A bumper apple production in <keyword id="6354495" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="kashmir" source="Orion">Kashmir</keyword> this season has failed to cheer up growers as their produce is being sold at nearly 30 per cent lower rates than last year. Faced with huge losses, apple farmers have now sought government intervention. The Kashmiri apple hogged the headlines in September after an uproar over frequent disruption in its transportation from the orchards in the valley to markets outside the Union territory, including Azadpur Mandi, Asia's largest wholesale market. Kashmir produces about 75 per cent of the total apple crop in the country and is considered the backbone of its economy, contributing about 8.2 per cent to Jammu and Kashmir's GDP. "The rates of apples coming from Kashmir this season are down by about 30 per cent compared to 2021, and there is no doubt the growers are suffering huge losses. It is very difficult for them to overcome the losses without government support," Chamber of Azadpur Fruit and Vegetable Traders president <keyword id="15421216" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="metha-ram-kriplani" source="Orion">Metha Ram Kriplani</keyword> told PTI. Kriplani, who is also a member of the Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board and president of the Kashmir Apple Merchants Association, listed several reasons for this. "There was a quality bumper crop this season, but the expenses like packaging and transportation charges have almost doubled compared to last year. The rates are directly linked to the supply and demand, and since the supply is more, the product rate is down by about 30 per cent," he said. Grower-cum-trader <keyword id="261401" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bashir-ahmad-baba" source="Orion">Bashir Ahmad Baba</keyword>, a resident of Chrar-e-Sharief in central Kashmir's Budgam district, said hopes of a good return for the produce this season have dashed, and most of the growers and traders were apprehensive of their financial well-being. "The frequent closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway due to landslides during the peak harvesting season and the stranding of fruit-laden trucks for days together have had its impact as we were late to the mandis," Baba said. The Jammu and Kashmir administration shifted the senior superintendent of police, Srinagar-Jammu national highway, in September after political parties slammed it for alleged failure to facilitate the smooth movement of fruit-laden trucks from Kashmir to outside markets. Chief Secretary A K Mehta visited the landslide-prone areas on the highway several times to ensure that debris was removed immediately and fruit-laden trucks cleared on priority. Baba said the expenses on each apple box weighing 16 kg are over Rs 500, which includes packaging, freight charges and use of pesticides and fertilizers but "we are only getting an average of Rs 400 per box". More than half of Kashmir's population is directly or indirectly linked to the horticulture industry, which is said to be worth Rs 10,000 crore. The annual production of apples is around 21 lakh metric tonnes. It is cultivated over an area of 1.45 lakh hectares of land. "The government has to come forward and rescue us, otherwise it is very difficult to overcome the huge losses given the prevailing conditions," Baba, who is also the Budgam district president of the Kashmir valley fruit growers and dealers union, said. Supporting Baba's demand, Kriplani said the central government has to pay full attention to the horticulture industry in Jammu and Kashmir which has a lot of potentials to generate employment across the country. "It is our humanitarian and religious duty to safeguard them (growers)... The government can provide subsidies on the products used in packaging, provide good quality cardboard, fix transportation charges and abolish tax on trucks transporting fruit. If there is a decline in expenses, farmers and those linked with the (apple) trade can be saved from distress," he said. Kriplani advocated a waiver of interest on bank loans and also soft loans for farmers, saying, "The situation is such that they might lose a huge chunk of their capital this season and may not be able to pay back their monthly instalments on loans." He said the chamber was ready to share its experience, including organising regular workshops in the Valley, to modernise the horticulture sector. Kriplani, a frequent visitor to Kashmir over the past many decades, suggested the construction of macadamised roads covering all orchards for fruit transportation, setting up of controlled atmosphere (CA) cold stores at the village level and encouraging farmers to install the latest machinery for grading. Advocating a duty on apples imported from Iran via Afghanistan to avoid taxes, he said it was the government's job to ensure that farmers in the country can sell their produce at the right costs. "Kashmiri apples are also exported to different countries, including Bangladesh. The government should take measures to include the product in duty-free items after taking up the issue with the governments concerned," he added. Truck drivers <keyword id="1043443" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shabir-ahmad-dar" source="Orion">Shabir Ahmad Dar</keyword> and <keyword id="288005" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bashir-ahmad" source="Orion">Bashir Ahmad</keyword>, who had reached the Azadpur Mandi from the valley to unload their fruit-laden vehicles, said the disruption of traffic on the highway forced the growers to hold back their produce. "The apple from both plains and hilly areas reached the markets in bulk together. Usually, the apple from plains of the valley comes before those from the hilly areas, especially Himachal Pradesh, which has also recorded a good crop this season," Ahmad said, adding that the markets failed to stabilise after the initial jerk. He said all controlled atmosphere (CA) cold stores in the valley are packed and "we are expecting that the transportation of the apple will continue for the next four months". SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/upgrad-files-merger-scheme-to-consolidate-mas-to-complete-integration-by-march-june-2023/articleshow/95270362.cms">upGrad files merger scheme to consolidate M&amp;As, to complete integration by March-June 2023</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/indias-services-sector-recovers-some-growth-momentum-it-lost-in-september/articleshow/95273704.cms">India's services sector recovers some growth momentum it lost in September</a>

Kashmir apple rates down by 30 pc, growers seek govt support to overcome losses

New Delhi, Films should serve as a catalyst of change and not a business model, believes filmmaker <keyword id="7936" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vidhu-vinod-chopra" source="Orion">Vidhu Vinod Chopra</keyword> as he returns to the big screen after three years with "<keyword id="15771130" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="12th-fail" source="Orion">12th Fail</keyword>", a story of ambition, dedication and overcoming setbacks. The ace director, known for films such as "Khamosh", "Parinda", "1942: A Love Story" and "<keyword id="3897" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mission-Kashmir" source="Orion">Mission Kashmir</keyword>", said money has never dictated his creative decisions. "My job as an artist or a filmmaker is to make the world slightly better than what it was when I came. So, if I can make a film that can make a slight difference to people's lives, it inspires me. "Money has never driven me. I could have made 'Munnabhai' 3, 4, 5, 6... and be a multi-millionaire, which I'm not. I chose to make '12th Fail', with <keyword id="189215" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vikrant-massey" source="Orion">Vikrant Massey</keyword>," Chopra told PTI in an interview here. Not only his directorial efforts, the 71-year-old said he makes sure even his production ventures, which include acclaimed titles such as "Munna Bhai" franchise, "3 Idiots" and "Parineeta", have something important to convey. "In 'Parinda', I talked about violence. '1942' was about patriotism and 'Mission Kashmir' was about religious divide.... In all my films, it is important that they say something," he added. "12th Fail" is based on Anurag Pathak's best-selling novel about the incredible journey of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma and IRS officer Shraddha Joshi. The movie stars Massey in the lead along with Medha Shankar. Though inspired by Sharma's life, Chopra said "12th Fail" is a story of "each one of us" coming to big cities with aspirations and dreams. "I started writing this film when I was 66 and now I'm 71. You can't write a film like this in months. It takes years because every character has a story. It's not a biopic. It's each one of us... There is a lot of me and you in the film." Integral to the movie's storyline is the idea of "restart". As inspirational and motivational it may sound, the concept stemmed from a personal tragedy, said Chopra. "My brother was the closest person to me in the world, apart from my wife and kids. During the pandemic, when I was developing this film, he was in Maldives. He delayed coming to Mumbai and couldn't survive. It hit me very hard. "Within a week or so, I realised it is not fair to the people who are around me. I was already in the story and the whole concept of restart took place in my head. It didn't come from a happy place. It came from a tragedy that struck me," the director recalled. Chopra said somewhere while healing through the personal loss, he realised that life was much like a video game -- "you lose, you press a button and move on". "I told myself why can't we do that in life. We have setbacks, we fall, and then we lose everything. Life is a game too. The thought is inspirational but not easy. It is about the way you look at life," he added. Chopra said through "12th Fail", which released on Friday, he wants to address that nothing is impossible to achieve, but if one faces a setback, the goal should always be to "restart". "When I read about the suicides in Kota and anywhere else. I want to tell those kids.... It's tough, I understand. I lost the man I loved the most in my life. (But) you got to restart. And UPSC is not just one thing, you can explore so much in life." Apart from Massey, who has established himself as a dependable performer with projects such as "A Death in the Gunj", "Haseen Dillruba" and "Criminal Justice", the film features an impressive supporting cast in Anant V Joshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, Sanjay Bishnoi and Priyanshu Chatterjee. Chopra said ever since he decided to make a film on the subject, he was sure about casting "real people". "I didn't want filmy heroes pretending to be these people. Most of the cast are new actors, first time actors or not very famous. But they are real people. I rehearsed with them for one year," the director said, adding that he is currently writing a film for which he would be needing movie stars. "I will cast a movie star, if it is a movie star role. Like I'm writing a film for which I need big movie stars. I made 'Eklavya' and I wouldn't have made that movie without Mr Bachchan. Every film has its own demand, so to say. '12th Fail' demanded me to be very real." Produced by <keyword id="3415325" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="zee-studios" source="Orion">Zee Studios</keyword>, "12th Fail" has been released worldwide in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.

Could have made Munnabhai 3, 4, 5 ... and be a multi-millionaire: Vidhu Vinod Chopra

<ul><li>The abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A of constitution which gave Kashmir a special status severely hit tourism in the valley. </li><li>As of August 2019, as many as 144,500 jobs have been lost in Kashmir’s tourism and handicrafts sector, according to the <keyword id="1002837" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kashmir-Chamber-of-Commerce-and-Industry">Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry</keyword> (KCCI). </li><li>Tourism accounts for almost 7% of the state’s <keyword id="6354971" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="gross-domestic-product">gross domestic product</keyword> (GDP). </li><li>Yet another challenge is the internet blockage. The internet shutdown led to over 2,600 tour operators delaying plans for any promotional campaigns, <keyword id="8667284" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="manzoor-ahmad-pakhtoon">Manzoor Ahmad Pakhtoon</keyword>, the president of J&amp;K Tourism Alliance told Forbes. </li></ul>The Narendra Modi government in New Delhi has repeatedly insisted that the situation in Kashmir has been ‘normal’ despite the suspension Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution, which gave the state a special status. But data shows that the bundhs and the internet blackout has brought the economy to a grinding halt leading, and half a million people lost their jobs in the process. As of August 2019, as many as 144,500 jobs have been lost in Kashmir’s tourism and handicrafts sector, according to the<a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/144500-jobs-affected-as-tourism-takes-a-hit-in-kashmir/"> Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI)</a>. While the overall job loss in the commercial space stood at 496,000. Much of the damage is in the tourism sector, which makes up for almost 7% of the state’s gross domestic product (GDP). “The back of Kashmir’s tourism sector has been broken because of the situation emerging after August 5, 2019: Tourism is in a shambles while artisans and weavers are jobless,” IndiaSpend <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/144500-jobs-affected-as-tourism-takes-a-hit-in-kashmir/">reported</a> citing <keyword id="159634" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Abdul-Majeed">Abdul Majeed</keyword>, vice president of KCCI. 2018 vs 2019 In fact, the number of travellers in Kashmir — including those on an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-india-pakistan-border-in-kashmir-is-simmering-again-thousands-of-amarnath-pilgrims-have-been-sent-back/articleshow/70500904.cms">Amarnath Yatra</a> — plunged to a decade low in 2019. Almost 500,000 tourists visited the valley last year — including 32,985 foreigners. And most of them left before the government revoked its autonomous status. The August to December period witnessed a slump of 86%, as per the tourism department. Yet another challenge to it is the internet blockage, which has impacted communication in the area. The internet shutdown led to over 2,600 tour operators delaying plans for promotional campaigns, Manzoor Ahmad Pakhtoon, the president of J&amp;K Tourism Alliance<a href="http://www.forbesindia.com/article/special/kashmir039s-tourism-sector-faces-losses-over-rs-9000-cr-14-lakh-people-lose-jobs/57275/1"> told </a>Forbes. “The campaigns begin in November for the winter and spring season. Even now, when winter is at its peak, adventure sports in <keyword id="108228" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gulmarg">Gulmarg</keyword> have no takers,” he had said. “Doing trade without favourable conditions and the internet is unimaginable in the present-day world. In one fell swoop, irreversible damage has been caused to the state’s economy; not a single sector has been spared,” Majeed added. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/news/kashmirs-5-month-internet-blackout-is-the-longest-ever-imposed-in-a-democracy-and-its-stifling-local-workers/articleshow/73197027.cms">Kashmir's 5-month internet blackout is the longest ever imposed in a democracy - and it's stifling local workers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-top-court-has-declared-the-record-breaking-159-day-long-kashmir-internet-blackout-illegal/articleshow/73188504.cms">India's top court has declared the record-breaking 159-day-long Kashmir internet blackout illegal</a>

The new ‘normal’ in Kashmir has cost nearly half a million jobs — bundhs and internet blackout are breaking businesses

New Delhi, After the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the country's <keyword id="667218" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="poultry-industry">poultry industry</keyword>, it is now reeling under the fresh threat of the bird flu infection. Due to the fear of bird flu, the <keyword id="6371194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sale">sale</keyword> of chicken and chicken products have been the worst-hit. Especially in north India, the poultry industry has been badly affected by ban on the transportation of hens from one state to another. A delegation from the industry is scheduled to meet the central government on Sunday. The cases of bird flu in <keyword id="7494630" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="poultry-chickens">poultry chickens</keyword> have so far been found only in Haryana while most of them have been found in wild birds or migratory birds elsewhere and some cases have also been found in poultry ducks. However, in the beginning of 2021, the fear of bird flu has increased so much that the demand of chickens and chicken products has decreased by more than 70%, the poultry traders said. Poultry Federation of India President, Ramesh Khatri, told that chicken sales had fallen by almost 70 to 80% over the last three to four days, while prices had fallen by 50% and egg prices had also come down by nearly 15 to 20%. Khatri said the primary reason for the falling demand for chicken is that the movement of poultry from Punjab, Haryana, <keyword id="6358126" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Himachal-Pradesh">Himachal Pradesh</keyword>, Delhi and <keyword id="23412" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jammu-Kashmir">Jammu &amp; Kashmir</keyword> has been halted from one state to another. He said that the two farms in which the bird flu has been confirmed in Haryana are both layer farms and not broiler ones. In the layer farms, poultry farming is done for eggs, while in the broiler farms, poultry farming is done for chicken meat. He said he would demand from the central government to save the poultry industry from rumour-mongering of bird flu. A delegation from the poultry industry on Sunday would meet Union Minister Jitendra Singh in which Ramesh Khatri would also be present. Poultry farm operator, Rakesh Manhas, also said he would urge the Central government that the rumours spread about bird flu causes humongous loss to the industry so measures should be taken to prevent such a situation. The Union Animal Husbandry Ministry also said in the seven states where there were confirmed cases of bird flu on Saturday, only the reports of bird flu in poultry-chickens in Haryana has been confirmed. In India since 2006, almost every year in winters, <keyword id="109029" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="avian-influenza">Avian Influenza</keyword>, a common cold disease found in birds has been found somewhere or the other and the way to deal with the outbreak of this disease was made by the government in 2005, which has been implemented in the infection-affected areas. Experts point out that the methods of eating chicken and eggs in India do not raise the question of transmitting bird flu in humans, although they say that the effort should be on not to eat infected birds. Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Government of India, Praveen Malik, told that there is no direct evidence of Avian Influenza (AI) virus being transmitted to humans by eating contaminated poultry products. He said that there is a need to maintain cleanliness and hygiene and the cooking and processing standards are also effective to prevent the spread of AI virus. Agricultural economist and Poultry Federation of India advisor, Vijay Sardana, said the country's poultry industry is worth nearly ₹1.25 lakh crore, which has drastically come down to half during the corona pandemic crisis. This means the business of the poultry industry which was nearly ₹1.25 lakh crore before the disaster of coronavirus has reduced to nearly ₹60,000 to 70,000 crore at present. The recovery of the poultry industry came in the last few days of 2020, which was earlier ravaged by coronavirus, but is now reeling under the threat of bird flu. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-s21-series-mobile-available-on-pre-orders-checkout-expected-price-of-this-smartphone/articleshow/80168058.cms">Samsung Galaxy S21 series now up for pre-orders ⁠— expected to be priced around ₹75,000</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tcs-ongc-tata-power-punjab-national-bank-nhpc-and-other-top-stocks-to-watch/articleshow/80164057.cms?upcache=2">TCS’ market share, ONGC’s borrowing, Tata Power gets new territories⁠— these and other top stocks to watch</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/employment-opportunities-in-the-telecom-sector-are-expected-to-grow-by-20-in-2021/articleshow/80183579.cms">Fiber layers and field engineers to researchers ⁠— telecom jobs may see a 20% spike in 2021 as India leaps into the 5G era</a>

Poultry industry badly effected by bird flu fears, chicken prices drop by 50%

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47430845.cms" /> 
Despite tough competition, the Indian Government is looking to revive BSNL and MTNL, which are running into huge losses. 
 
State-run enterprise, BSNL, that operates across India and even in remote areas, had posted a profit of Rs 10, 000 crore when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government left office in 2004, but "when we returned to government in 2014, it was suffering from a loss of Rs 7020 crore," Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told Times of India. 
 
The minister told the news daily that the case of MTNL, which operates in Delhi and Mumbai only, was more curious as it was in profit till 2008-2009, but in 2014, it had a debt of Rs 16,000 crore. 
 
"Someone, somewhere will have to take responsibility and accountability as to which were the forces and patronised by whom, responsible for creating a mess," Prasad told TOI adding that "revival of BSNL and MTNL are priority concerns". 
 
Prasad alleged that the BSNL was practically not allowed any expansion due to which six to seven years were lost, indirectly pointing fingers at the previous Congress-led government. 
 
Sources in the ministry told TOI that every time a tender was called, there were efforts to stall it on one pretext or the other including court cases, security issues, or other 'lame excuses', to allow that time to private players. 
 
Prasad said he plans to recover lost ground in the seventh phase of expansion for BSNL. 
 
He told the newspaper that to ensure good connectivity, 25,645 new base transmission centres (BTCs) would be in place in two to three years, of which nearly 15,000 had already been installed in the last one year. 
 
Also, wireless exchanges of BSNL will be replaced by Internet Protocol (IP) in 432 telephone exchanges and for 70 lakh telephone lines. 
Likewise, MTNL is upgrading 1080 3G and 825 2G sites in the national capital and 1080 3G and 616 2G sites in Mumbai. 
 
Also, Prasad is looking to put the entire complaint redress system online to make it more effective and transparent. 
 
As per reports, BSNL did a great job in restoring telephone connections, be it hudhud, floods in Kashmir or earthquake in Nepal. Pradesh told the telecom department that it should be able to live up to expectations in normal times

Modi Government is mulling to revive BSNL, MTNL

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50497284.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 
As the news of the demise of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=mufti+mohammad+sayeed">Mufti Mohammad Sayeed</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=jammu+and+kashmir">Jammu and Kashmir’s</a> Chief Minister began taking momentum, people all over the country reacted with shock and sadness, at the loss of such a dignified man and an even efficient politician. 
 
However, the question on everyone’s mind seemed to overlap. Who would be the successor to the 79-year-old and take the responsibility of a state marred in controversy? 
 
The answer to that question seems to be in Mufti’s blood. 
 His daughter <keyword id="6375812" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mehbooba-Mufti">Mehbooba Mufti</keyword> is all set to take oath as the Chief Minister of <keyword id="17605" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Jammu-and-kashmir">Jammu and Kashmir</keyword> on Sunday, January 10. 
 
Mehbooba is being backed by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=PDP">PDP</a>, which has been forced into unchartered terrain for the second time in over a year due to Mufti’s death. 
 
It goes without saying that Mehbooba, who joined politics ‘accidentally’ has huge shoes to fill, but the president of the People’s Democratic Party is also known to be a firebrand and come Sunday, she’ll end up being the first woman Chief minister of J&amp;K. 
 
And, thus we at Business Insider take you through the life and times of Mehbooba Mufti. 
 Mehbooba was born on May 22, 1959 in Akhran Nowpora, Anantnag District in India and is the eldest daughter of the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. She is also the President of <keyword id="42369" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="PDP">PDP</keyword>, a party that her father found in 1999. 
 
Her accident stint in politics however started in 1996 when her father, who was at the time spearheading the Congress electoral battle in Kashmir was at a loss of candidates to field. He then got his two brothers-in-law, wife and daughter to contest the state assembly elections. 
Mehbooba, who was then a law graduate was fielded from the family home turf of Bijbehara and ended up being one of the two Congress candidates to win from Kashmir. 
 
Mehbooba quickly made a mark as the leader of the opposition in the assembly, taking on the government of then chief minister Farooq Abdullah with severity. 
 
Then in 1999, when Mufti split from the Indian National Congress to form the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party, she took on the charge of being vice-president. 
 
Resigning from her assembly seat, she went on to contest the parliamentary elections in 1999 from Srinagar where she lost to the sitting member<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/15-Most-Popular-Tweets-From-Politicians-This-GeneralElection/articleshow/33731547.cms"> Omar Abdullah</a> but won the Pahalgam seat in the state assembly from south Kashmir when assembly elections were held again in 2002. 
 
And, when in 2002, Mufti became the CM of a PDP-Congress coalition in 2002, it immediately became clear that Mehbooba was the main architect of fulfilling her father’s dream. 
 
What will work in her favour is the fact that Mehbooba is able to relate to common people, particularly women, far more easily than her father. Establishing the party with hard work in the villages of south Kashmir since the late 1990’s, she’s made it a point to extensively visit common people who had suffered in the course of militancy and counter-insurgency operations. 
 
She has also been elected to the Lok Sabha from Anantnag seat in 2004 and 2014. 
 
But thoughtout it all, she remained dedicated to her father, even till his last breath. Over the past week, she has been tending him day and night in the hospital, even telling the chief minister’s staff to leave the work to her, as it was her job- not theirs. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Mehbooba Mufti: All you need to know about Jammu and
Kashmir’s first female Chief Minister

<ul><li><keyword id="6365313" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="East-India-Company" source="Orion">East India Company</keyword> is the world’s first company to issue equity shares – kickstarted a reign of evil in India.</li><li><keyword id="236128" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="louis-mountbatten" source="Orion">Louis Mountbatten</keyword>, the last viceroy of India, came to ensure smooth transfer of power from the crown to India.</li><li>His predecessor hands him over a job which has been nicknamed ‘<keyword id="14706171" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Operation-Madhouse" source="Orion">Operation Madhouse</keyword>’.</li></ul>Prologue: The history of the British Raj in India is so vast and so full of life that no movie – be it the action-heavy RRR, a gamified Lagaan or even the many passionate Bhagat Singh movies – could scratch the surface of it. But an American and a Frenchman paired up to achieve this in their book ‘Freedom at Midnight’. It’s the story of India that many Indians know little about. For years, I have regaled many with the unbelievable anecdotes from the book, which is soon to be made into a web series. As we complete 75 years of independence, I believe a brief summary of this epic is in order for we all need to know the history of how we got here today, breathing free in a country we can call our own. A century and a half after Vasco da Gama discovered India, most of Europe had given up bland meals, and now pepper mills are on every dinner table. But India remained a free country only until the 1600s. That’s when Dutch traders decided to raise the rates of a pound of pepper by five shillings — a move that made a cartel of Englishmen receive an official sanction from Queen Elizabeth I to exclusively trade in all countries beyond the Cape of Good Hope. The company, called East India Company (EIC), also the world’s first company to issue equity shares – kickstarted a reign of evil, by a race which believed was ‘destined to govern and subdue’, according to Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre’s classic Freedom at Midnight. <img src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/53NU6qcsiVy9w2RUUhBdxn5fU0m4flIIDHzw3b-7yx4rPzfqHa4yhL7cixBLIcit3Ie6opO8_nESx0xhK3QTiuu6ORa_C_i6Vu38ROwPZdUF7G1HFzJNRl_tQhMYvVrFfgzkwlLoaPeDKSUTVAU68DCjP-HhUzhRU7je9Q=s0-d-e1-ft#https://www.businessinsider.in/thumb/msid-93508039,width-800,height-640,resizemode-75/93508039/Master.jpg" class="CToWUd a6T" /> Freedom At Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre Amazon.com The wolf of this yet to be formed Wall Street was Captain William Hawkins, a seaman who was more of a pirate than an explorer. He soon found himself in the court of Jahangir, in an empire so vast and wealthy that his own Queen would have appeared to be the ruler of a provincial hamlet in contrast. Queen, Kipling and memsahibs EIC’s coffers filled but India, with its numerous territories and squabbles, would not let him hold on to their policy of ‘trade not territory’. But white supremacy is to prevail amongst ‘lesser breeds without law’ as Jungle Book writer Rudyard Kipling puts it. Even the British born writer believed that the right to rule Indians was placed on British soldiers by “the inscrutable decree of the providence”. The British shouldered it and region after region was lured by treasures if not treachery, weak and powerful kings won with weak enemies. The great Maratha Shivaji himself was known to have admired the British who fought for their honour, as he laid siege on Surat. Droves of young English men arrived in this strange land – with men in sagging dhotis and bare-armed women in sarees, and travelled the length and breadth of the country into villages with rations and letters that proclaimed their rights. And, they were all taught one principle - The English ran the country but they dwell apart. Memsahibs in India started running a very large version of Downton Abbey – with dinner parties that boasted of a servant per guest. They also set the tone for the Victorian era social seclusion – probably to keep their men away from the exotic temptations of the state. But it also made the British much different from many rulers that made India their home. Also, they were sending away taxes they collected from them back to the crown, as Indians starved. The British in India lived it up, served by coolies, and none were ‘better than Gunga Din’, a poetic character that saves an Englishman. They hunted tigers and killed ‘almost all’ cheetahs, the smallest of the big cats - which are now extinct in India, thanks to the Raj. They were having champagne in silver buckets and golfing, in style – golf arrived in India 30 years before New York. They also built the world’s highest golf course at 11,000 feet on the Himalayas. Almost a century after India became a British colony directly under the Queen’s rule, after the devastating Second World War, the country’s parliament voted to ‘leave the country’. George VI was sad that he had let go of a country he always wanted to visit but couldn’t. To ensure there was a smooth transfer of power that didn't lead to anarchy, he chose his handsome cousin, who was known as much for his charm as his military prowess. The former trait would serve Louis Mountbatten more than the latter, as he became the lord and the last viceroy of India, as he took over what his predecessor called, ‘Operation Madhouse’. <img src="https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/lL4pFU6Nf_3PcQgpQAsqQEcqD0_ufyxjUhiTNKW0b9Z5uxoA_PFupPeRzrLu2wdqs4kYRmqC7ROEtNSW0W43MG9Hy-SEtIUZwJHNCmmh5vO8s1xAmEB_9qk_DhPaif3NlwAuR0WqSxojhUjgPwbSaMOlOgRNsUs6T13LRQ=s0-d-e1-ft#https://www.businessinsider.in/thumb/msid-93508078,width-800,height-640,resizemode-75/93508078/Master.jpg" class="CToWUd a6T" />Louis MountbattenWikimedia commons The new-age Buddha and Christ Elsewhere in another continent and another British colony, a young lawyer who was an utter failure in Bombay, landed in South Africa and to his own surprise found success. He profusely read Henry Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy and the Gujarati brain of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was working in wonderful ways. <img src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/-U77BNJ0qUHEb4kmr4T5g6bNCclVNUuOXCrGkzxqXudrDcqaDPrgZL8gW_lHCKxqi2jCOoaGYaStRbJjT_MRh-BAMSbEbpzW8DJQulzVFmLg1F_8528W48Og5PvdGVg0OGo5SZE421vG-PjOQ60qcjFe-1TkteiVWCmDaQ=s0-d-e1-ft#https://www.businessinsider.in/thumb/msid-93508085,width-800,height-640,resizemode-75/93508085/Master.jpg" class="CToWUd a6T" />Mohandas Karamchand GandhiBCCLWhen the British government irked him by closing Transvaal borders to India, he led a movement of Thoreau’s civil disobedience with over 2,000 people that included women and children. He added his own twist – non-violence and he brought it back to India. Now called Gandhigiri, his principles continue to inspire generations across continents. The man who took a vow of poverty, had held on to his Ingersoll watch for years until it was stolen when he was travelling in a train. He was moved to tears as he told this story with child-like pain to Lord Mountbatten, but his loss was short-lived. The man who stole it, returned it and begged his forgiveness – which was given with a hug and a chuckle. Gandhigiri had taken over India at the time of Mountbatten’s arrival. Mountbatten knew that this man who Winston Churchill sneered at, ‘as a half-naked fakir’ was not to be taken lightly. After all, Gandhi had already sent back Sir Richard Cripps without a deal, refusing UK’s offer during the war to rule India as a British dominion. Goat curd and surgical precision Mountbatten called it Operation Seduction and while he forged a great friendship with Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi was another soul altogether. He insisted on eating his own goat curd at the Viceroy House, took prayer breaks and insisted that India should remain one – keep the baby alive instead of cutting it into two. Jinnah, however, was all vanity, which was deeply hurt when he received fewer seats during the 1937 provincial elections. He demanded a Muslim state. India would be divided with surgical precision, he promised Mountbatten. The King’s cousin, the book says, dealt with him like a sailor rather than a statesman but Mountbatten knew that he could not move the unmoved, and most of Congress were in favour of two nations. Rooms full of rubies and a pen pistol But it took India’s iron man, Vallabhai Patel, to keep the rest of India intact and convince over 500 rajas, princes, nawabs and nizams as they called themselves to shift their allegiance from the crown to the nation. Stronger than the unity statue built in his honour, Patel continued summing up a case for the jury even after he was handed a note saying that his wife passed away. <img src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Tg5fY-1m5Ss0GRW5lyxI5EOOqGIj6wI8Khjk4H_6IPLQ5CHpoAlHdVgl55Ywl13wypgztoO0RsSkrzRWG9wE6xrWjgyCKl8VMD5Eq3wVdi7gTBeh=s0-d-e1-ft#https://www.businessinsider.in/photo/93508178/93508178/Master.jpg" class="CToWUd a6T" />The Statue Of Unity BCCLPatel and the career bureaucrat, V.P. Menon, executed their operation seduction to gain control over men who were already seduced by sex, sport and the worst of all maladies - boredom. Most of them amused themselves with Lancaster pistols made of solid gold, rubies the size of pigeon eggs and working train sets on silver rails. The Jeff Bezos of that time, known to be the world’s richest, was the Nizam of Hyderabad, who had rooms full of precious stones eaten away by rats as the miser spent nothing and resorted to smoking the leftover cigarette butts of his departed guests! Most of the eccentric rajas sided with India – even Hari Singh of Kashmir, who wanted to be independent, was worn down by logic that a landlocked state would forever remain in a state of war. But the young Maharaja of Jodhpur, certain that his lavish life wouldn’t be approved by the Congress socialists, tried to go over to Jinnah’s side. But Menon’s watchful spies got wind of it, cornered him, and the Maharaja held a pen-pistol to the bureaucrat's forehead until Mountbatten confiscated it – and used it later to liven parties back home. Cursed by the stars Mountbatten was warned by the most popular astrologist of the time that August 15, 1947 was a ‘day cursed by stars’. He, however, chose sentiment over astrology – the date was the anniversary of the day Burma won against Japan, a war he was part of. It wasn’t just the viceroy, even Nehru and Jinnah did not see the bloodbath that followed. What stopped them from seeing what was to come was their own tolerance and atheism. Communal passions ran so high and so deep that right after the Union Jack came off the Viceroy house, Punjab and Bengal fell into a riotous rage – something a wily Gandhi always knew. That’s why the 78-year-old spent the midnight far away from the celebrations, spinning and lamenting the night India became independent, 75 years back.

SIMPLY PUT: What happened before India got Freedom@Midnight

<ul><li>India’s hand-crafted carpets and floor coverings are popular with overseas and domestic buyers — but has stagnated in the last five years. </li><li>India added an average of ₹115.4 billion in exports to handmade carpet and flooring exports since 2014. </li><li>The handmade carpet industry employs over 2 million workers and artisans, majorly women from rural India. </li><li>The Indian government has launched the 38th India <keyword id="1414211" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Carpet-expo">Carpet Expo</keyword> — which will see as many as 400 overseas buyers from 50 countries.</li></ul>Indian hand-crafted carpets and floor coverings which are popular globally, has stagnated in the last five years. India exports almost 90% of its total carpets made — bringing in about $1.8 billion in foreign exchange every year. However, the exports <a href="https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=193712">flatlined in the last five years</a>. 
 
 
 
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 There is a slowdown in consumption even across developed countries and handmade carpets that India exports is considered a discretionary item for most buyers in any country. Broadly, India exports handmade carpets to over 70 countries including China, USA, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. “India has 35% share in the global carpet export. We are working towards increasing it to 50% in the near future” CEPC executive director Sanjay Kumar <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/varanasi/38th-india-carpet-expo-400-importers-from-50-countries-in-varanasi-from-today/story-szYAuGARbUGxrsCwdOcroJ.html">told</a> Hindustan Times on Oct 10. The carpets are an important segment of the economy as the industry employs over 2 million workers and artisans, majorly women from rural India. Therefore, the Indian government wants to double the carpet exports in the next five years but there is little detail as to how it plans to achieve this goal. “We are quite hopeful that India will be exporting carpets worth ₹25,000 crore annually in the next five years,” Kumar added. To ‘discourage imports’ and push demand of handmade carpets, the Indian government has launched the 38th India Carpet Expo — which will see as many as 400 overseas buyers from 50 countries. The mega expo, which will be held between October 11 and 15 is organised by the Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC) of India. According to the government press release, nearly 200 members across India will participate in the expo. States of Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, North East Region of India, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are the primary manufacturing centres for carpets and other floor coverings. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/textile-workers-diamond-polishers-and-others-face-job-losses/articleshow/70977544.cms">The untold crisis to befall India’s artists, artisans and weavers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/supreme-court-ban-on-mines-resulted-in-2-3-million-job-losses-laments-industry-body/articleshow/71270105.cms">Supreme Court ban on mines resulted in 2.3 million job losses — laments industry body</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-believes-that-its-export-duty-rationalization-on-leather-goods-can-create-2-million-jobs/articleshow/71259092.cms">India believes that its export duty rationalization on leather goods can create 2 million jobs</a>

India's carpet industry which employs 2 million people and exports $1.8 billion every year has stagnated in the last five years

Srinagar, May 9 () Nearly 3,000 patients were provided assistance for treatment and medicines by the Srinagar district administration in Jammu and Kashmir through its helpline amid teh coronavirus-driven lockdown, officials said. The IVRS-based call centre was inaugurated by Lt Governor Girish Chandra Murmu on April 17 and it replaced a series of helpline numbers launched in March aimed at attending to health emergencies on priority during the lockdown. A dedicated fleet of 10 vehicles and a team of 12 professionals have been deputed on the job round-the-clock for attending to issues related to health emergencies, demands related to dialysis, chemotherapy, diabetes and other such ailments, the officials said. Apart from the IVRS call centre, they said four mobile numbers have also been made available. Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar Shahid Iqbal Choudhary empanelled 13 dialysis centres across the city for providing dialysis services, the expenses of which are borne by the district administration. Most of these centres are working with the administration on a no-profit-no-loss basis while a dedicated transport facility is made available by the administration, the officials said. "A total of 2,992 patients have been provided assistance ever since the launch of the call centre. These include 890 dialysis cases involving multiple cycles, 1,115 delivered free drugs by nodal officers and 263 patients provided free life-saving drugs," Choudhary said. He said the number also included 148 patients who were provided transportation from home to hospital and back, 12 injury cases, 51 chemotherapy cases and 181 patients delivered or provided diabetes drugs. "The initiative aimed at attending to pre-COVID health issues has gained greater response from the public and a large number of patients are availing the services made available. A separate fleet of vehicles has also been made available to select hospitals to provide services to patients in need of transport after discharge," he said. He said the district administration in its endeavour to reach out to patients in need also included a survey of such requirements along with the ongoing door-to-door health audit and 1,233 cases needing medical attention for health issues were shared with primary healthcare institutions for response. The daily monitoring system of response to public issues related to emergency healthcare has been put in place to ensure prompt attention, the deputy commissioner said. He said the nodal officers have been appointed in all the hospitals to attend to these issues. "Immediately on receipt of a call a ticket is generated on the mobile of nodal office either in the DC office, department or hospital prompting the officer to address and provide service. The ticket is closed after delivery of service and a fixed timeline is allowed, beyond which the matter is flagged to the Deputy Commissioner. This system has ensured a timely and effective response system," he said. Choudhary said the dedicated dialysis help desk in the call centre has also generated a database of all patients in need of dialysis and other kidney ailments which has been mapped for prompt response by nearest teams. SKL SMNSMN

Nearly 3000 patients provided help, medicines through Srinagar call centre during lockdown

<ul><li>BS Yediyurappa was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka in the last week of July.</li><li>However, three weeks later, the cabinet of ministers have still not been appointed.</li><li>Reports suggest that the state government is waiting for approvals from the Bharatiya Janata Party, particularly Union Home Minister <keyword id="6355521" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="amit-shah">Amit Shah</keyword>.</li></ul>Karnataka is home to Bengaluru, which proudly calls itself India's Silicon Valley for being home to some of India's most popular startups as well as for grooming the country's technology industry into the force that it is today. The state witnessed one of the most dramatic, and dirty, political power play in the last few months which ended with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/h-d-kumaraswamy-government-loses-trust-vote/articleshow/70349719.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">the fall of an incumbent government</a>, and BS Yediyurappa reclaiming the Chief Minister's seat after winning controversial a trust vote. Yediyurappa even changed the way his name is spelled for good luck. The stakes were too high. Three weeks later, the state still has no ministers. "If Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa receives the list of names by Monday night or early Tuesday from Shah, the cabinet will be expanded same afternoon after a meeting of the BJP legislature party at the secretariat before noon," the news agency IANS reported citing sources. The party's high command was busy with the Parliament session including the contentious move to put an end to Jammu and Kashmir's special status. Notwithstanding the economic slump and rising job losses, three weeks is a long time for the legislature to be in a limbo, particularly, when the state has been struck with an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/floods-kill-140-in-maharashtra-kerala-and-karnataka-and-there-is-no-end-in-sight/articleshow/70644541.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">environmental emergency-- floods that killed about 140 people</a> as of August 12. However, Yediyurappa's patience has given many of his rivals ammunition for criticism. Critics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have often slammed the party's leadership for keeping decisions centralised. In this instance too, BS Yediyurappa may be a local strongman who battled hard to form the government but he has had to wait for the approval for his nominees from the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Even now, only about a dozen ministers are likely to be appointed this week. To fill the remaining cabinet posts in the 34-member ministry, Yediyurappa is likely to wait for 6 months in the event of by-elections to the 17 assembly segments from where the Congress and JD-S rebel legislators were disqualified by the previous speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar in July. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/rip-vg-siddharthas-death-and-why-former-prime-minister-hd-deve-gowda-cried/articleshow/70464431.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">A former Prime Minister cried on national TV for VG Siddhartha-- the untold tales of politics and privilege may die with India’s coffee baron</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/karnataka-government-proposes-construction-ban-in-bengaluru-for-the-next-five-years-because-water-crisis/articleshow/69991514.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Bengaluru’s water crisis might make it an expensive real estate market</a>

The state home to India's Silicon Valley may finally get its new ministers-- 3 weeks after government was formed

As the second phase of the <keyword id="43573" type="EVENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="General-Election">general election</keyword> takes off in India, voters in 11 states and 1 union territory— West Bengal, Odisha, <keyword id="20154" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword>, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Manipur and Puducherry — were up early queuing up at the election booths. Nearly 5 million people are eligible to vote in the state of West Bengal with a nearly equal distribution between men and women, albeit there are only 87 registered third-gender voters in the three constituencies going to vote in the state today today. And Puducherry, while being a union territory, is home to nearly one million voters who have been facing <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/puducherry-congress-tries-to-win-back-sole-mp-seat/articleshow/68899027.cms">increasing</a> debt and a fall in social initiatives due to lower devolution of taxes from the central government. A lot of voters and politicians are wondering if the second phase of polling will be marred with problems of EVM malfunctions and poll booth violence like evidenced during the first phase of the general election in India. Two incidents of poll booth violence have already been reported in West Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh, four of the contesting politicians — Samajwadi Party’s Azam Khan, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Mayawati — have been <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/top-story/up-election-2019-after-yogi-mayawati-ec-bans-azam-maneka-from-campaigning/story/337566.html">banned</a> from campaigning by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for issuing controversial comments. For Tamil Nadu, the days leading up to the election were a little chaotic after the Income Tax (IT) department seized over 1,350 kilograms of gold and nearly ₹14.8 million which was allegedly stashed to bribe voters. Elections in Vellore, one of Tamil Nadu’s most-watched constituencies, were cancelled altogether after ₹1.05 million was found at Durai Murugan’s house, the father of Kathir Anand — a DMK candidate in the district. Another ₹115.3 was also found at Poonjolai Srinivasan’s cement godown, a known associate of Murugan. Even Maharashtra hasn’t had an easy go of it with over 15,000 cases of alleged Model Code of Conduct violations <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/lok-sabha-elections/lok-sabha-elections-2019-over-15-000-code-of-conduct-cases-filed-in-maharashtra/story-luAZtetS7fq6EUDRsYztmI.html">registered</a> since March 10.The Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Dilip Shinde, has stated that over 700,000 officers and employees of the states are involved in keeping elections in Maharashtra peaceful and efficient for the 10 seats of the state going to the polls today. <div type="ExtQuote" text="The enforcing departments (Income Tax and Police) also lodged total 15,095 FIRs against the offenders for violating the model code of conduct, with most of the cases pertaining to storage and distribution of illicit liquor, followed by possession of firearms." auname="Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dilip Shinde"></div>

 If voters aren’t being bribed, then they’re being threatened. Kawasi Lakhma, a Congress minister from Chhattisgarh, has been <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/general-elections-2019-chhattisgarh-congress-mla-kawasi-lakhma-threatens-voters-with-electric-shocks-2024279">telling</a> voters that they vote against his party, the EVM machine will deliver an electric shock. While Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu struggle with voter bribery issues, Bihar and Karnataka are more concerned with voter turnout. The city of Bengaluru — the Silicon Valley of India — in particular, has issues of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/election-2019-gold-confiscated-in-tamil-nadu-ahead-of-second-phase/articleshow/68933494.cms">voter turnout</a> while Bihar’s <a href="https://www.livemint.com/elections/lok-sabha-elections/bihar-elections-2019-patna-is-missing-a-whole-generation-of-millennials-1555350536677.html">brain drain</a> means that a lot of its eligible millennial voters don’t actually live in the state anymore. As Manipur goes to polls again, the Returning Officer (RO)The Returning Officer (RO) of the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, Haobam Rosita, has <a href="https://www.newsclick.in/returning-officer-recommends-re-poll-19-polling-stations-manipur">recommended</a> that re-polling needs to take place at 19 of the polling stations from the first phase of the general elections in the state. Among the many reasons that Rosita cites for repolling, the most disturbing is probably one of the constituencies showed that voter turnout in excess of 100% and that the polling booth for the Najang Village was put up at a non-designated location. In order to keep disruptive elements from affecting the polls similarly, the west Indian states of West Bengal and Assam are <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/2nd-phase-tight-security-in-five-election-bound-districts/articleshow/68868180.cms">increasing</a> security in constituencies along the border — especially in districts classified as ‘vulnerable’ and ‘critical’. And unfortunately, for Jammu and Kashmir, none of the contesting political parties are talking about the environmental issues which have a heavy bearing on the state’s water supply as well as its tourism industry, which has been suffering as more and more of the state’s green capital is being destroyed. The third phase of the general election will kick off on April 23 covering 14 states — Assam, Goa, Karnataka, Odisha, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and West Bengal. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/election-2019-gold-confiscated-in-tamil-nadu-ahead-of-second-phase/articleshow/68933494.cms">Over a ton of gold seized a day ahead of polls shows the depth of the rot in Tamil Nadu</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/job-losses-will-haunt-bengaluru-indias-silicon-valley-as-it-goes-to-polls-today/articleshow/68930893.cms">Job losses will haunt Bengaluru, India’s Silicon Valley, as it goes to polls today</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/lok-sabha-elections-2019-second-phase-of-polling-in-tamil-nadu-voters-issues/articleshow/68930595.cms">Tamil Nadu’s angry voters have a small oil field, a big highway, a medical entrance test, and a police shootout in mind</a>

Here’s what the second phase of the Indian general election has in store for the 11 states polling today

Goyal in Rajya Sabha(Eds: Updating with minister's response) New Delhi, Mar 17 () There is no plan to privatiseIndian Railways as it belongs to the people of the country,Railways Minister Piyush Goyal asserted in Rajya Sabha onTuesday after some members raised concerns over it.Replying to a discussion on the working of the Ministryof Railways, Goyal announced an investment of Rs 50 lakh crorein the national transporter over the next 12 years."I want to make it crystal clear that there is no planor proposal to privatise Indian Railways, it will not happen.Indian Railways belongs to the people of this country, it willremain so," Goyal said.Keeping in mind development of the railways, thegovernment may, however, bring in a few services under privatesector in order to provide better services to the passengers,he added.Participating in the discussion, several Rajya Sabhamembers raised concerns over the poor financial health of therailways, decline in job opportunities and delay in executionof major projects, besides privatisation of the nationaltransporter.Goyal said the government was committed to making IndianRailways world class in every aspect."In the next 12 years we are going to invest Rs 50 lakhcrore in the Indian Railways. We will do it in publicprivate partnership. We will also give the chance to thepeople of this country to be part of this process," he added.Goyal, in reply to allegations by Trinamool Congressmember Derek O'Brien, said that sharing of funds between theCentre and state governments for new railway projects wasstarted during the UPA regime of which the Trinamool Congresswas a part, and it was inherited by the BJP as a legacy.The minister, however, added it was "not a bad practice".Goyal cited various news reports on the performance ofthe railways under former Railway Minister and TrinamoolCongress chief Mamata Bannerjee. "I don't want to politicisethe issue of losses," he added. O'Brien had alleged step-motherly treatment to statesgoverned by parties other than the BJP, particularly WestBengal.Responding to complaints of delay in work, Goyal saidthat over the last five years the government has taken stepsto speed up various projects."In 2014-15 the capex (capital expenditure) for theIndian Railways stood at Rs 58,000 crore. This year Rs 1.61lakh crore capex is going to happen. This investment has ledto unprecedented work," the minister noted.Elaborating on the achievements of the government, hesaid that barring a few in Rajasthan, unmanned level crossingshave ceased to exist on the board gauge network across thecountry.On electrification of tracks, he said that out ofstated target to convert 6,000 kms last year, the governmenthas been able to complete 5,276 kms.In 2013-14, the length of electrified tracks in thecountry stood at of just 610 kms, he noted."Looking at the dedication of the railways employees, Ihave confidence that we will be able to achieve the target offull electrification by 2023-24," Goyal said.He said that the government has identified 58 projectsas "super critical" and 68 projects as "critical" and therailways is working to complete them on priority.He said that if the government gets support from thestate governments in terms of land acquisition, investment,the projects could be implemented with greater speed.Commenting specifically on West Bengal, he said therewere issues of land encroachment in the state which have hadimpact on various projects.Earlier participating in the debate, Minister of Stateof Railways Suresh Angadi said there were encroachments onboth sides of tracks in West Bengal.He said that during the protests against the amendedcitizenship law, maximum damage to railways property tookplace in the state.Citing the example of Kerala, Goyal sought help fromthe members to speed up projects across the country."Help us get land, if we get land and the stategovernment's share of investment, we will be able to fast-track the projects," he said.He said the Katra-Banihal rail line in Jammu andKashmir would be completed by August 2022.Citing other achievements, Goyal said the Rai Barelirail coach factory would roll out a record 2,000 coaches thisyear.He added that the Indian Railways has traced problem ofwater-logging in 2,044 underpasses, out of the total 8,519 inthe country."We have solved the issue in 715 of the underpasses sofar and the rest would be rectified in the next few months,"Goyal said.He said that about 99.5 per cent work on bio-toilets wascomplete and the rest would be completed soon.Goyal said that in order to achieve zero carbonemissions, the Indian Railways plans to generate 20,000 megawatt of electricity through solar infrastructure, helping itmeet its entire supply requirement.Earlier, leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad soughtqueries regarding the work on various railways projects inJammu and Kashmir.Participating in a discussion on the working of theMinistry of Railways, several members referred to the largenumber of vacancies in the railways and said these should befilled up, thereby providing job opportunities to the younggeneration.Binoy Viswam of the CPI said the railways has aroundthree lakh vacancies and these should be filled up.Opposing privatisation of trains and stations, he saidthe national transporter has "forgotten its social aspect andsocial commitment".V Vijayasai Reddy of the YSRCP said the railways now hasan operating ratio of 98.4 per cent, which is the worst inlast 10 years.Moreover, the railways' revenue surplus is also fallingand suggested that "priority should be given to augmentationof its internal resources."He also said that fatality due to accidents has declinedthis year and hygiene at railway station has improved.Sanjay Singh of the AAP said that employmentopportunities are being ignored by the railways. Thegovernment is increasing outsourced works in the railways,where contractual labourers are being exploited.Praful Patel of the NCP raised concerns over the delay inseveral railways projects and suggested that the governmentshould think of cost benefit analysis of major works.He, however, supported PPP model in the railways, saying"we should be open minded."Jose K Mani of the KCM said that the railway isoverloaded with work and several projects such as doubling ofline in Kerala are long delayed.Neeraj Shekhar of the BJP said the Opposition ismisguiding the people about performance of the railways.Indian Railways has performed well in last five years, hesaid.The railways has installed 2.38 lakh bio-toilets between2014 and 2018. It has a capital expenditure of over Rs onelakh crore, has done doubling of 28,000 km tracks.Highlighting the safety records, Shekhar said that it hasnot witnessed a single accident in last one year.Over the operating ratio, he said that it was due toimplementation of the Seventh Pay Commission by the governmentin the railways.Husain Dalwai of the Congress said that the revenue ofthe Indian Railways should be increased.Dalwai also raised the safety issue of the Mumbaisuburban trains, saying that according to GRP data, 3,202people died in 2016-17 and 3,014 in 2018-19. He asked therailways to enhance the security measures to reduce the highnumber of fatalities.R S Bharathi of the DMK said that the government shouldcomplete the second unit of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF)in Perambur.Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD, Veer Singh of the BSP and V PVaishya of the AGP and K K Ragesh of CPI(M) raised concernsover the privatisation of the railways.Other members who participated in the discussion are G CChandrasekhar (Congress), Kahkashan Perween (JDU), JugalsinhMathurji Lokhandwala (BJP), Anil Desai (Shiv Sena), SatishChandra Dubey (BJP), Mir Mohammad Fayaz (Jammu and KashmirPeoples Democratic Party) and Ram Narain Dudi (BJP). KRH KKSMSS MBI NAMSMN SMN

No plan to privatise Indian Railways as it belongs to people:

<ul><li>BJP has bagged 40 seats to Congress' 31 of the total 90 seats in the state, according to the Election Commission. </li><li>Congress led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda has swept central parts like Jhajjhar, Badli, Garhi Sampla, Beri, Israna and others in the region.</li><li>BJP has 36.5% and Congress has 28.1% vote share so far, according to the Election Commission data.</li><li>Dushyant Chautala whose JJP is a splinter party from the INLD may become the kingmaker.</li></ul>The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the single largest party in Haryana with in 40 seats compared to Congress which has 31, according to the Election Commission. However, the BJP and its allies led by Manohar Lal Khattar have fallen short of the majority. The midway mark is at 45 and the winning side needs at least 46 to form the government. Embarrassingly for hte BJP, seven of its state cabinet ministers have lost their own seats. "I thank the people of Haryana for blessing us. We will continue to work with the same zeal and dedication for the state’s progress. I laud the efforts of hardworking @BJP4Haryana Karyakartas who toiled extensively and went among the people to elaborate on our development agenda," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. On the other hand, Congress has gained hugely in vote share compared to the last assembly elections and is leading in 28 seats so far. Congress had 28.1% vote share in Haryana, according to data from Election Commission. Much of the gains have come from areas Garhi Sampla (Bhupinder Singh Hooda's home constituency) and other surrounding parts like Beri, Badli, Jhajjar, Bawani Khera, up until Israna. <table style="width: 261pt;"> <colgroup></colgroup><col /> <tbody><tr> <td class="xl63" style="height:15.75pt;width:87pt">Party/Alliance</td> <td class="xl64" style="width:87pt">2019 Voteshare</td> <td class="xl64" style="width:87pt">2014 vote share</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl65" style="height:15.75pt;width:87pt">BJP+</td> <td class="xl66" style="width:87pt">36.5%</td> <td class="xl66" style="width:87pt">33.20%</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl65" style="height:15.75pt;width:87pt">Congress+</td> <td class="xl66" style="width:87pt">28.1%</td> <td class="xl66" style="width:87pt">20.60%</td> </tr></tbody></table> "We accept the people's mandate humbly and respectfully. We also want to say that it is a moral defeat for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). PM Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and their entire leadership was cut off from the ground reality," Congress leader Anand Sharma said at a press conference. Given the close contest between the Congress and BJP, the one-year old Jannayak Janta party (JJP) led by Dushyant Chautala may become the kingmaker. For now, Chautala has already declared support for any party that would back him to be the state Chief Minister. <table style="width: 261pt;"> <colgroup></colgroup><col /> <tbody><tr> <td class="xl63" style="height:15.75pt;width:87pt">Party/Alliance</td> <td class="xl64" style="width:87pt">Leads</td> <td class="xl64" style="width:87pt">Wins</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl65" style="height:15.75pt;width:87pt">BJP+</td> <td class="xl66" style="width:87pt">17</td> <td class="xl67" style="width:87pt">23</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl65" style="height:15.75pt;width:87pt">Congress+</td> <td class="xl66" style="width:87pt">12</td> <td class="xl67" style="width:87pt">19</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl65" style="height:15.75pt;width:87pt">JJP</td> <td class="xl66" style="width:87pt">10</td> <td class="xl67" style="width:87pt">0</td> </tr></tbody></table> The poll of exit polls shows an easy victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party or the BJP. However, there is one from India Today-Axis that has predicted a hung assembly in the state, leaving room for some anxiety in all camps. The BJP had won 47 seats in the 2014 Haryana assembly election, Congress won 15 seats, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won 19 seats, while others won 9 seats. Factors at play in 2019 The assembly elections this year took place five months after the BJP’s clean sweep in the Parliamentary polls, just like in 2014. However, this year, there was less excitement on the voting day. The turnout fell to 65%, down from 76.54% in the previous election. In the general elections earlier this year, the BJP was able to garner a clear majority even in the state with 34% of the votes and 70% of the seats. The government in Haryana has largely mirrored the one at the Centre, either by electing the same party or an ally in the state. Going by that trend, BJP had an upper hand. However, the larger economic slowdown in the country has had a major impact on Haryana's voter sentiment. The state is one of India's largest automobile hubs and accounts for two thirds of passenger cars, 50% of tractors and 60% of motorcycles manufactured in the country, according to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF). The infamous slowdown in car sales has led to large-scale job losses in Haryana. Districts such as Panipat, Gurugram, Faridabad, Hisar and Sonipat are home to many textile businesses, particularly, readymade cotton garments, which is one of the major exports of Haryana. The sector is dire straits due to loss of competitive edge to other countries in the region and that too, has hurt the livelihood of many people. The agrarian distress, also widespread in the country, has also shown its impact in the state. Still, the state economy has grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 12.67% over the last seven years and has led to much prosperity in many parts. This is in part due to the explosion of IT and IT-enabled services in the state, especially in the city of Gurgaon. The political balance Politically, the state’s votes were divided into Jats and Punjabi — the two dominant social segments. Over the last few years, the Punjabis have preferred the BJP. Which is why BJP got a large chunk of its seats from Punjabi-dominated areas Chandigarh, Panchkula, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Panipat — pretty much the entire route from Delhi to Chandigarh except Sonepat. However, the BJP has managed to consolidate the upper castes in the state into a significant vote bank which has benefited the party hugely in diluting the dominance of the Jats. 30% of the state population is from the lowest rung of the Indian society, the Dalits. They are not known to be BJP backers but as seen in the 2019 Parliamentary elections, some of the traditional caste calculus tend to break in the absence of a credible opposition. Since his election, Chief Minister Khattar has seen many controversies including an agitation by Jats demanding the benefits of the ‘Other Backward Class’, protests by many thousands of supporters of a self-styled Godman, Baba Rahim, and small-scale riots on the streets over a movie that was later released under the title of Padmavat, to name a few. Yet, a series of family feuds and corruption charges have kept opposition leaders busy firefighting most of the time and less prepared for the electoral battle. Add to that, Narendra Modi’s charm that worked wonders in the recently concluded general elections and since then, some emotive issues like the suspension of Article 370 that gave the state of Jammu and Kashmir a ‘special’ status have been largely well received by the people of the state. The opposition particularly the Congress made some gains but it wasn't enough to capitalise on BJP's lapses. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/sharad-pawar-final-result-of-maharashtra-state-assembly-election-2019/articleshow/71738410.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Sharad Pawar’s legwork at the age of 78 seems to have paid off</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/dynasty-candidates-contesting-haryana-and-maharashtra-assembly-election-2019/articleshow/71734588.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Dynasty candidates contesting Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly elections 2019</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/who-is-jjp-leader-dushyant-chautala-and-jjp-final-result-in-haryana-state-elections-2019/articleshow/71734605.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Dushyant Chautala may hold the 'key' as the less than a year old Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) may have the precious few seats needed to form the next Haryana government</a>

You Searched For "job loss in kashmir" and got 14 results

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No plan to privatise Indian Railways as it belongs to people:

PTI

BJP has the most number of seats in Haryana⁠— but the blush is not that of triumph

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