G20 Summit: India can produce five billion COVID-19 vaccines by 2022-end, says Narendra Modi

Speaking at the Group of 20 Leaders’ Summit in Rome, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India can produce more than five billion COVID-19 vaccines by end of next year, as he highlighted country's contributions to fighting the deadly disease.

Briefing reporters on Modi's engagements in Rome, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the prime minister also stressed on the need for facilitating international travel and spoke about having a mechanism of mutual recognition of vaccine certification as a means for this.

"The prime minister spoke for the resilient global supply chains and mentioned India's bold economic reforms and lowering of the cost of doing business in India," Shringla said.

"Modi also informed the G20 leaders about India's medical diplomacy that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and covered at least 150 countries," he added.

"India has not only vaccinated over a billion persons, we will be able to produce more than five billion vaccine doses that will reduce vaccine inequity in the developing world," said Shringla explaining that the certification of India's Covaxin is "'pending" with the WHO and that the emergency use authorisation of WHO will help India meet this goal.

A technical advisory group of the UN health agency will meet on 3 November to conduct a final risk-benefit assessment for Emergency Use Listing of Covaxin. Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and AstraZeneca and Oxford University's Covishield are the two widely used vaccines in India.

India provided COVID-19 supplies to 150 countries

Modi also highlighted India's medical supply to over 150 countries and contribution in maintaining the global supply chain during the pandemic.

He made these remarks during his intervention at the "global economy and global health" session at the G20 meet, Shringla said.Stressing on the need for resilient global supply chains, prime minister Modi spoke about India's bold economic reforms and invited G20 nations to make India their partner in economic recovery and supply chain diversification.

Modi also spoke about "One Earth, One Health" vision in the context of fighting the pandemic and future global health issues, Shringla added.

G20 summit got underway in Rome

On the sidelines of the G20 summit, Modi held bilateral talks with world leaders, including US President Joe Biden.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday interacted with world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, exchanging pleasantries and showcasing a spirit of camaraderie.

PM @narendramodi met the President of France @EmmanuelMacron, on the sidelines of G20.

Discussed India-France cooperation on various subjects and reaffirmed their commitment to the Strategic Partnership. Also discussed global and regional developments. pic.twitter.com/badwiEzIDm

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) October 30, 2021

Modi and Macron had "productive discussions" on the strategic bilateral ties and on a range of issues of mutual and global interests.

He also had a "fruitful meeting" with his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, the PMO tweeted.

A fruitful meeting between Prime Ministers @narendramodi and @leehsienloong in Rome.

The two leaders reviewed the full range of the friendly ties between India and Singapore. pic.twitter.com/YJi7sRGNPR

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 30, 2021

PM meets Pope Francis at Vatican

Earlier today, the prime minister met Pope Francis at the Vatican and extended an invitation to visit India. He was accompanied by external affairs minister S Jaishankar and national security adviser Ajit Doval. Shringla said the Pope has accepted the invitation.

According to the Vatican News, the prime minister gifted the head of the Roman Catholic church a specially-made silver candelabra and a book, "The Climate Climb: India's strategy, actions and achievements" during their meeting which lasted for an hour.

With inputs from PTI

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Arunachal Scouts perform regimental song during CM Pema Khandu's visit; watch viral video here

A batch of Arunachal Scouts recently performed their regimental song for Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu during his visit to the Chuna area in Tawang. A video of the army jawans performing the song Uttar Purab se aaye hum naujawan, desh ki raksha karne aaya hai was recently shared by Khandu on social media and has gone viral.

उत्तर पूरब से आए हम नौजवान
देश की रक्षा करने आया है।

A regimental song of #ArunachalScouts performed during my visit to Chuna in Tawang district.

First raised in 2010 at the instance of former Arunachal CM late Dorjee Khandu Ji, it was established to defend Indo-Tibet border. pic.twitter.com/KVsJFdUybr

— Pema Khandu པདྨ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་། (@PemaKhanduBJP) October 28, 2021

The 2.03-minute video features the jawans singing their regimental song and clapping and moving their feet in time with the rhythm of the song.

According to Khandu, the song was first raised in the year 2010 at the instance of Khandu’s late father and former Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and “was established to defend Indo-Tibet border.”

The video received a lot of appreciation from social media users, receiving over 32,000 views and 3,800 likes till date.

Many social media users were eager to join the Arunachal Scouts and showcase their mettle in defending the country.

Others were appreciative of the sacrifices made by the army in the defence of the country.

Some people said that listening to the song made them proud of their country and the army.

Arunachal Pradesh is a state of much strategic importance as it lies close to China. Khandu is on a three-day tour of the Tawang district presently.

This is not the only regimental song that has gone viral on social media at some point of time. The Indian army’s favourite marching song, Badluram ka badan zameen ke neeche hai, has often gone viral on the Internet with videos of Indian troops performing the Assam Regiment song being a favourite of Internet users.

A few years ago, the video of troops of the US and Indian army performing the song together went viral on social media.

The song is based on the story of Badluram, a soldier in the Assam Regiment, who was killed during the Second World War. However, his name was not struck off the rolls and his share of the ration continued to be supplied to the troops.

When the Assam Regiment was surrounded by Japanese troops in 1944 and cut off their supplies, it was the extra ration in Badluram’s name that kept the troops alive.

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Facing namaz pushback to Kashmir outrage, Islamist imperialism getting restless

A thousand-year-old legacy of bigotry and sense of entitlement is getting increasingly restless in today's India. The frustration is spilling over in academia, media, and social media.

Take for instance the webinar organised by JNU's Centre for Women's Studies. Titled, 'Gendered Resistance and Fresh Challenges in Post-2019 Kashmir', the webinar notice read, "This talk will draw and build upon the ethnography of gendered resistance to Indian occupation in Kashmir."

Known India-basher Ather Zia, professor at the university of Northern Colorado, was invited to speak. The JNU administration belatedly got wind of the event and cancelled it.

The second instance is that of professor of political Islam Hilal Ahmed writing an article in The Print on why Hindus must defend namaz, even when it takes over public spaces.

"Even unknown people, mostly Hindus, pay respect to my Namaz. This was so heartening that I was able to offer Namaz in moving trains, on busy streets, in the corridors of hospitals, and even inside the functional Hindu temples," Ahmed writes.

The webinar on Kashmir sought to replay the trope that Islamism has successfully established over centuries: Any land where Muslims establish a majority becomes Dar-ul-Islam and a secular state must cease claim on it.

But to Islamists, the reverse must not hold. 'Secularism' must be alive, covering up for Islam's excesses, till the land is Dar-ul-Harb, which is when Muslims are in a minority.

This proves right Hindutva fears that parts of Bengal like Murshidabad and Malda, or several districts of Assam like Barpeta, Dhubri, Darrand or Goalpara could any day be called land under 'Indian occupation'.

Kashmir was the seat of the Shaivaite Hindu tradition. It is named after sage Kashyap. Adi Shankarcharya visited the place.

The name of capital Srinagar is first found in the epic Rajatarangini by Kalhana. Ancient Kashmir has had a number of capitals but the most important was 'Srinagari' — Sri means the Sun and nagri means city — or the City of the Sun.

Kashmir has been umbilically connected to the Hindu and Indian civilisation. Demographic change and the tyrannies of history cannot suddenly make it a land under "Indian occupation".

Similarly, Ahmed's seemingly innocent prayer for Hindu tolerance of indiscriminate public space takeover for namaz reeks of entitlement and a mindset that destroyed more than 40,000 temples and supplanted many of them with mosques in the last 1,000 years of so.

Why should Hindus surrender even their sacred spaces and temples for namaz? Will Muslims return the favour by allowing aarti at mosques?

Are citizens from Gurugram to Uttarakhand wrong to protest against public spaces and roads being regularly taken over for namaz?

Can you occupy roads in even Muslim nations like UAE for namaz?

The answer to all that is a resounding 'no'.

Islamism must curb its imperialist, usurping instincts. Today's India, or for that matter any civilised nation, will not oblige.

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Travel firm, Manali hotel fined Rs 27,000 for duping two honeymoon couples

A Shimla-based travel firm and a Manali hotel have been fined Rs 27,302 by the Chandigarh Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission for duping two couples who had visited the picturesque town in Himachal Pradesh for their honeymoon.

The couples had booked rooms for four adults through a firm named Travel Talkies. The rooms at The Humsour View Hotel in Manali for 15 December, 2020 were booked under a honeymoon package scheme by the firm. An amount of Rs 10, 302 was paid in advance to confirm the booking.

However, when the couples arrived at the hotel, they were shocked to see their rooms. The firm had shown them beautiful pictures of rooms with a balcony view. The pictures were apparently deceiving and the motive behind it was to lure the two couples. They did not get the services that were assured and were not even served a welcome drink, which was promised. The complainant claimed that this incident spoiled their honeymoon.

When the two newly-wed couples complained to the firm, its representatives behaved indifferently and the hotel authorities too refused to give them another room.

The couple finally shifted to another hotel, where they spent Rs 18,000 for a two-night stay and also paid Rs 9,500 as the taxi fare.

The two couples then registered a complaint with the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission which summoned the travel firm and owner of the hotel on 5 July this year.

The commission observed that the honeymoon has  a sentimental value and a very special place for the newly married. The honeymoon is a memory to cherish and hence it is planned in advance, it added.

The commission also took into account the fact that the honeymoon plans of the complainants were ruined due to the deception of the firm and the hotel owner.

Ruling in favour of the two couples, the commission ordered both the parties to pay a sum of Rs 27,302 to the  complainant.

Both the parties were also asked to refund the money they took from the two couples for the hotel booking.

 

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APSET 2021: Exam to be held on 31 October; check details here

The Andhra Pradesh State Eligibility Test (APSET) 2021 will be organised by Andhra University, Visakhapatnam on Sunday (31 October). Candidates can download the admit cards for the exam at the official website https://apset.net.in/.

Steps to download hall tickets:
―    Visit the official website at https://apset.net.in/
―    Click on the link for the APSET admit card that is given on the main page
―    Enter the requisite details, such as your password and email id, to login
―    The APSET 2021 card will appear on your screen
―    Check the APSET hall ticket and save a copy for use in the future

Direct link to download APSET 2021 admit cards:
https://ift.tt/3vWGo4x

The university has also issued certain guidelines for the exam. Candidates need to carry a copy of their admit cards, a black/blue pen and a valid photo identity proof to the examination centre for the OMR-based pen-and-paper exam.

Candidates are also required to carry their recent passport size photographs to the centre. The invigilator may paste the photograph on the attendance sheet during the exam.

Items such as calculators, electronic devices, study materials and stationery items will not be allowed inside the centres.

APSET 2021 is held for the recruitment of and promotion of Assistant Professors and Lecturers in degree colleges and universities. The exam is open to candidates who have obtained their Master’s Degree with a minimum of 55 percent marks.

Candidates who have appeared for the final examination of their post-graduation degree and are awaiting results can also appear for the exam. However, they will be considered eligible for the position of or Assistant Professor only if they obtain at least 55 percent in the final exam. The applicants need to secure the required percentage within two years of the APSET result, otherwise they  will be disqualified.

 

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MAH MBA/MMS CET 2021 results declared at cetcell.mahacet.org; check direct link here

The results for MAH MBA/MMS CET 2021 have been released by the Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell. Candidates who appeared for the exam can check the result on the official website - http://cetcell.mahacet.org/.

Steps to check MAH MBA/MMS CET 2021 results:

Step 1: Visit the official website - http://cetcell.mahacet.org/

Step 2: Click on the link that reads, View scorecard of MAH MBA/MMS CET 2021

Step 3: Enter credentials such as date of birth and application number

Step 4: MAH MBA/MMS CET 2021 scorecard will be displayed

Step 5: Check, download, and keep a copy for future reference

Direct link to view MAH MBA/MMS CET 2021 scorecard is - https://admitcardbuilder2.azurewebsites.net/scorecard/E0203K6B8EA/

The exams for MAH MBA/MMS CET was conducted between 16 September to 18 September. The examination was held in online mode and the application process for the same began in August.

The scorecard will display important details of a candidate like the applicant’s name, registration number, section-wise marks, and total marks secured. The result will also give an overall percentile score along with the rank which has been obtained by the particular candidate.

The MAH MBA/MMS CET exam is held every year for admission to Master in Business Administration and Management Studies courses.

The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell had reopened the online registration and confirmation of application forms on the official website till 16 August. The editing for the application form was also allowed from 14 August to 16 August.

The dates of counseling for MAH MBA/MMS CET 2021 will be declared later by the cell. Candidates who have obtained more than 160 marks have secured 99.5 percentile. This is according to the rank vs score prediction. However, the scores of toppers have still not been announced by the Maharashtra State Cell.

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Narendra Modi holds ‘very warm meeting’ with Pope Francis in Rome, invites him to India

Vatican City: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called on Pope Francis at the Vatican and discussed with him issues covering a range of areas of interest, including COVID-19, general global perspectives and maintaining peace and tranquility.

It is the first-ever one-to-one meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church.

A meeting that was scheduled only for twenty minutes went on for an hour! PM Modi and the Pope discussed a wide range of issues aimed at making the planet better such as fighting climate change and removing poverty, said sources.

Modi is also the first Indian Prime Minister Francis has met since becoming Pope in 2013.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pope Francis at the Vatican today

"Had a very warm meeting with Pope Francis. I had the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with him and also invited him to visit India," says PM. pic.twitter.com/CBiopLlFEV

— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2021

It may be recalled that the last Papal Visit happened in 1999 when Atal Vajpayee was the prime minister and Pope John Paul II had come. Now it is during PM Modi’s term that the Pope has been invited to visit India, reports ANI. At the Vatican, Modi was accompanied by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The Prime Minister also met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican City State. Ahead of the historic meeting, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday said that the Prime Minister will have a separate meeting with the Pope. He will be meeting his holiness on a one-to-one basis, he said during a press conference in Rome. Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will pay a call on His Holiness, Pope Francis at the Vatican City, and thereafter, he will attend G20 sessions, where he will also hold more bilateral meetings and we will continue to keep you informed, Shringla had said.

At the Vatican City, PM @narendramodi had a meeting with Pope Francis. @Pontifex pic.twitter.com/o9OobfIBkL

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 30, 2021

The meeting could, after a certain period of time, be followed up by delegation-level talks, he had said. The Vatican has not set an agenda. I believe, tradition is not to have an agenda when you discuss issues with His Holiness. And I think we would respect that.

I am sure the issues would cover a range of areas of interest in terms of the general global perspectives and issues that are important to all of us, COVID-19, health issues, how we can work together to maintain peace and tranquility and this is something that, I think would be the general trend in the discussions, the Foreign Secretary added on Friday.

(With inputs from agencies)

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DU NCWEB first cut-off list for BCom, BA released at du.ac.in; check direct link here

The first cut-off list for admission to Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board (NCWEB) has been released by Delhi University (DU). The list has been released for admission to BCom and BA (Programme) courses. Candidates who have scored more than or equal to the released cut-off may apply for the courses by visiting the official website at http://www.du.ac.in/.

According to a press release by the University of Delhi, (https://ift.tt/3CwzIMK), online admissions for NCWEB 2021-2022 will begin from Monday, 1 November.

The first admission list can also be viewed on the official website of NCWEB -  ncweb.du.ac.in.

Direct link to view first cut-off list for BCom: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/new-web/Admission2021/29-10-2021-NCWEB%20B.Com%20First%20Cut-off%202021-22.pdf

Direct link to view first cut-off list for BA (Programme): http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/new-web/Admission2021/29-10-2021-NCWEB%20%20B.A.%20first%20cut-off%202021-22.pdf

The online admission for the two courses will be done from 1 November, beginning at 10.00 am and then on 2 and 5 November.

According to NCWEB’s schedule, (https://ift.tt/3jSLGZV) the approval for admission against the first cut-off will be completed by 5.00 pm on 6 November. The last date for payment of fees by candidates to secure seats is 7 November, up to 5.00 PM.

The second cut-off list will be released on 9 November and candidates can apply for admission against it on 10 November and 12 November.

According to the list released for BCom for the general category, the cut-off for admission to Jesus and Mary College is 87 percent followed by Hansraj College which demands 86 percent. Maitreyi College has kept its cut-off percentage at 83. While the cut-off for reserved categories is in the 70s and 80s. This cut-off for the reserved category does not include ST and PwD candidates.

The cut-off released for admission to BA (Programme - Economics + Political Science), general category, is 86 percent for Miranda College and Jesus and Mary College.

Eligibility:

Only women candidates who are residing in NCT Delhi are eligible to apply for the undergraduate courses of NCWEB, University of Delhi.

Candidates will have to show valid residence proof at the time of admission. The residence proof has to be in the name of the candidate and can be an Aadhaar Card, Voter ID, driving license, passport, or ration card.

Applicants are advised to take admission to the nearby NCWEB centre as the change of centre is not allowed.

Those who belong to the SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwBD categories must carry their certificates at the time of admission. OBC and EWS candidates must have their certificate issued after 31 March.

 

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Are people in the mall wearing masks, maintaining social distance? Here's how AI can help to monitor COVID challenges

COVID-19 is an unprecedented contagion. While viral outbreaks in some or the other regions of the world are not uncommon, this is the first time in the last 100 odd years that we are seeing something like this affect the global population and for such a long time. That’s where monitoring, management and prevention needs of the pandemic require innovative solutions and path-breaking technologies. This is where Artificial intelligence (AI) has been playing a key role in humanity’s battle against the COVID-19 virus. It is helping us overcome human limitations in our efforts to understand and track the pandemic spread.

AI video analytics in healthcare

In the decade preceding the pandemic outbreak, there has been significant development in the field of AI, analytics and machine learning. All over the world, we have seen hundreds of millions of CCTV cameras and other monitoring systems being deployed for commercial, medical, urban and defence monitoring needs, among other things. As these CCTV networks spread, we also saw the evolution of smart video analytics by some enterprising technology start-ups, which have been transforming the operational capabilities of the CCTV cameras. Today’s AI-driven video analytics solutions help in generating actionable insights through near real-time evaluation of the video data captured by the cameras.

Such tools and processes based on integration of AI analytics, data science, machine learning and IoT technologies are being used in different ways by the healthcare sector. The integration of technologies such as AI screening devices for diagnostics, AI analytics-powered cameras for monitoring of COVID-19 patients in isolation wards, as well as to track the contacts as well as suspected pandemic cases are some of the ways in which AI analytics can help manage COVID-19.

A key area of COVID-19 management is to monitor the patients while they are in isolation, track their contacts and to remotely ensure adherence of mask and social distancing protocols.

AI Video analytics applications post-pandemic 

Urban Management: AI video analytics and other tools are of great importance in not only in-hospital healthcare monitoring, but also various social and commercial applications in the new normal. For instance, one of the key changes in the post-pandemic world will be implementation of social distancing and mask adherence rules. Urban authorities and city administrations struggle in holistic monitoring of people due to lack of adequate personnel to deploy everywhere. However, the CCTV camera systems in many cities cover most of the areas such as roads and public spaces. Thus, integration with advanced video analytics tools can make them capable of real-time measurement and analysis of distance between people at any location to identify non-compliance of the social distancing protocols in place.

Not only that, there are attribute filters that can be applied to detect face mask usage in the video feed. Through the integration of AI analytics technology, the surveillance system can detect and raise alerts if people are not wearing or incorrectly wearing face masks. The systems can also monitor the crowd presence and raise alerts if the occupancy is higher than what is allowed as per the occupancy regulations in place to ensure public safety. This proves extremely helpful in prevention of crowd build-up at public places and hotspots.

Commercial and Industrial Usage: Similar to the urban management challenges, there are also various concerns faced by the commercial and industrial premise managers in the new normal. For instance, there are rules regulating and limiting the number of personnel present at a given place and adherence to social distancing as well as masking. This is again where on-premises CCTV systems can give real-time visibility and ability to control the flow of people from one area to another. This is of particular value to commercial establishments such as restaurants, departmental stores, shopping malls, office complexes, manufacturing facilities as well as logistics hubs etc.
Security: Advanced video analytics tools when integrated with the CCTV systems offer smart dashboards through which real-time monitoring of object movement, behaviour analysis and monitoring of interactions between people can be possible.

Preventive Care: Apart from the video AI analytics, which is among the newer aspects of the technology, there have been multiple usages of AI analytics to manage the spread of the infection. For instance, the AI-powered sequencing for vaccine development. Through AI algorithms, data such as geographic locations and social behaviour of patients is analysed to predict and recommend potential treatments.

Generating insights for containing future pandemic outbreaks 

The trends around the current pandemic spread, public behaviour and various other attributes can be of great importance in strategically tackling and eliminating future contagions. AI is capable of imitating and predicting human behaviour through machine learning and that allows medical professionals to understand a virus’ behaviour and create vaccines that can inhibit its spread. Such advanced AI technology is being used in screening, analysis and tracking of active COVID-19 cases, potential at-risk people and also in tracking the recovered cases for post-pandemic effects of the virus.

AI analytics technologies are already available in the market and leading innovators can easily provide solutions that stakeholders can seamlessly integrate with their existing CCTV networks and derive these benefits. All we need is for various stakeholders to embrace these innovative and reliable technologies for containment and elimination of the pandemic as well as to ensure smooth functioning of the social and commercial activities at all times.

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How Kejriwal’s gravy train is going places via Ayodhya, and why others are joining him too

In actions resembling the mid-nineteenth century ‘Gold Rush’ in the United States’ western region, a bevy of political leaders of multiple hues have begun homing in on the temple town of Ayodhya. It suddenly appears that every adversary of the BJP wishes to board the religious gravy train to Ayodhya and other important temple destinations.

The recent decision of Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party chieftain and Delhi chief minister, to not just visit the city and pay obeisance at the temporary Ram temple structure, but also to announce the extension of the Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojna to include a free pilgrimage to Ayodhya, is just another proof of how the Sangh Parivar has successfully pressured adversaries to play ball on its terms.

Kejriwal’s visit came close on the heels of other AAP leaders’ visits to different states where elections are due next year, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand and is aimed at widening the party’s support base beyond Delhi. During these visits, AAP leaders visited important local Hindu temples to back up Kejriwal’s declaration of being a “Hanuman Bhakt”.

The Delhi chief minister is not alone in either visiting Ayodhya, or other important Hindu temples. There was already a noticeable turnaround in Mayawati’s posture. In the aftermath of the Allahabad High Court verdict of September 2010 when she was in power in UP, she disallowed boisterous celebrations and VHP programmes in the temple town because of fears of communal clash.

In contrast, in July this year, she deputed senior party functionary Satish Chandra Mishra to visit Ayodhya and accuse the BJP of making poor progress with the Ram temple construction project.

At a party meeting in September in Lucknow, the BSP leader permitted a fair sprinkling of saffron and several spells of blowing the conch shells besides publically accepting and displaying a trishul and an idol of Lord Ganesha, gifted to her.

This meeting was part of the BSP’s effort to woo the Brahmins in the state. In a major departure from the BSP’s tirade against “Manuvadi” forces, the new slogans included in the party’s armoury are “Hathi Nahi Ganesh Hai, Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh Hai” and “Brahmin Shankh Bajayega, Hathi Chalta Jayega”.

Not to be outdone, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched the Congress’ campaign for next year’s Assembly elections with a visit to Varanasi. She not only visited Kashi Vishwanath and other temples, but also performed ritualistic ceremonies and wore the tripund (three sacred lines on forehead made by sandal paste), tulsi mala (garland made up of holy basil leaves), rudraksh (dried seeds of stone fruit associated with Lord Shiva) and mauli (red sacred thread).

If this was not considered sufficient to showcase her religiosity, she also held a sword in hand when she appeared for the public rally in Kashi.

Priyanka even told the audience that she was fasting and started her address with a “Durga Stuti” and chanted “Jai Mata Di”. Her public display of Hindu religiosity is yet another evidence of the decision of the Gandhis to flaunt their Hinduness.

Rahul Gandhi has done so on several occasions, most famously in 2017 when he visited the Somnath temple during the Gujarat Assembly polls and allowed a party functionary to call him a “jeneudhari Brahmin”. In November 2016, when Rahul Gandhi hit the road in UP to campaign for the 2017 Assembly elections, he visited Ayodhya and paid obeisance at Hanuman Garhi.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav has also been on a temple-hopping spree for some time. Not just publicised visits to important temples across the state, but Yadav also installed a 51-ft-tall idol of Lord Krishna at Saifai in Etawah. Besides, the former SP leader did not just visit Ayodhya on numerous occasions, but in December 2020 he declared that Ram “belongs to his party as much as anyone else”.

These developments demonstrate that next year’s Assembly polls in UP shall be contested within the political parameters framed by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar affiliates. There are three questions that arise out of this newfound fondness for public display of Hinduism of the BJP’s opponents.

One, will these parties’ current swear in the name of Ram neutralise the BJP’s claim of being the only party that consistently campaigned for a Ram temple at Ayodhya?

Two, will this tactic relegate the temple issue to the background and force the polls on issues of Covid-19 management and other non-social issues like price rise, farmers’ agitation and economy?

Three, given that all parties, including the BJP, are repeatedly trying to reach out and mobilise support on caste lines, will next year’s election be fought on overarching issues, or will we witness an aggregate of elections, where the result of each constituency will be determined by caste calculations?

On the first issue, the BJP has the advantage of going beyond the Ram temple plank by raking up larger issues that are part of the Hindutva campaign. It has to be seen if the state government’s decision to charge those who allegedly cheered Pakistan’s victory in the T-20 World Cup with sedition, or Yogi Adityanath’s legislative push on inter-faith marriage and population control give BJP the advantage. The BJP is aware that for the moment, it will be tough for adversaries to back all Hindutva initiatives of the saffron party.

On the second issue, no one has any ready answer to why price rise, the crisis in personal economies of people and questionable Covid-19 management on part of the BJP governments, at the Centre and in the state, are yet to become dominant issues. Is this due to continuing popularity of the Modi-Yogi double-engine team, or is it due to the failure of Opposition leaders to pose themselves as serious challengers to the Lucknow throne?

The BJP’s stupendous success in UP over three elections — 2014, 2017 and 2019 — was a result of not just the overarching polarising situation but was also influenced by the BJP’s politics of welfare and the social coalition the party put together. Will similar factors be dominant during 2022?

At the moment, the scenario appears favourable for the BJP, not in small measure due to the likely split of anti-BJP votes between the fronts led by the SP, BSP, Congress and the AAP.

In recent months, it has become evident that Adityanath was unwilling to play a secondary role vis-à-vis the central leadership, as played by other BJP chief ministers. He is clearly of the view that in state polls, the primacy should be given to local leaders and not the top guns at the Centre.

His posture resulted in palpable tension within the party and the Sangh Parivar. But for the moment the leaders appear to have pushed their internal rivalries in the background. The crucial issue that has to be tracked is whether this uneasy truce would hold during candidate selection.

At the moment while Opposition parties are trying to position themselves in the BJP’s ideological half, the BJP has started resolving other matters that could prevent its re-election in the state. It certainly appears one step ahead of rivals.

The writer is an NCR-based author and journalist. His books include ‘The RSS: Icons of the Indian Right’ and ‘Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times’. Views expressed are personal.

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SSC JHT 2020 final results declared at ssc.nic.in; check direct link here

The final scores of the Junior Hindi Translator, Junior Translator and Senior Hindi Translator (JHT) 2020 have been declared by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). Candidates can view and download their SSC JHT 2020 results by visiting the official website at https://ssc.nic.in/.

Steps to view SSC JHT 2020 results:

―    Visit the official website at https://ssc.nic.in/
―    Click on the Results tab that is given on the SSC home page
―    Select the link for the JHT 2020 results that is given on the page
―    The SSC JHT 2020 final results will appear on your screen
―    Check your SSC results and take a printout of the same for future reference

Direct link for SSC JHT 2020 results: https://ift.tt/3BqmrnH

According to the official notification, 182 candidates have qualified for various postings in different departments/ministries out of the 1,070 applicants that had been selected for the process of document verification. The selection of applicants was made on the basis of “merit-cum-‘order of preference’ of ‘Posts/Departments’ exercised by the candidates at the time of Document Verification”.

The notification added that scorecards of the non-qualified and qualified candidates will be uploaded on the SSC website on 9 November, where it will be available till 30 November. Applicants can see their individual scores by using their registration number and password to login to the SSC website and clicking on the Marks tab in the candidate portal.

In case of tied scores between candidates, the issues have been resolved by the SSC by looking at aspects such as the score of the applicants in Paper II of the JHT 2020, marks of the General Hindi section of Paper I, date of birth of the candidate and alphabetical order of the applicants’ names.

Candidates are required to bring any discrepancy in the selection, allocation, non-selection and other issues to the notice of the SSC within one month of the result declaration. If an applicant is selected and does not receive any communication from the concerned department or the SSC within a period of one year after the final result declaration, he/she must bring it to the User Department’s notice immediately.

 

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