Delhi’s air quality becoming worst day by day

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January 17, 2019

Delhi’s air quality deteriorated further on Thursday to severe category due to reduced wind speed that prevented the dispersion of pollutants, authorities said.

According to Central Pollution Control Board data, the overall air quality index (AQI) in the city was 434, which falls in the severe category. An AQI between 100 and 200 comes under the moderate category, 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, while that between 401 and 500 is ‘severe’. The air quality was severe till Sunday but with improved wind speed of 20 km/hr, it significantly improved and was recorded in the ‘poor’ category until Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the air quality again deteriorated as the wind speed dropped and was recorded in the very poor category.

On Thursday, as many as 29 areas recorded ‘severe’ air quality and three ‘very poor’ air qualities. In the National Capital Region, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida and Greater Noida recorded ‘severe’ air quality while Gurgaon recorded ‘ very poor’ air quality. The overall PM2.5 level fine particulate matters in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers in Delhi were 365, while the PM10 level was 540, , CPCB said.

The Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) said the overall AQI over Delhi was recorded in the severe category.

Other weather conditions remain more or less same except that wind speed decreased from 5.3kmph to 2.5kmph. Since the speed drop is substantial, it has slowed down the dispersion significantly, SAFAR said.

Shah doing well, will be discharged in a day or two: BJP

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Web Team

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January 17, 2019

BJP president Amit Shah, who was admitted to AIIMS on Wednesday for swine flu treatment, is doing well and will be discharged in a day or two, the party said on Thursday.

“National President of BJP, Amit Shah ji, is doing well. He will be discharged in a day or two. Thanks everyone for your good wishes!” the party’s media head and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni said.

Shah had informed people about his illness Wednesday in a tweet. He was diagnosed with swine flu.

A team of doctors are monitoring his condition under the supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, the hospital had said.

Recreation trend a shortcut to creativity: AR Rahman

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Web Team

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January 17, 2019

Academy Award-winner AR Rahman has said that the trend of recreating retro songs in the industry is nothing but a shortcut to creativity. The composer further said that recreating classics is a safe, reliable “plan B” for artistes.

“It (recreating songs) is shortcut to creativity. When they are doing a movie and they have a release date and don’t have something good enough they say, ‘Ok I have plan B’ and then do this. That’s what happens,” Rahman told agencies.

Rahman was speaking at the launch of Nexa Music, which aims to provide aspiring Indian musicians a platform to compose original music and lyrics.

He is one of the mentors for the participants, four of whom will get a chance to do 12 live events with the NEXA Music mentors across the country.

He said that though there no one way to make music, things work differently in the West.

“Ideally a musical, what they do in the West is, they write the songs; the actors do their workshop, they play the music, tweak the screenplay and then it is finally made. So all that stuff is done before there,” he added.

The composer said that there are a growing number of aspiring singers who put their work on the Internet but that does not promise quality.

“Because of the Internet, today there’s no wall preventing someone to express what they want and put it out. But in the sea of so many things — mediocrity and greatness — everything is jumbled up. You can’t find where the diamond is,” he said.

Rahman said that the trick is to be self-aware and accept that even one’s flaws could be original.

“Sometimes the mistakes you make is an original thing. No one else will make the same mistake. Self-realisation is most important and it is also an art. It’s important to realise that even your flaw is original.”

What helps him, Rahman said, is the self-realisation.

“I look at my music objectively. I have 20 different ideas but I pick one. So you are never in the ‘whatever I do is gold’ zone. I filter and give it to the people. Then they filter and then it comes in. If something good is left out, I keep it for myself and develop it.

We oppose Citizenship Bill if clause to protect natives not included: CM

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Web Team

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January 17, 2019

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said that the BJP-led government in the state would not support the passage of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill unless there was a provision for protecting the indigenous people of the northeast. Singh also stressed that his government would want President’s assent to Manipur People’s (Protection) Bill, 2018 before passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The Manipur People’s (Protection) Bill, passed unanimously by the Assembly last July which aims to grant the status of “natives” to Meiteis, Pangal Muslims, scheduled tribes and others who moved to the state before 1951. The rest, categorised as “non-Manipuris”, will have to register themselves within one month of the notification of the law.

Unless there is a provision for protecting the indigenous people of Manipur as well as the other northeast states, the state government would not support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the chief minister said after inaugurating several development projects in Chandel district on Wednesday. He had earlier sent a memorandum to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, seeking President’s nod for Manipur Peoples’ (Protection) Bill.

The stand of the Manipur government is very clear. Before the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is passed by the Rajya Sabha, the President should give his assent to the Manipur People’s Bill, he asserted.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha last week, provides for according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 years, which is the norm currently, even if they do not possess any document.

Protests against the Citizenship Bill have rocked the entire northeast region where several indigenous organisations raising voice against the legislation, citing threat to their identity and culture.

Dance Bar verdict: NCP alleges nexus, crticises govt for presenting weak side in SC

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January 17, 2019

After Supreme Court’s verdict on the removal of ban on dance bars. The NCP on Thursday accused the Maharashtra government of presenting a weak side before the Supreme Court on the dance bar ban due to its alleged nexus with the association of bar owners.

It also demanded that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis takes immediate legal steps to ensure that dance bars do not start operating in the state once again.

“The government presented a weak side before the Supreme Court in the case due to the nexus between the government and association of dance bar owners. Because of this nexus, the present situation has emerged,” Malik said.

Leader of the Opposition in the State Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde seconded Malik.

“The government has once again fallen short in presenting its side on dance bar ban before the court. Concerned about effects of the decision in future. The government should immediately take legal steps to see dance bars do not start operating again,” Munde said on Twitter, tagging the Chief Minister’s office in the post.

The Supreme Court on Thursday paved the way for the reopening of dance bars in Maharashtra by setting aside some provisions of a 2016 law imposing restrictions on their licensing and functioning.

The apex court quashed the provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016, like the mandatory installations of CCTV cameras in the dance bars saying they violated privacy.

The bench, however, upheld the provision restricting the timing of operation of dance bars from 6 pm to 11.30 pm.

Saina entered quarterfinal of Malaysia Masters, Ready to face Okunara

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Web Team

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January 17, 2019

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal on Thursday entered the women’s singles quarterfinal of the Malaysia Masters with a straight-game win over Hong Kong’s Pui Yin Yip here.

Saina, seeded seventh, took 39 minutes to tame Yip 21-14 21-16 in her second round encounter. Saina will play second seed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the last-eight stage of the first Super 500 tournament of the year on Friday.

World no. 9 Saina holds an 8-4 overall head-to-head record against Okuhara, which includes back-to-back wins over the current world no.2 in the last two tournaments at the last year’s Demark Open and the French Open. If Saina manages to go past Okuhara, the Indian might run into fourth seed Carolina Marin, who is placed in her half of the draw.

Later Thursday, seventh seed Kidambi Srikanth will take on Vincent Wing Ki Wong of Hong Kong in a men’s singles second round match, while Saina’s husband Parupalli Kashyap will be up against sixth seed Anthony Sinisuka Gingting of Indonesia. In women’s doubles, the Indian pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Siki Reddy will square off against Indonesia’s Ni Ketut Mahadewi Istarani and Rizki Amelia Pradipta in a second round tie.

RSS pracharak Ram Lal in hospital

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Web Team

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January 17, 2019

BJP national general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal was admitted to a hospital in Noida where he was undergoing treatment for fever on Thursday.

He was running fever on Wednesday night and is still under observation. Some blood tests have been done and reports are awaited. He is fine but under observation, officials at Kailash Hospital here said.

Khemchand Sharma, member of BJP’s national IT and social media campaign, said that the 66 years old party office-bearer was in the hospital for “regular checkup”.

BJP National General Secretary (Organization) Shri Ram Lal ji admitted to Kailash Hospital in Noida just for regular checkup. I just had a discussion with his team. Nothing to worry, he will be discharged by today evening, Sharma tweeted.

Ram Lal has worked as a pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in western Uttar Pradesh before he was appointed to the current post in the BJP.

Jaitley accuses oppositions of subverting democracy

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Web Team

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January 17, 2019

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday termed opposition parties as ‘Compulsive Contrarians’ and accused them of manufacturing falsehood and subverting democracy by weakening an elected government.

Nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigour, not by the ‘Compulsive Contrarians’, he said in a Facebook blog without naming Congress or other opposition parties.

Jaitley, according to sources, is in the US for a medical checkup.

“The Compulsive Contrarians had no qualms about manufacturing falsehood. They could concoct arguments even if they went against the general interest of the country. They could masquerade corruption as crusade. They could adopt double standards whenever it suited them”, he said in a Facebook post titled ‘The Compulsive Contrarian and his Manufactured Logic’.

Citing the tirade mounted by political parties on host of issues including 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections and the Rafale defence deal, Jaitley said that the ‘Compulsive Contrarians’ believe that this Government can do no good and hence its every act must be opposed.

Nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigor, not by the Compulsive Contrarians. Didn’t left-liberals find fault with the various actions that Gandhiji took during the freedom movement? Weakening a Sovereign Elected Government and strengthening the unelectable is only a subversion of democracy, he wrote.

BJP fulfills dreams and aspirations of country’s youngsters: Modi

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January 17, 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the BJP is fully committed to fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of the country’s talented youngsters, as the party’s youth wing launched its campaign for his return to power in the Lok Sabha polls.

I commend the energetic BJYM team for their #VijayLaksh2019 movement that will mobilise Yuva Shakti from all over India on a large scale for a strong mandate for the BJP. Our Party is fully committed to fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of our talented youngsters. #NaMoYuva, Modi tweeted.

The prime minister’s tweet came after Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) chief Poonam Mahajan launched a campaign of 17 different programmes aimed at connecting with young voters with the slogan ‘Laksh hamara, Modi dobara’ (Our aim, Modi again).

The BJYM has named the exercise “Vijay Laksh 2019”.

SC rules in favour of Dance Bars in Maharashtra, relaxes strict restrictions

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Web Team

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January 17, 2019

The Supreme Court on Thursday relaxes strict restrictions and set aside certain provisions of a law imposing restrictions on the licensing and functioning of the dance bars in Maharashtra.

A bench headed by Justice A K Sikri quashed certain provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016 like the mandatory installation of CCTVs and a partition between bar rooms and the dance floor.

The top court, however, upheld some provisions. It allowed the payment of tips to performers but made it clear that showering of currency notes cannot be allowed.

It quashed the provision mandating that dance bars in Maharashtra should be one kilometre away from religious places and educational institutions.

It also upheld the condition fixing the timing of dance bars in the state from 6 pm to 11.30 pm.