Rahul is Congress VP, get set for 2014 showdown with Modi

January 20, 2013

rahul_against_modiJaipur, Jan 20: Rahul Gandhi has finally taken the big leap. On Saturday, amid high anticipation, the Congress formally anointed him as the party's vice-president - in other words, the No. 2, which in light of Sonia Gandhi's indifferent health, means his imminent elevation as No. 1. It also means that Rahul Gandhi has agreed to be the party's candidate for PM in 2014 elections, thus setting the stage - if BJP settles for Narendra Modi as its best bet for the election - for a showdown with the Gujarat strongman.

The decision ends the tense uncertainty in Congress over whether Rahul was agreeable to assume a larger responsibility. The young leader, often viewed as a reluctant inheritor, has taken a long time to step up to the plate which will now relieve Sonia Gandhi of some burden and end Congress's anxiety. Rahul's elevation might also act as an impetus to the saffron legions clamouring for the projection of Narendra Modi as their candidate for the PM's job.

In his acceptance remark, Rahul told members of CWC, some of whom were colleagues of his father Rajiv and grandmother Indira: "I have travelled the country widely in last eight years and I believe we can transform the country." The proposal to make Rahul the party vice president was moved by Defence minister A K Antony on the second day of the party's Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session) here. Antony said this was the wish of Congress workers. Sonia and Rahul indicated their agreement.

The leg-up for the Gandhi scion, as indicated by TOI on January 18, marks another generational change in Congress—the fifth from Nehru-Gandhi family after Jawaharlal, Indira, Rajiv and Sonia. Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said no decision has been taken on giving Rahul the command of the coming Lok Sabha polls. But, for all practical purposes, the baton has changed hands and is likely to hasten the induction of a new AICC team. That Sonia Gandhi has decided to keep herself aloof, at least formally so, may only accelerate the transition.

Rahul had so far resisted the formal No 2 tag to the point of virtually exasperating party leaders and triggering all sorts of speculation. His elevation looked imminent when he was asked, along with three other senior leaders, to look after Congress affairs when Sonia had to go abroad for medical treatment. But the expectations proved wrong, and after the party's debacle in UP last year - an election in which Rahul led the charge - contributed to the uncertainty about Rahul's elevation.

The clamour for drafting in Rahul as the de-jure leader of the Congress reached a crescendo on January 19, eclipsing every discussion on social-economic, political and organisational challenges for which the Chintan Shivir was ostensibly called. The atmospherics of the build-up marked the takeover of the Grand Old Party by its youth brigade.

Sonia Gandhi on Friday had made it clear that youth and urban middle class were party's priorities for 2014: a reflection of the worry that the urban constituencies and the middle classes who were crucial to Congress's back-to- back Lok Sabha wins, particularly the 2009 one, had drifted away. Rahul's remark , expressing his confidence in the country's transformation, appeared to be aimed at the same constituency - aspirational India, currently disillusioned by the non-fulfilment of the promise held out by the UPA.

The new role for Rahul is also likely to be the spur for the BJP to end its ambivalence over what to do with Narendra Modi. Although the BJP leadership has come around to give a second term to Nitin Gadkari, there is recognition in the party that it cannot allow a perception of a Rahul-Gadkari match-up to grow as that is viewed to be to the BJP's disadvantage.

Rahul is only the third vice-president in Congress history after Arjun singh occupied the post under Rajiv Gandhi in 1986, and Jitendra Prasada under Sitaram Kesari in 1997.

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News Network
April 22,2020

New Delhi, Apr 22: Philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership in dealing with COVID-19 pandemic by adopting several measures including lockdown and increasing health expenditure to strengthen the health system response.

"We commend your leadership and the proactive measures you and your government have taken to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 infection rate in India, such as adopting a national lockdown, expanding focused testing to identify hot spots for isolation, quarantining, and care, and significantly increasing health expenditures to strengthen the health system response and promote R&D and digital innovation," Gates wrote.

He added: "I'm glad your government is fully utilising its exceptional digital capabilities in its COVID-19 response and has launched the Aarogya Setu digital app for coronavirus tracking, contact tracing, and to connect people to health services."

Prime Minister Modi had on March 24 announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown was later extended to May 3.

Gates further stated, "Grateful to see that you are seeking to balance public health imperatives with the need to ensure adequate social protection for all Indians."

With 1,486 new cases and 49 deaths in the last 24 hours, India's total number of coronavirus positive cases have risen to 20,471 while the death toll stands at 652, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday.

Out of the total number of cases, 15,859 are active cases, 3,959 cured or discharged or migrated and 652 deaths.

Bill Gates met Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi on November 18 last year.

During his visit, Gates had addressed a function organised by NITI Aayog for the release of its report on 'Health Systems for a New India: Building Blocks - Potential Pathways to Reforms' wherein he lauded the country for its healthcare system and talked about how digital tools can help improve it further.

At that time, the philanthropist had commended the Central government for stepping up and eradicating polio.

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News Network
January 19,2020

Shirdi, Jan 19: Shirdi in Maharashtra will remain closed for an indefinite period from today in the wake of state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's decision to develop Pathri town in Parbhani district as Sai Baba's birthplace.

However, Deepak Madukar Muglikar, Chief Executive Officer of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, has said that Sai Baba Temple in Shirdi will remain open today and will not be impacted by the closure of the city.

"There are some reports in media that Sai Temple in Shirdi will remain closed on January 19. I want to clarify that it is just a rumor. Temple will remain open on January 19," Mr Muglikar said.

A call has been given for indefinite closure of Shirdi after Mr Thackeray's reported comment terming Pathri in Parbhani as Sai Baba's birthplace.

"Devotees will not face any difficulty if they come to Shirdi," said B Wakchaure, member of Saibaba Sansthan Trust.

Uddhav Thackeray has recently announced that Pathri will be developed as the birthplace of Sai Baba for religious tourism and also took a review meeting of the development plans in the Parbhani district.

One of the most popular religious destinations in the country, Saibaba Temple in Shirdi witnesses lakh of devotees visiting the holy site every year.

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News Network
January 17,2020

Jan 17: India's "high power" communication satellite GSAT-30 was successfully launched in the early hours of January 17, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

The satellite, aimed at providing high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services, was launched onboard Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana.

Blasting off from the Ariane Launch Complex in Kourou, a French territory located in northeastern coast of South America at 2.35 am IST, European space consortium Arianespace's Ariane 5 vehicle injected GSAT-30 into the orbit in a flawless flight lasting about 38 minutes.

Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël tweeted about the successful launch of GSAT-30.

ISRO's U R Rao Satellite Centre Director P Kunhikrishnan, who was present in Kourou, congratulated the ISRO community and Arianespace team on the successful launch.

Calling it an "excellent start" to 2020 for ISRO with the launch, he said, "The mission team at the master control facility have already acquired the satellite and they will immediately complete the post launch operations...."

The 3,357-kg satellite, which was deployed from the lower passenger position of Ariane-5 launch vehicle (VA 251) into to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), is configured on ISRO's enhanced I-3K Bus structure to provide communication services from Geostationary orbit in C and Ku bands.

The satellite derives its heritage from ISRO's earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series, and is equipped with 12 C and 12 Ku band transponders.

GSAT-30 is to serve as replacement to the "aging" INSAT-4A spacecraft services with enhanced coverage, ISRO has said, adding the satellite provides Indian mainland and islands coverage in Ku-band and extended coverage in C-band covering Gulf countries, a large number of Asian countries and Australia.

With a mission life of 15 years, GSAT-30 is an operational communication satellite for DTH, television uplink and VSAT services.

The Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO has said the communication payload of GSAT-30 is specifically designed and optimised to maximise the number of transponders on the spacecraft bus.

According to the space agency, the spacecraft would be extensively used for supporting VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) network, television uplinking and teleport services, digital satellite news gathering (DSNG), DTH television services, cellular backhaul connectivity and many such applications.

One Ku-band beacon downlink signal is transmitted for ground-tracking purpose, it added.

For its initial flight of 2020, Arianespace on its website said, it would orbit EUTELSAT KONNECT, a telecommunication satellite for the operator Eutelsat, along with GSAT-30, using an Ariane 5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Centre.

EUTELSAT KONNECT – which was produced by Thales Alenia Space for Eutelsat – was riding in the upper position of Ariane 5's payload arrangement, and was released first in the flight sequence at 27 minutes following liftoff.

Since the launch of India's APPLE experimental satellite on Ariane Flight L03 in 1981, Arianespace has orbited 24 satellites, including GSAT-30, for the Indian space agency.

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