is adjacent to the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.

After the conclusion of the survey, the Varanasi court ordered the District Magistrate of Varanasi, Kaushal Raj Sharma, “to seal the area where the Shivling was found and to bar people from going to the place.”

In its order, the court said that the DM, police commissioner and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandant Varanasi will be responsible for the security of the sealed area. (ANI)

The Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games organising committee (HAPGOC) and the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) on Tuesday announced the postponement of the 2022 Asian Para Games, originally scheduled to take place from October 9-15.

The announcement follows the decision taken by the Olympic Council of Asia and the HAGOC, the games organising committee, to postpone the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games due to the size of the Games and the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A taskforce comprising of the APC, the Chinese Paralympic Committee and HAPGOC will now work on rescheduling the Games to take place in 2023.

APC President Majid Rashed in a statement said: “The Games preparations have been going very well and HAPGOC was ready to deliver an outstanding games. This was not an easy decision to make but we have taken it now to give a level of certainty to the IFs, NPCs and athletes who were planning to attend the Games. We will now work with the organising committee on securing a new date that works for the para-sport calendar.”

A further announcement on this is expected in the near future. The emblem, slogan and year of the Games will remain unchanged. (ANI)

Ahead of the presence of Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur-led Indian delegation at Cannes 2022 Red Carpet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi penned a mesasage expressing his immense pride.

PM Modi’s message stated, “I am delighted to learn about India’s participation as a Country of Honour at the Marche du Film – festival de Cannes. As India celebrates its 75th year of independence, the 75th anniversary of Cannes Film Festival, as well as 75 years of Indo-French diplomatic ties enhance the pride and joy associated with the momentous milestones.”
The note further said, “Films and society are mirror images of each other. Cinema showcases human emotions and expressions in an artistic manner, binding the world together with a common strand of entertainment. India is the largest film producing country in the world. With films in many languages from different regions, the multifariousness of our film sector is remarkable. Rich heritage and cultural diversity are India’s strengths. We have a lot of stories to be explored. India truly possesses immense potential to become the content hub of the world. Government of India remains steadfast in its efforts towards furthering ease of doing business in the film sector.”

“From facilitating international film co-productions, to ensuring single window clearance mechanism for permissions for filming across the country, India offers seamless possibilities to filmmakers of the world. Our spellbinding locations, technological prowess in film making and the talent of young men and women provide a perfect backdrop for film makers,” PM Modi assured those who want to make India their content hub.

“It is heartening to note that a film by one of India’s most renowned filmmakers, Shri Satyajit Ray, has been restored for screening at the Cannes Classics section, when India is celebrating the birth centenary of the legendary filmmaker. This edition of Cannes Film Festival is special in many ways. Many Start-ups from India will showcase their strengths to the cinema world. The India pavilion will display facets of Indian cinema and promote international partnerships and learnings,” PM Modi said.

The PM signed off, extending best wishes for the “resounding success of the Festival.”

The India pavilion will be inaugurated by Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on Wednesday at Cannes and the universal theme for this year is India the content hub of the world. (ANI)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday said that he will proceed with his USD 44 billion take over of Twitter only if the microblogging giant is able to prove that less than 5 per cent of its users are bots.

“20 pc fake/spam accounts, while 4 times what Twitter claims, could be much higher. My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate. Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5 pc. This deal cannot move forward until he does,” Musk tweeted.
His tweet came in response to a Twitter user who wrote that the Billionaire entrepreneur may be looking for a better deal as the previously quoted amount of USD 44 billion seems too high with 20 per cent users being fake or spam accounts.

This comes a day after Twitter CEO Parag Agarwal issued a series of tweets amid the debate surrounding the spam controversy between the company and Musk.

Agarwal on Monday emphasised that the company strongly incentivized to detect and remove as much spam as we possibly can, every single day.

“Next, spam isn’t just ‘binary’ (human/not human). The most advanced spam campaigns use combinations of coordinated humans + automation. They also compromise real accounts, and then use them to advance their campaign. So – they are sophisticated and hard to catch,” he tweeted.

The Twitter head said the company suspends over half a million spam accounts every day, usually before any of you even see them on Twitter.

“The hard challenge is that many accounts which look fake superficially – are actually real people. And some of the spam accounts which are actually the most dangerous – and cause the most harm to our users – can look totally legitimate on the surface,” he added.

Musk last week said that the deal to buy the social media platform Twitter is put on hold due to the calculation of fake accounts in it.

Twitter shares fell by 20 per cent in early trading after this announcement. (ANI)

Cipla Health has roped in Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana as the brand ambassador for their flagship health supplement brand, Maxirich.

Known for his energetic portrayal of roles, Ayushmann is one of the most versatile and dynamic actors in the Indian film industry. His infectious energy and massive successes at the box office across genres have led him to become a youth icon, making him the perfect brand ambassador for Maxirich.

The new communication will feature him advocating the adoption of Maxirich Gold – an advanced daily multivitamin supplement, powered by Ginseng along with 19 Vitamins and Minerals, which provides max energy and max immunity.

Commenting on Ayushmann Khurrana becoming the face of Maxirich, Shivam Puri, CEO, Cipla Health said, “In Ayushmann Khurrana, we have found the perfect brand ambassador because he exudes all the qualities and attributes that Maxirich portrays. As an artist, Ayushmann Khurrana stands for energy, vitality and versatility, something that Maxirich also stands for and delivers to its consumers. Maxirich has touched the lives of millions of people throughout the country with its wide range of best-in-class health supplements. It has the rare distinction of having a portfolio of various health supplements which cater to a wide array of wellness needs all under one brand – Maxirich. A perfect match with Ayushmann!”

Through this partnership, the brand aims to inspire consumers to adopt Maxirich along with their daily diet which will provide them with the required energy enabling them to fulfill their responsibilities in different facets of their daily lives.

Bollywood superstar Ayushmann Khurrana says, “In today’s hectic lifestyle it is important to have the energy to live life uninterrupted. Being a strong advocate of healthy living, I am delighted to partner with Maxirich & the Cipla Health family in championing the importance of multivitamins and health supplements in our daily lives. So, let us begin the journey to a life full of max energy and max immunity.”

Maxirich from Cipla Health has a range of health supplements which include Multivitamin Capsules, Multivitamin Syrup, Vitamin C+ Zinc chewable tablets, Calcium tablets and Liver tonic. (ANI)

Actor R. Madhavan has arrived in France and he is super-duper excited to attend the Cannes Film Festival 2022.

Ahead of marking his appearance on the red carpet of the prestigious film festival, Madhavan took to Instagram and shared a video from his hotel room in French Reviere and showed off the scenic view from his window.

Madhavan’s room had several windows near which a windchime was seen. Several palm trees were seen along the roads near the hotel.

“Cannes Day1- morning of the Main Red Carpet.. View from my room.. 6.30 am. #rocketryatcannes #rocketrythenambieffect,” he captioned the post.

Cannes 2022 is extremely special for Madhavan as his film ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ is scheduled to premiere at the gala. (ANI)

In a veiled attack on Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the country is making rapid strides in the telecom sector as 5G and 6G will help boost growth in every sector after “losing a decade of policy paralysis and corruption of the 2G”.

Addressing the silver jubilee celebrations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Prime Minister Modi said, “The country has made rapid strides from 3G to 4G and now 5G and 6G, out of the despair, frustration, corruption, policy paralysis of 2G era. Our telecom sector is a great example of how self-reliance and healthy competition create a multiplier effect in society and the economy.”

PM Modi launched a 5G Test Bed, developed as a multi-institute collaborative project by a total of eight institutes led by IIT Madras.

“5G Test Bed is an important step towards the country’s self-reliance on critical and modern technology in the telecom sector. 5G technology is also going to bring positive changes in the governance of the country, ease of living and ease of doing business. This will boost growth in every sector including agriculture, health, education, infrastructure and logistics. This will also create many employment opportunities,” said the Prime Minister.

He said connectivity will determine the pace of progress of the country in 21st century. He stressed on the modernization of connectivity at every level.

PM Modi further said that every village in the country today is being connected with optical fiber.

“Before 2014, even 100-gram panchayats in India were not connected to optical fiber connectivity. Today broadband connectivity has reached about 2.5 lakh gram panchayats. To make mobile accessible to the poorest of the poor families, we have emphasized on manufacturing of mobile phones in the country itself. The result was that the mobile manufacturing units increased from 2 to over 200,” he said.

Prime Miniter said that India is the fastest expanding country in the world in terms of teledensity and internet users.

“Now the country is marching ahead with the ‘whole of the government’ approach by moving beyond the thinking of silos. In the last 8 years, we have infused new energy in the telecom sector with the Panchamrita of Reach, Reform, Regulate, Respond and Revolutionize. TRAI has played a very important role in it.”

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Test Bed project has been developed at a cost of more than Rs 220 crore. The Test Bed will enable a supportive ecosystem for Indian industry and startups which will help them validate their products, prototypes, solutions and algorithms in 5G and next-generation technologies.

TRAI was established in 1997 through the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997. (ANI)