Emmanuel Macron India visit: Full List of MoUs, Agreements signed between India and France

Written by Divya Goyal | Ludhiana | Updated: March 10 2018 11:52 am Sikhs in France have alleged that even children are not allowed to wear turbans in French schools and Sikhs also lose job opportunities if they wear turban. (Picture for representation only) As French President Emmanuel Macron arrived Friday on his four-day visit to India the Sikh community settled in France has once again raised the turban issue and written to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to take notice of the situation in France. The letter (copy with The Indian Express) has been sent by Conseil Représentatif Des Sikhs De France (Representative Council of Sikhs of France) based in Paris saying that Sikhs are being asked to remove their turbans while getting photographs clicked for several official documents. Speaking to The Indian Express Ranjit G Singh spokesperson of the council of Sikhs in France said that dastaar struggle continues in France for Sikhs as they are still being asked to remove their turbans when they apply for any official document. Despite the https://www.charitychoice.co.uk/fundraiser/momidkhan success that we got in the United Nations after raising the issue there in 2012 ground reality has not changed in France. Whenever we apply for an identity document we are asked to remove turban for photos. The French Sikh community is struggling for their identity here. The issue was raised during the visit of former French president F Hollande to New Delhi but it remains unsolved till now he said. The letter has also been sent to Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) Indian Embassy in Paris Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and MPs from Punjab including Harsimrat Kaur Badal Dharamvir Gandhi Bhagwant Mann and Harinder Singh Khalsa. The council in its letter has also raised the issue of bus cards (navigo cards) issued in France. This year even a bus card (navigo card) require a picture without dastaar (Sikh turban). It is a humiliation every time we have to remove turbans for it and then show that card having that picture every time. Passport European licence card health card student card and public transport card for each one we are not allowed to wear turban in the photograph says the letter. French Sikhs add in their representation that the great history of Sikh and French relations should not be forgotten. There was a great friendship between Maharaja Ranjit Singh and King Louis Philippe I. Sikh soldiers fought for France during World War I and then wearing dastaar was never an issue. Turban was never an issue when Sikh soldiers fought for France and defended freedom of France adds the letter. Unfortunately today Sikh identity is not safe in France. In 2012 the United Nations Human Rights Committee had supported French Sikhs but still the French government has not changed the law till date. We are struggling for our identity in France because of a 2006 regulation of French government in which all head covers such as turban are forbidden for ID picture. This is erasing Sikh identity in France added Singh. Sikhs in France have alleged that even children are not allowed to wear turbans in French schools and Sikhs also lose job opportunities if they wear turban. We want Indian authorities to raise our issues with French president. The Sikh diaspora settled in France since decades now but still a question mark is raised on our identities. This is simply hurting our religious sentiments and French government continues to do it despite the United Nations Human Rights Committee supporting us he added. For all the latest India News download Indian Express App Tags: French President Sikh community rravik3000Mar 10 2018 at 1:38 pmFrance practices laïcité so you all have pledged to follow its rules. You should have thought about this before accepting to live in France. France is not obliged to follow rules of every religion.(3)(1) Reply DDushyant PathakMar 10 2018 at 1:17 pm Holy Cow !(0)(3) Reply
By Kanwal Sibal President Emmanuel Macron s visit to India is important in multiple contexts. He is a strong-willed and assertive leader with an ambitious reform agenda for France as well as for the European Union. Today with Brexit and the weakening of the once towering leadership of Angela Merkel Macron has positioned himself as the most credible interlocutor in Europe. This makes his visit that much more important. In the international context India and France can benefit from a shared understanding of the challenges that the world is facing today with the global uncertainties produced by Trump s disruptive foreign policy and the lurch towards dictatorship in China that can only make the handling of its geopolitical ambitions more difficult. India and France are working together to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change which Trump has repudiated. On green energy the International Solar Alliance will be set in motion jointly by PM Narendra Modi and Macron on March 11. At Davos Macron with Trump s policies in mind issued a call to all and everyone of us to push back against protectionist and nationalist forces. Macron values the WTO. We have common ground with him both on protectionism and WTO s importance which we should consolidate during his visit. If China succeeds in changing the power balance with the US in the western Pacific US weakness will become Europe s too because the Transatlantic alliance will feel the impact. The Eurasian component of China s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) also affects France because the 16 1initiative incorporating East European and Balkan countries will eventually be at EU s cost. The BRI s maritime dimension is of particular concern to New Delhi as China is building bridge heads around India but France has to be concerned too because of its equities in the Indian Ocean. Macron s visit should lead to a bolstering of India-France maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean with more synergy between the two navies in the Gulf area where France has a base (in Abu Dhabi) and better mutual understanding of the implications of a Chinese base in Gwadar. France could also participate in connectivity projects such as the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor which would extend to Africa s eastern shore board where France has a territorial presence. At the bilateral level our relations with France have been stable and productive. The spectrum of these relations is wider than with our other major western partners as beyond defence trade investment education and culture we have had long standing cooperation in sensitive areas such as nuclear and space. France has historically shown more understanding of our strategic programmes than others. It was the first western country with which we established a Strategic Partnership and the first with which we initiated a Strategic Dialogue after our 1998 nuclear tests when France refused to impose bilateral any sanctions on us. It has valued the independence of our foreign policy. It has not intruded itself into our relations with our neighbours and ceased arming Pakistan years ago. Leaders from no other country have been honoured as many times as chief guest at our R-Day celebrations. Our understanding and cooperation on terrorism issues has grown. All this has been trust-building. Notwithstanding all this longer term strategic considerations do not sufficiently shape our policies towards France. Lack of political instruction bureaucratic decision making limited media academic and think-tank exposure to each other competition from other countries linguistic cultural business and people to people bias in favour of the English-speaking world are some reasons. Macron s visit should hopefully serve to inject greater fizz in what is intrinsically a champagne quality relationship.
New Delhi: Ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron s maiden India trip French sources said today that it would not be a business as usual visit and asserted that apart from conventional areas of cooperation such as nuclear energy and defence the thrust would be on boosting ties in maritime and space fields.While the French sources did not say whether the two countries would ink a pact in the nuclear energy sector India officials told PTI that an agreement to expedite the Jaitapur nuclear plant was expected to be signed during the presidential visit. France has also been strongly supporting India s bid for membership of the export-control regime Nuclear Suppliers Group.Special emphasis would be (laid on) cooperation in the Indian Ocean during the talks (between President Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi) a French source said noting that France has strong economic and military interests in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).The remarks by the French side assume significance in the backdrop of India the US Japan and Australia coming together and holding discussions on the sidelines of the India-ASEAN Summit in Manila last year on ways to boost cooperation in the IOR.France has military and naval bases in the IOR which also has a sizeable French population. The IOR has also been witnessing increasing naval presence of China.President Macron s trip would not be a business as usual visit and the thrust will be on intensifying partnership in other areas including space and trade the sources said and noted that the two leaders (PM Modi and President Macron) will be spending a lot of time together and the visit has been planned that way .Defence has been one of the key pillars of strategic partnership and the visit will also focus on this aspect the French source added. India has signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 Rafale jets.Asked if international issues including non-proliferation will be discussed the French source said all issues of mutual interest will be deliberated upon.The source also noted that there was convergence of views between France and India a global power on several issues such as rule of law and democratic values.Cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism will also be discussed during the bilateral meeting between PM Modi and President Macron on March 10.The French President will be accompanied by a business delegation of CEOs of 40 French companies including those from the defence sector.The bilateral trade between India and France for the period from April 2016 to March 2017 reached 10.95 billion. France is the 9th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of 6.09 billion from April 2000 to October 2017.President Macron arrives in New Delhi on March 9 his first trip to India. The next day he will hold delegation-level talks with PM Modi. He will also take part in a Town Hall and have an interactive session in which nearly 300 students from different levels and institutions are expected to participate on March 10.On the same day he will also attend a Knowledge Summit which will be attended by more than 200 academicians from both sides.On March 11 President Macron will attend the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit an initiative mooted by France and India. CommentsThe ISA Summit expected to be attended by several heads of the states and governments is likely to focus on concrete projects .President Macron will also visit Varanasi the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Modi on March 11. He along with PM Modi will inaugurate a solar plant in Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.
French president Emmanuel Macron is all set to begin his maiden visit to India on Friday. India and France s partnership on climate change the strategic partnership they share and people-to-people ties are the three key aspects in terms of bilateral relations during the visit according to French sources. It is learnt that Macron has been preparing for the visit for long and it has been in the works ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Paris in June 2017 extended an invitation. A look at Macron s itinerary Modi will hold a bilateral summit with Macron on Saturday following which several agreements across various sectors are expected to be signed. File image of Emmanuel Macron. AP The fight against terrorism and the security challenges the two countries face form an important aspect of the strategic partnership and are expected to come up in Saturday s discussions. Macron is also looking forward to a town hall interaction with Indian youth scheduled for Saturday in New Delhi. On Sunday the two leaders will co-chair the founding conference of the India-initiated International Solar Alliance (ISA) which was launched by Modi and then French president Francois Hollande during the Paris climate summit in 2015. The founding conference is expected to be attended by 55 countries of which 25 are expected to be represented at the head of state or head of the government level. Travelling with his wife Brigitte France s 40-year-old president is set to make the visit to the Taj Mahal. On the last day of his trip Macron will inaugurate Uttar Pradesh s largest solar power plant at Mirzapur near Varanasi made by the French company Engie Solar. During the presidential visit an India-France CEOs forum will also be held which will be attended by around 40 CEOs each from both sides. Significance of Macron s visit The French president s visit comes on the 20th anniversary of the India-France relationship being elevated to that of a strategic partnership. It was in 1998 that this elevation was made and India is France s first strategic partnership in the region. Macron will spend a lot of time with Narendra Modi AFP quoted a source in the French presidency. The source added that the two leaders had formed a close relationship during Macron s first nine months in power. France like much of Europe and the West sees India as a natural diplomatic and economic partner in Asia because of its role as the world s biggest democracy and its business potential. France played a decisive role in India s accession to three of the four export control regimes the Missile Technology Control Regime the Wassenaar Arrangement and the Australia Group and is openly supporting India s membership in the fourth the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Indian and French flags in #Delhi. Prez Macron is coming in 24 hours for a substantive State visit! #MacroninIndia @MEAIndia @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/zsdev8Xh2A Alexandre Ziegler (@FranceinIndia) March 8 2018 In terms of maritime cooperation the two countries are working together for peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region. Space cooperation is another aspect of the strategic partnership and Macron s visit is expected to add momentum to this. Trade between the two countries will also come up for discussion. Bilateral trade between the two sides reached 10.95 billion in 2016-17 and according to the sources this rose by a further 20 percent in 2017-18. According to the sources with access to solar technology being extremely difficult there will be a clear expression of the needs of the smaller countries during the ISA conference. The two biggest issues between the India and France in recent years defence and nuclear energy sales will also take centre-stage during private talks. In September 2016 India finally inked a deal to buy 36 French-made Rafale fighter jets much less than the 126 that were once discussed but France and its manufacturer Dassault Aviation hold hopes of further sales. Macron will also vaunt the quality of Airbus helicopters and Scorpene submarines in a country that buys 90 percent of its equipment from abroad making it the world s biggest arms buyer. Obstacles holding up the long-delayed sale of six nuclear reactors will also be discussed. Macron is also expected to announce plans to allow Indian Navy ships to use French bases in the southern Indian Ocean where New Delhi remains wary of Chinese expansion in an area that it sees as its strategic backyard. Deals likely to be inked between India France The Union Cabinet has approved several agreements which are likely to be signed during Macron s visit. The recent Cabinet meeting chaired by Modi approved the signing of four agreements between India and France on the migration of people recognition of academic qualifications prevention of illicit consumption and traffic of narcotic drugs and cooperation on the environment. The agreement represents a major milestone in enhancing people-to-people contacts fostering mobility of students academics researchers and skilled professionals and strengthening cooperation on issues related to irregular migration and human trafficking between the two sides the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. The Cabinet also approved the signing of a deal between India and France to facilitate mutual recognition of educational qualifications and periods of study undertaken by students in recognised and accredited educational institutions in the two countries. The ministry said that the deal will be instrumental in encouraging mobility of students from both the countries by facilitating possibilities for them to continue their studies in the other country and would also promote excellence in higher education through partnerships and joint research activities. The Cabinet further approved an agreement between India and France on the Prevention of the Illicit Consumption and Reduction of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs Psychotropic Substances and Chemical Precursors and related offences. This agreement covers exchange of information expertise and capacity building. Establishment of effective institutional interaction and curbing transnational narcotics trafficking including disruption of terrorist financing structures is also covered in it. Macron and Modi are also likely to sign a memorandum of cooperation in the field of environment. The Cabinet cleared another agreement that aims to establish and promote closer and long-term cooperation between the countries in the field of environment protection and management of natural resources. The memorandum of cooperation is expected to bring in the latest technologies and best practices suited to bringing about better environment protection better conservation better management of climate change and wildlife protection/conservation said another official statement. With inputs from agencies
Written by Shubhajit Roy | New Delhi | Published: March 6 2018 4:55 am Macron visit begins from March 9 Top News WATCH: What happened when Shashi Tharoor took a Hindi vocabulary test?TV actor found hanging at her flat in KolkataFamily Time with Kapil Sharma teaser: Kapil has moved past his controversial phase says waqt bura tha Prime Minister Narendra Modi will jointly inaugurate a 75-megawatt solar power plant in Uttar Pradesh s Mirzapur district with French President Emmanuel Macron who will be in India on a four-day visit beginning March 9. The centrepiece of the visit will be the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and bilateral engagement on economic political and strategic dimensions. About 25 leaders at the level of heads of states and heads of governments will attend the ISA Summit on March 11 which will see delegates from over 125 countries. Macron will visit the Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi and take a boat ride in Ganga where Modi is likely to accompany him. The Enviro Solitaire Pvt Ltd solar plant at the district s Dadar Kala village will be inaugurated by the two leaders on March 12. Macron accompanied by his wife Brigitte on the trip may visit the Taj Mahal. An official statement by the Ministry of External Affairs said India-France strategic partnership established in 1998 is one of the most important and comprehensive bilateral engagements and is marked by intense and frequent high level exchanges and deep political understanding. We have enhanced and ongoing cooperation in the defence maritime space security and energy-related sectors and are increasingly working together on all issues of concern including terrorism climate change sustainable growth and development infrastructure smart urbanization S&T cooperation and youth exchanges. Macron s visit is aimed at strengthening the bilateral economic political and strategic dimension of our engagement the statement read. François Hollande was the last French President to visit India in 2016 as the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations. Modi visited France in June 2017 after Macron was elected as President. The bilateral trade between India and France for the period April 2016 to March 2017 reached US 10.95 billion. France is the 9th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of US 6.09 billion from April 2000 to October 2017. Close to 1 000 French companies are present in India. About 120 Indian companies have invested in excess of Euro 1 billion in France and employ close to 7 000 people. The India-France CEO s Forum will take place during the visit. The visit is also aimed at forging not only strong manufacturing and technology partnerships but also greater people to people contacts especially through greater exchanges of students and researchers the statement said. For all the latest India News download Indian Express App More Top News Murder at School: The crime that shook the Capital also changed two families forever Pro-freedom slogans raised at Sri Sri s event in Srinagar people leave midway No Comments.
PARIS On the penultimate night of fashion month amid the final paroxysms of designers attempting to define how women want to look today there was a show of a different kind.Emmanuel Macron president of France and his wife Brigitte hosted a dinner at the Élysée Palace in honor of the industry s creatives. It was the fashion equivalent of the pre-Davos C.E.O. summit that Mr. Macron engineered at Versailles in January. News began to leak out early in the week. Continue reading the main story
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NEW DELHI: In 2015 Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech at London s Wembley Stadium proposed the idea of an inter-governmental organisation comprising of 121 countries which lie either completely or partly between the two Tropics with an aim to promote solar energy. Today heads of 23 nations and 10 ministerial representatives gathered in New Delhi for alliance s first summit which is scheduled to start from Sunday. The summit will be co-hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind and his French counterpart President Emmanuel Macron. Here is all you need to know about the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The initiative was launched by PM Modi at the India Africa Summit in New Delhi and the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris held in the months of October 2015 and November 2015 respectively. A year later the ISA Framework Agreement was opened for signature during the CoP-22 at Marrakesh Morocco on November 15 2016. As of date there are 121 prospective member countries and territories of ISA out of which close to 90 countries have signed the ISA Framework Agreement. The aim of the summit is to deliberate on a finance mechanism for the promotion of solar energy in member countries crowd-funding and technology transfer. The summit is of particular significance to India as it strives to achieve the ambitious target of generating 175 GW of renewable energy including 100 GW of solar energy by 2022. The summit which will be held in the Rashtrapati Bhavan Convention Centre is close to the scale of the India-Africa summit held in New Delhi a few years ago. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has summoned some of its brightest officials from distant countries to handle the protocol and diplomatic details. Several global bankers have confirmed their participation at the event including Werner Hoyer President & Chairman European Investment Bank K V Kamath President BRICS Development Bank Nandita Parshad Managing Director Energy & Natural Resources European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Banbang Susantono Vice President https://kkd4int.splashthat.com/ ASIAN Development Bank. Other than France countries like Australia UAE Niger Gabon Seychelles Ghana Rwanda Fiji Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will be a part of the summit as well. India will work towards finalizing mechanisms to merge Indian technology and finance capabilities with specific projects around the world. Among the countries that have requested India for projects are Tanzania Togo Benin Congo Chad and Seychelles. The summit will kick off 24 projects in about 14 countries. At the moment India is looking at four types of solar-powered projects off-grid power supply hubs street lighting irrigation green buildings in addition to everyday products like solar cookers etc. Since a bulk of the countries who are part of the ISA are from Africa India has decided to use about 2 billion of the 10 billion line of credit promised to Africa for renewable energy projects in these countries. For India it will be the first time an international treaty body will have its secretariat in this country. The Modi government according to sources is pushing for several outcomes from the summit and wants to ensure that ISA becomes a platform for deepening diplomatic engagement with a range of countries on crucial development issues. In addition the forum is expected to spur innovation in the renewable energy space and help make India a technological hub in the sector and not just remain a re-exporter of Chinese photovoltaic cells.

Behind Sonia Gandhi's belligerence against Narendra Modi lay bid to reclaim Congress' leadership of Opposition

When a batter tries to hit every ball out of the park regardless of where it is pitched you know that either a rank tailender is at work or we are into the slog overs. Now even if the NDA decides to advance the date of general elections we ll have to wait till December. These are clearly not the slog overs yet and Sonia Gandhi isn t a rookie. So what was she trying to do on Friday in Mumbai at the India Today conclave? As we shall see she was trying to do several things at once. On the face of it through her speech Sonia was evidently gunning for Narendra Modi and blaming him for every real and perceived ill that currently plagues India. While that is obvious it is also unexceptionable. At a subtler level Sonia was trying to reclaim Congress s space and mantle of leadership among the Opposition. Naturally the easiest way to do so would be to make the Modi government the target of excoriating rhetoric. Brand Modi is so strong that political careers can be made or resurrected by ricocheting off it. Sonia a craftier politician than many give her credit for would have hoped to create enough noise in both mainstream and social media to place Congress at the forefront of the Opposition ranks ahead https://www.wattpad.com/user/kkd4int of the 2019 battle. This is crucial because Congress s leadership has come under question after a string of listless results and talks of a third front have started swirling again led by the likes of Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and even NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. The latter in fact is holding a meeting of anti-BJP parties on 27 and 28 March in New Delhi and recently sent Praful Patel to Bengal to secure Mamata s participation. File image of Sonia Gandhi. PTI What would have spiked Sonia s concern is that some Opposition leaders are pledging equidistance from Congress. In KCR s words according to a News18 report: There is a serious need to bring change in national politics. Seventy years have passed since Independence and out of those 70 years 64 years were ruled by either BJP or Congress. Even after 70 years people are suffering and they don t even have water to drink It can be a third front or anything It is unification of the people of India and not just some political parties. And this will surely be minus BJP and Congress no doubt about that. While Pawar is planning to hold meetings and KCR is calling for a third front sans the Congress and BJP Mamata is busy blaming Rahul Gandhi for the Congress s North East debacle. Soon after the results were out the TMC chief told the media that Rahul was wrong to turn down her invitation to join hands for the Tripura Assembly polls. Tripura is the outcome of CPM s surrender and Congress failure she declared. It is not a secret that Mamata has a very poor opinion of Rahul s political acumen and would rather do business with Sonia instead. Things however have become a tad complicated at the change of baton in Congress. Other constituents of this third front are equally wary of Rahul. RJD chief Lalu Yadav for instance last year had requested the presence of Sonia or Priyanka Gandhi for his BJP bhagao desh bachao rally last May. The Telegraph had reported that in a phone call Lalu apparently told Sonia You should come but if for some reason you cannot kindly send Priyanka Gandhi for the rally. This presents a problem of legitimacy for the Congress one which the wily Sonia sought to address by claiming that in 2019 Opposition parties must keep aside all their differences to unite against the oppressive Modi regime in the larger interest of the nation. Unspoken in the selfless call is the message that no formation can afford to keep the Congress out. She said We have worked together earlier. In Parliament there is co-ordination especially in the Rajya Sabha It is difficult for all the parties including ours. At the national level we can come together on some issues. But at the ground level we are opponents. There is a lot of pressure from all parties including ours like in West Bengal and many other states. It is a difficult task But if all of us think of the larger picture...if we feel and care for the country we have to sink the local differences. Sonia thundered that in 2019 we are going to come back. We are not going to let them come back to power . She even went on to claim that achhe din will sink BJP like India Shining did . Whether or not that happens is for the voters to decide. There was however a touch of arrogance and a sense of entitlement in her words which seemed a little misplaced. After all the Congress s performance in recently concluded Assembly polls in three north-eastern states has been dismal. In Meghalaya the only state where it managed a few seats Congress tally was down to 21 from 29 in 2013. In Nagaland Congress failed to open account whereas it had won eight in 2013. Its vote share in this Christian-majority state crashed from 24.89 percent to just 2.1 percent while BJP posted a handsome increase. Similarly in Tripura Congress s vote share nosedived from a healthy 36.53 percent in 2013 to a paltry 1.8 percent this year. Needless to say it didn t win any seat. If we scratch the surface the much-hyped recent bypoll results also look less than glamorous for Congress. In the two Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh that it retained Kolaras and Mungaoli Congress has been in power since 2013. What should worry Sonia is that in both these seats Congress vote share has suffered a drastic downward revision. In Mungaoli for instance Congress s margin came down from about 20 000 votes to just 2 000-odd votes. In Kolaras the margin was down to around 8 000 votes from nearly 25 000 in 2013. In both these seats the BJP has substantially increased its share even after a 15-year reign. For all its bravado before the media infighting has started over this erosion. As Economic Times notes in a report that these seats fell in the parliamentary constituency of party s CM face probable Jyotiraditya Scindia who relentlessly campaigned here is only expected to increase the tussle among state leaders on the point whether Scindia can lead the party to a win in the state eight months later. It is only in Rajasthan that Congress s prospects look good. The party won two bypoll seats and also performed well in local civic body elections. It is tough to argue however that a good show in Rajasthan is enough to convince Sonia that Congress is ready to unseat BJP in 2019 when the grand old party s performance everywhere else is taking a beating. We may therefore look at the other possibility that Sonia s belligerence against Modi which mainly was a mishmash of old and tired rhetoric before a sympathetic audience reflected more a desperation to shore up the party s morale ahead of upcoming crucial states especially as party president Rahul Gandhi was abroad busy making a meal of himself before the world. Sonia showed that Rahul has still a lot to learn.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sought to underline the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation between India and France saying that from the ground to the sky there is no subject in which the two countries are not working together. From the ground to the sky there is no subject on which India and France are not working together said PM Modi while issuing a joint statement with French president Emmanuel Macron. His remarks came minutes after the two countries exchanged and signed 14 agreements. The bilateral cooperation between India and France includes the spheres of defence space high technology shared PM Modi. He said that India welcomed French investments in the defence sector under the Make In India initiative. Our strategic partnership may just be 20 years old but the spiritual partnership between our countries is centuries old the PM emphasised. PM Modi also sought to stress the shared values between the two countries: Liberty equality and fraternity not only echo in France but are also deeply embedded in India s Constitution. He highlighted the important role of the Indian Ocean region in the coming time. In the future the Indian Ocean region is going to have a huge role to play for peace harmony and prosperity. The PM expressed hope for a successful International Solar Alliance summit for the future of planet Earth. The summit co-hosted by India and France will be attended by the heads of 23 nations and 10 ministerial representatives of different countries on Sunday. The French president concurred with PM Modi s observations remarking: Defence cooperation between the two countries now has a new significance. India and France have decided to work together to deal with threats of terrorism and radicalisation said Macron. French President Macron arrived in India on a four-day visit yesterday. (With inputs from agencies)
NEW DELHI: French President Emmanuel Macron Saturday said he wanted his country to be India s best partner in Europe as he started a three-day trip to the country aimed at ratcheting up security and energy ties. Macron who was welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his traditional bear hug on his arrival late Friday also said collective security will be on top of the agenda during talks later Saturday. France is the entry point to Europe. We want to be India s best partner in Europe Macron said after a ceremonial reception at New Delhi s presidential house. The first (objective of my visit) is to seal for the decade to come a strong pact around collective security in the region between our two democracies. The two countries are to sign an accord to step up military cooperation in the Indian Ocean where regional power China has been flexing its muscles. Macron also talked about his personal rapport with Modi which was established after their meeting in Paris last year. I think we have very good chemistry our two great democracies have a historic relationship the French president said. Modi broke protocol to receive Macron at the airport Friday exchanging warm hugs and robust handshakes. Welcome to India President @EmmanuelMacron! Your visit will add great strength to the strategic partnership between India and France he tweeted Friday. On Sunday Macron will attend a solar power summit designed to showcase India and France s commitment to fighting climate change which both leaders have made a priority. Travelling with his wife Brigitte France s 40-year-old president will also visit the monument to love the Taj Mahal a few hours drive from the Indian capital on Sunday. On Monday he heads to the chaotic Hindu holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the river Ganges which the Indian premier has promised to modernise and clean up. Macron s vist comes after a somewhat mistep laden visit to India by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. Both he and Macron are often compared internationally because of their broadly similar political views as well as youth and good looks. But Trudeau s visit hit a series of embarrassing bumps and he received a fairly cool reception from Modi. Trudeau was pilloried on social media and in the Canadian press for donning traditional Indian clothing at every opportunity. And there were red faces when it emerged a former Sikh militant was invited to a dinner with him in Mumbai. Macron has so far opted for more sober and predictable dress -- a dark suit.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today told lawmakers that working for development in most backward districts would be a step towards social justice and that hardcore politics of struggle and agitation was no longer as relevant as it used to be.Addressing a National Legislators Conference on We for development at Parliament s Central Hall he spoke about social justice in the context of all-round development of 115 most backward districts identified and dubbed by his government as aspirational .If all children go to schools and all households get electricity then it would be a step towards social justice the Prime Minister told the gathering of central ministers MPs and legislators from states.Asserting that shortage of budget or resources were not the reasons for lack of development but governance was PM Modi said good governance effective implementation of schemes and focussed activities were needed for development. There used to be a time when hardcore politics round-the-clock politics involving agitations and struggle would work. Time has changed. Whether you are in power or in opposition what matters is whether if you come to people s help he told parliamentarians and legislators from states.Things like how much agitations you did how many morchas you took out and how many times you went to jail would matter to your political career 20 years back but things have changed now PM Modi told the lawmakers and asked them to work towards fulfilling developmental targets in their regions.The Prime Minister said that though he cannot ask them to leave hardcore politics but changes in society will make them do so.A discussion on social justice is often confined to social conditions but there are more dimensions to it he said adding that if there is electricity in one home or one village but not in the neighbouring home or village social justice dictates that they too get electricity.In India the phrase social justice is loaded with political meaning as political parties especially those from Janata Parivar have used the plank to rally backward castes and other weaker sections of society around them.The BJP under PM Modi has injected a narrative of development into this and often succeeded in winning over a large section of these communities in one election after another.The Prime Minister said lawmakers who get elected repeatedly were often those identified with something beyond politics by their constituents.Recalling icons like Jawaharlal Nehru BR Ambedkar and Sardar Patel who sat in the Central Hall of Parliament to prepare the Constitution he likened the lawmakers presence in the hall today to a pilgrimage and pitched for development.That parliamentarians and legislators from different parties are sitting together on the issue of development is a living example of federalism the Prime Minister said and asked them to work like a helping hand to state machinery.He said development in the 115 districts would be a work of social justice and if the lawmakers worked sincerely for one year with people s participation it would bring about a sea change and help India go up in Human Development Index.Governments have the tendency of focusing on what gives them results easily and it often results in developed districts doing better still while backward districts slide further PM Modi said adding his government has identified these 115 districts as aspirational and not backward as the latter has negative connotations. We don t have to do a competition of backwards but of forwards he said.The Prime Minister also called for posting young officers a reference to those directly from the IAS instead of those promoted to the all India service from state cadre with a sense of purpose as district magistrates in these places.PM Modi said the average age of a district magistrate is generally 27-30 years but he was surprised to find in a meeting with officials of these 115 districts that 80 per cent of them were aged more than 40 years.Elder officers have many other concerns such as family and career and these districts should not be seen as places where anybody can be posted he said.Working for development in these districts would also be a form of the social justice envisaged by the makers of our Constitution and there is little possibility of any fight in this the Prime Minister said.He said it is necessary to identify the reasons for backwardness of these districts and once it is done then problems of 80-85 of them can be addressed easily in a similar manner troubles afflicting a diabetic person are cured once his disease is found out.Rest of the 115 districts are hit by left-wing extremism PM Modi said.If work is done on a mission mode with available resources and manpower then it will lead to very good results. Where this has happened things have changed he said. CommentsUnderlining the importance of good governance the Prime Minister said his experience showed that MNREGA the rural employment guarantee scheme has been used less effectively in more poor places and more effectively in richer regions because of good governance in the latter.Speaking on the occasion Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said lawmakers should think collectively how India can develop and become a strong country by 2022.
NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi is planning to visit Delhi s closest neighbours Bhutan and Bangladesh during the coming months aiming to show his government s support to both Thimpu and Dhaka as both prepare for general elections this year. While India-backed new power project is being planned in Bhutan Dhaka awaits Teesta river water sharing pact with Delhi to boost ruling Awami League s popularity in an election year. The visits are being planned in the first half of the year amid China s push to make inroads in the Himalyan State of Bhutan and attempts to implement BRI projects in Bangladesh. The dates of PM s visit are not yet firmed up but being finalised persons familiar with the process. But it will not be just Bhutan and Bangladesh that the PM will seek to engage in the coming months. Delhi might soon host Nepalese PM K P Oli on his first visit abroad in his current stint at the head of government following warming of ties between the two sides since the elections. Modi himself might visit Kathmandu this year for the fourth round of BIMSTEC Summit. The signals for major push by China in Bhutan came with Doklam episode and ever since Beijing is attempting to enhance its footprints in Thimpu which does not enjoy diplomatic ties with any of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Experts on Bhutan point out that the outcome of third general elections in Bhutan later this year will be extremely critical for its ties with both India and China. In a rare move NSA Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Army Chief together visited Thimphu recently. While Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid is currently on a five-day state visit to India including his participation at the International Solar Alliance Summit Modi s proposed visit to Dhaka assumes significance as there are expectations that he might offer some mechanism on sharing of waters of Teesta river an emotive issue in Bangladesh. Modi had earlier visited Bhutan in 2014 on his first trip abroad after he became PM. While he was in Dhaka on an official trip in 2015 Bangla PM Sheikh Hasina has been hosted here on three occasions. Experts on Bangladesh point out that the Hasina government has been smart in handling China. While Chinese companies are executing several projects in Bangladesh 23 bn USD allotted for Belt and Road Initiative is yet to take off as the government in Dhaka has been sensitive to India s concerns.
By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Updated: March 11 2018 9:05 am Anais Josemon receiving the PM book from Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. (Twitter) Related News International Solar Alliance LIVE UPDATES: To combat climate change need to look back at Vedas says PM Narendra ModiNational Legislators Conference: PM Modi bats for development in most backward districtsEye on China India and France focus on defence maritime tiesFour marks short of clearing her Class IX math examination and convinced that her father would be disappointed 14-year-old Anais Josemon ran away from her Mahipalpur home and boarded a Chennai-bound train on Thursday. Reunited with her family two days on her mother said the entire thing seems like a dream an adventure the family is trying to forget . On Saturday Anais was given a copy of Exam Warriors a book penned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal. He also encouraged Anais to be a warrior and not a worrier . Speaking to The Indian Express her mother Ivona Peter said She thought papa would be sad My husband is a heart patient and has been at home since a surgery. She told me she left home as she couldn t bear to see him sad. The girl who studies at Holy Child Auxilium told her mother she was going for tuition. Once my daughter left I realised the money for school fees kept in my bag was missing. I wanted to ask my daughter if she knew where it was so I went to the tuition centre Peter said. The girl was not at the Centre and her phone was switched off. That s when Peter who works as a nanny for a Delhi-based advocate s son realised something was wrong . I had doubts. She looked very sad when she left she was very silent Peter said. The girl later told her mother that she had taken an auto to Nizamuddin Railway Station where she bought a second-class AC ticket to Chennai on the Tamil Nadu Express from an agent who charged Rs 1 000 extra so she could travel without documents. She waited for the train for 12 hours buying an ice cream and a bottle of water in the meantime. I cried most of the night I was very sad. I couldn t think of anything else the girl said. She left on the train at 10 pm. In the meantime we complained to the police looked everywhere went to the Metro station and asked for CCTV footage. We couldn t find her her mother said. Around 11 pm police got information about the girl passing through Faridabad area. They told me the next day that they would be able to help me Peter said. At 4.30 am the girl sent a message to her mother: Mama don t worry about me. I am in a safe place. We replied saying we will pick you up. We kept sending messages but she didn t reply. Police then had an idea to tell her that her father was very unwell Peter said. Meanwhile Peter s employer had got in touch with the Railways Minister. She was finally traced to Bhopal. Police took a photo of her and sent it to us. When we identified her police said we could come to pick her up or they would bring her by train. My employer paid for air tickets so we could get her home she said. Now united with her family Anais is trying not to stress about exams. I went off in a train and I came back in a plane she jokingly told her mother. For all the latest Delhi News download Indian Express App More Related News Alliance with BJP still on but will fight for Andhra Pradesh s rights: TDP India France boost defence ties new confidentiality agreement among 14 pacts signed Tags: Narendra Modi No Comments.
New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi had a busy day on International Women s Day sending personalised letters to nearly 400 eminent women from politics sports industry and Bollywood including among others PT Usha and Anju Bobby George. Modi mentioned about the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme and the one crore Anganwadi workers to whom he made personalised phone calls. Sharing these details government officials said the PM wrote another 1500 personal letters to Chief Ministers Chief Secretaries Principal Secretaries and District Collectors on International Women s Day. In both these sets of letters the PM spoke about the success of the BBBP scheme as well as the POSHAN Abhiyaan which he launched on Wednesday from Rajasthan. In these letters the PM lauded the officials for their efforts in making the BBBP a success due to which the movement has been expanded to 640 districts. He also sought support for the success of POSHAN Abhiyaan and BBBP. In letters to the 400 eminent women the PM invited the woman achievers to support both the campaigns as they are aimed at women empowerment and are in sync with his vision of participate governance a government official said. Women politicians and MPs from opposition parties like BJD s Sakuntala Laguri BJD s Rita Tarai TRS s K. Kavitha and TMC s Ratna De were also sent letters written by the PM. Modi also reached out to 1.04 crore Asha and Anganwadi workers across the country through a personalised phone call the official said. On Twitter the PM re-tweeted some posts running with the hastag #SheInspiresMe and followed about 40 women who are active on social media officials added. The PM had earlier asked people on social media to write about women who have inspired them using the #SheInspiresMe hashtag.
GUWAHATI: The central government follows cooperative federalism in letter and spirit without worrying about which party is in power in a state Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday. People do not belong to party; they belong to the country and the government at the Centre is committed to cooperative federalism to ensure their wellbeing the PM said in Agartala where Biplab Deb was sworn in as the head of the first BJPled government in Tripura. Jishnu Dev Varma took oath as the deputy chief minister at a ceremony on the Assam Rifles ground that was also attended by BJP chief Amit Shah union home minister Rajnath Singh senior BJP leader LK Advani and the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states. Narendra Chandra Debbarma Ratan Lal Nath Sudip Roy Barman Pranjit Singha Roy Manoj Kanti Deb Mevar Kumar Jamatia and Santana Chakma took oath of office as ministers. Debbarma and Jamatia are from the Indigenous People s Front of Tripura BJP s ally in the government. Left Front leaders boycotted the ceremony to protest against alleged violence in the state after the BJP won the polls. But former chief minister Manik Sarkar attended the event. Some elections carve a niche in the history and people tend to talk about that for a long time and the Tripura election is one such election where new analysis will keep emerging the PM said. I have visited Northeast India over 25 times in last four years which is more than all Prime Ministers put together in last 70 https://weheartit.com/kkdigital years. I am happy that the efforts made in the last four years are bearing results. There is lot of opportunities in Northeast India. Stating that Diwali has revisited Tripura Modi said Light of development has come to Tripura. There is new hope and new aspiration. Seeking cooperation of opposition MLAs Modi said Those MLAs in opposition are experienced and the MLAs of ruling party are young fresh and full of aspiration. I hope Tripura will attend new heights. North-eastern elections this time was discussed in every corner of the country people were waiting for the results. Through this election every Indian got an opportunity to express what they feel for Northeast India. This is a welcome move. People outside want to know about Northeast India. He said the government at the Centre believed in development good governance people s participation and participatory democracy. BJP president Shah said the party would strive to fulfil the hopes and aspiration of the people and ensure Tripura develops as a model state .

Colleges are fighting a new endowment tax. This one Kentucky school got a pass

Photo A Prison University Project student working on an assignment in study hall at San Quentin State Prison. Credit R. J. Lozada Imagine if prisons looked like the grounds of universities. Instead of languishing in cells incarcerated people sat in classrooms and learned about climate science or poetry just like college students. Or even with them.This would be a boon to prisoners across the country a vast majority of whom do not have a high school diploma. And it could help shrink our prison population. While racial disparities in arrests and convictions are alarming education level is a far stronger predictor of future incarceration than race.The idea is rooted in history. In the 1920s Howard Belding Gill a criminologist and a Harvard alumnus developed a http://kkflipkart.1apps.com/default.shtml college-like community at the Norfolk State Prison Colony in Massachusetts where he was the superintendent. Prisoners wore normal clothing participated in cooperative self-government with staff and took academic courses with instructors from Emerson Boston University and Harvard. They ran a newspaper radio show and jazz orchestra and they had access to an extensive library.Norfolk had such a good reputation Malcolm X asked to be transferred there from Charlestown State Prison in Boston so as he wrote in his petition he could use the educational facilities that aren t in these other institutions. At Norfolk there are many things that I would like to learn that would be of use to me when I regain my freedom. After Malcolm X s request was granted he joined the famous Norfolk Debate Society through which inmates connected to students at Harvard and other universities. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Researchers from the Bureau of Prisons emulated this model when they created a prison college project in the 1960s. It allowed incarcerated people throughout the country to serve their sentences at a single site designed like a college campus and take classes full-time. Although the project was never completed San Quentin State Prison in California created a scaled-down version with support from the Ford Foundation and it was one of the few prisons then that offered higher education classes. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Sign Up for the Opinion Today Newsletter Every weekday get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists the Times editorial board and contributing writers from around the world. Please verify you re not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times s products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. You are already subscribed to this email. View all New York Times newsletters. See Sample Manage Email Preferences Not you? Privacy Policy Opt out or contact us anytime Today only a third of all prisons provide ways for incarcerated people to continue their educations beyond high school. But the San Quentin Prison University Project remains one of the country s most vibrant educational programs for inmates so much so President Barack Obama awarded it a National Humanities Medal in 2015 for the quality of its courses. Continue reading the main story
HYDERABAD: Number of MTech seats in Telangana are likely to drop by 50% for 2018-19 academic year as 28 engineering colleges under Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTUH) seek closure of 77 courses. The JNTUH is inspecting engineering pharmacy and management colleges for affiliation. The inspection teams are verifying compliance of norms related to infrastructure library laboratories faculty and biometric attendance in all colleges. According to officials there were nearly 16 000 MTech seats during academic year 2017-18 but 28 colleges sought no objection certificates to close 77 MTech courses. College managements attribute lack of mandatory resources sought by JNTUH in running MTech courses. Stringent norms set by JNTUH has forced several colleges to shut the courses. Some of them include mandatory appointment of PhD qualified faculty which is a challenge across India said Srini Bupalam vice-president of All India Federation of Self-Financing Institutions. He admitted that colleges were not seeking closure of courses due to lack of demand for MTech. College managements argue that closures are higher in the state as government wants to reduce the burden of fee reimbursement scheme by enforcing stringent affiliation norms. Apart from this 11 engineering colleges have also sought progressive closure from the ensuing academic year. In addition four colleges have decided to close seven courses in M Pharmacy three colleges in MCA courses and one college in MBA. While we received 282 applications for affiliations during 2017-18 this year it dropped to 266 for renewal of affiliations said a JNTUH official privy to affiliation process. Few engineering colleges have moved court against JNTUH norms and affiliation deadline. Last year JNTUH declared the list of affiliated colleges days before the counselling process. This year college managements seek early release of affiliations.
Rajasthan: Women students in colleges in Rajasthan will have to keep their skinny jeans and crop tops in their closets and show up in salwar-kameez complete with a dupatta or saris from the next academic session. Western wear isn t an option anymore said a principal.According to a letter by the Commissionerate of College Education to all state-run colleges the principals are expected to decide the colour of the dress for boys and girls and submit the final order by March 12. Colleges which already have a dress code have been asked to specify their uniforms.The dress code will be applied to all students as long as they are on campus. A similar decision covering teaching staff has been put on hold for now. Students teachers and activists have termed the move regressive and a violation of their right to choose what to wear.A History professor who didn t wish to be named said that when the world is taking one step forward India is taking two steps back. It s obnoxious. Anjali Meena a first year student at Kanoria College said These are our years of freedom after we get married we may or may not be allowed to wear jeans and T-shirts it s unfair that we aren t given an option to choose what we wear. Her classmate Megha Saini is also wondering why the boys in her college are not being forced to wear kurts pyjama. The government says that boys and girls are equal but this is discrimination. The principal of a government college in Jaipur said We will have a meeting with students and decide the colour code for these dresses. The opposition has accused the BJP government in the state of saffronising education. The Congress has promised to oppose the decision. The government had earlier distributed saffron-coloured cycles and changed the colour of the school uniforms as well said Govind Singh Dotasra Congress lawmaker from Lakshmangarh. This government wants to make babas not doctors or engineers he alleged.Dismissing the allegations education minister Kiran Maheshwari said that the move is aimed at separating http://kkflipkart.mihanblog.com/ students from outsiders and former students who often enter the colleges and create nuisance. The decision over colour and style of the uniform has been left to the colleges. Comments During the Guru-Shishya Samvad (student-teacher dialogue) in the state the demand for dress code was raised. It will help promote discipline on the campus. It s not a diktat and it will be implemented only after the principals administrations hold discussions with college unions and they come to a consensus. Last year soon after taking charge of the country s most populous state Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had asked the state-run as well as aided colleges to ensure a dress code. The teachers were asked to dress up modestly and give up jeans and T-shirts . Teachers are role models for students; if they are dressed decorously students will follow suit the circular read.

Aswini was stalked by killer for months: Complained to Chennai cops, but no arrest

ALSO READ Ban on diesel generators brick kilns Badarpur station lifted: EPCA India s 90 pc thermal plants rely on freshwater: WRI NTPC invites bids for agro residue procurement R-Infra bids lowest for NTPC unit flue gas de-sulphurisation: Sources World s largest solar thermal plant to be built in South Australia span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 US-based thermal power plant solutions provider Ljungstrom on Friday announced the start of opeartions at its new air preheater facility in Chennai for manufacturing air preheaters and gas-gas heaters. Located at the Mahindra World City in Chennai the Ljungstrom India s state-of-the-art plant has a manufacturing capacity of 16 000 tonnes per annum a company release said here. The new facility will be the leading heating element manufacturer in the region catering to increasing demand for heating equipment in India it said. The http://www.unionspringsal.gov/UserProfile/tabid/61/userId/90222/Default.aspx facility will produce Baskets with Ljungstrom s latest profile of heating elements like DNF DNF and DUN8 which offer most efficient heat recovery and superior cleanability. Commenting on the new facility spread over 12 000 square meters Ljungstrom President Dave Breckinridge said in a statement: We are committed to bring genuine advanced heat exchanger technology to India to support the existing power plant installed base with efficiency and environmental upgrades using proven Ljungstrom solutions. Last December Ljungstrom announced it had won a contract to supply air preheaters and gas-gas heaters to two coal-fired power plants in Uttar Pradesh with total capacity of 2 640 MW the critical equipment for which is being manufactured in the Chennai factory. --IANS bc/nir/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation will set up 1 640 camps in the city to administer polio drops to children aged five and below on March 11. This is the second round of polio vaccination after January 28. The camps will be set up in corporation government and private hospitals bus termini and railway stations. As many as 6 700 government and contracted staffers will be engaged to work in these camps. A statement from the city corporation said though India had been declared free of polio by WHO administering the drops becomes imperative as polio is prevalent in neighbouring countries. It is not an alternative to the regular polio drops given to children but it is an addition the statement said. The corporation covered 7.5 lakh children in the earlier camp. In the last two years the corporation has achieved an average coverage of 105% in these camps.
CHENNAI: Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board has warned the public that it would initiate action against consumers who don t pay the second half-year taxes and charges to the water agency before March 31. In a statement the board said it would disconnect water and sewer connections of defaulting consumers if the dues are not paid. Consumers including those in added areas can pay their taxes and charges at Metrowater s head office in Chinthatharipet and at area and depot offices. Consumers can also pay their dues online on the agency s website www.chennaimetrowater.tn.nic.in.
CHENNAI: Hyderabad-based Pulsus Group on Friday announced its investment in DLF IT Park SEZ to focus on two areas - multi-lingual online scientific journals and pharmacovigilance. The company intends to generate over 2 000 jobs in Chennai and Gurgaon for Pharma and life sciences Graduates. Srinubabu Gedela CEO PULSUS said Our immediate plans are to build Pulsus into a go-to destination for premium scientific content and drug safety studies in Chennai and other parts of the world. We believe there is tremendous potential to grow in this field as there is huge demand in waiting to consume scientific and healthcare content in not just in English but also in regional languages as people will begin to search for content in regional words. Our ambition is to accelerate scientific progress and to turn what is discovered into benefits for all. An essential part of this is to ensure that scientific findings are rapidly accessible and easily discoverable for others to use and build upon. What is equally important is research findings are currently made available through journals in native languages including Tamil Hindi Gujarati Telugu and Malayalam to meet the aspirations of academic scientific and healthcare community he said. Commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu formally inaugurated the Chennai facility through a video conference and said Pulsus type of new ventures and innovations are essential to India healthcare and agriculture information updates. Gedela acquired Canada-based Pulsus Group last year. With offices in London Ontario Singapore Hyderabad Chennai and Gurgaon the company plans to open another facility in Visakhapatnam this fiscal year to add 2 000 more employees to its growing workforce in India. The company aims at investing Rs 1000 crore over the next five years to achieve its target of a 10 000 strong workforce that will produce health information services to pharma and market reports. All Pulsus facilities would be located in Special Economic Zones the company said.
NEW DELHI: Two Qatar Airways aircraft with about 500 passengers on board came dangerously close to each other while flying over Chennai airspace triggering the automated collision avoidance system that helped pull the planes away to safety. The near miss or aircraft proximity incident on February 17 involved a Boeing 777 flying from Doha to Bali and an Airbus 330 operating from Bangkok to the Qatar capital. A pilot of the Boeing 777 operating as QTR 956 sought the Chennai air traffic control s permission to climb to 39 000 feet from 37 000 feet and got the go-ahead. As the plane started climbing it came as close as 300 feet from QTR 825 the Airbus 330 that was flying on the opposite direction at 38 000 feet. This triggered the traffic collision avoidance system on both aircraft which sent a resolution advisory where computers take over controls of the aircraft and by asking one aircraft to climb and the other to descent to ensure that they do not hit each other. Qatar Airways didn t respond until press time Wednesday to an email seeking comment. There could be a lot of scenarios behind the incident and only an inquiry could bring out the facts an aviation expert said. An aircraft normally climbs at a rate of about 1 000 feet per minute but that climb rate is substantially reduced at an altitude of 37 000 feet. An air traffic controller would normally calculate the time taken to climb and would have allowed the aircraft to climb only after calculating the distance between the two aircraft said Shakti Lumba a former pilot and head of operations at IndiGo and Air India. One needs to see whether there was a lag between the permission given to climb and the actual climb he said. Even a relatively short lag between the approval and the actual climb has the potential to bring the aircraft closer to each other. Only a detailed inquiry would reveal the real reason for it he added. A government official said the incident was a serious one and that the authorities had discussed it at the top level. An inquiry is being carried out by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on the incident said the official who did not want to be named. DGCA deputy director-general Lalit Gupta didn t respond until Wednesday press time to an SMS seeking comment.
CHENNAI: Under-privileged children undergoing treatment at Adyar Cancer Institute have something to cheer about. Cuddles Foundation an NGO that provides holistic nutritional support to underprivileged children affected by cancer has tied up with AnandRathi Wealth Services that aims to raise funds to provide food and nutrition to over 100 malnourished children undergoing treatment for cancer. Launching the first ever fund-raising event in Chennai AnandRathi aims to support Cuddles Foundation in providing food and nutrition to 100 malnourished children diagnosed with cancer. The initiative will enable the foundation to start their services in two more hospitals Christian Medical College Vellore and Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre Madurai. Cuddles Foundation founder and CEO Purnota Dutta Bahl said The chances of survival for underprivileged kids are 90% to 92% but most of the kids end up having incomplete treatment because of malnutrition. Even the government thinks there is a need for it. Dr R Venkat Raman an oncologist at the Cancer Institute said Cuddles Foundation has been supporting the malnourished children at the institute for a year. They have provided food and nutrition for 300 children. Cuddles have also provided easy tubes which the children are using because it is less painful he added.
ALSO READ ED attaches 158 properties valued at Rs 37.79 crore under PMLA in TN Govt eyes to make PMLA more effective Govt to bring corporate frauds under PMLA ambit Enforcement Directorate probing money laundering in PNB fraud case - source ED attaches Abhijeet Group s assets worth Rs. 38.07 cr span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday attached nine immovable properties worth Rs 27 crore of three people under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).R. Devadoss Reddy of M/s Shriram Enterprises his wife Bhanumathi and his late son Vinoth Kumar of Vallur village in Chennai are accused of cheating impersonation forgery and selling of vacant lands according to the ED s official statement. The state police have registered three FIRs against Reddy Bhanumathi and late Vinoth Kumar under sections 419 (punishment for cheating by impersonation) 420 (cheating) 465 (forgery) 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) 471 (both related to forgery) and 120 B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).The ED has also registered a money laundering case against Reddy and others as the sections 120B 419 and 420 of IPC are covered under the scheduled offences of PMLA 2002.During the investigation it was revealed that Reddy has acquired nine immovable properties out of the proceeds of crime.Earlier a total of 46 properties worth Rs. 41.48 crore bought from the proceeds of crime was provisionally attached. A prosecution complaint has already been filed in the case. Total attachment in the case now is Rs 68.48 crore.Further investigation is in progress.(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CHENNAI: In the wake of a surge in messages soliciting organs in social media the state health department has warned that those found circulating such information will be penalized. In the last six months doctors and transplant experts say there has been an increase in the number of messages that offer kidneys for a sum and those who offer to donate organs of their deceased kin. Some of these messages are old ones that are re-circulated. The origin of most of these messages has been traced to outside the state said a senior official in the health department. Either way it is misinformation. No organ donation can happen until it receives authorization from the state he said. The government the official said will crackdown on the circulation of such messages. We will ask the cybercrime cell to trace the origin and take necessary action. The public should desist from sending these messages. If they want to do good they should encourage people to register as donors he said. Organ donation in the state is governed by the Transplantation of Human Organs (amendment) Act 2011 and the Transplantation of Organs and Tissue Rules 2014. The Act allows medical experts to certify a patient http://kkdigital.myblog.de/ as brain dead by following due process harvest organs and tissues from living donor and cadavers and forming a regulatory and advisory bodies for monitoring transplantation activity. Tamil Nadu has an online transplant registry (TRANSTAN) with records of patients waiting for kidney liver or heart transplants in the state. The registry also maintains data on hospitals registered to conduct transplant surgeries and updates on the number of surgeries conducted in the state every day. A preliminary search online reveals a host of websites that offer organs for a price. On social networking forums and private sites with message boards there are hundreds of people interested in selling and buying kidneys. Transplant authorities in the state said they had lodged at least three complaints in the last four months against some of these groups in the cyber-crime cell. Dr Sunil Shroff of MOHAN Foundation an NGO that promotes organ donation said they receive several emails from people wanting to sell their kidneys. We even lodged a police complaint in Mumbai when a message started doing the rounds that our organization would buy kidneys said Dr Shroff. Online forums should be moderated and websites should be careful about the kinds of comments that are posted on them he said.

Padmaavat: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Visual Spectacle Belongs To Ranveer Singh

Written by Shubhra Gupta | New Delhi | Updated: January 24 2018 7:47 am Padmaavat movie review: Padmaavat is spectacular: no one can do spectacle like Bhansali. Padmaavat movie cast: Ranveer Singh Deepika Padukone Shahid Kapoor Jim Sarbh Anupriya Goenka Raza Murad Padmaavat movie director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Padmaavat movie rating: 2.5 stars All those agitating over how Sanjay Leela Bhansali s Padmaavat would trample all over Rajput pride you may rest easy: the director didn t need a memo from the Karni Sena and all the other self-styled armies on keeping it sanskaari his entire film is a relentlessly opulent magnificently-mounted paean to Rajput aan baan shaan . Here s how it goes just in case you are one of those rare people who haven t been breathlessly following the film s troubles: the Rajput king Ratan Singh (Kapoor) is the hero the Muslim invader Alauddin Khilji (Singh) is the villain and the object of their mutual adoration is the utterly gorgeous Padmavati who will always and forever be a good Indian girl and later wife. When we see her first she is fleet of foot and clear of eye a joyous free spirit who has a will of her own. She ends up committing jauhar her life and death circumscribed by male notions of honour. If that s not patriarchy then I m Queen Padmavati who of course did not exist. And while we of course cannot judge the actions of the dramatis personae who presumably lived in the 13th century (even if they were mythical creatures created by the poet Malik Mohammad Jayasi) by present day gender roles we do see that the director has a problem on his hands: how do you show a beautiful queen jumping into a pyre along with hundreds of her compatriots (a shot has a pregnant woman and a little girl) without glorifying the act? One way of doing it is to stuff the beginning and the middle acts with so much glitter and glamour that we are expected to be swept away. Which we dutifully do: there s a kind of beauty in the way Bhansali creates his frames even if your eye begins to be overwhelmed by it. Deepika Padukone has never been lovelier. She wears those stunning costumes never letting them wear her even if her waist is decorously covered in the Ghoomar song (alert viewers may see a flash of the said body part in other parts of the film). Shahid Kapoor sports kohl in his eyes and clearly articulated muscles in his chest often left bare. But this film belongs to Ranveer Singh s Khilji who bites into mounds of meat (serving well the prototype of the Muslim savage) and his part with such relish that you can taste it. If it hadn t been for the extreme reactions from a bunch of extreme reactionaries-cum-buffoons which nearly derailed the release the film Bhansali s latest opus would have been just another Bhansali extravganza full of costumery and puffery. But given that all art is political even if it is dressed up art Padmaavat becomes more than it is because the director chooses to outline the vileness of his antagonist and underline the pati-vrata ness of Rani Padmavati. Far from any subtle touches Bhansali s black-and-white delineation of the good Hindu and the bad Muslim (who could also gasp swing both ways) is so stark that that we are left with no illusion about which part of the political firmament he wants to be on the right side of. Finally and we can t get away from this the question for us while watching this fresh version of the oldest tale in the book ek tha raja ek thi rani dono mar gaye khatam kahani is how do we deal with the fact of a woman being forced to jump into a pyre to save the honour of her husband and her people? Of course Padmaavat is spectacular: no one can do spectacle like Bhansali. This was what he was born to do. You can easily delight in it while the going is good. But nearly three hours of it and looping rhetoric around what constitutes Rajput valour can and does become tiresome. And that compulsion to make sati so good-looking when the singeing of flesh can be so gruesome is troubling. If there s one thing that keeps us from brooding too much through the film it is Ranveer Singh. Not once does he try to make us like him and that makes us like him even more. As a performer he has always been unpredictable in a good way. As Bhansali s Khilji he is electric. And try as anyone might so is the attraction between the outsider and the queen: it is their doomed love story whose embers rain on the screen that we take away with us. Take that senas. For all the latest Entertainment News download Indian Express App Tags: Deepika Padukone Ranveer Singh Sanjay Leela Bhansali Shahid Kapoor BELFORT METROJan 24 2018 at 5:04 ambanned the movie NO MOVIE SHOULD BE MADE ON ANY RELIGION TEACH THEM A LESSON BY BANNING THESE MOVIE(2)(11) Reply Ritesh KumarJan 24 2018 at 3:18 am And try as anyone might so is the attraction between the outsider and the queen: it is their doomed love story - - seriously what is wrong with you? In the name of being ultra modern have you forgotten the basic idea of respect . If I may your words suggest that Love can creep up between a rapist and rape survivor in the moment of rape if given an artistic freedom which would then be called attraction and doomed love story . The idea of padmaavat is not around queen Padmini but all those who have performed Jauhar in reality. As cruel the Jauhar was but making fun of it and embarrassing it by pointing a love connection is too demeaning of the women even by feminist standards. P.S. I am neither a Rajput nor a Karni supporter.(34)(14) ReplySideon SidJan 24 2018 at 5:09 amI have to agree with you . The review was reasonable till the last paragraph. Even if padmavati was fictional jauhar was a terrible reality and has been documented by Muslim historians themselves. You are right in your analogy of rapist and a victim .(5)(0) Reply RRK SharmaJan 24 2018 at 3:01 amJauhar was done because queen knew what Muslims do with captured women and children Mewar had to face all invasion from 7th to middle of 16th century. There was Jauhar by Rani Karnavati as well as one during times of Akbar (who is glorified as good king in India by so called intellectuals and media) Seems this reporter doesn t understand the consequences if Padmavati stayed alive after Ratan singh s death. There won t be any Hinduism left without sacrifices of Mewar. Reporter should read history first. Muslim invaders were king of slave trade in those times there order and will was law. Nobody wants to jump in fire but sometimes it is difficult to stay alive and face consequences. Allauddin Khilji made life of another captured princess Devala kumari worse than hell.(31)(9) Reply Fortis HospitalJan 24 2018 at 1:26 amDr. Thomas of Fortis Hospital we are informing the general public that we need Kittida for the prize money of Rs.1 crore 50. The donor should contact us through our support line: (fortishospital101 ) Contact Number: 919665685517(6)(4) Reply Fortis HospitalJan 24 2018 at 1:08 amDr. Thomas of Fortis Hospital we are informing the general public that we need Kittida for the prize money of Rs.1 crore 50. The donor should contact us through our support line: (fortishospital101 ) Contact Number: 919665685517(3)(5) Reply Load More Comments JAIPUR: Shree Rajput Karni Sena which has been leading protests against Padmaavat today named a six member panel which includes erstwhile royals and historians to watch the film ahead of its release even as various outfits demanded an ordinance banning the movie. The Supreme Court refused to modify its order that had cleared the movie s nationwide release following which Rajput groups turned to the Centre demanding an ordinance within 24 hours in view of public sentiments . Rajasthan minister Gulab Chand Kataria meanwhile said that after the apex court order the state government was left with no option but to maintain law and order. The controversy-mired Sanjay Leela Bhansali film is set to be released on January 25 for which the state police began making arrangements. Karni Sena chief patron Lokendra Singh Kalvi said that the outfit had named six persons to watch the film before its release as proposed by Bhansali Productions in a letter on January 20. Historians R S Khangarot B L Gupta Kapil Kumar Roshan Sharma and erstwhile Mewar royal family member Vishwaraj Singh and erstwhile Banswara royal family member Jagmal Singh were the six persons the Karni Sena leader said. Khangarot is the principal of Agrawal college in Jaipur B L Gupta is a retired professor of the history department of the University of Rajasthan Jaipur while Roshan Sharma is a Jaipur based historian. Kapil Kumar is a Delhi-based historian. We know that the filmmaker is doing nothing but drama in the name of pre-screening. We were never against the film s screening but he should make sure that the suggestions our members give should be considered and changes should be made accordingly Kalvi who was in Porbandar in Gujarat said over the phone. He however indicated that the http://www.joyfort.com/space-uid-7762527.html resistance to film was not over yet and said that a Janta curfew will be imposed on cinema halls that exhibit the flick. President of the Shree Rajput Karni Sena Mahipal Makrana said that a Janta curfew will be imposed and roads and highways will be blocked as a protest. An undeclared emergency like situation has emerged where our sentiments have been set aside. After the Supreme Court s decision we now request the prime minister to intervene in the matter. The Centre should bring an ordinance within 24 hours to stop the film s release Girraj Singh Lotwada president of Jaipur based Rajput Sabha said. Lotwada said that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had once recited a poem on Rani Padmavati in the Parliament and now the BJP government should bring an ordinance to protect the legendary queen s honour. If the BJP government which protects Hindutva fails to do anything the message will be clear that it is the game of connivance Lotwada claimed. Meanwhile the state Home Minister Kataria said the government had no alternative but to ensure law and order after the Supreme Court rejected its review petition. And that we will do he said. All district SPs were directed to remain alert and additional forces will be pressed into service wherever required to maintain law and order Additional Director General (Law and Order) NRK Reddy said. Additional Police Commissioner Jaipur Nitindeep Blaggan said proper security measures were being taken. We have demanded additional force to maintain law and order he said. Apart from the film s release on January 25 the city is also hosting the annual Jaipur Literature Festival from January 25-29 and maintaining law and order would be a challenging task for the police officials said. Written by Mohammad Hamza Khan | Jaipur | Updated: January 24 2018 7:52 am Rajasthan: Rajput groups slam state for moving petition in SC Related News Hardik Patel Alpesh Thakor join chorus against PadmaavatPadmaavat protest: UP Kshatriya outfit leader threatens to raze Parliament SC booked for seditionPadmaavat protests in Gujarat turn violent police fire in airSoon after the Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan governments plea to modify the court s earlier order which had paved the way for nationwide release of the film Padmaavat Rajput outfits asked the Centre to bring an ordinance and put the film on hold. The Rajput outfits claimed that the issue is no longer restricted to their community but ostensibly involves all Hindus. The groups which met under the banner of Sarva Samaj Sangharsh Samiti wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to bring an ordinance prohibiting Padmaavat s screening across the nation. The letter maintained that the ordinance is required to protect the honour of Rani Padmini the icon of women s honour and tradition in Hinduism as well as high ideals and of the proud Rajput history . Also Read | Padmaavat movie review Giriraj Singh Lotwara chief of Shri Rajput Sabha and the Samiti s convenor said I request the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister to bring an ordinance to stop the movie. This is not only about Rajputs but about Hindutva. An undeclared emergency-like situation has emerged where our sentiments have been set aside. Padmaavat is scheduled for release on January 25. While Rajput leaders said that the situation will worsen if the ordinance is not brought in within 24 hours Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said Our review petition has been turned down. I and my team will now try to ensure that law and order is maintained in Rajasthan . There is no alternative before us now besides maintaining law and order. Lotwara however said There was no need for the government to go for an appeal (in Supreme Court). It could have and still can stop the movie anytime. Also Read | Padmaavat protests in Gujarat turn violent police fire in air Referring to a letter from Bhansali Productions on January 20 and his reply to it Lotwara said When they created a committee of nine people and invited three of them to watch the film all three said that the movie should not be screened. So why is the government insisting on its release? I also got a letter inviting us to watch the movie I said we are ready but I asked whether they are ready to make changes that we will suggest. I haven t got a reply since he claimed. Karni Sena chief patron Lokendra Singh Kalvi said that six others who were named to watch the pre-screening as sought by Bhansali Productions in its letter are historians R S Khangarot B L Gupta Kapil Kumar Roshan Sharma; erstwhile Mewar royal family member Vishwaraj Singh and erstwhile Banswara royal family member Jagmal Singh PTI reported. Khangarot is principal of Agrawal College in Jaipur Gupta is a retired professor of History in University of Rajasthan Jaipur and Sharma a Jaipur-based historian. Kapil Kumar is a Delhi-based historian. Opposing the film RSS s Rajasthan chief Bhagwati Prakash said that it is wrong to distort history in the name of freedom of expression . For all the latest India News download Indian Express App More Related News Padmaavat releases on Jan 25: Police step up vigil across Maharashtra identify sensitive pockets Padmaavat row: Section 144 in Gurgaon as Karni Sena plans protests Tags: Padmaavat No Comments. The Karni Sena has been protesting ahead of the film s scheduled release on Thursday.New Delhi: The Supreme Court today rejected the pleas of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh government who had sought a ban on the release of Bollywood period drama Padmaavat. Ahead of Padmaavat s release on Thursday after a Supreme Court order Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh had petitioned the top court for a review and said that states must be allowed to stop the film on grounds of law and order trouble because of protests against it. The group that had led these protests the Karni Sena also asked the top court to ban the film saying its makers twisted history. The three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra observed that it was best for the governments and others to abide by the apex court order. It said People must understand that there is a statutory body and we have passed an order. You (states) can advise people not to watch the movie the judges said.Earlier Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh Haryana and Gujarat had said they will not screen Padmaavat in the states before the Supreme Court set aside their orders on January 18. Despite the court ruling protesters have not backed down. The Karni Sena has vowed to burn theatres that screen Padmaavat. The protesters believe that the film distorts history and shows Rani Padmini a legendary Rajput Queen renowned for her beauty in poor light. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali film starring Deepika Padukone Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapur was cleared earlier this month by the censor board which suggested changes. The title of the film was also changed from Padmavati to Padmaavat .Here are the highlights of the controversy surrounding the film:Jan 23 201815:00 (IST) Sena leader Lokendra Singh Kalvi said We are ready to watch the film. We never said that we will not watch the film. The filmmaker had assured us one year ago that he will go for a special screening and now he has written for the screening and we are ready for that according to PTI reports.Jan 23 201814:53 (IST) Karni Sena the group opposing film Padmaavat said it is ready to watch the Bollywood period drama as offered by Bhansali productions. In a letter on Saturday filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali invited the group to watch the film promising that the film will make the entire Rajput community proud .Jan 23 201814:45 (IST) Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat says We BJP workers are moral descendants of Padmaavati. She sacrificed her life to save nation s pride and her honour we also believe in the same ideology. We are always determined to save country s cultural honour. Jan 23 201814:28 (IST) Cinema Owners & Exhibitors Association of India (COAEI) has written to the Home ministry and sought sufficient security outside theaters screening Padmaavat. The association has also advised theaters that they should show the film after ensuring proper security according to ANI reports.Jan 23 201814:00 (IST) OP Singh DGP Uttar Pradesh says We will take appropriate action at the appropriate time depending upon the strategy situation. We will certainly respect the decision of Supreme Court. Jan 23 201813:29 (IST) Rajput Karni Sena president Mahipal Singh Makrana said that The state government is well aware that they won t be able to handle law and order situation. They know our history. It is conspiracy. They have deliberately decided to release the film around 26th January keeping in view that the national security will be intact in all over the country and Karni Sena won t be able to do anything that day. Jan 23 201813:18 (IST)Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said Our review petition in Supreme Court has been rejected as well. Now we have no other alternative but to ensure law and order situation in the state & that we will do. Jan 23 201813:12 (IST) Deepika Padukone visits Siddhivinayak temple ahead of release of her movie Padmaavat. Deepika and the film s director Sanjay Leela Bhansali had even received death threats for the film.Jan 23 201813:07 (IST) In Patna online bookings for Padmaavat were stopped following protest and threat by Karni Sena s activists according to IANS reports.Jan 23 201812:23 (IST) The three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra observed that People must understand that there is a statutory body that certified the movie and we too passed an order. Better abide by it. Don t watch the movie if you don t want to but there cannot be a ban on screening. Jan 23 201812:08 (IST)Karni Sena has begun it s protests in Sawai-Madhopur against Supreme Court refusing to stop screening of Padmaavat . Jan 23 201812:01 (IST) It is better to advice people not to watch the movie the judges told the states and the Karni Sena which had petitioned against the film s release.Jan 23 201811:58 (IST) Supreme Court said that people must understand that apex court has passed the order and they must abide by it. Jan 23 201811:42 (IST)On Padmaavat Supreme Court refuses to modify order clearing film s release in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan says states must obey court orders .No more content CommentsClose X ALSO READ Padmaavat: Karni Sena open to watching film ahead of release on January 25 Padmaavat : Karni Sena vandalises cinema hall in Bihar s Muzaffarpur Supreme Court rejects fresh plea to cancel CBFC certificate to Padmaavat Don t release Padmaavat say Rajasthan MP; SC to hear plea tomorrow We respect SC decision on Padmaavat will study court order: Rajasthan govt span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 At least 16 people have been arrested by the police in Ahmedabad on Tuesday after a frenzied mob went on a rampage outside Himalaya Mall in the city to protest against the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali s Padmaavat . 16 people have been arrested and their interrogation is underway. The CCTV footage will be examined and more arrests will be made confirmed a senior official to the media. Police also said that around 200 protesters went around multiplexes on the upmarket SG Highway in Ahmedabad and burnt down more than a dozen two-wheelers and other vehicles as well as pelted cinemas with stones. However there were no reports of injuries. The incidents of arson coincided with the visit of Shri Rajput Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi who is spearheading the protests against the movie across the country. The violence caught police by surprise since owners of most cinemas in Gujarat including multiplexes in Ahmedabad had already declared they would not screen the controversial film. Police said some vehicles were targetted outside Wide Angle multiplex while more than seven two-wheelers were burnt or damaged at Acropolis Mall which houses the PVR Cinema screens where some windowpanes and glass doors were also damaged. Ahmedabad Police Commissioner A K Singh said many miscreants had been arrested while adequate police force had been deployed outside all cinemas. The trouble began after more than 1 500 persons claiming to be Sena activists gathered outside Dev Arc Mall that houses a movie theatre in the evening to hold a candlelight march. The group later went to the SG Highway first reaching Acropolis Mall which has upmarket PVR cinema hall and then other malls. Shouting slogans the mob halted traffic on the busy road followed by aron. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel exhorted people to boycott the movie while also appealing to them to stay calm. Similar appeals were issued by Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja and senior Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama both Rajputs. It appears that certain anti-social elements are trying to defame our community Chudasama said. Karni Sena leader claimed they had nothing to do with the violence and urged the state to initiate action the culprits. I will resign if there is any link (of violence) established with our organisation Raj Shekhavat President of Gujarat Rajput Karni Sena told media persons. In Gurgaon the district administration enforced prohibitory orders till Sunday to maintain law and order situation. Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed in view of release of the Padmaavat in various cinema halls. The film starring Deepika Padukone Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor is based on the saga of the historic 13th century battle between Maharaja Ratan Singh and his army of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi. The film has been facing protests by the Karni Sena and other fringe groups over allegations that historical facts were distorted in the flick. The Supreme Court has earlier paved the way for the all- India release of Padmaavat on January 25 and stayed notifications and orders issued by Madhya Pradesh Rajasthan and Gujarat -- all ruled by the BJP -- prohibiting exhibition of the film in their states. NEW DELHI: Padmaavat is no less than a tribute to the Rajput community though some members of the community have been protesting against its release. This reporter watched the movie on Monday at a special screening organised by producers of the film. Contrary to allegations of the Karni Sena the film actually lauds Rajputs for resisting Delhi ruler Alauddin Khilji and putting up a principled fight against him. Bhansali presents Rajputs as not just warriors but gentle and hospitable lovers of music and dance and people with values. Khilji on the other hand is portrayed as decadent brutal power-hungry king who has unreasonable desire to possess exquisite creations. He is irresponsible towards his conquests wife patrons subjects and soldiers. While celebrating the community Bhansali has not explored the well-documented rivalry among Rajput kings. A one-on-one fight between Rawal Ratan Sen and Khilji shows the former as clearly a better warrior. Contradicting claims of protest groups that the film is insensitive to Rajput traditions the film makes several references to Eklingji the deity worshipped by the Mewar princely state and the sacrifice of legendary warriors Gora and Badal who get killed by Khilji s men. The Rajput queen is shown as embracing the sword as her best weapon and urging other women to always remember the duty of the Kshtaranis to never let the honour of the community down . Karni Sena s allegations that Deepika Padukone who played the character of the queen is skimpily dressed is also unfounded. She is dressed in lehengas and cholis and elaborate jewellery except in the starting scenes while hunting but covered from head to toe. While Khilji s fascination for her is an important focus of the film there is not a single scene featuring the two. Even the frame where she lets him see her reflection in the mirror lasts less than a minute and Khilji himself accepts to Rawal Ratan Sen later that he couldn t see her. The history in the movie is not hidden as places like Chittor Mewar Delhi are referred to by their names and the characters appear as they are mentioned in Malik Mohammed Jayasi s poem. There are however three disclaimers to assert the film doesn t claim historical accuracy. It begins with 13th century Afghanistan and parallel stories of Khilji the ruler of Delhi Raja Rawal Ratan Sen the Rajput ruler of Chittor and Rani Padmini the princess of Singhal who gets married to Sen and becomes the second wife of Ratan Sen. The women are shown as valorous who relent to Jauhar described in the movie as the only move possible to face the enemy who lusts after their bodies to even deprive him of their shadows . The movie stresses on Queen Padmavati s intense loyalty to her husband and to the clan. The women are shown to see her as an avatar of Savitri a mythological character who rescued her husband from death. The film is more about his pursuit of Khilji s whims his methods of conquest also his sexuality and he is also shown to have brought to his knees by Rajputs but wins their lands through deceit. A line in the movie in the beginning Saara Masla Khwaishon ka hai (It is all about desires) actually sums up the movie but there is nothing in it that should be offensive at least to the Rajput community. New Delhi: With just two days left for the release of Padmaavat Mumbai and Haryana police on Monday promised security to the theatres that would screen the controversial film in the backdrop of threats issued by many fringe groups opposing its release.Mumbai and Haryana Police will ensure that no law and order issue is created and they will provide adequate security to the theatres screening it top police officials of both states ensured.Mumbai police will also provide protection to moviegoers and its makers if necessary.A top Mumbai police official said makers of the film Monday approached the police seeking security at multiplexes where the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed period drama will open on January 25.Police personnel will be stationed at cinemas from January 24 to 26 to ensure the film releases smoothly and any attempt to disrupt its screening is foiled in Mumbai he said.In Haryana state security forces will be deployed on January 25 around theatres Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) B S Sandhu said.Some groups led by the Karni Sena are opposing the release of the film claiming it distorts http://mxsponsor.com/riders/raj-nadh/about historical facts a charge rejected by its makers. They have threatened to disrupt its screening.A group of around 15 unidentified miscreants on Sunday vandalized a shopping mall in Kurukshetra causing panic among shoppers. Carrying sharp edged weapons and sticks they broke the glass panes of shops in the mall.The Supreme Court had last week paved the way for the nationwide release of Padmaavat by staying the ban on its screening in Gujarat and Rajasthan. CommentsClose X However Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh moved the apex court seeking recall of its January 18 order by which it had allowed the controversy-ridden film to be released in theatres across India.(With inputs from PTI)