Iconic Urdu poet Shamsur Rahman Faruqi passed away on Friday morning in Allahabad. The writer and thinker had been screened positive for Corona-19 in November when he was discharged from Delhi Hospital after a few days of treatment. Born on September 30, 1935, the poet, recipient of Padma Shri’s honour (2009), known for his tremendous contribution to Urdu literature by keeping it ‘important’ and seeking ways to make it famous, lived his entire life in Allahabad. Instrumental in discovering several literary talents in Urdu language through his magazine ‘Shabkhoon’ which was started in 1996 and ceased publication in 2006, the…
Author: Our Correspondent
Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) Secretary-General A Arunachalam Friday joined the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Prakash Javedkar in a setback for Kamal Haasan in the run-up to the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. Arunachalam, one of the founder members of the MNM, said he had taken the decision after Haasan refused to endorse the Farm Laws of the Centre. Arunachalam said he was blessed to join the saffron party on the anniversary of the birth of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have introduced these three agricultural rules. I know…
Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the use of Subramani, a farmer in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, on Friday. He interacted with farmers from six states via a video call, including Tamil Nadu’s Subramani, after releasing Rs 18,000 crore under the Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme. Under the central scheme, Rs 6,000 per year is released in three instalments to farmers. When Modi queried as how he manages water as it is scarce in the state, Subramani replied that he is using drip irrigation system. Subramani said earlier the water was sufficient to raise crop in one acre out…
Senior Uttar Pradesh Congress representative and convenor of the Brahmin Mahasabha, Pandit Vinod Mishra, resigned from the party on Friday. Mishra is the former Secretary General of the UP Congress, who was also in charge of the Lucknow district during the Raj Babbar administration. In a tweet, Mishra blamed Party Secretary General Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for his resignation. He said that the Gandhi family used the party to save their skin from the CBI and ED, and thereby humiliated veteran leaders and pressured them to resign. “The UP Congress has already been handed over to Leftist leaders and now they…
The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur paid tribute to Vajpayee. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday unveiled an 18-feet statue of late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the occasion of his 96th birth anniversary at the historic Ridge in the state capital. Thakur said that Vajpayee was a statesman and a fantastic personality who followed politics of principle. Vajpayee was a legendary and revolutionary leader who had set the highest values of leadership, and his contribution to the growth of the country will have been remembered for years to come, the Chief…
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday has tested positive for COVID-19, health official said. The chief minister also took to Twitter to form the announcement. “I have tested positive for #Covid_19. i’m under home isolation and experiencing mild symptoms. I request all those that came in touch with me within the past 5 days to kindly keep a watch on their health and if necessary get tested. Stay safe,” he tweeted. Earlier, his cabinet colleagues — Health Minister AL Hek and concrete Affairs Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar — had also tested positive for the virus infection .
Nagaland celebrated Christmas with religious fervour and joy on Friday with many churches holding live online Christmas services thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. The midnight services on Thursday welcoming the birth of Jesus was limited to lesser congregations in Churches following the COVID-19 protocols within the Christian majority state. In the capital Kohima, while many Churches have cancelled the most celebrations with masses in Church premises but are conducting live online Christmas services, some are holding the special mass within the Churches but with limited gathering of believers in phases. Moreover, unlike the previous years where Christmas feast wont to…
No corporate can snatch away any farmer’s land as long as Narendra Modi is Prime Minister of the country, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday and asserted that the supply of MSP will continue and mandis won’t be pack up . Addressing a gathering in Kishangarh village within the capital , Shah said if farmer organisations felt that any provision of the three new farm laws is against their interests, the Modi government was able to discuss and consider an equivalent with an open mind. Shah blamed the Opposition, including Congress, for spreading lies about the minimum support…
There was slight improvement in cold conditions in Kashmir because the minimum temperature rose across the valley on Thursday, whilst the MET Office forecast the likelihood of sunshine snow over two days from Saturday. The night temperature marked an improvement but continued to settle below the melting point , MET officials said. The weather has remained dry and cold across Kashmir since the snowfall on December 12, with the night temperature staying several degrees below the melting point , they said. The officials said Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir recorded a coffee of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius…
Rajinikanth has been admitted to hospital for “severe fluctuations” in his blood pressure in Hyderabad. He had gone to Hyderabad to shoot his film “Annaatthe” but it was scrapped earlier this week after four crew members had been found positive for Covid. According to a tweet from Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, Rajinikanth had been screened negative for Covid on Tuesday. Though he did not have any symptoms of COVID-19, his blood pressure showed severe fluctuations and needed further evaluation for which he has been admitted to the hospital. He will be investigated and monitored closely in the hospital till his blood…