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As Rafale fighter jets touch down in Ambala, the nation remembers Manohar Parrikar for inking the momentous defence deal

OpIndia Staff
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As Rafale fighter jets touch down in Ambala, the nation remembers Manohar Parrikar for inking the momentous defence deal

The wait for the ‘game-changing’ next generation of fighter jets is over as the first batch of five Rafale fighter jets landed at the Ambala airbase on Wednesday, two days after they flew out of France for India. 

Excitement ran high among netizens as social media was awash with images and videos of Rafale fighter jets entering the Indian airspace and their landing at the airbase. 

However, while social media users celebrated the homecoming of the new aircraft, many users, along with several prominent BJP leaders, also remembered the former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, for his instrumental role in fortifying India’s Air Forces with the procurement of Rafale fighter jets. 

Goa chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant quoted a tweet posted by the former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar about the signing of the Rafale Deal with his French counterpart.

Union Minister Smriti Irani also posted a tweet remembering the former Goa chief minister. “Remembering Bhai today,” Irani tweeted while quoting Parrikar’s tweet announcing the historic deal.

Siddharth Shirole, BJP MLA from Shivajinagar in Pune, also quoted the old tweet by Manohar Parrikar on the monumental occasion of the delivery of Rafale fighter jets. 

In addition to politicians, other social media users also joined in to reminisce about Manohar Parrikar and his invaluable contribution towards securing the French-built jets.

Manohar Parrikar signed the momentous Rafale Deal

It was under Manohar Parrikar as the Defence Minister of India that the country signed the historic deal of procuring 36 next-generation Rafale fighter jets to bolster the Indian Air Force’s airpower and aerial supremacy in the Southeast Asia region. On Septemeber 23, 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) was signed between then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart for the acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft, which would serve to improve India’s defence and strike capabilities.

However, unfortunately, Manohar Parrikar is not alive to witness the homecoming of fighter aircraft that he signed the deal for. The former defence minister was ailing from pancreatic cancer and died on March 17, 2019, at his residence in Panaji.

Rahul Gandhi used visit to ailing Manohar Parrikar to cast allegations of corruption in Rafale deal against PM Modi

It is pertinent to note that former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had based his entire 2019 General election campaign on the alleged corruption in the Rafale deal. Gandhi had tried to hurl the charges of corruption against PM Modi, in a desperate bid to show the Modi government as corrupt and thereby cast a dent in its legitimacy and popularity among the masses.

In fact, Rahul Gandhi stooped so low that a customary visit by him to check on the health of ailing of Manohar Parrikar was used to score political brownie points with regards to the Rafale deal. Following his visit, Gandhi claimed that the former Defence Minister told him that he had nothing to do with the Rafale deal. Parrikar, who was suffering from the last stage of cancer, shot back at Rahul Gandhi, saying that he was misusing the five minutes that Gandhi spent with him on.

In a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi, Parrikar wrote, “I feel let down that you have used this visit for your petty political gains. In the 5 minutes you spent with me, neither did you mention anything about Rafale, now did we discuss anything related to it.”

It is also worth noting that the Supreme Court of India rejected the baseless allegations levelled by Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party and declared that no irregularities or corruption have been found in the case.

New National Education Policy 2020 unveiled by Modi government, reforms aim to make India a ‘global knowledge superpower’

OpIndia Staff
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New National Education Policy 2020 unveiled by Modi government, reforms aim to make India a ‘global knowledge superpower’

On Wednesday, the much-awaited National Education Policy (NEP) was announced by HRD Minister Ramesh Nishank and I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar after the Union Cabinet approved the new policy earlier in the day. The policy aims at making “India a global knowledge superpower”.

Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the cabinet under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a New Education Policy for the 21st century, adding “It is important as for 34 years there were no changes in the education policy.” 

The NEP will replace the existing National Policy on Education 1986, which was later modified in 1992. The NEP includes the extension of the Right to Education Act 2009 to cover children between the age group of 3 to 18 years. The new policy also seeks to reduce the content load in the school education curriculum.

Announcing new reform measures, Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare said the major reforms in the cabinet-approved National Education Policy 2020 include a target to have 50% gross enrollment ratio by 2035 along with a provision for multiple entry or exit. The New Education Policy (NEP) also aims to increase the budgetary funding to education.

Under the National Education Policy (NEP), the system of affiliated colleges will be phased out over the next 15 years, the Minister of Education announced. The government also announced that the single-stream higher education institutions will be phased out over time, and all will move towards becoming multidisciplinary.

According to the new National Education Policy, the higher educational institutions will be allowed graded autonomy in academic, administrative and financial matters based on the accreditation status and there will only be a single regulator for higher education instead of different bodies like UGC and AICTE. Legal and Medical education will continue to have dedicated regulators.

“The undergraduate degree will be of either three or four-year duration, with multiple exit options within this period, with appropriate certifications, e.g., a certificate after completing one year in a discipline or field including vocational and professional areas, or a diploma after two years of study, or a Bachelor’s degree after a three-year programme,” announced Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare. The four-year course will be for a Bachelor’s degree and research.

“The present complex nomenclature of HEIs in the country such as ‘deemed to be university’, ‘affiliating university’, ‘affiliating technical university’, ‘unitary university’ shall be replaced simply by ‘university’,” said HRD Ministry officials.

New system of education

The Modi government unveiled a new 10+2 system, which will be divided into 5+3+3+4 format. The NEP changes the school education system to 5+3+3+4 format. This means the first five years of the school will comprise of the foundation stage including three years of pre-primary school and classes 1 and class 2. The next three years will be divided into a preparatory stage from classes 3 to 5. Later three years of middle stage (classes 6 to 8), and four years of secondary stage (classes 9 to 12).

The schools will not have any rigid formation of streams of arts, commerce, science, students can take up whichever courses they want.

In school education, the Modi government has announced major reforms through its NEP, which includes Universalisation of Early Childhood Care Education or ECCE and National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy. The government has said the new policy suggests a reduction of the school curriculum to core subjects with a vocational integration from Class 6 onwards.

According to the new policy, the focus of school reforms will be to develop a scientific temper in students from a young age. The curriculum would integrate 21st-century skills and mathematical thinking. The policy also mandates increasing access for disadvantaged groups, according to the Union government.

Further, the New Education Policy (NEP) also states that the report card will comprise assessment of the students by both teachers and fellow students. There will be an AI-based assessment of students each year. Measures will be taken to prepare the teachers for the assessment reforms by 2023, announced the government.

The board exams will test the students’ knowledge and it’s applications and not just rote learning, announced the Ministry of Education.

Multi-lingual system of education

The NEP will aim to make mother tongue or regional language as the medium of instruction till class 5 in schools. The new policy is also expected to focus on a multi-lingual education system which means, the teachers will teach not only in English but also in regional Indian languages. MHRD already runs programmes to teach students regional languages spoken in other states.

The government also said that technology will be now part of education planning, teaching, learning, assessment, teacher, school, and student training. The e-content will also be made available in regional languages, starting with eight major languages – Kannada, Odia, Bengali among others to join the e-courses available in Hindi and English.

Single common entrance exam for all colleges

The common Entrance exam for all higher education institutes to be held by NTA. The exam will be optional and not mandatory, announced HRD Ministry.

The government has also decided to discontinue MPhil courses. To pursue research, MPhil will not be allowed and all the courses at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD level will be interdisciplinary. The 4-year programme may also lead to a degree ‘with Research’ if the student completes a rigorous research project.

The government has decided to set up model public universities for holistic and multidisciplinary education, at par with IITs, IIMs, etc., called MERUs (Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities). Higher education institutions shall move away from high-stakes examinations towards continuous and comprehensive evaluation.

High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries. Selected universities like those from among the top 100 universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India.

Further, the gvernment announced that a legislative framework facilitating such entry will be put in place, and such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India.

Impetus on vocational education

The New Education Policy also gives importance to the Vocational education of the students. The new policy integrates vocational education into all school and higher education institutions in a phased manner over the next decade. By 2025, at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to vocational education.

The B.Voc. degrees introduced in 2013 will continue to exist, but vocational courses will also be available to students enrolled in all other Bachelor’s degree programmes, including the 4-year multidisciplinary Bachelor’s programmes, the government announced.

‘Lok Vidya’, important vocational knowledge developed in India, will be made accessible to students. The HRD ministry, which will be renamed as Education Ministry, would constitute a National Committee for the Integration of Vocational Education (NCIVE).

The policy also mentions creating institutions such as the National Research Foundation (NRF) and a Higher Education Commission of India (HECI).

Earlier, a panel led by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Kasturirangan was constituted, which had submitted the draft of the new National Education Policy to the Union HRD minister. The draft was later put to public consultation to seek feedback from various stakeholders and over two lakh suggestions were received by the HRD Ministry about the same.

The existing NEP was framed in 1986 and revised in 1992. The New education policy was part of the BJP’s manifesto ahead of the 2014 general election. Reportedly, the drafting experts also considered the report of a panel headed by former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian and formed by the HRD Ministry when it was being headed by Union Minister Smriti Irani.

The implementation of this Policy will be led by various bodies including Education Ministry, CABE, Union and State Governments, education-related Ministries, State Departments of Education, Boards, NTA, the regulatory bodies of school and higher education, NCERT, SCERTs, schools, and HEIs.

‘Haan hum Hindu hain, Hindustan Hamara hain’: Watch Sadhvi Ritambhara’s speech during Ram Janmabhoomi Movement

OpIndia Staff
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‘Haan hum Hindu hain, Hindustan Hamara hain’: Watch Sadhvi Ritambhara’s speech during Ram Janmabhoomi Movement

The Ram Janmabhoomi movement of the early 90s was a period of a massive nation-wide mobilisation of Hindus to make them aware of the centuries of wrong committed against the community, first by the onslaught of Islamic invaders, who had forcefully converted, tortured and killed them by the millions, and subsequently in the hands of successive ‘secular’ governments who had operated on the premise that secularism means keeping Hindus as the second-class citizens in their own county.

The fact that Hindus were even deprived of worshipping their gods at the Ram Janmabhoomi, one of the most sacred sites of the faith, was a symbol of the centuries of injustice and oppression faced by the community. The Ram Janmabhoomi movement was about reclaiming that place and righting that wrong.

The call for Hindus to gather at Ayodhya for the massive rally called by VHP and BJP was gathering pace. Many Hindu leaders were working day and night with Karsevaks to reach out to the masses. The speeches of Sahvi Ritambhara during that time were testimony to the scale and the popularity of the movement.

Video of Sadhvi Ritambhara’s speech in Delhi during Rath Yatra

In her speech, in Delhi, she recited a poem that called Karsewaks to move forward and join hands to build the Ram Mandir. During that period, her role as an orator in the Rath Yatra made her a popular choice for political campaigns for BJP. As it can be heard in the video, she showed concern towards those who have ‘allergy’ with the word Hindu. She asked them why there was so much hate for the Hindus when their forefathers were Hindu once.

Who is Sadhvi Ritambhara?

Sadhvi Ritambhara is one of the most prominent names of Ram Janbhoomi movement. She joined Sangh Parivar as a member of Rashtriya Sevika Samiti that is the women’s wing of RSS. She had worked extensively with Vishwa Hindu Parishad during Advani’s Rath Yatra to build a sentiment among Ram Bhakts in favour of the temple in Ayodhya. She was present at the Ram Janm Bhoomi when the disputed structure was torn down. Three days after the demolition, she was arrested on grounds of inciting communal tension.

During the Ram Mandir movement, Sadhvi Ritambhara’s speeches were very popular, and cassette tapes of her speeches were played at temples and public places, which helped in mobilising public support for the movement. She was one of the three key women leaders of the movement, the other two being Uma Bharati and Vijayaraje Scindia

Sadhvi Ritambhara is also the founder-chairwoman of Durga Vahini, the women’s wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad. The purpose of the Durga Vahini is to encourage more women to participate in prayer meetings and in cultural activities. The aim of the organization is to establish Hindu solidarity by helping Hindu families during the time of hardship and by providing social services.

The land dispute case of Ayodhya

Mughals built a disputed structure after destroying a temple on the disputed land in Ayodhya. Ram Bhakts believe that the land on which disputed structure was built, is the land where Shri Ram was born thousands of years ago. A case filed in court by Hindu groups that resulted in the division of property in three equal parts by Allahabad court in 2010. A review petition was filed in Supreme Court against the judgment. On 9th November 2019, after hundreds of years of struggle, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Ram Lalla Virajman and gave the disputed land to Hindu groups. The court also ordered the government of India to form a trust that will undertake the construction of “Bhavya Ram Mandir.”

On 5th August 2020, PM Narendra Modi will visit Ayodhya for Bhoomi Pujan and will place a 22.6 KG pure silver brick in the foundation of the temple.

There are sharp stones in Ayodhya, the ground needs to be levelled: Vajpayee’s famous speech a day before the demolition of the disputed structure

OpIndia Staff
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There are sharp stones in Ayodhya, the ground needs to be levelled: Vajpayee’s famous speech a day before the demolition of the disputed structure

While a large number of people made an invaluable contribution towards the Ram Janmabhoomi movement that led to the demolition of the controversial structure in Ayodhya, one of the most monumental roles was played by none other than former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had motivated thousands of Hindus to become aware of their civilisational heritage and claim their rights.

On December 5, 1992, as the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was reaching a crescendo, Atal Bihari Vajpayee made a fiery speech while addressing a gathering of Karsevaks at Jhandewalan Park in Aminabad, Lucknow. During the speech, Vajpayee emphasised the importance of carrying out Karseva in Ayodhya, asserting that providing Karseva did not violate the Supreme Court’s judgment. This was a time when the ‘secular liberal’ forces were predicting doom and trying to mobilise government forces to stop the mega rally at Ayodhya scheduled on December 6.

Ground needs to be levelled, some arrangements have to be made

Referring to the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, where the VHP and BJP proposed to build a Ram temple, Vajpayee said, “Sharp-edged boulders are present at the site. Nobody can sit there. The ground needs to be levelled. It has to be made fit for sitting. Some construction work can take place there as arrangements for a Yagnya has to be done.”

The Supreme Court had then stated that no construction can take place at the site. But Vajpayee’s speech had asserted that the SC had banned construction, it has not stopped Hindus from doing Bhajan and organising Keertans in Ayodhya. He also stated that Keertans need gathering and some arrangements are needed to be made for Hindus from all over the country who are gathering at Ayodhya during winter.

On the next day, that is December 6, 1992, though Atal Bihari Vajpayee was not present at the gathering in Ayodhya, a large contingent of Karsevaks had stormed the Ram Janmabhoomi premises in Ayodhya and razed the disputed structure. A legion of Hindu activists and VHP supporters scaled the domes of the controversial structure wielding hammers, stones, rods and other tools and had brought the structure down within hours.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s clarification on his speech

Years later, the former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee issued a clarification of his speech made a day before the demolition of the disputed structure. Speaking to Outlook magazine, Vajpayee said that his speech was made in a lighter vein and with a certain context. “Mera Ayodhya andolan mein zyaada role nahin tha (I did not have much of a role in the Ayodhya movement),” he said, adding that he had not mentioned the masjid once and there was nothing in the speech that could be questioned by the courts.

Meet Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather, the IAF officer responsible for delivery of India-specific Rafale jets

OpIndia Staff
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Meet Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather, the IAF officer responsible for delivery of India-specific Rafale jets

Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather, India’s Air Attache in France, has become an instant hero across the country ever since five Rafale jets of the Indian Airforce took off from the Dassault Aviation’s Bordeaux-Merignac facility on Monday.

The Indian Air Force officer who is a native of Anantnag in Kashmir has played a key role in ensuring the delivery of Rafale jets to the country. Rather, son of a retired DSP has spent the last few years arming the combat aircraft to suit Indian conditions. He is credited with helping the project management team to fit the Rafale aircraft with 13 Indian specifications weapons.

Air Commodore Rather, who is also India’s Air Attache in France, has been forefront at the readying the Rafale jets ahead of its induction into the Indian Air Force. The 52-year-old also supervised refuelling training of a team of 152 IAF technicians and 27 fighter pilots with French tanks on Tuesday.

A fighter combat leader and a qualified flying instructor, Rather joined India Air Force as a flight lieutenant in 1993 and went on to become wing commander in 2004, group captain in 2016 and air commodore in 2019.

The officer from Kashmir has commanded Mirage-2000 Squadron and a front line Air Force base in Gwalior. His immense experience in flying jets like MIG 21, Mirage-2000 and Kiran helped him to coordinate with the French project management team in Bordeaux over 35 advanced functions of the Rafale jet.

Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather has an impeccable record of 3,000 accident-free flying hours on different fighter platforms of the Indian Air Force.

Rather, who is an alumnus of Sainik School, has earned a Sword of Honour – the highest award to a cadet during his training at the National Defence Academy.

Rather is also graduate from defence services staff college (DSSC). He also graduated from air war college (USA) with distinction. Air Commodore Hilal is the recipient of Vayu Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva medal.

Reportedly, Hilal’s father was a senior police officer in the Jammu and Kashmir police, when he got commissioned into the IAF in 1988. The family often had faced threats. Rather had to rent out a two-room flat in Nagrota in Jammu two days before his marriage in 1993 for safety reasons.

Along with Rather, Indian ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf was also crucial in ensuring delivery of Rafale jets to India. The five combat jets, which took off from France, have now landed at Ambala Air Force station on Wednesday.

Sushant Singh Rajput case: Rhea Chakraborty hires big shot lawyer Satish Maneshinde who represented Sanjay Dutt in 1993 Mumbai blast case

OpIndia Staff
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Sushant Singh Rajput case: Rhea Chakraborty hires big shot lawyer Satish Maneshinde who represented Sanjay Dutt in 1993 Mumbai blast case

Bollywood entertainer Rhea Chakraborty has hired one of the most expensive lawyers of the country, Satish Maneshinde, to defend her in the case filed by Sushant Singh Rajput’s father accusing her of abetment to suicide. Earlier, Maneshinde had defended film actors like Salman Khan in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case and Sanjay Dutt in 1993 Mumbai blast case.

She has moved the Supreme Court to transfer the investigation from Patna to Mumbai.

Who is Satish Maneshinde

Satish Maneshinde started his career as a Junior of Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, where he practiced civil and criminal law. He defended Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt in 1993 Mumbai Blasts case. He was a part of the legal team defending Sanjay Dutt which included Farhana Shah and Karan Singh, grandson of Delhi-based senior lawyer Rajendra Singh. Dutt was convicted in 2006-2007 by a special court under the Arms Act for possession of AK-56 rifle and a 9 mm pistol. He was sentenced to six years which was later upheld by the Supreme Court but the sentence was reduced to five years.

Maneshinde is also appointed as the special public prosecutor in the Palghar lynching case where two Sadhus were lynched by a mob. Viral videos of the incident showed the police standing as mute spectator while the mob lynched the two sadhus.

On 14th June 2020, 34-year-old actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his apartment. While initially it was suggested that he committed suicide, later reports emerged which cast aspersions on the cause of death. On Tuesday, KK Singh, Sushant’s father filed an FIR in Patna alleging that Rhea, his girlfriend, abetted his suicide. The FIR states that she took Rs 15 crores, laptops, jewellery and left Sushant, driving him over the edge. Her so-called suspicious involvement with veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and the alleged influence he commands over her has also fuelled speculations about the whole affair.

“Swagatam”: PM Modi welcomes the five Rafale jets which landed at Ambala Air Force station

OpIndia Staff
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“Swagatam”: PM Modi welcomes the five Rafale jets which landed at Ambala Air Force station

The first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft has landed at the IAF Air Force Station in Ambala on Wednesday.  

According to the reports, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria welcomed the Rafale fleet at Ambala. The five fighter aircraft, which were flown by Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, landed at Ambala Air Force station after covering a distance of 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the fighter jets with a tweet in Sanskrit, which said that they have been dedicated to the security of the nation. The PM also posted a video of the jets landing at the air force ground.

“The Birds have landed safely in Ambala. The touch down of Rafale combat aircrafts in India marks the beginning of a new era in our Military History. These multirole aircrafts will revolutionise the capabilities of the @IAF_MCC,” tweeted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

As soon as the Rafale jets landed, the new fighter jets were given a water salute given at Indian Air Force airbase in Ambala, Haryana.

The aircraft will be officially inducted into the IAF in the second half of August.

Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had tweeted about five Rafale fighter jets entering the Indian air space, which was escorted by two Sukhoi-30 MKIs as they entered the Indian air space. 

The Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata (D63), which is deployed in the Arabian Sea had earlier established contact with the Rafale jets and had welcomed the five Rafale jets.

The five Rafale jets are to be inducted into the Indian Air Force at the Ambala later in August. They had left the Dassault Aviation’s Bordeaux-Merignac facility on Monday, July 27.

Number of Kashmiri youths joining terror groups has gone down by 40% since the Since abrogation of Article 370: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Number of Kashmiri youths joining terror groups has gone down by 40% since the Since abrogation of Article 370: Report

The number of Kashmiri youths joining Islamic terrorist groups has reduced significantly in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, since the revocation of Article 370, which had granted separate status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, reports Economic Times.

According to the reports, there has been a reduction of more than 40 percent in Kashmiri youths joining terrorist groups in the last year mainly after the abolition of Article 370 by the Modi government. The number of youths who joining terrorist groups fell to 67 between January 1 and July 15 this year, compared to 105 a year ago, while terror incidents also reduced from 188 to 120 during this period.

The Home Minister had informed that 22 civilians were killed after the removal of special status from January to mid-July. He had also informed Parliament last year that more than 41,000 people including locals and security personnel were killed due to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Out of 136 militants killed this year, 110 were locals and the rest had crossed the LoC from Pakistan. There have been fewer improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and grenade attacks this year. The number of IED attacks this year was 21, less than 51 in 2019, while one IED attack has been reported this year, as compared to six in the year-ago period.

Infiltrations remains high

As there has been a massive reduction in the home-grown terror, Pakistan-based terror groups are now pushing terrorists to Kashmir as infiltrations attempts along the Line of Control (LoC) have increased. It is also being reported that the peace in the valley is also partially due to the coronavirus lockdown.

As many as 136 terrorists have been killed by the security forces in the past seven months, higher than 126 in 2019.

Meanwhile, 35 security forces personnel have been martyred in the line of duty since January 1 compared to 75 in the year-ago period. Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), which is believed to have the largest presence in the region, has suffered highest casualties of more than 50 terrorists including its commander Riyaz Naikoo. The Hizbul commander was killed in an encounter with security forces in May this year.

Most of the other terrorists killed in the Valley belonged to Pakistan-based terror groups – Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, Islamic State of J&K and Ansar Ghazwat-ul Hind.

On August 5, the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the centre took a historic decision of abrogating Article 370, stripping away the separate status of Jammu and Kashmir state, and subsequently got the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill passed to bifurcate the state into two union territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Watch: The iconic video where Karsevaks razed the disputed structure standing on the Ram Janmabhoomi site to dust

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: The iconic video where Karsevaks razed the disputed structure standing on the Ram Janmabhoomi site to dust

The Bhoomi Pujan at the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya for the construction of a much-awaited Bhavya Ram Temple is set to happen on August 5. The event will be attended by various luminaries and the Puja will be performed by Prime Minister Modi himself.

With just a few days remaining for the auspicious event, it is worth reminiscing the iconic videos from the 1992 Ram Janmabhoomi movement that paved the way for the construction of a magnificent temple dedicated to Lord Ram in Ayodhya.

Demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya by Karsevaks

One of the most significant videos from the 1992 Ram Janmabhoomi movement is the demolition of the disputed structure forcefully erected on the Ram Janmabhoomi site at Ayodhya. After a nationwide campaign, a legion of Hindu activists and volunteers, known as Karsevaks, entered the premises and demolished the disputed building, the symbol of centuries of Islamic onslaught, standing on top of one of the most sacred grounds for the Hindu faith.

On December 6, 1992, about 150,000 Karsevaks from across the country attended a rally called by the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Ayodhya. Eventually, a large number of charged Karsevaks stormed the heavily fortified premises of the Ram Janmabhoomi where the disputed structure was standing and razed it to the ground.

Video of the demolition of the disputed structure (Source: YouTube)

As can be seen in the above video, a large number of restive karsevaks entered the premises and attacked the building what they regarded as an illegal construction on the birthplace of Lord Ram. Vastly outnumbered and unprepared for the attack, the police cordon fled the area as other Karsevaks began to enter the site. Some of them even managed to scale the structure and stood on the domes of the buildings waving saffron flags.

The karsevaks are then seen whittling down the controversial structure with instruments such as axes, sledgehammers, rods, grappling hooks and other equipment and within hours the entire structure, made from mud and chalk, was levelled.

The movement marked the first significant step towards reclaiming the birthplace of Lord Ram that was forcibly occupied by Mughal rulers, as a symbol of Islam’s victory over the Hindu faith. The movement culminated with the highest court of the country, the Supreme Court granting the disputed site to the Hindus, in a landmark judgment in the protracted case in November 2019.

Towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Indian Railways achieves major improvements in Freight and Logistics operations

OpIndia Staff
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Towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Indian Railways achieves major improvements in Freight and Logistics operations

While the economy continues to suffer due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and the economic slowdown that preceded it, Indian Railways have performed remarkably well during this period. Apart from completing a large number of long-pending projects taking the benefit of the absence of regular trains, the railways have improved the performance of freight operations considerably.

This was revealed by Railway Board VK Yadav in a press conference held via video conferencing on 28th July. As the general passenger train services remain suspended due to the Coronavirus lockdown, apart from Shramik Special Trains and Special Passenger Trains, the Railways have focused on improving and optimising freight operations during this period. As a result, the average speed of freight trains nearly doubled in the month of July. The average went up from 23.2 kmph in July 2019 to 45.03 kmph in the same month this year. On 27th July, the average speed was 46.2 kmph, compared to 22.5 kmph on the same date last year. While speeds increased in all the zones, it was highest in the Eastern Zone with 52.52 kmph, and lowest in North-Western zone with 44.62 kmph. As a result of increased speed, the turnaround time for wagons have improved, and more freight could be carried.

The Railways also completed more than 200 infrastructure projects in the last 4 months. Some of these included such projects which could be undertaken earlier as they required blocking the route for long duration, which was not possible due to high traffic. Several bottlenecks on the railway network have been removed with these improvements. Rebuilding/Rehabilitation of 82 bridges were done, 48 Level Crossing Gates were replaced with Limited Height Subway/Road Under Bridge. 16 foot overbridges were built or strengthened, while 14 such old foot overbridges were dismantled.

With the focus on improving freight operations, the Railways loaded more freights this year compared to last year. Indian Railways has also introduced Time Tabled Parcel Trains to improve punctuality and made improvements to Good Shed Facilities in mission mode. The Time Tabled Parcel Trains will be notified for 6 months. Zonal and Divisional Business Development Units have also been established to increase freight traffic. The units will provide single window for customer interface.

In an effort to end-to-end logistic services in parcel business, the Railways will gradually move away from leasing of parcel space in trains – and will introduce on-line booking of parcel space in trains of choice at pre-determined freight rates. This service will be offered on first-come first-serve basis. Suitable railway terminals will be converted to dedicated Parcel terminals to improve parcel services.

Separate terminals for parcels will mean that the parcel traffic will be separated from passenger platforms, and will provide more space for parcel handling. This will be a step in the direction of providing end-to-end logistic services to customers. The Railways is planning to rope in strategic private partners for different goods sheds. 2 EoIs have been already floated to test the scheme.

The Railways is also entering into a tie-up with the Department of Posts to provide end-to-end logistics solutions to parcel customers at 7 over Central Railway. The locations are Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nasik, Akola, Solapur, and Kolhapur. At a later stage, it will be expanded on the pan-India level. The Zonal Railways have been empowered to appoint service agents to provide the first-mile-last-mile service to customers. List of such agencies will be available on-line, and the customers will be able to choose a suitable agency

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