The winners with R.S. Ratho, Executive Director, Reserve Bank of India, and other officials.

The team from Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, comprising Hussain Ahmed and Syed Mohammad Hashmi, won the second zonal round of the ‘RBI90 Quiz’ competition organised by the Reserve Bank of India to mark its 90th year of establishment.

The team, which won a cash prize of ₹5 lakh, will compete in the final round to be held in Mumbai on December 6.

PES University, Bengaluru, and Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram, won the second and third prizes, and will get ₹4 lakh and ₹3 lakh respectively.

R.S. Ratho, Executive Director, RBI, spoke at the function.

Lok Sabha members from coastal Karnataka Capt. Brijesh Chowta, Kota Srinivas Poojary and Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri and Bengaluru Rural MP C.N. Manjunath met Railway Minister Aswhini Vaishnaw in New Delhi on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday, November 27, informed the Lok Sabha that only Goa, among the four States holding a stake in Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL), has conveyed its willingness to relinquish its share in favour of the Railway Ministry.

The Ministry had asked the shareholding State governments — Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, and Goa — to contribute to capital expenditure in the KRCL as per their share or relinquish their shares in favour of the Ministry. This was needed in view of the KRCL infrastructure requiring major renewal/replacement of capital assets, as they have become more than 25 years old. Other States are yet to respond.

Initially, the Union government, through the Railway Ministry, had held 51.48% of the total equity share capital with the balance being held by Maharashtra (22.21%), Karnataka (15.14%), Kerala (6.06%), and Goa (5.11%). With the Ministry funding a few of the expansion projects and converting the investment as its share, it now holds 65.97% of the shares, followed by 15.57%, 10.62%, 4.25%, and 3.59% shares held by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, and Goa, respectively.

Mr. Vaishnaw was responding to an un-starred question by MP for Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Kota Srinivas Poojary as to whether all the State governments have agreed to relinquish their shares and by when people in the Konkan region could expect a formal notification.

Meanwhile, in a separate letter to the Minister on November 26, Mr. Poojary urged him to initiate communication with the Karnataka government to ensure seamless merger of the KRCL with the Indian Railways.

People on the west coast feel they were missing out on the advancement in rail travel as the KRCL was unable to augment its infrastructure following financial constraints. Though the Karnataka government had in May this year agreed to hand over its share, there was no further communication, the MP said.

The same day, Mr. Poojary along with two other coastal MPs, Capt. Brijesh Cowta (Dakshina Kannada) and Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri (Uttara Kannada), met Mr. Vaishnaw and submitted a list of demands, including the merger.

Konkan lagging behind

Commissioned in 1998 following the efforts of the late George Fernandes, the 760-km KRCL network did not see any augmentation, including line doubling and new terminal facilities, even after 25 years, even as the railway infrastructure and facilities across the country are witnessing developments.

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien arrives at Parliament on the third day of the Winter Session, in New Delhi on November 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Striking a different note from the rest of the Opposition, Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien on Wednesday said his party was keen that the Parliament should “run”.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool’s working committee arrived at six subjects and said it will remain focused on these “people-centric” issues during the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament. 

Parliament Winter Session: LIVE updates on November 27, 2024

“We want the Parliament to run, you can’t let one issue hijack the entire House,” Mr. O’ Brien said hours after Opposition protests forced the early adjournment of the two Houses. While the Congress and several other allies have been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the alleged corruption charges against the Adani Group, the issue does not figure in the six focus issues decided by the Trinamool. 

The Trinamool has skipped both the meetings of the INDIA bloc floor leaders called by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday and Wednesday. It has given indications that it will not be willing to accept the Congress’s lead in deciding its parliamentary strategy. 

The six focus issues are deprivation of Central funds to West Bengal, inflation, unemployment, fertiliser shortage, Manipur strife, and the Aparajita Bill 2024 passed by the State Assembly seeking stricter punishment for convicted rapists. According to sources, as per the party’s internal assessment, the Opposition narrative on alleged corruption by industrialist Gautam Adani was not cutting much ice with the electorate. This view, a senior party leader said, was reinforced with the Opposition’s emphatic defeat in Maharashtra.

When asked if the Trinamool’s divergence on the Adani issue also translates to a divorce from the INDIA bloc, Mr. O’ Brien said, “Trinamool is the only party in the INDIA bloc which does not have an electoral alliance with the Congress. This is a fact.” And each constituent of the INDIA bloc, he said, is entitled to its own view. “The Trinamool will take on the BJP but our outlook can be different from their outlook,” he said. But whenever there was convergence with any other Opposition party, on any issue, the Trinamool “will stand by” them. “If, for example, any Opposition party is to protest the denial of Central funds to State governments, we will be there,” he said. 

Image for representational purposes only
| Photo Credit:
AP

Child marriages in India halved from 47.4 % to 23.3 % in 2019-21 since the introduction of the Prevention of Child Marriage Act in 2006, Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi said New Delhi on Wednesday (November 27, 2024).

The Minister said that around two lakh child marriages had been prevented in the past one year, even as one in five girls in India is married before reaching the legal age of 18 years.

Recent reports by the United Nations note that, globally, the most significant decline in child marriage rates have been observed in South Asian countries, India being a significant contributor, Ms. Devi said in her address while launching the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (child marriage-free India campaign) here.

However, despite the progress, she cautioned, there is no room for complacency.

The ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign will focus on the seven States with high burden of child marriages — West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Tripura, Assam, and Andhra Pradesh — and nearly 300 high-burden districts where child marriage rates are high compared with the national average. The campaign will call on every State and Union Territory to devise an action plan aimed at reducing the child marriage rates below 5% by 2029.

A key feature of the campaign is the launch of the ‘Child Marriage Free Bharat’ portal, a platform to raise awareness, report cases, and monitor progress.

“Guided by the past experiences of BBBP [Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao or ‘save daughter, educate daughter’ Programme] and the recent judgement of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign aims to bring all stakeholders together, to spread awareness up to the grassroots and bring attitudinal change towards ending child marriage,” Ms. Devi said.

The Minister said that while laws, including the Prevention of Child Marriage Act were instrumental, “we must also focus on raising awareness because legislation alone cannot eradicate this issue”.

Ms. Devi said that child marriage is not an isolated challenge that can be resolved with a single solution. “It requires a whole of government approach — right from ensuring continuity in girls’ education, to skilling and absorption in the labour force, to ensuring nutritional outcomes for women, women’s reproductive health and overall health, women’s safety and security, including anti-trafficking, social protection, sports and leadership, amongst others,” she said.

“We cannot stop until India is completely free of child marriages,” she said, calling for active participation from citizens.

Condemning the remarks made by Udupi Pejawar Mutt seer Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swami to replace the Indian Constitution with Manusmriti, the members of Dalit Sangharsha Samiti said that those opposing the Indian Constitution can leave the nation.

“The seer had revealed the hidden agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and those opposing the Indian Constitution can leave the nation,” said Arjun Bhadre, State convener of Dalit Sangharsh Samiti, on Wednesday at a press conference.

Mr. Bhadre said that the seer had stoked a controversy with a remark of tinkering with the Constitution during a conference held at Bengaluru on November 23. He alleged that the Dalits were discriminated for centuries by these Hindu Mutts and exploited through blind practices and continued efforts are being made by such religious heads and RSS to throttle democratic voices.

Mr Bhadre said that a delegation of 50 members from samiti would meet Chief Minister Siddaramiah in Bengaluru on December 2 and urge him to take stern action against Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swami.

The Shahapur town police have not registered a case against its own police officers despite the local court’s order to conduct an investigation on November 23, according to Abdul Raheem, a construction worker in the city.

Mr. Raheem, who held a press conference in Yadgir on Wednesday, alleged that he was assaulted by a police sub-inspector and three constables attached to the Shahapur police station at the Sagar out police station while making an inquiry on the false charges of Matka booking against him.

He said that he was admitted to taluk hospital in Shahapur and also took treatment at a private hospital in Kalaburagi after he was referred. Then, he filed a private complaint with the court of Principal Civil Judge and JMFC in Shahapur, seeking justice. 

While pursuing the complaint, the judge ordered the PSI of the Shahapur town police station to conduct an investigation under section 175 (3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Nyaya Samhita 2023 on November 23. However, the Shahapur police have not registered a case against the PSI and other three constables and conducted an investigation so far, he further alleged.

When contacted, Superintendent of Police Pruthvik Shankar told The Hindu that he directed the police to register the case and conduct the investigation on the alleged charges against the police.

शाओमी ने अपनी लेटेस्ट Redmi Note 14 सीरीज को पेश कर दिया है. कंपनी की नई सीरीज़ में तीन मॉडल मिलते हैं, जिसमें रेडमी नोट 14, रेडमी नोट 14 प्रो और रेडमी नोट 14 प्रो+ शामिल हैं. फोन की सबसे खास इसके कैमरे को कहा जा सकता है, क्योंकि इसमें 20 मेगापिक्सल सेल्फी कैमरे जैसे खास फीचर्स मिलते हैं. बता दें कि फिलहाल इन फोन को कंपनी ने चीन में पेश किया है. रेडमी नोट 14 सीरीज़ को कई कलर ऑप्शन में पेश किया गया है, जिसमें मिरर पोर्सिलेन व्हाइट और मिडनाइट ब्लैक शामिल हैं. सीरीज़ के प्रो मॉडल को फैंटम ब्लू और ट्वाइलाइट पर्पल जैसे अडिशनल कलर वेरिएंट में लॉन्च किया गया है, जबकि रेडमी प्रो+ को सैंडस्टार ग्रीन में उपलब्ध कराया गया है.

फोन में 1.5K रेजोलूशन, 120Hz रिफ्रेश रेट और 3,000 निट्स की पीक ब्राइटनेस के साथ 6.67-इंच का कर्व्ड AMOLED डिस्प्ले मिलता है. नए डिवाइस में HDR10+ और डॉल्बी विजन दिया जाता है. सिक्योरिटी के लिए रेडमी नोट 14 सीरीज में फिंगरप्रिंट स्कैनर दिया जाता है.

ये भी पढ़ें- साल की सबसे बड़ी छूट पर मिल रहे हैं ब्रांडेड TV और फ्रिज, वाशिंग मशीन के ऑफर देख खरीद लेंगे आप

फोन के फ्रंट डिस्प्ले को गोरिल्ला ग्लास विक्टस 2 से प्रोटेक्शन मिलती है. रेडमी नोट 14 प्रो और प्रो प्लस एक खास डिज़ाइन और पतली बॉडी के साथ पेश किया गया है. इन डिवाइस की IP69 की रेटिंग दी जाती है, जो इन्हें धूल और पानी से बचाती है.

कैमरे के तौर पर इसके प्रो+ मॉडल में ट्रिपल रियर कैमरा सेटअप है जिसमें 50 मेगापिक्सल प्राइमरी सेंसर, 2.5x ऑप्टिकल ज़ूम के साथ 50 मेगापिक्सल टेलीफोटो लेंस और 8 मेगापिक्सल का अल्ट्रावाइड-एंगल कैमरा शामिल है.

ये भी पढ़ें- एक दो की नहीं, इन 4 OnePlus फोन की लुढ़क गई कीमत, सस्ता होने के साथ फ्री में मिल रहा है ईयरबड्स भी

वहीं नोट 14 प्रो में एक भी एक जैसा सेटअप है, लेकिन इसमें 2 मेगापिक्सल सेंसर के लिए टेलीफोटो लेंस को बदला गया है. एडवांस क्वालिटी वाली सेल्फी के लिए, दोनों फोन में 20 मेगापिक्सल का फ्रंट-फेसिंग कैमरा शामिल है.

Redmi Note 14 Pro स्नैपड्रैगन 7s Gen 3 CPU से लैस है, जबकि Pro+ वेरिएंट ज्यादा पावरफुल डाइमेंशन 7300 अल्ट्रा चिपसेट के साथ आता है. इसके अलावा ये स्मार्टफोन एंड्रॉयड 14 पर बेस्ड हाइपरओएस पर काम करते हैं.

सीरीज़ के प्रो प्लस में 6,200mAh की सिलिकॉन-कार्बन बैटरी दी जाती है जो 90W फास्ट चार्जिंग सपोर्ट के साथ आती है. वहीं प्रो वेरिएंट में 45W चार्जिंग के साथ 5,500mAh की बैटरी दी गई है.

कितनी है कीमत?
जैसा कि बताया गया है फोन को चीन में पेश किया गया है. आइए जानते हैं वहां इनकी कीमत क्या रखी गई है. रेडमी नोट 14 सीरीज़ 14 प्रो की शुरुआती कीमत 8 जीबी रैम और 128 जीबी स्टोरेज कॉन्फ़िगरेशन के लिए CNY 1,399 (लगभग 16,690 रुपये) है. इसके अलावा रेडमी नोट 14 प्रो प्लस के 12 जीबी और 256 जीबी स्टोरेज वेरिएंट की कीमत CNY 1,899 (22,654 रुपये) से शुरू होती है. फिलहाल इस बात की जानकारी नहीं है कि फोन को भारत में कब लॉन्च किया जाएगा.

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Students of Jama-Ath Higher Secondary School, Thandekkad, who won the Kolkali event in the higher secondary school category at the Ernakulam District School Arts Festival at Kuruppumpady near Perumbavoor on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: R.K. Nithin

Aluva and Ernakulam educational sub-districts were tied at the first position on the third day of the Ernakulam District Schools Arts Festival held at various venues at Kuruppampady near Perumbavoor on Wednesday.

The schools under Aluva and Ernakulam sub-districts were leading the point tally, with 602 points each, according to results compiled by the organising committee around 7 p.m. Perumbavoor educational sub-district was at the second place with 569 points followed by North Paravur with 556 points.

In the higher secondary school category, Vidyadhiraja Vidyabhavan, Aluva, was leading the point tally with 209 points followed by St. Teresa’s Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Ernakulam, with 168 points. Hidayathul Islam Higher Secondary School, Edavanakkad, was at the third position with 157 points.

In the upper primary (general) category, Perumbavoor educational sub-district was leading with 114 points followed by Thripunithura with 111 points and Vypeen with 108 points. Ernakulam was leading the high school (general) category with 264 points followed by Perumbavoor with 238 points and Aluva with 236 points. Aluva was leading the higher secondary school (general) category with 264 points. Ernakulam was at the second place with 241 points and Muvattupuzha at the third position with 237 points.

HYDERABAD

The stage is set for the farmers’ festival for three days in Mahabubnagar starting November 28 to celebrate the initiatives launched for them, and achievements made in the last one year since the Congress government took over the reins in December last year.

To be held at the district headquarters, Agriculture and Allied departments are making elaborate arrangements to ensure participation of farmers from different districts. The three-day event will feature programmes to create awareness among farmers on modern agriculture practices, profitable activities and education about different crop varieties.

Model farmers

As many as 25 departments are setting up 150 stalls as part of the event that will involve participation of agricultural scientists, representatives of universities and model farmers from different districts.

The festival plans to explain the initiatives launched by the government in the past one year involving an expenditure of ₹54,280 crore for the welfare and development of farmers. The State had retained its position as the largest in terms of acreage of paddy cultivation in 66.77 lakh acres resulting in 153 lakh metric tonne yield.

The government had implemented crop loan waiver upto ₹2 lakh each crediting ₹17,870 crore into the accounts of 22.22 lakh farmers at one go. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had announced recently that the crop loan waiver would continue till all the eligible farmers were covered. In addition, it had reimbursed ₹10,444 crore to power utilities as subsidy towards providing free power supply to the farm sector.

While Rythu Bharosa, farmers’ investment support scheme, was implemented with ₹7,625 crore, government took steps to compensate farmers who lost their crops due to calamities by reviving crop insurance scheme by paying ₹1,300 crore premium to insurance companies. This is in addition to the implementation of insurance scheme for farmers involving payment of ₹5 lakh to families of ryots who died.

Video conference units

Steps were taken to ensure that there was no scope for involvement of middlemen in procurement of foodgrain and the government had credited an amount of ₹10,547 crore into the accounts of farmers within three days of procurement. Video conference units were set up in 2,602 Rythu Vedikas spread over 110 Assembly constituencies enabling farmers to take suggestions from officials and experts.

Agriculture extension officers and horticulture officers were appointed in all the districts to guide farmers in addition to setting up an Agriculture Commission chaired by M. Kodanda Reddy to resolve farmers’ issues.