RIVANCH

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the tenth Prime Minister of India, was born on 25 December 1924 in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior. The late politician was a prolific writer and an eloquent speaker. He remains popular for his poems, most of which he wrote in Hindi. Vajpayee was elected to the position of Prime Minister in 1996 and twice in 1999. He was the first non-Congress Prime Minister to complete a full term in office. He was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as well, and served as a journalist for a short time before he joined the BJP. On 23 December 2014, Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malaviya were awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the country. After the announcement, the Narendra Modi government declared that Vajpayee’s birthday would be celebrated as Good Governance Day. The veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader passed away on 16 August 2018 after a prolonged illness. Some interesting facts about the late PM Atal Bihar Vajpayee Vajpayee was born into a Brahmin fa

New Delhi: Dense fog engulfed national capital Delhi on Saturday reducing visibility and affecting vehicular traffic as well as movement of trains. Temperatures across northern India plummeted with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting that thick fog is expected over most of the north, including Delhi-NCR and neighbouring states till December 27. “Dense to very dense fog is likely to continue over northwest India, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and UP, and adjoining eastern India,” the IMD said. Blanket of fog over Delhi-NCR A layer of fog was observed over Punjab, north Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi on Saturday. Another layer was seen over some parts of Bihar. According to the IMD “very dense fog” is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, 51 and 200 is “dense”, 201 and 500 “moderate”, and 501 and 1,000 “shallow”. The Safdarjung Observatory, the national capital’s primary weather station, recorded Delhi’s minimum temperature at 5.4 degrees Celsius, thre

New Delhi: Scaling up measures to prevent another spread of COVID-19, the authorities mandated random testing of the arriving international passengers at the major international airports across the country on Saturday. Starting today, two per cent of the passengers on board each international arrival flight will have to undergo a Covid test. The concerned airlines are to identify such passengers and they will be allowed to leave the airport only after submitting the test sample. Besides this, all the passengers will be thermally screened at the entry and those found symptomatic will be isolated. Officials said the random covid testing of the passengers commenced in the morning at various airports, including those in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Indore, and Goa. “We are Ready! Your safety is our priority. 2% random sampling for international arriving passengers will commence today from 10 AM at T3, at no cost to the passengers,” Delhi airport said

The Kerala Lottery Department will declare the result of the Karunya KR-581 lottery today, 24 December 2022. The lottery results will be announced at 3 pm on the official webpage of the State Lottery Department. The Karunya KR-581 lottery draw will be conducted at the Gorky Bhavan near Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram. Ticket holders should check the detailed lottery results of the KR 581 from 4 pm onwards on the main page. The KR 581 results will also be announced in the Kerala Government Gazette. The first prize winner of the Karunya KR 581 lottery will get an amount of Rs 80 lakh. The second and the third prize winners of KR 581 will get Rs 5 lakh and Rs 1 lakh respectively. One lucky winner will receive a consolation prize of Rs 8,000. Karunya ticket holders need to know that a lottery tax deduction of 30 per cent and an agent lottery commission of 10 per cent will be applicable on the KR 581 prize amount. Here’s how to check the Karunya KR-581 lottery results: Go to the l

Maintaining a work-life balance is one of the toughest jobs for employees. After a hectic week-long schedule, it becomes hard to save time for their own refreshment. Though people may ask for a leave, it also demands a valid reason for each leave application. Now, a guy is creating a stir across the internet following his honest confession in his formal request for a day off. A snapshot of the application mail was shared by the employee named Abhishek Kumar on Twitter. The post sarcastically encouraged users to join in a hilarious movement seeking to ‘normalise leave’, whatever the reason behind it. Normalise leave. 😉 It is not necessary that you take leave only when you are sick or for some work that cannot be done without you. pic.twitter.com/rIdCJAJxHN — Abhishek (@AbhishekSay) December 22, 2022 As per the photograph, Kumar dropped the mail to ask for a leave on 23 December just to binge-watch his favourite web series, TVF Pitchers - Season 2. Additionally, he explained the

The introduction of online PDFs and digital audiobooks has failed to affect the love of bookstores among the public. Bibliophiles love to spend their leisure time turning the pages of their favourite hardcover or paperback. Apart from reading, there are several individuals having a hobby of adding their favourite books to their very-own special collection. Looking at people expressing their excitement for books, children unquestionably occupy the first row. Recently, a bookstore has been winning hearts across social media by fulfilling a wish of a kid to purchase his favourite Dragon Ball Super comic. The news was shared by a store named Walking Bookfairs on their official Twitter handle. A young reader walked in with ₹400 in his pocket, was overjoyed to find manga books in store, got disappointed that the one he wanted was priced ₹699. His smile when we told him he could have it at ₹400 made our day. #BookstoreLife pic.twitter.com/Ts8xn1t92b — Walking BookFairs (@walkngbookfairs)

Encountering a wild animal while travelling through forested areas in India is nothing new. Time and again, people have shared videos of tigers and elephants blocking their way in the forest. Another such video was shared by Indian Forest Service officer Susanta Nanda on Wednesday. The clip shows how two motorbike riders had a close shave when a tiger appeared on the road just as they were racing ahead. Showing great presence of mind, the man riding the bike backed away quickly to avoid the apex predator. The video of their terrifying encounter with the tiger has left the internet stunned. Have a look at this video here: As long as one doesn’t have a back gear in the bike, use common sense in the back of your mind & drive slow in wild habitats. Via Ramesh Pandey. pic.twitter.com/7fBnwJUJiH — Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) December 21, 2022 The video appears to have been shot from a car and shows the riders waiting patiently for the tiger to cross the road. The tiger lo

As 2022 nears an end, we are gripped with a sense of déjà vu. The surge in coronavirus cases in China has triggered fresh warnings across the world. India, especially, is on its toes. While so far there has been no rise in coronavirus cases in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advised caution. The Centre has directed state administrations to ramp up COVID-19 testing, conduct genome sequencing and follow protocols to detect any unusual spike in infections or early detection of new variants. And masks are making a comeback. Also read: China’s COVID-19 surge: Will a deadlier variant emerge as the virus spreads? India and the BF.7 variant The BF.7 variant of Omicron, which is reportedly driving the fresh COVID wave in China, has been detected in India, first in July. A sub-lineage of the Omicron variant BA.5, it has a strong infection ability and is highly transmissible. It has a shorter incubation period and a higher capacity to cause reinfection or infect even those vacci

The Nirmal NR 308 lottery draw results will be declared by the Kerala Lottery Department at 3 pm today, 23 December 2022. Once the results are out, Nirmal ticket holders can check their winning ticket numbers on the official web portal of the Kerala Lottery Department. The detailed NR 308 draw results will be released on the lottery department’s web portal from 4 pm onwards. In order to make it convenient for Nirmal ticket holders, the NR 308 results will also be published in the Kerala Government Gazette. The first prize winner of the Nirmal NR 308 draw will receive Rs 70 lakh. The second and third prize winners of the NR 308 lottery draw will get Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 lakh, respectively. Step to check the Nirmal NR 308 results: Go to the official web portal . Look for the Nirmal NR 308 lottery draw results link on the webpage. Then, click on the link designated for NR 308 results. The Nirmal NR 308 results will appear on the screen. The NR 308 lottery draw will take place at t

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday said that two per cent of passengers arriving on each international flight will be subject to random coronavirus tests from 24 December, as it issued revised guidelines for international travellers amid a rise in cases in China, US, South Korea and other countries. The Union health ministry has written to the civil aviation ministry in this regard amid an increase in coronavirus cases in many countries. Here are the revised guidelines: Such travellers in each flight shall be identified by the concerned airlines (preferably from different countries), the letter said, adding that after submitting the sample passengers shall be allowed to leave the airport” Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said. Following random testing, if anybody is found COVID-positive, the sample should be sent for genomic testing at the designated INSACOG laboratory network, Bhushan wrote in a letter to his civil aviation ministry counterpart, Rajiv Bansal. A copy of the

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to assess the COVID-19 situation in the country, preparedness of health infrastructure and logistics, status of the vaccination campaign in the country and the emergence of new Covid variants and their public health implications for the country. The high-level review meeting comes in the backdrop of spike in COVID19 cases in some countries, read a statement from Prime Minister’s Office. A comprehensive presentation was made regarding the global COVID-19 situation including the rising cases in countries by Secretary, Health and Member, NITI Aayog. PM Modi was briefed that India has been witnessing a steady decline in cases with average daily cases falling to 153 and weekly positivity down to 0.14% in the week ending 22 December. However, 5.9 lakh daily average cases have been reported globally since the last six weeks. Prime Minister cautioned against complacency and advised strict vigil. He reiterated

The Ashram flyover in Delhi will be closed for 45 days from 25 December for the completion of its integration with the new extension and construction of a connecting road. The move is likely to result in huge traffic snarls in the area. The work to connect the Ashram flyover to the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) flyway has been underway since 2020. The project is aimed at easing traffic at the busy Ashram intersection and facilitating a commute between Delhi and Noida. Now, the extension project is nearing its completion and the Public Works Department (PWD) has received approval from the traffic police to close the flyover temporarily. After the major flyway will be closed, alternate routes are expected to experience heavy traffic jams, a report by The Times of India said. Delhi Traffic Police took to Twitter and issued an advisory. “Due to the extension of the Ashram Flyover to the New DND Flyover, both carriageways of the Ashram Flyover road will remain closed for 45 days from 25.12.22.

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed on Thursday that both India and China have agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground along with a steady channel of communication following the Tawang clash on December 9. This decision was arrived at during the 17th round of Corp Commanders’ meet between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on December 20 at the Chushul-Mondo border in Ladakh. The MEA said that both sides had a “frank and in-depth” dialogue based on the “guidance” given by the political leadership of both countries. “The 17th round of India-China core commander level meeting was held at Chushul Moldo on the Chinese side on Dec 20. Two sides exchanged views along the LAC in western sector & held frank & in-depth discussions to work on the remaining issues at the earliest,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told the media during a briefing on Thursday. “The two sides agreed to maintain security and stability on the grou

New Delhi: The Indian Army’s ability to take on China and Pakistan high in the Himalayas is set to get a massive boost with the Indian government about to kick-start an indigenous project for the acquisition of 354 light tanks under ‘Project Zorawar’. The mega project was stuck in a bottleneck due to differences between the Indian Army and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). A TOI report quoted officials as saying that the defence ministry has managed to resolve the issue between the Indian Army and the DRDO, clearing the way for ‘Project Zorawar’ to take wings. Of the 354 light tanks, 59 are to be manufactured by the DRDO while the rest will be produced by a government-funded design and development project in the `Make-1’ category of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP). The Defence Acquisitions Council will take up the grant of AoN (acceptance of necessity) under Project Zorawar, at an estimated cost of Rs 17,500 crore. “The DRDO can also compete with p

The Karunya Plus KN 451 lottery draw results will be released by the Kerala Lottery Department today, 22 December 2022 at 3 pm. Once the KN 451 lottery result has been announced, ticket holders will have to check the KN 451 results on the official web portal of Kerala lottery department. In order to make it easy for the ticket holders, the KN 451 results should also be published in the Kerala Government Gazette. The detailed KN 451 results should be released on the lottery department’s web portal from 4 pm onwards. The winner of the Karunya Plus KN 451 lottery’s first prize will receive a sum of Rs 80 lakh. The second prize winner of the KN 451 lottery draw will get Rs 10 lakh and the third prize winner is entitled to get Rs 1 lakh. The Karunya Plus KN 451 lottery draw will happen at the Gorky Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram, near Bakery Junction. KN-451 ticket holders need to be aware that a 30 per cent Kerala lottery tax deduction along with a 10 percent agent lottery commission will b

New Delhi: China may be preparing for another attempt at grabbing Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh. If satellite images are anything to go by, there is ample evidence that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is gearing up for another tussle with the Indian Army in the Tawang sector despite the thrashing it had received during its last LAC transgression a few days ago. According to a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, China has made military preparations on a large scale from Doklam near its disputed border with Bhutan to the LAC at Arunachal Pradesh. Sattelite images accessed by the institute show massive infrastructure build-up by China in the territory controlled by the PLA in the Yangtse plateau over the last year. While India maintains control of the commanding heights on the Yangtse plateau, China has tried to compensate for this disadvantage by building new military and transport infrastructure that allows the PLA to get troops quickly into the area.

New Delhi : A video of an argument between a passenger and one of the crew members of IndiGo airline has gone viral on social media. The incident took place on the airline’s Istanbul-Delhi flight over food. Tempers soaring even mid-air: "I am not your servant" An @IndiGo6E crew and a passenger on an Istanbul flight to Delhi (a route which is being expanded soon with bigger planes in alliance with @TurkishAirlines ) on 16th December : pic.twitter.com/ZgaYcJ7vGv — Tarun Shukla (@shukla_tarun) December 21, 2022 The video shows the crew member accusing the passenger of talking to the staff rudely which made them cry. The air hostess is seen telling the passenger "You are pointing a finger at me and yelling at me. My crew is crying because of you. Please try to understand, there is a cart and counted meals are uplifted (on the plane). We can only serve what your boarding..." Meanwhile, Indigo has said, "We are aware of the incident that took place on fli

New Delhi: India is likely to purchase MQ-9 Reaper drones in a billion-dollar deal with the US. These drones, which use laser-guided Hellfire missiles for precision strikes, fall in the category of hunter-killer Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The US had reportedly used the MQ-9 Reaper drone for an air strike on a compound in Kabul, Afghanistan that had allegedly killed Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. According to media reports, India is preparing to acquire the MQ-9 Reaper drone for all the three military services of the Indian Armed forces. However, the Indian government is yet to come out with an official statement on this issue. In 2017, the Indian Navy had taken these drones on lease for two years. They were being operated for surveillance of activities by the PLA Navy (PLAN) of China in the Indian Ocean. During the peak of the military stand-off with China in eastern Ladakh in 2020, India had leased two MQ-9A drones from US-based company General Atomics under a Company-Own

New Delhi: Bangladesh commerce minister Tipu Munshi will be on a two-day visit to India starting 22 December for talks aimed at deciding the negotiation roadmap for India-Bangladesh Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). During his visit, Munshi will hold meetings with Indian commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal. For the unversed, India and Bangladesh, earlier this year, had finalised a joint feasibility study for a proposed CEPA. The trade deal is significant as it will be the first of its kind agreement for Bangladesh and a large Asian country. Notably, the India-Bangladesh joint statement was issued after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s India visit in September this year and meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a key emphasis on signing the trade pact. The joint statement mentioned that the two leaders “directed trade officials on both sides to start negotiations within the calendar year 2022 and to complete these at the earliest, in time for

The Fifty Fifty FF-29 lottery draw results will be released by the Kerala Lottery Department today, 21 December 2022 at 3 pm. Once the FF 29 lottery result announcement has been made, ticket holders should check the FF 29 results on the official web portal of Kerala lottery department. In order to make it easy for the ticket holders, the FF 29 results will also be published in the Kerala Government Gazette. The detailed FF 29 results should be announced on the lottery department’s web portal from 4 pm onwards. The winner of the Fifty Fifty FF-29 lottery’s first prize will get a sum of Rs 1 crore. The second prize winner of the W FF 29 lottery draw will get Rs 10 lakh and the third prize winner is entitled to get Rs 1 lakh. The Fifty Fifty FF-29 lottery draw will be conducted at the Gorky Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram, near Bakery Junction. FF-29 ticket holders need to know that a 30 per cent Kerala lottery tax deduction along with a 10 per cent agent lottery commission will be charged

The Fifty Fifty FF-29 lottery draw results will be released by the Kerala Lottery Department today, 21 December 2022 at 3 pm. Once the FF 29 lottery result announcement has been made, ticket holders should check the FF 29 results on the official web portal of Kerala lottery department. In order to make it easy for the ticket holders, the FF 29 results will also be published in the Kerala Government Gazette. The detailed FF 29 results should be announced on the lottery department’s web portal from 4 pm onwards. The winner of the Fifty Fifty FF-29 lottery’s first prize will get a sum of Rs 1 crore. The second prize winner of the W FF 29 lottery draw will get Rs 10 lakh and the third prize winner is entitled to get Rs 1 lakh. The Fifty Fifty FF-29 lottery draw will be conducted at the Gorky Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram, near Bakery Junction. FF-29 ticket holders need to know that a 30 per cent Kerala lottery tax deduction along with a 10 per cent agent lottery commission will be charged

It has been a grim year dominated by war, crisis, and protests. But in India, we had a lot to cheer about, especially as women made their mark. As the year ends, the conflict rages on but there was something to cheer for as Lionel Messi’s Argentina lifted the trophy at the FIFA World Cup 2022. There are several who hit headlines for scripting history; the others for not-so-good reasons. As 2022 closes to an end, we take a look back at the newsmakers who had our attention. Volodymyr Zelenskyy    If there is one real hero to be picked for the year, it is undoubtedly Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy . The president is TIME magazine’s 2022 Person of the Year. The comic-turned-politician was little known before Russia invaded Ukraine on 26 February. Today, he has left the world inspired as his country has fought the mighty Russian military for ten months. Zelenskyy is not a leader watching from the sidelines. He is in the thick of things. And he is not the one to back down. In April, Z