Solar energy products are a unique innovation and its use should be fully taken advantage of. Even Nationalised Banks are financing for such schemes including that of installation of solar panels at a concessional rate of interest. By making use of solar energy, we can save Power generated by the regular methods. So, it is time for the government to offer a tax rebate to the individuals and offices preferring to us solar energy in their daily consumption of electricity. Though the progress in making use of the alternate energy is slow, it is a great relief for the government and they must sponsor such group loans and provide a subsidy to attract more users of solar energy. As a matter of fact, the power generated by the solar panels provides hot water in our washrooms and help to reduce power tariff very much. Common lights used in housing complexes, corridor and parking lots can be managed by Solar Power.
Saving Electricity should be our first aim and it is up to the government to chalk out a policy by which more and more Tax Rebate should be extended so that more and more people go for the option. The necessary expertise should be provided to install Solar Panels in Terrace and even in balconies of the building. Powers shortage is posing a big problem in Maharashtra in general and the country in particular. Erratic power cuts cause innumerable problems to people in metro cities. People go in for generators and inverters to solve this perennial problem. With so many reservoirs at our disposal, we can solve the problem without much fuss.
The windmill can also solve the power problem partially. However, the best remedy is using Solar Power for domestic usage. The solar water heater is a device that can heat the water up to a temperature of 80-degree centigrade. The system consists of a flat plate collector, a Water Tank, pipes, and fittings. The solar water heater can be used both for commercial as well as domestic purposes. You can harvest abundant solar energy through Solar Water Heating system, which can reduce your electricity as well as gas bills. Solar water heater usage should be given more publicity and the necessary feedback to be passed to the individuals through advertisement and Television coverage. It is a right step in the right direction go in for Solar energy products and use in the best way possible.
The latest conceptual thinking world over in the generation and conservation of power is solar energy. It is being propagated world over by many of the developed countries as an eco-friendly concept. The pioneering efforts of the developed countries like Germany have proved to the world that solar energy is certainly a feasible, economical, and successful concept. Why can’t India too follow this concept to save the planet from the adverse effects of global radiation? It is high time that we all should apply our minds in this direction. All the governments, quasi-Governments, Social Organisations, United Nations etc. should take initiative to follow the Nations like Germany and save the planet from radiation as also improve power generation for a sustained growth in productivity and economy.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Yog guru Ramdev has favoured taking the ordinance route in case of further delays in the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya by calling it “statutory”.
Ramdev said the Supreme Court is delaying the Ayodhya matter, adding that there is a need to bring an ordinance in the Parliament for the early construction of Ram Temple.
“The Supreme Court is delaying the matter. No hope is seen from that (SC) side. Only one option is left, that is to bring an ordinance in the Parliament to start construction of the temple. The process is statutory. If the temple was built without the Supreme Court’s order or ordinance in the Parliament, then, the chances would be there that the law and order will get disrupted,” he said.
On October 29, the Yog guru had said that people were losing their patience due to the delay in the construction of the temple.
“People are losing their patience due to delay on the issue of Ram Temple by the Supreme Court. In a democracy, the Parliament is supreme. An ordinance should be brought for the construction of the Ram Temple. I am sure that nobody is against the construction of Ram Temple,” he had said.
The remark came after the Supreme Court adjourned the Ayodhya title suit till next year to fix a date for the hearing. The court was hearing the matter which challenged the 2010 ruling of the Allahabad High Court which divided the disputed land into three parts.
The Babri Masjid, built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya in 1528, was on December 6, 1992, razed to the ground allegedly by Hindu activists, claiming that the mosque was constructed after demolishing a Ram temple that originally stood there.
The Supreme Court on Friday said CBI Director Alok Verma should be given the Central Vigilance Commission report on the allegations against him in a sealed cover and asked him to file his response by Monday.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the CVC report should also be given to Attorney General K.K. Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
The Supreme Court observed during the hearing that the CVC report is “very uncomplimentary” on some charges against Verma and said a further probe was needed on some aspects.
The Supreme Court said Verma should file his response in a sealed cover by Monday. It will take up the matter on Tuesday.
Interestingly, the Supreme Court turned down CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana’s request that the CVC report be provided to him as well.
Severe cyclonic storm ‘Gaja’, which crossed Tamil Nadu’s coast early Friday, has claimed 11 lives, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said.
‘Gaja’ crossed the coast between Nagapattinam and nearby Vedaranyam, bringing with it heavy rain, and causing severe damage to communication and power infrastructure, mainly in Nagapattinam district.
Speaking to reporters at Salem, Palaniswami said relief work will be taken up on a war-footing and that the work was already underway.
“The government has received information that so far 11 persons have died,” he said without divulging further information.
He said the families of the deceased will be provided a solatium of Rs 10 lakh each from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund (CMPRF).
Those with severe injuries will be provided with Rs one lakh each while people who had sustained simple injuries will get Rs 25,000 as relief, he added.
The damage caused by Gaja, including to the fishing sector, was being assessed, he said.
Over 80,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas as severe cyclonic storm ‘Gaja’ crossed the coast between Nagapattinam and nearby Vedaranyam early Friday, bringing with it heavy rains in coastal regions.
Gusty winds due to the cyclonic storm resulted in hundreds of trees and electricity poles being uprooted in Nagapattinam and Karaikal districts.
Other districts like Cuddalore and Puthukottai also bore the brunt of the cyclone.
The Shiv Sena on Friday latched on to former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi’s remarks that his country “does not want Kashmir” and said all sane Pakistanis would endorse the view.
The Sena, in an editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, said Pakistan’s government and military chief gave more impetus on trying to harm India than governing the country as a result of which it has to seek external financial aid even 70 years after Independence.
In a video that has gone viral, Afridi is heard saying, “I believe that Pakistan does not want Kashmir, and India too should not be given the state. Kashmir should be an independent country.”
He went on add that “humanity” or “insaniyat” should be prioritised.
In a swipe at the affairs of his own country battling financial woes and sectarian strife, the Pakistani all-rounder added, “Pakistan can’t handle its four provinces”.
Afridi, while speaking on the matter later, however, has blamed the Indian media for quoting him out of context.
Making a U-turn, Afridi has now said that “Kashmir belongs to Pakistan”.
The Sena’s editorial Friday stated, “Pakistan has become so poor in trying to support terrorism and corruption that it now is left with only the option of selling cattle and vehicles from the Prime Minister’s residence.”
It claimed that Pakistan was on the verge of a financial breakdown and it had been relegated to begging for a bailout from countries like China, after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) turned down its aid request.
“If the country needs financial oxygen to keep its economy going, alive, how will it take care of Kashmir? Not just Afridi, every sane Pakistani will hold the same view. However, who asks the common man there?” the editorial questioned.
“The government and the military chief there give more impetus on harming India than doing good for its people. Therefore, they have to beg for aid even 70 years after Independence,” it said.
The Sena further dubbed Afridi as “anti-Indian” and said he has, in the past, made derogatory statements against India.
Citing examples, it said Afridi had shown a soft corner for 13 terrorists eliminated by Indian security forces, and has been repeatedly advocating Independence for Kashmir.
Tigers are among the most endangered animals on Earth. In India, half of the planet’s remaining 7,000 wild tigers live; tigers face a number of threats, especially from a growing human population. More than a billion people live in India today, and development is rapidly expanding into what was once largely a tiger territory. Maybe the Avni Tigress is the best example of encroached jungles; they are coming in those areas and trying to protect themselves by killing the assumed threat from a human. The environmentalists nonetheless remain optimistic. The tiger has been a symbol of strength and might for thousands of years. Hundreds of years ago, there were many more tigers on Earth than there are today. An estimated 40,000 tigers used to live in India, an area that once included modern-day Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other neighbouring lands. The graceful cats stalk, crouch, and explosively pounce on their prey, which includes deer, pigs, cattle, and other large animals. But now, the forests are converted to concrete jungles and the wild animals are approaching human territory for survival.
I don’t want to argue or debate on why Avni was shot dead, but I wholeheartedly condemn the incidence! It has been almost 12 days since tigress Avni’s death and her 10-month-old cubs are now claimed to be found in a forest in Maharashtra. The officials were unable to trace the cubs in the Pandharkawada forest area of Yavatmal district, Maharashtra, for the last 13 days. While the officials also presumed that they might have died of starvation or they might have been smuggled or in possession of people who trade animals! There can be any situation; but whatever it is, the core concern is their lives. Maharashtra Forest Department officials have said that they have left chunks of beef and bait animals such as goats for the cubs to eat and hunt, especially around the area that they were last seen around. However, no follow-up information has been provided by them.
Avni’s post-mortem report shows that the tigress last hunted meal about 4-5 days prior to her death. Hence, the cubs would have likely been starving for the past 12 days. When the approval to shoot the tigress was released, it was clearly mentioned that she should be tranquilised first. This should have been followed up by capturing her cubs and then capture the mother. All the claims of the father-son hunter duo of Shafat Ali Khan and Asghar Ali have been debunked as more and more scientific, medical, and forensic evidence expose them in the case of the shooting of tigress Avni. Both the sharp-shooters were obviously aided and assisted by a pliable Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Maharashtra’s Chief Wildlife Warden AK Misra, with seemingly abundant pressure from state Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar.
The Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court not-so-specific on their orders regarding Avni killing, the top court had decided not to interfere with Misra’s September 4 shoot-at-sight order, which was earlier upheld by the Nagpur bench of the high court. The Supreme Court had reiterated that Avni’s cubs should be tranquilised, rescued, and shifted to a rescue centre, and their mother — officially known as T1 — should be tranquilised and captured. She was to be eliminated only if all attempts to capture her failed. But without any trials or attempt to capture her, they straight preferred to kill her. Facing nation-wide criticism from the conservation groups for grossly mishandling the issue, the Maharashtra Forest Department is currently in damage control mode. It has invited an expert from Madhya Pradesh Forest Department to help in field operations to look for the two missing cubs of Avni. Chief Wildlife Warden of Maharashtra AK Misra has written to his counterpart in Madhya Pradesh — a state that was once populous with tigers — to send an experienced officer who is well equipped to handle the situation that has arisen in Yavatmal. Incidentally, the tigress was not inside a tiger reserve but was at least 40 km away from a sanctuary in Pandharkaoda forest division. Many conservationists feel that the tigress could have been tranquillised and quarantined, killing her should have been the last resort. Many of them have accused the state forest department of lacking professional competence to deal with such a situation.
There are 50 tiger reserves in India, which are governed by Project Tiger which is administrated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). India is home to 70 per cent of tigers in the world. In 2006, there were 1,411 tigers which increased to 1,706 in 2010 and 2,226 in 2014. The total number of wild tigers has risen to 3,890 in 2016 according to the World Wildlife Fund and the Global Tiger Forum. Tigers in India are a conservation success story, hundred years ago, India had tens of thousands of tigers, but by the early 1970s they had dwindled down to a mere 1,200. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi started Project Tiger in 1973, relocating 2,00,000 people away from designated tiger zones, and creating buffer zones between tiger jungles and more developed areas. In 1975, tigers were listed as an endangered species. Tiger numbers have risen and fallen over the years but in January of 2015, there were 2,261 tigers in India — 70 per cent of the world’s wild tigers. (There were about 13,000 non-wild tigers in 2010.)
India has been debating how to better balance conservation and development for decades, and in 2006, the country passed legislation on the rights of forest people, but that was not extended to the Sundarbans. Since then, some things have improved in the buffer zone and a Bangladeshi group called LEDARS has helped many tiger widows on the other side of the border. In central India, a non-profit organisation called Satpuda works with more than 80 villages near tiger reserves to provide jobs, medical care, and education — in addition to doing tiger conservation. There are many NGOs that are training people in villages to do basic psychological counseling as part of a medical team while encouraging highly skilled psychiatric professionals to visit during their vacations. But it will require a lot of political will to address the deep problems in the area: poverty, population growth, changing the climate, and the human-tiger conflicts. If not then, the killing of Tigers will continue and the Indian wildlife would lose its sheen.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
After a lot of hue and cry over the killing of the man-eating tigress Avni and later, on her missing cubs, now, there seems to be a sigh of relief with the spotting of the two 10-month-old orphaned cubs alive! However, with joy there comes a feeling of resentment as coincidently, another two tiger cubs of the similar age of 8-10 months were crushed under a train in the Junona range of forest in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra on Thursday morning. Hence, there is an old-time debate going on the safety of the tigers and their cubs in the country!
Animal Activist Anand Siva shared, “This government has been lying from day one – from the time Avni was declared a man-eater to their assurances to put efforts in tranquilising and not kill the tigress, and efforts taken to secure her cubs! This confirmation of their sighting is a temporary sigh of relief in hope and good faith. The road ahead should come with proof of their well-being and reassurance that they will remain secure and undisturbed, giving them a peaceful and rightful life, unlike the one their mother had!”
The tigress Avni, who was killed in a state-sanctioned hunt on November 3, her cubs who were missing from over 13 days have now been spotted in a forest in Maharashtra and could be rescued and rehabilitated, officials said on Thursday. Maharashtra state’s forest department’s AK Mishra said that the cubs were “healthy and are surviving” and that specialists would assess whether they had acquired a taste for humans from their mother. “The cubs may or may not have become man-eaters, depending on their proximity to their mother when she attacked humans. But we are hopeful of rescuing and rehabilitating them,” he said. However, experts say that these cubs are unable to survive in the wild at this moment. They learn to hunt in the age bracket of 12-18 months. They can only learn from their mother and not on their own.
On the condition of anonymity, a forest department official regretted, “When tigress Avni was killed, the cubs were seen somewhere around her. I wonder how there has been so much delay in finding the cubs.”
When AV spoke to AAP leader Preeti Menon, she said, “We have begged the CM and the forest officials repeatedly to get help from the states and other experts who have previous experience in capturing cubs. However, the Maharashtra government has done nothing. There is a lot of suspicion over the issue and the government and the officials are only serving the interest of the corporates who want forest lands.”
Many conservationists have raised questions on the decision of the Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar to kill Avni and also demanded his resignation. Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi had also urged the State government to appoint a team of vets and experts from different States to assist its effort from an independent team of veterinarians to locate the two cubs as attempts were being made to kill the tigress Avni’s missing cubs. As per our sources, it has come into the knowledge that to hunt down Avni, there were approx 200 people appointed but only a group of 30 rescuers were approached to trace her cubs which reveals the lack of interest to save the tigers from the department and the government.
Freelancer and Activist S. Krishna Kumar expressed his strong anguish for not only brutally killing the mother (Avni) and leaving her two small cubs orphaned stating, “Above all, right from the Forest Minister to the conservator and other officials and authorities, no one seems to have taken earnest efforts to trace these cubs all these days. It sends shivers down my spine that how the cubs lived for all these days. How should we believe that the two dead cubs found at Chandrapur are not of ‘Avni’?”
Along with activists and the opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally Shiv Sena too upping its ante against Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar. As per the reports, it is learned that tigress Avni was killed by the BJP-led Maharashtra government to “save” a proposed project of industrialist Anil Ambani in Yavatmal, although a charge denied by the corporate group as well as a district official.
Animal welfare activist Akruti Sadashiv asserted, “I personally feel that Avni’s cubs are not safe. Moreover, by just throwing the flesh in the jungle, it is not possible to attract the cubs if they are in dire situation. In order to trace them, the government needs to have the willingness. Moreover, Mr. Mungantiwar should take entire responsibility and deliver the justice. Even the shooters of Avni should be interrogated as we suspect that they might have taken the advantage of the situation.”
While several animal rights activists, in order to ensure the safety of the tigers and its cubs, suggest that the Forest Department must keep a check on them with having tracking chip and keep an eye on their movement through the CCTV facility. It is also believed that animals are the invaders in the human locality or society. Nonetheless, many activists believe that there should be restrictions on humans to not encroach the forest areas.
S. Krishna Kumar further expressed, “They are after all tigers and they must belong to the ‘wild world’. They are not supposed to be within the walls and iron grills of our zoos. They must be given due medical treatment, kept under observation, and at the right time must be released in the forests. Also, no villager or any forest tribal must be allowed inside the Tigers’ area.”
While the reports of tracing down the missing cubs are out, the netizens and the activists find it hard to believe what the government claims as no further detailed disclosure on the cubs have come out. They have also demanded a DNA test to repudiate or confirm this; many suspicions have been raised on the same by AAP leader Preeti Sharma Menon. Firstly, it is unsettling to note that the forest department was prompt in declaring their ages as 6-month-old without post-mortem report. Later, the manner in which the two dead cubs lay on the railway track suggests no sign of accident, trauma or injury as such an accident may have caused as it shows no hit marks, there is no blood splattered nor is their tail injured. The image, which has been widely circulated on both mainstream and social media depict a carefully doctored and sanitised image. It is now also suspected that were the cubs found in Chandrapur are Avni’s cubs?
Preeti Menon further shared, “I don’t believe the Forest Depart-ment as well the Forest Minister. They lied about the killing of Tigress Avni and about how she was killed. While they said that she was killed in self-defence but it was very clear that she was killed with a full intention to kill. She was attracted with the urine of another tigress; the killing was planned very categorically. I find it very hard to believe that the two cubs suddenly were found dead at Chandrapur and at the same time we manage to trace the cubs of Avni. No efforts were put into in finding those cubs all these days.”
Congress leaders from Nanded have asked its Lok Sabha MP and Maharashtra unit chief Ashok Chavan to contest Assembly polls instead of seeking renomination for the 2019 general elections.
According to Congress sources, the issue was raised by party leaders at the review meeting called by Chavan to take stock of the political situation in Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats.
These sources said Nanded-based leaders asked Chavan, a former Maharashtra chief minister, to contest the Assembly polls scheduled later in 2019 instead of the Lok Sabha.
Chavan, sources said, told these leaders that a decision in this regard would be taken by the party’s central leadership.
Sources said leaders from Nanded also told Chavan that his wife Ameeta Chavan, or either of his daughters, should be fielded from Nanded Lok Sabha seat.
Chavan represented Bhokar assembly seat in Nanded in 2009 before winning Nanded parliamentary seat. The Bhokar assembly seat is currently held by his wife Ameeta. Chavan was MLA from Mudkhed in 1999 and 2004.
Apart from Chavan, former CM Prithviraj Chavan, former ministers Balasaheb Thorat and Mohammed Arif Naseem Khan, Youth Congress president Satyajit Tambe, Mahila Congress chief Charulata Tokas and AICC secretary Ashish Dua were among those present.
The day-long deliberations covered eight parliamentary seats in Marathwada and 12 in western Maharashtra.
To a question on why the three-day meeting will cover all 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, when the Congress is in alliance talks with NCP, a party leader said, “We are an independent party and need to know our strengths and weaknesses in all 48 seats, irrespective of whether we contest or not.”
AICC general secretary in charge of Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge is expected to join the deliberations from Friday.
Bollywood actor Salman Khan has upped the curiosity of his fans with the first look from his upcoming film ‘Bharat’.
The ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ star posted a still from the film on his Instagram account. In the picture, Salman and his leading lady Katrina Kaif are seen standing at the Wagah Border.
Previously, the duo was seen seen in action movies like ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ and ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ where they played spies from India and Pakistan.
‘Bharat’ is also director Ali Zafar’s third collaboration with Salman after the 2016 film ‘Sultan’ and 2017’s ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’.
In the film, Bollywood’s Bhaijaan will be seen sporting five different looks spanning over 60 years, including a crucial part which will showcase the actor in his late 20s, looking much leaner and younger.
Katrina Kaif was roped into the movies after Priyanka Chopra decided to walk out of the film. The film also stars Tabu and Disha Patani in pivotal roles and is slated to hit the big screens on June 5, 2019.
Bollywood’s one of the most prominent couple, Kajol and Ajay Devgn, will soon feature at director-producer-actor Karan Johar’s chat show Koffee with Karan.
Karan himself informed on social media that the two senior actors will feature at the chat show, which is hosted by the former himself.
Sharing a picture with Kajol-Ajay, Karan said on Twitter, “Koffee times!!!! Coming soon!!!!”
Kajol, who started her Bollywood career with Bekhudi in 1992 and is credited for a series of iconic Hindi films, got married to Ajay in 1999. The two were reportedly dating since 1994.
Kajol and Ajay shared screen space as lead actors in Hindi films like Hulchul, Gundaraj, Ishq, Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Dil Kya Kare and U Me Aur Hum.
The show’s sixth and current season premiered on Oct 21. The inaugural episode had featured two of the leading contemporary Bollywood actresses, Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt.
