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Commerce Ministry plans workshops in different states to implement agri-export policy

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The Commerce Ministry is planning a series of workshops in states including Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh to implement its export policy for agricultural goods with a view to boost overall shipments, an official said.

The ministry has suggested states to set up a nodal agency dedicated for the implementation of the agriculture export policy.

Workshops would help identify bottlenecks, get feedback and suggestions to improve and overcome difficulties in the implementation of the policy.

“There is a plan to organise workshops in all the states for this policy with a view to boost exports of agricultural goods. States have been asked to prepare their separate agri-export policy also,” the official added.

The Ministry has asked Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to formulate a template for states, based on which states would prepare their policy.

Implementation of the elements of the policy would have some financial implications, some of which will be met from within the framework of existing schemes of various ministries.

The first national workshop on the policy was recently held in the national capital.

The approved policy also focuses on areas including research and development, cluster development, improvement in logistics and transportation.

Agri-products currently constitute over 10 per cent of the country’s total shipments.

During April-November this fiscal, exports rose 11.58 per cent to USD 217.52 billion.

Promoting exports helps a country create jobs, boost manufacturing and earn more foreign exchange.

Ranveer Singh raps his way into hearts with ‘Apna Time Aayega’

apna time ayega

The trailer of Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt-starrer ‘Gully Boy’ had taken the internet by storm owing to its powerful dialogues and the raw acting prowess of the lead pair. And now the makers of the film have dropped the first song titled ‘Apna Time Aayega’ which is also the film’s tagline.

While the trailer only gave the audience a few glimpses of Ranveer’s brilliant rapping skills, the song showcases Ranveer rapping his heart out.

Alia took to her Twitter handle to unveil the song, writing, “#ApnaTimeAayega out now.”

Ranveer has lent his voice for the catchy track and has done a condemnable job showcasing his terrific rapping skills in the song. ‘Apna Time Aayega’ can be perfectly described as the new anthem for all those who dream of making it big in their lives.

The 2 minutes and 10-second song gives a glimpse into the world of ‘Gully Boy’. Just like Asli Hip Hop, the song has its own charm and traces the journey of the actor from slums to Hip Hop.

The lyrics talk about the realities of life and how one day time will change for an underdog. With its catchy tune, Ranveer’s voice and killer lyrics, the track will instantly make its way to your playlist!

The song is composed by Dub Sharma and DIVINE. The track’s lyrics are penned by DIVINE and Ankur Tewari.

‘Gully Boy’ is inspired by the lives of Mumbai street rappers Vivian Fernandes aka Divine and Naved Shaikh aka Naezy. The film is directed by Zoya Akhtar. This is Ranveer’s second collaboration with Zoya.

The first movie they had worked on together was ‘Dil Dhadkne Do’. The film is all set to hit the big screens on Valentine’s Day, February 14.

Apart from this, Ranveer and Alia will also be seen in Karan Johar’s upcoming directorial ‘Takht’. The period drama also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal and Bhumi Pednekar.

Alia also has other films in her kitty including ‘Brahmastra’ opposite rumoured beau Ranbir Kapoor and the multi-starrer ‘Kalank’.

Emraan Hashmi’s son Ayaan declared cancer free

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Actor Emraan Hashmi on Monday revealed his son Ayaan has been declared cancer free.

Ayaan was diagnosed with a rare case of kidney cancer in 2014 at the age of three.

“Today, 5 years after his diagnosis Ayaan has been declared cancer free. It has been quite a journey. Thank you for all your prayers and wishes.

“Love and prayers for all the cancer fighters out there, hope and belief goes a long way. You can WIN this battle!” Emraan posted on Twitter alongside three pictures of him and his son.

The actor had also co-written a book titled “The Kiss of Life: How A Superhero and My Son Defeated Cancer” along with Bilal Siddiqi.

The book chronicled his son’s struggle with the dreaded disease.

The 39-year-old actor will be next seen in “Why Cheat India”. The film releases Friday.

Maroon 5 to perform at Super Bowl with Travis Scott, Big Boi

maroonFollowing months of controversy, it has been confirmed that Maroon 5 will headline the Super Bowl halftime show in Atlanta on February 3.

The group will be joined by rapper Travis Scott and former Outkast member Big Boi.

From celebrities like Amy Schumer to organisations like NAAPC, many have taken issue with the halftime booking, partially because of NFL’s treatment of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has been essentially taken out of the league for kneeling during the National Anthem and because the big game is taking place in Atlanta, the capital of black music in the US. They subsequently advocated for musicians to turn down the gig.

According to the report, artistes like Cardi B, Outkast, Mary J. Blige, Usher and Nicki Minaj – were considered or approached to perform with Maroon 5. Notably, the announcement comes late in the football season schedule because of negotiations dragging out. Justin Timberlake, who performed at the 2018 Super Bowl, was announced on the preceding October 23 while Lady Gaga, the 2017 performer, was announced on the preceding September 29.

Maroon 5 will now have two artistes of colour performing with them at the Super Bowl.

Other acts performing in town during the days leading up to the game include Cardi, Post Malone and Bruno Mars. Local artistes like Ludacris and Lil Jon too will feature prominently at the Bud Light shows held on the weekend of the game.

This Hollywood ‘head turner’ will soon debut in Bollywood with Ajay Devgn

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Ajay Devgn on Monday introduced the world to a very special cast member from his upcoming film ‘Total Dhamaal.’

The ‘Singham’ star took to Twitter to share a picture with “Hollywood’s head turner”, Crystal the Monkey, who is best known for her roles in ‘The Hangover Part II’ and ‘Night at the Museum.’

“Say Hi to Hollywood’s head turner Crystal, debuting soon in Bollywood in #TotalDhamaal. Trailer out soon!” he tweeted.

‘Total Dhamaal’ is the third film in the comedy entertainer franchise ‘Dhamaal.’ The comedy flick also features Madhuri Dixit, Arshad Warsi, Sanjay Dutt and Anil Kapoor.

It will hit the big screens on February 22.

 

Dwayne Johnson reveals truth behind ‘fabricated’ interview

dwayneAmerican actor Dwayne Johnson accused a British tabloid publication for presenting fake interview, stating that the interview never happened.

‘The Rock’ star took to his Twitter handle to reveal the truth of publication which quoted the star as, “smacking down snowflakes,” an online portal reported.

Johnson shared a video on Instagram stating, “I can’t believe I have to do this again and set the record straight on something again, Earlier today online an interview dropped with me – apparently it was with me – where I was insulting and criticizing millennials,”

He further added, “The interview never took place,” he stated. “Never happened, never said any of those words. Completely untrue. 100% fabricated, I was quite baffled when I woke up this morning.”

In the article, he was written in the way that he was pictured as skeptical of “PC softies” and it was also stated that he “spoke out after a flood of snowflake stories hit the headlines,”

“So many good people fought for freedom and equality – but this generation looking for a reason to be offended,” the paper attributed to the ‘Rampage’ star.

Moreover, defending himself the 46-year-old star further said, “I’ve gained such a great trust and equity with all you guys all around the world over the years and you know it’s not a real DJ interview if I’m ever insulting a group, a generation, or anyone because that’s not me. That is not who I am and it’s not what we do. So to the millennials, the interview never happened.”

The interview was published on Friday by Daily Star and billed as exclusive on its front page. Later the story was removed from their online website by the publication.

Currently, the ‘Baywatch’ star is promoting his upcoming movie, action-flick Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw.

 

Chris Pratt ‘thrilled to be marrying’ Katherine Schwarzenegger

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Congratulations are in order for Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger — the couple got engaged!

The ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ actor revealed the happy news on social media with an adorable message for “sweet Katherine” and also expressed his excitement to be marrying his ladylove.

“Sweet Katherine, so happy you said yes! I’m thrilled to be marrying you. Proud to live boldly in faith with you. Here we go!” wrote the 39-year-old along with a picture of him cuddling up Schwarzenegger.

Also visible in the picture is the big rock on the latter’s engagement finger.

The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ star was earlier married to Anna Farris. The two, who are parents to six-year-old son Jack, called it quits in 2017 and settled their divorce in November, last year.

Chris Pratt Katherine Schwarzenegger

Christian Bale wins big at Critics’ Choice Awards

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The year has begun on a good note for ‘Vice’ actor Christian Bale!

Days after his Golden Globes win, Bale took home the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Film for his role as former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in Adam McKay’s political satire. The film traces the politician’s rise to power.

While accepting the trophy at the 24th annual awards ceremony, the 44-year-old said, “I guess time sort of allows it to be considered a comedy, but it’s really a tragedy.”

The ‘Dark Knight’ actor took to stage again to accept the Best Actor award. “When you can only do really one thing in your life it’s great to be recognized for it,” Bale said, thanking the actors around him.

Taye Diggs hosted this year’s ceremony which was held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

Pak High Commission staffer taken to police station for touching woman

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A staffer of the Pakistan High Commission was taken to a police station here for reportedly touching a woman inappropriately, police said on Monday.

The woman and the staffer were brought to Sarojini Nagar police station on Sunday. According to the woman, the man touched her inappropriately in the market, a claim rejected by the staffer, they said.

The man said that his hand merely brushed past the woman due to heavy crowd in the market. A senior police official said that the matter was sorted out after the man apologised to the woman, police said

The police also denied media reports that the staffer was detained.

 

KUMBH: Police to use RFID tags to find lost kids.

kumbh1With a view to tracing the children lost during the massive Kumbh congregation here, the Uttar Pradesh police will be using RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags for kids under 14 years. RFID is a form of wireless communication that incorporates the use of electro-magnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to uniquely identify an object or a person.

Kumbh is the biggest congregation in which over 12 crore people are expected to take part over the next 50 days. With a view to ensuring that the children do not get lost, we will be using RFID tags on kids under 14 years attending the Kumbh. The department has collaborated with Vodafone, which has agreed to coordinate, and 40,000 RFID tags will be used, state Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh said on Monday.

The DGP said that the 15 modern, integrated, digital lost and found centres have been set up in the Kumbh area which has been integrated with the district police and social media. An arrangement for display of information through LEDs has also been made with a public address system. For traffic management, the police will be using an integrated system and an intra-district route diversion, besides crowd analytics and an intelligent traffic management system (ITMS), he added.

As many as 20 major parking spots have been developed as satellite towns equipped with modern amenities such as cloakrooms, health kiosks and eateries to avoid rush in Prayagraj city. For the first time, an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system is being used, the DGP said, adding that it will detect vehicles by colour, licence plate and date-time combinations.

Variable message display boards (VMD) have also been put up for real time information dissemination, warnings, traffic advice, route guidance and emergency messages.