Drones have been inducted by the Navy under the emergency procurement powers granted by the Defence Ministry

India (New Delhi) –

November 25, 2020: In a sign of growing closeness between India and the United States amid conflict with China, the Indian Navy has inducted two Predator drones from an American firm on lease for carrying out surveillance in the Indian Ocean Region and which can also be deployed along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh.

 The American-origin drones have been inducted by the Navy under the emergency procurement powers granted by the Defence Ministry in view of the India-China border conflict.

 “The drones arrived in India in the second week of November and were inducted into flying operations on November 21 at Indian Navy base at INS Rajali,” top government sources told ANI.

 The drones have already started flying operations and with an endurance capability of being in the air for over 30 hours, they are proving to be a big asset for the maritime force, they said. An American crew from the vendor is also accompanying the equipment and would support the Navy in operating the machines, the sources said.

 The drones are flying in Indian colours and would be on lease with India for one year even as the three services are preparing the case for acquiring 18 more such drones from the US, the sources said.

 India and America have been working very closely during the ongoing conflict against Chinese aggression in Eastern Ladakh including help in surveillance and information sharing in all domains, the sources said.

 Sources said the option of leasing weapon systems has been provisioned under the Defence Acquisition Procedure-2020 and the Defence Procurement Manual -2009 and helps in saving funds and the responsibility of maintenance also lies with the vendor, the sources said.

 Under the lease agreement, the American support staff will only help in the maintenance and technical issues whereas the sortie planning and the joystick control would be with the Indian Navy personnel, the sources said.

 The data gathered by the drones during the flight would also be the exclusive property of the Indian Navy, the sources said.

 The Indian armed forces have been showing faith in American systems in the last few years for their surveillance requirements as Indian Navy already has 9 P-8I long-range surveillance planes and would get another nine in next few years.

 For helicopters also, it is buying 24 MH-60 Romeos for giving it a multirole capability.

 India and America have also signed the basic foundation agreements for cooperation in defence and national security domain.

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The Union Cabinet approves merger of Lakshmi Vilas Bank with Singapore based DBS Bank India Limited

New Delhi [India]: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gave its approval to the amalgamation of Lakshmi Vilas Bank Limited (LVB) with the wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore based DBS Bank in India.

With this, there will no further restrictions on the depositors regarding the withdrawal of their deposits, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said. On November 17, the Reserve Bank of India had unveiled a draft scheme to amalgamate private sector lender LVB with DBS Bank India Ltd (DBIL). The decision followed soon after the RBI imposed a one-month moratorium on the private lender and capped deposit withdrawals at Rs 25,000. The step was taken on the advice of the RBI in view of the private sector bank’s deteriorating financial health.

“The government has asked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to take action against the people in the management who drive banks to the brink of collapse,” Javadekar said.

After inviting suggestions and complains from the public, RBI prepared the scheme for the bank’s amalgamation. With the approval of the scheme, LVB will be amalgamated with DBIL from the appointed date, and with this, there will no further restrictions on the depositors regarding the withdrawal of their deposits.

The speedy amalgamation and resolution of the stress in LVB is in line with the Government’s commitment to a clean banking system while protecting the interests of depositors and the public as well as the financial system.
DBS has been in India since 1994. In March 2019, to expand the franchise and build greater scale, DBS converted its India operations to a wholly-owned subsidiary, DBIL. It is present in 24 cities across 13 states as of now.

LVB has a 94-year old history in India, with established retail and small and medium enterprises customer base and a strong presence in south India.
The LVB was placed under an order of moratorium on November 17, 2020, which will be effective up to December 16, 2020, under section 45 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

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He delighted over UK government announcement on return of fans into stadiums

France, Rennes –

November 25, 2020: Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is delighted that fans are set to return to some stadiums in limited numbers, following the UK government’s recent announcement.

Lampard’s remarks came after his side defeated Rennes 2-1 in the Champions League here on Tuesday.

“I think first and foremost we want fans back. I am not sure exactly how the system will work, it is something that needs to be discussed further, but what was really nice for me was the positive nature of the fact that there is movement and something will happen if it feels safe,” the club’s official website quoted Lampard as saying.

“That’s the most important thing because these are very uncertain times. So hopefully the level playing field remains, but we have some fans back and we move forward quickly. I am just happy with the news because there are a lot of things that have been disrupted in life recently, which are more important than football. But in football, just in terms of our jobs and playing in stadiums and wanting fans back for the atmosphere in football, what it means for the fans, it is becoming more and more apparent every game that we play. So, if safe, then, of course, we are really happy,” he added.

Announcing the latest set of measures designed to combat the spread of coronavirus on Monday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the four-week national lockdown in England will end on December 2 and will be replaced by a new three-tiered system, Goal.com had reported.

 The number of fans that will be allowed in the stands will depend on what tier a club’s stadium is situated in.

According to Goal.com, stadiums in areas placed in tier 1 will be allowed the entry of 4,000 fans, sitting while maintaining social distancing, or half of their maximum capacity, whichever is fewer. Stadiums in areas situated in tier 2 can hold matches in the presence of 2,000 socially distanced fans or half of their maximum capacity, whichever is fewer.

However, the venues in areas placed in tier 3 will continue to hold matches behind closed doors.

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Considering health care requirements state government requests Centre for second AIIMS at Sundargarh district

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India]: In view of the health care requirements of Odisha, the state government has requested the Central government to establish an AIIMS in the Sundargarh district.

State Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy has written to Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan requesting an AIIMS be considered for Western Odisha, citing the availability of infrastructure for college and hospital in Sundargarh. “We have learned that a second AIIMS has been established in Bihar and a similar proposal is under consideration in another state. In view of the health care requirements of Odisha, it is proposed that a second AIIMS may be considered for Western Odisha in the district of Sundargarh,” Asit Tripathy said.

“There is a readily available infrastructure for college and hospital in Sundargarh. As a CSR initiative, an MOU has been signed between the Government of Odisha and NTPC to establish a Medical College and Hospital. The Construction of the project has been completed and the equipment procurement process is going on,” he added.

The State Chief Secretary also said that the new AIIMS will help the tribal population of Western Odisha and people in the backward areas.

“Therefore, this available infrastructure can be utilised for setting up AIIMS within a short period of time. It will cater to a large Tribal population in the area and help in providing quality tertiary care in the backward area of Western Odisha. The location is easily accessible through road, railway and air,” Asit Tripathy said.

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Cyclone Nivar lay 350 km South-East of Chennai moving North-West

India (Chennai) –

November 25, 2020: Cyclone Nivar is likely to cross between Mamallapuram and Karaikal during midnight of Wednesday and early hours of November 26, as per India Meteorological Department (IMD).

 Earlier at 2.30 AM, Cyclone Nivar moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 6 kmph and lay centred in southwest Bay of Bengal, said IMD.

 Meanwhile, rains lashed Chennai as Cyclone Nivar lay 350 km South-East of Chennai moving North-West. “While crossing wind speed likely to touch 145 kmph,” said the Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, Chennai.

 Meenambakkam in Chennai received 120 mm rainfall from 8.30 AM yesterday to 5.30 AM today, as per India Meteorological Department.

 In view of cyclonic storm Nivar, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba chaired the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting earlier on Tuesday through video conferencing with the Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh and Secretaries of different ministries.

 Gauba said that our aim should be to ensure that there is no loss of life, damage is minimum and normalcy is restored in power, telecom and other important sectors in the shortest possible time.

 The chief secretaries informed the NCMC about their preparedness. IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra briefed the committee about the latest situation of Nivar cyclone.

 NDRF DG informed about the preparedness to meet the situation in next three days and said that 30 teams of NDRF have so far been deployed and 20 additional teams have been kept on standby for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh.

 The chief secretaries informed the NCMC about their preparedness, while the IMD DG briefed the committee about the latest situation of the cyclone.

 “The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) DG also informed the meeting about the preparedness to meet the situation in the next three days. As many as 30 teams of the NDRF have so far been deployed in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh and 20 additional teams have been kept on standby,” an official release of Ministry of Earth Science read.

 Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea, while people in coastal areas are also being evacuated to shelter houses.

 Meanwhile, IndiGo flights to or from the southern region, mainly Chennai, have been disrupted.

 “A total of 49 flights that were scheduled for Wednesday have been cancelled. We will monitor the situation and decide on the further course of action for November 26. We are accommodating passengers on next available flights at no additional charges, waiving off cancellation fee and refunding full ticket amount,” Indigo said in a statement.

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Australia batsman Steve Smith on Tuesday said that he loved to watch Sachin Tendulkar bat and he also praised the Master Blaster’s straight drive and on-drive.

Smith was doing a Q&A session on Instagram and it was then that he was asked about his opinion on Sachin Tendulkar. Answering the query, Smith replied: “Used to love (to see) Sachin bat, especially when he used to hit the ball down the ground, his straight drive and on-drive used to be sublime, they were great to watch.”

As part of Q&A, Smith named Roger Federer as his favorite tennis player and he also revealed AB de Villiers as his favorite Proteas cricketer.
Earlier in the day, Smith said that he has been able to find clarity of mind and body ahead of the limited-overs series against India, which gets underway on Friday.

India and Australia are slated to square off against each other in three ODIs, three T20Is, and four Tests. The tour will commence with the three-match ODI series, slated to begin in Sydney.

“I was pretty disappointed actually with my batting throughout the IPL. I never really got into a good rhythm, but I think the last few days actually I’ve found something. People close to me that know me well, I’ve found my hands the last few days, which I’m extremely excited about,” he said.
After the white-ball leg, both sides will shift their attention to the longest format of the game. The first Test between India and Australia will be a day-night contest.

The four-match series will be a part of the World Test Championship (WTC). Australia is on top of the standing while India is in the second position after ICC altered the points system for WTC due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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India Post, Mumbai Region, set to release a special cover on Cleanliness and Recycling tomorrow

India Post, Mumbai Region is set to release a unique special cover embracing the theme of cleanliness & recycling in the conference hall of office of the Postmaster-General, Mumbai Region, Mumbai GPO on Wednesday (November 25, 2020) at 11: 30 AM. Along with that, the event will also mark the release of a set of picture postcards, made from the illustrations of the winners of the drawing competition organized by India Post, Mumbai Region during National Postal Week (October 9 – 15, 2020), where more than 450 entries were received from across the country.

The Special cover & picture-postcard set will be released by Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra & Goa Circle, Shri Harish Chandra Agarwal and Postmaster General, India Post – Mumbai Region, Ms Swati Pandey.

The special cover on the release is an exceptional one since it is made out of recycled paper and aims to spread awareness of the “Swacch Bharat” campaign launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. 

The special cover and set of picture postcards are also meant to encourage the young talents of the country, recognize their artistry and make them realize the relevance of cleanliness and hygiene. Besides, it also emphasizes the importance of philately even in today’s digital world.

All winners will be present in the event. Those who are from Mumbai will be present physically, whereas those who are from other parts of the country will join virtually.

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India skipper Virat Kohli and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have been nominated for the ICC Player of the Decade Award.

Along with Kohli and Ashwin, Joe Root (England), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Steve Smith (Australia), AB de Villiers (South Africa), and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) have also been nominated for this accolade. For ODI Player of the Decade, Kohli, Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), Mitchell Starc (Australia), de Villiers, Rohit Sharma (India), MS Dhoni (India), and Sangakkara have been nominated.

The full list of nominations was announced on Tuesday on the official website of ICC and the winners will be decided on the basis of the number of votes a player receives.
For ICC Women’s Player of the Decade, Ellyse Perry (Australia), Meg Lanning (Australia), Suzie Bates (New Zealand), Stafanie Taylor (West Indies), Mithali Raj (India), Sarah Taylor (England) have been nominated.
Kohli, Root, Williamson, Smith, James Anderson (England), Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka), and Yasir Shah (Pakistan) have been nominated for the Test Player of the Decade award.

For ODI Player of the Decade, Kohli, Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), Mitchell Starc (Australia), de Villiers, Rohit Sharma (India), MS Dhoni (India), and Sangakkara have been nominated.
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Kohli, Imran Tahir (South Africa), Aaron Finch (Australia), Malinga, Chris Gayle (West Indies), and Rohit Sharma (India) have been nominated for the Men’s T20I Player of the Decade.
For Women’s T20I Player of the Decade, Lanning, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Deandra Dottin, Alyssa Healy, and Anya Shrubsole have been nominated.

While, Lanning, Perry, Mithali Raj, Suzie Bates (New Zealand), Stafanie Taylor (West Indies), and Jhulan Goswami (India) have been shortlisted for the ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Decade.
For ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade, Kohli, Williamson, Brendon McCullum (New Zealand), Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan), MS Dhoni, Anya Shrubsole (England), Katherine Brunt (England), Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka), and Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) have been shortlisted.

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