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The June 2013 disaster in <keyword id="44522" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uttarakhand">Uttarakhand</keyword> is unforgettable for the heavy loss of human life, as well as the economic and ecological damages it caused. However, the inadequate disaster management and delayed response from the government were even more ominous. 
 While heavy rain (more than 375% of normal rainfall) inundated Uttarakhand and the surrounding areas, it also led to the melting of the Chorabari Glacier and the <keyword id="30363" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mandakini">Mandakini</keyword> burst its banks, resulting in the region’s worst-ever flooding in five decades. 
 
Government officials committed many errors that had a direct bearing on the tragedy: 
· Early weather warnings went unheeded. Otherwise, the loss of human life would have been lower. 
· Haphazard development with hotels near the waterways, extensive tunnelling for badly planned roads and more than 70 hydroelectric projects have created a serious environmental imbalance. 
· Private sources put it to over 5,000 deaths. As the flooding occurred during peak pilgrimage season, more than 70,000 pilgrims were stranded with little or no food for over three days. 
 
Total economic loss is estimated at Rs 20,000 crore. The damage to infrastructure such as roads, hydro projects and housing will be difficult to overcome. As tourism accounts for almost 30% of Uttarakhand’s GDP, road and other infrastructural damage means the state government has to ask tourists to stay away, leading to loss of economic activities. 
 
Disaster management While the <keyword id="107430" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="National-Disaster-Management-Authority">National Disaster Management Authority</keyword> (NDMA) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with the Indian Army and Indian Air Force, did their best, it was not enough. The NDMA and the NDRF have to be better equipped, especially in terms of communications, to properly manage quick relief work. The director general of the NDRF has been changed every year for the past nine years, causing a lack of continuity in this body. Moreover, we don’t have fully trained and fully equipped disaster management personnel. The locals are not trained either or opt to work with the authorities. Early and prompt action is vital for all disaster management and this requires active involvement of the locals. 
 
Local people should be made aware of the problems likely to occur and must be taught how to respond to those. Each region or locality should have a rescue shelter and a command network in place. In other words, public awareness of ecology and environmental issues is a must. The government has to work with the people to protect the environment. Also, weather warnings should be taken seriously and government officials should focus more on prevention in order to minimise such losses. 
 
A comprehensive Himalayan environment and ecology plan covering all the Indian states concerned should be drawn up and implemented. Experts even advocate an international policy in co-operation with other countries such as China, Nepal and Bhutan. 
 
Uttarakhand today is focusing on rebuilding its infrastructure and preventing further ecological damage. The state has already reconstructed a major part of its roads, bridges and communication infrastructure. However, this should top the priority list now as transport and communication are extremely vital to keep the economy going in this mountain state. 
 
Only last month, the government reopened the Char Dham Yatra for the pilgrims, which can revive the tourism-based economy to some extent, bringing in the badly needed tourist money to the state. The government has also been criticised for the slow pace in rebuilding houses and infrastructure, and thus generating employment. 
 
The state government has come under fire for the irregular disbursal of compensation – Rs 2 lakh for every affected family and Rs 3,000 per month for two years as rental compensation to each of the 3,320 families that lost their houses. An additional compensation of Rs 5 lakh for building a house on the land owned by a family did not help either. That is because the families that lost their homes in the floods found it difficult to prove land ownership as all their belongings had been washed away. In many cases, the land itself no longer exists and it is still unclear where the new dwellings can be built. Understandably, the government will have to reassess and speed up the relief and rehabilitation process for genuine sufferers. 
 
Additionally, the government is taking steps to ensure proper development of watershed areas, water supply and sanitation. Loans to the tune of $121.20 million for a decentralised watershed development project and $24 million for rural sanitation and water supply have been obtained from the World Bank. 
 
Employment issues 
Uttarakhand is now witnessing third highest level of unemployment across the country. The state has a largely rural economy and last year’s dislocation of the tourism industry and loss of homes have increased unemployment and forced many to migrate. 
 
The failure of industrialisation also contributes to unemployment in the state. The government has to first ensure that the rural areas have access to sufficient clean water, land and clean environment. It should also actively support local agriculture and other employment-generating activities. 
 
The government is currently working towards better forest management and planned hydroelectricity management. Two of the country’s major rivers, the Ganga and the Yamuna, originate in Uttarakhand and responsible handling of these river projects is not only crucial for the state but for the entire country. 
 
However, Uttarakhand is gradually overcoming the impact of the natural disaster that struck last year and rebuilding itself. But how fast it can be back on the prosperity track is the key question now.

Uttarakhand: Dealing With The Disaster Aftermath In The Abode Of Gods

New Delhi, Jul 15 () A Delhi court Wednesday granted bail to 200 Indonesians who were chargesheeted for attending Tablighi Jamaat congregation here allegedly in violation of visa norms, indulging in missionary activities illegally and violating government guidelines issued in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gurmohina Kaur granted the relief to the foreigners on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 10,000 each. The accused will file their plea bargaining applications on Thursday, said advocates Ashima Mandla, Mandakini Singh and Fahim Khan, appearing for them. Under plea bargaining, the accused plead guilty to the offence, praying for a lesser punishment. The Criminal Procedure of Code allows for plea bargaining in cases where the maximum punishment is 7-year imprisonment; offences don't affect the socio-economic conditions of the society and the offence is not committed against a woman or a child below 14 years. These foreigners had attended the event in March, following which in April COVID-19 cases across the country spiked after hundreds of Tablighi Jamaat members, who had attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz, tested positive. URD SA

Tablighi Jamaat: Delhi court grants bail to 200 Indonesians

New Delhi, Dec 13 () The Coal Ministry on Friday said it is considering allotment of six coal mines that have been marked for end-uses like power, iron and steel and sale of coal. 
 The ministry had started allotment process for 15 coal mines for various specified end-use such as in power and iron &amp; steel sectors. 
 In the allotment process, applications were received in the case of six out of 15 coal mines, the coal ministry said in a release.
 On the basis of evaluation of applications received in the allotment process, six mines namely Durgapur II Taraimar/Durgapur II Sariya, Mandakini, Utkal C, Sugia Closed Mine and Tokisud North are under consideration for the allotment, the coal ministry said.
 The mines will add over 5 million tonnes (MT) coal per annum to the country's coal output besides reducing dependence of industries on imported coal, the ministry said.
 "These mines will add more than 5 MT coal per annum and boost the coal production in the country and reduce the dependence of industries on imported coal. This will also generate about Rs 15,000 crore revenue for state governments where the mines are located besides royalties and other applicable taxes," according to the ministry statement. ABI HRS

Six coal mines under allotment process: Govt

<ul><li><keyword id="379877" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sonal-Dabral">Sonal Dabral</keyword> has been an integral part of Indian advertising and is credited with creating some pathbreaking campaigns through his career.</li><li>Dabral who was part of a recent panel discussion at Business Insider's Global Trends Festival 2020 took us back in time and told us the story of how the famous 'Humko Binnies Mangta' jingle and campaign was created.</li></ul>Sonal Dabral wears many hats. He’s a creative genius, a TV host, a film director, an actor, a scriptwriter and even a playwright. But he is also a music lover, a passion that came handy pretty often during his illustrious advertising career. Recently on a panel discussion on ‘How music has become the real social connector in today’s digital world’ for Business Insider’s Global Trends Festival, Dabral shared an anecdote about a very catchy campaign he had created in the late 80’s. Dabral grew up in a big family where there was a lot of musical influence and this love for music helped him crack a creative pitch back in the day when he was just finding his place in the ad world. The brand he was working on was <keyword id="10139970" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Binnies-Chips">Binnies Chips</keyword> and the task at hand was to help it reach out to teenagers. This was in the later 80’s, when most of the advertising was still being done in English. So when Binnies Chips called for a pitch, Dabral, who then was a part of Mudra, set to work with the rest of the team. They created a campaign that they thought was cool and energetic. The tagline read, ‘Looking for fun? Binnies’ the one!’ Taking us back in time, Dabral said, “The campaign looked good but was a bit stereotypical. There were teens with guitars and of course packets of chips.” However, it was an important multi-agency pitch, and <keyword id="871717" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mudra-Delhi">Mudra Delhi</keyword> which back then was a small office, wanted to desperately win the pitch. “We had to be absolutely sure of the work,” said Dabral. And the easiest way to do that was to test the campaign on the audience they were trying to target. The Mudra team called a group of teenagers to a house in Lajpat Nagar in New Delhi, the idea was to gauge their reactions. Most of the kids invited said they liked the line. However, in that group, there was a young child who had come there with his elder brother. “This kid was barely 6 or 7 years old but he had an attitude. I asked him if he liked the work and he said he did. Then I asked him if his brother bought chips for him. To that he answered with a lot of swag that he goes to the shop himself, points to whatever he wants and says, ‘I want that.’ And he said all of this in a mix of Hindi and Punjabi and I was loving his attitude,” shared Dabral. And it was then that inspiration struck him. “We were saying things like looking for fun, Binnies the one, but here was a kid with real energy and attitude. He knew exactly what he was looking for and he would demand that from the shopkeeper. That’s when the idea for ‘Humko Binnies Mangta’ struck me. And the moment I thought of these lines, it felt disruptive and fresh,” said Dabral with a laugh. Most of the advertising back then used to be primarily western in look and feel. And even if Hindi was used, it was hardly ever colloquial. It was usually translated from the original English idea by translators. This was the time when a song from the movie Jeete Hain Shaan Se featuring actors <keyword id="14672" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mithun-Chakraborty">Mithun Chakraborty</keyword> and Mandakini called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkU67ylZvW0" data-type="tilCustomLink">Julie Julie</a> had become immensely popular. “The lyrics of the song went, <keyword id="1353389" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Julie-Julie">Julie Julie</keyword>, Johnny ka dil tujhpe aaya Julie. A colleague used to keep humming that song. So once I had the line Humko Binnies Mangta, I wrote the lyrics, ‘Binnies Binnies, naya naya ye chips Binnies. Iski hai har baat nayi, yehi toh meri jaan hai jaan hai jaan hai… Humko Binnies mangta’. And the song was ready. I remember we recorded a scratch and cut a film with footage from the movie ‘Grease’ with <keyword id="38952" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="John-Travolta">John Travolta</keyword> dancing to ‘Humko Binnies Mangta’ for the pitch.” Dabral was also the art director on the campaign so he decided that the best way to do the print and the billboards would be to add a bit of that young boy’s attitude to it and to make it big and bold. “I hand crafted the typography as I didn’t find any typeface that would do justice to the bold attitude. So the billboards and out-of-home material had a big bold ‘Humko Binnies Mangta’ emblazoned against a red background and a big pack just below it. No body copy. Nothing else to describe the idea,” he shared. “The idea was, if we could have a line with so much attitude, it would do its job,” he added. This is how ‘Humko Binnies Mangta’ was born. <div type="Youtube" id="de7RnLvYlZM" title="Binnies Chips - An Age Old Ad" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/de7RnLvYlZM/mqdefault.jpg"></div> “While the term Hinglish had not yet been coined, one can say that it was ‘Humko Binnies Mangta’ that set the ball rolling for Indian English in our advertising, real conversational lines as against the very formal language of the past," said Dabral. At the pitch, the team presented both the ideas including the two scratch edits. “We won the pitch due to the sheer cut-through quality of ‘Humko Binnies Mangta’," added he. The client loved the idea but was a little unsure owing to the fact that the lyrics were in a very conversation street-style Hinglish, something that had never been done before. The team however heard that the client had done a quick test of the two campaigns with his children and their friends, and all of them had loved it. The campaign when released became an instant hit. On the day of the launch, there were full page ads all with one single line ‘Humko Binnies Mangta’ and a pack below it. There was a promo that was run on the day of the launch. Free Binnies hampers were given off to the first 100 callers who called in and said ‘Humko Binnies Mangta’. “Though it was meant for only 100 callers, the phones didn’t stop ringing till late in the night,” reminisced Dabral. On analyzing why the campaign performed as well as it did, Dabral said he realized while it was the disruptive nature and the freshness of the campaign line and the focused and targeted advertising, it was also the fact that they wrote the catchy lyrics to a massively popular tune that made it very hummable and was able to connect with a wide set of audience. “It also shows what the right music and words can do to your content. Even today when you hear those lines, you can visualize the ad with those dancing kids saying Humko Binnies Mangta,” added Dabral with a laugh

Sonal Dabral tells us how a 6-year-old boy and this hit Mithun Chakrabarty song became the inspiration behind the catchy 80’s jingle, ‘Humko Binnies Mangta’

Of late, a new story involving Mumbai’s famed underworld don Abu Salem has popped up. A 25 year old woman has given an ultimatum to end her life if she isnt allowed to get hitched to Abu Salem. Though this isn’t a love affair but a morphed image of her with Salem having defamed her earlier has been the epicentre of trouble. The fake image has heavily affected the woman and she wants to get married to Salem to get relief from the crisis. 
 
Mafias are believed to prefer one night stands over a long committed relationships. But there are exceptions. Among the high profile mafias there are lovers with a soft heart. And here we list out 4 mafias of India who have been known for their excellence in commitments. 
 
 
Haji Mastan and Sona 
 
(Image: Flickr) 
Haji Mastan, the celebrity gangster who has was the undisputed king of Mumbai underworld for 20 years is known to have been married with Bollywood actress Sona. A lookalike of yesteryears actress, Madhubala , Sona has acted in a very few movies in the vintage Bollywood. However, after Mastan’s death, Sona is trying hard to make ends meet. 
 
Speaking to Cinelplot.com, Sona said, “Sahab really loved me and his first wife was very good to me. She would actually feed me with her own hands. But the day he died, she and her children changed their attitude towards me. I suddenly felt very alone.” 
 
 
 
Dawood Ibrahim 
 
The ruler of Mumbai’s D company didn’t only revolutionized the crime scenario but also made it horrific and dreadful to the core. As he graduated from mafia to don, Dawood has ‘dated’ quite a number of women ranging from Bollywood to Middle Eastern princess. 
 
Pakistani actress Anita Ayub was close to Dawood and producer Javed Siddique was killed as he refused Dawood’s ladylove a role in his movie. 
‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’ heroine Mandakini was rumoured of her intimacy with the don. Later when Dawood went underground, Mandakini settled down. Although media investigations say, Mandakini had stayed with Dawood for 2 years in his Dubai residence. 
 
Apart from his relationships with tinsel town people, Dawood has got into relationships with various other women. 
 
(Image: MoviezAdda) 
 
Chhota Rajan 
 
The boss of a major crime syndicate in Mumbai, Chhota Rajan had a relationship with Mamta Kulkarni. It was Rajan who influenced big producers like Raj Kumar Santoshi to get her preferred roles in big budget films. Mamta’s affair with Rajan was a blessing for her as she rose to the peak of her career during this time. However, media reports say, Mamta married drug smuggler Vicky sometime later and settled. 
 
This wasn’t an end of love story for Rajan. The gangster who was seriously injured in an encounter with rival Dawood’s group, fled from hospital using mountaineering kit. Rajan was rescued by the then Cambodian governor and put in safe haven in Tehran. Here, Chhota Rajan fall in love with his caretaker. His intimacy with the Tehranian caretaker grew intensely. Later she has borne him a son. 
Rajan is now married to Sujata Nikhalje and has 3 daughters from the marriage. 
 
(Image: YouTube) 
 
Abu Salem 
 
The centre of discussion, Abu Salem is known to be the most romantic of the Mumbai mafias. However, an exclusive interview of his first wife reveals something different. Abu Salem’s famed affair with Bollywood actress Monica Bedi had been the talk of the town. 
 
As per crime fiction writer S. Hussain Zaidi, Salem has ‘bedded’ some of the ‘ravishing sirens’ of the film industry including some prominent ones. However, Salem’s chemistry with Monica was different because he wanted to marry her and settle in the US. With constant threats to producers and directors, Salem has managed to provide Monica a solid platform. And they were living happily ever after until they were deported from Portugal and sentenced for lethal crime involving murder. 
 
(Image: India Times) 
 
 (Image: Thinkstock)

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Uttarakhand: Dealing With The Disaster Aftermath In The Abode Of Gods

Preetam Kaushik

Tablighi Jamaat: Delhi court grants bail to 200 Indonesians

PTI

Six coal mines under allotment process: Govt

PTI

Sonal Dabral tells us how a 6-year-old boy and this hit Mithun Chakrabarty song became the inspiration behind the catchy 80’s jingle, ‘Humko Binnies Mangta’

Samarpita Banerjee

Mafia wars of heart

Suchayan Mandal

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