Proposal to Change Delhi's Senior Bureaucrat Sent To Lt Governor

The Arvind Kejriwal government has sent a proposal to change Delhi's Services secretary to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. The proposal names AK Singh as the new Services Secretary in place of Ashish More, who was removed last week, hours after the Supreme Court's landmark verdict that said the Delhi government and not the Lieutenant Governor has control over the transfer and postings of bureaucrats.

Ashish More was issued a showcause notice two days ago, after he was asked to make way for his replacement.

Services Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said he had "unexpectedly left the Secretariat" and switched off his phone.

"Services Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, instructed Services Secretary, Ashish More, to present a file for the transfer of a new officer to the post of Secretary of Services Department. However, Ashish More unexpectedly left the Secretariat without notifying the minister's office, rendering himself unreachable while his phone also remained switched off," a statement said.

Delhi government sources said officials did not object to the removal of the service secretary at a meeting of the Civil Services Board held today. Later, the Delhi Government sent the proposal to the Lieutenant Governor.

Under last week's judgment of the Supreme Court, the Lieutenant Governor is bound to accept the advice of the elected government.

In a democratic form of governance, the power of administration must rest on the elected arm, the bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said on Thursday.

The Delhi government has legislative and executive powers over administration of services and only "Public Order, Police and Land" are excluded from its jurisdiction, the bench said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has made it clear that Mr More's transfer could be the first of many, and action will be taken against officials who "obstruct" public work.

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/dMgTEj0

RSS-Linked Muslim Body To Launch Nationwide Campaign Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls

RSS-linked Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) will launch a nationwide campaign to reach out to the minority community with the theme of "one nation, one flag, one national anthem", ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the organisation said today.

MRM volunteers will spread the message of "true Muslim, good citizen" among members of the community under the campaign, it said in a statement.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) linked body said a three-day training programme will be organised for MRM volunteers and workers in Bhopal from June 8 to June 11.

RSS national executive member Indresh Kumar, who is also the MRM's chief patron, will be present at the training programme, it said.

The last training programme was organised in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district in 2021 and it was attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, joint general secretary Krishna Gopal and senior functionary Ram Lal, the MRM said .

MRM spokesperson Shahid Saeed said that "ahead of the 2024 general elections, the Muslim Rashtriya Manch of the RSS will start a campaign to take the idea of 'one nation, one flag, one national anthem and one law' to the Muslim community across the country".

"Carrying the message of 'true Muslim, good citizen', MRM volunteers and workers will reach out to the minority community in every nook and corner of the country," he said in the statement.

Saeed said the MRM has chosen Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal for organising the training programme in view of "a sizable population" of Muslims in the state.

"Muslim votes are moving away from the BJP's vote bank (in Madhya Pradesh). In the last election, Congress won the north and central assembly seats. The Muslim population is high in these two constituencies. North Bhopal has become a Congress stronghold," the MRM spokesperson said.

Assembly elections are due in Madhya Pradesh later this year. 

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/WScZofN

Indian-American Woman From Texas Found Dead Mysteriously In Oklahoma

A 25-year-old Indian-American woman, who went missing from the US state of Texas earlier this month, was found dead nearly 322 kilometres away in neighbouring Oklahoma state, a day after she disappeared on her way to work.

Lahari Pathivada was last seen driving a black Toyota to work in the McKinney suburb.

The update was shared on social media by the WOW community group in Texas, which helped amplify the message of her disappearance. No further information was provided on the circumstances that led to the discovery of her body on May 13.

A resident of McKinney in Collins County in Texas, Pathivada was last seen driving a black Toyota around El Dorado Parkway and Hardin Boulevard area in the Dallas suburb. Her family got worried after she did not return home after work on May 12. Police were reportedly alerted after family and friends tracked her phone in Oklahoma.

Pathivada worked at the Overland Park Regional Medical Centre, according to her Facebook page. She graduated from the University of Kansas and attended Blue Valley West High School.

The tragic demise of Pathivada has impacted her family, friends, and the local community.

Although the investigation is still ongoing, her case highlights the importance of safety measures in recreational activities and the need for extensive safety regulations in these areas.
 

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/oVmEke6

In A Warming World, 10 Air Conditioners Are Sold Every Second

A warming world is making the need to stay cool more pressing. Hot countries are getting hotter, tipping normal summer temperatures into dangerous territory more frequently. Temperate countries are experiencing heat waves that were once unthinkable.

Globally, an estimated 1.2 billion rural and urban poor are at risk because they currently lack access to cooling, including refrigeration and air conditioning, according to a 2022 report by the research group Sustainable Energy for All. Meanwhile, 2.4 billion middle-class people are "on the brink" of buying the most affordable cooling appliance available to them, the report found, regardless of its efficiency.

While millions of people buying cheap ACs is a quick fix for a hotter climate, it also stands to complicate the energy transition. More air conditioning puts more strain on local power supplies, and threatens efforts to shift energy sources from fossil fuels to renewables. Indeed, cooling will be "one of the top drivers of global electricity demand over the next three decades," the International Energy Agency said in a 2018 special report. The organization estimates that approximately 10 new air conditioners will be sold every second between now and 2050.

At the moment, space cooling - fans, dehumidifiers and air conditioners - uses more than 2,000 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity every year, which is equivalent to two and a half times the total electricity used across Africa, according to the IEA, and around 10% of the global total. Based on current policies and targets, this is set to grow to 6,200 TWh by 2050, with nearly 70% of the increase coming from demand for AC units in homes.

Already, space cooling can take up more than two thirds of peak electricity demand on hot days in parts of the US and Middle East. In Saudi Arabia, for example, air conditioning accounts for 70% of total annual electricity demand. Countries where demand is expected to grow significantly - particularly India, China and Indonesia - would need to install large amounts of expensive peak power capacity to meet anticipated cooling needs.

Space cooling is also expected to overtake appliances as the largest single user of electricity in buildings globally by 2050. For this, 2,500 gigawatts of additional capacity is needed - the equivalent of the current total energy generation capacity of the US, Europe and India combined, according to the IEA.

Part of the challenge is appliance efficiency: Often, new AC converts are just focused on buying the most affordable device they can find. According to the IEA, the average air conditioner sold in 2018 was less than half as efficient as the typical appliance available, and a third as efficient as the best technology on offer. Policies that require or incentivize people to buy more efficient AC units could cut energy demand by 45% and reduce investment and running costs for the electricity network by $3 trillion, the IEA found.

But even in an optimistic scenario that assumes more efficient cooling technology, the required energy demand is likely to exceed IEA estimates for a world warming at no more than 2C, according to separate research from the Centre for Sustainable Cooling at the University of Birmingham. If everyone in the world had access to the cooling they need - including refrigerators for food and medicine, as well as air conditioners in cars and homes - the related energy demand would outstrip IEA estimates threefold by 2030, according to the Centre for Sustainable Cooling.

To provide enough cooling to keep humans safe and food and medicines from spoiling, the Centre for Sustainable Cooling estimates the world will need 14 billion additional cooling devices by 2050, almost four times the 3.6 billion currently in use.

Further, the volume of electricity the Centre estimates would be needed to run all of those devices is equivalent to more than 80% of the IEA's projected renewable capacity for 2050. Under the most pessimistic scenario, if new technologies making appliances more efficient are not employed, it could be over 100%.

Even those estimates make the (generally safe) assumption that renewable energy capacity will continue to grow. If that doesn't happen, the impact from millions more air conditioners would be much greater: more than 2 metric gigatons (billion tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent per year by 2030, even in a scenario where AC units become more efficient over time. That's more than the entire emissions of the EU in 2021.

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/KZTlW7s

CUET-UG Not To Make Board Exams Redundant: UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar

The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admission to undergraduate programmes is not likely to make the board exams irrelevant, according to UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar.

The pass percentage and number of students scoring above 90 per cent and 95 per cent in CBSE class 12 declined this year, kickstarting a debate about whether the introduction of the CUET has taken the focus off board exams and will end up making them redundant in the longer run.

"The basic eligibility criterion for entrance into universities remains unchanged which is that a candidate must have passed the class 12 examination from any recognised board or equivalent. In fact, marks in grade 12 for eligibility will vary across programs and universities," Mr Kumar told Press Trust of India.

"Moreover, the board examination is an 'achievement test' whereas CUET-UG is a 'selection test'. Hence, board exams at the class 12 level are not likely to become redundant," he said.

The second edition of CUET-UG is set to begin on May 21.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) chief explained that the basic eligibility criteria are a key factor for admission to all universities and other examinations such as JEE (engineering) and NEET (medical) at the national level.

"The principles for university entrance exams require a common test. The National Testing Agency (NTA) is working to offer a high-quality Common Aptitude Test, as well as specialised common subject exams in the sciences, humanities, languages, arts and vocational subjects.

"These exams will test conceptual understanding and the ability to apply knowledge and shall aim to eliminate the need for taking coaching for these exams," he said.

"Students have been able to choose the subjects for taking the test and each university will be able to see each student's individual subject portfolio and admit students into their programmes based on individual interests and talent," he added.

Asked about how CUET will provide an edge to students over the board exam marks for UG admissions, Mr Kumar said, "In the past, students used to be under stress to secure more than 95 per cent marks in class 12 board examination to get admission in the university of their choice.

"With the introduction of CUET, the stress on them for securing very high marks in the one and only board examination stands reduced. Marks given by different boards vary widely because of the typology of questions and the scoring pattern. These things will now be standardised under CUET," he said.

The UGC, in March last year, announced that undergraduate admissions will be conducted in all central universities through a common entrance test and not based on class 12 marks.

The debut edition of the CUET-UG was conducted in July last year and was marred by glitches, prompting the NTA to cancel the exam at multiple centres.

While several students were informed about the cancellation a night before the exam, many of them were turned away from centres.

The UGC chairman had then said the exam at certain centres had been cancelled following reports of "sabotage".

Nearly 14 lakh applications have been received for the CUET-UG this year, registering a 41 per cent increase from the debut edition last year.

CUET-UG remains the second-largest entrance exam in the country in terms of applicants. In the debut edition of CUET-UG, 12.50 lakh students registered themselves and 9.9 lakh of them submitted their applications.
 

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/T9pYafd

"India Emerging As A Leading Power In The World": US Envoy Eric Garcetti

US Ambassador Eric Garcetti on Wednesday said India is emerging as a leading power in the world, adding he is impressed with the progress the country has made in the last three decades.

Talking to reporters here, Eric Garcetti also said the US and India share the same concern over the prevailing situation in Pakistan.

"I think the US, India and the world share the same concern. We want stability in Pakistan. We hope that there won't be unrest in Pakistan," he said.

"We stay engaged with Pakistan because of that. I think that serves India and the US and the world. We hope that the rule of law and peace will prevail over the border. But that is up to the Pakistani people to decide," he said.

Mr Garcetti said that during his Mumbai visit, he had a great time discussing ways to strengthen Indo-US partnership with leading cultural, financial, and business figures.

"I first came to India as a teenager, and I learned so much. I learned how deeply we are connected to people everywhere on this planet, no matter where we live, what language we speak, how much money we have, or how we worship," he said.

"As a teenager, I never could have imagined the growth and progress that India has achieved in the past three decades. India is emerging as a leading power in the world," he said.

Eric Garcetti said that in 1992, the year he graduated from college after studying Hindi and Indian cultural and religious history, US-India ties had languished.

"Our annual trade stood at USD 2 billion, our development relationship was a one-way flow, our defence trade was zero, and our military interoperability was non-existent," he said.

"The US is now India's biggest trading partner, with USD 191 billion in bilateral trade last year. India now sends the most students of any country to the US. Our militaries train together.

"We are protecting an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. And our leading companies collaborate to solve global challenges in inclusive development and renewable energy," he said.

"We are jointly addressing global health and development challenges, confronting climate change, and delivering next generation critical and emerging technologies. We are showing the world how the United States and India are better together," he said.

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/BY2xdIh

कौन है IPL 2023 का सबसे फ्लॉप इम्‍पैक्‍ट प्लेयर? धोनी ने बार-बार दिया मौका, हर बार पाया धोखा!

महेंद्र सिंह धोनी यूं तो आईपीएल इतिहास के सबसे सफल कप्‍तानों में से एक हैं लेकिन बात जब आईपीएल के खेल में लागू किए गए इम्‍पैक्‍ट प्‍लेयर के नए नियम की आती है तो वो इस मामले में सबसे ज्‍यादा बार बेअसर साबित हुए. वो अपने फ्लॉप बैटर को बार-बार इम्‍पैक्‍ट प्‍लेयर के तौर पर मौका देते रहे. हर बार इस खिलाड़ी ने कप्‍तान को निराश किया.

from Latest News क्रिकेट News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/AXfiYwC