Chess is a game of intense planning and pure thinking. When compared to real life, the possibilities of it being similar to our day to day life seem endless. To start with, chess is a game where everyone gets s chance to show their skills and sure enough, many outperform themselves in pursuit of winning. Every move in the person’s life is like a movie in the game of chess, evey mistake he commits costs him a chess piece, sooner or later. The chess board resembles our life situation, evey box (black or white) is out chance and we make moves risking all our chances. Buy that is not all, every chess piece has its own importance.

Let us now start with the lowest, or the cimparively weakest group, the Pawn – a chess piece that many of us might be looking down upon. This guy can make only a single move at a time can strike only once, only forward and diagonal. It is, in many circumstances, sacrificed to save another chess-piece. When compared to our lives and we too have been in situations when we have up give up small comforts to gain something, considering the old saying – ‘No pain, No gain’. Now moving on to another, we can start with the Bishop, a very fine chess piece, since it can make many move diagonally. Taking the rock alongside the which is able to move only horizontally and vertically in any possible length, these two chess piece get into situations where they are either stuck or trapped. They are then either left out or moved outside or another chess piece is sacrificed to save them or we choose to leave them at the opponent’s mercy. This is one such situation where we make risky and potentially dangerous moves for the of others. We help them to a certain extent, we even fight and sacrifice ourselves for them or we choose to leave them in their own miserable condition. Moving on to the next – the Knight, we usually refer to Knights as strong, brave, valiant and all the heroic stuff. The knight too is just as good, perhaps better, and rather special. This chess piece moves in the shape of an ‘L’ and can jump across too. In real life, we can compare it with love. It is special and it comes as a surprise. It is what makes us s Knight for our loved ones. Therefore, it is something we would certainly sacrifice for. Now let’s move on to our ‘Spotlight members’ – the King and the Queen, standing tall and high above all the other chess pieces. They are after all the most important. They can be compared with our destiny and ambition. We give up every other thing to achieve them but sometimes making wrong moves costs us dearly.

So, we have finally come to an understanding of something important – “we give up all our happiness, from our smallest wishes to our greatest ambitions, everything, just to reach the pinnacle of our life – to win (a do-or-die situation, you would call it)”. After all, God places us in situations and sits back and watches us make a move. Make sure you make the best one.

“I don’t fear computer, I fear lack of them.” is a brilliant quote said by a Professor of Boston University.

Since the dawn if the industrial age, a recurrent fear has been that technologicsl change will spawn a massive unemployment but neoclassical economists predicted that it would not happen and that prediction had proven correct instead of unemployment a technology has a been a great job creating machine.

Two hundered years of breath taking innovation have produced living standard if ordinary people of the world with no sharpy rising trend if unemployment. Throughout much of the world people live longer, work much fewer hours and lead gently a healthier lives.

Technological development seems like creating unemployment but it is not so because prepare benefitted by the technologies, for unemployment there are many reasons behind it. One of the main reason is due to lack of skill. People lose their job as they are not skilled. For example, if wages of laborers goes up manager usually thinks of adopting robots or machines in place of them. Actually, technology creates new jobs. If we do not agree with development of technology then surely arises the problem of square peg for a round hole, which simply means that the right person for the job cannot be determined.

When technology changes, scope of work also changes. The work which was done 20 years back can’t be done in the same style now. If people go jog update themselves it leads to unemployment. As technology advances, new jobs are created, whereas, older ones become obsolete.

When people are educated and population is under control then development technology will help each and everyinr but in developing countries like India and China where population is strength, technology seems like creating unemployment.

Finally, in this fat growing era we have to develop. For that, technology is a key fsctor to make our works easier and safe. The ageing battle between the man and machine will continue as it had for centuries.

The question is, “Our machines taking over our jobs, or is our workload eased by their presence?”

At last, “Another bhadraha krutavoyantu vishwatha” which means let all good thought and deeds come to use from every nook and corner of the world.

All human beings have to face adversities in the journey of life. We learn a lot of things along with difficulties and troubles. I we should be able to learn humility and from adversities, so they act as a driving force. We develop a new potential along with adversities. To a winner tougher the competition with adverse the circumstances, greater are the incentives, stronger the motivation, better the performance and sweeter will be his victory. Success in life demands courage – courage to seize the opportunities that come in your way, courage to behave with honesty and integrity staffing times when it seems not so easy.

Courage helps you to speak up when you are in danger of being left in the background or having your just interests overlooked. Have the courage to set for your ambitious targets. Success in life begins with knowing exactly what you want from from it. Beware if what you think. Always think positively. Negative thoughts sap your confidence. Think you are born to win and you will surely win. It’s this kind of exuberant confidence that impresses everyone. We must avoid all kind of self doubt and fears. Self confidence helps you clear succession of hurdles you face in the rest of your life. Norman H. Hills rightly said, “Sometimes adversity implies a person to greater heights and sometimes it provides the opportunity for that person to be a blessing in the lives of others”.

No-one shall make a trouble, as trouble creates in you, the capacity to handle it and gives you immense strength to face and welcome all the adversities in life with open arms and a delighted heart. Nobody should despite a little burden of adversities and hardships, rather, one should aspire got broader and stronger shoulders and a daring heart that can overcome all the adversities. Trust is the feeling that a small baby has. When you throw bum up in the air, he laughs because he knows that you will catch him. If you are thrown up in the air, have trust and laugh because God will catch you.

Great achievement highlight the importance kg setting a goal as a basic requirement to gain success in any effort. An endeavor without goal would be like groping in the darkness. Lack of goal of definate purpose I’d s stumbling block for many people whereas an effort can’t lead then anywhere. Goals create the future in advance. Goals maybe simple duck as the necessity to meet our day to day expectations. We should set a goal, aim high, plant out the available to chalk out a dork schedule to prepare for the exam etc., we need to determined and decided to preserve till the end. We should dream big, think big and acheive big. As Swami Vivekananda said, “Arise, awake, stop not until you reach the goal.”

Success springs from imaginative, dedicated and determined effort. Life is a game with a glorious prime if we can only play it right. It is ‘give and take’, ‘build and break’ and ultimately he surely wins who honestly tries and plays it fair. And to be up and doing, is all there is to the game. Too many seem to feel that they should have the victory before the battle. They are the ones who wear their wishbones where their backbones ought to be. He who cherished a beautiful vision, lofty ideas in his heart with one day realizes it.

We must try our best to make a difference in the world in which we live. The need to look good and feel good is the foundation of making the first impression, a lasting one. So buckle up and put your best foot forward, for this will take you far ahead.

“Freedom of speech doesn’t protect what you like, but it protects what you don’t like”. This famous quote throws all powerful light on the contemporary world and has the phases it going through. Every other thing that now needs attention can be well reached upon by just a single tweet. Social media not only empowers and backs up such attention, but considering the speech of its becoming viral, it is also not a surprise that everything can be made reachable to every individual’s doormat.

Indeed, the citizens of every country enjoy freedom of speech, but to what extent and to what boundaries thru can exercise the same depends on the bylaws of the country governing them. For example, a quote from one dictator goes like this: “I can guarantee you the freedom of speech, but not the freedom after that”…..Such anti-liberal remarks make the people act under the mentioned intellectual and linguistic territories, nothwithstanding the various terms forbidden.

Coping with this tech-savvy generation, where the statistically higher percentage of your youth I’d absorbed in gadgets and such tools, various political and spiritual leaders besides celebrities etc. Convey their messages and announcements via the social media. But one must always bear in mind that social media is a double edged sword. To the major superlative degree, all are entertained to express what they feel, what they think and also express their opinions online. Owing to the current affairs, freedom of speech has been mistaken and it is widely misused. Today the entire nation of on a rigid scale, is lamenting over the loss it had had to suffer and grieving on how detrimental it has proved to it.

Although it is fully agreed that the message or the news travels faster than light and sound on the social media, some objectionable remarks on sensitive posts make the online users shudder in shame. Freedom speech gives you a platform to express what is on your mind: but one must keep in mind that care should be taken in order not to hurt the sentiments and feelings if people socially or indiscreetly.

Technology has been a boon and a bane. If it is used for the right purposes to make the world a better place to live in, then it is high time people got alarmed and contributed their good but I’m preventing the preaching and propagating hatred. In today’s world, selection of words has become as important as choosing people. One must always be content in their conscience that freedom of speech under the pretext of social leverage cannot be posed as an excuse for the grave consequences, or for that matter, simple consequences.

The increasing crime rate under the head ‘cyber crime’ is steadily growing in number. Influencing people using your freedom of speech can be planted on the same ground as damaging your name. Once you get a large number of fabric following, you must keep in mind that you are becoming mouth for every slice of bread and your responsibility to speak, influence and carry yourself in a socially accepted manner must never be forgotten.

But today freedom of speech has been mistaken for carelessly and mercilessly making comments. Insulting, causing a wide range of hatred among people in the national as well as international level.

Isn’t it high time to throw light upon some issues that really concern the global institutions than to just blindly be happy stalking your favourite ‘celebrity’ online? Evey platform has been built on a strong foundation, thanks to liberal attitude of our nation and the government. Should we act responsible and concentrate on this, the daily episodes of ‘crime petrol’ would be done away with and dusted. Freedom of speech let’s you grow. It is an irony that our intellectual bankruptcy is embraced albeit in the grab of growth.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves the proposal of Tau Investment to acquire shares in J B Chemicals. The proposed combination envisages acquisition of acquisition of up to 64.90% of share capital of J B Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited by Tau Investment Holdings Pte. Ltd. (Tau Investment).

Tau Investment is a company incorporated in Singapore. It is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of KKR Asian Fund III L.P. It is an affiliate of funds, vehicles and/or entities managed and/or advised by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., which is an indirect subsidiary of KKR & Co. Inc.

J B Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited is an Indian pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is listed on BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited.

Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) Chairperson Justice Rajendra Menon has inaugurated hearings by video conferencing for all ten Regional Benches of the Armed Forces Tribunal here today.

The Principal Bench of Armed Forces Tribunal is the only court that has been conducting physical hearings since June 8, 2020. Physical hearings are being conducted at Principal Bench taking into account hardships and limitations faced by Armed Forces personnel, retired as well as serving, primarily due to their far flung locations and various security related issues.

The Chairperson gives credit of incident free hearings to the Principal Registrar Dr Rakesh Kumar who has been advising on the ways to maintain impeccable hygiene standards at the Principal Bench. The court premises are being sanitised twice daily by the AFT employees only, even prior to declaring of nationwide lockdown. Entry to the court premises is also kept to bare minimum with proper social distancing and without compromising on the smooth work flow. The advocates appearing in the AFT are separated by a transparent sheet, from the judges and proper social distancing is maintained between court staff and judges.

For a total of eleven benches of AFT, which includes Principal Bench and ten Regional Benches spread all over the country, 34 judicial and administrative members have been sanctioned by the Government. However, only four members are presently in the chair at Principal Bench, one judicial member and two administrative members are in the chair at Chandigarh, Mumbai and Chennai Benches respectively.

Even though the urgent applications of Regional Benches were being heard at Principal Bench, the requirement was felt to devise a procedure for hearing other matters of Regional Benches as well. Accordingly, a viable procedure for virtual hearings has been initiated.

With this provision of hearing by video conferencing, an immense relief has been brought to the Armed Forces personnel, whose applications are awaiting justice at various Regional Benches. Member Judicial Justice Mohammad Tahir and Members Administration Vice Admiral P Murugesan (Retd) & Lt Gen CA Krishnan (Retd) shall hear applications of the Regional Benches through video conferencing.

The Ministry of Culture has announced 7 new circles of Archaeological Survey of India. This information was shared by theUnion Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (IC), Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a video message tweeted by him today. Shri Patel said that the Ministry of Culture has taken this step in accordance with the Prime Minister’s call to facilitate and strengthen the process of preservation and registration of archaeological monuments along with registration of artefacts with self declaration.The Minister informed that new circles have been created in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal and Gujarat. He said that Trichy, Raiganj, Rajkot, Jabalpur, Jhansi & Meerut have been announced as new circles. In Archaeology, the Hampi city in Karnataka is a place of international repute hence Hampi Mini Circle has been converted into a full fledged circle, The Minister added. Earlier there were 29 ASI circles across the country.

The Ministry of Culture has announced 7 new circles of Archaeological Survey of India. This information was shared by theUnion Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (IC), Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a video message tweeted by him today. Shri Patel said that the Ministry of Culture has taken this step in accordance with the Prime Minister’s call to facilitate and strengthen the process of preservation and registration of archaeological monuments along with registration of artefacts with self declaration.The Minister informed that new circles have been created in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal and Gujarat. He said that Trichy, Raiganj, Rajkot, Jabalpur, Jhansi & Meerut have been announced as new circles. In Archaeology, the Hampi city in Karnataka is a place of international repute hence Hampi Mini Circle has been converted into a full fledged circle, The Minister added. Earlier there were 29 ASI circles across the country.

NITI Aayog will virtually launch the India Component of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)–Transport Initiative for Asia (TIA) tomorrow, 27 August. 

GIZ Director, Division South Asia, Corinna Küsel, and Deputy Ambassador German Embassy, Stephan Grabherr, will open the event at 6 pm, followed by opening remarks by Dr Karsten Sach, Director General IK, International and European Policy, Climate Policy, Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, will deliver the keynote address, followed by a special address by Dr Young Tae Kim, Secretary General, International Transport Forum (ITF).

The event will inform the transport, energy, and climate stakeholders in India about planned project activities for the upcoming year. It will also offer the opportunity to provide input about India’s transport challenges and how they relate to CO2 reduction ambitions. The discussion will help focus the programme further on India’s specific needs and circumstances.

With the aim to promote a comprehensive approach to decarbonize transport inIndia, Vietnam, and China, NDC–TIA is a joint programme, supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and implemented by a consortium of seven organisations, namely:

1. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

2. International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)

3. World Resources Institute (WRI)

4. International Transport Forum (ITF)

5. Agora Verkehrswende (AGORA)

6. Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) Foundation

7. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century e.V. (REN21)

The India Component is implemented by six consortium organisations, all except SLoCaT. On behalf of the Government of India, NITI Aayog, the country’s premier policy think tank, will be the implementing partner.

The NDC-TIA programme has a duration of 4 years and will allow India and other partner countries to achieve accountable long-term targets by making a sectoral contribution through various interventions, coordinated with a large number of stakeholders in the domain. This will contribute towards achieving their NDCs and increasing their ambition in the transport sector of 2025 NDCs.

India has a massive and diverse transport sector that caters to the needs of billion people. It has the world’s second-largest road network, which contributes to maximum greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through all means of transportation. With increasing urbanisation, the fleet size i.e. the number of sales of vehicles is increasing rapidly. It is projected that the total number of vehicles will be doubled by 2030.

The NDC–TIA India Component will focus on establishing a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform for decarbonizing transport in India, strengthening GHG and transport modelling capacities, providing technical support on GHG emission reduction measures, financing climate actions in transport, offering policy recommendations on electric vehicle (EV) demand and supply policies, evaluating business models through cost-benefit analyses and so forth. 

A significant focus will be given on electric mobility, which would require coupling of transport and energy sectors and receiving cross-sectoral expertise from ministries, international development agencies, think tanks, public and private organisations. Ultimately, the programme intends to support the development of policies and regulations to promote electric vehicle charging infrastructure uptake and smooth widescale adoption of EVs in India. 

The NDC–TIA programme team will work in close cooperation and coordination with India’s government agencies, local decision-makers, researchers, industry experts, think tanks, and civil society organisations. The programme aims at high ambition in the transport sector directly supporting the country’s NDC targets. Successful implementation of these activities requires the political will and interest of political partners and relevant stakeholders in the target countries. Interaction of consortium members with relevant stakeholders in the course of existing programmes and discussions conducted during the scoping mission indicate a high commitment to programme objectives.

With an objective to realise Digital India’s vision of “Power to Empower” and to enable Digital Inclusion across the length and breadth of India, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) has signed an MOU with CSC (Common Service Center) e Governance Services India Limited on August 26, 2020 to facilitate delivery of UMANG services at CSCs, in an assisted mode, thereby making services on UMANG app available to citizens through the network of3.75 lakh CSCs. The CSC operators Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) will enable citizens to avail e-Governance services of 140 Departments through the UMANG App. This will benefit those citizens who either do not have access to smartphones or are not comfortable accessing App based e services on their own. For the masses, this will not only enhance access to government services significantly, but also expand the gamut of services that VLEs offer citizens, thereby increasing their income and viability. All these UMANG services are being enabled on CSCs without any additional cost and NeGD is making all services available to CSCs at zero cost.

Common Services Centres or CSCs, set up under the CSC Scheme of MeitY, are a strategic cornerstone of the Digital India programme and key access points for delivery of various electronic services to villages in India. UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-Age Governance) is the common unified platform for delivery of services of various Government Departments through the mobile platform. This invaluable synergy between UMANG and CSCs, will make available over 1000+services from 140 departments on the UMANG platform to CSCs. This will be of great advantage to the 140 departments connected on UMANG platform too, as their services will be delivered in an assisted mode now, in one go, without incurring any cost.

UMANG was developed by National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics & IT. It was dedicated to the Nation on November 23, 2017, by our Hon’ble Prime Minister. Within a short period of its successful implementation, the mobile app attainedfour illustrious awards including ‘Best m-Government service’ award at the 6^th World Government Summit held at Dubai, UAE in Feb 2018. The aim to develop UMANG has been to facilitate ease of access to major Government services for citizens from a single mobile app.

The UMANG Mobile app is available on Android, iOS, all web browsers platforms and select 57 services on KaiOS (available on Jio feature phones). The app can be downloaded by giving a missed call on 97183-97183 or by clicking on https://web.umang.gov.in/uaw/i/v/ref. UMANG has reached a level of more than 3.12 Crore downloads, with 2.05 Crore registered users while maintaining an average Play Store rating of ~4 from more than 100K users. Presently 1,011 services (294 from Central, 441 from State departments, 276 from Bill payments), from 70 Central departments, 71 State departments from 26 States are available on UMANG and the count is galloping ahead! UMANG has so far seen about 100 Crore service transactions and about 200 Crore Hits.

This significant alliance of UMANG and CSCs will empower lakhs of citizens in our country, especially during these unprecedented times, ensuring ease, convenience, and security. 

Is it possible to take a stroll on the sandy beaches of Goa, and roam around the dense forests of Jharkhand at the same time? Today’s webinar on ‘Weaving Cultural Threads: Goa and Jharkhand’ organised by Regional Outreach Bureau (Maharashtra, Goa & Jharkhand) together with Press Information Bureau (Goa & Ranchi), Ministry of Information & Broadcasting made it possible.

Goa and Jharkhand being ‘paired states’ under ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ Mission, the webinar focused on the diverse cultural heritage of these states with eminent speakers from both these states.

Eminent authors, scholars and artists from these states shared their views that bind these two states together.

Vivek Menezes, Author, curator and Photographer from Goa spoke about the uniqueness of India. “There is no other place in the world, where two diverse states like Goa and Jharkhand belong to the same nation. This is the beauty of India!” he said.

He also spoke about his memories of his childhood days spent in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. “Despite the diversity, Goa and Jharkhand share a symbiotic relation. Many people from Jharkhand work in Goa. They are the backbone of our labour force. Goa’s economy is able to flourish because of the people from places like Jharkhand. Without them the Tourism Industry, Fishing Industry etc. wouldn’t be able to perform well.”

He enlisted many common things that both these states share including the biodiversity or forest cover  these states have, ancient art and rich cultural background.

Addressing the important role these two states play in preserving the rich heritage of the country, he suggested that both the states should be brought into main stream.

“The connections we are building through #EkBharatShreshthaBharat are important. This is the India, I want to live in!”, he added.

Eminent author from Jharkhand, Mahadev Toppo began his address by highlighting an interesting observation, about the survival methods shown in popular television reality shows which are actually a part of tribal life since ages.

Highlighting the contribution of tribal life in art and culture, Mahadev Toppo said  “Fashion, Fabric and jewellery across the world are inspired by the tribal life and indigenous people”

He also mentioned that besides having a plethora of minerals and the state is also rich in art and culture.

“The tribal life in Jharkhand values and believes in community living. It teaches us to coexist with the environment. Standing by these principle, people of Jharkhand celebrate Sarhul a festival during spring season in which we worship the mother earth”,  he said.

“We respect trees and jungles and worship our animals. Haryali Pooja is celebrated during the rainy season. As part of this festival, people stop visiting forests for a certain period of time so that new life among flora and fauna may flourish”, Toppo added.
 

Another speaker in the webinar, Giridhari Ram Gaunjhu, who was a Professor in Ranchi University, added to the rich heritage of community life of Jharkhand. He stated that “Jharkhand is a part of the Gondwanaland, and we have one of the oldest civilizations in the world”.

He spoke about the different communities who live in Jharkhand. There are 32 communities of which nine are primitive tribes. One such tribe called ‘Asura’ makes special iron weapons with unique anti rusting properties. He quoted an exponent of the regional music and Padma Shri. Dr. Ram Dayal Munda who had said,  “The world should learn from Jharkhand, the culture of Jharkhand teaches us sustainable development”.

Speaking about the rich flora of the state which is a part of the daily tribal life, he mentioned that traditional food of Jharkhand enhances immunity, which is a significant inspiration to the world during these tough times. “Several medicinal plants that the tribes have been using for years are getting recognition today” he added.
 

Additional Director General, PIB, Ranchi, Arimardan Singh Singh while addressing rhe webinar said “India is a land of diversity. While the state of Goa is situated on the sea shore Jharkhand is a landlocked state. Both these states have different climate, culture and lifestyle but there is an underlying unity’.

Media and Communication Officer, PIB Mumbai, Sriyanka Chatterjee moderated the enriching and engaging session.  Vinod Kumar, Deputy Director PIB Goa delivered the Vote of thanks.

The webinar was organised on the lines of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ programme of the Government of India that celebrates the sentiment of ‘Unity in Diversity’.

The Minister Science and Technology, Earth Sciences and Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan today said that “A robust Climate Risk management framework calls for a multi- level approach across the country (national, sub-national, regional and local) to determine the various climate change risks likely to impact the country while also providing a broad understanding of the loss and damage likely to be caused due to these risks”. He was delivering a special address as the Chief Guest at the three-day Conference on “S&T Research- Policy-Practice Interface for Climate Risk Management” jointly organized by National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) through video conferencing in New Delhi.

A National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC) and a network of Regional e-Assessment Centres will be set up to implement the Faceless Assessment Scheme of the Income Tax Department, launched nation-wide by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 13^th August, 2020. The regional assessment network would comprise assessment units, verification units, technical units and review units. The system allows for dynamic jurisdiction, team-based working, and functional specialization and does away with human interface altogether. This was informed by the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Mumbai, Shri Patanjali Jha, during a webinar on “Faceless Assessment Scheme and Virtual Court Hearings”, conducted by KPMG India.

Making a comparison between the faceless assessment system and the current system it replaces, the Principal Chief Commissioner explained how the new system is one designed for the 21^st century. There is no discretion in selection of assessment cases, while earlier, case selection used to happen manually. In place of single territorial jurisdiction, we now have automated random allocation of cases. While notices used to be issued both manually and on the system, issue of notices will now be done through a central mechanism (by NeAC) in electronic mode. There shall be no physical meetings between taxpayers and officers. Wide discretion and subjective assessment are being replaced by team-based assessment and a system wherein draft order is issued in one city, review is done in another city and finalization is done in yet another city. This thereby leads to an objective, fair and just assessment order, said the Principal Chief Commissioner.

Along with Pr. CCIT, Mumbai, Chief Commissioner of Income-Tax (ReAC) Mumbai, Smt. Lekha Kumar and Principal Commissioner of Income-Tax (ReAC), Mumbai, Smt. Ratna Dasgupta also addressed the participants and responded to their queries.

The Webinar was organized to promote the awareness amongst the stakeholders about the new faceless assessment scheme and had an overwhelming participation of more than 1,000 participants. The department intends to hold more such outreach programmes in coming days to educate the tax payers about the new faceless assessment scheme.

Faceless Assessment Scheme was rolled out in the Income Tax Department as a pilot project in September, 2019. Initially, a limited number of cases were picked up for faceless assessment which was being done at eight centres in the country. The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi announced the extension of the scheme to the entire department on 13^th August 2020. The scheme is also being extended to the first appellate authority i.e. Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) from 25^th September, 2020.

The concluding part of ‘RAAGOTSAV…Celebration of Monsoon’, an online festival of rare Films Division documentaries on Indian classical music has started streaming on FD Website and You Tube channel from today. Dedicated to the memory of Pt Jasraj, the doyen of Hindustani Music who departed on 17th August, 2020, and also to other maestros of vocal tradition of Indian classical music – both Hindustani and Carnatic schools, this online festival will continue till 28th Aug, 2020. It offers a veritable musical journey through the life and works of prominent masters of famous gharanas and traditions of Indian Classical music – their performing styles and profound impact and valuable contribution to the vocal classical music. The package also includes well-researched documentaries on the nuances of classical music and its distinct styles and traditions.

Today, the beginning of ‘RAAGOTSAV-II’ happened with ‘Sangeet Martand – Pt. Jasraj’(50 min./2000/Madhura Jasraj). Among the prominent vocalists of Mewati gharana and follower of egalitarian philosophy, Pt Jasraj introduced a perfect blend of devotional music with traditional classical style. His total submission to God and Music and his thought process behind introducing new format of jugalbandi, has been potrayed in the biopic, Jasrangi which has been the first on the slot today.

Without mentioning Khayal gayaki, recognition of classical music will be incomplete. The documentary ‘Khayal’ (78 min./1988/Usha Deshpande) helps us to understand the characteristics of various gharanas or schools such as the Jaipur, Gwalior, Mewati and Kirana gharana and contributions made by their leading exponents to Khayal Gayaki.

Film ‘Amir Khan'(18 min./1970/SNS Sastri) portrays the life and works of Ustad Amir Khan, founder of the Indore Gharana, known for his intellectual approach to music and one of the greatly admired vocalists of his times who could bring out all the emotive aspects of the raagas.

‘M S Subbulakshmi’(117 min./2000/Rajgopal V) is a comprehensive biopic on Bharat Ratna, M S Subbulakshmi and depicts her illustrious journey and immense contribution to the ancient and glorious tradition of Carnatic music, especially her bhajans with extra ordinary bhakti bhavana that moved great personalities including Mahatma Gandhi to tears.

Second day (tomorrow) of the musical feast will begin with a documentary on Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, great Hindustani exponent of the Kirana gharana and an expert in khayal gayaki. ‘Pt. Bhimsen Joshi’ (74 min./1992/Gulzar) is a biographical film that takes us to the maestro’s enthralling concerts, analyses his passion for different ragas and attempts to uncover the man behind the music icon.

Known as the ‘Pitamaha’ (the grand sire) of modern Carnatic Music, a veteran Carnatic musician and teacher, Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer was a dedicated artist. ‘Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer’ (20 min./2000/Sivan) is a brief biopic on artist’s extraordinary skill of producing soulful music in a traditional temperament.

Documentry ‘Girija Devi’ (60 min./1997/ Bijoy Chatterjee) peeps into the life and works of an eminent classical singer, an exponent of the Seniya and Banaras Gharanas. She was credited with elevating the profile of Thumri Gayaki and her repertoire included the semi-classical genres like kajri, chaiti, hori and many more.

Another exponent of Kirana Gharana and known for her deep and powerful voice, Gangubai Hangal was a disciple of great maestro Sawai Gandharwa. This film ‘Gangubai Hangal’ (31 min./1985/Vijaya Mulay) includes interview with her and also highlights her passion of khayal singing and philosophy behind it.

‘Dhrupad’(68 min./1982/Mani Kaul) as the name suggests is on ‘Dhrupad Raag’. Though it is improvised in its existing form, roots of Dhrupad can be traced back to a thousand years of living traditions. This film helps us to understand the nuances as well as reasons for the popularity of Dhrupad among music lovers.

The  world  of  classical  music  has  a  special  affection  for  Tarana  bandish.  Through   ‘Tarana’      (26 min./1995/Rajat Kapoor), one gets to know the characteristics of this popular bandish and a unique style that employs mnemonic syllables like ‘dar-dar or ‘dir-dir’ in its compositions. ‘Khayalnuma’ is a variant of the Tarana that is also presented in this film.

Known for breaking all conventional modes of biographical or documentary film making, ‘Siddheswari’ (92 min./1989/Mani Kaul) is a work of experimentation, dedicated to the life and musical journey of legendary Hindustani singer, Siddheswari Devi. This film underlines her invaluable contribution to the world of light classical music.

‘Hans Akela’ (81 min./2006/Jabbar Patel) is the search of a grandson into his grandfather’s life and works. Bhuvanesh Komkali takes us back for a retrospective look into his grandfather, Kumar Gandarva’s probe of musical roots. His search of Kumar Gandharva is not just as a singing legend but as a musicologist too.

‘The Melody Man –Dr. Balamurali Krishna’ (28min./1999/Gul Bahar Singh) takes a short yet incisive trip into the life and works of one of the great exponents of Carnatic Music – Dr. Balamurali Krishna, a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, playback singer, composer and character actor. His constant quest for new frontiers and his boundless creativity are perfectly portrayed through the documentary.

Raagotsav attempts to not only showcase the best classical music talents India has produced over centuries but also to rekindle and re-invent the spirit of pure music for ‘rasikas’ in India and across the globe. The festival also aims at introducing the younger generation of music lovers to the treasure trove of great traditions of music India is known for, from North to South and East to West. Please visit www.filmsdivision.org and click @ “Documentary of the Week” or follow FD YouTube Channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/FilmsDivision to enjoy the veritable music feast.