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The President of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), Raninder Singh, has expressed confidence in the staging of a successful International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun stage, officially scheduled for March 18-29, at New Delhi’s Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range (DKSSR). A total of 53 nations will be represented by 294 athletes, including a 57-member Indian contingent, at the first multi-nation Olympic sporting event of this scale anywhere in the world, post the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking to members of the media before the official start day of the World Cup, Mr. Singh said, “The eyes of the entire Olympic sporting world will be on us and therefore there is a great responsibility as well. Thankfully, the Government of India, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Sports Authority of India have all stood by us brilliantly in the most trying of times and supported us in the NRAI wholeheartedly in every aspect, thereby … [Read more...] about NRAI President Confident of Deliver Successful ISSF World Cup in New Delhi in Covid Times

New Delhi: The shooting World Cup scheduled to be held in the national capital in May was on Monday cancelled owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Cup, originally scheduled to be held from March 15-26, was postponed to May barely four days before the start of the event. "Due to COVID-19 pandemic the New Delhi Organising Committee has been forced to cancel Rifle/Pistol and Shotgun World Cups. Both of these were due to take place in New Delhi," the sport's world governing body -- ISSF -- said in a statement. It was decided to hold the tournament in two parts -- Rifle and Pistol competitions from May 5-12, while Shotgun competitions from June 2-9. However, considering the situation, the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) decided to cancel the tournament. PTI had earlier reported that the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) was under pressure to not organise the tournament in the prevailing circumstances. … [Read more...] about ISSF Shooting World Cup in New Delhi Cancelled Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

New Delhi: The Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory for the Independence Day function at the Red Fort and for its full dress rehearsal on Tuesday to ensure safe and smooth flow of vehicles across the city, officials said on Sunday. According to the traffic advisory, seven roads -- Netaji Subhash Marg, Lothian Road, SP Mukherjee Marg, Chandni Chowk Road, Nishad Raj Marg, Esplanade Road, its Link Road, and Ring Road from Rajghat to Y-Point-Hanuman Setu will be closed for the general public from 4 am to 10 am. Traffic restrictions for the full dress rehearsal on Tuesday and for Independence Day celebrations will be the same, they said. Vehicles without parking labels for the rehearsal and the main celebrations need to avoid Tilak Marg, Mathura Road, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Subhash Marg, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg and the Ring the road between Nizamuddin Bridge and ISBT bridge. The north-south traffic will have to take alternative routes from Aurobindo Marg, Connaught … [Read more...] about Delhi Traffic Police Issue Advisory for Independence Day Celebrations

New Delhi : Several roads in central Delhi are expected to remain shut briefly on Thursday for the full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day Parade, raising the possibility of traffic congestion. The rehearsal will start at 9.50 am at Vijay Chowk and will proceed towards the Red Fort via Rajpath, C-Hexagon, Tilak Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and Netaji Subhash Marg, taking the route the actual parade will take on January 26, according to Delhi Police. Traffic on Rajpath from Vijay Chowk to India Gate has been restricted till the rehearsal is over on Thursday, and from 6 pm Saturday till the parade concludes on Sunday, police said in an advisory. Metro services will be available for commuters on Thursday but a few gates at Udyog Bhawan and Central Secretariat stations will be closed. "Exit and entries will remain functional at the two stations," a senior DMRC official said. On Sunday, the entry and exit will remain closed at Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan from 5 am till … [Read more...] about Republic Day Parade Dress Rehearsal Today May Cause Jams. Here Are Delhi Routes You Should Avoid

New Delhi: The Delhi International Airport Limited is planning a major infrastructure expansion to increase its annual passenger handling capacity from around 75 million to 100 million by 2022, according to an official statement on Monday. The 'Phase 3A' infrastructure expansion - which includes construction of fourth runway, expansion of T1 apron area and development of dual elevated Eastern Cross Taxiway - would be completed by June 2022, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said in the statement. "These works, upon completion, would not only increase the passenger handling capacity of the Delhi airport to 100 million passengers per annum (MPPA) in the next three years, but also enhance the airside capacity to handle 140 MPPA," the DIAL said. This means that if required, in future, the Delhi airport would be able to handle 140 MPPA. Total Rs 9,800 crore would be the capital expenditure for the Phase 3A expansion plan, said I Prabhakara Rao, Deputy Managing … [Read more...] about Delhi Airport Plans Expansion to Increase Annual Passenger Capacity to 100 Million by 2022

The current violent confrontation between India and China in east Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control should come as a surprise to none. This was inevitable. An inexorable chain of events was set in motion in 2017 when New Delhi rejected Beijing’s imperial invitation to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) event presided over by President Xi Jinping. A second rude rebuff followed later in the summer of that year when India stood up to China’s efforts to reorganise  Himalayan political geography on the Doklam plateau. India must be prepared to strongly repel the backlash from Beijing on our mountains, in our waters and through our digital platforms. The Indian commentariat is needlessly agonising over the drivers of the latest Chinese actions. Let us stop theorising and be bold enough to accept that China is just being itself. India has made decisions like independent nations do as an exercise of their sovereignty. To argue otherwise would be tantamount to ignoring the sum total of … [Read more...] about As Emperor Xi Reinvents Chinese Checkers, Delhi Must Build Appetite to Challenge Beijing

The BSES discoms have issued tenders to replace their 50 lakh existing electricity meters in Delhi with smart meters at a capital outlay of up to ₹4,000 crore. A BSES spokesperson described it as “the fastest and largest” private sector smart meter installation project in the country. Detailing the benefits of the smart meters, the spokesperson said that through the installation of smart meters, several value-added services will be offered to the consumers. Value added services For instance, a consumer could monitor and analyse their power consumption through data fed by the new meters. The BSES spokesperson added that upon the installation of the smart meters, the consumers will also get alerts in cases of power outages. At the same time, the discoms could offer energy-saving tips to group housing societies. “While there are no drawbacks in the existing electricity meter, its potential is limited when compared to a smart meter,” said a BSES spokesperson. The meters … [Read more...] about BSES to install 50 lakh ‘smart’ meters in Delhi

AIIMS-Delhi director Randeep Guleria is likely to get another extension of three months, official sources said on Wednesday. The tenure extension is likely with the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the prime minister on June 20 seeking a wider panel of names for the post of director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here. Dr Guleria was appointed as AIIMS, New Delhi, director for a term of five years on March 28, 2017. His tenure, which was set to end on March 24, was extended by three months. In March this year, the names of three doctors, short-listed by a search-cum-selection committee and subsequently approved by the Institute Body, the top decision-making body of the AIIMS, were sent to the ACC for final approval. “…the Competent Authority in the ACC has directed to return the instant proposal with the request to send a wider panel of names for consideration of the ACC, stated an office memorandum sent to the Union Health Ministry by … [Read more...] about AIIMS-Delhi Director Randeep Guleria Likely to Get Another 3-month Extension: Sources

New Delhi: Around 12.67 lakh new members joined the ESIC-run social security scheme in April 2022, according to official data released on Friday. The latest data is part of a report — Payroll Reporting in India: An Employment Perspective – April 2022 — released by the National Statistical Office (NSO). It showed that the gross new enrolments with Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) rose to 1.49 crore in 2021-22 from 1.15 crore in 2020-21. It was 1.51 crore in 2019-20 and 1.49 crore in 2018-19. From September 2017 to March 2018, around 83.35 lakh new subscribers joined the ESIC scheme. The report said gross new enrolments with ESIC from September 2017 to April 2022 were 6.61 crore. The NSO report is based on the payroll data of new subscribers of various social security schemes run by ESIC, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). According to the report, net new enrolments with retirement fund body … [Read more...] about ESIC Scheme Adds 12.67 Lakh New Members in April, Shows Official Data

India registered 13,313 new cases of Covid-19, after which the tally of active cases rose to 83,990, while the total caseload stood at 4,33,44,958. the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday said. The active cases comprise 0.19 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.60 per cent, the ministry said. Meanwhile, 38 Covid deaths in the last 24 hours took the toll to 5,24,941. An increase of 2,303 cases has been recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.03 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 2.81 per cent, according to the ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,27,36,027, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.21 per cent. According to the ministry, 196.62 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive. . Mansukh … [Read more...] about 13,313 New Daily Cases, Surge in 5 States: Worried Centre’s Covid Review Meet Today