Women group who tried to enter Sabarimala returned after learning temple rituals: District collector

News Network
November 17, 2019

Pathanamthitta, Nov 17: Pathanamthitta District Collector, PB Nooh said that the 10 women group which had reportedly tried to enter the Sabarimala temple had returned on their own after learning of the temple rituals.

"These women were with a group of pilgrims who were visiting a lot of temples in south India. After reaching here, they came to know that women are not allowed here due to temple rituals. So, they themselves decided to go back," Nooh told news agency here on Saturday.

Earlier on Saturday, at least 10 women, aged between 10 to 50 years, were reportedly sent back from Pamba base camp which is nearly 6 km downhill from the temple.

The Kerala government has made it clear that it would not provide security to any woman of menstruating age visiting the shrine, as per Devaswom Board Minister K Surendran.

Earlier, as Sabarimala temple opened for the annual Mandala Pooja on Saturday, a sea of devotees flocked the premises, however, a consensus remained among many, that women of menstruating age should not be allowed to enter the shrine.

Nooh had said that all basic necessities such as toilets, water kiosks, and medical emergency centres are in place for the pilgrims.

"All basic arrangements are in place. We have deployed over 800 medical staff and established 16 medical emergency centres. Around 2,400 toilets and more than 250 water kiosks are ready. We have more than 1,000 sanitation workers deployed to ensure a clean atmosphere," he told reporters here.

The opening of the shrine came days after a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court had referred a clutch of petitions seeking review of its order which paved the way for the entry of women into Sabarimala temple in Kerala to a larger seven-judge bench by a majority 3:2 ruling.

The Supreme Court had lifted a traditional ban on entry of women of menstrual age (10-50 years) on September 28 last year.

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Agencies
May 4,2020

Mumbai, May 4: Days after Facebook, private equity firm Silver Lake said it will invest 56.56 billion rupees ($746.74 million) in Reliance Industries's digital arm, giving it a valuation of 4.90 trillion rupees. Silver Lake on Monday agreed to pay Rs 5,655.75 crore to buy 1.15 per cent stake in the firm that houses billionaire Mukesh Ambani's telecom arm Jio.

The investment in Jio Platforms comes within days of Facebook investing USD 5.7 billion to buy a 9.99 per cent stake in Jio Platforms. The investment is at a premium of 12.5 per cent to the Facebook deal.

"This investment values Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.90 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.15 lakh crore and represents a 12.5 per cent premium to the equity valuation of the Facebook investment announced on April 22, 2020," Reliance said in a statement.

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Agencies
February 25,2020

Agra, Feb 25: The architectural grandeur of 17th century Taj Mahal and the story of its construction by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan left US President Donald Trump "impressed" during his visit to the famed mausoleum, according to the guide who accompanied him.

Nitin Kumar, an Agra-based guide, said the first word the president said after laying his eyes on the marble marvel was "incredible".

He and First Lady Melania Trump visited on Monday the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra, the second stop on his little less than 36-hour-long trip of India, and marvelled at the Mughal-era mausoleum built as a monument of love.

After Dwight David Eisenhower (1959) and Bill Clinton (2000), he became the third US president to visit the architectural icon.

"I told them the story of the Taj Mahal, the construction, and the story behind it. President Trump got very emotional after knowing the story of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. How he was kept under house arrest by his own son Aurangzeb, and buried here at Taj, next to Mumtaz's grave, after his death," Kumar told reporters.

The couple was left speechless on the first sight of the monument, and showed interest when they were told about the history and architecture of the dome, and the design details, Kumar said.

"Melania Trump asked about the mud-pack treatment and was amazed when she got to know the details of the process," he said.

One of the most photographed sites in the world, it is always high on the itinerary of head of states visiting India.

The monument was built over a period of nearly 20 years by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife after her death in 1631.

"The Taj Mahal inspires awe, a timeless testament to the rich and diverse beauty of Indian Culture!' Thank You, India," the US President and First Lady jointly wrote in the visitors' book before signing it.

According to Mohammed Zafar, who lives close to Taj Mahal complex, Nitin has been conducting guided tours for many years. "He was selected for this VVIP visit," he said.

"Many people were taking selfies with him, after the end of the visit. So, many media persons interacted with him. He has got some instant fame of sorts," Zafar said.

Authorities at Archaeological Survey of India had "advanced the dates" for mud-pack treatment for the graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal at Taj Mahal in view of the US President Trump's visit to Taj, a senior official had earlier said.

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News Network
March 20,2020

New Delhi, Mar 20: The government on Thursday said one Indian who tested positive for coronavirus has died in Iran while the other citizens infected with the disease are being provided treatment and taken care of by the Iranian government.

Noting that the virus tends to be more fatal for those whose immunity levels are low, a senior MEA official said the deceased, an elderly person, belonged to the vulnerable age group and had health-related complications.

The death was not because of lack of medical attention or care, he said.

"We have evacuated 590 people from Iran where the situation is very severe. The Indians infected with coronavirus in Iran have been segregated and taken care of very well by the government there. We believe they will recover and we will bring them back," the MEA official said, adding that 201 Indians were evacuated from Iran on Wednesday.

The official said closely knit families required some persuasion and counselling during the process of segregation to prevent the spread of the contagion.

The Indian ambassador and other officials explained the consequences of infected people not being separated from their families and were successful to a large extent in segregating the positive cases from the negative ones, he said.

"Some pilgrims and students are still there and our embassy and mission are in control (of the situation)," the official said.

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