Category: INDIA

Nagpur: As many as 6,740 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra during the two-and-a-half years’ tenure of the first Mahayuti government, said Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the legislative council Ambadas Danve on Tuesday.

He claimed the highest number of these farmer suicides recorded between July 1, 2022, and November 30, 2024, were reported from Nagpur and Amravati districts.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC made these statements while taking part in a debate on Governor C P Radhakrishnan’s address to the joint sitting of both houses of the state legislature.

He expressed concern over what he called the “worsening” condition of farmers and accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government, which started its second tenure on December 5, of neglecting their issues.

According to Danve, the state government had promised a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 6,000 per quintal for cotton, but farmers were yet to receive this amount.

Additionally, he highlighted the government’s “failure” to meet the demand for solar pumps.

While farmers had requested for 12 lakh solar pumps, the state government managed to deliver only 1.39 lakh units, he told the upper house of the legislature, which is currently having its winter session in Nagpur.

Danve demanded the creation of a separate department dedicated to providing solar pumps to farmers.

The Leader of Opposition raised concern over the state’s mounting debt, which he claimed, currently stands at Rs 8 lakh crore.

This financial burden has stalled the state’s progress and hindered its ability to invest in key sectors like agriculture and rural development, he noted.

Sadhguru joined Bhutan’s 117th National Day celebrations on Tuesday at the invitation of His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

In a heartfelt post on X, Sadhguru said, “Beautiful Bhutan, It’s our privilege and honour to be here for your national day. The hospitality of His Royal Highness, the Royal Family and all the wonderful citizens of Bhutan is most touching and heartwarming. A nation which holds the happiness of its citizens above competing numbers is an ideal example for humanity as a whole. My best wishes and Blessings to the beautiful nation of Bhutan and every one of its citizens.

Bhutan’s National Day, celebrated on December 17, marks the historic coronation of the first King of Bhutan, Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck, in 1907. The day is observed with great pride and enthusiasm, featuring vibrant cultural programmes, traditional dances and public gatherings.

As part of the celebrations, Sadhguru is also scheduled to attend the evening concert and the Royal Banquet on Wednesday.

India and Bhutan share a longstanding friendship rooted in cultural, economic and geopolitical ties, and Sadhguru’s visit underscores the enduring connection between the two nations.

New Delhi, December 17: In a shocking incident, a 10-year-old boy named Deepak was injured in after bullets were fired in Kurani village, located in the Narela area of outer Delhi on Tuesday. The incident occurred after a fight erupted between two groups in the village and the matter escalated after which bullets were fired at each other by both the parties.

Deepak, who was playing outside his house at the time of the incident, was hit by a stray bullet in his knee. The impact caused a severe injury, breaking his knee bone. He was immediately rushed to Raja Harishchandra Hospital in Narela for treatment. There are reports that the child is out of danger, however, the injury will take time to heal.

The police and forensic team quickly reached the scene to investigate the incident. A case has been filed in connection with the matter and the police have initiated an investigation into the matter. Efforts are underway to identify and take action against those involved in the firing.

The case has been registered at Narela Police Station, and further investigations are ongoing.

The incidents of bullet firing have spiked in the national capital and the law and order situation is deteriorating in the city. There have been many instances of firing outside car showroom, clubs, gyms and shops. These firing incidents have occurred to spread fear for extortion. The attackers leave notes behind after the incident, demanding ransom. The police have not been able to curb these crimes in the national capital.

Assembly elections will be held in Delhi in 2025 and the rise in such crimes is alarming. The police will have to increase security and take strict actions in connection with these matters and conduct the elections freely and safely in the national capital.

Skoda Auto India has announced a price hike of up to 3% across its entire vehicle lineup, effective from January 1, 2025. The increase will impact popular models such as the Kushaq, Slavia, Superb, and Kodiaq. However, the newly launched Kylaq will retain its introductory pricing until it reaches 33,333 bookings, offering buyers a limited window to purchase the SUV at its current price. Skoda cited rising input and operational costs as the reason for this adjustment, emphasizing its commitment to delivering premium vehicles while maintaining quality and customer satisfaction.

Skoda Auto India is banking on the newly launched Kylaq to drive its growth strategy in the Indian market. Targeted at evolving customer preferences, the sub-4-metre SUV brings Skoda’s latest design language, advanced safety features, and dynamic driving capabilities. Positioned as an affordable yet feature-packed option, the Kylaq bolsters Skoda’s product lineup in India. With this launch, the company aims to achieve its target of 1 lakh cumulative sales in India by 2026, reinforcing its presence in the highly competitive compact SUV segment.

Skoda Auto India has achieved remarkable growth, recording 100,000 sales in just two years — the fastest pace for the brand in the country. This milestone highlights Skoda’s increasing popularity and strong market performance. The company has also expanded its reach significantly, establishing over 260 customer touchpoints across 150+ cities, strengthening its focus on accessibility and customer satisfaction.

Skoda Kodiaq |

Skoda Auto India recently announced the pricing and variants for its first sub-4-meter SUV, the Kylaq. Available in four trims—Classic, Signature, Signature+, and Prestige—the Kylaq is priced from Rs 7.89 lakh for the base Classic variant, going up to Rs 14.40 lakh for the top-end Prestige AT. Bookings began on December 2, with deliveries scheduled to start on January 27, 2025. As part of an introductory offer, the first 33,333 customers will receive a complimentary 3-year Standard Maintenance Package.

Modern English School (MES) Chembur conceded narrow lead of four runs to Anjuman-I-Islam Allana English CSMT on the second day of final of 128th Harris Shield tournament at Brabourne Stadium, CCI on Tuesday. Anjuman Allana who posted 267 in 79.1 overs at the end of day 1, restricted Modern English to 263/8 in 80 overs.

Anjuman now have the slight advantage in the prestigious MSSA U-16 inter-school final which is being played on a 80-80, 40-40 format across three days. Four runs will be added to Anjuman’s second innings total on third and the final day of the match. Modern English will have to chase down Anjuman’s cumulative total in 40 overs and get outright win.

Left-handed batter Devesh Birje scored 64 with eight boundaries for MES. He pierced the gaps well and played some exceptional shots. Kanav Saini and Sudhan Sundarraj both made 48 apiece. All-rounder Vivaan Jobanputra and Praanav Iyengar contributed with 38 runs each.

For Anjuman, Prabhat Pandey picked two wickets. Salman Khan, Yuvan Sharma, and Abdur Rahman Khan grabbed one wicket each. Yuvan and Shane Raza bowled unchanged in the last session and got ball in the right areas to do the job for their team.Yuvan got wicket on the last ball of the innings and Raza remained wicket less despite an inspired show.

Modern English batters started well to negotiate the initial juice in the pitch and had things under control in the first session.

However, in the last session three run-outs cost the team dearly as they fell agonisingly short of the target that would have pepped them up on the last day. Iyengar’s run out changed the complexion of the game. Sundarraj who was involved in the run out, didn’t panic and took charge to remain in hunt to overhaul Anjuman’s first innings total. However Sundarraj too was run out in a dramatic fashion in the last over.

Iyengar tried to sneak a single but the Gully fielder was too sharp to catch him short off the crease. New batter Kavish Gosalia took time to settle in allowing seamer Raza and off-spinner Yohan to bowl crucial dot balls. Yohan bowled almost five overs without conceding a run and Raza mixed his deliveries smartly, pitching short at crucial junctures to increase pressure. Modern English needed 47 in last ten overs to match Anjuman’s first innings effort, with five wickets in hand.

As things got tighter, Modern English batters under the pump got a breather in the form of drinks break. They needed 40 in seven overs and Sundarraj got them going with first ball leg side boundary of Yohan after drinks to keep his school supporters going. Gosalia also got into act by picking gaps to keep scoreboard ticking. However, Anjuman school supporters kept shouting to lift the morale of the team.

Gosalia was run out while trying to convert single into double but Sundarraj wasn’t interested, resulting in another run out at crucial juncture. MES still required 26 in four overs. Undeterred by two run outs at another end, Sundarraj kept scoring and his school required 9 runs in last over to level scores. He kept scoreboard moving with 48 in 54 balls, laced with just four boundaries. But the pressure go him as he tried to steal a single to get strike and was run out. With eight runs required of four deliveries, Jasmeet Singh missed two but guided the penultimate ball for four to keep hopes alive. But Yohan dismissed him in the last ball of innings to hand Anjuman initiative.

Earlier on Monday, Anjuman opener Hamza Khan showed his prowess with the bat making 64 with 10 fours while all-rounder Abdur Rahman Khan contributed 34 in 70 balls with three boundaries. Shahid Khan also played well for his 50 in 60 deliveries with four boundaries.

Left arm spinner Vivaan Jobanputra from the Modern English side took 4/71 in 25.1 overs.

Brief Scores: End of Day 2

Anjuman I-Islam Allana English High School: 267 all out in 79.1 overs (Hamza Khan 64, Shahid Khan 50, Abdur Rahman Khan 34, Vivaan Jobanputra 4/71) vs Modern English School Chembur: 263/8 in 80 overs (Devesh Birje 64, Kanav Saini 48, Sudhan Sundarraj 48, Vivaan Jobanputra 38, Praanav Iyengar 38)

Sydney, Dec 17: A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck South Pacific Ocean nation Vanuatu’s capital of Port Vila on Tuesday, causing ‘considerable damage’ to some buildings, including a shared diplomatic mission. The quake hit 30 km west of Port Vila, capital of Vanuatu, at 12:47 local time, with a depth of 43 km, the US Geological Survey said.

At least one person died and a mass casualty triage was set up at a hospital in Port Vila after the earthquake struck Vanuatu, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Information about the extent of the damage was hampered by disrupted communications, with phone lines and government websites down, but reports of widespread destruction began to emerge on social media in the hours after the quake, the Guardian Australia reported.

A Red Cross spokesperson in Fiji said workers on the ground were reporting significant damage, the Guardian Australia said. Footage shared by the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation showed crowds outside the Vila Central Hospital appearing to lift injured people onto stretchers.

The Guardian Australia quoted Dan McGarry, a journalist based in Port Vila, as saying he saw three people on gurneys “in obvious distress,” outside a hospital.

“It was the most violent earthquake I’ve experienced in my 21 years living in Vanuatu and in the Pacific Islands,” McGarry said, “I’ve seen a lot of large earthquakes, never one like this.” The embassy building for Britain, the United States, France and New Zealand was damaged in the earthquake, the ABC reported.

New Zealand’s High Commission building, which is co-located with the US, French and British missions, had “sustained significant damage,” a New Zealand foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

Many large buildings collapsed in Port Vila, electricity was out and water was cut in most of the capital, Care Australia, a non-profit humanitarian agency, said in a statement. Australian High Commission in Port Vila was evacuated during the earthquake on Tuesday, the ABC said.

There were communications outages across the country, the New Zealand statement added, while the Australian High Commission in Vanuatu said its communication systems had also been affected after the quake struck Vanuatu.

(Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by GPlus’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Mumbai: Urdu Markaz, a Mumbai-based organisation promoting the language, will honour singers Asha Bhosale, Sudha Malhotra, and Suman Kalyanpur, with the ‘Mohsin E Urdu’ award for 2025′.

The awards will be presented during the 5th Bhendi Bazar Urdu Festival which is scheduled to be held in February 2025. Urdu Markaz said that the group is honouring the singers for their contribution to the popularisation of Urdu/Hindustani.

Malhotra and Kalyanpur, who were critically-acclaimed playback singers in the fifties and sixties, have stepped out of the limelight since many years and have been rarely seen or heard in public lately. Advocate Zubair Azmi, Director, Urdu Markaz, and Chairman Awards Screening Committee, said that he spoke to Malhotra on Monday to talk to her about the awards.

“She told me that she does not travel much, but I told her that her fans will be happy to see and hear her again,” said Azmi who added that he has been unsuccessful in contacting Kalyanpur.

Azmi said that the group is honouring the singers for their contribution in the spreading of Urdu/Hindustani among the masses through their nagmas or songs in the lingua franca of India.

“Two of these singers Asha and Suman are Marathis and their Urdu diction such as cheez, justaju, qarar, barq, qabool, hasrat, Mashallah, Allah meri tauba, sadqe jaun, are chiseled in fine Urdu,” said Azmi

Sudha Malhotra’s ‘Salam e hasrat qabool karlo’ and ‘Tum mujhe bhool bhi jao’ are among Urdu/Hindustani classics, as are Asha Bhosle’s ‘Dil cheez kya aap meri jaan lijiye’ and ‘Shookh nazar ki bijliyan’. Kalyanpur’s voice, it is said, resembled Lata Mangeshkar’s, but connoisseurs of Hindi film playback singing, will dispute this remark, said Azmi. “She was overshadowed by the Mangeshkar sisters (Lata and Asha), but her work is substantial and her voice was distinct,” Azmi added.

Earlier recipients of ‘Mohsin E Urdu’ awards are Lata Mangeshkar, music maestro Khayyam, and actor Sachin Pilgaonkar who writes in Urdu under a penname.

Mira Bhayandar: The ambitious Adopt-a-Tree project launched by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) aimed at enhancing the green cover of the twin-city has received an overwhelming response from citizens, social organisations and commercial establishments.

With the intention of establishing an environment friendly bond between citizens and nature, the MBMC’s Tree Authority had launched the tree adoption scheme on the occasion of Independence Day (15, August, 2024).

Several spots were identified and geo-tagged for the plantation drive. In addition to 2,523 applications received by the Tree Authority, the Western Railway authorities also registered their active participation by planting 3,684 saplings, taking the total number of plantations to 6,384 in less than four months.

Under the scheme any citizen, companies and organisations had an opportunity of adopting a tree by making a one-time payment amounting Rs 7,000 towards plantation cost which includes saplings, digging, manure, two years maintenance and tree guard charges.

To maintain uniformity, suitable species of saplings (flowering and shady) had been handpicked for plantations at designated spots. “We have received an encouraging response for the Adopt-a-Tree project. While planting trees is one of the most powerful ways of saving and enhancing green cover and minimising pollution, adopting is much more intense because it not only involves planting but also nurturing the saplings into a full-grown tree.” said municipal commissioner- Sanjay Katkar.

The MBMC has also set up a special redressal mechanism to look into complaints related to the plantations. The name of the individual/ entity adopting the trees and the date of its planting is being displayed on the safety net of the adopted tree. One can also adopt a tree as a child or in remembrance of a family member who has passed away. The tree guards are being tagged with the name suggested by the adopter.