In the centre of the picture, a large area of dark blue shows the Indus overflowing and flooding an area around 100 km wide, turning what were once agricultural fields into a giant inland lake…reports Asian Lite News
Striking new satellite images that reveal the extent of Pakistans record flooding show how an overflowing Indus River has turned part of Sindh province into a 100 km-wide inland lake, media reports said.
Swaths of the country are now underwater, after what United Nation officials have described as a “monsoon on steroids” brought the heaviest rainfall in living memory and flooding that has killed 1,162 people, and affected 33 million since mid-June, CNN reported.
The new images, taken on August 28 from NASA’s MODIS satellite sensor, show how a combination of heavy rain and an overflowing Indus River have inundated much of Sindh province in the South.
In the centre of the picture, a large area of dark blue shows the Indus overflowing and flooding an area around 100 km wide, turning what were once agricultural fields into a giant inland lake, CNN reported.
It’s a shocking transformation from the photo taken by the same satellite on the same date last year, which shows the river and its tributaries contained in what appear by comparison to be small, narrow bands, highlighting the extent of the damage in one of the country’s hardest-hit areas.
This year’s monsoon is already the country’s wettest since records began in 1961, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, and the season still has one month to go.
In both Sindh and Balochistan provinces, rainfall has been 500 per cent above average, engulfing entire villages and farmland, razing buildings and wiping out crops, CNN reported.
While mostly dry weather is expected in the region in coming days, experts say the water will take days to recede.
Pakistan’s Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said on Sunday that parts of the country “resemble a small ocean” and that “by the time this is over, we could well have one-quarter or one-third of Pakistan under water”.
In an interview with CNN, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he had visited Sindh and seen first-hand how the flooding had displaced entire villages and towns.
“There is barely any dry land that we can find. The scale of this tragedy… 33 million people, that’s more than the population of Sri Lanka or Australia,” he said.
Apart from being a trade hub, Moreh is infamous for being the main transit corridor for drug trafficking in Manipur and other northeastern states….writes Sujit Chakraborty
Moreh along the India-Myanmar border in Manipurs mountainous Chandel district is not just an international trading hub but a cosmopolitan place where people belonging to the Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jain faiths from different parts of India have lived together for decades in complete harmony.
Thousands of Tamils, Nepali, Bihari, Rajasthani, Bengali, Punjabi besides Manipur’s Meitei communities belonging to Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jain faiths have lived together peacefully for decades in this border town, 110 km south of Manipur capital Imphal and just four km west of Myanmar’s biggest border town Tamu in Sagaing region.
After the people of the Nepali community were settled here by the British much before 1947, the Tamil people since 1964 converted the once nondescript and densely-forested border area into a trading hub between India and Myanmar using their century old Myanmar connections.
The Tamils, Nepalis, Punjabis and other non-Manipuri people speak Manipuri and Myanmarese fluently apart from their mother tongue.
They run varied businesses while a few are engaged in cross-border trade through the land route between India and Myanmar.
However, the India-Myanmar trade and business through the Moreh-Tamu border using the Moreh Integrated Check Post (ICP) has been stopped since March 2020 after the Covid-19 outbreak.
A Manipur government official told IANS that the External Affairs Ministry’s Border Management (BM) Division in mid May sent an advisory to Manipur Chief Secretary Rajesh Kumar to resume the India-Myanmar border trade, but the military administration of Myanmar is yet to respond positively.
“For the Tamil people of Moreh, the period from the sixties to the early nineties was a Golden Age. We had experienced very good cross border trade and business. With the decline in the official border trade along with other factors, life here has become very tough,” said K.B.S. Manian, Secretary of Tamil Sangam, an association of Tamils in Moreh.
He said after Chinese goods become available in Myanmar, the Myanmarese though they liked Indian goods are no longer interested in buying them due to the price difference.
“Till 1992, the number of Tamils was around 10,000 in Moreh but now it has come down to around 3,500. The declining border trade, collection of ‘taxes’ by insurgent outfits, Naga-Kuki ethnic conflict and other problems have forced many traders and others settled in this border town to return to their native places in South India,” Manian told IANS.
People of other communities including Nepali, Punjabi, Bihari, Bengali, Rajasthani are facing similar problems in Moreh.
“However, we the people of all communities and multi-faith Indian citizens are living in harmony. During festivities, irrespective of religion and caste, all the people take part in them.
“Tamils observe Pongal and Fire Walking festivals while the others celebrate other festivals throughout the year,” said Manian, 63, who is the principal of the Netaji Memorial English High School set up in 1967 by the Tamil Sangam.
Tamil women in Moreh embrace their traditional culture despite being far from their native place.
Run by Tamil Sangam, there are three other schools for the Tamil students in Moreh, which can be called as a mini Tamil Nadu in Manipur.
The Tamils are primarily traders of products from their native place such as lungis, saris, food items, various domestic items and more.
Small eateries serving hot dosas, sambar vada and idlis dot the roadsides of Moreh while shops sell clothes, house decor and religious items and other products.
Moreh is also a famous tourist destination of northeast India.
Marking it as a place of religious harmony, there are Temples, Masjids, Churches, Gurudwaras and other religious shrines in Moreh.
Tamils in both Moreh and Myanmar are bonded by ethnicity, as their ancestors were first taken to Yangon by the East India Company as workers along with people from Punjab, Bengal, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
A majority of the Tamils returned to India and made Moreh their home after the military junta toppled the government in 1962. There are very few Tamils left in Myanmar’s Tamu and Yangon.
As the British empire declined in 1948, this Tamil community’s fortunes began to decline too. During the military regime, the Tamil population there was forced out of the country.
Tamils in the then Burma (now Myanmar) were predominantly involved in rice cultivation, trade and other work.
Apart from being a trade hub, Moreh is infamous for being the main transit corridor for drug trafficking in Manipur and other northeastern states.
Assam Rifles troopers and other security forces often seize drugs including heroin and the highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, commonly known as ‘Yaba’.
Considering its strategic location, ICP Moreh has the advantage of acting as India’s gateway to the eastern neighbours through the Moreh-Tamu border point, which is presently the only feasible and operational land route for trade between India and Myanmar and other South East Asian countries.
The ICP Moreh, spread over a total area of 45.58 acres and set up in 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs 72.67 crores, is situated along the proposed 1,360 km long India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway.
The India-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Moreh connects India to Kalewa in Myanmar’s Sagaing Division.
Traders on both sides of the border are keen to resume the India-Myanmar trade through the Moreh and Mizoram’s Zokhawthar (closed for many years) trading points to curb the rampant illegal trade in various items, especially the highly addictive drugs.
Moreh in Manipur and Zokhawthar in Mizoram are the two important international trading points along the 1,643-km long India-Myanmar unfenced border.
The Mizoram-based International Trade Initiative Forum (ITIF) recently urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mizoram Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati to resume trade with Myanmar through the Zokhawthar border point
CERT-In, which comes under the IT Ministry, advised users to update to the latest Mozilla Firefox versions…reports Asian Lite News
After warning users about bugs in Google Chrome for desktop, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has now cautioned against multiple vulnerabilities in Mozilla Firefox products that can let hackers compromise devices and systems.
The bugs in Mozilla Firefox browser could allow a remote attacker to bypass security restrictions, execute arbitrary code and cause denial of service attack on the targeted system, CERT-In said in its latest advisory.
“These vulnerabilities exist in Mozilla Firefox due to abuse of XSLT error handling, cross-origin iframe referencing an XSLT document… that results in a use-after-free error and memory safety bugs within the browser engine,” explained the cyber agency.
A remote attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by convincing a victim to open a specially-crafted web request.
CERT-In, which comes under the IT Ministry, advised users to update to the latest Mozilla Firefox versions.
CERT-In also found a vulnerability in open source coding platform Drupal which could allow an attacker to bypass security restrictions on the targeted system.
“Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to bypass security restrictions (leak valid payment details and accept invalid payment details) on the targeted system,” it warned.
Last week, the cyber agency had warned users about multiple vulnerabilities in Google Chrome for desktop that could let threat actors gain access to their computers.
Cert-In warns of personal info leak
Personal information such as name, gender, email address and phone numbers of some Akasa Air passengers has been leaked to “unauthorised individuals”, the airline stated on Sunday. India’s newest carrier said it self-reported this incident to Indian Computer Emergency Response Team CERT-In, which is the government-authorised nodal agency tasked to deal with matters of this nature.
However, Akasa Air asserted that there was no “intentional hacking attempt, but that the situation was reported by a research expert through a journalist for which we are grateful”. The cyber security researcher concerned was Mumbai-based Ashutosh Barot, who works as Deputy Manager at a top international consulting firm.
Barot said he found the leak during his free time on August 7, the day Akasa Air operated its first commercial flight. He said he attempted to get in touch with Akasa Air on the next day itself, by sending a direct message on Twitter.
“The airline gave me its generic email ID. I told them to get me in touch with the security in-charge as the matter concerns leakage of sensitive information of users of the airline’s website,” he noted.
After receiving no response from the airline, Barot told a journalist, who then got in touch with Akasa Air.
“The airline was then informed in detail about the vulnerability on their website at around August 17. Akasa Air resolved the issue around 4-5 days back,” Barot said.
On August 7, Akasa Air had launched commercial flight operations with its first service on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, via the B737 Max aircraft. On Saturday and Sunday, the airline sent emails to passengers — who had submitted their details on its website while booking tickets — to inform them about the leak.
“A temporary technical configuration error related to our login and sign-up service was reported on August 25. As a result, some Akasa Air registered user information limited to names, gender, email addresses and phone numbers may have been viewed by unauthorised individuals,” the airline’s email noted.
Besides the above details, no travel-related information, travel records or payment information was compromised, it clarified.
“On being made aware of the incident, we immediately stopped this unauthorised access by completely shutting down the associated functional elements of our system. After having added additional controls to address this situation, we have resumed our login and sign-up services,” it mentioned.
The airline — which plans to operate 150 weekly flights by the end of September — said it has undertaken additional reviews to ensure that the security of all its systems is enhanced further.
“We wanted to make you aware of this situation and urge you to be vigilant against possible phishing attempts, since your information may have been accessed as a result of this incident,” it told passengers.
The airline’s key investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala passed away on August 14. Three days later, its chief executive officer (CEO) Vinay Dube said the carrier is well-capitalised and has financial means to place an order for more planes.
In November last year, Akasa Air had ordered 72 B737 Max planes from Boeing. The US-based aircraft manufacturer has delivered three of the 72 planes till date.
In a statement to media on Sunday evening, the airline’s Chief Information Officer Anand Srinivasan said Akasa Air will “continue to maintain” its “robust” security protocols and wherever applicable, it will engage with partners, researchers and security experts to strengthen its systems.
Mamata also referred to the statements made by opposition leaders that the ultimate destination of the proceeds of financial crimes like coal and cattle smuggling and teachers’ recruitment scams is Kalighat….reports Asian Lite News
West Bengal chief minister and All-India Trinamool Congress supremo, Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that at times she feels that she would have quit politics.
“I joined politics to serve the society.. But now I feel that I would have quit politics much earlier had I been aware earlier that the current day politics would be so dirty where me and my family members would have to face so much fake slanders,” she told media persons on Wednesday.
Reacting to the recent public interest litigation (PIL) filed at a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, demanding central agency probe into the assets of her family members, the chief minister said that if anyone can trace any property in the name of her or any of her family members by illegally encroaching government land, that person will have the liberty to demolish that property using a bulldozer.
“Even my permission will not be required for that. I have asked the state chief secretary to conduct an independent probe in the matter. If there is a single allegation against any member of my family of illegally occupying land, that family member concerned will be answerable,” the chief minister said.
Speaking on the occasion, she said she does not stay with her other family members. “They stay separately like nuclear family units. We just get together on social occasions,” the chief minister said.
She also referred to the statements made by opposition leaders that the ultimate destination of the proceeds of financial crimes like coal and cattle smuggling and teachers’ recruitment scams is Kalighat. Although they did not specify any further, their clear indication was the chief minister’s residence which is at Kalighat.
“Why are you stopping at Kalighat? If you have the courage, take the name of the person who is the ultimate recipient of that money. Or do you mean that the money is going to the famous Kali temple at Kalighat?,” the chief minister said.
Earlier in the day, she chaired a meeting of the state cabinet where a decision was taken to increase the age for applying for police constables in the state from 27 to 30 years. She announced special uniform allowances for all police personnel irrespective of ranks.
Pregnant women must take care of hydration, this is especially true during the monsoon season as we do tend to consume less water due to the wet and humid climate. Dehydration, however, is a dangerous condition to have during pregnancy as it can can lead to complications such as urinary…writes ROHIT SHELATKAR
During the monsoon, there is an increased chance of getting a cold or other gastrointestinal infections, particularly for pregnant women. You should take steps to ensure that your food is taken care of in addition to the standard precautions like frequently washing your hands and avoiding contact with ill people. The following advice can help you stay healthy throughout the monsoon season.
Home cooked food
As the weather cools down and the rains begin, our appetites change and we start craving comfort food. However, for pregnant women, it’s important to be careful about what they eat during this time. While there are many tempting options available, home-cooked food is always the best choice for a pregnant woman’s diet during monsoon. Not only is it more nutritious, but it’s also less likely to contain harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Instead of reaching for deep fried snacks or fast food from outside, you can enjoy tasty and nutritious quick meals that are cooked at home. For example, roughly diced boiled potatoes that are seasoned with some salt and pepper work perfectly, these could even work great when mixed with some curds and sprinkled with just a little bit of sev for some crunch.
Staying hydrated
Pregnant women must take care of hydration, this is especially true during the monsoon season as we do tend to consume less water due to the wet and humid climate. Dehydration, however, is a dangerous condition to have during pregnancy as it can can lead to complications such as urinary tract infections, preeclampsia, and preterm labour, and hence, must be avoided at all costs. While water is always the best choice for staying hydrated, pregnant women can also opt for homemade fruit juices, coconut water, and buttermilk. It is important to avoid sugary drinks, caffeine, and alcohol, as these can actually worsen dehydration. Pregnant women should also consume fibre-rich food, which will help to regulate digestion and prevent constipation, which is a common problem during pregnancy. By following these simple tips, pregnant women can stay healthy and comfortable throughout the monsoon season.
Eating fresh food
During pregnancy, pregnant women frequently experience cravings for specific meals, but it’s crucial to make sure that these cravings are healthful. Prepackaged sugary or fried foods may appeal to some women’s cravings, but they also raise the risk of gestational diabetes, excessive weight gain, thyroid problems, and other metabolic diseases. Instead, women should concentrate on eating nutrient-dense fresh fruits and vegetables, which are crucial for preserving pregnancy wellness. They also aid in blood sugar regulation, which helps lessen cravings for sweet meals.
During the monsoon season, there is an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables that are easily available. Oranges, berries, spinach, sweet limes, cabbage, grapefruits and many more such fruits and veggies are rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Pregnant women should take advantage of this by including them in their diet. This will not only help them to stay healthy, but it will also ensure that their baby gets the nutrients it needs. As a precaution, pregnant women are advised to avoid consuming raw foods during the monsoon season. Generally, raw foods can contain bacteria and microorganisms that cause food poisoning. Therefore, pregnant women should eat cooked food instead of raw food during the monsoon season.
While monsoons are refreshing, it is advisable to take safety measures to avoid contracting any food-borne infections or other health dangers. The health of the mother and unborn child is extremely vulnerable during pregnancy, and it is crucial to ensure the ideal growth of the child. Expectant moms should take enough protein, calcium, iron, vitamins, folic acid, and iodine in their meals in addition to maintaining a healthy diet and nutrition. A healthy and safe pregnancy will be ensured by taking all of these additional safety measures throughout the monsoon season.
His belligerent stroke-play made other batters in the Indian side look as if they were batting on a very different pitch. While Suryakumar hit 12 boundaries in his 26-ball knock, all other Indian batters managed to hit nine boundaries collectively in 96 balls…reports Asian Lite News
Suryakumar Yadav’s fireworks in the last seven overs sealed India’s Super Four spot in Asia Cup 2022 with a 40-run win over Hong Kong in a Group A match at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday.
At 94/2 in 13 overs, when KL Rahul’s struggle ended at 36 off 39 balls, Suryakumar walked in and completely changed the complexion of India’s innings. With his drives, slashes, scoops and sweeps apart from audacious wrist play sending the ball all over the park, he remained unbeaten on 68 off 26 balls, hitting six fours and as many sixes. 60 of his 68 runs came off boundaries, scored at a strike-rate of 261.53.
His belligerent stroke-play made other batters in the Indian side look as if they were batting on a very different pitch. While Suryakumar hit 12 boundaries in his 26-ball knock, all other Indian batters managed to hit nine boundaries collectively in 96 balls.
Suryakumar also shared a 98-run stand off just 42 balls with Virat Kohli, who made 59 in 44 balls, hitting four and three sixes in his 31st T20I fifty and brought out some shots in the end as India fetched 78 runs in the last five overs to score a daunting 192/2, something which was a far possibility at the half-way mark score of 70/1.
For Hong Kong, who did well in keeping India to 70 at the half-way mark and managed to keep Rahul as well as Kohli quiet with their tight lines and lengths on a sticky pitch, they simply had no answers and were clueless in front of Suryakumar and his scintillating stroke play after electing to bowl first.
In chasing 193, they had a 71-run stand between Babar Hayat (41) and Kinchit Shah (30) to show while hitting 33 runs in the last two overs. But they were not enough to outshine the efforts of Suryakumar and Kohli.
For India, with the ball, spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja conceded just 48 runs overall to make up for the 97 runs leaked collectively by young pacers Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh to reduce Hong Kong to 152/5 in their 20 overs.
Rohit Sharma made a quick 21 off 13 balls, hitting two fours and a six before he was late in pulling an off-cutter and took the top-edge to diving mid-on off pacer Ayush Shukla. Apart from smashing two sixes, Rahul struggled throughout his innings to time the ball. Hong Kong bowling at slower pace, majorly on back of length and impressive in their tight lines on a two-paced pitch meant Rahul as well as Kohli were kept quiet for 3.2 overs.
Kohli finally got his first boundary the 20th ball he faced, dancing down the pitch to smack over Mohammad Ghazanfar’s head. Rahul desperately attempt to break free via sweep and reverse sweep. He tried to drag a sweep from a Ghazanfar delivery outside off-stump, but it took an edge behind.
Suryakumar got going with back-to-back sweeps through deep square leg region off Murtaza. He then got his third boundary in six balls, flicking past fine leg off Shukla. Kohli danced down the pitch and lofted Aizaz for six over deep mid-wicket while Suryakumar backed away to slash hard over short third man for four and scooped the very next ball over fine leg for six as 20 came off the over.
Suryakumar upped the ante by slamming Shukla for back-to-back fours off Shukla. After surviving lbw and stumping appeals, he brought out an astonishing flick off his toes for a six over deep square leg. After reaching his fifty in 40 balls, Kohli went down on one leg to dispatch Ehsan Khan over deep mid-wicket.
In the final over, Suryakumar swung his arms for successive sixes over cover off Arshad, second of which got him his fifty in 22 balls. He was still not done yet, presenting full face of the bat while lofting down the ground for a hat-trick of sixes and got his fourth six of the over by pulling over fine leg to walk off the stadium, leaving fans enthralled by his mesmerising blitz as 26 runs came off final over.
Arshdeep bounced out Yazim Murtaza in the second over. But Hayat took on Bhuvneshwar, Avesh and Arshdeep, slamming sixes down the ground and showing his leg-side play by slamming three fours in five balls. But India ended power-play on a high, as Jadeja’s razor-sharp direct hit from point caught Nizakat Khan just short of his crease.
Post power-play, Jadeja and Chahal applied breaks on Hong Kong’s scoring rate as just 14 runs came in next four overs. In a bid to break the shackles, Hayat tried to take on Jadeja but ended up slicing to point. Shah swept, went inside-out and steered hard to pick boundaries.
But with the required run rate going upwards, Avesh cleaned up Aizaz with a slower delivery while Shah, in a bid to go big, miscued to a juggling long-off off Bhuvneshwar. Zeeshan Ali and Scott McKechnie hit a couple of boundaries in the last two overs. But by then India had all but sealed their second consecutive win in Asia Cup 2022 and a spot in Super four.
Brief Scores: India 192/2 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 68 not out, Virat Kohli 59 not out; Mohammad Ghazanfar 1/19, Ayush Shukla 1/29) beat Hong Kong 152/5 in 20 overs (Babar Hayat 41, Kinchit Shah 30, Ravindra Jadeja 1/15, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/15) by 40 runs.
KCR, as the leader is popularly known, alleged that the Narendra Modi government has had no achievement for the last 8 years, and “he is only working on the Becho (sell) India campaign”….reports Asian Lite News
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who visited Patna on Wednesday to meet his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar and other Mahagatbandhan leaders, gave the slogan of “BJP Mukt Bharat”.
“The country is a trouble zone and hence, we have decided to bring every opposition party on one stage to oppose the BJP. I have a good meeting with our elder brother Nitish Kumar ji and we will sit together to make strategy against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The BJP wants an opposition-free space to establish a dictatorship in the country. Hence we have decided on a ‘BJP Mukt Bharat’,” he said.
KCR, as the leader is popularly known, alleged that the Narendra Modi government has had no achievement for the last 8 years, and “he is only working on the Becho (sell) India campaign”.
“What is the achievement of Narendra Modi in this country? Has he done anything that helps people to live an easy life? His government is selling the assets of the country including railway, airports, shipyards, LIC etc. Agriculture is the only sector in the country which is beyond his control but his government is eyeing it too,” he claimed.
“Why did the farmers of the country agitate for 14 months? Why did PM Narendra Modi apologise to them and promised to rectify things. Why hasn’t it yet? What was the reason? His promise has no value. It is a big conspiracy going in the country against the farmers to penalise them to such an extent that they would have a hand to mouth existence and be ready to sell their lands. The friends of Modi Ji are ready to purchase it,” he said.
“Telangana is the youngest state in the country which was built in 2014. In the beginning, we had so many challenges like power supply, MSP to farmers etc. The situation was as such that the business of inverters, batteries, stabilisers, motor windings are flourishing in the state. Then we decided to rectify things and within 2 years, we provided high quality electricity in every sector. Telangana government has opened 7,000 purchasing points where the state government is purchasing every last grain of farmers on MSP. If we do it, why can’t the Central government which has more resources than us,” he said.
“The Central government is not allowing states to flourish in the country. If any state is trying to do development on their own, the Center is making hurdles for it. In Telangana, we have a coal mine where we can purchase coal at Rs 3,600 per ton but the Centre passed an order to purchase the coal from our own coal mine at Rs 25,000 per ton. Why would we purchase on the rate of Centre as its production is being done in our own state. Hence, we refused it,” he said.
Noting that ahead of the presidential election in the US, the Prime Minister went there and gave a slogan of “Abki Baar Trump Sarkar”, he said: “I want to ask Modi ji to say why had he given such a slogan… Was it an election of the Ahmedabad corporation? Trump lost the election and Joe Biden won. Now, you would imagine what would be the US strategy toward India.”
The movie, which earned positive reviews from both critics and general audiences during its theatrical run, has been receiving an excellent response on OTT…reports Asian Lite News
Director Hari’s out-and-out entertainer ‘Yaanai’, featuring Arun Vijay and Priya Bhavani Shankar in the lead, has garnered an impressive 100 million streaming minutes on OTT.
The film had a successful theatrical run before being released on the OTT platform ZEE5 on August 19.
The film’s success has delighted the OTT platform, which has said that it is enthused by the response the film has received so far and that it encourages them to continue delivering real and relatable entertainment to their audiences.
The movie, which earned positive reviews from both critics and general audiences during its theatrical run, has been receiving an excellent response on OTT.
With the film repeating its successful run on OTT, it appears that director Hari’s strategy of creating a perfect entertainer, encapsulating emotions, action, sentiment, romance, and ingredients that cater to the tastes of family audiences, has worked yet again.
Produced by Drumstick Productions, the film was primarily targeted at audiences in ‘B’ and ‘C’ towns. What worked in the film’s favour was the fact that the film had huge expectations riding on it as this is the first rural script that Arun Vijay was doing after a gap of almost 12 years.
Terming it as a symbol of peace, tolerance and harmony, the EAM hailed the efforts of all Indians in building the iconic Temple…reports Asian Lite News
External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar who is on a three-day visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE) visited the under-construction Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi said to be the first traditional temple in the Arabian Peninsula and expressed his happiness over its “rapid progress.”
On Wednesday, Jaishankar visited the site of the under-construction site of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in the UAE.
“On Ganesh Chaturthi, blessed to visit the @BAPS Hindu temple under construction in Abu Dhabi. Glad to see the rapid progress and deeply appreciate the devotion of all involved. Met the BAPS team, community supporters and devotees and workers at the site”, tweeted Jaishankar.
Terming it as a symbol of peace, tolerance and harmony, the EAM hailed the efforts of all Indians in building the iconic Temple.
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Abu Dhabi in UAE is being built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.
Several thousand devotees from all over the world, well-wishers and guests participated in the Shila Pujan ceremony at Abu Mureikheh in 2018, which marked the first step in the construction of the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. Since then, the site of construction has received many visitors from all walks of faith, according to the temple authorities.
The Indian Embassy in UAE tweeted, “Auspicious beginning to the visit of EAM @DrSJaishankar. EAM visited the @BAPS@AbuDhabiMandirsite and laid a brick in its intricate architecture. Also hailed the efforts of all Indians in building the iconic Temple, a symbol of peace, tolerance and harmony”.
Also defining EAM’s remarks as inspirational BAPS tweeted, “Our deepest gratitude to @DrSJaishankar for his visit to the Mandir on this auspicious day. His words of inspiration to the craftsmen, volunteers and contributors underlined the role of this Mandir as a Spiritual Oasis for Global Harmony”.
In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of over 1,700 Indian and Emirati dignitaries from all walks of life, unveiled a model of the traditional stone temple.
“The first traditional temple in Abu Dhabi will act as a catalyst for the flourishment of humanitarian values and harmony between the two countries. The temple will become a medium for India’s identity.”, PM Modi then said.
The UAE government in 2015 had decided to allot a plot of land near Abu Dhabi for the construction of the temple during PM Modi’s first visit to the West Asian country.
Meanwhile, the EAM also met Sheikh Nahyan bin Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Co-existence, and appreciated his strong support for the Indian community, yoga activities, cricket and cultural cooperation.
“Delighted to meet Sheikh Nahyan bin Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Co-existence. Appreciated his strong support for the Indian community, our yoga activities, cricket and cultural cooperation”, Jaishankar tweeted.
EAM will also be co-chairing the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) and the third India-UAE Strategic Dialogue with Foreign Minister of UAE, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
According to a statement by the MEA, these meetings will provide an opportunity for both the Ministers to review the entire spectrum of comprehensive strategic partnerships between India and UAE and regional and global developments. During the visit Jaishankar will also meet other UAE dignitaries.
There has been a regular exchange of high-level interaction between India and UAE in 2022. PM Narendra Modi paid a visit to Abu Dhabi on June 28 and met UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Prior to that, both leaders had also held a virtual summit on February 18 during which India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed and a vision statement adopted. Both leaders also participated in the I2U2 Summit held virtually on July 14, as per MEA.
Both India and UAE are committed to moving forward in their partnership in diverse areas, including trade, investment, conventional and renewable energy, food security, health, skill development, education, culture, defence, space, consular issues and people-to-people ties. (ANI)
Morgan Stanley said in a report that RIL has private label brands across F&B, HPC and BPC segments that are currently sold via its own retail channels….reports Asian Lite News
Reliance Industries Limited has announced its plan to move into the $100 billion FMCG market in FY2023, providing high-quality products at affordable prices.
Morgan Stanley said in a report that RIL has private label brands across F&B, HPC and BPC segments that are currently sold via its own retail channels.
“We believe the company will have to invest in brand building and marketing to transform this business from private label to full-fledged FMCG operations. Growth in the FMCG category is a function of both volume and market share gains,” Morgan Stanley said.
Margin profiles for FMCG businesses are superior to that of grocery retailers with gross margins of 40-60 per cent and EBITDA margin of 15-25 per cent versus 15 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively, for DMart.
Over the last two years, the company has grown its merchant partner base to over two million partners and it is on course to partner with 10 million merchants across the country.
RIL’s retail business has a turnover of $27 billion in the total $787 billion retail market. As per the company, it had a base of more than 200 million registered customers, 520 million walk-ins and 4.5 billion visits on the digital platforms in FY2022.
RIL has a total store network of more than 15,000 across categories with an operational area of 42 million sq ft, spread across 7,000 cities, with two-thirds of the store network in Tier II and below towns.
Of the new stores launched in F2021-22, 75 per cent were in Tier II and below towns, and Reliance Retail operates over two-third of its network in these markets.
RIL’s digital commerce platforms continued its growth with nearly 0.6 million orders being delivered every day, Morgan Stanley said.
Isha Ambani has taken over the leadership role for the retail business, supported by a management team of senior leaders.
