New Delhi, September 30

Eighty-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge, the sitting leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, is all set to become the next Congress president with the Gandhi family loyalists as well as leaders of the pro-reform G-23 group throwing their weight behind him after he filed his nomination for the election to the top post on Friday.

As soon as Kharge, a last-minute entrant after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot pulled out of the race, announced his decision to run, another contender for the Congress chief's post Digvijaya Singh withdrew in the veteran's favour and calls surfaced seeking consensus behind the former nine-term Karnataka MLA and a three-term MP.

Gehlot, who was one of the formidable proposers for Kharge today, said perhaps Shashi Tharoor, who also filed his papers for the contest today, "would also withdraw from the contest making it a consensus election".

Former Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja also appealed to Tharoor to withdraw.

Tharoor, 66, however, said he was determined to run and was not "daunted by his rival".

"This election is about the youth and the future of India. I have a vision to decentralise the Congress, reimagine AICC headquarters, increase focus on youth and women. My nomination papers with 60 signatures represent the voices of Congress leaders from Kashmir to Kerala, Punjab to Nagaland, and across," Tharoor said planning to visit all states and distribute his "manifesto" to all 9,100 Pradesh Congress Committee delegates, who are voters in the election.

Kharge for his part had a strong list of proposers who signalled complete backing of incumbent Congress president Sonia Gandhi to the senior leader.

The list of proposers backing the veteran leader revealed that Kharge versus Tharoor would be a no contest in case matters come to an election, scheduled for October 17.

Kharge's proposers include Gandhi loyalists AK Antony, Ambika Soni, Ashok Gehlot, Abhishek Singhvi, Digvijaya Singh, Salman Khurshid, Ajay Maken, Tariq Anwar, Rajeev Shukla, Vineet Punia as well as G23 leaders Mukul Wasnik, Anand Sharma, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Manish Tewari and Prithviraj Chavan.

Speaking for G23, Tewari surprisingly called for consensus for the top post on Friday morning and quoted late president Pranab Mukherjee on the matter.

Mukherjee had said, "Certain offices should not be sought, rather they should be offered. Congress presidency is one such office."

Tewari said it was time to close ranks and support Mallikarjun Kharge.

Asked what happened to the calls to rejuvenate the party with a younger leadership, considering Kharge was 80, Tewari said, "The Congress is an inter-generational party where there is respect for seniors."

Earlier, Sonia Gandhi had assured Tharoor that there would be no official candidate but Kharge's emergence and his list of proposers narrated a different story.

Kharge, once elected, will be the first non-Gandhi president in 25 years.

The last was Sitaram Kesri in 1997.

He was succeeded by Sonia Gandhi who assumed the mantle in 1998 and remains the longest serving to date except briefly between 2017 and 2019 when her son Rahul Gandhi came in. Rahul resigned in August 2019 taking responsibility for the party's Lok Sabha poll loss that year. Sonia has since remained the interim chief.

Kharge's selection is strategic -- he is a Gandhi family loyalist, a low-profile leader who won't rock any boat, a veteran Karnataka politician whose elevation may help the party in the 2023 state election.

Kharge is likely to quit as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha honouring the party's ‘one person one post’ rule. Former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh could succeed him in the role.

After filing his papers, Kharge recalled his first assembly ticket in 1972 given to him by late Indira Gandhi.

"I have been associated with the Congress since I was a child. I would paste posters propagating the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, BR Ambedkar," said an emotional Kharge as the Congress is set out to signal Scheduled Caste empowerment through Kharge's projection.

With the advent of Independence in India ,the Princely states and Provinces were given the choices to be with India ,with Pakistan or stay independent,Hari Singh of Jammu Kashmir choose to be independent but soon when attacked by Pakistan army and Azad Kashmir forces they surrender themselves to India on three subjects Defence,External affairs and communication.This was known as Treaty of Accession.

In pursuance of the commitment that only the constituent assembly of this state would determine internal constitution of state and constituton of India will provide only interim government , Article 370 was incorporated in constitution of India which provide special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The President can declare that article 370 ceases to be operative or operates with exception and modifications. However this can be done by the President only on the recommendation of the constituent assembly of the state using this power on August 2019 the abrogation of article 370 and 35A which is part of article 370 itself was done and the prevailing order of nullifying all the provisions of article 370 and autonomy granted to the state. Home minister introduce reorganisation bill in the Indian parliament doing bifurcation of state into two Union Territory, Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh .

Revocation will encourage industry and private investment, Boost tourism, PPP model will help children in education, Property and other rights of women marrying outside the state will now be fully protected.

All central schemes for women and children made fully applicable here. ST’s in J&K will now get political reservation through reservation in regional parliament seats like in the rest of country. 73rd and 74th amendment became applicable here. All this will help the Jammu and Kashmir to retain the fragrance of chinar in it ,step a head now legislative election is going to held there and the new feather is the addition of 25 lakhs new voters in the list which are non locals or non residential people but have live their due to their work and profession.

Formation and development of Jammu and Kashmir as Union territory makes administration better and will help people there to grow and achieve new heights.The beauty of India is its diversity and in its akhandta and Jammu Kashmir is an undivided part of India. Over the years it remain partly separated but its high time that stone should be replaced by infrastructure,violence by peace, and let the heaven on earth be the heaven for people there too.

Author-Pooja Sharma

                                                                                                                                                                *Tip- it's author's own opinion*

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor visited Rajghat here on Friday and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi ahead of filing his nomination papers for the party's presidential poll.

''Paid tribute to the man who built India's bridge to the 21st century this morning,'' Tharoor said in a tweet.

He quoted former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi as saying, ''India is an Old country but a young nation... I dream of India Strong, Independent, Self-Reliant and in the front rank of the nations of the world, in the service of mankind.'' Meanwhile, Congress' central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry said Digvijaya Singh is expected to file his nomination papers between 11-11:30 am and Tharoor around 12:25 pm.

Singh met Tharoor on Thursday and the latter said they agreed that theirs is ''not a battle between rivals but a friendly contest'' among colleagues.

Polling will take place on October 17 and the result will be announced on October 19.

General Anil Chauhan on Friday became India's new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) with a mandate to implement the ambitious theaterisation plan that seeks to ensure tri-services synergy and prepare the military for future security challenges.

General Chauhan, a former eastern Army commander, took charge as the country's senior-most military commander over nine months after first CDS General Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu.

"I will try to fulfil expectations of the three services," General Chauhan said.

Known as an expert on China, his appointment to the top post comes amid the lingering border row between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh.

Sixty-one-year-old Chauhan will also function as secretary in the Department of Military Affairs.

He retired from service on May 31 last year when he was serving as the eastern Army commander. After his retirement, he was serving as the military adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat headed by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

Before assuming charge of the CDS, General Chauhan paid tributes to India's fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial in the India Gate complex.

He was also accorded a tri-services guard of honour at the lawns of the South Block in the Raisina Hills.

Born on May 18, 1961, General Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981.

As CDS, General Chauhan's primary task will be to implement the theaterisation model to bring in tri-services synergy by rolling out integrated military commands.

According to the theaterisation plan, each of the theatre commands will have units of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and all of them will work as a single entity looking after security challenges in a specified geographical territory under an operational commander.

At present, the three forces have a total of 17 commands. Initially, a plan was firmed up for the creation of an Air Defence Command and Maritime Theatre Command.

The Indian Air Force has some reservations about the proposed theatre commands.

In becoming the CDS, General Chauhan assumed the rank of the four-star General.

General Chauhan is the first retired three-star officer to return to service in a four-star rank.

Mumbai, (PTI) The Vande Bharat Superfast Express train which Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be flagging off on Friday morning will run six days a week between Mumbai Central and Gandhinagar stations, Western Railway said.

In a late evening release on Thursday, it said that Vande Bharat Superfast Express will run six days a week except Sundays.

The train will depart from Mumbai Central at 6.10 am and reach Gandhinagar at 12.30 pm.

It will depart from Gandhinagar at 2.05 pm and arrive at Mumbai Central at 8.35 pm, the release said.

It will halt at Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad stations in both directions.

The train comprises AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car compartments and will offer facilities such as sliding doors, personalized reading lights, mobile charging points, attendant call buttons, bio-toilets, automatic entry and exit doors, CCTV cameras, reclining facility and comfortable seats, the release said.

The fare for Mumbai-Ahmedabad journey by executive chair car will be Rs 2,505 while that for chair car will be Rs 1,385.

Western Railway has revised the schedule and destination of the Shatabdi Express to accommodate the new train.

Shatabdi Express will now depart from Mumbai Central at 06.20 am instead of 06.10 am. It will reach Ahmedabad at 12.45 pm instead of 12.25 pm, the release said. PTI 

Ahead of filing his nomination for the Congress presidential poll, party leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday met his colleagues Mallikarjun Kharge and K C Venugopal.

The details of the meetings were not known immediately.

Singh collected nomination papers for the party president election on Thursday, even as Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot opted out of the race.

Kharge is also likely to enter the contest with the blessing of the Gandhi family.

There is speculation that Singh may replace Kharge as the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha if the latter becomes the party chief.

The 'one man, one post' formula will apply to Kharge, as in the case of Gehlot, who was asked to quit as chief minister if he contested for the top party post.

Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor will also file his nomination papers on Friday.

A tent has been set up in the lawns of the AICC headquarters here and party leaders can file their nomination papers between 11 am and 3 pm.

Polling will take place on October 17 and the result will be announced on October 19.

Guwahati : Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati research team led by Dr. Nelson Muthu, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, has developed new modelling methods to assess the probability of failure of composite materials. For this, the researchers have used a combination of Machine Learning tools and state-of-art sampling techniques, to model and predict the failure and other mechanical properties of composite materials used in the aerospace and automobile sector.

This combination of these tools is able to better predict the failure of these materials over the multiple probability technique such as Monte Carlo simulation. The results of the team’s latest work have been published in the prestigious journal, Composite Structures, in a paper co-authored by Dr. Muthu along with this research scholars: Mr. Paladugu Rakesh, Mr. Aditya More, and Mr. Munna Kumar.

Composite materials are made of two or more components and are extensively used in all kinds of aerospace, automobile and construction applications because of favorable properties such as excellent corrosion resistance, high strength and stiffness to weight ratios, durability, increased fatigue life, affordable cost, etc. The simplest type of composite is Fiber-reinforced-Plastics or FRP, which are widely used today.

Specialized fiber reinforced composites are used in aerospace, for making specialized aircraft structures. The fuselage, wings, tail, doors, and interior of aircraft, for example, are made of composite materials. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft is 80% composite by volume, which reduces fuel use by 20-25% compared to its predecessors.

Highlighting the importance of his research, Dr. Nelson Muthu, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, said, “Despite their wide use, composite materials can fail due to problems such as fibre–matrix debonding, delamination, fiber misalignment, matrix cracking, density variation, broken fibres, impact damage, etc. We need to understand and predict such failures so the composite and the component can be designed accordingly and reduce the risk of failure.”

Computational modelling studies such as Monte Carlo simulations are often used to understand and predict failure of composite materials. However, these multiple probability methods consume a lot of computer time and memory because composite properties are affected by many factors such as the distribution of fibre and matrix characteristics (microscale), laminate bonding (mesoscale), and product macrolevel design (macroscale).

“Although computers are getting more powerful, it is still unrealistic to depend only on single simulation codes to predict properties that are dependent on multiple factors”, said the lead researcher.

The IIT Guwahati team developed a computationally efficient multiscale metamodel-based approach that combines machine learning tools like support vector machines, among others, and sampling tools, such as Latin hypercube, to assess the failure risk in composites with many sources of uncertainty.

While explaining the technicalities of his research, Dr Muthu explained, “We performed experiments to determine the uncertainties in the microscale and established the variation of the properties in the mesoscale using the computational homogenization technique within the finite element modelling framework. The uncertainty in the mesoscale was also estimated, and this information was transported to the macroscale simulations.”

The metamodeling approach reduced the computational effort by about 95% compared to the Monte Carlo simulation. This was also a significant improvement in determining the risk associated with the design and development process.

Apart from this research on the fracture and failure modelling of composites, Dr Muthu’s group also works on biomedical device innovation. The researchers routinely collaborate with industry partners like VSSC-ISRO, TATA Steel (TSAMRC), SABIC and Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Private Limited and work towards solving practical problems in the industry

 New Delhi, (PTI) The Popular Front of India (PFI) has been extensively using social media for recruiting youths for anti-national activities and one of the modules of the now-banned outfit even had prepared to attack foreigners, especially Jews visiting Vattakkanal, a hill station in Tamil Nadu, officials said.

According to an investigation carried out by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the module comprising about 15 youths and their associates from southern states, mostly PFI members or those attracted to the global terror group ISIS, had also conspired to attack high court judges, senior police officers and Muslims belonging to Ahmediya sect with the intention of committing terror acts within India.

The module had allegedly entered into criminal conspiracy to wage a war against the government by collecting explosives and other offensive materials to target important persons and places of public importance, the officials said.

The module — Ansar-ul-Khilafa Kerala — was also indulged in a secret campaign of recruiting, motivating and radicalizing Muslim youths to join ISIS/ISIL, they said, adding the associates used various internet based platforms (both surface and deep web) for propagating ISIS ideology.

Active surveillance mounted by the investigators found five suspects namely Manseed, Swalith Mohammed, Rashid Ali Safvan and Jasim NK, and they were arrested from Kannur district in Kerala on October 2, 2016 while they were holding a conspiracy meeting as part of their preparation to allegedly wage a war against the government.

Later, searches were conducted at the residence of the accused and materials, including digital devices and documents, were seized. Custodial interrogation revealed that the accused had communicated with co-conspirator within and outside India over social media platforms like Facebook, Telegram, etc to allegedly wage a war against the government, the officials said.

One of the accused, Swalith Mohammed, disclosed about the receipt of funds from his associates in the UAE for funding their activities.

The accused had conspired and propagated ISIS ideology directly and through social media and recruiting members for anti-national activities. They had created various Telegram groups like ‘The Gate’, ‘Bab Al Noor’, ‘Play Ground’, etc, the officials said.

Investigation has established that the accused had knowingly and intentionally conspired and conducted preparation to attack foreigners, especially Jews visiting Vattakkanal near Kodaikanal, to attack prominent political leaders at Kozhikode, Kerala, and to attack a programme of Jamaat-e-Islami at Kochi, the officials said.

Vattakkanal is a small scenic hill station in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul district where every year hundreds of Israeli youths arrive for vacation after their compulsory military service in Israel.

The NIA investigations have also found that one Shajahan, a Kerala resident, who was working on ISIS terror network in India, had earlier visited Turkey/Syria for allegedly carrying out terror activities and was deported from there.

The NIA also found that Shajahan had joined the National Democratic Front, which was the earlier avatar of the PFI, and gradually got indoctrinated by its leaders.

He came in contact with PFI leaders namely Haris, Shabeer, Manaf, Mustafa, Sadik, Shajil and others.

He used to attend all PFI meetings in 2008 where the discussions were made on atrocities committed on the Muslims by the “non-believers” in India and other parts of the world, the officials said, adding that particularly, Shameer, the then divisional president of the PFI’s Valapattanam unit, indoctrinated Shajahan with the ISIS ideology.

After the declaration of Caliphate by Abu Bakar Bagdadi of the ISIS, Shameer motivated Shajahan to go for ‘hijra’ as per Hadis and Quran for waging jihad.

As directed by Shameer who was already in Syria, Shajahan along with his wife and two sons went to Malaysia in October 2016 enroute to his final destination Syria, the officials said.

In Malaysia, Shajahan was met by one Rasheed and they moved to Iran from Malaysia. In Iran, Shajil and his family and Midlaj joined this group via Mangalore-Dubai-Iran, then further proceeded to Istanbul, Turkey, they said.

This group was joined by Abdul Manaf PP in Turkey. In February 2017, when Shajahan and Abdul Manaf PP along with their families attempted to cross over to Syria, law enforcement agencies of Turkey apprehended Shajahan and deported to India on February 10, 2017.

However, Abdul Manaf managed to cross the border. After his earlier failed attempt, Shajahan again planned to go to Syria for ‘hijra’ in March 2017. He acquired Indian passport on forged identity of Mohammed Ismail Mohideen with the help of one travel agent Mustafa, the officials said. This time Abdul Khayoom and Abdul Razak also planned to go to Syria with Shajahan for ‘hijra’. Shajahan had reached Iran from Bangkok, they said.

While Khayoom managed to cross over to Syria, Shajahan and Razak were apprehended again in Turkey and deported to India on July 1, 2017, the officials said. PTI 

New Delhi,(PTI) K.N. Shanth Kumar was re-elected as the vice-chairman and L. Adimoolam was appointed a director of the Press Trust of India’s Board of Directors at its Annual General Meeting held on Thursday.

Shanth Kumar, who is the vice-chairman of The Printers (Mysore) Pvt. Ltd, was elected for a second one-year term. Printers Mysore publishes Deccan Herald, Prajavani, Sudha and Mayura newspapers from its headquarters in Bengaluru.

The 16-member Board of Directors is headed by Chairman Aveek Sarkar, who was elected in 2021 for a two-year term. Other directors on the Board include top publishers from across the country as well as eminent, independent personalities.

Adimoolam is the Publisher of Dinamalar daily’s Coimbatore edition and is also its business and technical head. An engineering graduate from the prestigious Regional Engineering College in Trichy, Adimoolam has been part of the senior management of Dinamalar for the last 37 years, handling both technical and marketing arenas.

He was instrumental in bringing the latest upgrades in printing, pre-press processes, distribution and web-media. He is also the secretary of RL Institute of Nautical Sciences, Madurai and Managing Director of RL Clean Power Pvt Ltd., the first solar power plant commissioned in Tamil Nadu.

Adimoolam is the immediate past president of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), and a special invitee in the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) Management Council in 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Shanth Kumar has been involved in the management of Printers Mysore in various roles since 1983. He was also chairman of the ABC, a member of the Executive Committee of INS for more than 20 years and a past chairman of the Board of Press Trust of India.

Shanth Kumar has a keen interest in sports and photography. He has covered several Olympic Games since 1988 as an accredited photographer, besides several other sporting events.

Press Trust of India is the country’s largest and oldest private news agency, founded soon after Independence in 1947 by a group of newspapers, which also own it. The shareholders, however, receive no part of the company’s profits, which go back towards the development and modernisation of the news agency. PTI 

New Delhi, (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday announced that he will not contest the Congress presidential polls as he took moral responsibility for the political crisis in his state.

After meeting party president Sonia Gandhi, Gehlot told reporters that he apologised to her for the developments on Sunday when MLAs supporting him defied the central observers and thwarted their move to hold a meeting of party legislators.

Instead, they held a parallel meet to pitch for Gehlot’s continuation or the guarantee that his bete noire Sachin Pilot does not replace him.

Gehlot, a three-time state chief minister, described himself as a disciplined soldier of the party and expressed his sadness over the turn of affairs in the state.

Asked if he will continue as chief minister, Gehlot said Gandhi will decide on the issue. PTI