Government has said that about 40 lakh 53 thousand paddy farmers have benefited during the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season with Minimum Support Price (MSP) value of more than 70 thousand crore rupees.

The Agriculture Ministry said, government continues to procure Kharif crops at its Minimum Support Price from farmers as per its existing MSP Schemes. It said, the procurement is continuing smoothly in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar. Out of the total purchase of 372 lakh tonnes, more than 202 lakh tonnes has been purchased from Punjab, which is around 54.45 per cent of total procurement in the country.

The country’s COVID-19 recovery rate has reached around 94.89 per cent. During the last 24 hours, 33 thousand 494 COVID patients have recovered. The Health Ministry said, total number of recoveries has gone up to over 93 lakh 24 thousand. The actual caseload currently comprises only 3.66 per cent of the total positive cases. Presently, the total number of active cases in the country is 3 lakh 59 thousand 819.

In the last 24 hours, over 30 thousand new cases were reported taking the total number of positive cases in the country to over 98 lakh 26 thousand.

The Ministry said that effective implementation of the strategic and graded Test, Track and Treat approach has led to higher recoveries and lower fatality. Currently, India’s Case Fatality Rate is 1.45 per cent, which is one of the lowest globally. During the last 24 hours, 442 deaths were reported taking the Covid related death toll to one lakh 42 thousand 628.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research, more than 10 lakh 65 thousand tests were conducted during the last 24 hours. The total number of samples tested so far has reached over 15 crore 26 lakh. 

Union Minister Piyush Goyal has said that new farm laws will bring more investment in rural India and raise farmers’ income. Addressing FICCI’s Annual Convention, he said, these laws will open up new opportunities to do trade, commerce & business for the farmers without changing the past systems.

Mr Goyal urged all business leaders and intellectuals associated with FICCI to talk about the benefits of the farm laws, as these laws are for the benefit of all farmers across the country.  

Describing Startups as the backbone of new India, Mr Goyal said that Startups & the ecosystem of Startups are encouraging innovation and promoting & strengthening new & young entrepreneurs. He urged the Indian industry to support the startups, by providing them financial support, handholding, opportunities and mentorship so that they can grow, without resorting to dilution of their stakes to foreign companies at very low valuations at the initial stage itself.

He said, Indian brands should demonstrate to the world that it is of superior quality. Mr Goyal said that scale of manufacturing, coupled with quality & productivity, can truly make India competitive in several sectors & help move towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat which is going to be an important building block of New India.

He said, the government will identify areas where we have competitive & comparative advantages, where we can become global players & contribute to global trade in a bigger way.  

A delegation of farmers from Haryana met Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi and extended their support to the new farm laws.

The delegation, led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (Mann) Haryana state leader Guni Prakash submitted a letter of support to Mr Tomar on the farm laws and demanded the government to continue with these legislations.

They also threatened to start a protest if new farm laws are repealed. Mr Guni Prakash said that the ongoing farmers’ agitation is no longer a peasant movement. The BKU leader sought to know why the previous government did not implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission till 2014. This was the second group of farmers from Haryana that met Mr Tomar and extended support to the farm laws. The first group had met the minister on December 7.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, the Agriculture Minister said, the farmer leaders submitted a memorandum supporting the three farm laws. Mr Tomar said they also shared their experience on how these laws are benefiting farmers.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has called on all countries to declare a climate emergency to spur action to avoid catastrophic global warming.

He was speaking at a virtual summit on the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement.

Mr Guterres criticised G20 member countries for spending 50 percent more of their pandemic recovery cash on fossil fuels compared to low-carbon energy. 

The UN secretary general said that 38 countries have already declared a climate emergency and he called on leaders worldwide to now do the same. More than 70 world leaders are participating in the virtual summit organised by the UN, UK and France.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India has not only achieved it’s target against climate change as per the Paris Agreement 2015 but has also gone beyond it.

Speaking at the Climate Ambition Summit 2020, co-hosted by the United Nations, the United Kingdom and France, Prime Minister asserted that review of achievements should be done against the set targets in order to inspire the youths and forthcoming generations. Mr. Modi said, India has increased it’s solar capacity from 2.63 Gigawatt in 2014 to around 36 Gigawatt in 2020.

Referring to the two remarkable initiatives of International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Prime Minister said that the centennial India in 2047 will not only meet it’s own targets but will also exceed the expectations.

The Prime Minister  said that India has exceeded in expanding it’s forest cover and also safeguarding it’s biodiversity. The virtual summit witnessed world leaders coming together to make new commitments to tackle climate change and deliver on the Paris Agreement. The Climate Ambition Summit 2020 marks the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement which was adopted on 12th December 2015. 

Teaching profession is the noblest profession as a good teacher can create and guide a student by inculcating with value and character.  Andin this regard I wish to mention two sayings of our former President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam sahab which I like very much as I was in teaching/academic activities after completing University education. “Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, caliber and future of an individual. If the people remember me as a good teacher that will be the biggest honor for me”. And another one, “Real education enhances the dignity of a human being and increases his or her self-respect”. When I read about corruption in educational institutes/academic organisations I feel sad. From ancient times onward in this sub-continent, Gurukul school concept was introduced “A gurukul is a traditional school in India with students (shishya) living near their guru, often in the same dwelling, as a sort of family”.

Anyway recent irregularities and anomalies, for recruiting teachers in West Bengal is a news and thousands and thousands persons suffered. The level of irregularities and anomalies were high as sequel many have approached the Calcutta High Court. For the benefit of readers I wish to mention that the High court is the oldest High Court in India. It was established on 1st July, 1862 under the High Court’s Act, 1861.    The Calcutta High court on 11thDecember 2020 (Friday) quashed recruitment of teachers in around 15,000 vacant posts in upper primary schools.  Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya directed the School Service Commission to start the recruitment process afresh by adhering the guidelines of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). According this, candidates with a B.Ed. degree should get first preference. In case of selection, it was reported that because of some reasons less qualified candidates were selected whereas many B.Ed. candidates were ignored.  According to the directives, the Commission should start the process on 4th January 2021.  The verification of candidates and preparation of merit list should be completed by 31st May 2021, and the recruitment process should be complete by 14th August 2021. It may be mentioned here that the National Council for Teacher Education, which regulates teacher education in India, in 2009 made the B.Ed. or an equivalent degree compulsory for applying in teaching jobs at primary and upper primary schools.  It is unfortunate that thousands of youths suffered because of anomalies created by the State Government. Let me go back to the initial phase. The process for recruiting teachers in upper primary schools was initiated in 2014 and ultimately on 16th October, 2015, the exam, for selecting candidates in the 14,740 vacant teaching posts, was conducted.  And based on this, on 1st October 2019, the Department had prepared a merit list of around 26,000 persons.  Immediately, after the publication of the list, so called ‘merit list’, a large number of candidates moved to Calcutta High court alleging that even though they had a B.Ed. degree, their names did not figure in the list while less qualified candidates had been selected. Here it is pertinent to mention that, advocate Firdaus Shamim, the lawyer for the petitioner candidates, after the judgement mentioned, “This prompted my clients to move the High court.”  Advocate Shamim also said, “Discrepancies have been found in the list”. Also one Leftist leader said after the judgement, “the level of corruption was unprecedented”.   

I as senior citizen suggest no state Governments should indulge any sort of corruption particularly for requirements etc., as lives of innocent youths are involved here. In this case of West Bengal, five years are over for the youths who were selected in 2015. Again a new process has been initiated albeit the fates of youths, who were earlier selected, are uncertain. Anyway, salute to the Judiciary, our Third Pillar of Democracy, as an anomaly has been thrown away.

 The following websites have been consulted while writing the article:

1. http://www.eaajkaal.in/12/12/2020
2. https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/imageview_348395_7160461_4_undefined_12-12-2020_7_i_1_sf.html/12-12-2020
3. https://bartamanpatrika.com/detailNews.php?cID=13&nID=264584&P=2/12-12-2020
4. https://epaper.sangbadpratidin.in/12-12-2020
5. https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5439/gurukul

The Kite Runner:

The Kite Runner, a fiction novel by Khaled Hosseini, depicts the kindly love between a well off Pushtun kid, Amir, and his Hazara hireling, Hassan, during the barbarous war among Afghanistan and Russia. Amir and Hassan grow up together simply like genuine siblings. The racial boundary between Pushtuns, who are an unrivaled race, and Hazaras, who are regularly seen as sub-par slaves, doesn’t thwart Amir and Hassan from framing a solid sibling bond. Their relationship is past one of an ace and a hireling; past two colleagues. They are two spirits bond firmly by affection, kinship, and dependability. Nonetheless, much the same as the short smoothness before a tempest, a treachery in a dim rear entryway loosens up the once-unbreakable bond among Amir and Hassan. Their relationship is additionally broken by more forfeits, tears, and lies.

The principle character of the book, Amir, is credible on the grounds that he is balanced, demonstrating both agreeableness and weakness in his relationship with Hassan. Most Pushtun aces aren’t near their Hazara workers and some treat them ineffectively. Be that as it may, Amir, dissimilar to the vast majority of different young men who mortifies the Hazaras, treats Hassan well and builds up a solid friendship with Hassan. In spite of his kind disposition towards Hassan, notwithstanding, Amir additionally shows weakness since he never goes to bat for Hassan nor gives him help when Hassan faces difficulties. Then again, Hassan is a level character, demonstrating just two characteristics all through the book – thought and steadfastness. Hassan consistently aides and takes great consideration of Amir. He additionally remains respectful to his lord in spite of any conditions. Hassan realizes that Amir have double-crossed him, once, yet twice, yet he despite everything treats Amir well and remains faithful to his cherished ace.

I think this book is truly fascinating, or you can say it is near being overpowering, in light of the fact that you can never anticipate what will occur straightaway. Perusing The Kite Runner resembles cruising a yacht in a substantial fog: you can never observe through the hazy thickness yet your pontoon is moving at a fast. So before you understood, you catch “reefs”, or surprising occasions which the perusers will never anticipate. These “reef” occasions consistently give a solid impression about the book’s plot. They additionally give solid inspiration to me to continue turning those pages.

Bombshell: The achievement and embarrassment of Fox News is anything but a new story, yet given reality from the 2016 lewd behavior episodes that tormented the system, the theme is presently grub for a few books, a TV arrangement, and now the big screen.

“Sensation”, which hit theaters this week, recounts to the story from the point of view of three ladies who were vital to outrage – stays Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson, and a youthful and hopeful female news maker.

Having quite recently wrapped a couple of evenings of marathon watching “The Loudest Voice in the Room”, a Showtime arrangement dependent on the 2014 smash hit history about Fox News Channel president Roger Ailes, I was very much educated regarding Ailes’ unpredictable residency in charge of the system. Be that as it may, the arrangement rotated more around Ailes than the casualties of his times of his lewd behavior.

“Stunner” adopts an alternate strategy, following a direct storyline concentrating on the encounters of Kelly (in an astounding exhibition by Charlize Theron), Carlson (played by Nicole Kidman) and the youthful maker (played by Margot Robbie).

The movie opens with Kelly, who talking straightforwardly to the crowd, gives a voyage through the Fox News Channel realm, acquaints us with Ailes (played by John Lithgow), and makes way for the remainder of the film.

You open a newspaper, swipe through the pages and come across the section of reviews, your eyes meet the headline and this time the genre is different, it is comedy. To critique comedy is a task itself as comedy is subjective. What might be hilarious for me, might be a light laugh or maybe nothing at all to you. It sometimes also arrives at the expense of other people’s struggles etc. A review is basically a literary critique where the book that is being reviewed is analysed and the opinion of the writer is written on the basis of style, content and merit. It can also be considered description of the book and an evaluation of the significance and meaning too. Sometimes a the reviewer also comments on the past books of the writers and his general way of writing and presenting.

Mr. Martin portrays “Born Standing Up” as a memoir as opposed to a life account, “because I am writing about someone I used to know.” He need not indicate that he has gone through years dismembering that tragically deceased somebody since this book is written in the directly from-the-love seat voice of an obedient analysis and that doesn’t make Mr. Martin near-sighted or dull; it basically gives him more than the typical level of knowledge into why his comical inclination advanced the way that it did. Indeed, he had a dad who told a paper that “Saturday Night Live” (a long-running American TV show which Mr. Martin has hosted several times) was the most noticeably terrible thing on TV and whose own defeated desire as an entertainer prompted stone-confronted dissatisfaction with his child’s prosperity. Yet, the more youthful Mr. Martin is keener on picking up understanding than in doling out retributions.

“Born Standing Up” is a firmly engaged book, keeping its accentuation to the manners which were created by his mind and his own life during the early stages of his life. It is delineated with photos that show Mr. Martin getting a handle on for a strong physical style. One of the book’s most amusing contacts is an image of him in full radical Navajo formal attire, with a basic inscription: “No comment.”

In any event, for pursuers effectively acquainted with Mr. Martin’s grave side, “Born Standing Up” is an astonishing book: keen, genuine, sincere and a confessional booth, without being sentimental. Decades after retiring from his Stand-Up Comedy career, he glances back at a time of development and advancement, wondering about the idea that his endeavours may have driven totally no place in the event that they had not uncontrollably succeeded, and he would have also failed if some endeavours had not failed. While there is a lot to approve his feeling of having been fortunate, no one put it superior to Elvis Presley, whom Mr. Martin once met behind the stage when both were getting a sense of the status of the entertainment business rulers. “Son,” he says Presley said to him, “you have an ob-leek sense of humour.” 

Bombshell is an American movie directed by Jay Roach, written by Charles Randolph and cinematography effects by Barry Ackroyd.. Based on a true event, Bombshell shows the fight of a journalist, Gretchen Carison, fired by the chief executive of Fox agency, Roger Ailes who with other victims raise a voice against Roger for harassment. The film was released in 2019, after 2 years of the death of Roger Ailes. Megyn Kelly (Charles Randolph) also play a vital role and most of the movie revolves around her.

The movie starts with a conflict between Donald Trump, candidate for US elections for the presidency and a famous journalist with her own show ‘The Kelly Files’, Megyn Kelly. After the conflict and accusations made by Megyn on Live TV, she received a lot of criticism from Republicans. Then the story takes us to Gretchen Carison, who was harassed by Chief executive of Fox Agency gets fired by him and starts a fight with him by filing a lawsuit against him for sexual harassment. As the story unfolds. We come to know that Gretchen was not the only one who Roger harassed. She then inspires every woman to come forward and make him pay for what he did.

The movie is a strong portrayal of how rich and powerful people uses newcomers and struggling artists, who are still climbing the ladder to success. The people who love biographies and documentaries will be glued to their chairs throughout the movie. While there is less of entertainment factor in Bombshell, the movie provides us with the full knowledge of what happened at that time. The short quotes said by the characters in the movie such as “Nobody stops watching because of a conflict.

The lighting was great throughout the movie. The cinematography was applaudable there were 2 or 3 scenes when the camera directly zooms in towards the character while he/she was delivering dialogue which was quite distracting. In some scenes, the characters talk while looking directly into the camera which added some good effects in the movie. Music given by Theodore Shapiro in the movie was also appreciable too.

The movie also shows that while news channels and anchors play a vital role in forming the public’s opinions but it also leads to conflicts among them. New agencies along with delivering the news and current affairs to people, it influences them a lot. Bombshell contains some really powerful scenes, gaining our sympathy towards the victims of harassment. The movie can easily be compared to HBO’s film ‘The loudest voice’, based on the same scandal.

An insight into Fox News Corporation, Bombshell movie is worth a watch. It will take you back to 2016 and tells us the story through women’s point of view. The acting by all the characters was meritorious. The news of harassment was a shock to all public, thus justifying the title BOMBSHELL.

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