iPhone 11, samsung phones, one plus and more: discounts on Amazon freedom sale

Vaishali Singh

Amazon India has announced that it will be hosting a new, “Freedom Sale”. This sale is already underway and will go on till 11:59 pm on August 11, 2020. Under the sale, Amazon is offering deals across smartphones, consumer electronics, fashion, beauty, large appliances, and TVs.

During the sale period, customers will be extended a number of aggressive offers, including a bank offer under which they will get 10 per cent instant discount up to Rs 1,500 while making purchases using SBI Credit cards on a minimum purchase of Rs 5,000. There will also be other offers, including no-cost EMIs on Credit cards, Debit cards, Bajaj Finserv, and Amazon Pay Later.

Amazon has announced that mobiles from some of the top brands will be available with up to 40 per cent discount. There will also be exchange offers up to Rs 13,500 and no-cost EMI starting Rs 1,665 per month.

The most interesting of these offers will be on recently launched devices like the Samsung Galaxy M31s, OnePlus Nord, and the Redmi Note 9. Apart from this, there will discounts on other phones too, with up to INR 4,000 off on OnePlus smartphone s and up to Rs 5,000 off on Xiaomi devices. For example, the OnePlus 7T will be available at a discounted price of Rs 35,999 during the sale. The OnePlus 7T Pro on the other hand is available at Rs. 43,999. The Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro is also benefitting from the sale with the phone selling for a discounted price of Rs 22,999.

Amazon has also revealed that flagship Samsung smartphones will get up to Rs 25,000 off, while there will also be additional exchange offers up to Rs 4,000. During the sale, the iPhone 11, and iPhone 8 Plus will also be available at discounted prices.

Accessories including headphones will be at up to 70 per cent off, while cameras will be available at a starting price of Rs 2,416 per month. Amazon is also promising up to 30% off on laptops during the sale. For those looking to buy a new smart TV during the sale, Amazon is offering up to 60% off on Smart TVs.

Non Personal data faces pushback from US giants

Vaishali Singh

Government’s plan to regulate “non-personal” data has jolted US tech giants Amazon, Facebook, and Google, and a group representing them is preparing to push back against the proposals, according to sources and a letter seen by Reuters. A government-appointed panel in July recommended setting up a regulator for information that is anonymised or devoid of personal details but critical for companies to build their businesses.

The panel proposed a mechanism for firms to share data with other entities – even competitors – saying this would spur the digital ecosystem. The report, if adopted by the government, will form the basis of a new law to regulate such data.

But the US-India Business Council (USIBC), part of the US Chamber of Commerce, calls imposed data sharing “anathema” to promoting competition and says this undermines investments made by companies to process and collect such information, according to a draft letter for the government.

“USIBC and the US Chamber of Commerce are categorically opposed to mandates that require the sharing of proprietary data,” says the USIBC’s previously unreported letter, which is likely to be completed and submitted in coming weeks to India’s information-technology ministry.

“It will also be tantamount to confiscation of investors’ assets and undermine intellectual property protections.”

A USIBC spokeswoman had no comment on the draft letter. The US Chamber of Commerce didn’t respond to Reuters queries.

The head of the panel, Kris Gopalakrishnan, a founder of technology giant Infosys, said the group will work with the government to review input from the industry.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Amazon, Facebook, and Alphabet’s Google did not respond to requests for comment. The report is open for public comments until September 13.

Industry welcomes Defence Ministry’s move to stop import of 101 defence items in phased manner

Indian industry has welcomed the defence ministry’s move to stop import of 101 defence items in a phased manner. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday announced to put 101 items on import embargo to boost indigenisation of defence production.

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) director general Chandrajit Bannerjee welcomed the curbs and the announcement that 52,000 crore rupees will be earmarked for procurement from domestic manufacturers. He said, defence minister’s announcement for negative import list of defence systems and platforms marks the launch of a ‘new glide path’ for AtmaNirbhar Bharat.

FICCI has described it a great leap forward for Atmanirbhar Bharat program in defence production. FICCI’s defence committee head SP Shukla said earmarking of 52,000 crore rupees for domestic capital procurement fulfils a request by the industry chamber to provide long-term visibility on defence procurement plans. Chairman and managing director of Bharat Forge Baba Kalyani said the announcement is a strategic step that will propel the Atmanirbhar Bharat narrative and bolster Indian defence equipment manufacturing industry.

He said the growth of the domestic industry especially the MSME sector, will lead to self-reliance, reduced expenditure on imports, saving of foreign currency, creating job opportunities, revival of consumption and ultimately getting us closer to the common goal of 5 trillion economy.

PM launches Rs 1 lakh cr agriculture infrastructure fund; Also releases 6th installment of PM-Kisan scheme

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched one lakh crore rupees agriculture infrastructure fund to give a leg up to post-harvest management and marketing of agricultural produce. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi said the scheme will provide better warehousing and cold storage facilities for farmers. He said new jobs will be created as food processing and post-harvest facilities are set up in rural areas.

Prime Minister said, the scheme will enable startups to scale up their operations and India to build a global presence in organic and fortified food. The fund was launched with 1,128 crore rupees of new loans disbursed to more than 2,200 cooperative societies. During the event, the Prime Minister also transferred 17,100 crore rupees to more than 8.5 crore farmers under the PM-Kisan direct income assistance scheme.

Under the infrastructure scheme banks and financial institutions will provide one lakh crore in loans to cooperative societies, farmer producer companies, self-help groups, entrepreneurs, startups and infrastructure providers. The objective is to provide medium to long-term debt financing for setting up of post-harvest infrastructure and community assets for marketing of farm produce.

PM Modi to inaugurate submarine Optical Fibre Cable connecting Chennai, Port Blair today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today inaugurate and dedicate to the nation submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connecting Chennai and Port Blair through video conferencing. The foundation stone for the project was laid by Mr Modi on 30th December 2018 at Port Blair. The submarine cable will also connect Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep, Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island, and Rangat. This connectivity will enable delivery of faster and more reliable mobile and landline telecom services to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Enhanced telecom and Broadband connectivity will boost tourism and employment generation in the Islands and also give an impetus to the economy and raise standards of living. Better connectivity will facilitate delivery of e-Governance services like telemedicine and tele-education. Small enterprises will benefit from opportunities in e-commerce, educational institutions will utilize enhanced availability of bandwidth for learning and knowledge sharing.

Once inaugurated, the submarine Optical Fibre Cable link will deliver bandwidth of 2×200 Gigabits per second, Gbps between Chennai and Port Blair, and 2×100 Gbps between Port Blair and the other islands. Provision of reliable, robust, and high-speed telecom and Broadband facilities in these Islands will be a landmark achievement from the viewpoint of consumers, as well as for strategic and governance reasons. 4G mobile services, which were constrained due to limited backhaul bandwidth provided via satellite will also see a major improvement. Business Process Outsourcing services and other medium and large enterprises will also reap the benefits of better connectivity.

The project is funded by the Government of India through the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) under the Department of Telecommunications in Ministry of Communications. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) executed this project while Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) is the Technical Consultants. About 2,300 Kilometers of Submarine Optical Fibre Cable has been laid at a cost of about 1 thousand 2 hundred 24 Crore rupees and the project has been completed in time.

Tamil Nadu Class 10th board SSLC result declared

Vaishali Singh

TN Board SSLC 10th Result 2020, Tamil Nadu Board SSLC Class 10th Result 2020 at tnresults.nic.in, dge1.tn.nic.in, dge.tn.gov.in, dge2.tn.nic.in Live Updates: Around 9.7 lakh candidates who had appeared for the SSLC, class 10 exams will get their result through the website tnresults.nic.in

More than nine lakh students were waiting for the results which was declared today. The result was declared today at 09:30 am on the TNDGE official website.

The Tamil Nadu Directorate of Government Examination (TNDGE) released the result for the Secondary School leaving certificate examination (SSLC) or class 10 examination on Monday, August 10. Around 9.7 lakh candidates who had appeared for the SSLC, class 10 exams will get their result through the website tnresults.nic.in

The state government cancelled the board exams due to Coviid-19 and is awarding marks based on half-yearly and quarterly exam marks of students.

“The results of Class X would be declared at 9.30am on August 10. Candidates can check their results by registering their date of birth and roll number,” C Usharani, director of government exams, said in a release.

If students have any grievances over their marks, they can submit the form through their schools from August 17 to 25. The forms will be received on the DGE’s website www.dge.tn.gov.in and processed

“The results would be conveyed through school headmasters,” the release added. The candidates also can get provisional mark sheets from August 17 to 25.

In order to clear the examination, candidate needs to score a minimum of 35 marks out of 100 in each subject while for science candidate needs to clear the theory and practical examination separately such as they need to score 20 out of 75 marks in theory paper and 15 out of 25 marks in practical paper to be declared a pass.

Final year written exams to be cancelled, Delhi state Government

Vaishali Singh

In response to a petition challenging UGC guidelines mandating the conduct of final year exams by universities before September 30, Government of Delhi has informed the Supreme Court that Delhi State Universities exams have been cancelled.

In a latest decision, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi has directed “all Delhi State Universities to cancel all written online and offline semester examinations including final year exams.“

The Supreme Court had directed. all parties to file their affidavits by August 7, and for rejoinders to be filed a day after that.

Delhi government in its affidavit states that on July 11, a decision was taken by the Deputy Chief Minister/Higher and Technical Education Minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi that all online-offline exams of universities under the state including final year exams would be cancelled in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases.

However, the affidavit notes that some vice-chancellors of certain universities were in favour of wrapping up at least the final semester exams.

However, after perusing all details including the latest UGC directive to complete final year exams by September 2020, Delhi government decided to stick to its July 11 decision and continue with not holding the exams.

Delhi Government has further stated that “in Delhi’s State universities, best efforts were made to conduct online classes, but the reality of our digital divide is that online classes are not accessible equally by all”.

“During this extremely tough period, regular physical classes got completely interrupted. The students had no access to study material and the college libraries were closed, although getting access through online mode in such peculiar circumstances, the students did not get the kind of preparation needed to attempt a full-fledged examination,” reads the plea.

As per present status, GGSIP University has around 27,000 final year students and are now devising mechanism for assessment to award marks to final year students and this is also the case for Delhi Pharmaceutical Science and Research University (DPSRU).

The other six universities have completed the final year Examination by online mode.

A total of 31 students from different universities across India had approached the Supreme Court to quash the latest University Grants Commission (UGC) circular directing universities to wrap up final year examinations by September 30.

Before Delhi Government, Maharashtra Government on August 7 informed the Supreme Court that the State Disaster Management Authority on July 13 had resolved to not conduct examinations in the state amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision was taken after a majority of University Vice-Chancellors from across the state voted against conducting exams in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

Corona Virus in India: in 2 days India records spike of over 2 lakh cases

Vaishali Singh

Coronavirus Cases in India LIVE: Coroavirus cases in India have continued to see a spike in the past few days, breaching a new mark every other day. On Sunday, India registered its single-day and record spike of 64,399 coronavirus cases, taking the country’s Covid tally past 21 lakh-mark. India had crossed the 20 lakh-mark on Friday. In just two days, India recorded a spike of over 1 lakh cases. Experts have believed that India’s coronavirus peak is yet to come. As per World Health Organization data, India has been recorded more coronavirus cingle-day cases than the United States or Brazil for past four days. As India readies to prepare to fight coronavirus, stay with us to catch LIVE updates.

One hundred and nine days after the first person tested positive for Covid-19 in India, the country’s case count crossed the 1-lakh mark on Monday, with the number of infections having doubled in just a little over 12 days.

Both the spread of the virus and the spurt in cases in recent days will be a cause for concern for the authorities. On Monday, 4,713 fresh infections were reported from across the country, the third highest in a single day so far, led again by Maharashtra, which reported more than 2,000 cases (2,033 to be exact) for the second day running. As many as 24 states/UTs reported new cases during the day.

On the positive side, the number of people recovering from the infection is steadily rising. It was 38,908 on Monday, with the recovery rate at 38.8%. With 3,103 fatalities from the virus so far, India’s death rate too is relatively low at 3.1%.

However, as the country entered phase 4 of lockdown, the number of daily cases was still rising, indicating that the infection was yet to peak. On Monday, apart from Maharashtra, the number of new cases remained high in Tamil Nadu (536), Gujarat (366), Delhi (299, a slight drop from previous days), Madhya Pradesh (254), Uttar Pradesh (177) and Bihar (103).

Rajasthan and Karnataka registered their highest single-day rise in infections, with 305 and 99 cases, respectively. West Bengal (148), and J&K (106) were also close to their highest numbers.

At 131 deaths from the virus on Monday, the toll remained above 100 for the fourth straight day. Maharashtra recorded the highest 51 deaths, including 23 from Mumbai, while Gujarat reported 35 fatalities, a majority (31) from Ahmedabad alone. The toll was 12 in Delhi, where the death rate is now slowly rising after staying low for a long time.

Among Indian cities, Mumbai has recorded the highest number of Covid-related deaths at 757 while Ahmedabad district comes second with 524. When it comes to death rates, Gujarat’s financial capital has double the rate than the Maximum City. Compared to Mumbai’s rate of 3.64%, Ahmedabad recorded 6.22%. In the month of May, the rate reduced in Mumbai but increased to 6.95% in Ahmedabad.

NEW DELHI: One hundred and nine days after the first person tested positive for Covid- 19.

in India, the country’s case count crossed the 1-lakh mark on Monday, with the number of infections having doubled in just a little over 12 days.

Rajasthan and Karnataka registered their highest single-day rise in infections, with 305 and 99 cases, respectively. West Bengal (148), and J&K (106) were also close to their highest numbers.

In terms of cases, Maharashtra reported 2,033, the second-highest count in a day. The state’s tally reached 35,086, with Mumbai reporting over 1,000 cases for the second day in a row (1,185) to breach the 21,000 mark. The city now has 21,335 cases.

Meanwhile, five doctors and 55 police personnel where among the 106 who tested positive for the virus in J&K. Four of these doctors had treated a Covid positive woman who died of co-morbidities on Sunday.

Tamil Nadu reported three deaths and 536 fresh Covid-19 cases on Monday, with people returning from Maharashtra being the only ones testing positive in many districts. The testing strategy continued to be a subject of debate with the ICMR releasing new guidelines and the state set to finalise its own by Tuesday. The state has been criticised for reducing the number of tests over the last one week by epidemiologists, doctors and political leaders.

In Uttar Pradesh, as many as 177 new cases, including 31 in Gautam Budh Nagar, took the state’s Covid tally to 4,649. The state also recorded six deaths, including two migrant workers. UP’s corona toll is now 118.

NEET, JEE MAINS 2020 exams, parents file petition in SC to ensure no further delay

Vaishali Singh

A group of students and parents have filed a counter plea in the Supreme Court asking it to direct the National Testing Agency to conduct NEET and JEE Main 2020 exams in September as scheduled. This comes on the heels of the plea filed by 11 students asking for the postponement of the exam in the wake of rising COVID cases in the country.

The plea points out that several tests have already been conducted by NTA and other bodies across the country countering the contentions on pandemic created difficulties. It also points out that NTA had given the opportunity to all students to change their exam centres or cities to the ones most convenient to them in view of the COVID situation.

“These exams are so important that they determine students’ career and also the entire life. As such, the Respondent Authorities must take into consideration as a relevant factor the fact that any further deferment of the examination will further add to the stress levels of the students resulting in further traumatising the students with the uncertainty of their future and thereby severely impacting their academic performance in the ultimate examination to be held in future”, reads the plea as reported by Bar and Bench.

The plea further says, “There is an eminent need for the NTA to adhere to the 2nd revised schedule and conduct the all India basis NEET UG-2020 and the JEE (Main) for UG-2020 as it is a settled position that the admission process is time bound and the entire admission schedule is a time regulated process mandated by the judgments of the Hon’ble Apex Court.”

Another fact pointed out by the petition is that students have rigorously been preparing for the NEET 2020 and JEE exams for the past 3 years from the time they were in Class 10. Non-conduct would mean the loss of an academic year and the adverse impact of the same on students appearing for the exam this year.

The petition also brings to notice the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) ‘Revised Guidelines on Examinations and Academic Calendar for the Universities in view of COVID-19 Pandemic’ dated July 6, whereby all universities are mandated to complete the final year examinations by the end of September 2020.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh banned import of 101 defence items in big push for Atma Nirbhar Bharat

Vaishali Singh

The defence ministry will stop the import of 101 items “beyond given timeline” to boost indigenous production according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission of Atma Nirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India), Union minister Rajnath Singh said today. This would mean that the domestic industry will receive contracts worth almost Rs 4 lakh crore within the next six to seven years. The embargo will be implemented in phases between 2020 and 2024, the minister said.

The list includes high technology weapon systems like “artillery guns, assault rifles, corvettes, sonar systems, transport aircrafts, light combat helicopters, radars and many other items”, the Centre said in a statement

The list also includes wheeled Armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), with an embargo date of December 2021, “of which the Army is expected to contract almost 200 at an approximate cost of over Rs 5,000 crore,” the ministry said.

The Navy is likely to place demands for submarines with indicative import embargo date of December 2021, of which it expects to contract about six at an approximate cost of almost Rs 42,000 crore.

For the Air Force, it is decided to enlist the LCA MK 1A with an indicative embargo date of December 2020. Of these, 123 are anticipated at an approximate cost of over Rs 85,000 crore, the government said. The ministry will identify more such equipment for import embargo.

The list has been prepared by the defence ministry after consultations with all stakeholders, including the Armed Forces, public and private industry, Mr SIngh said.

“This decision will offer a great opportunity to the Indian defence industry to manufacture the items in the negative list by using their own design and development capabilities or adopting the technologies designed and developed by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) to meet the requirements of the Armed Forces,” the minister said.

All steps will be taken to ensure that timelines for production are met. This would involve a coordinated mechanism for “hand-holding of the industry by the Defence Services”, the minister said. The ministry will identify more such equipment for import embargo.

Lake Karachay: Most polluted place on earth

Look at the environment and there may be several sources of contamination — streams full of harmful substances from agricultural operations, waterways overflowing with field waste, garbage floating out from landfills, city sky filled in smog. Also, ecosystems that appear to be untouched can suffer the effects of emissions from sources located hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Pollution can create muddy fields, poison wetlands, and rivers, or destroy plants and animals. People are also routinely affected by pollution. Long-term exposure to air pollution, for example, can lead to chronic respiratory disorders, lung cancer, and other diseases. Toxic chemicals that accumulate in the top predators can make certain animals unsafe to eat. More than one billion people do not have access to safe water, and 2.4 billion do not have proper sanitation, placing them at risk of contracting deadly diseases.

Lake Karachay is located in the southern Ural mountains in Central Russia. In approx 1951, the Soviet Union used this site to dump radioactive waste and today it is filled and acts as near-surface permanent and dry nuclear waste storage facility. According to a report by Washington D.C. based on the Worldwatch Institute of Nuclear Waste, it is the most polluted open-air place from a radiological view.

The lake accumulated nearly 4.44 exabecquerels (EBq) of radioactivity is less than one square mile of surface, including 3.6 EBq of cesium-137 and 0.74 EBq of strontium-90. In contrast, the Chernobyl catastrophe emitted 0.085 EBq of Caesium-137, a significantly smaller volume, and over a thousand square miles. (The cumulative release of Chernobyl is estimated to be between 5 and 12 EBq of radioactivity, but ultimately only caesium-134/137 contributes to soil exposure because the remainder is too short-lived). As a result, the lake is biologically 42 times more radioactive than Chernobyl.

As of December 2016, the state of the lake is fully packed with unique concrete blocks, rock and gravel. It was fully refilled in November 2015 and then tracked until the final layer of rock and soil was laid. Monitoring results revealed a “strong decrease in the surface accumulation of radionuclides” after 10 months. A decades-long surveillance system for surface water was planned to be implemented soon afterward.

So here I am concluding this article. Hope you guys enjoyed it!

The reopening of schools and colleges in India

Vaishali Singh

Since the beginning of the phase-wise upliftment of the coronavirus-induced lockdown, a question that has been frequently asked by people, especially students, across the country is when will schools and colleges reopen in India. All education institutions were closed across the country after the Centre imposed a nationwide lockdown to control the spread of the dreadful coronavirus, which is caused by SARS‑CoV‑2. However, a media report has now revealed that the Centre might soon unveil a phase-wise plan to reopen schools and educational institutes across the country between September 1 and November 14 later this month as part of final Unlock guidelines.

The schools and educational institutes across the country are closed since March 23, when the first lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic was put in-place. Ever since, the teaching and learning activities are relying on online modes, whose success has been limited because of the uneven availability of smart-devices, specifically in the country’s hinterland.

According to a report in Economic Times, the specifics of the plan have been formulated by the group of secretaries associated with the Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19 management, which is being headed by Health Minister and Member of Parliament from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, Dr Harsh Vardhan.

The report quoting its sources said that central government will simply issue Broad Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) as for the opening of schools and educational institutions, with the final decision left to the respective state governments so as to decide when and how to restart the classroom teaching.

What does the Centre’s formulation of opening schools and educational institutes say?

It suggests that for the first fifteen days of the opening of schools, Class 10 and Class 12 students will be asked and guided to attend the school. Afterwards, the students of Class 6 to 9 will be brought back to the classrooms with restricted hours.

However, all sections of one class will not attend the school on the same day. Different sections of a class will have specific days assigned as for attending the schools.

The emphasis on the sanitisation of the classrooms remains the biggest highlight of the Centre’s formulation. Schools will be told to work in shifts – 8 to 11 AM and 12 to 3 PM – with an hour left for the sanitisation. So far there is no plan to bring the primary and pre-primary students back to the classrooms, and they will continue to be taught via online modes, The Economic Times reported.

The government officials have studied the countries such as Switzerland have brought back the students to classrooms, and the formulation has been designed on similar lines as for the classroom teaching of Indian students.

Mukesh Ambani becomes the 4th richest man in the world

Vaishali Singh

India’s richest leading businessman Mukesh Dheerubhai Ambani has already surpassed some of the biggest tycoons of the world in recent weeks, and has now become the 4th richest man in the world.

Reliance Industries Ltd.’s chairman is now worth $80.6 billion, after amassing $22 billion this year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. That gives him a bigger wealth pile than France’s Bernard Arnault, whose LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE has suffered from customers curbing high-end fashion purchases faster than the company can cut costs.

While the conglomerate with a huge energy empire was slammed by a slump in demand for oil amid Covid-19, its shares have more than doubled from a low in March as its digital unit got billions in investments from companies including Facebook Inc. and Google.

Ambani has slowly been shifting his focus to e-commerce, with tech giants seeking to take a piece of India’s fast-growing digital business. Google said last month it will spend $10 billion in the coming years to help accelerate the adoption of digital technologies in the world’s second-most populous nation.

Meanwhile, with LVMH shares down this year, Arnault has become the biggest loser among the world’s 500 richest people. His net worth has plunged $25.1 billion to $80.2 billion.

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