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Over 50% migrant workers and 74% rural Indians happy with PM Modi handling coronavirus situation despite hardships, survey reveals

OpIndia Staff
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Over 50% migrant workers and 74% rural Indians happy with PM Modi handling coronavirus situation despite hardships, survey reveals

Despite facing acute hardships, an overwhelming majority of rural Indians and almost half the migrant workers have expressed satisfaction over how Prime Minister Modi has handled the coronavirus crisis. A nationwide survey by media platform Gaon Connection released on Monday revealed that 74 per cent rural Indians and 50 per cent migrant workers said the Modi government cared both for the cities and villages.

A total of 25,300 respondents in 179 districts across 20 states and union territories were interviewed between May 30 and July 16, 2020, during the survey and according to Goan connection, mostly all of them who were interviewed were the breadwinners of their households.

The survey findings which has been put together in a form of a report named The Rural Report by Gaon Connection revealed that the lockdown imposed by the central government to control the spread of the deadly pathogen doesn’t seem to have adversely impacted the perception of rural citizens about the Modi government at the Centre, or the governments in the states on the whole.

“For instance, on being asked whether the Modi government’s attitude towards migrant workers during the lockdown had been good or bad, 73 per cent or over seven out of ten respondents interviewed in rural areas of the country said it had been good (29 per cent said very good and 44 per cent rated it as good),” the Gaon Connection said.

It also found that 71 per cent ration card-owning households said they received wheat or rice from the government during the lockdown.

Despite the hardships faced, the Goan connection survey found that almost 33 per cent out of the total number of migrant workers interviewed said that they would like to return to work in the cities.

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc across the country. With workplaces shutting down due to the lockdown imposed to control the spread of the pathogen, many migrant workers had to deal with the loss of income, food shortages and uncertainty about their future. Conservative estimates by research scholars put the number of migrant works affected by the lockdown to be anywhere between 20 million and 22 million.

The survey revealed that 23 per cent of migrant workers returned home walking during the lockdown, 18 per cent by bus, and 12 per cent of them by train. Since, due to the nationwide lockdown, all transport modes were shut, the desperate migrant labourers were left with no option but to walk down-home.

Modi government started Shramik trains to facilitate the return of the migrant labourers to their home states

To deal with this crisis and facilitate the return of the migrant labourers back to their home state, the Modi government had started Shramik trains.

Lakhs of migrant labourers have been transported back to their home states in special Shramik Trains that have been started by the Government of India. Official data revealed that the Railways spent Rs 2,142 crore on running Shramik Special trains for ferrying stranded migrant workers home during the coronavirus lockdown, but earned a revenue of just Rs 429 crore.

Meanwhile, the survey conducted by the media houe, Goan connection said that bout 40 per cent of this workforce faced food scarcity during its journey back home, while it said that 12 per cent were reportedly beaten by the police. 

Interestingly, majority of the migrant workers (36 per cent) claimed they returned to the villages due to the fear of contracting the coronavirus, and 29 per cent said they returned since they had no money to survive in the cities.

Prime Minister Modi launched Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan to help provide jobs to migrant workers

Aware of the adversities the poor had to face due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Narendra Modi govt had launched the Rs 50000 crore ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ to create rural infrastructure and provide jobs to returned migrant workers.

“So far, migrants were helping to build the cities. Now, they will get jobs near their homes. Till now, you were assisting in the development of cities. From now onwards, you will help in the development of your villages, your neighborhoods,” PM Modi had said when he launched the scheme on June 20.

The scheme aims to empower unemployed migrant workers by providing them with employment for 125 days with a resource envelope of Rs 50,000 crore.

Karnataka High Court grants anticipatory bail to man who had written ‘Quran is more dangerous than Corona’ on Facebook

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka High Court grants anticipatory bail to man who had written ‘Quran is more dangerous than Corona’ on Facebook

On Tuesday, the Karnataka high court reportedly granted anticipatory bail to a man named Kusumadhara Kaniyoor for comparing Coronavirus with the Quran. As per a report in Live Law, the ‘provocative’ comments were made by the 32-year-old in April, amidst the nationwide lockdown. 

The Bellare police had registered a case against Kaniyoor under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153-A (wanton vilification of any religion) and 505-2 (provocation), following a complaint by one Mahammed Saheer. Reportedly, the accused had written a message on Facebook that read, “Quran is more dangerous to India than Corona.”

No permission sought before filing complaint

Advocate Sachin BS appearing for the accused argued that Kaniyoor is a public servant and since no permission was sought before filing the complaint, the question of taking cognisance of the matter did not arise. He further stated that his client was being implicated falsely in the case when ‘prima-facie’ there was no element in Knaiyoor’s Facebook message that promoted religious animosity between two classes of the society.

Accused would evade the law, claimed prosecution

Appearing on behalf of the State, Advocate Mahesh Shetty emphasised that the Facebook post of the accused was punishable under IPC Sections 153-A and 505(2). He claimed that Kaniyoor was absconding from the day of the complaint and that he might evade if he was granted anticipatory bail. Moreover, advocate Shetty argued that the accused had to be interrogated in judicial custody.

Accused granted bail by Karnataka High Court

When Kusumadhara Kaniyoor approached a Sessions Court, his anticipatory bail plea was rejected. He then moved the Karnataka High Court seeking a pre-arrest bail. The accused was granted bail by Justice K Natrajan on a personal bond of ₹25,000. Moreover, Kaniyoor was directed to appear before the Investigating Officer within 15 days and to not repeat the same offence.

Since no material was provided that could ascertain that the police sought permission before filing ‘criminal prosecution’, the Court noted, “By looking to the facts and circumstances of the case, the principles laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Manzar Sayeed Khan’s case and (the) message posted by the petitioner, at this stage, it cannot be said that there is prima-facie case made out against the petitioner for having committed any alleged offence, where it promotes the communal violence or tension between two groups of society.”

Radical Islamists have killed 221 people in the world within just the first 7 days of August 2020: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Radical Islamists have killed 221 people in the world within just the first 7 days of August 2020: Report

In a shocking revelation, it has been found that a staggering 221 people across the world have been killed by radical Islamists just in the first week of August, that is between August 1 and August 7, reported The Religion of Peace, a global Islamist crime watchdog.

The website stated that radical Islamists have carried out a total of 38 terror attacks within just 7 days of August in 11 countries. While the looming threat of radical Islamism is often negated, the Religion of Peace noted that radical Islamist terror outfits executed 135 such attacks in a month’s time. The said incidents of terror led to 646 injuries and 662 deaths in 21 countries.

Major terror attacks in August

In the Jalalabad jail attack that was orchestrated by the Islamic State on August 2, a total of 29 people had lost their lives in Afghanistan. The 8 terrorists were neutralised following a 20-hour long gunfight with the Afghan security forces. On the same day, the terror outfit Boko Haram killed 18 people and injured 11 others in Nguetchewe in Cameroon. On August 7, Namoungou city in Burkina Faso witnessed heavy gunfire by Islamist groups in a cattle market that eventually led to 12 injuries and 20 deaths. Reportedly, two dozen non-Muslims were killed in Kaduna in Nigeria by Jamaat al-Ansar al-Muslimeen on August 7.

On August 2, a territorial army soldier named Shakir Manzoor was kidnapped by terrorists in Shopian, South Kashmir. His blood-stained clothes were found on August 7, fuelling speculations that he may have been killed. Though the incident did not grab headlines in Indian mainstream media, on Sunday, a viral audio message by a terrorist was circulated, confirming that they have killed and buried Manzoor at an unknown location.

Islamist terror attacks underreported in the media

“These are not incidents of ordinary crime involving nominal Muslims killing for money or vendetta. This is deadly violence that is reasonably determined to have been committed out of religious duty – as interpreted by the perpetrator.  Islam needs to be a motive, but it need not be the only factor,” the website explained the rationale behind the compilation of instances of Islamic terror. The Religion of Peace further noted that many such terror attacks are not reported in prominent news organisations, even after multiple casualties.

West Bengal: Son of man who died of coronavirus was asked to pay Rs 51,000 to see father’s body

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Son of man who died of coronavirus was asked to pay Rs 51,000 to see father’s body

A family in West Bengal has alleged that the private hospital, in which a relative died due to Covid-19, has forced them to pay Rs.51,000 to see the body. As per reports, a person named Hari Gupta passed away at a private hospital after losing the fight to coronavirus on Saturday midnight. His son Sagar Gupta alleged that the hospital did not inform them about the death for many hours.

Sagar said, “On Sunday afternoon, we received a call from the hospital saying that my father had passed away at 1 am the previous night. When we questioned why we were not informed about it, the hospital officials said that they did not have our contact information.”

On reaching the hospital, they were allegedly told that the body has already been sent for cremation. When the family reached the Shibpur cremation group, the staff present there asked them to pay Rs.51,000 to see the remains. After arguing with the staff, the charges were reduced to Rs.31,000. The family decided not to pay any fees and approached the Police for help.

When the police officer arrived at the cremation ground, the hospital officials refused to oblige to his request as well. The family further stated that the hospital staff asked the Police to go back and ask higher authorities to talk to them. When the family members tried to record the incident, the hospital staff snatched their phones.

After media pressure started to build up, the cremation authorities took Rs.2,500, which is the deposit amount for showing the body. Dhawal Jain, Howrah Corporation Commissioner, was approached for comments. As mentioned by India Today, he stated that there is a phone number mentioned at the Shivpur cremation ground “in big letter” where people can call if someone bothers them. As he had not received any call from the family members in the matter, he cannot further comment on it. He added that it is possible that the family might not have noticed the number. “We have not got any complaint yet, if one is received then it will be investigated,” he added.

Covid-19 cases in India

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India has reported 22,68,675 cases of Covid-19 so far. There are 6,39,929 active cases and 15,83,489 have been cured. 45,257 have died due to complication related to coronavirus infection.

In West Bengal, 98,459 cases have been reported so far. 70,328 have been cured and the number of active cases stands at 26,031. 2,100 have lost their lives due to Covid-19. In the past few months, Mamta Banerjee-led West Bengal government had been accused of hiding the actual number of cases/deaths and mistreatment of patients and dead bodies.

Black Lives Matter holds solidarity rally supporting looters involved in Chicago looting

OpIndia Staff
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Black Lives Matter holds solidarity rally supporting looters involved in Chicago looting

Black Lives Matter members on Monday held a rally on Monday night to express solidarity with over 100 individuals who were arrested after they went on a looting spree in Chicago.

One of the BLM rally organisers justified the looting by claiming that the looters could take whatever they did from showrooms such as Gucci, Nike or Macy’s because these stores have insurance.

Uttar Pradesh: Shots fired at lawyer who had filed petition against illegal mosque, Atiq Ahmad gang suspected of involvement

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Shots fired at lawyer who had filed petition against illegal mosque, Atiq Ahmad gang suspected of involvement

On Sunday 9th August in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, some miscreants fired shots at Abhishek Shukla, a lawyer Allahabad High Court and joint secretary of the Bar Association. He narrowly survived the attack. As per the reports, he was assaulted and looted as well. Shukla was admitted in SRN hospital for treatment of the injuries. As per the doctors, his condition is stable, and he is out of danger.

The incident took place at Jagriti crossroad in Rajrooppur area. On learning about the incident, the advocates reached the spot and encircled the police post in the area. There are reports of arguments between the policemen and the angry advocates. They demanded the arrest of the accused and warned that they will start protests if the police do not take immediate action.

Atiq Ahmad gang might be behind the attack

As per reports, it is being said that Prayagraj city’s Atiq Ahmad gang is behind the shooting. However, SSP Abhishek Dixit said that it had not been confirmed yet. The police have registered a case based on the information they got and search operation is on to find the accused.

How did the incident happen?

Abhishek Shukla, who lives at his Nimsarai residence, was standing with his colleagues near Jagriti crossroad in Rajarooppur at around 9:15 PM on Sunday. Four miscreants arrived there on the bike and fired at him. He narrowly escaped the firing, and after that, the attackers started assaulting him. They looted his gold chain and locket. Some people ran to save Shukla. The attackers escaped on seeing the crowd approaching them.

ADG Prem Prakash said that the miscreants opened fire at advocate Abhishek Shukla, but he escaped narrowly. He was beaten up and looted by the attackers.

News clipping on the attack

Shukla had filed a petition against illegal mosque at HC premises

The Hindu Legal Council has released a press statement in which they said that Abhishek suffered three shots on his hands and feet. It added that Shukla had filed a petition against the construction of an illegal mosque in Allahbad High Court premises. The case is currently pending in the Supreme Court. Though it is not confirmed yet, the statement has alleged that his petition against the mosque may have been the reason behind the attack as he was in the crosshairs of many radical elements.

Not satire: Shashi Tharoor and Barkha Dutt hold a serious discussion over PM Modi’s “communal” beard

OpIndia Staff
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Not satire: Shashi Tharoor and Barkha Dutt hold a serious discussion over PM Modi’s “communal” beard

This is a serious discussion between senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and a senior journalist Barkha Dutt about the beard grown by Prime Minister Modi. And in all seriousness the duo are discussing the length of his beard and how it looks ‘communal’.

Towards the end of the rant at around 5 minute 42 seconds, Tharoor says that once if the court has taken a decision that a temple can come up, of course it should come up but his objection is on the sitting prime minister carrying out the Bhoomi Pujan. He adds he wouldn’t have had issues if the Bhoomi Pujan was carried out by ‘appropriate religious authorities’. He claims PM Modi doing the Bhoomi Pujan is appropriation of religious imagery and the conflation of the religious and political.

“Mr Modi allows his beard to grow. Ever since the judgement you’ve noticed he is not trimming his beard. It is getting longer and longer. He is coming there looking like some sort of Rishi Raj like state king in saffron robes,” he says. Barkha Dutt intervenes that how imagery is all part of politics. “Your persona, your signalling, your messaging, it is part of it,” she says. To this Tharoor says that PM Modi wears every type of headgear presented to him “except the Muslim skull cap,” he adds.

When Dutt asked him what his problem with the beard, he says the beard is all about giving the ‘Rishi Raj’ appearance. “Beard was done to give this ‘Rishi Raj’ appearance about the holy man who is also the king. The sage who is also the warrior. That is the image that is being conveyed,” he said.

Tharoor, apparently, is not the only one to have a problem with PM Modi’s beard. ‘Liberals’ and Islamists alike have also expressed their concerns over his beard.

ThePrint and The Wire columnist referred to the beard as a symbol of ‘Hindu militancy’. Similarly, former JNU student activist-turned politician-turned activist Shehla Rashid thought his beard is like that of Ertugrul, the lead character of Turkish drama series which the Pakistanis and Rana Ayyub have been bingewatching and going ga-ga over.

Journalist Hartosh Singh Bal was also quite fixated on the beard.

One Islamist also thought PM Modi with his beard is establishing a caliphate.

It is 2020 and we’re in middle of pandemic that originated in China but for some, beards are communal.

Shashi Tharoor clings to hope citing a Congress supporter’s poll on Twitter, which was won by his boss Rahul Gandhi

OpIndia Staff
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Shashi Tharoor clings to hope citing a Congress supporter’s poll on Twitter, which was won by his boss Rahul Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who has been posting some ludicrous tweets of late, today quoted a tweet of a Twitter user who had run a poll on who would win the elections if they were to be conducted today. The poll result showed that 53 per cent of the respondents preferred Congress over the BJP.

Tharoor quoted the tweet and asserted that the poll, which was responded by a paltry 7,764 voters of the 17.3 million Twitter India users was a more accurate representative sample than the 12,151 out of the 1.2 billion people, which was the basis of the India Today’s survey.

The India Today survey had revealed that about a resounding 78 per cent of respondents found the performance of PM Modi to be outstanding/good.

Titled as ‘Mood of the Nation survey’, the poll also found out that 66 per cent of the respondents believed that PM Modi should be the next PM of India while the Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi could rack up only 8 per cent of favourable votes in the favour of his candidature for the post of Prime Minister.

However, the soaring popularity of PM Modi and the declining credibility of Rahul Gandhi, as depicted in the India Today survey, came as a rude awakening for the Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who was quick to dismiss the India Today’s elaborate survey determining the mood of the nation by leaning on an unreliable Twitter poll organised by a Congress supporting individual and not an independent entity.

According to Shashi Tharoor, the poll ran by a Congress supporting person, who self-identifies as a journalist* (please see update at the end of the article), with approximately 18,000 followers on Twitter, which could manage to accumulate only 7,700 votes and was likely prone to rigging by Congress IT cell members, was more credible than the survey ran by an independent media organisation, just because it painted a rosier picture of the Congress party than the reality and projected Rahul Gandhi as the victorious, at least in one online poll.

This is not an aberration where Tharoor seems to have taken a leave of his good senses. If one has a cursory glance at the tweets posted by him in the last few days, it will be amply clear that Tharoor has been mouthing off inanities, especially after the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

A day after PM Modi participated in the ground-laying ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and placed the ceremonial cornerstone to officially mark the construction of the Ram Mandir, Shashi Tharoor had an extended meltdown, posting a series of tweets, denouncing BJP for supposedly “hijacking” Lord Ram’s name. Tharoor appeared in a damage-control mode, as he tried to salvage declining fortunes of the Congress party, which had once questioned the existence of Lord Ram, by extolling the virtues that Lord Ram symbolised.

PM Modi’s presence at the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of the Ram Mandir rattled Tharoor so much so that he cited trivial matters to attack PM Modi. In his speech during the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony, PM Modi had addressed the people of the country as “1.3 billion Indians”. However, Tharoor cavilled at PM Modi’s speech, tweeting that the population of India is 1.38 billion and that the omission of 8 crore people from the Prime Minister was worrisome.

Furthermore, the artistic rendition of PM Modi holding the hand of Lord Ram and taking him towards the Ram Mandir drew the ire of many opposition politicians, including Shashi Tharoor, who tweeted a Hindi limerick to slam the BJP for showing PM Modi’s stature bigger than Lord Ram. However, it was conspicuously lost on Tharoor that the Ram Mandir was a temple to Ram Lalla and it would be entirely logical that Lord Ram has a diminutive stature.

Shashi Tharoor’s recent inanities are reminiscent of a former Congress member, who was recently shown the door, apparently for insubordination and lack of discipline. Sanjay Jha, who was dismissed last month for his critical views on the Congress party, has long been the object of scorn and derision for his utterly preposterous tweets and foolish presumptions.

With Sanjay Jha ceasing to be the unofficial jester of the Congress party, it appears that Tharoor, perhaps, has taken it upon himself to fill the void in the absence of his former colleague and continue the responsibility of amusing the netizens with what was once Jha’s forte. As Congress continues to stare at political oblivion, and Rahul Gandhi doing little to salvage its declining fortunes, Tharoor seems to have assumed the new role of tickling the funny bones of social media users, even if that means peddling ludicrous inanities.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s inordinately silly tweets not only serve to amuse the party opponents and possibly embarass his supporters, but they also highlight the steady deterioration of the intellectual capacity of a leader who was once considered as one of the most erudite Congress leaders to a one resorting to fatuity and absurdity to mount an attack against the opposition. In fact, the India Today’s poll result is nothing but the reflection of this progressive and irreversible degeneration of the Congress party.

Update* – The Twitter user Ranvijay, after initial publication of this report, objected to himself being portrayed as a ‘Congress functionary’ and insisted that he was a journalist. The copy was updated to respect his whims. However, with passage of time and more losses by Rahul Gandhi in elections, Ranvijay became a more and more outspoken supporter of the party. Latest incident (see tweets below) in January 2025 shows that Ranvijay, whom Shashi Tharoor tried to pass off as an independent journalist, was likely to be actively collaborating with Congress IT cell. However, Ranvijay is not a Congress functionary, yet, in official capacity.

Chhattisgarh: Masarsa teacher arrested for raping a 9 year old girl in Raipur

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: Masarsa teacher arrested for raping a 9 year old girl in Raipur

A Maulana, Mohammed Arshad Rehmani, has been arrested in Raipur, Chhattisgarh for the alleged rape of a minor. The accused, who is a 25-year-old, has been visiting the home of the 9-year-old girl for the past fifteen days to teach her younger sister Arabic. Recently, he began teaching the victim also. The alleged rape occurred on Sunday and the accused has been arrested since then.

The Maulana, a teacher at a Madarsa, assaulted the girl sexually on Sunday at her house in Raipur and subsequently, escaped from there. Afterwards, the child told her parents about the ordeal following which they promptly reported the matter to the police. A complaint was registered, the police have said. The accused has been booked under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Further investigation into the matter is currently underway. It has been reported that Rehmani had earlier engaged in inappropriate conduct with the child as well. The Maulana committed the heinous act after he found the little girl alone in her house.

Pilot flies back to home turf? After weeks of political drama, Sachin Pilot says Ashok Gehlot is his leader

OpIndia Staff
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Pilot flies back to home turf? After weeks of political drama, Sachin Pilot says Ashok Gehlot is his leader

The political turmoil in Rajasthan appears to have to an end with senior leader of the Congress party, Sachin Pilot, bending the knee before the Chief Minister of the state Ashok Gehlot. As per reports, the suspended Deputy CM has accepted Gehlot as his leader.

The Congress party had said in a statement earlier, “Sachin Pilot has met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and expressed his grievances in detail. They have had a frank, open and conclusive discussion. Sachin Pilot has committed to working in the interest of the Congress party and the Congress government in Rajasthan.”

The statement also said that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) will constitute a three-member committee to address the grievances raised by the MLAs supporting Sachin Pilot and the disgruntled leader himself.

Bhanwar Lal Sharma, an important Congress rebel, met Ashok Gehlot on Monday and said that the “party is like a family and Ashok Gehlot is its head.” “There was no camp, nobody was a captive. Bhanwar Lal can never be a captive. I went there willingly, I have come here willingly,” Sharma said.

“I met him. Party is like a family and Ashok Gehlot is its head. If someone gets upset in a family then they don’t take food. So I expressed my unhappiness for a month. Now I don’t have any resentment anymore. Party will fulfill all the promises made to people,” he added.

Recently, Ashok Gehlot had lashed out at Sachin Pilot and called him “nikamma and nakaara (useless)”. “Rajasthan is the only state in the country where no demands were raised from any quarter to change the pradesh Congress committee president in the last seven years. We knew that no work is happening. We knew he is nikamma and nakaara (useless). We still didn’t question him keeping the party interest in mind,” Gehlot told the media.

Gehlot had also claimed that he was not in ‘talking terms’ with the Deputy Chief Minister of the state Sachin Pilot. He stated that Pilot was just playing the victim card over Special Operation Group (SOG) notice to him. On July 14, the Congress party had sacked the young Turk as Rajasthan state Congress chief and removed him from the post of Deputy Chief Minister of the state. The party had alleged that the leader had gone rogue and had conspired with BJP to destabilise the government in Rajasthan.

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