Latest news with #Choudhary
Time of India
19 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Bhagalpur and Banka administrations gear up for Shrawani Mela
1 2 3 Bhagalpur: The district administrations of Bhagalpur and Banka are making elaborate arrangements for the month-long Shrawani Mela, to be held from July 11 to Aug 9, during which approximately 50-55 lakh pilgrims visit Sultanganj to fetch holy Ganga water and trek barefoot to Baba Baidyanath Dham at Deoghar in neighbouring Jharkhand, carrying kanwars. The Hindu pilgrims, known as kanwariyas , reach Sultanganj in Bhagalpur from across India, as well as neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Nepal, to fetch holy Ganga water and trek barefoot to Deoghar via routes falling in Banka district. In connection with this, the district officials, including Bhagalpur DM Nawal Kishor Choudhary, city SP Shubhank Mishra, DDC Pradeep Singh, sadar subdivisional officer Vikash Kumar, along with Sultanganj MLA Lalit Narayan Mandal, nagar parishad chairperson Rajesh Kumar Guddu and his deputy Neelam Devi, have reviewed the mela preparations at Sultanganj and the trek routes. They reviewed the preparations made by different departments like road, electricity, health, public health engineering, water resources, food safety, information and public relations among others. Choudhary directed the officials of various departments to ensure that the devotees do not face any problem during the pilgrimage. Choudhary said on Friday that they will ensure a safe, secure and people-friendly pilgrimage during the Shrawani Mela. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo "Flood control divisions will be deployed. Different departments have been asked to make arrangements in accordance with the directives within a week," the DM said. He directed the electricity department to make proper arrangements and improve their infrastructure for an uninterrupted power supply to the Sultanganj region and on the trek routes. The officials concerned were also instructed to ensure adequate street lights on trek routes and at the embankments at Sultanganj Siri Ghat, besides fencing/barricading the area. A direction to the public health engineering department was given to ensure sanitation and availability of pure drinking water through tankers, hand pumps and other means. The officials concerned were also asked to ensure availability of hygienic food and check the rates of the products sold at the shops en route. The health department officials were asked to ensure round-the-clock services, besides the police were instructed to regulate the movement of heavy and big commercial vehicles en route to Sultanganj and on the trek routes to Deoghar. Directives were given to put a layer of fine sand on the trek route, of which nearly 100 kilometres fall in Banka district, for the convenience of the barefoot devotees. Instructions were also given to the officials to cover drains en route and marking them with yellow paint, provide ambulances at Namami Gangey and Siri ghats at Sultanganj, earmark 'panda chowki' and register pandas (pastors), and make parking arrangements. After collecting the holy water of the Ganga at Sultanganj, where the river becomes 'uttarvahini' (flow turning towards north), the devotees trek barefoot nearly 105 kilometres, carrying kanwars on their shoulders, while chanting 'bolo bam'. On reaching Deoghar, the devotees pay obeisance to Lord Shiva by pouring the holy water on the Shivalinga — one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in the country — and seek blessings.
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Morgan Stanley downgrades Swire Pacific (SWRAF) to a Hold
Swire Pacific (SWRAF – Research Report) received a Hold rating and a HK$71.00 price target from Morgan Stanley analyst Praveen Choudhary today. The company's shares closed last Tuesday at $8.53. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter According to TipRanks, Choudhary is a 3-star analyst with an average return of 2.4% and a 50.85% success rate. The word on The Street in general, suggests a Hold analyst consensus rating for Swire Pacific. Based on Swire Pacific's latest earnings release for the quarter ending December 31, the company reported a quarterly revenue of $42.41 billion and a net profit of $407 million. In comparison, last year the company earned a revenue of $43.28 billion and had a net profit of $24.63 billion
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Currency watch: Rupee slips 13 paise to 86.47 against US dollar, crude prices and Middle East tensions weigh on sentiment
The rupee depreciated 13 paise to close at 86.47 against the US dollar on Wednesday, hurt by persistent risk-off sentiment, elevated crude oil prices, and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The local currency opened at 86.42 at the interbank foreign exchange and saw high intraday volatility, touching a high of 86.25 and a low of 86.57 during the session before settling at 86.47, a 13-paise drop from Tuesday's close of 86.34, PTI reported. Forex traders attributed the rupee's weakness to selling pressure from foreign investors, broad dollar strength, and weakness in domestic equities. 'The rupee may continue to trade with a negative bias amid global risk aversion and worries over rising crude oil prices. Any escalation in Middle East tensions could further weigh on the rupee,' said Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Mirae Asset Sharekhan. Choudhary added that traders are likely to take cues from weekly US unemployment data and the outcome of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, where the US Fed is expected to hold interest rates steady. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, was down 0.17% at 98.65. In commodities, Brent crude futures slipped 0.86% to USD 75.79 per barrel, offering limited relief after recent gains. On the domestic front, equity markets remained under pressure, with the BSE Sensex falling 138.64 points to 81,444.66 and the Nifty50 losing 41.35 points to close at 24,812.05. Despite the weak rupee, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net buyers, purchasing Rs 1,482.77 crore worth of equities on Tuesday, according to exchange data.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Bihar among select states in poverty reduction: Minister
Patna: Bihar is among the select states that have contributed significantly to the national decline in poverty, water resources development (WRD) minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said on Tuesday. Speaking to the reporters at the JD(U) office, Choudhary referred to the recently released World Bank report as proof of the public welfare policies pursued by the NDA govts at both the Centre and the state under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar. "The economic condition of the poor has improved a lot due to the far-sighted policies of the government," the minister said. In its 'Spring 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief', the World Bank acknowledged India's decisive efforts in combating poverty over the past decade, lifting 171 million people out of extreme poverty. The report said that the proportion of people living on less than US$2.15 per day – the international benchmark for extreme poverty – declined steeply from 16.2% in 2011-12 to just 2.3% in 2022-23. Further, according to the NITI Aayog's Multidimensional Poverty Index (2023), Bihar's poverty rate fell from 51.91% in 2015-16 to 33.76% in 2021-22. The report also stated that while Uttar Pradesh recorded the largest decline with 5.94 crore people escaping multidimensional poverty over the past nine years, Bihar followed with 3.77 crore people coming out of poverty since 2005-06. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Taking a swipe at the RJD, Choudhary said "nothing could be more ridiculous than the party led by Lalu Prasad talking about dynasty politics in the state." "The development of Bihar is being discussed not only across the country but also on global platforms, yet the opposition fails to recognise this progress. This reflects their narrow mindset," he added. Food and consumer protection Minister Leshi Singh also criticised the opposition. "They do not have any real issues, so they are resorting to baseless allegations. But the aware people of Bihar will foil their every move," she said. Minority welfare minister Jama Khan said the positive impact of CM Nitish Kumar's initiatives for the welfare and upliftment of minority communities is clearly visible on the ground. "At the same time, the role of the opposition is now limited to spreading lies and confusion, which the public has understood well," he said.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
From conflict to caution: Tribals fear new threat as Naxalism fades
Union Home Minister Amit Shah renewed his vow to eradicate Naxalism from India by March 31, 2026, declaring on Sunday in Lucknow that the Left-wing extremism (LWE) would soon be a thing of the past. It was not the first time he made such a resolution in the past year, but the setting — an event distributing appointment letters to newly recruited constables — lent it symbolic heft. The Union government's strategy relies on a combination of improved road and telecom connectivity, financial inclusion, skilling of tribal youth, and intensified security operations in districts affected by LWE. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) data shows a sharp decline in the number of affected districts: From 126 in 2014 to 90 in 2018, 70 in 2021, 38 in April 2024, and just 18 now. Naxal influence, which once stretched across 11 states, is now largely confined to just three districts, Shah noted. Among those who believe Shah's optimism may be justified is journalist and author Shubhranshu Choudhary, who has spent two decades working with tribal communities in Chhattisgarh. Choudhary, a former BBC producer who now runs CGNetSwara — a citizen journalism initiative training tribal youth — attributes Naxalism's decline to betrayals from within. It is, he says, the 'Vibhishans' — the turncoats — who have dealt the heaviest blows to the Naxal movement. The insurgency traces its roots to the 1967 Naxalbari uprising in West Bengal, before spreading through what became known as the 'Red Corridor' — accross Bihar (and later Jharkhand), Odisha, Madhya Pradesh (and subsequently Chhattisgarh), and undivided Andhra Pradesh. In the 1980s, its leadership adopted a 'rear guard strategy', retreating into the dense Dandakaranya forest in present-day Chhattisgarh to regroup. There, Maoist leaders from West Bengal and undivided Andhra Pradesh learnt the local Gondi language and helped tribal communities in their skirmishes with forest guards, and traders, who allegedly exploited them. 'As a local Muria song goes,' Choudhary recalls, 'What is heaven? A forest full of Mahua trees. And what is hell? A forest full of Mahua trees and a forest department guard.' But over time, the contradiction between ideology and hierarchy began to show. While the leadership remained in the hands of upper-caste Bengali- and Telugu-speaking 'outsiders', the fighters — the military dalams — were mostly tribal youth. Peace talks between the government and tribal intermediaries were repeatedly thwarted by Maoist leaders and their ideological backers. As disillusionment deepened, defectors began providing precise intelligence to the authorities. The spread of mobile networks and advances in satellite imagery accelerated this shift. Today, the Central Reserve Police Force and elite CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) units manage logistics and support. But the recent successes, especially high-profile encounters, have been led by the District Reserve Group (DRG), units composed primarily of surrendered Maoists. 'From 2015 onwards, I began to sense a shift,' says Choudhary. 'The leadership of the Naxal movement arrived in Abujhmad as saviours, but are leaving it as villains.' The Ministry of Home Affairs credits Operation Black Forest, a major crackdown in 2025, with the killings of 18 top Maoist leaders. These include the general secretary of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), 70-year-old Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju (killed on May 21), senior leader Bhaskar (June 6), and Narasimha Chalam alias Sudhakar. The government's approach has been one of 'trace, target, and neutralise'. Still, as one battle ends, another looms. If the threat from 'Maovadis (Maoists)' is fading, Choudhary warns, the danger now lies with 'MoUvadis' — those who might exploit the resource-rich Abujhmad region through corporate or state-backed projects. The forest, spread across 4,000 square kilometres, is larger than Goa and home to communities that have long been at the margins of mainstream development. Activists, including those associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), are urging the government to ensure local communities benefit from this wealth, through ventures like Mahua wine production or bamboo-based industries. On Sunday, the Dantewada administration in Chhattisgarh, along with the Mann Deshi Foundation and the Sachin Tendulkar Foundation, launched the 'Maidan Cup', an initiative to build 50 playgrounds in the district to foster a sports culture. Tourism is also being encouraged in the region. But concerns remain. Veteran tribal leader and former Union minister Arvind Netam has raised alarms about coal mining in the Hasdeo forest of Chhattisgarh. Earlier this month, he brought his concerns directly to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat during a gathering in Nagpur. 'The distance between tribal society and the RSS should be reduced,' Netam said. Bhagwat responded: 'It is our way to quietly convey the message. You spoke about the government, and your concerns will reach them (the government).' Combating Red terror
