Martyr's family to get 25 lakh henceforth : CM Fadnavis

A family of martyr would get only Rs. 8 lakhs till now. However, a martyr's family would get Rs 25 lakh in the future as compensation, announced Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday.

The CM announced this in a program organized by Atharva Foundation in Mumbai. This program was organized to honor the soldiers and the family of the martyrs.

The theme of this program is 'One for All, All Four One'. Such a program has been organized for the first time through the concept of Foundation's President Sunil Rane. Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, CM Devendra Fadnavis, Governor of Assam Prof. Jagdish Mukhi were present as the chief guest of this program. Param Veer Chakra awardee Captain Capt. Bana Singh, Yogendra Yadav and Sanjay Kumar graced the occasion with their presence. 

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Another Addition to India's Naval Might

The Indian Navy today added to its naval might by launching the third Scorpene-class submarine Karanj at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai. Navy chief Admrial Sunil Lanba, was the chief guest on the occasion while his wife Reena Lanba launched the submarine.

Speaking on the occasion, Admiral Lanba said the submarine will undergo rigorous tests for the next one year before it is commissioned. a total six submarines are going to be built at the MDL. The submarines are being built in collaboration with French shipbuilding major Naval Group.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month commissioned the first of the six Scorpene-class submarine Kalvari into the Indian Navy and said its induction was a big step in the country's defence preparedness. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had then said that submarine building is a sophisticated and exacting craft which very few countries possess in their industrial capacity.

Karanj is the third of the six Scorpene-class submarines being built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited - MDL under the Project 75 programme. The first one, INS Kalvari, was commissioned on December 14 last year. The second one, Khandari, has already been launched and is undergoing sea trials. It is equipped with precision guided weapons and capable of launching both, torpedoes and anti-ship missiles.The submarines also have the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons. The attack can be launched with both torpedoes and tube launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on surface.

The contract for the construction and transfer of technology for six Scorpene submarines in series has Naval Group, formerly called DCNS, of France as collaborator and are being built by MDL.

The technology being used for construction of the Scorpene class submarines has ensured superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels and hydrodynamically optimized shape.

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Donald Trump Hails 'New American Moment' in State of the Union

"This is our new American moment," Trump declared to lawmakers gathered at the Capitol for his first State of the Union address.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday night said that that his administration's policies on jobs, deregulation and national security have spurred a "new American moment."

"This is our new American moment," Trump declared to lawmakers gathered at the Capitol for his first State of the Union address.

The president pointed to tax cuts passed at the close of last year, along with planned pushes for infrastructure and immigration reform and continued deregulation efforts by the administration.

Trump asked members of both parties "to come together to give us the safe, fast, reliable and modern infrastructure our economy needs," while coalescing around an immigration plan that protects Americans "of every background, color and creed."

While delivering his first State of the Union address, the US President declared suspension of security assistance to Pakistan. He also said that nations like China and Russia challenge American economy and values.

The White house in a tweet said that Trump’s conditions-based South Asia Strategy provides commanders with the authority and resources needed to deny terrorists the safe haven they seek in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Trump said that no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea and further added that North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten American homeland.

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A Barbaric and Dastardly Act

The suicide blast that killed at least 95 people and wounded 158 others in Kabul is a barbaric and dastardly act. It reminds us that Taliban terrorism has not disappeared from the war-ravaged country Afghanistan completely. This follows the cowardly terror attack on the children and civilians in Jalalabad on 24 January.

India has strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Kabul. The attacks have targeted innocent civilians and the wounded under treatment. There can be no justification for such reprehensible attacks. The perpetrators of these attacks and their supporters should be brought to justice. Indians stands in solidarity with the government and the people of Afghanistan at this difficult times of mindless violence and terror imposed on them.

The attackers drove an ambulance laden with explosives past a police checkpoint into a street that was only open to government workers. The driver passed through one checkpoint by claiming to be escorting a patient to the hospital. He set off the explosives at the second checkpoint. It happened near the old Interior Ministry building and offices of the European Union and High Peace Council.

Government offices, businesses, a school and a hospital are close to the site of attack. The vibrations of the attack could be felt several kilometres away.

Witnesses say the area - home to foreign embassies and the city's police headquarters - was crowded with people when the bomb exploded today. Plumes of smoke were seen from around the city. The International Committee of the Red Cross said the use of an ambulance was harrowing.

Just four days ago, explosions and heavy gunfire rocked Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel on Sunday killing at least 40 people. The victims also included a number of foreigners. The heavily-guarded luxury hotel was popular among foreigners and Afghan officials.

The siege started on Saturday night and lasted 13 hours. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack which saw more than 150 guests flee.

Witnesses said the gunmen were dressed in army uniforms, but it was unclear how many were involved. The government said three gunmen were killed while witnesses said four were involved and the Taliban said five.

The Intercontinental Hotel, an imposing 1960s structure set on a hilltop and heavily protected like most public buildings in Kabul, was previously attacked by Taliban fighters in 2011. While it shares the same name, the hotel in Kabul is not part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which issued a statement in 2011 saying that "the hotel Inter-continental in Kabul is not part of IHG and has not been since 1980".

The assaults being carried out by Haqqani Network terrorists underlines the need to effectively deal with the issue of safe havens to terrorists in our neighbourhood.   

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US Indicts Pakistan Again for Terrorism Links

Ever since President Donald Trump has arrived at the helm, the United States has taken many steps against Pakistan, the scourge on the humanity, for harboring terrorism. The latest in the series is slapping of sanctions on four Taliban and two Haqqani network leaders for terrorist activities. This is again an indictment of Pakistan for its links with terrorism activities that has troubled its two neighbors – India and Afghanistan.

The US has said that Pakistan must work with the US to deny the terror groups safe haven on its soil and target their funding. All six have been designated as global terrorists by the US Department of Treasury. All property and interests in property of these persons subject to US jurisdiction are blocked and the US citizens are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

The four Taliban leaders include Abdul Samad Sani, Abdul Qadeer Basir, Abdul Baseer, Hafiz Mohammed Popalzai, and Maulawi Inayatullah, while Haqqani network leaders as Faqir Muhammad and Gula Khan Hamidi.

Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Sigal Mandelker said the Trump administration is targeting six individuals related to the Taliban or Haqqani Network who have been involved in attacks on coalition troops, smuggling of individuals or financing these terrorist groups.

He said the action supports the President Donald Trump's South Asia Strategy by disrupting terrorist organisations and publically exposing individuals who facilitate their activities.

This comes in the wake of a top commander of the Haqqani network along with two others being killed by a US drone attack. The drone struck a home near Pakistan's restive tribal Kurram agency bordering Afghanistan.Haqqani Network Commander Ehsan alias Khawari and two of his companions were killed during the strike. The drone strikes, carried out by US spy planes, targeted on the Haqqani Network hideout in the North .

US President Donald Trump had announced a new Afghan policy in August, in which Pakistan was accused of offering safe havens to agents of chaos.

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Opposition Tries to Hold Together

Under the Garb of Constitution

Various opposition parties tried to hold fort together against Bharatiya Janata Party under the garb of constitution. They they held a march ostensibly to "save" the Constitution which they alleged was under "attack".

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar led the efforts to mobilize against BJP and announced that opposition parties will meet in New Delhi on January 29 to mull on the way ahead in the fight against the ruling BJP. 

The march was organized coinciding with the Republic Day marking the democratic rule in India. Several opposition leaders, including from the Left, gathered on a single platform. The show of unity on the part of opposition assumes significance in view of the just over a year left for the Lok Sabha polls. Besides Pawar, Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) Sharad Yadav (rebel JD-U leader), D Raja (CPI), Hardik Patel (Gujarat's Patidar leader), Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress), Sushilkumar Shinde (Congress), Raju Shetty and leaders from various states attended the "Save the Constitution" march that started from Oval Maidan near the state secretariat and concluded at the Gateway of India in South Mumbai, covering a distance of around two kilometres. NCP leaders Praful Patel and D P Tripathi, former Maharashtra chief minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan and ex-MP Ram Jethmalani were also present.

Addressing the media at the Gateway of India, Pawar said it was a joint decision of "like-minded" parties to come together and rally to "save" the Constitution. "It would be a great disservice to the nation and the Constitution if we do not raise our voice against this. All the like-minded parties, committed to our cause, will sit together in Delhi and deliberate on the way ahead to save the Constitution," he said.

Yechury claimed the fundamental rights of people, guaranteed by the Constitution, were being "assaulted" by the ruling party. "All the opposition parties have come together at the Gateway of India, which was once seen as a sign of slavery but is now a sign of freedom to save our democratic institutions, for which we have taken an oath. Our Constitution ensures equality for all. However, the fundamental rights, guaranteed by the Constitution, are being assaulted," he said.

Chavan alleged that the government has moved towards "dictatorship", and all secular people, who have a stake in democracy, should unite to fight against the BJP. "They are attempting to change the Constitution and this poses a grave threat to the country," he said.

Ever since a Nitish Kumar-led mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of RJD, JD(U) and Congress handed down a stunning defeat to BJP in 2015 Bihar Assembly election, a grand alliance is being seen as the only way to stop the saffron party which has won elections in nearly a dozen states since 2014.

However, attempts to forge a grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh fizzled out. The Presidential election also saw fresh moves for opposition unity against the BJP but they too came a cropper.

In July last year, Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)returned to the BJP-led NDA, dealing a blow to efforts to form an anti-BJP front ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

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Will Shiv Sena Benifit from Separation? Hardly!

Even though Shiv Sena has announced that it would fight the coming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections on its own, the challenge is not an easy one for the party. Shiv Sena has a herculean task ahead of it to attract middle-class and urban voters in the state who have turned to Bharatiya Janata Party lately. The party has set for itself an ambitious goal of winning 25 seats (out of a total 48) in Lok Sabha and 150 seats (out of a total 288) in the Assembly elections that are widely expected to happen before the schedule.

The war-cry given by Shiv Sena is not an easy one for the 50-year old party. It has to achieve exceptionally good performance in Mumbai, Vidarbha and Western Maharashtra regions. The party passed a resolution not to align with the BJP and go solo in the polls to be held next year. The National Executive meeting of the party was held coincidng with birth anniversary of Balasaheb Thackeray, the founder of the party.

BJP and Shiv Sena took advantage of resentment against the then ruling Congress and Nationalist Congress Party during the last Lok Sabha elections when they fought together and Assembly elections that they fought separately. However, BJP had made inroads in all regions except Konkan riding on the Modi wave. Vidarbha, especially Nagpur, is BJP's bastion and eroding the party's base there is a gigantic task.

This time around, political observers have placed their bets on Lok Sabha and Assembly elections being held together. So winning Vidarbha being ruled out, Shiv Sena has to focus on Mumbai, Western Maharashtra and Marathwada. In Mumbai, it cannot gain victory relying solely on the Marathi Manus agenda. Besides, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is there, alive and kicking, to eat into its Marathi votes. It has had a glimpse of the reality last year during the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election. On the contrary, north Indians, Gujarati etc. voters seems to vote en masse to BJP.

This is why Uddhav Thackeray spoke about the unadulterated Hindutva during the rally where he announced his decision to go solo. Thackeray has not forgotten how he had to sweat it out while winning back the BMC, the real power house of Shiv Sena. The party, with 63 MLAs and 18 MPs, is an ally of the BJP in the state and Centre but it wants to protect its own identity. That is why it is routinely attacking the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state over a variety of issues--from demonetisation and GST to the plight of farmers and cross-border assaults by Pakistan. Thackeray's announcement of contesting elections outside Maharashtra should be seen in this light. 

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Thanks President!

One has to thank the US President Donald Trump as he announced that he was open to citizenship for 'Dreamers' in 10-12 years. This is for the first time that President Trump has indicated that he was open to a path to citizenship for America's so-called "Dreamers" in 10 to 12 years.

The move will certainly welcomed by millions of people all over the world especially in India as it may also benefit thousands of Indian-origin undocumented immigrants.

Some 6,90,000 undocumented immigrants, who were illegally brought to the US as children, are likely to get benefited. Among them include several thousand people of Indian descent.

The term "Dreamers", which is used for the undocumented immigrants living in the US illegally, came from the DREAM Act, a bipartisan legislation that was first proposed in 2001 to provide citizenship to them under certain conditions. The bill was never passed.

Trump told reporters during an impromptu news conference at the White House before he left for Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos.

Trump called this as an "incentive" for the immigrants for the hard work. However, a senior administration official later said no final decision has been taken yet over the issue.

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Shiv Sena Is a Tiger Turned Tortoise - Ajit Pawar

With his days in opposition, Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is making most of this opportunity. Speaking in Jalana in Marathwada region, he took potshots on Shiv Sena, a party that is sharing power with Bharatiya Janata Party with an extreme awkwardness. Putting his finger at Shiv Sena where it hurts most, Pawar said that Shiv Sena was a tiger during Balasaheb Thackeray’s days but has been since been reduced to be a tortise.

Shiv Sena has not become even a sheep or a hare, but tortoise that thrusts its neck and doing nothing, the leader said. A march was organized at Jafarabad in Jalana district as part of NCP’s campaign Halla Bol, that seeks to attack the ruling BJP for its alleged failures on all fronts, under the leadership of Pawar Jr. The statement came during the meeting after the march.
Targetting Shiv Sena for its precarious situation, Ajit Pawar said that the party threatened a hundred times during three years to leave the ruling alliance, but it couldn't resist the lure of power that has come to its way after full 15 years!

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Total Eclipse of Moon to take place on January 31

   A total eclipse of the moon will occur on January 31, 2018.  This is the first eclipse of the year, with a rare coincidence of a blue moon and a super full moon. The full moon on that day happens to be the second full moon of the calendar month of January, termed as a blue moon.  Further, the moon will be at perigee on January 30, as such the full moon will occur when the moon is near the closest to earth in its orbit. Hence, this full moon will be a little bigger and brighter than the regular full moon, popularly referred to as a super moon.

    During totality, the moon will completely enter the earth’s umbral shadow and may look reddish. The sunlight, comprising of seven colours, fall on the earth’s atmosphere. The blue, violet and green portion of it are scattered most and are filtered out, the red and orange portion of it are scattered less, get bent by refraction in the earth’s atmosphere, fall on the moon’s surface during totality making it reddish in colour to look from the earth.

    The eclipse will begin as a partial eclipse from h. 17-18 IST and will continue up to h. 20-42 IST. The total eclipse will start from h. 18-21 IST and will end at h. 19-38 IST. The duration of the eclipse will be 3 h 24 mts and the duration of totality will be 1 hr 17 mts.  The ending of the total and partial phases of the eclipse will be visible from all places of India. However the entire eclipse, from beginning to end of the partial and total phases, will be visible only from north eastern part of the country including Kolkata. The beginning of the partial phase will not be visible from the rest part of the country, as the partial eclipse will start before the moonrise timings of the most of the places of India. Similarly, the beginning of the totality phases of the eclipse will not be visible from the places along the extreme western coast of the country including Mumbai.

   The eclipse will be visible in the region covering North America except the eastern part, western South America, Asia including India, Australia, the Middle East, northern Scandinavia, eastern Europe and eastern Africa.

   The next eclipse of the Moon will occur on July 27-28, 2018, which will be a total lunar eclipse and will be visible in India.

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Second National Teachers Congress to be held in Pune

After attaining stupendous success in its first National Teacher’s Congress (NTC) in 2016, the MIT School of Government is all bolstered to launch its second edition to be held between January 10 to 12, 2018 at the Prof Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT WPU Campus at Kothrud in Pune.

The 2nd NTC is organized under the aegis of Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT WPU and MIT School Of Government, Pune with the active support of the Government of Maharashtra. Several institutions of importance like the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and UNESCO Chair for Democracy, Peace, Human rights and Tolerance, Pune have also rendered their support and association in this thoughtful mission.

Speaking about the second edition of the NTC, Shri Rahul Karad, Founder and Convenor, said, “We at MIT WPU are elated to announce the 2^nd edition of National Teachers Congress to be held at our MIT WPU campus tomorrow. It is a matter of pride for me to say that the teaching community in our country has found the NTC to be a ‘must attend’ event and have been looking forward to it. Over 8000 higher education teachers from across the country including 500 from abroad have confirmed their participation.”

Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra would be the Chief Guest even as H H Dalai Lama, Nobel Peace Laurete & Leader of Tibetan Buddhism and Shri Vinod Tawde, Minister of Higher & Technical Education, Govt of Maharashtra would be inaugurating the 2^nd National Teachers Congress on January 10, 2018 at 10 am.

The theme for the inaugural session is “Higher Education of India, Prospects & Retrospects.” The Day 1 will also see special felicitations in which noted educationists would be conferred the Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar for facilitating the creation of generations of enlightened and knowledge driven students and the beneficiaries are

1.      Padma Shri Prof Kasturi Lal Gupta, Founder Coordinator & Advisor Thin Film Laboratory, Indian Institute of Technology.

2.      Dr Arun Nigavekar, Senior Advisor, Trustee, Science & Technology Park, University of Pune & Ex Chairman of UGC.

3.      Prof S C Sahasrabuddhe, Former Deputy Director, IIT Bombay and Former Director, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Communication Technology, Gujarat.

4.      Padma Shri Dr Sanjay G. Dhande, Eminent Educationist & Former Director, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.

Eminent speakers at the function include Prof Dr Vishwanath D. Karad, Founder President, MIT World Peace University and Founder Executive President, MAEER’s MIT Group of Institutions, Smt Mukta Tilak, Mayor of Pune city, Dr Anil D. Sahasrabuddhe, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Dr Anil Kakodkar, Padma Vibhushan & Eminent Scientist (Atomic Energy) and Dr Lobsang Sangay, President, Central Tibetan Administration, Tibet.

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Aadhaar Data Breach: Much Ado About Nothing

Yet another news turned out to be false. The Unique Identification Authority of India has denied the media reports that said that for 500 rupees one could have access to billion Aadhaar details. UIDAI has called it a case of misreporting and assured that there has not been any data breach.

The explanation may help put to rest the fears among people and nay-sayers on Aadhaar. There were reports of Aadhaar details being made available on payment of as low as Rs. 500. Some anonymous sellers were offering unrestricted access to Aadhaar details for 500 rupees over WhatsApp, the report said.

The UIDAI has said that the reported case appears to be instance of misuse of the grievance redressal search facility and assured that it maintains complete log and traceability of the facility and any misuse can be traced and appropriate action taken.

The grievance redressal search facility gives only limited access to name and other details and has no access to biometric details, it insists. According to UIDAI, the Aadhaar data including biometric information is fully safe and secure. 

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In Every Bandh, Public Property Bears Brunt

As the day comes to en end, a shut-down across Maharashtra called by Dalit leaders to protest the violence during the bicentennial celebration of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, the public property became main target of the miscreants. City and outstatation buses were again damaged in Mumbai and Pune.

In Mumbai, 47 buses of the civic transport service 'BEST' were damaged by protesters in Kalanagar area (Bandra), Dharavi, Kamraj Nagar, Santosh Nagar, Dindoshi and Hanuman Nagar, an official from the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) told. In Pune, the number was as high as 55 where Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses were damaged, informed PMPML chief Tukaram Munde.
Both the cities witnessed a major disruption of road traffic owing to protests. Offices too witnessed low attendance, as employees stayed away from work fearing violence.
Though the state government did not declare a school holiday, many parents chose not to send children to school. District Collectors at many places declared holiday in their jurisdiction.

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Second edition of National Teachers Congress to be held in Pune from Jan 10 to 12, 2018

After attaining stupendous success in its first National Teacher’s Congress (NTC) in 2016, the MIT School of Government is all bolstered to launch its second edition to be held between January 10 to 12, 2018 at the Prof Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University (MIT WPU) campus, Kothrud, Pune. The congress would be inaugurated by the auspicious hands of His Holiness Dalai Lama.
As per information given by  Prof.Dr. Vishwanath D. Karad, Founder President, MIT World Peace University, Pune and Prof. Rahul V. Karad, Chief Convener, National Teachers’ Congress & Exevutive President, MIT World Peace University, the 2nd NTC will be organized under the aegis of Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT WPU and MIT School Of Government, with the active support of the Government of Maharashtra. Several institutions of importance like the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Maharashtra State Principal's Federation, Bharatiya Chhatra Sansad (BCS) Foundation and UNESCO Chair for Democracy, Peace, Human rights and Tolerance, Pune have also rendered their support and association in this thoughtful mission.

There would be six different sessions held in the congress on the topics of Globalization of Indian Higher Education – Drawing the Roadmap, Value - Based Universal Education : Foundation for World Peace, Quality in Higher Education : Truth and Reconciliation, Use of Technology in Education : Impact Vs Impediment, Educating the Educators and Economics of Education.

Speaking about the second edition of the NTC, Mr. Rahul Karad, Founder and Convener, said, “We at MIT WPU are elated to announce the 2^nd edition of National Teachers Congress to be held at our MIT WPU campus in Pune in the month of January 2018. It is a matter of pride for me to say that the teaching community in our country has found the NTC to be a ‘must attend’ event and have been looking forward to it. Over 5000 higher education teachers from across the country have confirmed their participation.”

He added, “We are expecting participation of about 1000 University teachers of Indian origin living outside India.  A number of thought leaders, policy makers, academic leaders, business leaders and spiritual leaders will interact with the teachers over a period of three days. The inauguration will be done by “His Holiness Dalai Lama”.

The 1st NTC was a large gathering of 3 days having all-round and Spirited Teaching fraternity of India, congregated Teachers of Higher education from all states of India at a single venue to discuss, deliberate and find solutions on issues of education and allied sectors.

Around 5000 spirited, socially sensitive and active College Teachers participated at the program to understand various national issues, the challenges faced and solutions to those challenges in order to imbibe various inputs among students and educate the society to create a knowledge driven holistic nation.

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