Newly elected Uddhav Thackeray-led cabinet has six ministers besides chief minister Thackeray. The swearing-in is likely to take place at the Vidhan Bhavan (state legislature complex) in Mumbai. The much-awaited expansion of the Maharashtra council of ministers will take place on December 30. As many as 36 ministers could take oath on that day, revealed Congress party insiders to media.
Meanwhile, state Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat told reporters that his party’s list of the leaders who would take oath as ministers were ready. The cabinet expansion which was likely to take place earlier this week was delayed because entire state administration was in Nagpur for the winter session of the legislature till last week. “It takes time to make preparations for the swearing-in of so many ministers,“Thorat said. Thorat and Nitin Raut of the Congress, Eknath Shinde and Subhash Desai of the Shiv Sena and Jayant Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal of the NCP took oath along with Thackeray on November 28.
According to the power-sharing formula agreed on by the three parties, the Shiv Sena would have 16 ministers (apart from chief minister), NCP 14 and the Congress 12. When asked if NCP chief Sharad Pawar — seen as the architect of this unlikely alliance – was the ‘remote control’ of the state government, Thorat said the three parties have framed a common minimum program, which guides the government. The Shiv Sena joined hands with the Congress and NCP, its traditional adversaries, after its alliance with the BJP collapsed.
When asked if Congress was seeking the post of deputy Chief Minister, Thorat replied, “Media can run this story.”Meanwhile the Congress wants a formidable leader in the government to balance other two alliance partners. As a result a section in Maharashtra is keen to push for the inclusion of both former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan in the government. Both these leaders possess administrative and organizational experience. However, another section from the party is in favour of inclusion of one chief minister in the state cabinet while the other can be given top organizational post. Already Balasaheb Thorat has joined the coalition government and is the revenue minister. Currently the portfolio has been distributed among six ministers who make up the cabinet with two each from Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress.
Chief Minister of Goa and former defence minister, Manohar Parrikar, died at the age 69 on March 17. He died after a long illness. A technocrat-turned politician, he had started as a functionary of the BJP’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, before entering active politics. Parrikar headed the state from 2000-05 and 2012-14, before joining the Narendra Modi government as Defence Minister in 2014.
BJP veteran leader and former foreign minister Sushma Swaraj died on August 6 after a cardiac arrest, leaving political leaders and her legions of admirers in grief. She was 67. Ms Swaraj was easily one of India’s most-admired political leaders. A day before her demise, she had tweeted to congratulate PM Modi for scrapping of Article 370.
Former Finance Minister and BJP Arun Jaitley died at the age of 66 on August 24. Jaitley died at Delhi’s premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where he had been admitted for two weeks. He was one of the most trusted ministers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After establishing himself as one of the top lawyers he later blossomed into a full-fledged politician.
Sheila Dikshit was a veteran Congress politician and the longest-serving Chief Minister of Delhi, having held the top job for 15 years. On July 20 the 88-year-old died of a cardiac arrest at a private hospital. She was known as a warm and affable politician. Ms Dikshit is credited for Delhi’s growing infrastructure including roads, flyovers and public transport system. She served as Delhi’s Chief Minister for three consecutive terms between 1998 and 2013.
Raj Kumar Barjatya was a well-known producer of Bollywood died in Mumbai on 21 February 2019 morning. Barjatya was father of filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya, died of a heart attack while taking treatment at Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital. He is best known for producing films such as Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! (1994), Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999), Vivaah (2006), Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), etc.
Veteran action choreographer and father of actor Ajay Devgn, Veeru Devgan died at the age of 85 in Mumbai on 27 May 2019. Veeru Devgan was a renowned stunt director, who choreographed the action sequences in over 80 Bollywood films, especially in the Nineties films such as Mr. India, Phool Aur Kaante, Shahenshah, Dilwale, etc..
Noted Hindi actor and Marathi stage personality, Shriram Lagoo expired at his Pune residence on December 17. He died at 92. He shows his portrayal in over 250 films including Hindi and Marathi films. In films he was known for his character roles in films. He acted in over 250 films including Hindi and Marathi films while directing over 20 Marathi play. Lagoo died of cardiac arrest.
Former Indian Test opener Madhav Apte passed away at the age of 86 in Mumbai on 23 September. Apte died due to the suffering of a cardiac arrest. He was the right-hand batsman played 7 Test matches for India from 1952 to 1953. Also the fourth-oldest living Indian Test cricketer, in 1989, he was elected to the office of the president of the Cricket Club of India. Apte had served as the president of the Club’s Legend’s Club.
Famous mathematician Vashishth Narayan Singh died at the age of 77 in Patna on 14 November 2019. Singh was suffering from mental illness schizophrenia for 40 years. He earned world recognition as he challenged Einstein’s theory of relativity. In 1965 he moved to America after his talent was recognized by Professor John Kelly of the University of California. He worked at NASA, where he surprised many people with his mathematical skills.
The movie that was very much hyped by portraying Modi as demi god. Vivek Oberoi starrer was the most contentious film of the year based on the current Prime Minister. The film narrates the story of his life from the struggle days to being India’s PM, however, the film was majorly accused of being publicity and marketing film to win the 2019 General Elections. The film was supposed to be released in April during the elections but due to multiple reasons, they released the film in May. In spite of over hype and promotions, this movie flopped at box office.
Many accused the film as male chauvinist and very humiliating for female of today’s era. Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani starrer hit the headlines in June this year. The film which is the remake of Telugu film Arjun Reddy did not seem to have a smooth ride. Though the film became the Shahid’s highest-earning so far still some were there who claimed the film misogynistic. Both the characters Kabir (Shahid) and Preeti (Kiara) was criticized as for Kabir they called a violent, angry and dominant lover whereas Preeti was a silent girlfriend. As soon as the film was released audience started debating on whether the film is morally correct or not and till date the debate is on.
Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Nihar Pandya starrer hit the headlines for many reasons. The first reason was when Kangana decided to helm a film and took the cp-director credit of the film. This didn’t go down well with the director Raja Krishna Jagarlamudi popularly known as Krish and soon disowned the film and even accused the actor of cheating him since he had shot 70 per cent of the film according to him. This debate was not yet over when actress Mishti Chakraborty accused Kangana of chopping off her parts from the film. The last but not the least was when Karni Sena demanded the film to be shown to them before the release. However, she didn’t pay heed to any such warning and went on to release the film in January.
Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao starrer hit the controversy as soon as the title was announced by the makers. The previous title Mental Hai Kya didn’t go down well with many organisations associated with specially-abled people. In fact, Deepika Padukone’s NGO Live Love Laugh too raised their voice and pressurised the makers to change the name. Another reason was when Wakhra Swag was launched at its launch event Kangana got into a verbal spat with a journalist for running a smear campaign against her and soon the video of the incident went viral.
Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon starrer grabbed negative attention from the religious group. The film which is based on Sadashiv Rao Bhau who led the Maratha army against the invading forces of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the King of Afghanistan. The film’s dialogues didn’t go down well with the religious groups and soon as the film was released they started demanding to ban the film in Jaipur, Bikaner, Bharatpur and Rajput dominant states. Also, people from Rajasthan called Ashutosh Gowarikar for showing Maharaja Surjmal in a bad light.
The year 2019 has been all about change in the Hindi cinema with the some of the most promising debut of actors in B-town. 2019 can also be termed as year of nepotism because most of the debutants happen to be star kids. Whereas there were others who were nowhere connected to Bollywood or showbiz.
One of the most surprising performances of 2019 was that of Vishal Jethwa in Mardaani 2. The actor, who started out with television, played a psychopath in the film that kidnaps, rapes and murders girls. While, critics liked Rani Mukerji’s performance in Mardaani 2. The actor received wide appreciation after the success of the films.
Sunny Deol’s son Karan Deol was another star kid who got his break in the cinema this year. The actor was seen opposite another debutant Sahher Bambba in the film ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’.
One of the biggest debuts of 2019 is that of Siddhant Chaturvedi. He made his Bollywood debut made his debut with Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy‘. The film was also India’s official entry to the Oscars this year but wasn’t shortlisted in the final top 10. He will be seen in ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2‘ with Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan and Sharvari.
King of comedy Javed Jaffrey’s son Meezaan was also one of the most talked-about debutants of the year as he debuted with Sanjay Leela Bhansali films. The actor played the role of a goon in the film ‘Malaal‘. Meezaan has signed his second film ‘Hungama 2‘, which is the sequel to Priyadarshan’s 2003 film.
Bhansali’s niece Sharmin Segal also entered Bollywood through ‘Malaal’ as she was cast opposite Meezaan Jaffrey. Before appearing on the big screen, Sharmin attended Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. She also worked as an assistant director in films like ‘Mary Kom’ and ‘Bajirao Mastani‘.
The top court ruled that possession of Ayodhya’s contested property will vest in a trust to be formed by the Central government and also directed that representation in the trust may be given to Nirmohi Akhara, a litigant in the case. On November 9, a five-judge constitutional bench headed by CJI Gogoi pronounced its historic verdict on a batch of a petition against the 2010 Allahabad HC order in the politically-sensitive Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case. The disputed site was given to the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and the Centre was asked to build trust for temple construction. The top court also directed allotment of alternative land to Muslims to build a new mosque. A 5-acre land will be handed over to the Sunni Waqf board at a prominent place for building the mosque. This apart, the apex court asked the Centre to frame scheme within 3 months and set up a trust for construction of a temple. The SC dismissed the plea of Nirmohi Akhara seeking control of entire disputed land.
On November 14, the apex court had dismissed a review petition seeking a court-monitored criminal probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal between the government of India and France’s Dassault Aviation. Three -judge bench of the Supreme Court; headed by the then CJI Gogoi had dismissed the review pleas in a unanimous judgment. The review petition was jointly filed by Prashant Bhushan, Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha. The apex court had dismissed review petition seeking criminal probe into the Rafale jet deal. The 3-judge bench delivered an unanimous verdict. The development came as a relief for Modi-government
The top court on November 14 had referred to a larger constitution bench a batch of review petitions against its September 2018 verdict. While reading out the verdict, the then CJI Gogoi has said, “The entry of women into places of worship is not limited to this temple only. It is also involved in the entry of women into mosques.” The bench led by Justice Gogoi had passed the order on a series of petitions seeking reconsideration of its September 2018 judgment that lifted the bar on menstruating women from worshipping in the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. The review petitions in Sabarimala Case is likely to be listed before 7-judge-bench in January 2020.
The apex court had held that the office of the Chief Justice of India is a public authority under the Right to Information Act (RTI).”Transparency doesn’t undermine judicial independence,” SC had said in a unanimous verdict on November 13 as it upheld the Delhi HC’s judgment which ruled that office of the Chief Justice comes under the purview of RTI. It also had dismissed the three appeals filed by the secretary-general of the Supreme Court and the Central Public Information officer of the top court.
The then Chief Justice has also announced the judgement on a criminal contempt plea against Congress Rahul Gandhi for attributing the ‘chowkidar chor hai’ remark to the apex court. The top court had closed the contempt proceedings against Rahul Gandhi after the Congress leader has tendered his ‘unconditional apology’.
In July of 2018, Anthony Clement Rubin filed a PIL in Madras High Court in an attempt to solicit Aadhar Card linkage with social media platforms. The intent behind the PIL (Public Interest Litigation) was to demand conversion of encrypted data into simpler language, promoting traceability of malicious actors who are involved in/benefit from spreading incomplete, falsified information online. Linking Aadhaar Card would greatly aid in tracking the offenders.
According to a Chinese report and reported by Abacus, found that almost 80% of the population fears facial data leaks, 65% are fearful of ‘Deepfake’ and many more are afraid of cyber theft and fraud. Digital data is left unprotected or loosely guarded as the country (China) faces data theft quiet often. A local media reported the sale of 5,000 images of people for as low as $2 per image. Still, 44% or less feel the need for technological intervention but at the same time, 88% prefer to have more control over their facial data.
There was so much buzz around Hector’s launch, the TV commercials, the factory visits, and the trends on Twitter… The MG Hector certainly could not have gone unnoticeable.
Two models that literally left netizens scratching their heads (trends based on our internal stats) were the S-Presso and Hector from MG Motors. While Morris Garages called its model the first internet car of the country, Maruti’s S-Presso depended on the sheer magic of the Alto brand.
Impressive design, great body, awesome cabin, and a good driving experience are some of the factors that makes this SUV a darling. The Harrier goes a notch-up higher, promising that Land-Rover experience.
No listicle can be full without talking about the country’s biggest auto-maker – Maruti Suzuki. FYI, we are talking about a model that has had an illustrious 20 years on Indian streets. In Dec’19, the company sold approximately 2.4 million units of tallboy WagonR.
The second generation of the Elite i20 was launched sometime in 2012 (Yes, that long!) and it was an instant-hit with critics, fans and buyers. The latest revision in 2019 saw some updates. The elite i20 hatchback sold 14,700 vehicles in October’19, recording a 44.8 percent monthly growth.
Kia’s Seltos was launched sometime in August but an impressive design with a claimed fuel efficiency of 18 km/l, comes in 24 variants and 8 colors, good in-car entertainment and an entry pricing of Rs 9.7 lakhs were, perhaps, some factors that attracted buyers.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is one of the most versatile in the premium smartphone segment. Besides top-notch specifications, the smartphone boasts premium optics, a multi-purpose digital pen (SPen), a curved dynamic AMOLED screen with HDR10+ support and a high-capacity battery with 25W fast-charge support. Moreover, the phone is powered by the Samsung One user interface, which is one of the best Android operating system-based UIs designed for easy one-hand operations.
From triple rear cameras to better on-battery time and improved operating system, the iPhone 11 Pro — like its elder sibling iPhone 11 Pro Max — addresses the gaps that had for long dragged Apple smartphones behind their Android peers. The phone also boasts enhanced security and privacy features like location service permissions and Sign in with Apple, which the company introduced earlier this year at its annual worldwide developer’s conference.
This smartphone excels as an imaging device, but it is not its only area of strength. The Huawei P30 Pro has a premium glass-metal construction, OLED display, high-capacity battery with fast-charge support and feature-rich user interface. These make it tick all the right boxes — something you expect from a premium smartphone. In terms of imaging, the phone has a multi-optic camera system capable of up to 50x zoom, besides other features like ultra-wide photography, night mode, etc.
This smartphone was the first to pack the Samsung dynamic AMOLED screen with HDR10+ support. Besides, it has the 3.5mm audio out port, which was later not used in the Samsung Galaxy Note 10-series smartphones, hinting future premium smartphones from Samsung might also give it up. The phone has top-notch specifications, a premium camera module, ample RAM and internal storage, and the capability to turn supported big screens and monitors into full-fledged computers, powered by the Samsung DeX computing platform.
This was the first premium smartphone from the Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus, which specialises in midrange products. The OnePlus 7 Pro boasts a curved fluid AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate in QHD+ resolution, another first for the brand. Besides, the phone offers the fast-charge support, a premium glass-metal build, stereo speakers and sleek OxygenOS user interface based on the Android operating system. Though not a gaming smartphone, this phone has a dedicated gaming mode that makes it one of the better regular smartphones matching the performance of gaming-centric smartphones.
Coming in two colour options – Polar White and Space Blue, Realme X is a mid-range flagship smartphone that comes powered by 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 octa-core processor. It runs ColorOS 6 based on Android 9 Pie update and houses a 3,765mAh battery. USP of the device is the 16MP pop-up selfie camera and 48MP primary rear camera.
Google Pixel 3XL has a starting price of Rs 83,000 in India. If you are looking for an Android phone with best camera, then your search ends with Google Pixel 3XL. Though it has just one camera, the software optimisation and the image processing techniques used in the handset is far better than other flagships. While the autofocus mechanism works impressively, the Pixel Visual Core processing chip delivers near picture-perfect photos.
The smartphone comes with a 6.39-inch screen with 3120x1440p resolution. The display offers 19.5:9 aspect ratio and an 86.9% screen-to-body ratio. It runs on Android-based EMUI 9.0 operating system and is powered by the company’s own 7nm Kirin 980 chipset processor. Huawei Mate 20 Pro features triple camera setup at the back. This comprises of 40-megapixel sensor with f/1.8 aperture, a 20- megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture, and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens. On the front, the device offers a 24-megapixel RGB selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture. Huawei Mate 20 Pro houses a 4,200mAh battery and supports wireless reverse charging as well. Connectivity options offered include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, dual-band Bluetooth v5.0, Bluetooth v5.0 LE with aptX, GPS/ A-GPS, GLONASS and a USB Type-C port.
This smartphone was one of the best-selling during Q3 2019. The smartphone features a 6.53-inch Full HD+ display, a MediaTek Helio P70 octa-core SoC with 4GB RAM + 128GB storage, a 4,020 mAh battery, a 16MP f/2.0 front camera and a 16MP + 2MP dual-camera setup on the back. Oppo A9’s successor, the A9 2020, has been launched in India with better cameras and faster internals.
Apple iPhone XR continues to top the list of best-selling smartphones around the world in Q3 2019. iPhone XR has been the best-selling iPhone right from the quarter it was launched, i.e. Q3 2018. iPhone XR features a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display with a 1792 x 828 resolution, Apple A12 Bionic chip with 3GB RAM and up to 256GB internal memory. Other iPhone XR specifications include a 12MP f/1.8 primary sensor, a 7MP front camera, etc. iPhone XR is currently available on various e-commerce websites for Rs 47,900 for the 64GB variant.
Citizenship bestows upon individuals membership in a national political community. Citizens enjoy civil and political rights in a sovereign state. Kudos to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for passing this historic bill in Lok Sabha. PM Modi has rightly expressed delight over the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, saying the proposed law is in line with India’s century’s old ethos of assimilation and belief in humanitarian values. It is nice that the Lok Sabha passed the Bill with 311 votes in favour and 80 against it a little past midnight after a debate that lasted more than seven hours. Shah has rightly claimed that the Narendra Modi government was correcting the failure of the pact that Jawaharlal Nehru and the then Pakistan Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan sealed in 1950. As stated by Shah, the bill had nothing to do with the National Register of Citizens and promised the NRC would indeed be implemented across the country and not a single “infiltrator” would be spared. According to Citizenship Act 1955, an illegal migrant is a foreigner who enters the country without valid travel documents, like a passport and visa, or enters with valid documents, but stays beyond the permitted time period. Illegal migrants may be imprisoned or deported under the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.
Modi and Amit Shah trying to divide India