RIVANCH

Chennai, Tamil Nadu: The roads of Chennai wore a deserted look as the city observed lockdown as part of complete lockdown on all Sundays in Tamil Nadu, amid rising COVID-19 cases. There are currently 1,31,007 active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu. The cumulative death toll of the state stood at 36,967. The cumulative recoveries in the state stood at 27,47,974. Earlier on 11 January, 2022, Tamil Nadu Health Minister MA Subramanian said that there is no need for a lockdown in the state amid rising COVID-19 cases. "There is no need for full lockdown as of now. CM has asserted that the economy should not be affected, restricted lockdown enough for now," Subramanian had said on 11 January, 2022. Earlier on 10 January, 2022, the Tamil Nadu government extended COVID-19 restrictions till 31 January, 2022, in order to contain the transmission of the virus. According to a Hindustan Times report, the existing Covid-19 restrictions in Tamil Nadu, including the closing of schools fro

Addressing the media, Army Chief General MM Naravane stated while discussing the India-China standoff, “The situation is stable and under control.” He added, “What happens and whether a situation escalates or not is very difficult to foretell or predict. But whatever we have done so far, we are in a position to meet whatever is thrown at us in the future. That I can assure you very confidently.” India has enhanced its capabilities and constructed infrastructure to react to any Chinese misadventures. It has also reoriented its forces resulting in additional availability of forces along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The standoff in Ladakh is into its second winter with over 60,000 troops deployed by both sides. The media conference was held while the 14th   round of Corps Commander level talks were in progress. The talks ended without much ado though on a positive note. A joint statement released a day after the talks mentioned that both sides agreed to hold the next round of talks

When products die Goldeneye (1995), Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as James Bond, features a climactic scene in a disused park in Moscow littered with fallen statues dating back to the erstwhile Soviet Union. Busts and statues of communist leaders and symbolic representations of worker-power (all with the proverbial hammer and sickle) are scattered around, as Bond confronts his nemesis. The previous Bond film, Licence to Kill had been released in 1989 before the momentous events of that year had signalled an end to the Soviet Empire. The statues in Goldeneye were a reminder to the viewer of the changing world where the ghosts of the past still lurked. The picture then a similar such park populated by obsolete products. In your mind’s eye, which products do you see littered around? Audio cassette players and cassettes? Pagers? Telephone directories? Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)? The telegraph? The imminent death of the vintage Blackberry On 4 January, 2022, one more product joi

Guf Kral is a Neolithic site located at Banmir village in Hurdumir area of Tral which is 40 kilometers from the summer capital of Srinagar. Gufkral is a combination of two Kashmiri words ‘ Guf ’ (means cave ) and ‘ Kral ’ (means potter). Gufkral is one of the oldest caves in Kashmir and its origin has been traced to 2000-3000 BCE. These caves of gufkral have been inhabited by these potters for a very long period of time. These potters represent the Kashmiri lineage of the family known as ‘Kumars’. Kumar is considered an under-privileged lower caste even though the caste system in Kashmir is not so rigid and complex but we can’t deny the fact that Kashmiri society is not a caste-free society. The site of Gufkral was first excavated in 1981 by the Archeological Survey of India and it was revealed that the site had been occupied for about five periods from the Neolithic to Megalithic periods. The caves of Gufkral have been an heirloom to these potters. This art of pottery is the only in

The Philippines has given a $374 million contract to BrahMos Aerospace to supply shore-based anti-ship missiles for the country's navy, military sources said. BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missile 'BrahMos' that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms. The company had proposed to the Philippines government for the supply of shore-based anti-ship missiles for the country's navy, sources mentioned. Its proposal worth $374 million was accepted last month by the government, they added. Philippines accepts BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd's proposal worth USD 374.9 million to supply Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile System Acquisition Project for Philippine Navy pic.twitter.com/p167tenWwV — ANI (@ANI) January 14, 2022 The development comes on the backdrop of the government's push for Make in India in defense and its stress on Aatmanirbhar Bharat. India is likely to bag more orders for the mi

As part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’s week-long event — Celebrating Innovation Ecosystem, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be interacting with startups from various fields and will attend presentations made by them at 10:30 am today via video conference. These startups have been divided into six groups and each group would make a presentation to the Prime Minister on different themes – 'growing from roots, 'nudging the DNA, 'from local to global', 'technology of future', 'building champions in manufacturing' and 'sustainable development'. Each group will then make a presentation to Modi. The interaction between the prime minister and the startups aims to understand how startups can successfully contribute to the nation’s needs. The PM’s Office added that PM Modi has been a firm believer in the potential that startups hold in contributing to the growth and development of the nation. The reminiscing success of the past years, the PMO added, “Thi

India celebrates Army Day on January 15 every year to honour the sacrifices of soldiers, who have served the nation selflessly and set a significant example of brotherhood. It is a day of national pride and to remember the selfless service and valour of the brave jawans. On this day in 1949, General KM Cariappa took over as Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army and hence, the day is significant in the history of independent India. Significance The Indian Army was established in 1895 but it was running without an Indian chief till the country got its independence from British rule. On 15 January 1949, General KM Cariappa became the first Indian to take charge of the Army. He took over the charge from General Francis Butcher, who was the last British commander of the national army. The historic day is celebrated with patriotic zeal at all Army Command Headquarters. However, this year, the day will be celebrated amid strict protocols due to the ongoing third wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

This year on 15 January, India will celebrate its 74th Army Day. On this day, the soldiers are acknowledged and honoured for their selfless act and the celebrations set an example of brotherhood among the citizens. Due to the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian Army Day will be marked amidst stringent protocols at all Army Command Headquarters. Every year, a grand parade takes place at Cariappa Parade Ground at Delhi Cantt. During the event, the Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane takes salute. Bravery awards including unit credentials and Sena medals are also awarded to a few. The Command Headquarters as well as the main headquarters in the national capital recognises and celebrate this day with pomp and show. Along with military parades, the Indian Army displays all the latest technology that has either been acquired or incorporated into the service. How will Army Day be celebrated this year? This year, the Indian Army will showcase their collection of weapons in

Coronavirus pandemic, lockdown, curfew have all changed or modified the whole living style of people across the globe. Though initially it was all horror and scare where holding on to dear life was more important, the prolonged pandemic situation has forced people to go on with life parallel to virus and its mutations. Festivals are those times when the entire family, community, or village come together and celebrate with joy. This joy is forcing people to dare to crowd despite shooting positive numbers. But, gradually alternate ‘safe’ ways to keep up with the traditions are coming up and people are happily embracing them. The festival of celebrating the harvest, Sankranti is here and people in Bengaluru have found a digital way to distribute the mandatory delicacy – Ellu Bella. The Ellu Bella Ellu-bella translates into sesame and jaggery. A mixture of finely chopped jaggery, copra or dry coconut, finely roasted and peeled groundnut, roasted gram and white sesame is a very special

"A heavy jerk followed a loud sound, I fell from my berth and everything went blank." That's how a survivor recounts the Bikaner-Guwahati Express train accident, which led to the death of nine people and injuring another 45 people. We look back at what happened on Thursday evening that resulted in this tragedy and past incidents which grabbed the headlines. Bikaner-Guwahati Express train derails According to officials, 12 coaches of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express train derailed and some overturned near Domohani in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district around 5 pm in an area under the Alipurduar division of Northeast Frontier Railway. Reports state that there were 1,053 passengers on board the train at the time of the derailment. A PTI report stated that hundreds of people from nearby villages gathered at the spot and lent a helping hand to passengers who had got trapped inside the collapsed coaches. Some of the bogies had gotten detached from the rest of the train un

Magh Bihu is being marked on 14 January this year in Assam. The harvest festival is dedicated to the Sun God (Lord Surya) and marks the transition of the Sun in to the Makara (Capricorn) zodiac sign. The harvest festival is also celebrated as Pongal in the southern states and Makar Sankranti in the rest of the country. The occasion is considered as one of the most auspicious ones in the Hindu calendar and is marked with great pomp and fervour. The term Bihu is believed to originate from ‘Bishu’, a Sanskrit word, according to News18 . The Sanskrit word means to bring in good luck and seek happiness and blessings from gods. Many people offer their prayers to the Sun God on this day. It is believed that taking a dip in the Ganga river on Magh Bihu can invoke the blessings of the gods. People also clean their houses and make khichdi on this day in honour of the occasion. The festival indicates the shift from long, cold winter to warmer days. Magh Bihu also marks the start of the auspic

New Delhi: The Centre Thursday told the Delhi High Court that it was considering a “constructive approach” to the issue of criminalising marital rape and has sought suggestions from state governments, the Chief Justice of India, MPs and others on comprehensive amendments to the criminal law. Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who is heading the bench dealing with a batch of petitions seeking criminalisation of marital rape, informed during the hearing that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the matter before him when certain other parties and Justice C Hari Shankar, who forms part of the bench, were not present. “The matter was mentioned in the morning by the learned SG and he was saying that the government was considering a constructive approach to the matter,” said Justice Shakdher. Central government lawyer Monika Arora told the bench that the Centre was undertaking a comprehensive task of amending the criminal law which includes section 375 (rape) of the IPC. “We have invited sugge

"A heavy jerk followed a loud sound, I fell from my berth and everything went blank." That's how a survivor recounts the Bikaner-Guwahati Express train accident, which led to the death of seven people and injuring another 45 people. We look back at what happened on Thursday evening that resulted in this tragedy and past incidents which grabbed the headlines. Bikaner-Guwahati Express train derails According to officials, 12 coaches of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express train derailed and some overturned near Domohani in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district around 5 pm in an area under the Alipurduar division of Northeast Frontier Railway. Reports state that there were 1,053 passengers on board the train at the time of the derailment. A PTI report stated that hundreds of people from nearby villages gathered at the spot and lent a helping hand to passengers who had got trapped inside the collapsed coaches. Some of the bogies had gotten detached from the rest of the train u

The festival of Pongal will be celebrated in Tamil Nadu from 14 to 17 January this year. The harvest festival marks the transition of the Sun into the Makara (Capricorn) zodiac sign. The four-day festival of Pongal is dedicated to the Sun God (Lord Surya). Significance : In India, the harvest festival is also celebrated as Lohri in Punjab, Magh Bihu in Assam and Makar Sankranti in other parts of the country. Farmers pray to the Sun god for a prosperous harvest and hope they can invoke the god and receive his blessings through various rituals. Pongal, which means “spilling over”, comes from one of the rituals observed in the festival, which sees freshly harvested rice is boiled, along with jaggery and milk, in a new clay pot until the substance overflows. The ritual is said to represent the sun’s steady heating of the Earth as well as denote favourable beginnings. The festival of Pongal also marks the transition to warmer days and the lessening of the winter season.  It also denotes

Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged in the country on Friday, 14 January. In Delhi, fuel is relatively cheaper than the rest of the metros because the state government had earlier decided to reduce the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on petrol, bringing down the price of the fuel in the city by about Rs 8 per litre. At a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, it was decided that the VAT on petrol will be reduced from the present 30 percent to 19.4 percent, leading to a cut of around Rs 8 per litre, officials said. The price of petrol after the VAT cut will go down from the current Rs 103 per litre to Rs 95 per litre, sources told PTI . Earlier, the petrol price in Delhi was higher as compared to the NCR cities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, where the state governments had announced a VAT cut following the Centre reducing the excise duty on fuel prices. The Centre had on the eve of Diwali, announced excise duty cut on fuels resulting in a sharp decrease in petrol a

There is a lot of noise being made on the new education policy and rewriting of history and social sciences textbooks. Demands for rewriting history and removing distortions are becoming stronger, and voices turning shriller and shriller. In order to understand this, let us revisit the history of this issue itself. In the Indian context, history textbooks and history writings first became a matter of media attention when during the Vajpayee government, NCERT took up the revision of the National Curriculum Framework and the textbooks of all subjects prepared almost four decades ago. While there was no problem with the revision of textbooks in any other subject, all hell broke loose when it came to history and social sciences textbooks. The ‘eminent’ historians/social scientists who were involved in writing history/social sciences textbooks and their students and supporters began a campaign that history/social sciences books cannot be rewritten or revised. They argued that the nature of

India added 2,47,417 fresh COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. In the same time, the country also logged in a whopping 84,825 recoveries. India’s COVID-19 tally as of date stands at 3,60,70,510. The country also saw 442 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the total toll to 4,84,655. A comparison of previous day’s daily cases with today’s shows a 27 percent jump and according to the data provided by the health ministry, this is the first time in nearly eight months that the daily count has surpassed the two-lakh mark. The active cases comprise 3.08 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 95.59 percent. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 13.11 percent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 10.80 percent. The number of Omicron cases in the country has also risen to 5,488, a jump from yesterday’s 4,868. The health ministry also stated that 17,61,900 COVID-19 tests were conducted the previous day. Meanwhile, the cum

India held its 14th round military talks with China on Wednesday in which it pressed for an early disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh. Wednesday’s discussions took place at the Chushul-Moldo border point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The series of meets between the two sides, which began in June of 2020, is a result of a 20-month standoff between the two countries, who are seeking to address issues associated with disengagement at pending friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the region. We take a look at what has taken place from the first round of talks to the present scenario. First round of talks A meeting held between the divisional commanders of Indian and Chinese armies was called on 18 June 2020 near the site of the violent clash in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. However, these talks ended in a stalemate. The talks came a few days after the clash in Galwan Valley — th