President, VP were not present
President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, were not present at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the new Parliament House building on Thursday. However, Lok Sabha Secretariat officials promptly came out with details of the foundation stone-laying ceremonies of Parliament’s library building and Parliament Annexe in the past. “The President was not present when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone for the Annexe or when Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation stone for the library building,” they pointed out. “And since the Prime Minister was performing the ceremony, the Vice-President, who is ahead of him in the order of precedence, cannot be present,” they explained.
Shagun for farmers’ cause
“No shagun to the newly married couple, please,” a DJ kept announcing at a marriage ceremony in a farmer’s family at Sheikhu village in Muktsar district in Punjab recently. “If you really wish to give something, then donate for the farmers’ protest at the Delhi border,” the singer said, adding that a donation box had been placed at the wedding reception. Every guest first put the shagun money in the donation box and then walked to the couple to bless them.
Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar houses to become museums in Pakistan
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has determined the price of the ancestral houses of Bollywood actors Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in the heart of Peshawar at Rs 8,056,000 ($50,259) and Rs 15,000,000 ($93,529) respectively. Both buildings in the heart of this northern Pakistani city have been declared as national heritage. It is here the two great personalities of Indian cinema were born and raised before Partition. In September, the provincial government decided to purchase their ancestral houses to conserve the historic buildings.
Following a report of the Communication and Works Department, Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar, Muhammad Ali Asghar, fixed the prices of the houses. The archaeology department has asked the provincial government to release over Rs two crore for purchasing these historic buildings.
Raj Kapoor’s ancestral home, known as Kapoor Haveli, is situated in the Qissa Khwani Bazar. It was built between 1918 and 1922 by the actor’s grandfather, Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor. Raj Kapoor and his uncle Trilok Kapoor were born in that house.
Dilip Kumar’s over 100-year-old ancestral house is in the same locality. The house is in a shambles and was declared as national heritage in 2014 by the then Nawaz Sharif government.
The owners of the two buildings made many attempts in the past to demolish them for constructing commercial plazas, but all such moves were stopped as the archaeology department wanted to preserve them. The owner of Kapoor Haveli, Ali Qadar had demanded Rs 200 crore from the provincial government for selling it to the authorities.
Kashmiri saffron for UAE markets
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has launched the saffron in the UAE market with the aim to promote the spice in West Asia. J&K’s Principal Secretary (Agriculture), Navin K. Choudhary, launched the Kashmiri saffron on Tuesday at the UAE-India Food Security Summit, 2020. Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India to Dubai and Northern Emirates, and Kamal Vachani, Group Director of Al Maya Group, were also present during the launch. Choudhary told The Sunday Guardian that the Kashmiri saffron recently received the geographical indication (GI) tag which is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin. “Saffron produced in Kashmir was given the GI tag in July with an aim to put the Valley’s brand on the global map.” Choudhary led a 20-member delegation of businessmen and government officials from J&K to the two-day food security summit in Dubai..
Israel collaborates with Indian NGOs
Israel’s embassy in India has collaborated with NGOs in different parts of the country to help and support underprivileged communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. This collaboration was in the form of short-term social projects. The NGOs, part of the first phase of this collaboration, were: Gulshan Foundation, Salaam Baalak Trust, Aarohan, Noida Deaf Society, Smile Foundation, Culture Monks and Navratan Foundation.
Israeli ambassador, Dr Ron Malka told The Sunday Guardian: “We are running this collaboration during the Jewish holiday of Hannukah, when we light candles for eight nights. By bringing a bit of light into people’s lives, we hope to banish the darkness that Covid-19 has brought.”