Forty-five-year-old Pushkar Singh Dhami, long associated with the BJP and the RSS, on Sunday became the 11th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. Governor Baby Rani Maurya administered the oath to him.

Along with Dhami, Satpal Maharaj, Harkasih Rawat, Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, Banshidhar Bhagat, Yashpal Arya, Subodh Uniyal, Arvind Pandey, Bishan Singh, Ganesh Joshi, Rekha Arya and Yatishwaranand were also administered the oath of office. All these MLAs were earlier also included in the cabinet.

It is noteworthy that Tirath Singh Rawat had resigned from the post of Chief Minister two days ago citing constitutional crisis. Dhami was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP Legislature Party at the meeting in Dehradun, party sources say.

Born in Pithoragarh, Dhami is the youngest Chief Minister of the state. Dhami, a two-time MLA, was never a minister in the Uttarakhand government.

Talking to the media on Saturday, he said that he is thankful to the party high command for giving a common worker a chance to serve the state.

After the resignation of Tirath Singh Rawat on Friday, a meeting of the BJP Legislature Party was held on Saturday. In this, Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and D. Purandeshwari were present as central observers. In the meeting, Tirath Singh Rawat and BJP state president Madan Kaushik proposed the name of Khatima MLA Pushkar Singh Dhami. Even after the consent of the central supervisor on this, no other name was proposed.

Dhami was born on 16 September 1975 in Tundi village of Pithoragarh. His father was a soldier. Being the only son of the house after three sisters, the responsibilities of the family always remained on him.

Dhami has done Masters in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations. He has worked in different positions in ABVP from 1990 to 1999. Dhami was also the state president of Yuva Morcha from 2002 to 2008. He was vice-chairman of the Urban Development Council from 2010 to 2012. He was elected MLA for the first time in 2012. Under his leadership, the state government succeeded in providing 70% reservation to the local youth in the industries of the state. Dhami is considered close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He is also close to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Political experts say about Dhami that it is a name that has always been away from controversies. He has also been raising his voice loudly on issues like corruption. He is considered to have a good hold among the youth.

Coming from the Rajput community, Dhami is one of the flamboyant leaders of the state. According to political experts, in view of the upcoming Assembly elections, efforts have been made to correct caste equation in the state by making Dhami the CM. His name was in air even when Tirath Singh Rawat became the Chief Minister. His youthfulness has also gone in his favour.

A week after the drone attacks at the Indian Air Force Station in Jammu, Srinagar has ordered ban on use, possession and sale of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles in the district. Earlier, ban was placed in Rajouri and Kathua, both bordering district in Jammu region.

According to a 3 July order issued by the office of district magistrate Mohammad Aijaz, those having drones or other similar unmanned aerial vehicles must deposit them with police. Government departments using drones for survey and surveillance activities in agricultural, environmental conservation and disaster mitigation sectors have been asked to inform the local police station before using them.

The order issued by Deputy Commissioner Srinagar reads, “Whereas, vide letter No.CS/1-21/ 10577-78 dt: 29-6-2021 the Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar has recommended that reasonable restrictions may be imposed on the storage, sale/ possession, use and transport of drones in Srinagar District.”

Whereas, flying unmanned aircraft (drones) is governed by Aircraft Act, 1934 and Civil Aviation Rules 2021 which restrict flying drones (UAV) in prohibited areas viz: Within a distance of 3 km from the perimeter of any civil, private, defence airports, military installations/facilities, state secretariat complex; within 2 km from the perimeter of strategic locations/vital installation; and over eco-sensitive zones around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

It further added, “Whereas, the decentralised airspace access has to be regulated in view of recent episodes of misuse of drones posing threat to security infrastructure as reported by the media/other reliable sources. Whereas, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has provided draft guidelines/standard operating protocol to regulate the use of drones in terms of weight classification, generation of Unique Identification Number, Height/Altitude restrictions, Speed restriction, Enforcement Panel action, etc.”

“Whereas, with a view to secure the aerial space near the vital installations and highly populated areas, it is imperative to discontinue the use of drones in all social and cultural gatherings to eliminate any risk of injury to the life and damage to property. Whereas, keeping in view the security situation apart from concerns of breach of privacy, nuisance and trespass, it is extremely dangerous to let unmanned aerial vehicles wander around in the skies within the territorial jurisdiction of district Srinagar,” the order copy reads.

It adds, “Now, therefore, in view of above, 1, Mohammad Aljaz, IAS, District Magistrate, Srinager in exercise of powers vested in me by virtue of section 144 of Cr.P.C Impose restrictions/ban on the storage, sale/possession, use and transport of drones/similar kind of Unmanned aerial vehicles in the territorial jurisdiction of district Srinagar.”

The Srinagar administration’s order comes at a time when security is on high alert in the Union Territory following the drone attack at the Jammu Air Force base in the early hours last Sunday.

Two explosions at the base left two Indian Air Force personnel injured. This was the first such instance of drones used in a terror attack on an Indian military facility.

Stating that those indulging in mob lynching are against Hindutva, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday asserted that the law should punish them without any partiality.

“Cow is a holy animal but those who are indulging in lynching are going against Hindutva. Law should take its own course against them without any partiality,” said Bhagwat at the launch of the book The Meetings of Minds: A Bridging Initiative, written by Dr Khawaja Iftikhar Ahmed’, in Ghaziabad on Sunday.

Emphasising that the DNA of all Indians is the same, Bhagwat urged Muslims not to get “trapped in the cycle of fear” that Islam is in danger in India. Addressing an event organised by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, which is the Muslim wing of the RSS, on the theme ‘Hindustani First, Hindustan First’, he said that people can’t be differentiated on how they worship.

The RSS chief stated that “there is no difference between them (Hindus and Muslims) as it has been proven that we are the descendants of the same ancestors from the last 40,000 years. People of India have the same DNA.”

Bhagwat said that there can never be any dominance of either Hindus or Muslims. “There can only be the dominance of Indians,” he said.

Explaining the impact of politics on unity, he said that politics cannot unite people but it can be used as a weapon to distort unity. “There are some works that politics can’t do. Politics can’t unite people. Politics can’t become a tool to unite people but can become a weapon to distort unity, said the RSS chief. “Hindu-Muslim unity is deceptive because we believe that we are all one, we are not two. I have heard a story of Prophet Hazrat Musa where he said that one cannot achieve anything by hurting someone’s sentiments,” said Bhagwat.

He said, “We are one because of our motherland. No one ever needs to quarrel here. We have so many resources that we can take care of everyone. There are three factors that prove that we are all one. First motherland, second tradition and third we’re descendants of the same ancestors from the last 40,000 years.”

Dismissing that his speech at this juncture is to gather votes in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, he said, “We neither intending for an image makeover nor for the votes of Muslims in the next election,” he said.

The RSS chief added, “Sangh never said that only Hindu Rashtra has to be made but Sangh believes that only by taking all the people in our country together, we can make the whole nation better. The Sangh believes that we cannot stop anybody from worshipping someone. This country and society are ours. We have to take everyone along.”

WITH AGENCY INPUTS

Ruhee Dosani, who is taking social media by a storm with her fun dance videos, recently joined NewsX for a conversation as part of NewsX Influencer A-List. In the exclusive conversation, Ruhee opened up about her love for Bollywood music, her process of creating content on a daily basis and much more.

Speaking about what kept her going, especially amid a pandemic, Ruhee said, “I feel like when i started, it wasn’t planned like yes, this is what i am going to do or it wasn’t like social media is my platform and i am going to grow here. I think it was one fun video. I started getting messages and DMs saying that it is making them feel better or they are liking it and loving it. I look upto when i would be releasing my next video. I feel like making someone happy, making someone feel like that, is tough because it was a very crazy year. 2020 has been rough with several ups and downs. The whole pandemic was unexpected. I feel like even one percent i can put out there and make people smile and laugh, that was a big thing for me. That’s the main motivation.”

When asked whether she always this groovy or was this a passion she discovered much later, she responded, “I was. I feel like because i lived in Mumbai when i was young, the dance performance during Ganpati Visarjan, resonated with me. School, annual day, college functions. I feel like songs and music, dance gets me. If it is a club, if i step out, it is a comforting moment for me. Even if there is an awkward situation, i just keep grooving. Indian music is something that gets me high, for sure. I can listen to Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, if it has a taste, it gets me grooving.”

On being asked is there anybody she looks up to, Ruhee expressed, “When it comes to dancing, i definitely look upto Govinda sir. Even when i make videos, i’m like play ‘Akhiyon Se Goli Mare’ or something. That smoothness in his moves is something different. When it comes to energy, i look upto a lot of other people. I feel like there are so many talents. I do look upto a lot of people for a lot of different things.”

Giving us an insight into her process of creating content on a regular basis, Ruhee shared, “I have a lot of conversations with my friends. If i am at work, i listen to music. I feel like it comes out of nowhere. I am driving and i am with people, i start visualising. I visualise a lot. I am like i can create a video with this song. With everyday content creating now, it has opened the creativity process so much. Not only from friends, my DMs are filled with song suggestions. I also try to relate to the festival time. I don’t write anything. Everything is just in my brain. My friends, who dance with me, also give me song suggestions.”

When asked how do she get all your friends together and whether does it get ever chaotic, Ruhee responded, “We hang out often and that’s how it started. Now, when i get an idea, i call them and ask them if they are doing something. If not, we meet up. I’m like listen, this is the idea. They get so excited. I feel like there are a lot of people. They are ready to know about the culture, about the music. It’s fun to do something, rather than doing nothing. They are always up for it. It’s mostly planned but sometimes its just like hey’s let’s meet up.”

Sharing a piece of advise for budding content creators, who are just beginning their journey, Ruhee said, “On social media, it’s always up and down. Build through it, grow through it. I feel like one thing i would say for sure, is that stay consistent and don’t lose hope. That’s where you give up. When you feel like you are putting in so much hard work,  the reach is different than the one than the one you make when you are relaxed and not thinking about what people are going to say. If you love it, just keep going. People are going to love you for who you are. DM me and i will give you all the motivation you need.”

On a parting note, when asked if she could wake up in one Bollywood song or a Bollywood movie, which one would it be, Ruhee said, “I have so many favourite songs. I am thinking of which movie has my type of vibe. I think i would go with ‘what is your mobile number, karu kya dial number’. It has to be a Govinda movie or song.”

It is a matter of grim concern, adolescents at such a tender age develop suicidal tendencies just because their parents and teachers asked them to “ignore” bullying or when their respective guardians asked them to stop talking or playing with such kids who are bullying them. PGIMER Chandigarh did a study on the prevalence of bullying in adolescents, and that is the first of its kind a study happened in India specifically in North India where it is found one in four kids experience bullying more in Government Schools. A city like Chandigarh where kids from different states study as Chandigarh is known for such population which is mostly migrated from the different parts of India.

Sample Size of this study was 667, adolescents age (9-15) and class- (6th-10th), Govt school kids (359), Pvt School Kids (308), PGIMER used Olweus Bully-Victim Questionnaire in Chandigarh. Self-esteem and emotional and behavioral difficulties of the participants were measured by using the standard Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, respectively. Multinomial logistic regression was done to determine the predictors of bullying.

Results were surprising for doctors as 25.6 percent of adolescents reported different kinds of bullying in schools i.e. 25.6 % (16 % Victimization, 5.2 % Perpetration, 4.3% bully-victim). Verbal bullying was the most common (55.1%), followed by physical (32.7%) and relational (25.2%) bullying. The prevalence of cyberbullying was 2.7%. Around 44% of students reported that adults in school never did anything to stop bullying. Significant predictors of bullying were being male, studying in the government school, having abnormal emotions, and poor peer relations.

One of the authors of the study, Professor Dr. Madhu Gupta, Department of Community Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh says, “Kids have suicidal tendencies after being bullied at school or in the park and even online while having online classes. There are few intervention programs to prevent bullying in South East Asian Region, and none in India. So, we designed the ‘Stop Bullying- School Intervention Program (SB-SIP)’ for school students. SB-SIP is a multi-component school-based intervention program that is designed to be administered at three levels, i.e., individual (students), relationship (parents and teachers), and school level. The individual-level strategy is targeted at the students. It aims to increase students’ knowledge regarding bullying behaviors and its harmful effects and strengthen their skills to prevent bullying and victimization.”

Dr. Gupta further said, “Parents’ module comprises of bullying awareness sessions and strategies to prevent and manage if their child is involved in any kind of bullying. The teacher’s module comprises sessions on the safe classroom environment and responding to bullying rumors and dealing with bullying on the spot. The school-level strategy is to be delivered to the school administrators who will be sensitized to the bullying problem. The antibullying committee is to be set up to introduce school rules against bullying. The SB-SIP curriculum is to be delivered through PowerPoint presentations and in bilingual language.

Gandhinagar: In a bid to win a considerable number of seats in the 2022 Assembly elections, Gujarat BJP president C. R. Patil conveyed the ‘panna pramukhs’ (page presidents) formula to the MLAs and ordered the formation of page-president and page committee as soon as possible. It is learned that some suggestions and instructions have been given to discuss Patil’s formula in the BJP’s state executive meeting.

At present, 80 per cent of the work related to the Page Committee has been done in BJP across Gujarat, which was ordered to be completed in the next two months.

Apart from this, it was also discussed in the first state executive meeting that the formula from Patil’s page-president to the page committee was working behind the victory in the local body and assembly by-elections. President Patil also decided that the leaders of the region should also work to complete the process of organisation of the Page Committee as soon as possible.

In Gujarat, the BJP had fielded page-presidents and page-committees in the assembly by-elections and local body elections. The state president claims that the BJP has won the most seats because of the idea.

The state held panchayat elections in February, including corporations and municipalities. During this time a tremendous election campaign went in full swing. However, in the midst of the campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a letter to Page-President on February 19. Thus, he began preaching by letter at that time. In this letter, PM Modi wrote to the page-presidents that the page-president is a new form of our party’s traditional public relations campaign. Elections are just an excuse to reach the minds of the masses, through which house-to-house members, families get the opportunity to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.

For the first time in the Gujarat BJP organization, page-presidents were appointed. This page-president is the voter list of each constituency, which is issued by the Election Commission. When a one-page president of a voter list is appointed, this one page has the names of 30 voters, meaning that a page-president is only in constant direct contact with 30 voters on the same page until polling day. The responsibility for sending these 30 voters to the polls on election day is delegated to the page-president. Usually this page-president is a worker of the society, locality, or maholla of the area so that he is in touch with the voters of one page only. Not only that, during the elections, millions of such page-presidents are in constant touch with different leaders starting from the region-president.