On EC app meant for poll-related complaints, people upload selfies

Agencies
March 20, 2019

Chandigarh, Mar 20: People have been posting selfies and random pictures of trees, lamps and computer screens though an app meant for filing poll-related complaints, a senior official said Tuesday.

The Election Commission had launched the citizens' vigil app, also known as 'cVIGIL', to report violation of the model code of conduct. Through the application, people can report any poll-related violation by sharing photos or videos.

But in Punjab, about 60 per cent complaints received through the app were frivolous, the official said.

The office of Punjab's chief electoral officer has so far received 204 complaints through 'cVIGIL', out of which 119 have been found frivolous, he said.

"Among 119 complaints, we have received selfies and irrelevant photographs of computer screen keyboard, trees, lamps, blankets etc through the mobile application from people from different districts in Punjab," he said.

However, the office of Punjab CEO found 85 complaints genuine.

"Most of these complaints were related to pasting of posters and banners. Appropriate action was taken after passing necessary directions to the officials in districts concerned," the official said.

One of the complaints was also related to transportation of liquor in a vehicle, he said.

The office advised citizens to report only violation of model code of conduct. "People should use this mobile app wisely so as to highlight only the poll-related violations," the official said.

'cVIGIL' is being used for the first time in the Lok Sabha elections. It was earlier used in the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

Once the complaint is lodged through 'cVIGIL', it is to be addressed within 100 minutes. The app has in-built features to prevent its misuse. It will receive complaints only about poll-related violations.

The user gets five minutes to report an incident after having clicked a picture or a video. It does not allow uploading of the pre-recorded or old images and videos.

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Agencies
January 12,2020

Lucknow, Jan 12: The controversy over renowned Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz's iconic poem 'Hum dekhenge' may have caused an upheaval in the literary world but it has also helped in resurrecting the famous poet for the young generations.

Students and young professionals are making a beeline for books on Faiz, his biography and his poems and book sellers are ordering supplies of Faiz books.

"Earlier, we sold hardly one book in a month or on Faiz but after the controversy, people are curious to know more about the poet and his poems. We have placed orders for the entire literary range on Faiz Ahmad Faiz," said a leading book seller in Hazratganj in Lucknow.

The bookseller said that the highest demand was for books written in Devnagri script.

"Not many in the young generation can read or write Urdu so they prefer Devnagri," the book seller said.

In Kanpur, most of the leading bookshops have already run out of stocks and book stalls in the ongoing Handloom Expo are drawing huge crowds for Faiz books.

Suchita Srivastava, B.Ed student in Kanpur said, "I have never been fond of Urdu poetry because I do not understand much of the language but after the controversy, I want to read poems of Faiz to understand what he wanted to say. I am taking help of Google to understand difficult words in Urdu."

Krishna Rao, another student at the Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, said that since books on Faiz had been sold out, he had ordered a Kindle edition and was reading them.

"Reading his poems actually widens one's perspective of things and becomes even more precious if you take into account the time and context in which they were written," he said.

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News Network
June 4,2020

New Delhi, Jun 4: India's Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, following which the defence ministry carried out a massive contact-tracing exercise, official sources said.

Kumar's condition is stable and he is currently under home-quarantine, they said.

At least 35 officials working at the ministry's headquarters in South Block in the Raisina Hills have been sent on home quarantine after reports of Kumar testing positive for the infection emerged on Wednesday morning.

There was no official comment on Kumar's health condition. The defence ministry spokesperson refused to comment on the issue.

It is learnt that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh did not attend office as part of a precautionary measure.

The offices of the defence minister, the defence secretary, the Army Chief and the Navy Chief are on the first floor of the South Block.

The sources said all laid down protocols on contact-tracing and quarantining of people are being scrupulously followed.

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Agencies
August 8,2020

Idukki, Aug 8: Nine more bodies have been recovered from the landslide ravaged Pettimudi near Munnar in Idukki on Saturday. With this the death toll in the tragedy reached 26. Around 40 are feared to be still trapped under the debris or washed away.

The rescue operation by NDRF and Fire and Rescue Services that was stopped by Friday evening due to poor light and bad weather resumed by Saturday morning.

Horrifying scene prevailed in the area as relatives of the missing people screamed around in search of their beloved ones. As it is nearly 48 hours since the incident happened, the chances of recovering missing persons alive from the debris is becoming bleak. Three of the bodies recovered on Saturday could not be identified till evening.

Kerala Revenue Minster E Chandrasekharan, who visited the area on Saturday, said that search operation would be carried out until all the missing are recovered.

It was by around 11.30 pm on Thursday that landslide had hit the Nayamakkad estate of Kannan Devan Hills and Plantations. Settlement clusters of plantation workers where 83 persons were staying were reduced to debris as the huge rocks came bulldozing. Five of the residents were reported to be not in the spot while the mishap occured.

Meanwhile, heavy rains led to floods at many parts of the state. Red alert has been issued at Idukki, Malappuram and Wayanad districts for Sunday also. A total of 11,446 persons of 3,530 families were shifted to relief camps across the state, of which major chunk is at Wayanad.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that water level at most dams is increasing swiftly.

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