Sushma Swaraj announces new Post Office Passport Seva Kendras

Agencies
June 17, 2017

New Delhi, Jun 17: No Indian will have to travel more than 50 km to get their passport, as the government is planning to set up a comprehensive network of Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) across the nation, with major post offices to also provide the service, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Saturday.sushma 2

The Minister, announcing the opening of 149 new Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs), said these will be set up in the second phase. In the first phase 86 POPSKs were to be set up -- 52 of which are now functional.

Apart from centres in the post offices, the government had earlier also announced 16 full-fledged PSKs taking the total number of new centres to the "auspicious" 251, she said.

"When I started at the Ministry, we had only 77 PSKs to cater to the whole nation. I realised that distance was the biggest hurdle for people to get their passports," she said.

Even after pushing through 16 more PSKs apart from 86 of them in post offices, Sushma Swaraj said she felt it was not enough.

"We planned to set a target and decided that no individual should have to travel more than 50 km for a passport."

"With that criterion for selection, today I announce 149 new POPSKs," she said.

Sushma Swaraj also launched a web portal for the ministry's flagship "Know India Programme" aimed at connecting the Indian youth living abroad with Indian culture and heritage.

Under the programme, the Indian diaspora would visit the country for a 25-day tour fully funded by the government.

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Abv
 - 
Sunday, 18 Jun 2017

Shushmaji is doing grate work right candidate for PM for next two years

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 27,2020

Udupi, Jul 27: Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa has appointed BJP leader Lalaji R Mendon as the new chairman of the State Backward Classes Commission.

Mendon is a three-time MLA from the Kapu Assembly constituency. During his second term as MLA, he was the Director in Konkan Railway’s Board.

Mr Yediyurappa has appointed 24 MLAs to different corporations in the state. Mendon is only one from coastal Karnataka.

Mendon is the only MLA representing BJP from fishermen's community. He was the president of Kaup unit of BJP Yuvamorcha. He also served as the state BJP secretary.

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News Network
February 26,2020

Mangaluru, Feb 26: The 'Yakshagana' stage in Karnataka is witnessing a curious spectacle with a Muslim woman artiste creating waves with her performances.

Arshiya, the artiste from Vittal in Dakshina Kannada district, is the first woman from the Muslim community to venture into the popular traditional theatre art form.

At one time, women were barred from Yakshagana stages.

A Muslim woman exponent on stage has attracted the attention of 'Yakshagana' lovers in the state.

Arshiya is now getting advanced training in her skills at the Kadali Kala Kendra under Ramesh Bhat here.

Arshiya, who is fond of 'Bannada Vesha' (villain roles), is now known in her stage name 'Tanu Vitla.'

She has already performed various episodes on stage and gained popularity.

Arshiya, currently working in an automobile showroom at Padil, said she was attracted to the art form from a very young age.

The initial enchantment with the art form came as she saw the role of Mahishasura in 'Sri Devi Mahatme Yakshagana Prasanga' (episode) performed near her home town.

She was attracted to all the elements of the art form, which combines music, percussion, dance, dialogues, stage techniques, make-up and costume.

Arshiya said she was also inspired by a teacher in her school at Vittal who trained her for a performance on stage during the school's annual day celebration.

She started performing on local stages at Vittal at the very young age of 10.

Arshiya now performs prominent roles on stage including Mahishasura in Sri Devi Mahatme Prasanga, the role which enamoured her in her childhood.

She also has donned the roles of Nishambhasura, Rakthabeejasura, Srinivas Kalyana, Sudarshanopakyana, Kadamba Kaushike and Shambavi Vijaya.

Her performances at Udupi and Karwar besides Mangaluru have earned her a lot of admirers, who love her 'Asura' roles, thanks to her loud voice.

Arshiya now wants to learn the 'Chende' (percussion instrument), which is an important element in Yakshagana performances.

Arshiya revealed that there was a bit of resistance from her community about her passion for the art form, but she had staunch backing of her family.

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coastaldigest.com news network
April 22,2020

Newsroom, Apr 22: Dozens of Tablighi Jamaat members from across the country who have been successfully recovered and have now tested negative for the novel coronavirus have come forward and donate their plasma for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

The Tablighis from Tamil Nadu were the first to take this decision. According to them, apart from helping the critically ill patients to recover from COVID-19, was to counter the ‘baseless accusations’ that Tablighis were responsible for the spread of the virus following the religious congregation of the sect held at Delhi’s Nizamuddin area last month.

Mohammad Abbas, a thirty-eight year old businessman from Tiruppur was on Sunday discharged from Coimbatore’s ESI hospital. “As soon as I got discharged, I met the district administration officials and the dean of the hospital and told them that they may contact me anytime if they needed me to donate my plasma,” Abbas was quoted as saying by an English daily.

“It has only been one day since I was discharged but I’ve already spoken to others (from the Jamaat) who have recovered and they were all ready to donate,” he added. 

Leader's call

Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, a prominent leader of Tablighi Jamaat, who has been booked by the Delhi Police for holding a religious congregation, too has appealed to coronavirus survivors to donate blood plasma for infected people.

In a letter issued on Tuesday, Saad said most of the members who were quarantined did not have any infection and they tested negative for COVID-19.

"Even from amongst the ones who tested positive for the disease, a majority of them have now undergone treatment and are now cured while I and a few others are still under quarantine.

"It is required that such people who are now cured of this disease should donate blood plasma to others who are still fighting the disease and are under treatment," he said.

He also has urged the followers of the organisation to pray at home in the month of Ramadan instead of going to mosques. 

Plasma therapy

Convalescent Plasma Therapy is an experimental procedure for COVID-19 patients.

In this therapy, the antibodies of a person who has recovered from the virus are taken and transfused into a sick person (having the virus) to help boost the person’s immune system.

The recovered COVID-19 patient’s blood develops antibodies to battle against COVID-19.

Once the blood of the first patient is infused to the second patient, those antibodies will start fighting against the coronavirus in the second person.

The process for donating plasma is similar to donating blood and takes about an hour.

Several countries around the world including the United Kingdom and the United States have also started plasma therapy trials.

In India, several states like Kerala, Gujarat and Punjab have already started using Plasma Therapy for the corona-infected patients.

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