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Army okays 5 indigenously developed equipment

In a push to gradually equip the Indian Army with indigenously developed niche technologies, the force has approved Project Sanction Orders (PSOs) of five Make II projects.

The projects include the High-Frequency Man Packed Software Defined Radio (HFSDR), Drone Kill System, Infantry Training Weapon Simulator (ITWS), 155mm Terminally Guided Munitions (TGM) and Medium Range Precision Kill System (MRPKS).

For the indigenous anti-drone ecosystem, the Indian Army has approved Project Sanction Order (PSO) to 18 Developing Agencies (DAs) for procurement of 35 sets of Drone Kill Systems under the Make II scheme, post the successful development of the Prototype.

The project is reserved for MSMEs/Start-ups. It is being developed to function in all types of terrains, both during the day and night. Hundred and twenty-five Infantry Training Weapon Simulator (IWTS), will be a tri-service project, for which the sanction has been issued to four Developing Agencies (DAs) to develop the prototype.

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20-year-old Irene Dkhar of Meghalaya crowned Miss Northeast 2022

Irene Dkhar of Meghalaya was crowned Miss Northeast after she won the hearts of the judges in the final round, raising the issue of mental health. She took home a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh.

Dkhar, 20, said she aspires to be a psychologist.

In the last round all the 14 finalists from the Northeastern states were asked what social issue would they take up given the opportunity to discuss it with world leaders.

Replying to the question, Dkhar said she would want to discuss the issue of the mental health of the youth.

“It is high time to fight against mental illness and anxiety,” she told the judges, winning their hearts.

Eshanee Hatimuria from Assam and Dyna Jomo from Arunachal Pradesh became first and second runners-up and received Rs 1 lakh and Rs 70,000, respectively.

Eshanee was awarded ‘Miss Talent’, while Lika Chophy of Nagaland was crowned ‘Queen of Hearts’. Mannasha Devi Sapam of Manipur was awarded ‘Miss Beautiful Skin’.

The final round had two winners from the state-level pageants from all the Northeastern states, except for Tripura, which was represented by only one contestant.

This was the first edition of the pageant organised by the North East Beauty Pageant Organisation (NEBPO) and sponsored by the Nagaland government.

It was held at the Cultural Hall in Kohima on Thursday.

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Praggnanandhaa, Nandidhaa emerge winners at Asian meet

Both R Praggnanandhaa and PV Nandidhaa emerged victorious at the Asian Continental Chess Championship in New Delhi on Tuesday. Both players needed draws to secure the titles and they didn’t falter. The win for Praggnanandhaa once again underlined his credentials in a year where he has beaten Magnus Carlsen thrice in shorter time formats.

In the final round, the 17-year-old held his own against compatriot B Adhiban, to finish the tournament on seven points out of nine, half a point over six players including Adhiban.SL Narayanan, Harsha Bharatathakoti, Karthik Venkataraman and Uzbekistan’s Shamsiddin Vokhidov were all in contention of claiming the title but ended their final-round matches in draws. This win gave Pragg a berth at the next FIDE World Cup as well.

”Very happy to win the Asian Continental Chess event. The field was good and I had to really work hard to reach the final round with just about a lead (half-point). It was a very good experience for me,” said Praggu. With just a half-a-point lead, the final round could have been tricky. A loss could have derailed all the hard work. But Praggu always has a positive approach and this came in handy.

”I was not nervous or worried going into the final round. I was aware that a draw would help me get the title. But I was positive in my approach and took things as they came. This came in handy,” he revealed.
He has reserves of energy and willpower to play long games. He is known to be a fighter and never quits easily. One saw this trait in the seventh round where in a marathon battle lasting 137 moves spread over six hours, Praggnanandhaa outsmarted his sparring partner and two-time former National champion, M Karthikeyan, to share the lead with three others at 5.5 points.

”I do not easily give up. I ensure that all the preparations and hard work translate into results. If I have a chance to continue in the game, I continue and wait for the opponent to make a mistake. I like to fight till the end,” said the youngster.

Next up for Praggu is the season-ending Meltwater Champions chess tour finals to be played from Nov 14-20. In the women’s event, 26-year-old Nandhidhaa needed at least a draw to claim the title. And she drew against Divya Deshmukh to finish on 7.5 points, one point ahead of second-placed Priyanka Nautakki.

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Sankar bags silver in BWF World Junior Championships

It’s been a week to remember for budding shuttler Sankar Muthusamy. Up against some of the finest talents around the world, the 18-year-old showed his prowess with the racquet to stand apart. Entering the court for his final match in the BWF World Junior Championship in Santander, Spain on Sunday, Sankar had a chance to claim the top prize and enter the history books. However, things didn’t go according to Sankar’s script as his opponent, clearly superior on the day, outwitted him to take the gold instead.

Facing Kuo Kuan Lin of Chinese Taipei, Sankar was always playing the chasing game with his much taller and stronger opponent unleashing some big cross-court smashes in the opening game. Kuo was attacking Sankar’s, who’s left-handed, backhand. Sankar also showed grit, especially in the second game but that was too little, too late. Towards the end, he saved six game points to bring the contest to life. However, Kuo maintained his composure to win 21-14, 22-20.

Despite the loss, it goes without saying the silver medal effort is a massive boost for Sankar, who had won five matches to reach final. Unlike some big performers in the country, the youngster is not from the well-known Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad or the Prakash Padukune Badminton Academy, institutes who have a reputation of producing champions at will. Coming from Fireball Academy in Chennai, Sankar had been ticking the right boxes in recent years to help him come so far.

He is also repaying the faith put on him by his parents. His father had taken voluntary retirement to give more attention to him. And it goes without saying, they have spent a lot on his travels, something that has helped him attain match practice and learn about the sport. That had also helped him No 1 status (August 2022) in BWF junior rankings, an important stat that showed that he’s someone to be watched closely. His coach Aravind Swamiappan has been with him for over a decade, helping him learn the nuances of the game.

Just a week or so back, Sankar and his coach had encountered off-the-field issues, something that forced him to sit out of the mixed team event of the championship at the eleventh hour. That had also meant that his participation for the individual event was in doubt.

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National Unity Day: HM leads birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Patel in Delhi

The celebration will also include the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas pledge ceremony near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in New Delhi.

Union home minister Amit Shah will on Monday participate in the ‘Tribute to Sardar Vallabhai Patel’ programme to mark the 147th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in New Delhi, also observed as the National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

Shah will flag off the ‘Run for Unity’ marathon from the national stadium where around 8,000 people are expected to participate. The Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory citing alternate routes and diversions from 6:45 am to 9 am to ensure safety for the participants of the marathon.

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan will lead the ‘Run for Unity’ from Delhi University. DU vice-chancellor professor Yogesh Singh, along with principals, teachers, senior officials, administrative staff and students of CBSE schools, Kendriya Vidyalaya will also participate.

The celebration will also include the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas pledge ceremony near the Mahatma Gandhi statue and an address by Pradhan. Special exhibits on the life of Sardar Patel will be displayed at Jawahar Park.

Shah has written to all states asking them to organise 75,000 unity runs – 100 in each of the country’s 750 districts.

As part of the celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kevadia in Gujarat to pay homage to Sardar Patel at the Statue of Unity, participate in the Ekta Diwas parade and later address civil service trainees of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.

Golden jubilee of Dhauligiri peace pagoda

The stupa was built jointly in 1972 by the Japan Buddha Sangh and the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangh

Hundreds of monks from across the globe thronged the famous Dhauligiri Shanti Stupa Pagoda, a symbol of peace associated with the Buddhist culture, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar to mark the golden jubilee celebration of the monument on Friday.

The dome-shaped stupa atop the Dhauli hill on the banks of river Daya, about 10km from here, recalls the famous Kalinga war and the transformation of king Ashoka from a tyrant into a benevolent monarch. However, the monument remained neglected by the authorities for a long time.

The stupa was built jointly in 1972 by the Japan Buddha Sangh and the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangh. It was constructed under the supervision of the chief priest of Nipponzan Myohoji, Nichidatsu Fuji Guruji of Japan, who came to India in the early part of 1930s from Mt. Minobu in Japan, the original holy place of the Nichiren Sect. In late 1960s, he was requested by the Buddhist monks to set up a stupa here. Following a request from Buddhist monks, the Odisha government also agreed to provide land for the monument. He stayed at the Dhauli hill, which was revered by Buddhists because of the legend that king Ashoka had converted to Buddhism in the wake of Kalinga war here.

Here Emperor Ashoka is believed to have renounced violence after watching the bloodshed in the battle of Kalinga fought in the foothills of Dhauli and adopted non-violence after converting into the Buddhist faith.

The famous Ashokan edicts enshrining his decrees for the welfare of people and even animals within his empire are still treasured at a site close to the base of Dhauli hill. The pagoda on the hilltop is adorned by the statues of the reclining Buddha, an elephant procession, the Bodhi tree, and footprints of Buddha bearing the chakra (wheel).

Taking part in the celebrations, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said: “Let us work together to spread the message of peace and create a safer world for our future generation.”

Delving into the glorious history of Odisha, he said that the state’s history starts with Dhauli and the Kalinga war. Although the war ended with massive bloodshed, Dhauli continues to sing about the moral victory of the entire humanity. “It is this place where Ashoka realised the futility of war and bloodshed and embraced Buddhism. In fact, Dhauli changed the course of world history by spreading the message of global peace and harmony,” Naveen said.

Stating that Dhauli Peace Pagoda is a great creation of modern architecture, Naveen said: “It bears testimony of Indo-Japanese friendship that stands for global peace and mutual cooperation. The place will continue to spread the message of peace for all the time to come.”

Offering tributes to Fuji Guruji, he said: “On the eve of this momentous occasion, I offer my sincere tributes to most revered Nichidatsu Fuji Guruji of Japan, Founder and Preceptor of Nipponzan Myohoji, for his invaluable contribution in building this “Biswa Shanti Stupa” at Dhauli. Further, the steps taken by Kalinga-Nippon Buddha Sangha to make it happen is also appreciated.”

Naveen also announced the construction of instream storage on the Daya. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 95 crore.

UNSC’s Counter Terrorism Committee To Meet In India This Weekend For The First Time

The United Nations Security Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee will meet in India this weekend. At a time when the world is distracted by Russia’s Ukraine war, the two-day anti-terror meeting will help remind the international community that terror groups continue to threaten world peace and though many major groups like the Al Qaeda and ISIS may be lying low at the moment, they can resurface any time. It is important for countries to stay one step ahead and put in place a system to counter the use of new technology by terror outfits. Since 9/11 the UN has been actively engaged in encouraging countries to work together to fight this scourge.

A host of dignitaries, including British foreign secretary James Cleverly, foreign secretary of Gabon who is also president of the United Nations Security Council Michael Moussa ADAMO, Ghana’s foreign minister Shirley Ayorkar Botchwey, UAE’s minister of state for international cooperation Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Albania’s deputy foreign minister of Albani Megi Fino is expected to attend. The UN counter terror delegation headed by under-secretary general Vladimir Voronkov, will also be present. This is the first time that the Special Meeting of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee is meeting in India.

The high profile two-day event will take place in Mumbai and Delhi. Symbolically the meeting will begin with UN members paying homage to the victims of the deadly 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai’s Taj Mahal hotel. India’s foreign minister Subramanyam Jaishankar will attend along with representatives of the UN Security Council. A wreath will be laid in memory of the victims.

Some family members of the victims of the 26/11 attack will speak at the ceremony. “We will be honoured to hear the voices of the victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks as well as the 2016 Brussels bombings. The meeting will be followed by an informal session on combating terror financing in the local and regional context,” Ruchira Kamboj, India’s permanent representative to the UN said. She was addressing a news conference in Delhi. She is the chair of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee.

Kamboj also made the point that there can be nor “good or bad terrorists” and pointedly added: “Those who propagate this distinction have an agenda and those who cover up for them are just as culpable.” This was an obvious reference to the China-Pakistan axis, and the fact that China had blocked India’s recent move to sanction some Pakistan based terrorists.

“We cannot think of a better place to hold this meeting than right here in India. Not just because it is the world’s largest democracy, but also because India is a society where a host of cultures and religions coexist and because India is an innovation and technology powerhouse,” ANI quoted David Scharia, the head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UN-CTED), as saying : “Sadly, India is also the right place to hold this meeting because of its own long and tragic experience with terrorism,” he added.

On Saturday the members will travel to Delhi for a high level ministerial plenary session, where Jaishankar and the visiting dignitaries will get down to take stock of the situation. The focus will be on terror financing online , possible use of drones and social media by terror groups.

“The special meeting will serve to reflect on recent developments and the latest evidence-based research regarding the threats posed by the use of these technologies for terrorist purposes as well as global efforts to counter these threats while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Ruchira Kamboj said.

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India to contribute $500,000 to UN Trust Fund to counter terrorism

The special conference of Counter Terrorism Committee kicked off on Friday in Mumbai, which witnessed a ghastly attack by Pakistan-based terrorists in 2008 that left 140 Indian nationals and 26 foreigners dead.

India will contribute $500,000 to the United Nations Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year to aid capacity-building support to member states in combating terrorism, external affairs minister S Jaishankar announced on Saturday.

The announcement was made during the plenary session of the UN Security Council special meeting of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) in New Delhi.

“India will be making a voluntary contribution of half a million dollars to the UN Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year to augment the efforts of Office of Counter-Terrorism in providing capacity-building support to member states in preventing and countering the threat of terrorism,” the minister said.

Jaishankar warned about the threat posed by the misuse of new and emerging technologies for terror activities, stressing the need for the international community to adopt measures to combat the threats.

“Internet and social media platforms have turned into potent instruments in the toolkit of terrorist and militant groups for spreading propaganda, radicalization and conspiracy theories aimed at destabilizing societies,” he said in his keynote address.

Jaishankar underlined that the threat of terrorism is growing and expanding despite the UN Security Council’s significant efforts in the last two decades to combat the menace. Jaishankar said that the technologies have also thrown up new challenges for governments and regulatory bodies given the “very nature of some of these technologies and the nascent regulatory environment.”

“UN Security Council, in the past 2 decades, has evolved an important architecture built primarily around the Counter-Terrorism Sanctions Regime to combat this menace. This has been very effective in putting those countries on notice that had turned terrorism into a state-funded enterprise,” the minister said.

“Despite this, the threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa, as successive reports of the 1267 Sanctions Committee monitoring reports have highlighted,” he added.

The special conference kicked off on Friday in Mumbai, which witnessed a ghastly attack by Pakistan-based terrorists in 2008 that left 140 Indian nationals and 26 foreigners dead. This is the first time such a conference is being held outside of the UN’s headquarters in New York.

Odia movie ‘Adieu Godard’ selected as one of 5 finalists in Cardiff Film Festival

Adieu Godard, an Odia movie that has won multiple awards, has been selected as a finalist in the feature film category at the Cardiff International Film Festival.

The film narrates how an elderly pornography-addicted man becomes an avid fan of Jean-Luc-Godard, considered the pioneer of the French New Wave film movement in the 1960s.

The online film festival is being held in the capital of Wales from October 28 to 30.

The movie, directed by Amartya Bhattacharyya, is competing with five other international films and the results are due later this week, a statement issued by the producers said.

The name of Bhattacharya’s movie, which was released on September 2, suggests that it is a tribute to legendary French-Swiss filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, but it is not a quintessential homage to the auteur.

Shot entirely in Odisha, ‘Adieu Godard‘ follows the story of an old man named Ananda who is addicted to pornography and secretly watches adult films with other men in the evening.

One day, the protagonist, Choudhary Bikash Dash, accidentally brings home a DVD after assuming it to be pornography.

And it turned out to be 1960’s ‘Breathless’, Godard’s debut film released in 1960. Ananda gets attracted by the newness and gradually develops an obsession. Then, he attempts to host a film festival on Godard in their village.

The movie which received the ‘Best Indian Film’ award at the Kolkata International Film Festival held early this year, has also been selected for the 10th Asian Film Festival of Barcelona, being held from October 26 to November 6.

The film, part of the Official Panorama section of the Barcelona festival, is competing with several other Asian movies, the statement said.

Bhattacharyya said, “It is a proud moment as we succeeded in taking this film to different corners of the globe. It is a moment of pride for us and regional cinema, as well.”

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Kohli most complete Indian batsman of my time: Australian legend Chappell

Mesmerised by the way Virat Kohli floored arch-rivals Pakistan in their T20 World Cup opener, Australian legend Greg Chappell rated the former skipper as the “most complete Indian batsman” of his time.

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In a fitting response to his doubters, who had raised questions about his spot in the format, Kohli slammed an unbeaten 82 to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Pakistan on Sunday.

Describing the innings as a “song by God”, the 74-year-old said: “None of the greats of bygone eras could have dismembered of an opponent so brutally without compromising the niceties of the art of batting than Kohli did last Sunday night.” “Kohli is the most complete Indian batsman of my time. Only the greatest of champions has the courage and the intelligence to transport their imagination beyond the mortal plane. Kohli has that. Perhaps only Tiger Pataudi has come close to transcending a similar stratosphere,” Chappell wrote in a column for ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’.

“Kohli played an innings that was as close to a ‘song by god’ as has ever been played in T20 cricket. Like a cat playing with a new skein of wool, Kohli teased then expertly picked apart an excellent Pakistan bowling attack until it lay unravelled, spent and exposed on the green carpet of the MCG.”

Legitimised T20 cricket

Chappell further said that Kohli’s innings against Pakistan “legitimised” T20 cricket. “It was an innings that showcased the art of batting like no other that I have seen in a lifetime of watching cricket.

“Ironically, it was also the innings that legitimised T20 cricket as, dare I say it, an art form, more than any that I have seen in the past 15 years. Nobody can dismiss T20 cricket as simply entertainment ever again,” said the former India coach.

Chappell said only World Cup-winning Australia wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist could have come close to Kohli in terms of sheer strokeplay.

“I can think of many of the best hitters in the modern game who could have pulled off a similar victory, and probably have, but none has ever done it with pure batting skills in the manner that Kohli did against Pakistan,” he said.

“Only Adam Gilchrist has come close in the past, but this was even more esoteric than some of his most sublime efforts. It was simply impossible to look away.” That the knock came from the strongest and most vocal supporter of Test cricket made Chappell all the more ecstatic.

“It gave me immense pleasure as it was played by one of the staunchest supporters and exponents of Test cricket of the past 145 years.

“This was the day that T20 cricket came to maturity, and the nail biting game was played between two of the younger nations of the long form of the game in front of 90,000 rapturous fans, most of whom were thousands of miles from the land of their birth,” Chappell wrote.

It was not very long ago there was a raging debate over Kohli’s selection in India’s T20 World Cup squad as he was going through the worst phase of his career after a controversial end to his captaincy from all three formats of the game.

Kohli also decided to take a month-long break to deal with ‘mental’ issues and returned with a bang in the Asia Cup, where he slammed his first international century in three years, and a maiden one in the shortest format, against Afghanistan.

He continued his form in the home series against Australia in the build-up to the T20 World Cup.

“We have known for some time that Kohli is in a rare class, but this was done against the backdrop of a pretty lean run during the last few years by his lofty standards,” Chappell wrote. “Not many are going to have to go through it in the glare Virat has. Everyone has had an opinion; most of it has been centred on his eyes and/or his technique as having waned in some way. As someone who has been down that track, I was pretty sure this wasn’t the case.

“It is likely the best T20 innings of his career, and it may also be one of the most satisfying in any format. He looked completely at home. He was in his element.”

Would have made Shane Warne proud

The innings came at Shane Warne’s home ground as 90,000-plus fans cheered every bit of it and Chappell felt had he been alive, the spin wizard would have been proud of the knock.

Warned died of heart attack in March this year.

“Shane Warne would be proud to have his name emblazoned on the most imposing stand at the stadium, presiding over the proceedings on the fateful evening.

“It was most certainly the coming-of-age of cricket’s new crown jewels. Kohli willed himself to get his team over the line, and demanded that anyone who loved the game of cricket stay and watch the spectacle until the end,” Chappell said.

The match had its share of controversies in the last over when a six by Kohli was adjudged no-ball for height and there were some debatable byes as well. “It is much like NZ being punished for accidental overthrows from the opponents bat which cost them the 50-over World Cup Final at The Oval in 2019,” Chappell said.

“India, most likely would have won anyway, but it wouldn’t have been the foregone conclusion that it became.

“I would review that rule to give the bowler credit for the dead ball if he is good enough to beat the bat and hit the stumps,” Chappell concluded.

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