Category: India

On Saturday, Delhi experienced its coldest morning this season, with the temperature dropping to 7.1 degrees Celsius, which is three degrees lower than normal for this time of year, as reported by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

After enjoying three days of ‘moderate’ air quality, the city’s air has turned ‘poor’ again. The Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 222 around 9 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. Here’s how the AQI categories work:

– 0 to 50: Good
– 51 to 100: Satisfactory
– 101 to 200: Moderate
– 201 to 300: Poor
– 301 to 400: Very Poor
– 401 to 500: Severe

At 8:30 am, the humidity in Delhi was a high 89 per cent. The weather department predicts mostly clear skies for the day, with the temperature expected to rise to around 25 degrees Celsius later.

The Indian government is opening 28 new Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVs) across the country to make sure that all kids can get a good education. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this decision, saying it’s important to provide quality education for everyone, as per the National Education Policy.

These new schools will be built in places that don’t have any NVs yet. The aim is to offer modern education that includes culture, values, environmental awareness, sports, and physical education for talented children, especially those from rural areas, no matter how much money their families have.

Setting up these new schools will cost about Rs. 2359.82 crore over five years, from 2024 to 2029. This money will pay for building the schools and their ongoing operation. Each NV will serve around 560 students, so that means 15,680 kids will benefit from these new schools. Moreover, building and running these schools will create jobs for about 1,316 people and many local workers in the surrounding areas.

Each Navodaya Vidyalaya is a full-time, co-educational school for kids from Class VI to XII. Students get selected through a special test, and about 49,640 students enroll in Class VI every year. Currently, there are 661 sanctioned NVs across India, and 653 of them are already open and running.

The government is working hard to make these schools top-notch by following the latest National Education Policy 2020. Many of them have been turned into PM Shri schools, which means they are examples for others to follow. More and more students, especially girls (42%), SC (24%), ST (20%), and OBC (39%) children, are applying to these schools every year. This means quality education is becoming available to everyone!

Overall, students from Navodaya Vidyalayas perform really well in their board exams, showing that they are among the best in the country.

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about the many steps taken by the Central and state governments to help the North-East region grow over the past ten years. He emphasized that this effort has led to job creation and less violence in the area, as he addressed the Astalakshmi Mahotsav festival in Delhi, which celebrates the eight North-East states.

Modi said, “This is the time for the North-East to shine. We have seen great progress, but it wasn’t always easy. In the past, governments focused on areas with more votes, but now we are dedicated to developing the North-East.”

He pointed out that many young people in the region have turned from violence to building a better future thanks to new policies. There have been many peace agreements, and the government has worked to solve border disputes among North-Eastern states. Modi noted that the Special Armed Forces Powers Act (AFSPA) has been lifted in several districts, leading to a significant drop in violence.

Describing the North-East as a treasure trove of resources, Modi praised the region’s talents in farming, arts, and unique products, many of which are recognized globally. He emphasized the importance of tradition, textiles, and tourism in boosting the North-East’s identity.

He believes the future of India belongs to the East, especially the North-East, stating, “Integration through better roads and connections has raised the development of the North-East to new heights.”

Modi also lauded the Nupi Lan movement in Manipur, which was led by women, as an example of female empowerment in the North-East. He claimed that his government has done more for the region in the last decade than any previous governments. Since the 1990s, funds allocated to the North-East have increased significantly.

Finally, Modi announced plans to connect the North-East with the rest of India through emotional, economic, and environmental ties. The government is working on building more highways and improving air and train travel, and the North-East will play a role in the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor discussed during the G-20 meeting.

The Pandesara police have discovered a huge scam involving fake medical degrees that has been going on for almost 20 years! They arrested 14 people, including the main leaders of this crime.

The two main men behind this scam are Dr. B.K. Ravat and Dr. Rasesh Gujarati from Ahmedabad. They sold fake medical degrees to over 1,500 people who were not qualified to be doctors. Each fake degree, known as a Bachelor of Electro Homeopathic Medicine (BEMS), cost Rs 75,000. The police believe these two made at least Rs 10 crores from this illegal business!

Dr. Ravat has a real medical degree in Ayurvedic Medicine, and Dr. Gujarati has a Diploma in Homeopathy. They created fake degrees under an imaginary organization called the “Board of Electro Homeopathic Medicine.” The police began investigating when they noticed many unqualified doctors running clinics in Pandesara.

What the Police Found:

During their searches, the police found many fake documents:
– Blank and filled fake degree certificates
– Applications and ID cards for fake doctors
– A list of over 1,600 people whose names were on the scam’s website

They also discovered records of payments made by unqualified practitioners using these fake degrees.

How They Exploited People:

The scam had two ways to get fake degrees:
1. People paid Rs 75,000 for a degree and then Rs 3,000 every year to keep it active.
2. They also charged Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 each month to make sure no one bothered their fake doctors.

To force people to pay, Gujarati had associates who threatened those who didn’t comply. They sent fake cancellation notices using made-up documents from their pretend board.

Creating a Fake Website:

To make the scam look real, they set up a website called behmgujarat.com. It listed names and registration details of fake degree holders. This website helped them collect renewal fees and convince quack doctors that their fake degrees were real.

Money and Legal Action:

Dr. Ravat earned a commission for signing fake degrees and making diplomas that looked real. Police are looking into bank records to find out how much money was stolen over the years.

Two FIRs (First Information Reports) have been filed against the gang for cheating, extorting money, and breaking the Gujarat Medical Practitioners’ Act. Many of those arrested included individuals responsible for threatening others and creating fake documents. Authorities are now worried about how these fake degrees might affect public health.

Farmers protesting for their rights temporarily stopped their march to Delhi on Friday after some of them got hurt from tear gas used by security forces. A farmer leader named Sarwan Singh Pandher announced that they were calling back the group, called a ‘jatha,’ for the day due to these injuries. He mentioned that five to six farmers had been hurt because of the tear gas fired by security personnel in Haryana.

A group of 101 farmers had started their foot march to Delhi from their protest site at the Shambhu border but were stopped just a short distance away by barriers set up by Haryana police. The police fired tear gas to send the farmers back to where they came from. Some injured farmers were taken to the hospital for treatment.

The Haryana Police warned the farmers not to move forward, using a law that prevents large gatherings. The Ambala district administration has also banned groups of five or more people from assembling in the area. The farmers aim to pressure the government to give them a legal guarantee for the minimum support price for their crops. In a show of determination, some farmers tried to push down the metal barriers placed by the officers over a bridge by the Ghaggar River.

A 54-year-old man from Thane, Maharashtra, fell victim to cyber fraudsters who pretended to be Customs and CBI officers. They threatened him over the phone, claiming he was involved in serious crimes. This scary situation began between November 26 and December 2.

The scam started when a caller, posing as a Customs officer from Delhi, told the victim that a package with drugs linked to him had been seized. The caller said the case was going to the CBI. Soon after, a person claiming to be a CBI official called him. This fake official accused the man of being involved in dangerous activities like human trafficking and money laundering.

Feeling scared and anxious, the victim was told he needed to pay ₹59 lakh to clear his name and stop further action. Believing he had no choice, he transferred the money to various bank accounts given by the callers. After realizing he had been tricked, he went to the police to report the crime.

The police have now opened an investigation based on his complaint. They are looking into charges of cheating and impersonation, using the new laws from the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology (IT) Act.

On Friday, the Congress party decided to take action against two leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nishikant Dubey and Sambit Patra, because of hurtful comments they made about Rahul Gandhi, who is the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi explained that they had asked the Speaker of the Lok Sabha to look into their complaints, but the session was interrupted, and Dubey was allowed to continue speaking in Parliament. Gogoi accused the BJP of being afraid to discuss the Adani issue, suggesting they were trying to avoid important topics.

Another Congress MP, KC Venugopal, criticized the government, saying they were trying to silence the opposition. He mentioned that there were inappropriate remarks made about Congress leaders both inside and outside Parliament. While Congress filed a complaint about this, the people they complained about were still allowed to speak. Venugopal claimed that the Speaker was under pressure from the government.

In a recent post on social media, Venugopal expressed that the Congress party will not be intimidated by anyone, holding a copy of the Constitution and wearing a mask with the message “Modi Adani Bhai Bhai.”

The controversy began when BJP’s Nishikant Dubey questioned Rahul Gandhi’s meetings and associations during a speech. He raised concerns about Gandhi’s relations with figures linked to the Bharat Jodo Movement and groups that did not support PM Modi. He even went as far as to accuse Gandhi of meeting with people who want to create divisions in India.

BJP MP Sambit Patra also called Rahul Gandhi a “traitor,” claiming he is part of a dangerous group that threatens India. Patra urged people to be aware of Gandhi’s connections with foreign entities that oppose the government.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently shared his worries about Delhi’s high pollution levels, saying that it impacts his health and makes him think twice about visiting the city. At an event in New Delhi, Gadkari, who is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and represents Nagpur, expressed that the bad air quality is a major reason why many people choose to stay away from Delhi.

“I often wonder if I should come to Delhi,” Gadkari said in Hindi. “The pollution is really terrible.” He explained that the polluted air makes him sick, prompting him to practice yoga for two hours before arriving in the capital.

Along with discussing how India depends too much on fossil fuels, Gadkari suggested that the country should switch to alternative energy sources to tackle pollution. “By using alternative fuels, we can decrease our imports of fossil fuels,” he stated, noting that India spends a massive ₹22 lakh crore every year on imported fossil fuels.

Interestingly, Gadkari’s remarks came during a time when Delhi’s air quality had slightly improved, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) dropping to the “moderate” category of 165, down from 178 the previous day. In response to this change, the government also eased some pollution control measures.

Despite this improvement, many civil groups are still worried about the pollution crisis in Delhi. A petition was introduced in Parliament, urging members to address what activists called a serious environmental and public health emergency.

The petition highlighted that Delhi’s air quality has been rated as “poor” or “very poor” since September. It also pointed out the frightening statistics: air pollution causes 1.7 million deaths in India every year and can decrease life expectancy by about 3.57 years across the country and as much as 12 years in Delhi.