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The Festival of Light had come and gone, and we certainly hope you enjoyed your Diwali with lights and bangs. But now that it’s over, many of us are already busy on the Web, trying to chalk out some never-before holiday plans. Before you finalise destinations and dates, here’s a look at the most mesmerising train journeys across an incredible India that will keep you spellbound even before you reach the vacation spot. 
 Last month, we brought our readers a list of most <keyword id="1943444" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Scenic-train-rides">scenic train rides</keyword> through the mountains. And this time around, we take you on a <keyword id="6374782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="journey">journey</keyword> through India’s heartland as the sweeping plains, emerald forests, golden deserts and hilly terrains chug past you at a relaxed pace. Whether you are travelling in 5-star cabins or a rickety carriage, nothing can beat the unique experience these rail rides offer to soak up the atmosphere, enjoy the views and be a part of the untravelled India you have never seen before. 
 
Image: Wikipedia

Chugging Along: 9 Picturesque
Train Rides Into The Heartland Of India

New Delhi, Candidates in Punjab's Jalandhar can spend Rs 15 for a cup of tea and the same price for a samosa they offer to people during public meetings and campaign trails in the <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> elections. However, those in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla can spend Rs 7 for a cup of tea and another Rs 7.50 for a piece of samosa, considered a staple snack in many parts of the country. With polls to elect the 18th Lok Sabha approaching, district poll panels are fixing the rates for expenses as part of the election expenditure monitoring process. The candidates will have to manage their expenditure within the prescribed limit. These rate cards often become a subject of "meme-fest" on social media about the prices not being in sync with the current inflation level. In most states, including Andhra Pradesh, the expenditure ceiling for a Lok Sabha candidate is set at Rs 95 lakh. However, in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Sikkim, the limit is slightly lower at Rs 75 lakh per candidate. Similarly, for Union territories, the expenditure ceiling ranges from Rs 75 lakh to Rs 95 lakh per candidate, depending on the region. In Jalandhar, chole bhature has been capped at Rs 40 while mutton and chicken have been priced at Rs 250 and 500 per kg respectively. Desserts like dhodha (Rs 450 per kg) and ghee pinni (Rs 300 per kg) are also on the menu besides <keyword id="20350738" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lassi" source="keywords">lassi</keyword> and nimbu pani priced at Rs 20 and 15 per glass respectively. The cost of tea is low at Rs 5 in the rate card of Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh but the samosa is priced higher at Rs 10. The Balaghat rate card also has idli, <keyword id="21122493" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sambhar-vada" source="keywords">sambhar vada</keyword> and poha-jalebi priced at Rs 20 while the cost for dosa and upma has been fixed at Rs 30. In Thoubal district of violence-hit Manipur, tea, samosa, kachori, khajur (dates) and gaja (dessert) have been priced at Rs 10 each. Candidates in the northeastern state's Tengnoupal district, will have to stick to Rs 5 for black tea and Rs 10 for milk tea. The list has a wider spread of non-vegetarian items with duck and pork priced at Rs 300 and Rs 400 per kg respectively. Chicken (broiler) and fish like rohu, mrigal and sareng, are also on the list. In Chennai, the price of tea has been raised from Rs 10 to Rs 15 and coffee from Rs 15 to Rs 20, while the rate of chicken biryani has been reduced from Rs 180 to Rs 150 per packet compared to 2019. In the expenditure card for <keyword id="20035063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gautam-buddha-nagar" source="keywords">Gautam Buddha Nagar</keyword> (Noida/Greater Noida), vegetarian thali comes for Rs 100, a samosa or a cup of tea for Rs 10, kachori for Rs 15, a sandwich for Rs 25, and a kilogram of jalebi for Rs 90 per kg. <keyword id="20009826" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="north-goa" source="keywords">North Goa</keyword> candidates can have batata vada on menu at a cost of Rs 15, same as that for a samosa. The tea has been capped at Rs 15 while coffee can cost Rs 20. The rate card for Haryana's Jind offers the candidates to hire a tandoor for Rs 300 and features delicacies like dal makhni and mix veg for Rs 130 while matar paneer has been priced at 160. Breads like butter nan, <keyword id="19994516" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="missi-roti" source="keywords">missi roti</keyword> and plain roti are also on the platter besides desserts including <keyword id="21122494" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kaju-katli" source="keywords">kaju katli</keyword> and gulab jamun. While parties and candidates often offer workers and voters liquor, none of the rate cards mention alcohol. Other heads which find mention in the rate cards range from expensive infrastructure, such as helipads, luxury vehicles, and farmhouses, to miscellaneous items like flowers, cooler, tower ACs and sofa. The rate cards have also prescribed the ceiling on rates for hiring of different vehicles for campaigning right from a Tata Safari or Scorpio to a Honda City or Ciaz or a bus to ferry to public to rally grounds. Rates have also been set for rose garlands, marigold garlands and bouquet by some poll panels while some have included heads like party merchandise including caps and flags. The rate cards also have an list of permissible rates for hiring venues and accommodation. The expenditure includes the spend for public meetings, rallies, advertisements, hoardings, pamphlets, flexis, campaign material and all other election-related work. At present, there is a ceiling on campaigning funds for individual candidates in the electoral fray but no cap on the money political parties can spend for electioneering. According to the revised guidelines issued by the ECI, the maximum permissible expenditure for campaigning in a Lok Sabha constituency varies across different states and Union territories. Section 77 (1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 says candidates are expected to keep an account of expenditure incurred on the elections from the "date on which he has been nominated" till the "date of declaration of the result". Polling for the 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases, starting with 102 in the first phase on April 19. The votes will be counted on June 4.

Elections on a plate: Poll panels fix menu & expense ceiling for Samosa, tea, biryani & more

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>A South African man who beat one million applicants to win a trip to space, and be the first black African to leave earth's atmosphere, died in a motorbike crash.</li><li>Mandla Maseko, an officer in South Africa's air force, was one of 23 people to win the AXE Apollo Space Academy competition in 2013.</li><li>Maseko was flown to NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida for G-force and skydiving training, ahead of a 62-mile ascent into sub-orbit planned for 2015.</li><li>He was killed in South African the city of Pretoria on Saturday, <a href="https://m.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/first-black-african-meant-to-travel-to-space-dies-20190707">his family told local media.</a></li><li>Maseko, who was also a DJ, was nicknamed the "Afronaut" by South African media.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.&#xa0;</a></li></ul>A South African man poised to be the first black African in space has been killed in a motorcycle accident.Mandla Maseko, an officer in South Africa's air force and one of <a href="https://www.space.com/23816-axe-apollo-space-academy-astronaut-training.html">23 people given the chance to visit space in a 2013 AXE body spray competition</a>, was killed in Pretoria on Saturday, <a href="https://m.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/first-black-african-meant-to-travel-to-space-dies-20190707">his family told South African media on Sunday</a>.The AXE Apollo Space Academy competition entailed an hour-long flight onboard the XCOR Aerospace's Lynx spacecraft, flying out of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"></div></div>The flight - which was to rise 62 miles into sub-orbit was scheduled for 2015, was delayed <a href="https://spacenews.com/xcor-lays-off-employees-to-focus-on-engine-development/">amid financial issues for XCOR.</a>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/space-life-origin-suspending-operations-babies-in-space-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">The CEO of a startup that planned to deliver babies in space says that it's suspending operations over 'serious ethical, safety, and medical concerns'</a>Maseko's friend Sthembile Shabangu said he was still hopeful he'd reach space one day.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bathroom-toilet-on-apollo-moon-missions-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">There was no toilet on the Apollo moon missions - here's how the astronauts went to the bathroom</a>"There were still rocket tests happening before they could go up," <a href="https://m.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/first-black-african-meant-to-travel-to-space-dies-20190707">he told News 24.</a>Maseko was nicknamed "Afronaut" after the news of his selection was first reported by South African media.&#xa0;<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Maseko was sent to NASA's Kennedy Space Centre where he was briefed, trained to skydive, and undertook G-force training.He <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/23/mandla-maseko-first-black-african-space">told the Guardian</a> in 2013 what it meant to be chosen to be the first back African man in space on his return from the US."I'm not trying to make this a race thing but us blacks grew up dreaming to a certain stage."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>"You dreamed of being a policeman or a lawyer but you knew you won't get as far as pilot or astronaut. Then I went to space camp and I thought, I can actually be an astronaut."Maseko <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/05/africa-moon-mission-africa2moon-crowdfunding">told the Guardian</a> in a second interview in January 2015: "The world needs space and Africa needs space more than anybody."Other Africans have reached space, like white South African millionaire Mark Shuttleworth, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/24/world/a-south-african-with-a-dream-ready-for-launch-into-space.html">who became the first from the continent to do so in 2002.</a>Maseko, however, would have been the first black African. In its history NASA has sent 17 African-American men and women into space.<div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/summer-weather-forecast-temperature-prediction-hot-noaa-2019-6">This summer may be hotter than you expect. Here's how hot it will get in every state.</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

A South African pilot who trained with NASA and was set to become the first black African in space died in a motorbike crash

<ul class="summary-list"><li>New <keyword id="12643995" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="miss-universe" source="Orion">Miss Universe</keyword> <keyword id="12730495" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="harnaaz-sandhu" source="Orion">Harnaaz Sandhu</keyword> defended the pageant taking place in <keyword id="6355882" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="israel" source="Orion">Israel</keyword> amid its conflict with <keyword id="11918690" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="palestine" source="Orion">Palestine</keyword>. </li><li>"We come here to unite," she told Insider. "This is not where we should talk about disparities." </li></ul>The <a href="https://www.insider.com/photos-of-women-competing-to-be-miss-universe-2021-12">Miss Universe pageant</a> went ahead in Israel on Sunday after months of criticism amid the country's ongoing conflict with Palestine. But <a href="https://www.insider.com/new-miss-universe-miss-india-harnaaz-sandhu-2021-12">Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu, who won the coveted crown</a>, told Insider that the pageant is "about embracing everyone around the world, especially women." "We come here to unite and to share cultures," the 21-year-old said. "This is not where we should talk about disparities. It's something which talks about unity and inspiring each other." "I'm actually enjoying myself and my journey in Israel because it's a beautiful country," she added. <div type="image" title="Miss India at 2021 Miss Universe" height="2842" width="2000" msid="88266192" hostid="261"></div>Multiple contestants decided to boycott the 70th Miss Universe pageant — which took place in the resort town of Eilat — while others were called on to drop out. Miss Malaysia and Miss Indonesia skipped the competition, and South Africa's government publicly encouraged Miss South Africa Lelela Mswane to follow suit. "By withdrawing, Miss South Africa's reputation and overall standing will be far more advanced in South Africa and internationally in comparison to a once-off event that can prove disastrous to her future and public standing as a young black woman," Nathi Mthethwa, South Africa's minister of sports, art, and culture, said in a statement obtained by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/style/article/miss-universe-israel-covid-cmd-intl/index.html">CNN</a>. <div type="image" title="Miss Universe 2021 contestants in Israel" height="1334" width="2000" msid="88266193" hostid="261"></div>Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela, the grandson of former South African president Nelson Mandela, also asked Mswane to boycott the pageant in multiple <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWRGiQ7IU2f/">Instagram</a> posts. "There is nothing beautiful about occupation, brutality, and institutionalized discrimination against the Palestinian people," he said in a statement. <div type="image" title="Miss Universe 2021 South Africa protests" height="1335" width="2000" msid="88266194" hostid="261"></div>Mswane ultimately decided to compete in the pageant and took third place on Sunday night. "If I had not come to Israel to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, I think I would have regretted it for the rest of my life," she told <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/exclusive-interview-with-miss-south-africa-688414">The Jerusalem Post</a>. "Certain people have put me through hell and back. It has not been the easiest thing to deal with, but I choose to be optimistic."<div type="image" title="Miss India, Miss South Africa, Miss Paraguay" height="1333" width="2000" msid="88266195" hostid="261"></div><a href="https://www.insider.com/miss-usa-elle-smith-kataluna-enriquez-first-trans-contestant-2021-11">Miss USA Elle Smith</a>, who made it to the top 10 of the competition, also defended <a href="https://www.insider.com/miss-universe-wildest-national-costumes-from-the-pageant-2021-12">Miss Universe</a> before the competition. "We're here to empower each other as women," she told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/style/article/miss-universe-israel-covid-cmd-intl/index.html">CNN</a>. "We're just enjoying our time together and I think it's really showing the power of women as a whole." As for Sandhu, the new Miss Universe told Insider she plans to focus on the pageant's motto of uniting women all around the world, as well as propel her own platform to break the stigma and silence around women's health and menstrual hygiene. "Women in my community still feel uncomfortable talking about their health because they're taught that their health is not a priority," she told Insider. "Now it's my time to bring differences in society and break the stigma."

Miss Universe responds to criticism over the pageant being held in Israel, saying it's about 'embracing everyone'

<ul><li>After the <keyword id="36208" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season" source="Orion">festive season</keyword>, <keyword id="12587365" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="shopsy" source="Orion">Shopsy</keyword>’s active user base grew 3.7X to what it was before September 2021.</li><li>Fashion, beauty, general merchandise and home leading the growth story.</li></ul><keyword id="6354742" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="flipkart" source="Orion">Flipkart</keyword>’s social commerce platform Shopsy, continues to witness strong growth through its consumers, sellers and resellers from across the country. Backed by festive fervor, the platform has seen 3.6x growth in new app downloads, crossing the 10 million+ mark on the play store, within five months of its launch. Since July 2021, Shopsy has received an overwhelming response from consumers and resellers across the country who hopped onto the platform for their ‘shop &amp; earn’ needs. Shopsy clocked in 4X revenue growth during this festive period, compared to the non-festive sale period, making it the top social commerce platform for consumers across the country. The platform's active user base grew 3.7X to what it was during the non-festive period. For Shopsy, categories including fashion, beauty, general merchandise and home (BGMH) led the growth story in October. Prakash Sikaria, Senior Vice President - Growth and Monetization, Flipkart, said, “With the n200 million digital consumers coming from Tier 2 and 3 cities, we want to build a community that truly democratizes commerce in the country. The social commerce landscape in the country is evolving at a fast pace, and with Shopsy we are building a sustainable platform backed by our technology prowess. Small businesses and sellers see immense benefit on what Shopsy as a platform has to offer them ­-­­­­— ranging from zero commission to free shipping facilities. We continue to ensure digital commerce reaches the length and breadth of our country and help make lives better.” Kumud Jindal - Samridhee Creations, a seller with Flipkart’s Shopsy from Jaipur, said “With Shopsy our ability to reach a wider audience base has increased drastically, as we leverage the power of technology to drive up sales. The fact that Shopsy charges 0% commission from sellers also adds to its charm.” Nabeel from FASTCOLORS, another successful seller on Shopsy from Chennai said, “Our hesitation of joining a new platform like Shopsy was washed away by the benefits that sellers get on listing their products. Especially during the festive season, things like 0% commission, getting the same settlement value for which we are selling to the customer, and the ease of uploading real-life pictures of our products really helped us establish transparency with our customers and boosted our sales. We are expecting even better growth with Shopsy in the future.” According to a recent Bain &amp; Company report on ‘How India Shops Online - 2021’, social commerce is set to democratize e-retail, with three in five social shoppers coming from Tier 2/smaller towns. Tapping into this opportunity, Shopsy has expanded its presence in new Tier 2 and 3 cities such as Bhatinda, Barpeta, Gandhinagar, Morena, Mandla, Muzaffarnagar, Raipur, Sri Ganganagar and Saharanpur during the festive period, unlocking the potential of digital commerce for under-served consumers. Shopsy was launched by Flipkart in July 2021 with the aim to make digital commerce accessible across India through a zero-commission marketplace to boost local entrepreneurship. Since then, Shopsy has helped local &amp; small businesses and women entrepreneurs adopt social commerce by simply reaching out to their trusted network of people on common social media apps. Shopsy has over 2.5 lakh sellers on the platform who provide 150 million products across 250+ categories. Shopsy is on track to enable over 25 million online entrepreneurs by 2023.

Flipkart's Shopsy crosses the 10 million+ mark on Play Store backed by festive purchases

MP (Madhya Pradesh) Candidate list for Lok Sabha Election

Madhya Pradesh has got 29 seats for the parliament. The Election Commission has announced that the state will see polling during the 4, 5, 6 and 7 phases of polling in the country for Lok Sabha Elections 2019. The dates of polling in the state will be on April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19 respectively. The BJP is doing a vigorous election campaign in Madhya Pradesh as well as the Congress Party since the contribution of MP in the victory of these parties during Lok Sabha elections will be an important deciding factor. Names of constituencies in MP (Madhya Pradesh) The names of the 29 different Lok Sabha Constituencies in Madhya Pradesh are Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, Balaghat, Chhindwara, Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Hoshangabad, Betul, Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Guna, Sagar, Vidisha, Bhopal, Rajgarh, Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsour, Ratlam, Dhar, Indore, Khargone, and Khandwa The present status of constituencies in MP During 2014 elections for the Lok Sabha, Madhya Pradesh emerged as one of the strongest bases for the BJP to form its government in the center. Among the 29 constituencies of the state BJP has 27 seats now while the Congress party has only 2 seats. During 2009 elections, BJP had won from 16 places in the state while the Congress was elected from 12 constituencies.

Lok Sabha Seats in MP (Madhya Pradesh) in Election 2019

As the dates of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections are approaching, the whole country is preparing to elect its next central government through the 7 phase polling across India. In an announcement made on March 10, 2019, the Election Commission said the polling dates will stretch from April 11 to May 19. The counting of votes will happen across the whole county on May 23 with the results declared on the same day. In Madhya Pradesh, polling will be conducted in four stages during phase 4, 5, 6 and 7 scheduled on April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19 respectively. Constituency wise dates of polling 2019 in Madhya Pradesh Phase -4 (Date of polling: April 29, 2019) Constituencies: Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, Balaghat, Chhindwara Phase -5 (Date of polling: May 6, 2019) Constituencies: Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Hoshangabad, Betul Phase -6 (Date of polling: May 12, 2019) Constituencies: Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Guna, Sagar, Vidisha, Bhopal, Rajgarh Phase -7 (Date of polling: May 19, 2019) Constituencies: Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsour, Ratlam, Dhar, Indore, Khargone, Khandwa (Source: <a href="https://eci.gov.in/">https://eci.gov.in/</a>) 2014 Lok Sabha Election results in Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh has 29 Lok Sabha Constituencies in total. During 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, Bharatiya Janata Party won from 27 constituencies leaving only 2 seats for the Indian National Congress from the state. Election Commission’s announcement The election commission has announced that the voters need to carry with them the elector’s photo identity card or any one of the eleven photo identity documents approved by the commission. There will not be any online voting facility for any category of voters during 2019 general elections.

You Searched For "Mandla" and got 8 results

Chugging Along: 9 Picturesque Train Rides Into The Heartland Of India

Sanghamitra Mandal

Elections on a plate: Poll panels fix menu & expense ceiling for Samosa, tea, biryani & more

PTI

A South African pilot who trained with NASA and was set to become the first black African in space died in a motorbike crash

Bill Bostock,Bill Bostock

Miss Universe responds to criticism over the pageant being held in Israel, saying it's about 'embracing everyone'

Anneta Konstantinides

Flipkart's Shopsy crosses the 10 million+ mark on Play Store backed by festive purchases

BI India Partner

MP (Madhya Pradesh) Candidate list for Lok Sabha Election

BI India Bureau

Lok Sabha Seats in MP (Madhya Pradesh) in Election 2019

BI India Bureau

Lok Sabha Elections 2019 : Polling date For MP

BI India Bureau

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