Significant progress has been achieved vis-à-vis snow clearance up to the Peer Ki Gali via Shopian side, with Mechanical Engineering Department (MED), Shopian, completing the job late last night, much before the expected deadline. Following the Deputy Commissioner’s visit to…
Significant progress has been achieved vis-à-vis snow clearance up to the Peer Ki Gali via Shopian side, with Mechanical Engineering Department (MED), Shopian, completing the job late last night, much before the expected deadline.
Following the Deputy Commissioner’s visit to the Mughal Road yesterday instructing concerned for immediate snow clearance, strenuous efforts were made by the MED Shopian resulting in road clearance in a record time yesterday.
Subsequent to the snow clearance, Deputy Commissioner Shopian, Mohammad Shahid Saleem Dar along with Chief Engineer, MED Kashmir, Manga Ram Kotwal and ADDC, Dr Nasir Ahmad Lone today visited the Mughal Road axis and reviewed the snow clearance operations and assessed the road’s traffic worthiness.
The DC assessed the situation of snow accumulation, assessment of avalanche areas and subsequent clearance along the strategic road and deliberated on its re-opening for traffic.
Some vulnerable spots were thoroughly taken care of and salt sprinkled to make the spots traffic worthy. With the snow clearance operations progressing well along Poonch side, the Mughal Road is expected to be opened for traffic soon, said Shahid Saleem on the occasion.
At present, the strength of women seafarers in India is approximately 10,300
The government envisions increasing the strength of women Merchant Navy personnel from India by three times by the end of 2026, for which the Directorate General, Shipping (DGS), has initiated several steps such as review of existing policies and providing incentives to prospective cadets.
A task force has been set up to review the policies and regulations governing the employment and working conditions of women seafarers and suggest changes or inclusion of new clauses to provide them equal employment opportunities and ensure their safety and well-being, Capt (Dr) Daniel Joseph, Deputy Director-General, Shipping, said during a visit to Chandigarh.
At present, the strength of women seafarers in India is approximately 10,300. They began joining the Merchant Navy about 15 years ago, and about 50 have reached the apex level of Captain or Chief Engineer on board sailing vessels. The total active seafarer community in India numbers about 3.2 lakh, according to data available with Merchant Navy associations.
In November, the DGS constituted the ‘Task Force on Women in Maritime’, recognising the pressing need to address the issues and challenges being faced by women in the maritime sector.
The task force, headed by Harjeet Kaur Joshi, former chairperson of the Shipping Corporation of India, includes representatives from the maritime industry, shipping firms, allied offices and other stakeholders to work for and look after women seafarers’ cause, issues and support their well-being at sea and ashore, Capt Joseph said.
Besides examining the working conditions, operating environment and infrastructural requirements from a gender perspective, the task force will identify the barriers to entry, retention and advancement for women in both seafaring and shore-based roles and propose solutions.
It will also suggest strategies to raise awareness about the contribution of women in the maritime sector and explore potential funding sources to support its initiatives, including partnerships with industry stakeholders, grants from government organisations and sponsorships.
The Ministry of Ports and Shipping, under whose purview the DGS functions, is also looking at measures like providing scholarships to deserving women cadets and forming all-woman batches for training.
According to available figures, 17 percent of the seafarers worldwide belong to India, the second highest number after the Philippines. Women seafarers form just about three per cent of India’s manpower contribution to the Merchant Navy.
Treasury says Chinese hackers remotely accessed workstations, documents in ‘major’ cyber incident
Chinese hackers remotely accessed several US Treasury Department workstations and unclassified documents after compromising a third-party software service provider, the agency said.
The department did not provide details on how many workstations had been accessed or what sort of documents the hackers may have obtained, but it said in a letter to lawmakers revealing the breach that “at this time there is no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury information.” It said the hack was being investigated as a “major cybersecurity incident.” “Treasury takes very seriously all threats against our systems, and the data it holds,” a department spokesperson said in a separate statement. “Over the last four years, Treasury has significantly bolstered its cyber defense, and we will continue to work with both private and public sector partners to protect our financial system from threat actors.” The revelation comes as US officials are continuing to grapple with the fallout of a massive Chinese cyberespionage campaign known as Salt Typhoon that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. A top White House official said Friday that the number of telecommunications companies affected by the hack has now risen to nine.
The Treasury Department said it learned of the problem at the agency on December 8, when a third-party software service provider, BeyondTrust, flagged that hackers had stolen a key used by the vendor that helped them override the service’s security and gain remote access to several employee workstations.
The compromised service has since been taken offline, and there’s no evidence that the hackers still have access to department information, Aditi Hardikar, an assistant Treasury secretary, said in the letter Monday to leaders of the Senate Banking Committee.
The department said it was working with the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to investigate the scope of the hack, and that the hack had been attributed to Chinese state-sponsored culprits. It did not elaborate.
Can stay submerged for longer period
Indian Navy submarines will get two new technologies — one that enables the vessels to stay underwater for longer periods and the other is an addition of next generation of torpedoes to the arsenal.
The Ministry of Defence today signed separate contracts to integrate these two technologies on board the fleet of Kalvari class submarines. Indian Navy has five submarines of the class and one more is set to be commissioned. Three more are set to be ordered.
The MoD said a contract was signed today for construction of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology made by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The integration of the AIP with the submarines will be done by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai. The contract is for Rs 1,990 crore.
Another contract has been signed for integration of Electronic Heavy Weight Torpedo (EHWT) to be developed by DRDO and will be integrated on board the submarines by the Indian Navy, the DRDO and the Naval Group, France. The contract is for Rs 877 crore.
The Naval group and the MDL are in a joint venture that makers Kalvari class submarines at Mumbai.
An EHWT is an advanced torpedo equipped with sophisticated electronics and guidance systems, allowing them to track and engage targets with high precision. They are heavier and more powerful than standard torpedoes, making them effective against larger and more heavily armoured targets.
The AIP technology being indigenously developed by DRDO will enhance the endurance of conventional submarines. The AIP is a marine propulsion technology that allows non-nuclear submarines to operate under water for longer periods.
Leh Hill Council, with the help of the Indian Air Force, successfully airlifted essential supplies to the remote villages of Dipling and Jingchen, which are cut off during the winter months. The supplies were delivered just ahead of the Losar…
Leh Hill Council, with the help of the Indian Air Force, successfully airlifted essential supplies to the remote villages of Dipling and Jingchen, which are cut off during the winter months.
In response, LAHDC, with the assistance of the Indian Air Force Station at Leh, mobilised helicopters to bring much needed supplies to these isolated regions. Chairman, LAHDC Leh, Tashi Gyalson, expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the swift action and support provided by the Indian Air Force Station, Leh, under the leadership of Wing Commander DS Handa, the Air Officer Commanding (AoC) of Air Force
He said they successfully carried out the operation, ensuring the smooth delivery of supplies to the villages of Dipling and Jingchen.
The mortal remains of former prime minister Manmohan Singh were consigned to flames at the Nigambodh Ghat here on Saturday amid the chanting of religious hymns. The funeral pyre was lit by his eldest daughter Upinder Singh.
The last rites were performed in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among other top leaders and foreign dignitaries.
King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Mauritius Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful were among the foreign dignitaries who paid their tributes to Singh .
Besides President Murmu and Prime Minister Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Leaders of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were among the top leaders who paid their last tributes to the former prime minister.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the three services chiefs also paid their last respects to Singh.
The procession carrying Singh’s mortal remains reached the crematorium at around 11.30 am, where the last rites will be performed shortly.
Draped in the Tricolour, the flower-bedecked casket was placed at a raised platform, where leaders cutting across party lines laid wreaths on Singh’s mortal remains.
Earlier, the final journey of Singh began from the AICC headquarters on Saturday morning after Congress leaders paid homage to their departed leader.
The vehicle carrying the mortal remains of Singh left the Congress headquarters in a procession amid chants of “Manmohan Singh amar rahe”.
A large number of Congress workers and leaders along with hundreds of Singh’s well-wishers walked along as “Jab tak suraj chand rahega, tab tak tera naam rahega” slogans rent the air.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also accompanied the procession alongside Singh’s relatives.
Singh’s mortal remains were taken to the AICC headquarters from his residence on 3, Motilal Nehru Road a little before 9 am.
The mortal remains were kept there for about an hour, with several top Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, paying tributes, among others.
Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur and one of their daughters also laid a wreath on his body.
Singh passed away on Thursday night at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences due to age-related medical complications. He was 92.
Considered the architect of India’s economic reforms, Singh served as the prime minister for 10 years between 2004 and 2014.
A seven-day national mourning is being observed throughout the country as a mark of respect to the former prime minister during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast across the nation, the Union Home Ministry has announced.
The Zafarnāma (Gurmukhi: ਜ਼ਫ਼ਰਨਾਮਾ; Persian: ظفرنامہ, romanized: Zafarnameh, lit. ‘Epistle of Victory’) was a spiritual victory letter sent by Guru Gobind Singh in 1705 to the Mughal Emperor of India, Aurangzeb, after the Battle of Chamkaur.[3]
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In the aftermath of the second battle of Chamkaur, the Guru wanted to write a letter of condemnation to the Mughal emperor for breaking his oath swore upon the Quran by attacking the Sikhs who were evacuating the fort of Anandpur after a long siege when they were promised safe passage by Aurangzeb.[4][3] The Guru did not rely upon the Mughal couriers to deliver the letter as he did not trust them to do so and he wanted to know how the emperor would react to its contents so he decided to send Daya Singh and Dharam Singh to deliver the letter personally.[4] Daya Singh had previously delivered a letter from the Guru addressed to the emperor from Ghulal on 26 December 1704.[4] Guru Gobind Singh sent 5 Singhs including Daya Singh,[4] Dharam Singh[4] and Sambhal Singh with the help of Naib Subedar Haji Sardar Shah to deliver the Zafarnama to Emperor Aurangzeb in Ahmednagar on 5 January 1707, the last day of Ramadaan that year.[citation needed]
The letter was written at Kangar village in modern-day Bathinda district and dispatched from the same place, or from the nearby village of Dina in modern-day Moga district.[5][6] According to Sikh tradition, the village of Dina located near the district’s border with the neighbouring Bathinda district is where Guru Gobind Singh rested for a few days after the Second Battle of Chamkaur.[5] Scholar Louis E. Fenech states the Guru rested at Dina at the house (specifically an upper story room called a chubārā) of a local Sikh named Bhai Desu Tarkhan after sending the Zafarnama from Kangar village, entrusted in the hands of Bhai Dharam Singh and Bhai Daya Singh.[6] A gurdwara, Zafarnama Gurdwara Lohgarh Sahib Pind Dina Patishahi Dasvin, commemorates his stay at Dina, Moga, and a sign there claims the Guru stayed at the location for 3 months and 13 days.[6] Harbans Singh in The Encyclopedia of Sikhism states the Guru only stayed at Dina for a few days conversely to the claims of the Gurdwara.[5] He further states that he stayed with two local Sikhs named Chaudhry Shamir and Lakhmir, the grandsons of a local cheiftain named Rai Jodh, whom had served the sixth Sikh guru, Hargobind, and fought and died at the Battle of Mehraj.[5] Guru Gobind Singh gathered an army of hundreds of locals from Dina and the surrounding area and continued on his journey.[5]
Christopher Shackle divides the work into five parts:[3]
In this letter, Guru Gobind Singh reminds Aurangzeb how he and his soldiers had broken their oaths sworn upon the Qur’an when they promised safe passage to the Guru but launched a hidden attack of an army described as much larger, on forty famished Sikh soldiers. He tells Aurangzeb this was not a battle, it was a slaughter. As such, in spite of losing most of his Sikhs in this attack, he had won a moral victory over the Emperor who had broken his vows to Allah. He also states that despite sending a huge army to capture or kill the Guru, the Mughal forces did not succeed in their mission.
In the 111 verses of this notice, Guru Gobind Singh rebukes Aurangzeb for his weaknesses as a human being and for his excesses as a leader. Guru Gobind Singh also confirms his confidence and his unflinching faith in the Almighty even after suffering extreme personal loss of his father, mother, all four of his sons, and many fellow Sikhs to Aurangzeb’s tyranny. Guru Gobind Singh then invites Aurangzeb to meet him in Kangar village near Bathinda (Punjab) and assures him the Brar tribe will not harm him (Aurangzeb) as they are under his command.
“On the way there will be no danger to your life, for, the whole tribe of Brars accepts my command.”
Of the 111 or 112[7] verses, the maximum numbers of 34 verses are to praise God; 32 deal with Aurangzeb’s invitation for the Guru to meet him and the Guru’s refusal to meet the Emperor – instead the Guru asks Aurangzeb to visit him; 24 verses detail the events in the Battle of Chamkaur, which took place on 22 December 1704; 15 verses reprove Aurangzeb for breaking promise given by him and by his agents to the Guru; In verses 78 and 79, Guru Gobind Singh had also warned Aurangzeb about the resolve of the Khalsa not to rest till the Mughal Empire is destroyed; 6 verses praise Aurangzeb.
In the work, the criteria for invoking dharamyudh is listed:[8][3]
All modes of redressing the wrong having failed, raising of sword is pious and just
— Guru Gobind Singh, Zafarnama
The work is sometimes considered to be the first of the Hikayats, with the remaining 11 works following it in the Dasam Granth.[3]
[edit]
The letter is written in Persian.[9] However, in one recension there are four verses in Braj.[7] It was originally written in the Perso-Arabic script rather than in Gurmukhi.[10] The version currently in circulation found in the Dasam Granth, the compilation of Guru Gobind Singh’s poetry, is in Gurmukhi script and Persian verse. Copies printed and sold today are usually in Gurmukhi script.[3]
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A still-extant copy of the original document is said to have been prepared by Bhai Daya Singh.[11]
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Academics Anil Chander Banerjee and Christopher Shackle believe the extant work is not the authentic one as originally written by Guru Gobind Singh.[7][3] According to Banerjee, the current text is unsuited for political correspondence and the original letter may have been written in prose which was later transformed into a poetic piece, which is the present composition that has been handed down.[7] A similar position was held by Shackle, who thought the original work was in prose but was later rewritten in a poetic style, emulated upon the epic metres of the Ferdowsi‘s Shahnama, effectively borrowing elements of Islamicate literature to have a more powerful effect of undercutting the “moral authority” of the recipient, Aurangzeb, a devout Muslim.[3] One view is that the original prose of the authentic letter by the Guru was transformed into poetry by Bhai Nand Lal, but Banerjee finds holes in this theory as the text is incorporated as part of the Dasam Granth, presented as the Guru’s writings alongside other works of his.[7] Nand Lal was also not present with the Guru during the time of authorship of the text.
The Zafarnama is similar to the Fatehnama, another purported work ascribed to the tenth Guru.[7] The Fatehnama survives as a work of complete couplets and one incomplete couplet.[7]
[edit]
The work was first translated into Punjabi.[8] It has been translated into English by Navtej Sarna.[8]
A lean elderly man, sporting white hair and holding the Tricolour, slowly made his way inside the Congress headquarters at Akbar Road. The 91-year-old Karna Prasad Mishra was among the crowd that thronged the AICC headquarters to pay their last…
A lean elderly man, sporting white hair and holding the Tricolour, slowly made his way inside the Congress headquarters at Akbar Road.
The 91-year-old Karna Prasad Mishra was among the crowd that thronged the AICC headquarters to pay their last respects to former PM Dr Manmohan Singh.
As he came out after paying his last respects, Mishra had tears in his eyes as drizzle drenched the earth. He again made his way through the crowd as Dr Singh’s mortal remains were taken towards Nigambodh Ghat crematorium.
Mishra claimed to have strived for the country’s Independence, alongside Gandhi and Nehru from 1943. Mishra said Dr Singh’s demise saddened him like many other people of the country. He said he had met him on several occasions.
Hailing from MP, he said he had planned to come to Delhi for the party’s foundation day. However, Dr Singh’s sudden death changed everything. As Dr Singh’s remains were taken to Nigambodh Ghat, Mishra followed the cavalcade. At times, he huffed, rested and walked again.
After almost an hour, Mishra finally reached the site around 12 pm. He, however, was not let in due to VIP movement. After an hour, as VIPs moved out and everybody was allowed to go inside, Mishra slowly walked towards the still burning pyre, held his hands and murmured a prayer. There are several others like Mishra who were at the crematorium for Dr Singh.
Pandit Anokhe Lal Tiwari, who hails from UP and is in his mid-60s, remarked, “I am a small person. But I understand that we have lost a big personality.”
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The government’s refusal to allocate a site for the cremation of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh where a memorial could be erected drew flak from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi-led BJP government of insulting…
The government’s refusal to allocate a site for the cremation of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh where a memorial could be erected drew flak from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi-led BJP government of insulting “the first Prime Minister from the Sikh community”.
“The government should have shown respect to this great son of the country and his proud community,” Rahul wrote in a social media post in Hindi after Manmohan Singh’s funeral, which the Congress leader attended.
“The great son of Mother India and the first Prime Minister from the Sikh community, Dr Manmohan Singh ji, has been totally insulted by the present government by performing his last rites today at the Nigambodh Ghat,” Rahul wrote on X.
Earlier, Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, wrote to Prime Minister Modi urging him to allocate a site for the cremation of Manmohan Singh “that would be a sacrosanct venue for a memorial to the great son of India”.
On Friday night, the Home Ministry announced allocating a site for Manmohan Singh’s memorial after forming a trust for this purpose. However, this did not meet Congress’ demand who wanted a memorial built at the site of cremation itself.
Except for Narasimha Rao, cremation sites of all the Prime Ministers have structures erected in their memory.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav also slammed the BJP government for denial of a site for Manmohan Singh’s cremation. “The tradition of respect should be followed in the context of the ‘samadhi’ of the former Prime Minister. Dr Manmohan Singh’s ‘samadhi’ should be built at Rajghat only. The BJP should not present an inappropriate example of its narrow thinking,” Yadav wrote on X.e government’s announcement regarding giving state funeral to Manmohan Singh at Nigambodh Ghat crematorium in Delhi attracted strong protest from SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal also. “It is condemnable that the Union Government has declined the request of Dr Manmohan Singh ji’s family for performing the last rites of the highly distinguished leader at a place where a historic memorial may be built,” Sukhbir wrote on X.
The Aam Aadmi Party also condemned the BJP for not allotting space in the Rajghat complex for the cremation and memorial of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. “I am stunned to hear that former PM Dr Manmohan Singh ji was cremated at Nigambodh Ghat. Until now, all former Prime Ministers were cremated at Rajghat,” AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal said.
