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Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan challenges Pakistan’s sovereignty, declares parallel government with new cabinet

OpIndia Staff
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Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan challenges Pakistan’s sovereignty, declares parallel government with new cabinet

On Saturday (December 31), the Islamist terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) challenged the sovereignty of the Pakistani State and declared the formation of its new parallel government for the country.

TTP has now announced its own Cabinet of Ministers, ranging from Defence to Education. Reportedly, the terror organisation has ministries for political affairs, fatwas, Intelligence, and even construction.

Moreover, TTP has divided areas in its loose control into two zones – North (includes Peshawar, Malakand, Mardan, and Gilgit-Baltistan) and South (includes Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, and Kohat)

Reportedly, the Ministry of Defence of the TTP is now led by a US-designated terrorist, Mufti Muzahim. The terror outfit also has a squadron of suicide bombers called the ‘Special Istishadi Force.’

According to Pakistan’s ‘real’ Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists have a numerical strength of 7,000 to 10,000 in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and are accompanied by an additional 25,000 family members.

“The biggest reason for this is the failure of [the] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Counter Terrorism Department […] It is their job to stop it,” Rana Sanaullah told Dawn News, adding that they are bolstered by the success of the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

“The KP government needs to inform the federal government about the law and order in the province — the counter-terrorism department is in perils and the police are demoralised — and ask what help the Centre can extend and it is ready to assist them,” he had said.

“We held two meetings in Islamabad where the chief minister was invited but the latter didn’t show up as he was planning to mount on the capital [for a long march] and was not allowed by party chief Imran Khan,” Sanaullah further emphasised.

TTP attacked defense establishments in Pakistan 148 times 

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with its supporters has attacked defense establishments in Pakistan 148 times within a year. And the success of the Taliban in Afghanistan has given these terror attacks by TTP a boost. But the central government seems reluctant to take action against them, Khaama Press reported.

The TTP in 2021 has conducted hundreds of terror attacks on the police and even on the army headquarters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Quetta in the Balochistan region. The Khaama Press article quoted unconfirmed reports which said that other militant groups have joined forces with the TTP to expand their terrorist operation in tribal areas of the country. 

Delhi had 1,096 hours of ‘good’ air quality in 2022, that is 45 out of 365 days

ANI
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Delhi had 1,096 hours of ‘good’ air quality in 2022, that is 45 out of 365 days

The air quality in Delhi remained in the ‘good’ category for 1,096 hours in 2022, as against 827 hours in 2021, according to the India Meteorological Department. 

In the calendar year 2022, the particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) remained in the ‘severe’ category for 204 hours which is about 2.3 per cent of total time, as compared with 628 hours, which is 7.2 per cent of total time, in 2021. According to IMD, Good category hours increased simultaneously whereas Severe category hours declined in 2022 in terms of PM2.5. 

The average concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 in 2022 declined compared to 2021. The department said the concentration of PM2.5 declined by about 7 per cent in 2022. 

The principal agency said the concentration of PM2.5 during the polluted months — November, December, January, and February — declined in 2022 compared to 2021. 

The IMD said it was a better 2022 compared to 2021 in overall AQI. 

On the first day of 2023 on Sunday morning, the Delhi AQI was 252, whereas on Saturday morning, the last day of 2022, smog engulfed the national capital pushing the overall air quality to ‘very poor’ category with an overall Air Quality Index of 369.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

A cat comes and sits in lap of UP CM Yogi Adityanath at his office in Gorakhpur, read details

ANI
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A cat comes and sits in lap of UP CM Yogi Adityanath at his office in Gorakhpur, read details

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath trended on Twitter as 2022 bid adieu. The ascetic who has proven his administrative skill in leading the most populous state in the country was seen showering love on a cat. 

On Saturday, a picture of the Uttar Pradesh CM enjoying the company of a cat went viral on social media, a statement fro his office said. Adityanath in his customary saffron robes was sitting in his office in Gorakhnath temple in Uttar Pradesh when a cat came and sat on his lap. 

As per the statement, the chief minister shared the endearing picture with the caption ‘Hit Anhit Pashuo Panchiyo Jana’. Adityanath quoted a Hindi proverb that means “even birds and animals can differentiate between friends and foes”. 

The chief minister, who has the reputation of Gausevak, is often seen pampering and taking care of other animals as well. 

On his visit to Gorakhpur, the Chief Minister makes sure to spend time with the cattle at the temple cowshed. He showers love on them. He feeds the animals jaggery-gram, fodder with his hands. Along with this, he dotes on his beloved dogs Kalu and Gullu, said the press release from his office. 

As soon as the picture of the cat sitting on his lap was posted on Twitter, likes and retweets followed. 

Poeple admired the animal lover chief minister for his thoughtful act. In just half an hour, the tweet was liked by more than 3,500 people and retweeted by more than 550 people, while more than 73,000 people had seen it. 

In October, a picture of the Chief Minister feeding and caressing leopard cubs at the Gorakhpur Zoo also created a buzz on Twitter. 

Adityanath, who has established the state as an example in development, law and order and implementation of public welfare schemes, is also known for showering compassion and affection towards animals, said the press release.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Delhi Riots accused Umar Khalid returns to Tihar after attending sister’s wedding

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Riots accused Umar Khalid returns to Tihar after attending sister’s wedding

On December 30, Umar Khalid, the accused of the anti-Hindu Delhi Riots of 2020, returned to Tihar Jail after attending his sister’s wedding. A Delhi court released him from jail on interim bail for seven days to attend the wedding. The court had ordered him to surrender on December 30. The courts reportedly barred him from using any social media platform or interacting with media during the seven days.

On December 31, his father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, a former member of the banned Islamic Terrorist organisation SIMI, took to Twitter and informed that Khalid has returned to prison and said his family would wait for “justice to prevail”.

The case against Umar Khalid

Umar Khalid, an alleged activist, was arrested by the Delhi Police following his role emerged in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi Riots. He, along with others, was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA and relative provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for being the masterminds of the riots. Notably, 53 people lost their lives, and 700 were injured during the riots that spurred on the pretext of the Citizen Amendment Act 2019 and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

In October last year, the Delhi High Court dismissed Khalid’s bail plea. It said that prima-facie, the anti-CAA and NRC protests that resulted in the riots, were orchestrated at various meetings he had attended. Though a Delhi Court had acquitted him and one other accused in one of the cases linked to the Delhi Riots 2020, Umar Khalid remained in jail for the connection in other cases.

Andy Cohen accuses James Corden for ‘ripping off’ his ‘Watch What Happens Live’ set

ANI
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Andy Cohen accuses James Corden for ‘ripping off’ his ‘Watch What Happens Live’ set

Television talk show host, producer, and writer Andy Cohen recently called out ‘The Late Late Show with James Corden’ for ripping off his ‘Watch What Happens Live set’. 

According to Deadline, a US-based news outlet, the Bravo star appeared on the podcast Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi, where he claimed that his late-night programme has established a new standard. “I’m not a comedian [and] I think [WWHL is] a different type of talk show. I think there has been a traditional idea of what a late-night talk show is, and I would argue that Watch What Happens Live redefined what the late-night talk show is,” Cohen said on the iHeartMedia podcast that dropped on December 27. 

Cohen continued, “WWHL was the first bar on late-night [then] James Corden got a bar. James Corden kind of wound up [copying our set]. It is what it is.” 

The podcast host added, “Ripping off your set,” to which Cohen said, “There you go. I am so glad we’re still going. That [the show] is, like, great, copy my set … go with God.” 

As per a report by Deadline, Cohen started his show in July 2009 on Bravo where he has celebrity guests nightly. His set is made up of relics from popular culture and extras from the network’s many programmes. 

“I don’t feel totally part of the [late-night television] group and I have been on late-night TV for 13 years,” he said. “Years ago, there was a big photoshoot that Vanity Fair did of all of the late-night talk show hosts and they left me out of it, but they added in James Corden who wasn’t even on the air yet and Trevor Noah who had just started.” 

Cohen has worked in the late-night space for more than ten years, but he doesn’t feel part of the late-night gang.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

As 2022 comes to an end, here is a quick recall of the worst jihadi moments of the year in India

Gopal Tiwari
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As 2022 comes to an end, here is a quick recall of the worst jihadi moments of the year in India

Jihad is an Arabic word that literally means struggle or fight. Jihad as mentioned in Quran with various contexts is told by many Islamic scholars. But in the contemporary world, jihad means Islamic terrorism for all practical purposes. Jihad is a fight in the way of the Islamic god Allah. It is aimed against anyone who is non-Muslim. While many incidents of Islamic terrorism have a clear mention of jihad from the terrorist outfits responsible for those incidents, very few riots, rapes, and murders by Islamists carry a clearly visible superficial identity of jihad.

Also, there are many acts falling under the law and order situation category. Muslim mobs are involved in such acts but these are not identified as acts of terrorism though the motivation behind them all is the same – Islamic jihad. As the year 2022 comes to an end, here is a quick recall of the top jihadi moments of the year in India. It is notable that the article covers incidents of violence. Other forms of jihad like love jihad, land jihad, etc. are a topic of separate discussion.

Kishan Bharwad Murder Case

The year 2022 started with the declaration of the elections in the five states including Uttar Pradesh. The political atmosphere in the country was stirred up due to the intense campaigning in the first two and half months of the calendar year. Right in the middle of this period, a case appeared in Gujarat that set the tone for the next jihadi activities in the country. A Hindu youth named Kishan Bharwad was murdered by Islamists for alleged blasphemy.

A 27-year-old Hindu youth Kishan Bharwad was killed by Islamists on 25th January 2022, merely for being a Hindu. Kishan Bharwad hailed from Dhandhuka in Ahmedabad. He was killed in the morning when he was passing by the Modhwada locality on a two-wheeler. Like other killings by Islamists, the reason behind his murder was that the Muslims claimed he had hurt their religious sentiments and committed “blasphemy”.

Kishan Bharwad was a youngster who loved cows. He would help his family earn their livelihood as he worked in the photocopy shop and on the farm. Kishan was a simple boy leading a simple life. In January 2022, he shared a social media post. It was a short audiovisual file in which Jesus appeared as the ‘son of the God’, Prophet Muhammad appeared as ‘the messenger of the God’ whereas Lord Shrikrishna was shown to be ‘the God’. Within 30 minutes of sharing this video, Kishan Bharwad began to receive threat calls because he hailed his own faith and that did not sit well with Islamists. He was jailed for a brief period. Last, he was killed immediately after getting out of jail. He could not even see his newborn daughter. Kishan Bharwad’s murder was later found to be one of the planned executions of the Pakistan-backed jihadi network that was busted during the investigation of this case.

Karnataka Hijab Row and Harsha’s murder

In January and February of 2022, the hijab controversy sparked in the country, especially in Karnataka where Muslim girl students from a college went adamant to wear a hijab on educational campuses. Various student unions like ABVP retaliated this demand as there were already uniform dress codes prescribed in the institutes. Muslims across the state started protesting for the demand of allowing hijab. The matter reached the court. On 15th March 2022. the Karnataka High Court said in its verdict that wearing a hijab has not been proven as an essential religious practice in Islam and that educational institutions have the right to mandate a dress code inside their premises.

This court decision came almost a month after a Hindu activist Harsha was killed by Islamists in Shivamogga of Karnataka for opposing hijab on educational campuses. Harsha was a tailor by profession. He lived in Seegehatti in the Shivamogaa district of Karnataka. He was a member of Bajrang Dal. On Sunday 20th February 2022, Islamists murdered him because he demanded a uniform dress code in the educational institutes.

Gorakhnath Temple Attack

On April 3, Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi attacked Police personnel outside Gorakhnath Temple, Gorakhpur. The incident took place a day before CM Yogi Adityanath was scheduled to visit the temple. Abbasi severely injured two Police personnel with a sharp weapon. It is pertinent to note that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the head priest (Mahant) of Gorakhnath Temple and has his personal accommodation on the temple premises. At the time of the attack, CM Yogi was not at the temple.

Days after the Gorakhpur temple attack, where the accused Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi forcibly tried to enter the premises of the temple and attacked two cops with sharp weapons, one Maulana Ilyasi told the police that the accused was under the influence of black magic. Maulana Ilyasi is a teacher in the same Madarsa that Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi attended. Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi’s father had claimed that he was mentally unstable – a claim that the doctors refuted.

Murtaza Abbasi’s interrogation revealed that he was attempting to develop a jihadi app called ‘Jarima’ at the behest of Islamic terror groups. In Arabic, the word ‘Jarima’ means ‘oppression.’ Abbasi used to exchange messages via the Pir2Pir app before creating this Arabic-language jihadi app, which is widely used by Islamic ultras. He was also planning to join the terrorist organization ISIS.

The Khargone Violence

On April 10, a Ram Navami procession that began in the Talab Chowk area of Khargone in Madhya Pradesh had to be abandoned midway after it came under a volley of stones. Several vehicles were set on fire. The cops resorted to firing tear gas shells to bring the situation under control. During the orgy of violence, a total of 24 people were injured (including 6 police personnel). Even the Superintendent of Police (Khargone) had sustained bullet injuries. Keeping in mind the volatile law and order situation, a curfew was imposed in the area.

On Sunday, July 31, the Madhya Pradesh police arrested the primary accused in the violence orchestrated by Islamists during the Ram Navami procession in Khargone. He was identified as 30-year-old Shamiullah Khan. After evading the law enforcement authorities for over 112 days, Shamiullah was nabbed from the border of the Khargone-Dhar district on the basis of specific intelligence inputs.

The Jahangirpuri Violence

On April 16, Islamists attacked Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatra in Jahangirpuri, Delhi. Several people were injured, including police personnel. More than 40 people have been arrested by the Police in the case, including prime accused Ansar Sheikh and Aslam Sheikh. The Delhi police had to go to West Bengal to arrest another key accused identified as Farid alias Nitu.

The Jahangirpuri area in Delhi is inhabited by many Bangladeshi Muslims including Rohingyas. On Friday, April 22, sources in the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch, investigating the attack on Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatra in Jahangirpuri, Delhi on April 16, revealed that the attack was pre-planned by the prime accused Mohammed Ansar Sheikh. As per a report in Live Hindustan, Ansar had allegedly organized a meeting seven days before Hanuman Jayanti to execute the attack on the Shobha Yatra that would be held on that day.

Death threats to Nupur Sharma

In the last week of May 2022, former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma found herself at the centre of a raging storm after Islamists, egged on by the likes of AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair, issued multiple threats against her and her family for expressing her views on Prophet Muhammad and Islam. 

Sharma was a part of a debate panel on Times Now, discussing the finding of Shivling in the Gyanvapi complex and the subsequent mockery of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses that followed in the wake of the discovery. Islamists have claimed that the Shivling discovered inside the wuzukhana of the Gyanvapi disputed structure was not a Shivling but a fountain. Across social media platforms, detractors have been repeating ad nauseam that the Shivling found inside the Gyanvapi premises is a fountain and not an idol of a Hindu God.

What did Nupur Sharma say?

In response to the contempt and scorn poured over Hindu Gods and Goddesses, which was evident even during the Times Now debate where some of the fellow panellists referred to the Shivling as a fountain, BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma asked them to refrain from insulting Hindu Gods and cited Islamic scriptures and Holy Quran for substantiating her remarks on Prophet Muhammad and Islam.

When Taslim Rehmani repeatedly used derogatory references to Lord Shiva on the Times Now debate, former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma spoke about Prophet Muhammad and his marriage with Ayesha and other scriptural claims made in Islamic Hadiths, an edited video of which was later shared by Zubair to dog whistle Islamists against her, resulting in ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ protests across the country.

Violence over Nupur Sharma’s remarks

The jihadists did not stop on issuing death threats to Nupur Sharma. It was followed by a series of multiple FIRs filed across the country against the former BJP spokesperson over her remarks. On 3rd June 2022, a mob of Islamists pelted stones and spread violence in Kanpur. For the upcoming whole week, various Islamists and Maulanas continued to declare bounty on Nupur Sharma.

On the next Friday, that is, on 10th June 2022, Muslim mobs hit the streets in massive numbers under the garb of protests against Nupur Sharma. This resulted in riots and arson in various cities of the country including Prayagraj, Jammu, Howrah, Hyderabad, Haridwar, and Ranchi. A Muslim youth named Saad Ansari was beaten by Muslims for supporting Nupur Sharma on his Instagram story.

Kanhaiya Lal Murder Case

When Islamists could not harm Nupur Sharma, they targeted public properties and spread riots in various cities in the country on consecutive Fridays in June 2022. When the union governments and state governments firmly dealt with these riots, the jihadists started targeting Hindus who supported Nupur Sharma on social media.

The first such case was noted in Udaipur city of Rajasthan where Kanhaiya Lal, a Hindu tailor, was beheaded on 28th June 2022 by two jihadi Islamist attackers who diguised as customers to enter his shop and attacked him with a sharp weapon. Not only this, the attackers also released a video in which they said that their knife will one day reach the neck of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he will also be killed in the same fashion. Kanhaiya Lal was killed because he had put a WhatsApp story that supported Nupur Sharma.

Umesh Kolhe Murder Case

On 22nd June 2022, Umesh Kolhe – a chemist in Amravati of Maharashtra – was beheaded for supporting Nupur Sharma in a WhatsApp post that he shared in a group. Shocking facts were revealed as Dr. Yusuf Khan who once used to be a good friend of Umesh Kolhe conspired, funded, and executed the whole plot of his killing.

The news of Umesh Kolhe’s murder was first suppressed by the liberal media and the actual reason behind the brutal attack was hidden by police when there was a Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, as police had said that it was a case of robbery gone wrong. It was only after Eknath Shinde became the chief minister of the state on 30th June 2022 that the original reason behind the incident was revealed as NIA took over the investigation.

Praveen Nettaru Murder Case

On July 26, Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death by Islamist assailants. Nettaru, who ran a poultry business, was returning home when the attack happened. The killers came on a bike in Bellari, Dakshina Kannada of Karnataka, in the late evening and attacked Nettaru with sharp weapons. The assailants escaped after the attack. Nettaru was rushed to the hospital, but he could not be saved.

Three different theories citing various reasons for the murder came to light. One of them is that he was killed because he posted on social media supporting Kanhaiya Lal, who was beheaded by Jihadis recently for supporting Nupur Sharma and criticizing the Congress government.

Coimbatore Bomb Blast

On October 22, a 25-year-old man died in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, after an LPG cylinder in a car burst in the communally sensitive Kottaimedu district. The deceased in the Coimbatore blast was identified as Jamesha Mubin, a resident of Kottaipudur, near GM Nagar in Ukkadam. There was an explosion at about 4 am in a Maruti car just opposite the Kottai Eswaran temple in the Ukkadam area of Coimbatore. Two gas cylinders, marbles, and nails were found.

Notably, the NIA registered the case after Home Ministry’s  Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalization (CTCR) issued an order directing the agency to initiate an investigation into the case. The NIA team searched the Mubin’s premises and seized 109 articles, including potassium nitrate, black powder, matchbox, cracker fuse length of about 2 meters, Nitro Glycerin, red phosphorous, PETN powder, Aluminium powder, OXY 99 Breathe pure Oxygen cylinder, Sulphur powder, Sterile Surgical blade, and other bomb-making materials, as well as notebooks with information on Islamic ideology and Jihad.

Mangaluru Bomb Blast

On 19th November 2022, a blast took place in an autorickshaw running on the streets of Mangaluru in Karnataka. The explosion in the vehicle in the coastal city of Karnataka took place under a mysterious situation. However, within 24 hours of the blast, the Director General of Police (DGP) Karnataka tweeted to confirm that this blast was an act of terror and a series of revelations appeared in the subsequent investigations.

One of the most important chapters of these findings is that the accused culprit in this case – Mohammed Shariq – had links with Islamist terror outfits and that he was posing to be a Hindu before executing the attack, so that, in case he dies in the attack, his identity is mistaken to be a Hindu thereby rendering the attack an act of the so-called Hindu Terror. This modus operandi shares remarkable similarities with the one deployed at the time of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

Years end one after the other, but the Islamic jihad persists

Jihad is an Islamic duty of a believer Muslim and he is supposed to fight against the enemies of Islam – a term that essentially covers everyone and everything that is non-Muslim – till the end of the universe. A jihadi believes that he will be judged on the basis of his contribution to the jihad and will get proportionate rewards in the life that actually starts after death. It, therefore, becomes necessary to take an account of the damage that has been caused to society, nation, and humanity due to this concept of jihad. Major instances in 2022 connecting their inspirational links to the Quranic concept of jihad are thus compiled as above.

Ahmedabad: Locals clash with people dressed as Santa Claus saying they were converting people, later Santa also chants Jai Shri Ram

OpIndia Staff
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Ahmedabad: Locals clash with people dressed as Santa Claus saying they were converting people, later Santa also chants Jai Shri Ram

In the ongoing ‘Kankaria Carnival’ in Ahmedabad city in Gujarat, some people roamed around as Santa Claus and had a brief scuffle with Hindu organizations. People also beat and chase away those who roamed around in the guise of Santa Claus and asked them to stop their activities. However, later the man dressed as Santa Claus also started shouting slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’.

The incident took place on Friday, December 30, 2022, at the venue of the Kankaria Carnival in Ahmedabad. Hindu organizations have accused these people, who were roaming around as Santa Claus, of carrying out conversion activities. Locals said that for the last few days, these people wearing such clothes were distributing books of missionaries to propagate Christianity. As soon as the organizations came to know about it, they reached the spot and after that, an altercation broke out and resulted in a scuffle. In the meantime, some people also had a scuffle with those who roamed around dressed as Santa Claus.

Some videos of the incident have gone viral on social media, in which people can be seen posing as Santa Claus and locals chasing them away. In the video, locals are saying that these people are brainwashing people and asking them for going to church and spreading their religion. It is also heard in the video that the missionaries have been coming here and promoting Christianity since the carnival started.

A spokesman for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad told the Divya Bhaskar, about the matter, “For four days, near the gate of the Kankaria Carnival, some people, dressed as Santa Claus, were promoting the activity of conversion by distributing books preaching Christianity and explaining about Christianity. As soon as the matter came to light, VHP and Bajrang Dal activists reached and stopped the religious conversion activities going on during the government program.”

A Santa Clause man started shouting slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’ along with others from Hindu organizations after angry people started beating him. In one of the videos, it can be seen how a man posing as Santa along with others is also shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

Kankaria Carnival is held in the last week of December every year at the famous Kankaria Lake in Ahmedabad. It is organized by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. It was inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on December 25 this year.

Reach of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana expands with over 9000 stores, people saved around ₹18,000 crore in 8 years

OpIndia Staff
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Reach of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana expands with over 9000 stores, people saved around ₹18,000 crore in 8 years

Achieving a major success in making medicine available for the people at lower prices, the Modi government has opened more than 9000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras under the  Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). The efforts taken by the government have resulted in the saving of Rs 18000 crores in the last 8 years. This feat has been achieved through more than 9000 stores covering 743 out of 766 districts across the country.

The Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) was introduced in November 2008 by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India, with the goal of providing quality generic medications at reasonable costs to everyone. In December 2017, the goal of opening 3000 medical stores was attained. Additionally, a revised goal of 6000 outlets overall was attained in March 2020. There are currently over 9000 Kendras, up from 8610 in the previous fiscal year, expanding the reach of PMBJP. The government had set the objective of taking this number up to 10,000 by March 2024.

The PMBJP’s product range includes 1759 pharmaceuticals and 280 surgical equipment that span all significant therapeutic categories, including cardiovascular, anti-cancer, anti-diabetics, anti-infectives, anti-allergic, gastrointestinal, and nutraceuticals. Along with this, a number of nutraceutical items have been introduced to the scheme’s product basket, including protein powder, malt-based food supplements, and AYUSH commodities like the Ayuraksha Kit, Balraksha Kit, and Ayush-64 pill, which act as immunity boosters.

The cost of medications offered via PMBJP is 50–90% lower than the price of branded medications. Sales of Rs. 893.56 crores were made in the fiscal year 2021–2022, this resulted in savings for the public of around Rs. 5300 crores as compared to the cost of branded medications. As of November 30, 2022, PMBI had sales of Rs. 758.69 crores for the current fiscal year, 2022–23, which allowed individuals to save almost Rs. 4500 crores. The amazing surge in overall sales demonstrates a greater acceptance of Jan Aushadhi.

This initiative offers a reliable method of self-employment with consistent and sustained income. A one-time additional incentive of Rs. 2.00 lakh (as reimbursement for IT and Infra expenditure) is provided to Janaushadhi Kendras opened in North-Eastern states, Himalayan areas, Island territories, backward areas mentioned as aspirational districts by NITI Ayog, or if they are opened by women entrepreneurs, Ex-servicemen, Divyang, SC & ST, etc.

Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Sanitary Napkins are sold at Rs. 1/- per pad through these 9000 PMBJP kendras across the country. Since inception till 30.11.2022, 31.40 crore Janaushadhi Suvidha Sanitary pads have been sold at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras, across the country. There are four warehouses at Gurugram, Chennai, Guwahati and Surat. These are backed by SAP based inventory management system to facilitate uninterrupted supply and faster delivery to remote and rural areas.

If you are politically wrong, you are actually right

Virender Kapoor
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If you are politically wrong, you are actually right

‘Don’t ever call me mad. I am not mad I am just differently moraled. That is all.’ – Jasper Fforde

Today we are a very guarded, hush-hush society. We guard ourselves even against ourselves! We want to mean something and even be mean without saying it. We are great at mincing our words so that you don’t know what is being served- mutton, chicken, crow, shark meat, crab, or even dog meat – all should look good- and similarly we can create a smoke screen around our statements too.

Political correctness (PC) is an expression with intent. It is used to describe language, policies, statements, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. No wonder politicians never speak straight or even commit. ‘Log Bal ki khaal nahin, bal ke saath khaal bhee nikal leti hai’

If you are offensive and you want to convey it a little better or toned down you say ‘I am offensive defense’.

It is like Cosmetic Surgery of Offensive Expressions– CSOE

For the last three decades or so, the term has been used to describe a preference for inclusive language – ‘(inclusive) was a word that itself was alien to people in the sixties and seventies and nobody felt cheated or excluded’- everyone was happy. PC as it is popularly called now is for the avoidance of language or behavior that can be seen as marginalizing, or insulting to groups of people disadvantaged or discriminated against, particularly groups defined by ethnicity, sex, gender, or sexual orientation.

The dichotomy is that we have ruined our families, marriages are breaking apart may be one per minute on this planet of 8 billion people, the environment has been murdered by us, animals butchered, jungles have been cut rampantly, we have made glaciers disappear, wildlife charred to death, many birds and species have been wiped out from this planet, we are threatening each other with nukes and chemical warfare yet we want to be politically right- we don’t want people to get offended? Oh really? 

Billions are hungry and/or homeless and we have started struggling with words, juggling with words as we do not want to call a destitute poor a poor we are finding dignity in words- as if he cares. Huh. Two hoots to you for that.

“There is a distinct difference between having an open mind and having a hole in your head from which your brain leaks out.” ― James Randi

We have invented words like physically challenged to replace handicapped. PTSD (post-Traumatic Stress disorder) to replace stress. Thank god in Golf it is still a handicap and you are not asked on the golf course ‘Hey, what is your physically challenged Index Score- PCIS?’ And I respond by saying ‘I am 18 physically challenged.’ I am happy as I am not handicapped but I am now ‘Golf-y Challenged’.

As someone says in the First World War If a soldier in battle was bursting up with the rush of adrenaline, his nervous system shutting down, unable to understand orders, unable to move he was said to be ‘Shell shocked’. During the Second World War, Americans renamed it to ‘battle fatigue’ as fatigue sounds better and hallowed, and during the next war in Vietnam it was termed nicer as ‘Operational Exhaustion’ (Observe the word Battle has been omitted to feel good), you may lose a leg though, and after the wars in the Gulf, we call it ‘PTSD’- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder- well-cushioned stress to feel nice.

“You’re not allowed to call them dinosaurs anymore,” said Yo-less. “It’s speciesist like sexist. You have to call them pre-petroleum people.” ― Terry Pratchett

Today terrorists are not killed they are ‘neutralized’. Climate change is called global warming even if it snows in the Middle East or Japan, or rains cats and dogs in Chennai. 

We must look nice is the bottom line, we should not hurt someone (you may starve him to death but don’t hurt). You don’t tell someone, especially a child that he has failed, you say, you have taken a drop.

In the last three decades, I have become so much smarter and have seen new words popping out (They existed, but were seldom used earlier) like misogyny, sexist, racist etc.

Asking a person about his or her ‘partner’, instead of using gendered terms like ‘girlfriend/boyfriend’ or ‘husband/wife’. Asking someone what their cultural or ethnic background is, rather than asking them where they are from.

I had never seen one-page disclaimers before every movie or OTT series just two decades ago. Authors have to give disclaimers in books. These are like anticipatory bail. Political Correctness can now be called PP Political Politeness- to become a little more politically correct!

A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip– Caskie Stinnett

Transgender can be called ambisexual, bisexual, or even epicene – whatever it means- it means just the same. No?

It doesn’t end here, Facebook, in its own efforts at tolerance, has made a list of 71 genders from which its users may choose to identify, including genderqueer, neutrois, and bi-gender. This is farcical and arguably trivializes the very real struggles that transgender individuals face.

Roosters don’t mind if you call them a bird, Goose, chick, hen, or a cock. So what greatness about politeness? A pig is a pig. It can be called a boar, piggy, or swine! Its biological name is still weirder.

“Sus Scrofa Domesticus” sounds more sophisticated and polished than swine. So saying you dirty Domesticus may not sound as accurate to vent your feeling as ‘you dirty swine’ to say the same thing. No wonder a Rasmussen poll found that 71 percent of Americans think political correctness is a problem today.

Fight hunger, don’t just relabel it sitting in a five-star hotel in a seminar having a five-star meal sipping champagne with nicely decked up men and women smelling of expensive colognes- talking of hunger and figuring out cozier words for the same thing like famished, puckish or undernourished to look politically correct. As Chimamanda Ngozi says, “The truth has become an insult.”

Today, editors of Newspapers and anchors on TV and radio are under undue stress because of PCS, Political Correctness Syndrome. ‘Bhai koi bura na maan jai’– lest someone is hurt, there are billions out there, who all will you worry about? You cannot be always right in ‘thought policing’.

“Those who are determined to be ‘offended’ will discover a provocation somewhere. We cannot possibly adjust enough to please the fanatics, and it is degrading to make the attempt,” says Christopher Hitchens

So call a spade a spade and not a shovel. Amen.

Meghalaya: Border Security Force sniffer dog along Indo-Bangladesh gets pregnant, court of inquiry ordered

ANI
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Meghalaya: Border Security Force sniffer dog along Indo-Bangladesh gets pregnant, court of inquiry ordered

Border Security Force ordered a court inquiry after one of its sniffer dogs in Meghalaya gave birth to three puppies, and the deputy Commandant rank officer has to submit a report into the matter.

The order copy accessed by ANI reads that in compliance with the Sation Head Quarters BSF Shillong order on December 19, a Deputy Commandant of this Unit is hereby detailed to conduct a Summary Court of Inquiry (SCOI) to investigate the circumstances under which Dog Lalcy (Female) held on a charge of 43 Bn BSF delivered three puppies at Border out Post Baghmara on December 5 at about 1000 Hrs.
It further reads, “The SCOI proceeding duly completed in all respect be submitted to SHQ BSF Shillong by 30th Dec 2022.”

A senior BSF officer informed that highly trained BSF dogs are kept under the supervision of their handlers and have to undergo regular health checkups.

“These dogs are never brought into contact with other dogs. And breeding is performed under the supervision of a veterinary doctor,” said a senior BSF officer.

The dog was deployed on duty at India-Bangladesh Border.

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