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New Delhi, Nov 27 () The Centre is considering to make the BIS standards on piped drinking water mandatory to ensure safe and quality water to people, and the consumer affairs ministry has written to the jal shakti ministry in this regards.
 The proposal comes amid tests conducted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on drinking water, which found water quality in Mumbai as per standard but poor in many state capitals, including Delhi.
 "The Centre has the power to make BIS standard (on piped drinking water) mandatory. We have already written a letter to the jal shakti ministry to make it mandatory," Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters here.
 The minister said his mission is to ensure safe and quality water to people of not only the national capital but across India.
 He, however, spoke about the implementation challenge in case BIS standards on piped water are made mandatory. "If states do not follow standards, we cannot ban supply of water."
 The BIS is the national standard body established under the BIS Act 2016 for harmonious development of the activities of standardisation, marking and quality certification of goods.
 BIS Director General Pramod Kumar Tiwari said that under the BIS Act, there is provision that standards formulated for any products can be made mandatory.
 The BIS has sent a draft quality control order to the consumer affairs ministry, proposing that standard on drinking water as a product and standard on entire supply chain or control points should be made mandatory.
 To check quality of water, the BIS has conducted two phase of testing and plans two more rounds of sample collection and testing.
 In the first phase, the samples of drinking water were drawn from 11 different locations across Delhi and in the second phase, 10 samples were drawn from 10 locations of 20 state capitals.
 On November 16, Paswan released the second phase of the BIS study which stated that Delhi along with Kolkata and Chennai failed in almost 10 out of 11 quality parameters for drinking water.
 Samples of tap water collected from Mumbai were found to be compliant with the Indian standards for drinking water.
 However, other metro cities of Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai failed in almost 10 out of 11 quality parameters tested by the BIS, which is under the aegis of the consumer affairs ministry.
 Similarly, samples drawn from 17 other state capitals were not as per the specification 'Indian Standard (IS)-10500:2012' for drinking water.
 In the third phase, samples from the capital cities of northeastern states and from 100 smart cities will be tested and their results are expected by January 15, 2020.
 While in the fourth phase, it is proposed to test samples from all the district headquarters of the country and the results are expected by August 15, 2020. MJH HRS

Consumer affairs ministry writes to jal shakti ministry to make mandatory BIS standard on piped drinking water

<ul><li>The central government is set to launch <keyword id="7815662" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jal-Shakti-Abhiyan">Jal Shakti Abhiyan</keyword> to fight water crisis problems in the country. </li><li>The campaign will work out measures for <keyword id="6354898" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rainwater-harvesting">rainwater harvesting</keyword> and <keyword id="6362691" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="water-conservation">water conservation</keyword> efforts in 255 districts from July 1 to September 15, in its first phase and would be coordinated by central government IAS officers as decisions relating to water is a state issue. </li><li>The second phase will run from October 1 to November 30 in states that receive rains from the north-east monsoon. </li><li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on June 22, wrote letters to village panchayat heads and urged them to undertake rainwater harvesting and water conservation efforts in rural India. </li></ul>The new finance minister <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> will present the Union Budget for 2019-20 in the Parliament on July 5. Just days before, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the tone for the big announcement likely on Friday by initiating the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’, a project to conserve water through rainwater harvesting and other efforts to save water. Amid the high temperatures and severe water crisis, the country is going through, it would be among government’s main agenda to tackle the rapidly increasing water issues throughout the country, The major cities of India like Chennai and Bengaluru were recently in the news due to severe water crisis. The story of rural India is more frightening where 80% of rural homes does not have piped water supply. Only 18% of 17.9 million rural homes have tap water. The central government in efforts to deal with water related issues had merged the water resources and drinking water and sanitation ministries and formed the Jal Shakti Ministry. The new ministry, which has the decision making power over all international and interstate water disputes, the Clean Ganga project, and making drinking water accessible, will be hopeful of a handsome budget to deal with the The government is also set to launch the Jal Shakti Abhiyan to workout measures for rainwater harvesting and water conservation from July 1 in a phased manner, under the supervision of central government IAS officers of Joint or Additional Secretary-level in 255 districts. It seeks to work out measures for rainwater harvesting and water conservation efforts in 255 districts of the country starting July 1, 2019. The campaign is planned in a phased manner, where the first phase starts on July 1 and would run till September 15 in states receiving rainfall during the south-west monsoon, and would be coordinated by the IAS officers of Joint or Additional Secretary-rank from the 255 districts. The next phase will kickstart from October 1 and run till November 30 and will cover states that receive rainfall during the north-east monsoon. As water is not central government issue and state governments are free to decide upon policies for usage and water conservation, the officers will be drawn from various ministries of Government of India, including the Department of Space, Petroleum and Defence, <a href="https://dopt.gov.in/sites/default/files/31-16-2019-EOMM-I.pdf">according to the Department of Personnel and Training</a>. Prior to the launch of the campaign, high level teams were constituted in the 255 districts, and engineers and technical staff was designated in 1,539 blocks across the country to measure ground water levels, the state of aquifers, and ponds and water bodies under encroachment. India’s population is 17.74% of the total world population, whereas the water resources account for a mere 4%. This combined with ever increasing demand and depleting water sources due to encroachment, contamination and reduced rainfall, puts India in a grave situation. “As of today, India only conserves 8% of all rainfall, which is among the lowest in the world,” <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/under-jal-shakti-scheme-centre-to-focus-on-replenishing-water-bodies/story-heKzqsW0IzPfY0lwi9OjxI.html">a senior Jal Shakti official said</a>.”we need to change this.” In line with Gram Swaraj Abhiyan The Jal Shakti Abhiyan is in line with last year’s Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, where central government officials monitored the implementation of seven flagship development schemes in 117 districts across the country. To further achieve its target, the ministry will draft block and district level water conservation plans and the Kisan Vigyan Kendras would organise fests to promote better crop choices and more efficient usage of water for irrigation. To spread awareness about the campaign, major communications campaign on TV, radio, social media would be carried out, for which celebrities will also be roped in. The prime minister, on June 22, wrote letters to all village panchayat heads, and urged them to undertake rainwater harvesting and water conservation activities in rural India, <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=190639">as per PIB release</a>. “In the last four years, nearly 50,000 villages have used MGNREGA [rural income guarantee act] and other state funds to successfully conserve rain water in a big way,” rural development secretary <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/under-jal-shakti-scheme-centre-to-focus-on-replenishing-water-bodies/story-heKzqsW0IzPfY0lwi9OjxI.html">Amarjeet Sinha was quoted saying</a>. The government is also likely to announce a national water conservation policy along with a conservation programme for the 226 highly water stressed districts of the country, an official said. Plans with the MPs to prioritise water storage works under their local area development fund are also underway. “Any national policy on water has to pivot around ground water because “ground water is India’s water lifeline”. Secondly, he said there is a complete policy vacuum on the urban water sector and India urgently needs a programme to regulate its urban-water footprint,” said Himanshu Thakkar of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People.

Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget on Friday may push for water conservation

New Delhi, Jun 3 () The government on Wednesday ordered closure of the Shram Shakti Bhawan for two days after two employees of the Ministry of Labour and Employment tested positive for COVID-19. The government has ordered closure of the Shram Shakti Bhawan from the Wednesday evening till Friday for thorough sanitation of the ministry's office and common areas in the building, according to an office order. The Shram Shakti Bhawan also houses the offices of power and Jal Shakti ministries. All employees working in the building are asked to work from home on Thursday and Friday. The closure of building for two days is part of standard operating procedure for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. KKS HRS

Shram Shakti Bhawan closed for 2 days after 2 labour ministry employees tested COVID-19 positive

<ul><li>Finance Minister of India, <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> reiterated the need for sustainable water management system in India. </li></ul><ul><li>The government has already identified 1592 block in 256 districts which are facing water crisis and is planning to infuse additional funds. </li></ul><ul><li>India is suffering from its worst-ever water crisis in history. </li></ul>Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman reiterated the need for sustainable water management system in India. She said, Constitution of Jal Shakti Mantralaya was a big step in water management-- the ministry will look at water-related issues in a holistic manner and will ensure water supply in every household by 2024. The government has already identified 1592 block in 256 districts which are facing water crisis and is planning to infuse additional funds. India is suffering from its worst-ever water crisis in history. It has already started affecting hundreds and millions of lives and livelihoods across the country. A large number of people are now washing utensils in dirty water, to save the clean water for cooking and drinking. There won’t be any relief anytime soon as the southwest monsoon — accounting 80% of India’s rainfall — is late and is expected to be <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/monsoon-to-be-below-normal-over-north-south-india-imd/articleshow/69602283.cms">lower than usual</a> in both north and south India. As many as 100 million people in the country are suffering from the nation-wide water crisis. Moreover, 21 major cities are expected to be devoid of groundwater by 2020, says government think tank NITI Aayog Only some parts of the country have received rainfall — that too almost a week late. Apart from the water crisis, the harsh heatwaves in the country took more than <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/22/india/chennai-india-water-crisis-intl/index.html">137 lives </a>. India’s dwindling water sources worsened the situation. <a href="http://202.159.215.252:83/DocumentUploadRoot/DocumentId_32837/20.06.2019_CWC_Bull.pdf">According to the Central Water Commission</a>, two-thirds water reservoirs in the country are below normal levels. More than 100 districts across the country are officially affected by drought. Most of the districts (80%) in Karnataka and Maharashtra (72%) are hit by drought and crop failure. As many as 8.2 million farmers are struggling for livelihood. With scarcity comes strife. The state governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra — are now fighting over sharing water resources. Not only this, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad are amongst the 21 cities that will run out of groundwater by 2020. This will affect as many as 100 million people, claims a report by NITI Ayog. Furthermore, 40% of India’s population will struggle for drinking water by 2030. With India’s water crisis deepening by the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently created Ministry of Jal Shakti that is going to look after the water resource management. Modi also reiterated his promise to provide piped water to every rural house in India by 2024. The Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) reported that 43.4% areas in the country are under drought as of 30 May 2019. A delayed monsoon is among the primary reasons for the current crisis.

Every household in India will get water supply by 2024 under the ‘Jal-Jeevan Mission’ says Nirmala Sitharaman

In her <keyword id="19906106" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Interim-Budget" source="keywords">Interim Budget</keyword> speech in February 2024, <keyword id="20385790" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Finance-Minister" source="keywords">Union Finance Minister</keyword> <keyword id="19916618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman" source="keywords">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> celebrated what she termed as the Modi government's landmark achievement: unleashing 'nari shakti' or women's power through various initiatives since 2014. Among these, the creation of one crore 'Lakhpati Didis' — women whose annual household income exceeds one lakh rupees — under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), has garnered significant attention. <h2>The hype around it </h2>Imagine being a <keyword id="20416259" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lakhpati-Didi" source="keywords">Lakhpati Didi</keyword> — a rural woman whose annual household income exceeds Rs. 1 lakh. These women are not just financial achievers; they are community leaders who inspire others through their entrepreneurial journeys. Their success stories highlight the transformative impact of self-help groups (SHGs) and collective action in rural India. Launched amid much fanfare on August 15, 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, the 'Lakhpati Didi' scheme aims to empower women through diverse skill development programs, from producing LED bulbs to operating agricultural drones. Partnering with entities like Patanjali, Flipkart, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the initiative also focuses on branding and marketing these products, ostensibly connecting women with credit lines and MUDRA loans for financial support. Almost an year on, the scheme is all set to get some well-deserved boost in the Budget 2024 to be presented on July 23. However, the time also apt to examine if it has actually contributed to <keyword id="20009191" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="women-empowerment" source="keywords">women empowerment</keyword> in the country. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111915324" title="Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to table Economic Survey in Parliament today" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>The reality check </h2>Critics argue that such schemes may inadvertently tether women's SHGs to corporate networks, potentially benefiting transnational agribusiness giants aligned with the government. Programs like 'Namo Drone Didi', allocated Rs. 500 crore in the Interim Budget, exemplify this trend by integrating women into digital agriculture, albeit under the influence of corporate agendas. Further, while the Interim Budget championed the narrative of women's economic prosperity, it failed to adequately address their basic needs. Despite claims of empowerment, essential schemes such as PM Awas Yojana (Rural) and Har Ghar Jal have seen significant budgetary underspending, raising concerns about the government's commitment to women's welfare beyond mere rhetoric. For instance, the underutilisation of funds in Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and the shrinking allocations for crucial subsidies like nutrition and education further highlight the disconnect between budgetary outlays and on-ground impact. This trend suggests a shift in responsibility towards state governments without commensurate support from the Union government, leaving vulnerable populations like widows and rural women at risk. Overall, the well-intentioned narrative around the scheme needs better translation and execution on ground to achieve desired outcomes. <h2>Looking ahead </h2>Until now, the budgetary allocation for women-centric programs have remained disproportionately low, with the Ministry of Women and Child Development having been allocated Rs 26,000 crore in 2024-25, an increase of 2.52% compared to the previous budget. This paltry investment underscores a broader pattern of neglecting systemic issues such as gender-based violence, social discrimination and pro-corporate stance. As Budget 2024 approaches, stakeholders eagerly anticipate policies that not only boost economic growth but also empower rural women as entrepreneurs and leaders. While Lakhpati Didi stands poised to empower rural women with opportunities and support, more steps are needed to make it more sustainable. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111689743" title="Union Budget 2024: A handy FAQ guide to decode the upcoming budget" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Budget 2024: Can Lakhpati Didi Yojana’s reality inspire better focus on women?

Jaipur, "I sometimes think of leaving it, but the chief minister's post doesn't leave me," <keyword id="49103" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ashok-gehlot" source="Orion">Ashok Gehlot</keyword> famously said earlier this year, in part as a signal to the Congress top brass not to pick someone else for the job if the party wins the assembly polls. Over the past several months Gehlot, 72, tried every trick up his sleeve -- he has his magician father's blood running through his veins, after all -- to retain the post. Last year, MLAs loyal to him even defied the party high command by boycotting the Congress Legislature Party meeting summoned in Jaipur to possibly pave the way to the CM's post for Sachin Pilot, who in 2020 led a rebellion against the older colleague. The Gandhis wanted Gehlot to quit state politics and become the next national president of the Congress. But Gehlot succeeded in staying put. He then set himself on the task of trying to get the Congress back in a state that for the last three decades has never returned the same party to office twice in a row. Gehlot introduced a slew of welfare measures, including cheaper cooking gas for the poor and a Rs 25-lakh medical insurance scheme. The old pension scheme was back for government employees. And the Congress stalwart ensured that he was identified with each scheme. Had the Congress won, most observers feel, it would have been forced to pick Gehlot over Pilot again as CM. But the 'kursi' did leave him this time. On Sunday evening, Gehlot conceded defeat even as the final results of the counting in Rajasthan were yet to come in but it was clear that the BJP was set to cross the majority-mark. Polling was held in 199 of the 200 seats in the assembly. Gehlot's "failure", however, cannot erase his past successes, attributed mainly to his mass connect. He has been the state's chief minister thrice, in 1998-2003, 2008-13 and 2018-23. Only three other leaders have done this -- Mohan Lal Sukhadia of the Congress was the CM four times, while Haridev Joshi (Congress) and Bhairon <keyword id="3468188" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="singh-shekhawat" source="Orion">Singh Shekhawat</keyword> (BJP) were chief ministers thrice. Gehlot began with student politics. He became the president of the Rajasthan unit of the National Student Union of India (NSUI) in 1974, a post he held up to 1979. He has represented Jodhpur in the Lok Sabha five times. In Jodhpur's Sardarpura assembly segment, he had won five times in a row since 1999 before these elections -- and was on course for the sixth success. Gehlot, the story goes, came to then prime minister Indira Gandhi's notice for his work with refugees from East Bengal. He remained in the good books of Rajiv Gandhi as well. The party acknowledged his leadership as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Gujarat, when he led a tough fight on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home turf in 2017. Next year, he was appointed AICC general secretary (organisation). Earlier at the AICC, he has been in charge of the Seva Dal and the party's Uttar Pradesh and Delhi units. Gehlot has been the <keyword id="5569832" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rajasthan-congress-committee" source="Orion">Rajasthan Congress Committee</keyword> president thrice, the first time when he was just 34. In 1980, Gehlot became a Member of Parliament for the first of his five times. At the Centre, he has been the junior minister for <keyword id="9363621" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tourism-and-civil-aviation" source="Orion">Tourism and Civil Aviation</keyword>. He has also led the Sports and Textiles ministries. He is married to Sunita Gehlot and the couple has a daughter and a son. His son <keyword id="578912" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vaibhav-gehlot" source="Orion">Vaibhav Gehlot</keyword>, who is the president of the <keyword id="73403" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rajasthan-cricket-association" source="Orion">Rajasthan Cricket Association</keyword>, contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Jodhpur but lost to BJP's Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who later became Jal Shakti minister in the Modi government. Gehlot and Shekhawat don't tire of running each other down. The outgoing CM has accused the Union minister of trying to topple his government, and of being involved in the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society 'scam', an allegation over which Shekhawat has taken him to court. As the counting trends came in, Shekhawat alluded to Gehlot's early days as his magician father's assistant, and also to the politician's reputation for out maneuvering his rivals. "The magic has ended and Rajasthan has come out of the spell of the magician," he said.

Ashok Gehlot: Magician leaves centre stage in Rajasthan

The number of cyber attacks targeting the <keyword id="44734" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="indian-government" source="Orion">Indian government</keyword> sector increased by a whopping 95 per cent in the second half of 2022 compared to the same period last year, a report showed on Friday. The attacks on the Indian government intensified to the point where it became the country that was most frequently targeted in this sector in 2022. This expansion is the result of the hacktivist group Dragon Force Malaysia's #OpIndia and #OpsPatuk campaigns, according to cyber-security firm CloudSEK. Numerous hacktivist groups joined and supported these campaigns, which laid the path for subsequent ones. However, this increase has other causes besides the growing hacktivism. "Government agencies in India have become popular targets for extensive phishing campaigns," the CloudSEK report mentioned. The primary motive of most of the threat actors is exfiltrating data and selling it for monetary benefits, yet it is not the only reason they target governments. This change is clearly evident from the emergence of various APT groups and hacktivist campaigns over the last decade. Ransomware groups were also very active in this industry, accounting for 6 per cent of the total incidents reported, with LockBIT as the most prominent ransomware operator. India's premier healthcare institute AIIMS suffered a massive ransomware attack which cripped its network for several days. Also, data of around three crore travellers registered with the Indian <keyword id="6360676" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="railways" source="Orion">Railways</keyword> has been hacked and reportedly put on sale on the Dark Web, as per reports. The Railways later denied the claims of a suspected data breach from servers of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The Twitter handle of the Ministry of Jal Shakti (Water Resources) was also hacked twice in December, promoting fake cryptocurrency giveaway scam. According to the report, India, the US, Indonesia and China continued to be the most targeted countries in the past two years. Together, these four countries accounted for 40 per cent of the total reported incidents in the government sector.

Indian government sector top target for hackers in 2022

New Delhi, Dec 2 () The ongoing mega Polavaram irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh will be completed by December 2021 as per the revised tender floated by the state government, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in Rajya Sabha.
 Responding to queries during Question Hour, the minister, however, said the completion of this project will depend on how fast the state government settle the issue of rehabilitation and resettlement (R&amp;R).
 The proposed Polavaram Irrigation project aims to irrigate 2.91 lakh hectares, generate 960 MW of power, and fulfil water needs of industries and 540 villages in Andhra Pradesh.
 "...this project is being constructed by the state government. The revised tender floated a couple of weeks ago by the state government. As per the new revised tender agreement, they have given the date of completion of the project as December, 2021. So, I hope, by December, 2021, this project will be completed," Shekhawat said in the Upper House.
 Treating it as a national project, the minister said the Centre had agreed to bear the cost of the project based on the 2014 expense estimate. However, a Revised Cost Committee (RCC) was set up to look into the cost escalation issue of the project.
 So far, two meetings have been held. In its second meeting held in October 2019, the RCC has sought details from the Andhra Pradesh government, he said.
 The information sought has been with regard to types of land identified for acquisition along with their quantities or cost as per the first and second RCC and also details of land acquisition and corresponding project displaced families as on March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2018, he added.
 "The state has submitted partial information in this regard. Findings or recommendations of the RCC is dependent upon satisfactory compliances by the state government on its observation," the minister noted.
 Responding to a supplementary on who will bear the escalated cost of the proposed project, including land acquisition, the minister said, "The difference is because of cost of the land acquisition and the issue related to R&amp;R. We have sought information. We will take a call after receiving the full information from the state."
 On displacement of tribals in Odisha due to large-scale submergence of Polavaram project, the minister said the concerns of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Telangana governments are all pending in the Supreme Court.
 Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said "Polavaram is the lifeline for Andhra Pradesh and everything needs to be done."
 The cost of the Polavaram project is pegged at Rs 55,548.87 crore as per the second revised cost estimate done at 2017-18 price level, which has been accepted by the Jal Shakti Ministry.
 YS Jaganmohan Reddy-ruled Andhra Pradesh government had cancelled the contracts and gone to reverse tendering for Polavaram headworks and hydropower station. Infrastructure major Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) bagged the order. MJH LUX LUX SHW
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Consumer affairs ministry writes to jal shakti ministry to make mandatory BIS standard on piped drinking water

PTI

Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget on Friday may push for water conservation

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Shram Shakti Bhawan closed for 2 days after 2 labour ministry employees tested COVID-19 positive

PTI

Every household in India will get water supply by 2024 under the ‘Jal-Jeevan Mission’ says Nirmala Sitharaman

BI India Bureau

Budget 2024: Can Lakhpati Didi Yojana’s reality inspire better focus on women?

Ashmita Gupta

Ashok Gehlot: Magician leaves centre stage in Rajasthan

PTI

Indian government sector top target for hackers in 2022

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Polavaram project completion expected by Dec 2021 but depends on R&R settlement: Centre

PTI

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