National News
How the ‘revadi culture’ label has turned a fiscal debate into a political slugfest

‘Revadi culture’ or freebies by political parties to woo the electorate has triggered a major political controversy in the country.
The raging debate on ‘revadi’, (a sweet often distributed during festivals) was kicked off after Prime Minister Narendra Modi used it as a metaphor for freebies promised by political parties to grab power.
Sri Lanka’s economy hitting the rock bottom, has set off alarm bells for several developing countries. The Indian government has, however, ruled out the possibility of a Sri Lanka-like situation in the country, but advised the states to introspect their respective economic situation.
On July 19, in an all-party meeting during the Monsoon session of Parliament, the Centre had warned about the state-wise debt and the expenditure being incurred by them. Several leaders of regional parties present in the meeting had objected to the Central government raising the issue.
However, a few days before this meeting, on July 12, Modi ignited a political debate on freebies while addressing a rally in Deoghar, Jharkhand, after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of various development projects worth more than Rs 16,800 crore.
In Deoghar, Modi had said that people should stay away from the ideology behind shortcut politics as it can cripple the state’s economy and harm the country.
He added that it is very easy to get votes from the people by making populist promises while adopting short-cuts. Those who adopt short-cuts do not have to work hard nor do they think about the far-reaching consequences it can cause to the country.
But the truth is that the country whose politics is based on short-cuts, is sure to collapse one day. Short-cut politics destroys the country. Citing the example of how electricity is a necessity, Modi said that today one cannot think of a life without electricity.
“Without electricity, we will not be able to charge our mobile phones, watch TV, or get water. There will be no choice but to light a lamp or lantern during evenings. If there is no electricity, tomorrow all the factories will permanently shut down. But this electricity cannot be generated by short-cut. To generate this electricity, power plants have to be set up and thousands of crores of rupees have to be invested,” the Prime Minister said.
On July 16, at the inauguration of the Bundelkhand Expressway in Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh, Modi once again targetted the freebies culture and said that there is a challenge before the new India which if not taken care of now, will destroy the future of youth in the country. That’s why it’s important to remain alert of the danger of freebies culture. “Nowadays, every effort is being made in our country to promote the culture of getting votes by distributing free ‘revadi’ (freebies).”
Political leaders who promote it will never build new expressways, airports or defence corridors. Those promoting the culture feel that they can buy people’s trust by distributing free ‘revadis’ to them. The people have to unite together to defeat this mindset from the political discourse of the country.
Apparently, the Prime Minister was taking a dig at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders for promising free electricity in every upcoming poll-bound state after forming the government in Delhi and Punjab.
Responding to the allegations, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed the Centre for “mismanaging’ the country economy. Kejriwal said that the welfare schemes provided by the AAP government cannot be “freebies”.
Condemning the Prime Minister’s statement calling the welfare schemes of the Delhi government as freebies, Kejriwal said that free education and health services cannot be called freebies.
In retaliation, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra accused Kejriwal of deceiving people by offering them freebies to fulfill his poll ambitions and win elections.
The benefit of the Centre-launched welfare schemes is being directly provided to the poor sections of society, while Kejriwal, who pretends to work for the people, is busy giving freebies just to win elections, he alleged.
However, not only AAP, but the TRS government in Telangana and the DMK government in Tamil Nadu have also objected to the Central government’s claims and strongly criticised the BJP government.
The issue has become more political than being viewed from the prism of the economic state of the country. Therefore, political rhetoric is bound to hog the limelight in the coming days as well.
Crime
UP Shocker: Teacher ‘Bribed’ 16 School Girls With Candies, Molested Them In Unnao School; Accused Arrested

Unnao: The head teacher of a co-educational school in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district has been arrested on charges of molesting 16 girl students. The children said the teacher bribed them with candies to indulge in improper acts.
The matter came to light when the girls lodged a complaint on the portal of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
NCPCR member visited school
Taking cognizance of the matter, NCPCR member Preeti Bhardwaj Dalal visited the school for a probe and recorded the statements of the survivors and prima facie found the charges against the accused, Rajesh Kumar, to be true.
The teacher has been booked under the POCSO Act and molestation charges under the IPC, following a complaint lodged by the cook of the school, Ruby Devi.
The cook said she had informed another teacher about the alleged harassment. The district’s basic education officer has also suspended the accused.
A three-member team headed by basic education officer-level officer is further investigating the case. ASP Shashishekhar Singh said: “The head master, who was absconding since the FIR, has been arrested.”
National News
‘What About Aarti At Temples?’: Gujarat HC Rejects Plea To Ban Loudspeakers For Azaan At Mosques

Ahmedabad, November 28: The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to impose a prohibition on the utilisation of loudspeakers for broadcasting azaan, or the Islamic call to prayer, from mosques. A bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha P. Mayee termed the petition as “wholly misconceived”.
Shaktisinh Zala alleged that amplifying azaan via loudspeakers resulted in ‘noise pollution’
The PIL by Bajrang Dal leader Shaktisinh Zala alleged that amplifying azaan via loudspeakers resulted in “noise pollution,” adversely affecting the health of the general populace, particularly children, and causing other inconveniences.
The petitioner’s claims lacked empirical evidence and scientific basis
Ahmedabad, November 28: The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to impose a prohibition on the utilisation of loudspeakers for broadcasting azaan, or the Islamic call to prayer, from mosques. A bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha P. Mayee termed the petition as “wholly misconceived”.
Shaktisinh Zala alleged that amplifying azaan via loudspeakers resulted in ‘noise pollution’
The PIL by Bajrang Dal leader Shaktisinh Zala alleged that amplifying azaan via loudspeakers resulted in “noise pollution,” adversely affecting the health of the general populace, particularly children, and causing other inconveniences.
The petitioner’s claims lacked empirical evidence and scientific basis
However, the court observed that the petitioner’s claims lacked empirical evidence and scientific basis. In its judgment, the bench emphasised that azaan, typically lasting a maximum of 10 minutes, was unlikely to reach decibel levels that could constitute a significant noise pollution hazard.
The court further questioned the petitioner’s counsel about the sounds of bells and gongs during temple rituals
It expressed skepticism regarding the petitioner’s ability to establish that the human voice, amplified through loudspeakers during azaan, could generate sufficient decibels to create a public health hazard. The court further questioned the petitioner’s counsel about sounds of bells and gongs during temple rituals.
‘Morning aarti with drums and music also starts early at 3 AM’
“In your temple, the morning aarti with drums and music also starts early at 3 am. Does it not cause noise? Can you claim that the noise of ghanta (bell) and ghadiyal (gong) is confined within temple premises only and does not extend outside?” the bench asked.
10-minute azaan could not result in noise pollution
Highlighting the existence of scientific methods for measuring noise pollution, it noted that the PIL needed to furnish concrete data or studies to substantiate the claim that a 10-minute azaan could result in noise pollution.
National News
‘Expecting To See Some Results By 5 PM,’ Tunnelling Expert Chris Cooper On Uttarakhand Silkyara Tunnel Rescue Ops To Save 41 Workers

Uttarkashi: The rescue operations underway to save the 41 trapped workers in Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel is in its final stage and micro mining expert Chris Cooper said that a breakthrough is expected by 5 pm (IST).
The statement by the micro tunneling expert that the rescue teams expect to “see” some people by “5’0 clock” comes as a new lease of life and hope for the workers who have been trapped in the collapsed Sillkyara tunnel for the last 17 days now.
“So we are still mining, we have got a couple of more meters to go, it’s going quite easily, we are expecting to see some results by 5’0 clock,” said the expert.
When asked how many meters were left, he replied, “2-3 meters.” He also added that “we should see some people,” when asked if all the 41-workers will be rescued by today itself.
Preparations underway
With just few hours to go for at least the initial batch of workers to be rescued, preparations were underway on Tuesday (November 28) to immediately rush the rescued workers to hospital as soon as they are out of the tunnel.
a dedicated ward with 41 oxygen-supported beds for the workers are ready at the community health centre in Chinyalisaur, which is some 30 km from Silkyara.
separate ward comprising 41 oxygen-supported beds has been readied at the community health centre in Chinyalisaur, about 30 km from Silkyara, for the workers.
“The pipe has gone in up to 52 metres. Earlier, it was at 51 metres. It was pushed one metre further in my presence. It will be pushed two metres more to 54 metres after which one more pipe will be laid,” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said on the status of the rescue operations on Tuesday (November 28) morning.
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