Mild third wave of COVID-19 pandemic likely in December: Maha health minister Tope

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November 24, 2021

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the third wave of coronavirus pandemic is expected in December but it will be mild in impact. Speaking to a news channel, he had said medical oxygen and ICU beds will not be required during the third wave period.

“The third wave is expected to be mild and medical oxygen and ICU beds will not be required,” he said.

Speaking about the current COVID-19 scenario, Tope said as 80 per cent of citizens are vaccinated in Maharashtra, the infection level and the mortality rate is less at present.

Maharashtra had recorded 766 COVID-19 infections and 19 fatalities in the 24 hours preceding Tuesday even as the active cases in the state remained below 10,000 for the third consecutive day, the health department had said on Tuesday.

Maharashtra’s tally of COVID-19 cases stood at 66,31,297 as of Tuesday. Tope said the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic was experienced in September 2020 and the second one in April 2021.

Tope said he had met Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya last week seeking the Centre’s nod for administering a booster dose of vaccine for health workers, frontline workers, senior citizens and vulnerable sections and sought to inoculate children in the age group of 12 to 18 years against coronavirus.

“Mandaviya said he would discuss the issue with ICMR and get back,” Tope added.

AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria had said on Tuesday that a third Covid wave of a magnitude comparable to the first two is unlikely to hit India, as he underlined that absence of surge in cases at the moment suggests that vaccines are still protecting against the virus and there is no need for a booster dose for now.

Medical experts too had said that a third wave as devastating as the second one is unlikely though cases may rise, perhaps across late December-February, the impact will be milder.

Tata-owned Bigbasket forays into offline retail; unveils Fresho store in Bengaluru

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Afternoon Voice

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November 24, 2021

Online grocery platform Bigbasket on Wednesday announced its foray into offline retail with the opening of a new technology-driven, self-service ‘Fresho’ store in Bengaluru. The launch is part of the company’s vision to open 200 physical outlets pan India by 2023 and 800 by 2026, a statement said.

The stores will offer high-quality products at extremely competitive prices, it added.

The store in Basaveshwar Nagar in Bengaluru was inaugurated by three farmers, who are a part of Bigbasket’s Farmer Connect programme. Bigbasket – a Tata Enterprise, has adopted a channel-agnostic approach to connect with customers, the statement said.

With Fresho stores, customers can handpick fresh fruits and vegetables as well as daily essentials like Bread and Eggs, it added.

For accessing the company’s entire range of over 50,000 products, they will place the orders online and collect them at the Fresho Stores at their convenience. ”Bigbasket has always striven to adopt a customer-first approach. This is where the ‘Fresho’ stores will be game-changers in terms of making the buying of fruits, vegetables and groceries as seamless as cash transactions at ATMs. The stores will give access to the next 500 million customers who have not yet started buying grocery online and create a new significant growth opportunity for Bigbasket,” Bigbasket co-founder and CEO Hari Menon said.

He added that the products stocked at the stores is backed by the company’s extensive ‘Farmer Connect’ programme where Bigbasket partners with over 30,000 farmers across the country to source fruits and vegetables directly. ”There is complete traceability for all fresh produce built-in our supply chain which allows us to communicate details of the farmer for each product to our customers,” he said.

The Fresho stores merge the best of technology such as ‘Self-billing Counters’ integrated with video AI tools that enable customers to pick items of their choice and weigh them at the counter through automatic computer vision that can identify the items and generate bills accordingly. This brings in a seamless, convenient shopping experience for the buyers at the store.

Bigbasket, a Tata Enterprise, has expanded to 40 cities in India and serves 12 million customer orders per month. In 2020, Bigbasket reached the milestone of USD 1 billion in annual revenues.

Elgar Parishad case: The NIA’s arguments on the bail plea will be heard on December 1

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Afternoon Voice

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November 24, 2021

The case has gone too far and many of them languished in jail under trials. Dr Anand Teltumbde, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, has sought temporary bail for 15 days, from December 4, after the death of his brother Milind, who was killed in an encounter with C60 commandos in Gadchiroli. A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has directed the investigating agency to reply to the plea.

In the plea filed through advocate Neeraj Yadav, Teltumbde has mentioned that he is the eldest child of Bapurao and Anasuya Teltumbde and has four brothers and three sisters. He added that he comes from a family of respected repute and is married to Dr BR Ambedkar’s granddaughter. One of his youngest sisters has retired as a principal of a college in Nagpur.

The 71-year-old added that he came to know that his youngest brother Milind, also wanted in the Elgar Parishad case, was killed on November 13, 2021. He said the family had lost contact with Milind in the mid-1990s and he too had no contact with him since then.

Teltumbde has further stated that his mother is 90 years old and at such time of bereavement in the family, the applicant being the eldest in the family, not only his presence by the side of the mother and his siblings would be of great moral support, but also gathering of all family members would be a solace to each of them. Milind was accused of being in charge of Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) Zone of the CPI (M) and was also cited as an accused in the Elgar Parishad case. The special NIA court judge Dr DE Kothalikar has posted the matter for hearing on December 1.

Meanwhile, Ramesh Gaichor and Sagar Gorkhe, are alleged to be members of the banned organisation Kabir Kala Manch. They were arrested by the NIA in 2020 and charged with sedition under the Indian Penal Code and under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly giving inflammatory performances at the Elgar Parishad event organised in the heart of Pune city, which led to the riots at Bhima Koregaon in 2018.

Advocate Nihalsingh Rathod, appearing for both the accused, argued that the NIA had failed to make out a prima facie case under the stringent UAPA. “The allegation of the prosecution specifically against the duo was that they performed a skit in the Elgar Parishad event, which was about “peshwai” (rule of Peshwas) versus Lokshahi (democracy), and the script allegedly affected the peace and tranquillity,” said Rathod. Rathod submitted that the Elgar Parishad event which was supposedly the cause of the riots was an event organised for discussion on the anti-casteist ideology, but somehow the prosecution claimed that the event was to propagate ideas against the government.

He pointed to some of the cultural programmes that were presented at Elgar Parishad wherein a skit a woman’s monologue is about collective ‘samajik ladha’ (fight for a social cause) against the prevalent casteism in the society. The other speeches also were only criticising a political party, the BJP, which was the ruling party then and now. “I was merely saying that the party is casteist in nature. Where is the sedition in this? They are saying they will defend the constitution and democracy. I have every right to criticise the government. BJP-RSS do not constitute a country. They do not constitute a nation. They have taken a jibe against Modi, against his policies. How is this sedition?” Rathod argued.

He further stated that the only violent act which happened in the entire Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon episode was the riots, which was in fact alleged against other people and there was no investigation against them. Rathod re-emphasised that there was nothing to call Elgar Parishad a “terrorist act” or propagation of CPI (Maoist) ideology.

Rathod tried to give a copy of Parliamentary proceedings to court, however, Judge D E Kothalikar asked, “Can the court look at anything beyond chargesheet while considering bail?” Rathod said that there were citations in other cases to establish that it can be done.

He further argued, “Except for the comments I made against a political party, I am a critic of their political leader, spoken against their party and policies and I am very much within my right to do so and it is my duty. Apart from this, there is no case that is made out and I should be enlarged on bail.”

ICC T20I Rankings: KL Rahul rises one spot to occupy fifth spot

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Afternoon Voice

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November 24, 2021

Indian opening batter KL Rahul has gained a slot after the New Zealand series to secure the fifth spot in the latest T20I rankings for batters. Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Rizwan’s upward movement is courtesy of his 90 runs in the three-match series against Bangladesh and he is on the fourth spot, while Rahul is only six rating points behind after scoring 80 in two matches against New Zealand, a series also won 3-0 by India.

New Zealand’s Martin Guptill has gained three slots to reach 10th position scoring 152 runs against India while Rohit Sharma is 13th, gaining two places after topping the series with 159 runs. Suryakumar Yadav has galloped 24 places to 59th position. Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman is another one to move up the batsmen’s list, from 40th to 35th.

The rankings for bowlers sees Mitchell Santner gain 10 slots to reach 13th position with four wickets in the series against India and Bhuvneshwar Kumar up five to 19th with three scalps. Deepak Chahar has moved up 19 slots to reach the 40th position. Others to progress in the list include Mahedi Hasan (up six places to 12th) and Shoriful Islam (up three places to 40th) of Bangladesh, and the Pakistan pair of Shadab Khan (up two places to 14th) and Hasan Ali (up 16 places to 44th).

As air quality improves, Delhi schools, educational institutions to re-open from Nov 29: Gopal Rai

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Afternoon Voice

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November 24, 2021

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday announced that schools, colleges and educational institutions in the national capital will re-open from November 29 as the air quality in the national capital is improving.

Addressing the media after a high-level meeting with officials over the air pollution situation in Delhi, Rai said, “We have decided to allow the entry of all CNG, electric vehicles into Delhi from November 27. The entry of all other vehicles to remain banned till December 3.”

“Schools, colleges and educational institutions will re-open from November 29 in Delhi,” the Minister said. To tackle increasing air pollution levels in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on November 13 had announced a ‘pollution lockdown’ under which the schools were closed for physical classes for a week. Classes, however, continued through online mediums.

The Delhi government had, earlier on Monday, lifted the ban on construction and demolition activities in view of an improvement in the air quality. The air quality in the national capital significantly improved from the “very poor” to the “poor” category on Wednesday for the first time in the last 10 days, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting & Research (SAFAR).

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 280 today. As per the SAFAR, the PM 10 levels were recorded at 58 in the ‘satisfactory’ category and PM 2.5 levels were recorded at 38 in the ‘satisfactory’ category.

The air pollution level in the National Capital Region (NCR) fluctuated between “very poor” and “poor”. Gurugram and Noida recorded AQI of 283 and 303 in the “poor” and “very poor” categories on Wednesday morning. According to the SAFAR bulletin, from November 27 onwards local surface winds are likely to increase which will result in improvement of air quality.

The share of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM2.5 is 3 per cent and the effective fire count is 770.

Govt sensitive about ecology: Nitin Gadkari amid concerns over Chardham project

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Afternoon Voice

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November 24, 2021

Amid concerns over the proposed Chardham project, Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday termed allegations that road construction triggered landslides in Uttarakhand as ‘misinformation’ and asserted that the government is sensitive about ecology and environment while carrying out development projects.

The road transport and highways minister also asserted that the pace of highways construction in the country will cross 40 km per day in the current financial year.

The pace of highways construction in the country touched a record 37 km per day in the financial year 2020-21.

Recently, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on pleas with respect to the ambitious project. The strategic 900 kilometre-long Chardham project worth Rs 12,000 crore aims to widen roads and provide all-weather connectivity to four holy places — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath — in Uttarakhand.

“This is all misinformation (Ye galat prachar hai). Earlier there used to be flash floods and cloud bursts which used to cause damages and deaths,” Gadkari, who is known for expressing frank views on any matter, told PTI.

His remarks also come against the backdrop of concerns about ecological issues expressed in certain quarters on the widening of the road for the Chardham project.

Gadkari pointed out that now, the hilly terrains have been secured with the construction of a tunnel (beneath Chamba town).

“We are being sensitive about ecology and environment while carrying out development projects,” he asserted.

Recently, a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and Vikram Nath, reserved its verdict on a plea of the Ministry of Defence to modify its earlier order and a plea of an NGO ‘Citizens for Green Doon’ against the widening of the road.

The apex court was hearing the Centre’s plea seeking modification of the September 8, 2020 order, which had asked the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to follow the 2018 circular stipulating carriageway width of 5.5 metres on the Chardham highway project, which goes up to the China border.

The Ministry of Defence has sought a modification of the order and directions that the national highways from Rishikesh to Mana, from Rishikesh to Gangotri, and from Tanakpur to Pithoragarh may be developed to two-lane configuration. Gadkari said monetisation of some national highways has already fetched the government Rs 25,000 crore.

Road assets worth Rs 1.60 lakh crore will be monetised over four years till FY 2025 under the ambitious national asset monetisation plan.

Oral sex with minor not ‘aggravated sexual assault’ a lesser offence under POCSO Act, says Allahabad High Court

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Afternoon Voice

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November 24, 2021

Observing that ‘oral sex’ with a minor does not come under the ‘aggravated sexual assault’ category in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Allahabad High Court has reduced the jail term of a man convicted of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy from 10 years to seven years.

In 2016, an FIR had been filed in the Jhansi district against a man accusing him of having “oral sex” with the 10-year-old son of the complainant in exchange for Rs 20.

The special sessions court in Jhansi convicted Kushwaha under IPC Sections 377 (unnatural offences) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), along with section 6 of the POCSO Act, 2012. However, the High Court held that the convict could not be charged under section 6 of the POCSO Act as the oral sex does not fall in the category of aggravated sexual assault or sexual assault.

“It comes into the category of penetrative sexual assault which is punishable under section 4 of POCSO Act and not Section 6 of the same law,” said the court.

Priyanka Nick Jonas – Is the fairy tale coming to an end?

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Vaidehi Taman

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November 23, 2021

After she removed his last name from her Instagram bio, fans have wondered: Did Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas get a divorce? Well, she just had a restrained but clear response. Priyanka refuted rumours that she and Nick had split in an Instagram comment on November 22, 2021, on a video of her husband working out. The black-and-white video—which Nick captioned, “Mondaymotivation showed him doing bicep curls. Priyanka commented on the video stating “Damn! I just died in your arms… The response came after rumours that Priyanka and Nick had broken up after she removed “Jonas” from her name in her Instagram bio, which reads now as just “Priyanka.”

No one knows the reason for changing the name in bio but these days the actors who are married show a lot of intimacy on social media and one fine day abruptly render an explanation on their separation. Now Priyanka has set her eyes on Hollywood. Because she is already a big star in India, she has a massive team backing her up with fashion, makeup, PR and career choices. You can see she’s trying really hard to make connections and build a trusted network. Almost every single day, the tabloids have some news about her and Paps doesn’t do anything for free, it’s likely they got her hooked by her PR. On the biggest journey of her career, she hooked up with a young pop musician in the US. The marriage was not really about money or even citizenship either. It is about the connections and social status she gained. It will not only give her the necessary connections but will put her on the Hollywood map.

I remember in one interview she said she doesn’t need a man in her life as such but only for a child. With this marriage, she was more accepted in Hollywood. Nick Jonas is also a celebrity and has a significant following, through this marriage PC got a fan base too. Celebrities have great fame, money and status but there is no permanency in relationships. Marriage is something most people, including celebrities’ try out and many fail. I think this will not be any different. When their needs will get fulfilled and their nascent love for each other gets exhausted, this marriage will fall apart. This couple is from the entertainment industry so sadly everything about their life becomes entertainment and that cost is something which the people from this industry are willing to pay to stay relevant. So, you don’t stress out about happenings in the celebrities life. Just stay entertained. Priyanka Chopra will next lead the romantic drama Text for You opposite Sam Heughan and Celine Dion and has been cast in an undisclosed role in The Matrix Resurrections. She will next star alongside Richard Madden in Amazon Prime Video’s thriller series Citadel, and as the spiritual guru Ma Anand Sheela in Barry Levinson’s Sheela, a film she will produce for Amazon Studios.

Priyanka Chopra has committed to star alongside Mindy Kaling in a comedy about an Indian-American wedding and will portray the lawyer Vanita Gupta in Gordan’s courtroom drama Tulia, an adaptation of a non-fiction book Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption (2005) based on the 1999 racial injustice case that took place in the city of the same name. She is also set to appear in the action film Cowboy Ninja Viking opposite Chris Pratt. She is also producing over a dozen regional films in various languages under her production company. She is also set to star in Farhan Akhtar’s directorial Jee Le Zaraaalongside Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt, which is set to release in 2023. Priyanka Chopra also promotes social causes such as environmental and women’s rights and is vocal about gender equality, the gender pay gap, and feminism. She has worked with UNICEF since 2006 and was appointed as the national and global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for child rights in 2010and 2016, respectively.

Her namesake foundation for health and education works towards providing support to unprivileged Indian children. As a recording artist, she has released three singles and provided vocals for a number of her film songs. She is also the founder of the production company Purple Pebble Pictures, under which she has produced several regional Indian films, including the acclaimed Marathi film Ventilator (2016). Despite maintaining privacy, Chopra’s off-screen life, including her marriage to American singer and actor Nick Jonas, is the subject of substantial media coverage. In 2021, she published her memoir Unfinished, which reached The New York Times Best Seller list. She remains in marriage with Nick or not, but she is going to go on her chosen path. You cannot ignore her.

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Latur Municipal Corporation named a road in memory of Dada Baliram Shivram Gaikwad

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Afternoon Voice

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November 23, 2021

Latur Municipal Corporation has named the road in front of Saraswati Vidyalaya leading to his residence as “Dada Baliram Shivram Gaikwad Marg” on the occasion of his 91st birth anniversary. The name plaque was inaugurated by Deputy Mayor of Latur Municipal Corporation Chandrakant Birajdar.

Dada Baliram Shivram Gaikwad, the first Dalit student of Kasar Sirsi, who went to jail for freedom in the Hyderabad liberation struggle but did not receive any compensation, was twice honoured by the Maharashtra government with the “Ideal Teacher” award.

Anil Kumar Baliram Gaikwad, then Secretary, Public Works Department, Government of Maharashtra, Member of Latur Municipal Corporation and City District President of Bharatiya Janata Party Gurunath Mage, Former MP Dr Sunil Baliram Gaikwad, Former Center Head Pandurang Ambulagekar, Former Education Officer of Bidar G. Nivrutirao, former chairman of Renapur Panchayat Samiti Ramesh Sonawane, etc. were present on the occasion.

Priyanka Chopra to divorce Jonas? The actress has dropped both surname

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Afternoon Voice

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November 23, 2021

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, not only dropped ‘Chopra Jonas’ from her Twitter and Instagram profiles but soon going to render a joint statement on their separation. From the past few months, there are trust issues between the couple and with the mutual agreement they are now staying separate.

The actress has dropped both surnames – Chopra and Jonas, which husband Nick’s last name – though it is the absence of the latter that is causing a commotion on social media. “And she’s here,” Priyanka captioned her Matrix first look – details of the role she’s been cast in have not been revealed.

The Internet, when it noticed that Priyanka Chopra’s Instagram now reads just Priyanka, was quick to invoke actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu whose own name change to the initial S proved a harbinger of doom – soon after, she and husband Naga Chaitanya announced they were ending their marriage.

When Afternoon Voice spoke to Priyanka Chopra’s mother Madhu she said, “People should stop speculating about Nick and Priyanka. It’s all rubbish, don’t spread rumours.” She further stated, “Priyanka has dropped both surnames for her own reasons but the media should stop publishing misleading stories.”

The film industry sources and former aide of Priyanka Chopra said “from past few months things are not well with the couple, there are a lot of trust issues. They tried to pretend as if all is well but that did not work for them”. Meanwhile, they are staying separate and trying to either work or break the relationship. Both are taking time to draw conclusions.”

Another Bollywood source close to Priyanka said, “This is a publicity stunt to get attention for her upcoming poster featuring her character from The Matrix Resurrections – the hotly anticipated fourth film in the iconic Keanu Reeves series. Priyanka and Nick have been going through such rumours for a very long time, but there is no such news.”