Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday hit out at the Centre and demanded that the Union government should listen to protesting farmers and take back the new farm laws.
“Saying that farmers’ protest is a political conspiracy, it is totally wrong, It is a sin to use the kind of words they are using for farmers. Government is answerable to farmers. The government should listen to them and take back the laws,” said the Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Amid the prevailing deadlock between farmers and the Central government over the new farm laws, the agitation of farmers entered the 32nd day on Monday. While the protests at the Ghazipur border that started on November 28 entered the 30th day today.
Source – Social Media
Farmers continued their protest at the borders of Delhi against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Meanwhile, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a joint front of almost 40 farmer organizations, wrote a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare accepting the Centre’s offer for dialogue and proposed December 29 as the next date for the meeting.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chef Vikas Khanna, Dr. Pradeep Kumar, & Minister K K Shailaja amongst the recipients this year
Mumbai –
Harmony Foundation hosted the Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice yesterday, the 27th of December, 2020. The Awards in its 16th year is the only award endorsed by Sister Prema, the Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, the organization started by Mother Teresa. The theme for this year’s awards was, ‘Celebrating Compassion In Times Of Covid ’.
Amongst the awardees this year are:
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA
Dr.Anthony Fauci (USA)
80-year-old Dr Fauci is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA. He and his task force were among the first ones to realize the seriousness of this pandemic. His extraordinary efforts in leading his task force to create awareness about the pandemic. He became the ‘de facto’ public health spokesperson to help and guide all countries, serving as an example for healthcare workers and people all across the globe to follow.
Fr. Fabio Stevenazzi (Milan, Italy)
48-year-old Father Fabio Stevenazzi’s decision to return to medical practice in order to help those infected with COVID 19 has thrust him to be the modern day example of St Charles Borromeo who in 1576 during the Great Plague that hit the city of Milan and cut the population by half, stayed behind to nurse the sick and renovate hospitals. Hence his decision to transform from healing souls to healing bodies is an expression of pastoral compassion necessary in these times. It is also an embodiment of the church as a “field hospital”.
Dr.Pradeep Kumar (Chennai)
In the face of the life-threatening attacks, Dr. Pradeep Kumar took it upon himself to give a befitting burial to his colleague with the help of two ward boys, at a cemetery in the city in the middle of the night.
He did it despite the windscreen of the ambulance in which the body was taken to the cemetery was smashed and the casket was not spared either. He literally carried his colleagues’ body to the grave and buried him using only one spade which was available at the cemetery. Putting his life in danger to honour a departed colleague is indeed a high degree of sacrifice
Cristian Fracassi and Alessandro Romaioli(Italy)
CEO and Founder of ISINNOVA along with his teammate and engineer Alessandro Romaioli built prototypes on Isinnova’s 3D printers, to create the parts of the use-and-throw valves for ventilators which were desperately needed in Italy and provided it to them for free helped many patients survive the terrors of this pandemic.
Sanjay Pandey, IPS (DG Home Guards, Maharashtra)
IPS Sanjay Pandey went beyond the call of duty as a police officer to open the first relief camp in the Mumbai city suburbs for migrant workers whose livelihood were disrupted by the lockdown to contain the pandemic. His noble and benevolent initiative of bringing together corporates and other stakeholders to provide essential supplies is highly commendable.
Vikas Khanna (Manhattan, USA)
Even from his residence in Manhattan, New York chef Vikas Khanna’s heart still moves to serve the lonely and underprivileged here in India. It is not only his pro-activeness in creating the Feedlndia Initiative for the marginalised such as transgenders and patients of HIV-AIDS amongst others but, he dropped everything in the effort to provide food for millions over 135 cities in India. While food remains at the top for our basic necessities he also distributed 400,000 slippers, three million sanitary pads, and two million masks to the poor.
KK Shailaja (Minister of Health, Kerala)
Her extraordinary efforts and pro-activeness in dealing with the pandemic by following experts and scientific advice helped countless Keralites survive the terrors of this pandemic, serving as an example for governments of other states & countries to follow.
Harmony Foundation is an international NGO which works in the realm of Social Justice. It was founded in October of 2005, with its raison d’être, being the establishment, and strengthening, of social cohesion among various communities, and to work towards the benefit of all, without discriminating against any religion, creed, sex, or their origins.
Instituted in 2005, these Awards, celebrate and commemorate the memory and legacy of Mother Teresa, canonized a Saint by Pope Francis in the Vatican.
Previous recipients of this prestigious Award have been – Nobel Laureates Ms. Malala Yousufzai, H.H. The Dalai Lama, Mr. Kailash Satyarthi. They have also awarded the likes of the current Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, former Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, former Deputy Speaker of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords Baroness Caroline Cox, and many others.
Twenty-one-year-old Arya Rajendran has been elected as the next Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation on Monday
Making her the youngest candidate to occupy such a post in the country. On December 25, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)) district secretariat in a meeting decided to make her the Mayor. Arya won as CPI(M) Councillor from Mudavanmukal ward and is an office-bearer of the Students Federation of India.
Two potential mayor candidates of CPI(M) were defeated in the local body polls, after which the party had to look for other alternatives. The CPM-led Left Democratic Front, Congress-led United Democratic Front, and BJP-led National Democratic Alliance were in the fray for local body polls in Kerala.
Source – Social Media
The local body polls were held in three phases in Kerala. Around 78.64 percent voter turnout was recorded in the third and final phase of the local body polls. The second phase recorded 76.38 percent voter turnout and in the first phase, it was 72.67 percent.
“The inauguration of the first driverless metro train shows how fast India is moving towards smart systems”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first-ever driverless train on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line and launched National Common Mobility Card on the Airport Express Line on Monday, via video conferencing.
“The inauguration of the first driverless metro train shows how fast India is moving towards smart systems. Today Delhi Metro is being connected to the National Common Mobility Card. A few decades ago, when the impact of urbanization and the future of urbanization were both clear, the country saw a different attitude,” said PM Modi. There was not much attention about the needs of the future, half-hearted work was done, confusion persisted, he added.
“Unlike this, modern thinking says that urbanization should not be seen as a challenge and used as an opportunity. An opportunity in which we can build better infrastructure in the country. An opportunity through which we can increase Ease of Living. This difference of thinking is seen in every dimension of urbanization,” said PM Modi.
In 2014, only five cities had a metro rail. Today, metro rail services are available in 18 cities, the Prime Minister stated.
Source: Social Media
“By the year 2025, we are going to expand it to more than 25 cities. In 2014, only 248 km of metro lines were operational in the country. Today it is about three times more than seven hundred kilometers. By the year 2025, we are trying to expand it to 1,700 kilometers,” he added.
These are not just figures, they are proof of Ease of Living coming in the lives of crores of Indians, PM said.
“This is not just infrastructure made of brick and stone, concrete and iron, but are evidence of the fulfillment of the aspirations of the citizens of the country, the middle class of the country,” he added.
“Our government formulated the metro policy and implemented it with an all-round strategy. We insisted on working according to local demand, we emphasized on promoting local standards, Make in India expansion, the use of modern technology,” said PM Modi.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also attended the event.
PM Narendra Modi will flag off 100th Kisan Rail from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal, via video conferencing today at 4:30 pm
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the multi-commodity train service will carry vegetables such as cauliflower, capsicum, cabbage, drumsticks, chillies, onion, as well as fruits like grapes, oranges, pomegranate, banana, custard apple etc. Loading and unloading of perishable commodities will be permitted at all en route stoppages with no bar on size of the consignment. The Government of India has extended a subsidy of 50 per cent on transportation of fruits and vegetables.
The first Kisan Rail was introduced from Devlali to Danapur on August 7 this year, which was extended up to Muzaffarpur. Its frequency was also increased from weekly to three days a week.
Hon’ble PM Sh @narendramodi Ji will flag off the 100th Kisan Rail from Maharashtra to West Bengal via VC at 04:30 PM, today.@PMOIndia
Kisan Rail has been a “game-changer” in ensuring “fast transportation of agriculture produces” across the nation. It provides a “seamless” supply chain of perishable produce, as per the PMO.
In another development, Modi will inaugurate also India’s first-ever driverless train operations on the Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line (Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden) on Monday at 11 am via video conferencing.
He will launch the fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) services on the Airport Express Line as well in the same event.
Some of the movies and web series on streaming platforms created a buzz, list of entertaining films and web series in 2020
As cinema halls were shut down during the Coronavirus-induced lockdown, people turned to OTT platforms for entertainment. Some of the movies and web series on streaming platforms created a buzz. Here is a look at the most entertaining films and web series in 2020.
1. Money Heist (La Casa De Papel): The Spanish drama series made ‘Bella Ciao’ the anthem of 2020 lockdown. The show’s fifth season became one of the most viral shows in 2020. Money Heist had a gripping storyline that would keep you on the edge of your seats. Enough to make people go bonkers. The many cliff-hangers after each episode were noteworthy and people were intrigued to know what happens next and the end was as overwhelming as the entire journey. Ursula Corbero, Alvaro Morte, Itziar Ituno and others won many hearts with their performances.
2. Paatal Lok Released on Amazon Prime Video, the series featuring Jaideep Ahlawat in the lead role was quick to impress the audience with its engaging storyline and a stellar cast. The story of ‘Paatal Lok’ revolves around a cop who has to swim against all odds to get to the bottom of a murder attempt.
3. The Crown: Season 4 Olivia Colman as the Queen, Gillian Anderson’s as Margaret Thatcher, and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana made The Crown a show worth watching! In the past, we all have seen many documentaries and shows about the monarchy. They get stale and boring but The Crown managed to pick up popularly. People were hooked to see what happens next and they sure unwrapped Season 4 the royal way.
4.Tiger King: Murder, Madness and Mayhem Tiger King starred John Reinke, Kelci Saffery, John Finlay in key roles. It is the tale of Joseph Maldonado-Passage (better known as Joe Exotic), Carole Baskin, and Doc Antle and their life as cat owners. The seven-episode docu-series took the audience into the strange world of big cat owners and by the end of it, you have seen a murder, an alligator explosion, a three-way marriage and a lot of suspense.
5. ‘Bulbbul’ ‘Bulbbul’ stars Tripti Dimri in the lead role. Other actors are Avinash Tiwary, Paoli Dam, Rahul Bose and Parambrata Chattopadhyay. Tripti Dimri was praised in many reviews. The Netflix film which is set in a backdrop of 1880’s Bengal presidency, revolves around a child-bride and her journey from innocence to strength.
6. Special Ops The show Special Ops starring Kay Kay Menon, Karan Tacker, Vinay Pathak, Divya Dutta, Meher Vij among others was instantly loved by the audience. It follows Menon as Himmat Singh who is a ‘RAW’ agent who believes that there is a single entity behind all the major terrorist attacks. During the lockdown, several new web series created a wave and movies that were scheduled for theatrical release were launched on OTT platforms. Here’s a list of some of the movies that ruled the waves: Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior
‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ essays the life of the fierce Maratha warrior, Tanhaji Malusare essayed by Ajay Devgn, who was one of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s closest aides and a military leader. It focuses on the famous Battle of Sinhagad, which saw Tanhaji take on Udaybhan, a Rajput who fought for Aurangzeb against the Marathas. Gulabo Sitabo:
Set in Lucknow, the Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana starrer film is a light-hearted comedy-drama that captures impeccable camaraderie with a tenant and was loved by the audience.
Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl A biographical drama film based on the life and journey of Indian Air Force pilot Gunjan Saxena. It starred Janhvi Kapoor as one of the first Indian female air-force pilots in combat. The movie also featured Pankaj Tripathi and Angad Bedi in supporting roles.
Dil Bechara The remake of 2014 romantic-drama ‘The fault in our stars’, ‘Dil Bechara’ is the last movie of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. As the tragic death of Rajput left people in shock, the film was made accessible without subscription in India and a selected few countries on Hotstar. The critics praised the running time, the performances of Rajput and Sanjana Sanghi, story, characterisations, and soundtrack.
Angrezi Medium The last film of Irrfan Khan, ‘Angrezi medium’ is the story of a hardworking Rajasthani businessman (Irrfan), whose daughter (Radhika Madaan) decides to pursue further studies in London, and despite having insufficient resources, he does everything in his power to make her dream come true. Irrfan and Kareena Kapoor Khan paired up for the spin-off to the 2017 comedy ‘Hindi Medium’ Panga
Featuring Kangana Ranaut and Punjabi singer Jassie Gill in the lead role, the movie depicted the life of kabaddi player Jaya Nigam (essayed by Kangana) and the hardships she went through during her journey.
UP Additional Transport Commissioner Mukesh Chandra to all RTOs of the states asking them to seize all vehicles displaying caste identities.
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh, India): Vehicles displaying caste identities in Uttar Pradesh will now invite strong action and will be seized, according to an official order.
An order dated December 24 was sent by Uttar Pradesh Additional Transport Commissioner Mukesh Chandra to all Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) of the states asking them to seize all vehicles displaying caste identities.
According to the order copy, the transport department took the decision after one Harshal Prabhu of Kalyan, Maharashtra urged the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to direct all the states to take punitive actions and seize vehicles displaying caste identities.
“You are ordered to ensure the action immediately as per the rules,” the order addressed to RTOs said. The order also attached a copy of the complaint letter of Harshal Prabhu.
Prabhu wrote the letter on IGRS, an integrated system designed for the redressal of grievances. In the letter, he said that the display of such stickers is a threat to the social fabric of society.
‘’We came across a trend in Uttar Pradesh and other states too where near about everyone are using caste names on the number plate and vehicles to glorify their identities. Such glorification must be stopped as there can be a rivalry too which can create law and order situation in the state. I request to immediately stop such glorification of caste on vehicles and immediately seize the vehicles without any further notice,” the letter was written on December 4 by Prabhu to PMO read.
I challenge those from the Central government who know the most about the farm laws to debate with the farmer leaders in public.
New Delhi [India]: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday visited Singhu border where thousands of farmers have been protesting against the new agriculture laws and threw a challenge to Central government leaders to an open debate with farmer leaders on the farm laws.
He also appealed to the Centre to listen to the farmers and repeal the farm laws.
“I challenge those from the Central government who know the most about the farm laws to debate with the farmer leaders in public. They say that farmers do not know enough, it will be proven who knows more,” Kejriwal said while addressing protesting farmers at Singhu border.
The Delhi chief minister was addressing the protesting farmers at a Kirtan Darbar organised by the Punjab Academy of the Delhi government to mark the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Addressing a gathering at the border, Kejriwal said that it pained him to know that 40 people have lost their lives amid the ongoing protests.
“Our farmers are forced to sleep on streets in open amid the cold, since the last 32 days. Why? It pains me that over 40 people have lost their lives here. I appeal to the Centre to listen to them and repeal the farm laws. Farmers are being called as anti-national if they become anti-national who will feed you? “ he added further.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia lauded Kejriwal government for “working 24 hours to make efforts to reduce the troubles faced by the farmers.” The Delhi Chief Minister previously visited Singhu border on 07th December 2020.
Thousands of farmers have been protesting at Singhu border for over a month against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Farmer unions have held several rounds of talks with the government. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a joint front of almost 40 farmer organisations, wrote a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare accepting the Centre’s offer for dialogue and proposed December 29 as the next date for the meeting.
Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane held the fort with his half-century but Mitchell Starc dismissed Rishabh Pant in the second session which tipped the second session slightly in Australia favor on day two of the Boxing
Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. At the tea break, India’s score read 189/5 with Ravindra Jadeja (unbeaten on 4) and Rahane (unbeaten on 53) at the crease. While the session saw India scored 99 runs from 27.3 overs, the hosts picked up the wicket of Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant. If Pat Cummins starred for Australia in the first Test, it was Starc who put Australia back on top with Rishabh Pant’s wicket after Rahane had stabilized the Indian innings.
Both Hanuma Vihari and Pant’s wicket came just when India started looking good in the game. The visitor’s trial by six runs with five wickets in the bag.
Rahane and Vihari started the session after weathering the storm before lunch. The duo had steadied India’s ship before Nathan Lyon sent Vihari back when the batsman tried to sweep. The right-handed batsman departed right after bringing up the fifty-run partnership with Rahane.
Source – Social Media
Rishabh Pant then joined Rahane at the crease and the duo dominated the Australian bowlers in the second session. Pant scored runs at a strike rate of 72.50 while Rahane welcomed Cummins with a boundary in his fresh spell. However, Mitchell Starc ended Pant’s no so Test match type innings just when India looked to have gained some momentum after early blows. Earlier in the day, Australia didn’t have a good start as the day kicked off with an unsuccessful review and a dropped catch but Cummins ensured Australia were right back on top courtesy of his fiery spell.
Cummins gave Australia an upper hand in the game after two wickets in the first session. The speedster sent both Gill (45) and Pujara (17) back to the pavilion. Resuming day two from 36/1, Gill and Pujara weathered the storm during the first hour of the play. However, their 61-run partnership was ended by Cummins as Gill fell short of his maiden Test half-century. Cummins made sure Australia didn’t lose any momentum as he sent back Pujara in his next over. Skipper Tim Paine took a superb one-handed catch to leave India at 64/3.
Rahane and Vihari rebuilt the Indian innings after the double strike by Cummins. The duo ensured that the hosts did not lose any more wickets before the end of the first session. Brief Scores: India 189/5 (Ajinkya Rahane 53*, Shubman Gill 45; Mitchell Starc 2-35, Pat Cummins 2-51) vs Australia 195
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation through his monthly radio program Mann Ki Baat on Sunday.
The will be the 72nd edition of the Prime Minister’s monthly radio program. It will also be the last Mann Ki Baat of the year 2020. The Prime Minister in a tweet on Saturday said that Akashvani will broadcast the program in regional languages immediately after the Hindi broadcast on All India Radio, DD, and Narendra Modi mobile app.
“How would you sum up the year gone by? What do you look forward to the most in 2021? Share this, and more in the final Mann Ki Baat of 2020 on 27th December. Write on MyGov, NaMo App or record your message on 1800-11-7800,” PM Modi tweeted on December 18.
The final #MannKiBaat of 2020 and as usual, a lot of letters, inputs and thoughts have been shared.
In the 71st edition of his monthly radio program ‘Mann Ki Baat’, PM Modi had emphasized on strong, vibrant, and active alumni network, and urged educational institutions to adopt innovative methods and develop creative platforms for engagement with alumni.
The Prime Minister said that a strong vibrant and active alumni network is needed not only in big Colleges and Universities but also in schools of our villages. “Mann ki Baat” is the Prime Minister’s monthly radio program to the nation, which is broadcasted on the last Sunday of every month.
