ISRO chairman S Somanath advocates for libraries in temples to attract youth

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Saturday advocated for setting up libraries in temples, stating that such an initiative would help attract youngsters to places of worship.

Speaking after receiving an award instituted by the Sree Udiyannoor Devi Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Somanath said temples should not only be places where elderly people come for nama japa (chanting the name of God), but they should also become places for “transforming society.”

He urged temple management to work towards attracting youngsters to temples.

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“I expected youngsters in large numbers at this award presentation ceremony, but somehow their numbers are considerably low. Temple managements should work towards attracting them to the temples. Why not set up libraries in temples?” he asked after receiving the award from former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair.

He said that such an initiative would help attract youth to temples where they could read, discuss various issues in the evenings, and develop their careers.

“If the temple managements work in that direction, it would bring big changes,” Somanath said. Former Chief Secretary K Jayakumar and V K Prasanth MLA were among the dignitaries who attended the function.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

IDFC First Bank shareholders approve merger with IDFC Ltd

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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IDFC First Bank’s majority shareholders approved the amalgamation of IDFC Ltd with the bank, according to a notification to the stock exchanges on May 17. The approval was granted at a meeting convened by the Chennai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

The resolution was passed by the requisite majority, with over three-fourths in value of the equity shareholders voting in favour. The bank in a regulatory filing said, “We wish to inform that the resolution approving the scheme was passed by an overwhelming majority of 99.95% of the equity shareholders, representing more than three-fourths in value of the equity shareholders, voting through remote e-voting and e-voting during the meeting, in accordance with Sections 230-232 of the Companies Act, 2013.”

IDFC Bank was granted a license by the RBI along with Bandhan Bank in 2014. In 2018, IDFC Bank Ltd and Capital First Ltd completed their merger to form IDFC First Bank.

In July 2023, the boards of directors of IDFC FHCL, IDFC, and IDFC First Bank had approved the proposed amalgamation.

On December 27, IDFC Ltd announced that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the amalgamation of IDFC Limited, IDFC Financial Holding Company Limited (IDFC FHCL), and IDFC First Bank.

IDFC, through its non-financial holding company, holds a 39.93% stake in IDFC First Bank. Post-merger, the book value per share of the bank is expected to increase by 4.9%, based on audited financials as of March 31, 2023.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Skinos introduces Exciplex, a device for treating autoimmune skin diseases

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Skinos, a provider of aesthetic services, has unveiled its latest innovation, the Exciplex. This device, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), represents a significant advancement in the treatment of autoimmune skin diseases.

The Exciplex is a handheld monochromatic Excimer Light platform designed to address a range of autoimmune skin conditions.

It emits light at 308nm, a wavelength optimised for treating chronic autoimmune skin diseases such as Vitiligo, Psoriasis, Alopecia Areata, Mycosis Fungoids, and Atopic Dermatitis.

Shruti Gupta, Medical Director & Dermatologist at Skinos emphasised its clinical efficiency and widespread recognition among dermatologists worldwide.

One of the key benefits of the Exciplex is its ability to provide quick and effective treatmens.

Conditions like Vitiligo and Psoriasis can often lead to social withdrawal and stigma, contributing to stress and anxiety among affected individuals.

Gupta highlighted the importance of Excimer Light Therapy in addressing these visible skin conditions,

The Exciplex offers numerous advantages for both patients and doctors.

It is the smallest Monochromatic Excimer Light platform available, allowing for the treatment of localized autoimmune skin conditions and dermatological indications.

With a spot size of 25 square centimeters, the device can target large areas while also accommodating smaller lesions using reduction tips.

Its lightweight and portable design, coupled with an intuitive touchscreen interface.

The Exciplex does not require any consumables, offering a cost-effective and environmentally friendly treatment option.

Gupta emphasised the device’s safety and effectiveness, citing numerous clinical studies supporting its efficacy in treating autoimmune skin conditions.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Nifty reclaims 22,500 as market hits two-week high amid steady gains

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The equity benchmark indices BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty continued their upward momentum for the third consecutive session, closing at a two-week high on Saturday (May 18).

The Nifty reclaimed the 22,500 mark, closing above this level for the first time since May 2. Both the Sensex and Nifty posted minor gains, with the Sensex rising 89 points to 74,006 and the Nifty adding 36 points to finish at 22,502.

The Nifty Bank Index gained 84 points, reaching 48,200, while the Midcap Index surged by 264 points to end at 51,869. Nestle emerged as the top Nifty gainer after shareholders rejected a proposed royalty hike to its parent company. In contrast, JSW Steel was the top Nifty loser despite its Q4 earnings meeting expectations.

Among the Sensex components, Nestle, Power Grid, Tata Motors, Tata Consultancy Services, HCL Technologies, Hindustan Unilever and State Bank of India were the major gainers. JSW Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the laggards.

Balkrishna Industries and Zydus Life both saw significant gains of 5% each on the back of strong Q4 performance. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) continued to build on its recent gains, buoyed by a positive company outlook. Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) rose 4% ahead of its earnings report and speculation about its inclusion in the Nifty index.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises reported better-than-expected Q4 earnings, boosting its stock by 4%. On the other hand, Astral saw a 5% decline as its earnings fell below estimates and showed a year-on-year decrease. The market breadth favoured advances amid thin trading volumes, with an advance-decline ratio of 3:2.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Swati Maliwal assault case: Delhi Police arrests Bibhav Kumar from CM’s residence

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar was arrested on Saturday (May 18) in connection with the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal, officials said.

Kumar was picked up from the chief minister’s residence by a Delhi Police team around noon, a senior police officer said. He has been taken to the police station for interrogation.

Maliwal has alleged that Kumar assaulted her at Kejriwal’s official residence on Monday, slapping and kicking her in the chest and abdomen, charges rejected as “baseless” by the party. The Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR in connection with the alleged assault on Maliwal and named Kumar as an accused.

AAP leader Atishi Atishi said if the Delhi Police is impartial, it should also register an FIR on Kumar’s complaint against Maliwal.

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“Will the Delhi Police register a case of trespassing, breach of security and obstructing a government servant from discharging his duty against her? If the Delhi Police is impartial, it should register an FIR on Bibhav’s complaint. Will it act on his complaint the same way it did on Maliwal’s complaint?” she asked.

“Her call records should be looked into and analysed (to see) which BJP leaders she was in touch with,” she said.

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Meanwhile, another purported video of Maliwal from the day of the incident surfaced online. In the video, a woman security personnel is seen holding Maliwal by her arm while escorting her out of Kejriwal’s residence. As they exit from the main gate, Maliwal frees her arm from the security personnel’s grip.

As part of its probe into the incident, the Delhi Police on Friday took Maliwal to Kejriwal’s residence to recreate the crime scene. Her statement was also recorded before a magistrate at the Tis Hazari court.

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Missing ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah…’ fame actor Gurucharan Singh returns home; here’s what he said

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Television actor Gurucharan Singh, popularly known as Roshan Singh Sodhi of ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’, finally returned home on Friday, May 17, after remaining missing for nearly a month.

Singh came back to his residence in Delhi early morning on Friday 24 days after he went missing on April 22

After he returned, Singh was interrogated by Delhi Police officials, following which he said that he had gone on a ‘religious journey’.

Police officials said that Singh visited several Gurudwaras in cities like Amritsar and Ludhiana after he was reported ‘missing’. However, he later returned home.

His statement has been recorded before the magistrate and he is fine now, according to Delhi Police officials.

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Gurucharan Singh was supposed to fly from Delhi to Mumbai on April 22, but he did not board the flight and soon went missing.

According to police, his phone was active until April 24 and he made multiple online payments. A few days later, his father Hargit Singh filed a missing person complaint with the police. The Delhi Police later registered an FIR of abduction.

Earlier, Hargit Singh in an interview had stated that his son looked troubled, but never shared with his family what was bothering him.

“My son Gurucharan Singh, 50 years old, left at 8:30 am on 22 April to go to Mumbai. He went to the airport to catch a flight. He didn’t reach Mumbai, neither has he returned home and his phone is not reachable. He is mentally stable and we had been searching for him but now he has been missing,” Hargit Singh said in his complaint to police.

According to reports, a team of police officials had also visited the sets of ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’ and questioned the actor’s co-stars in connection with the matter.

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Gurucharan Singh played the role of Roshan Singh Sodhi on the show, before taking a break in 2013. He came back the following year on public demand. After a few years, he made a permanent exit in the year 2020 and is said to have not been a part of any other project since then.

During that time, there were speculations that Gurucharan Singh may have exited the show due to delays in his payments. However, the actor always remained tight-lipped on the issue and never spoke about this to anybody.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Raghunandan Kamath, the man behind Naturals Ice Cream, no more

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Raghunandan Kamath, the founder of Naturals Ice Cream, passed away at the age of 75 at a hospital in Mumbai after a brief illness.

Kamath died on Friday night, Vijay Karnataka reported.

He was reportedly ill for the past several days and was admitted to the hospital. He is survived by his wife and sons.

“A phenomenal journey comes to an end. Saddened to know of the demise of ‘Icecream Man’ Shri Raghunandan Kamath, the founder & force behind Natural Icecreams. From Mulki to Mumbai with just a dream of creating a brand that became a ‘natural’ choice for every ice cream lover, his life is a huge lesson and inspiration for every entrepreneur. Prayers for his sadgati and strength to all his loved ones in this hour of grief. Om Shanti,” Captain Brijesh Chowta, secretary of BJP’s Karnataka unit wrote on social media site X.

A phenomenal journey comes to an end🙏🏽

Saddened to know of the demise of ‘Icecream Man’ Shri Raghunandan Kamath, the founder & force behind Natural Icecreams.

From Mulki to Mumbai with just a dream to creating a brand that became a ‘natural’ choice for every icecream lover,… pic.twitter.com/nPRw8CHZZj

— Captain Brijesh Chowta (Modi Ka Parivar) (@CaptBrijesh) May 18, 2024

Kamath started his journey from Mulki, a town in Mangalore taluk of Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka and went on to become a renowned name in the ice cream industry with his company Naturals Ice Cream, which is valued at approximately ₹400 crore today.

Born to a fruit vendor, Kamath in his early days assisted his father in the fruit business, which is said to have provided him with an invaluable understanding of fruits.

He left his village at the age of 14 and shifted to Mumbai, where he found a job at his brother’s restaurant.

According to a report by Udayavani, he forayed into the ice cream business in February 1984 with the help of just four workers. During the initial days, his company reportedly featured just 12 flavours of ice cream.

To attract more customers, Kamath used to sell Pav Bhaji, while serving ice cream as a side offering. This turned the world in his favour and drew several customers.

As the company – Naturals Ice Cream – gained popularity with time, Kamath decided to focus only on the ice cream business, which later allowed him to refine his products.

Later on, Kamath went on to open a total of 135 outlets across India by 2020. One of its unique selling propositions is that the company sells ice cream, which they say is made from natural ingredients without artificial flavouring.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Space startup Agnikul Cosmos finally to launch maiden sub-orbital rocket after multiple delays

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Indian aerospace startup Agnikul Cosmos on Saturday informed that it will launch its 3D-printed, semi-cryogenic Agnibaan rocket between May 28 and June 5.

The Chennai-based company wrote on social media platform X, “NOTAM issued. It is launch time.”

NOTAM issued. 🚀🌏 It is launch time. pic.twitter.com/KfntcDXZBN

— AgniKul Cosmos (@AgnikulCosmos) May 18, 2024

The launch is scheduled from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

This comes after the start-up on April 7 called off the maiden launch of Agnibaan rocket just 92 seconds before lift-off citing some technical issues, PTI reported.

It was the company’s third attempt at the test launch of the Agnibaan Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator (SOrTeD) since March 22 – the first scheduled date for the test flight.

“The Agnibaan SOrTeD lift-off was cancelled at T minus 92 seconds,” the IIT Chennai incubated start-up noted.

“Had to call off today’s launch attempt of Agnibaan SOrTeD just a second into Automated Launch Sequence (ALS) initiation (at T-129 seconds), because of a communication issue between 2 of our onboard hardware. Although it is frustrating to see a HOLD this close to lift off, we are glad that our ALS did its job. We’ll get to the root cause and come back for launch after fixing the cause. Thank you for the support as always,” it wrote on X on April 7.

After the launch of the Vikram-S sub-orbital rocket by another start-up Skyroot Aerospace in November 2022, Agnikul is aiming to conduct the country’s second private rocket launch.

As per the company, Agnibaan is a customisable, two-stage launch vehicle, which is capable of carrying a payload of up to 300 kg into orbit of about 700 km.

The Agnibaan rocket is based on a semi-cryogenic engine with a mix of liquid and gas propellants — the technology which is yet to be demonstrated by ISRO in any of its rockets.

Agnikul’s SOrTeD mission is a single-stage launch vehicle demonstration. It is powered by a semi-cryogenic engine, named Agnilet, which is a sub-cooled liquid oxygen-brd propulsion system developed indigenously, reports said.

It is powered by sub-cooled Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) and is further equipped with four carbon composite fins to provide passive control.

As per reports, the start-up’s mission will last for just over two minutes from launch to splashdown. After lift-off, it is expected to perform a pitch-over manoeuvre nearly four seconds into flight.

The manoeuvre will involve the controlled rotation of the vehicle to change its orientation from vertical to a predetermined angle concerning the ground or its flight path, PTI reported.

After that, it will go into the wind-biasing manoeuvre at just over 39 seconds. At about 1 minute 29 seconds, the vehicle is expected to reach the apogee — a point it will be farthest from the launch site, before splashing down just over two minutes into the flight which will mark the end of the mission.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Punjab Lok Sabha elections: Check full list of AAP candidates and constituencies

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Punjab is facing a four corner fight in the state as the campaigning in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections has entered the last leg. The polling for all the 13 parliamentary constituencies in the state will be held in the seventh and final phase of voting on June 1.

The border state is witnessing an action-packed poll campaign with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trying to garner maximum support defying the ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s dominance.

Despite being members of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, AAP and Congress have decided to go solo in the 2024 general elections. Also, the BJP and their ex-ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) failed to reach an agreement regarding the revival of their alliance in the state. As a result, Punjab is witnessing a multi-corner contest this time among AAP, Congress, the BJP and SAD.

During the 2019 elections, the Congress occupied the top spot in Punjab, winning eight out of 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The BJP and SAD won two seats each, while the AAP could only manage to secure one seat.

The AAP has emerged as a key player in the 2024 general elections in the state, following the Arvind Kejriwal-led party’s landslide victory in the 2022 Assembly elections. The party won 92 out of 117 seats, dethroning the Charanjit Singh Channi-led Congress government in the state. The grand old party was limited to just 18 seats, while three seats went to the SAD, two to BJP, and one each to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and an Independent candidate.

However, AAP recently suffered a major setback in Punjab after its Jalandhar MP Sushil Kumar Rinku switched to the BJP.

Punjab Lok Sabha elections: Voting dates

Polling in Punjab for the 2024 general elections will take place during the last phase on June 1. All seats in the state will vote in a single phase.

During the 2019 elections, it had registered a total voter turnout of 65.94%.

Punjab Lok Sabha elections: Total seats

Punjab has 13 parliamentary constituencies in total. Four seats are reserved for the SC candidates, while the remaining nine are unreserved.

Punjab Lok Sabha elections: Full list of AAP candidates

With its growing dominance in Punjab and after the emphatic in the last Assembly polls, the AAP looks to be in a strong position, hoping to improve its tally in the Lower House of Parliament this time. Here’s a complete list of AAP candidates in Punjab for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections:

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow