RIVANCH

The Election Commission on Thursday held a press conference at 12 pm amid demands to postpone polls due to the Omicron threat. Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra revealed that "representatives of all political parties met us and told us that elections should be conducted on time following all COVID-19 protocols". He said, "The tenure of UP Assembly ends on 14 May. We have met representatives of the political parties, all district magistrates and superintendents of police of the districts, other senior officers. We also met GST, ED, IT officials. We want to keep election free of corrupt practices. These agencies have given clear instructions to ensure the same." He also said, the final voters list will be released on 5 January 2022. People above 80 years of age, persons with disabilities, and COVID-19 affected people who are unable to come to the polling booth, the Election Commission will reach their doorsteps for vote. Besides, VVPATs will be instal...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Haldwani in Uttarakhand on Thursday to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 23 projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore. The prime minister on Wednesday took to Twitter to announce his visit. He wrote in Hindi, "Devbhoomi Uttarakhand will move towards touching new heights of progress tomorrow. In Haldwani, I will have the opportunity to lay foundation stones and inaugurate 23 projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore. These include infrastructure projects related to health, roads and irrigation." देवभूमि उत्तराखंड कल उन्नति की नई ऊंचाई छूने की ओर अग्रसर होगा। हल्द्वानी में मुझे 17,500 करोड़ रुपये से अधिक की 23 परियोजनाओं के शिलान्यास और उद्घाटन का सुअवसर प्राप्त होगा। इनमें स्वास्थ्य, सड़क और सिंचाई से जुड़े इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर प्रोजेक्ट शामिल हैं। https://t.co/VADsa7mAyF — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 29, 2021 Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, too, took to Twitter on Thursday to welcome the prime minister. He wrot...

What can we say about 2021! The year gave us some moments that have changed the world for good, some for the better and some for the worse. As we turn the page of the calendar and make new resolutions (which shall be broken in no time at all), here's a look back at all the big stories that made 2021 the year it was. From Aryan Khan's arrest to the Uttarakhand floods, to Mamata Banerjee's resounding victory in Bengal, to the Punjab Congress drama, it's been a year we won't forget. While it may seem hard to believe that all this happened in 365 days, here’s our take, letter by letter, on everyone and everything that defined this year. A — Aryan Khan In October, Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested in connection to a drug bust aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested him and he had to spend almost three weeks in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail. He was released on bail on 28 October. Please read: What Ary...

The controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 or AFSPA legislation, which has inspired dissent and countless discussions, has been extended in Nagaland for another six months. The decision to extend AFSPA in Nagaland comes amid calls from the Northeastern state to withdraw it after the alleged botched security operation near Oting Village in Nagaland's Mon district that left 14 civilians and one jawan dead on 4 December. Take a look at what’s the legislation and why it has become such a bone of contention. What is AFSPA? The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 provides certain special powers to a member of the Armed Forces in areas in the Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. The powers were also extended to forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir as well. Interestingly, the law was first introduced by the British to suppress the Quit India movement in 1942. What powers does it confer to authorities? AFSPA confers speci...

Hybrid teaching through Zoom and other platforms during the COVID-19 epidemic has been an illuminating as well as unsettling experience for many of us, especially for the college-going students. According to a recent poll “Gen Z and the Toll of the Pandemic”, ( https://apnorc.org/projects/gen-z-and-the-toll-of-the-pandemic/ ) the “Uncertainty about the pandemic and fear of infection are among the top sources of stress for this generation…. the pandemic has made it harder to have fun… has been detrimental to their relationships with their friends, physical health, dating lives, the pursuit of hobbies, and other important aspects of being a young person.” The findings confirm our own daily contact with students. Nonetheless, most students have begun to adapt to new realities. Today’s freshman, let’s say tech-savvy Jane Digital, can do a lot of learning on her own. She believes that for every problem there must be an app and if not, it can be created. This do-it-yourself app frame-of-mi...

The results for the Akshaya AK-530 lottery will be announced at 3 pm today, 29 December, by the Kerala State Lottery Department. AK-530 ticket holders can check their result on the official website at - https://ift.tt/2K4yhLe. The live results of the Akshaya AK-530 draw will be announced at 3 pm and detailed results will be available from 4 pm onwards. The first prize winner of the Akshaya AK-530 lottery will receive Rs 70 lakh. The second prize winner will take home Rs 5 lakh in the AK-530 draw while the third prize winner will get Rs 1 lakh. The fourth prize winner will get an amount of Rs 5000 in the Akshaya AK-530 lottery draw. The fifth winner can take home Rs 2000, the sixth winner will get Rs 1000 and the seventh prize winner will get Rs 500. The eight prize holder will win Rs 100 and a consolation prize of Rs 8,000 will also be given to certain lucky Akshaya AK-530 lottery ticket holder. The AK-530 results will also be published in the Kerala Government Gazette and ticket h...

A well-timed intervention can save lives. And a testimony to this fact is Mumbai Police, whose timely actions saved a 30-year-old man, who wanted to die by suicide after losing his job in the COVID-19 pandemic. On 27 December, Aamir had posted a suicide note on Twitter tagging Mumbai Police and seeking their help. He was entangled in financial problems after he lost his job during the lockdown and used a customer’s money to pay his bills. He was unable to return the amount due to his financial situation and he was afraid a case would be filed against him. Aamir explained in the letter that he has also been blacklisted for his mistake. He further stated that he was depressed due to his problems. He was also concerned about his family and felt that they would be harassed for his actions. Many users tagged Mumbai Police after reading the two-page letter. Mumbai Cyber Police quickly reacted and counselled the man to stay calm and resolve the issue through discussion. ...