New Delhi, April 10: Growing up in New Delhi’s Ashok Vihar, left-handed opener Priyansh Arya had told IANS before the start of IPL 2025 that watching Brendon McCullum’s unbeaten 158 in the competition’s inaugural match as a young kid had fuelled his desire to perform well in the ten-team tournament.

Arya’s performance earlier this week evoked the same sense of wonder as McCullum’s remarkable innings from IPL 2008 when he smashed a 42-ball 103, laced with seven fours and nine sixes against Chennai Super Kings in Mullanpur, and give Punjab Kings a memorable home win.

His century, coming off just 39 balls, is now the joint fourth-fastest in IPL’s history. “The feeling has obviously been very great that I hit a hundred, as runs are made by a lot of people. But hitting a hundred, as per my view, is difficult. On hitting the hundred, I felt very proud of myself,” said a smiling Arya to IANS in a virtual round-table chat organised by the franchise on Thursday.

Life since hitting six sixes in the inaugural edition of the Delhi Premier League (DPL), where he also ended up as the tournament’s leading run-getter, has flipped big time for Arya, as he got worldwide recognition.

Calls for attending IPL trials soon made way for a contract worth Rs 3.8 crore. In the side’s pre-season camps, Arya impressed onlookers and was given the backing to open the batting in IPL 2025. Even after his stunning IPL century, Arya has kept a level head.

A big part of that, as per the left-handed opener, has come down to him seeing how calmness has brought consistent on-field performances from players in IPL. “The preparation is just the same for everyone. From whatever I have seen, the mindset is key, as controlling the mind is the most difficult thing for any human being. But the more you are able to keep yourself calm, the better it works in terms of performances,” he added.

Before that century against CSK, Arya came into the game on the back of being castled by Jofra Archer’s scorching pace on the first ball of PBKS’ chase, as they eventually fell short by 50 runs to Rajasthan Royals. He revealed continuous talking with head coach Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer gave him positive vibes before stepping out to attack CSK bowlers.

“My mindset was positive, because when I got out on the first ball (against RR), I didn’t think of anything much. I thought that I will play with a positive attitude as much as possible. If I get the ball, I will hit it. Whenever I talk to Ricky sir, he is always positive. He said that there is no problem, it was the first ball and anyone can get out.”

“He told me that if I get the same ball in the next match (against CSK), I should hit it out of the ground, and I was very confident after hearing that. I was thinking that if I get the first ball, I will hit it, as per my instinct and not defend. Shreyas bhaiya told me to play on my instinct, as it would be better for me, and that helped me a lot.

“Plus, when I was going out to bat in the nets (before the game against CSK), he (Shreyas) asked me what was going on in my mind. I said a few things and he replied back by saying, ‘Keep a clear mind. Don’t think about anything and just back your game. The way you play your game, continue in that way’,” he elaborated.

Before DPL 2024, Arya had been a largely unknown player and hadn’t established himself in the Delhi team, despite making his senior debut in 2021, which came after his Delhi U19 team selection in 2019, thanks to former India player Amit Bhandari, who was the selector at that time.

Arya also disclosed that the current boldness in his batting has come gradually, as time and maturity taught him to be more consistent with his run-scoring in T20s. “With time and maturity, you have to make changes in yourself. You can’t keep playing like you used to. Moreover, all the mature players know everything about you.”

“When I went to the (IPL) trials before, and I didn’t get selected, I thought that if I didn’t make a run, I wouldn’t get selected, because I wasn’t as consistent as I thought I would be. So when I made runs in the DPL, everything became different.”

“My sir (Sanjay Bhardwaj) used to tell me that if you stay on the wicket as much as possible, you will get a chance to move forward. That’s what I used to think while playing, and has helped me,” he concluded.

Guwahati, April 10: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that over 43 lakh persons, including a large section of women, are set to benefit from the state government’s cash transfer scheme.

Taking to social media platform X, CM Sarma wrote, “It’s the 10th of April and like every month, today is Pension and Orunodoi Day in Assam, our most comprehensive Jan Kalyan effort. Over 43 lakh people, mostly women will get over ₹384cr directly in their bank accounts to enable them to fulfill their basic necessities.”

Under the Orunodoi scheme, the state government provides financial assistance to women on the 10th of every month.

The CM earlier also asserted that to prevent fraudulent claims, the Orunodoi scheme is being linked with ration cards. The state administration has distributed at least 20 lakh new ration cards to the beneficiaries across the state recently.

CM Sarma highlighted the steadfast commitment of the current state government to ensure that the needy have regular access to rice.

He noted that the National Food Security Act (NFSA) was implemented in Assam in December 2015, with the aim of safeguarding the nutritional needs of approximately 2.51 crore beneficiaries.

He emphasised that 85 per cent of rural residents and 60 per cent of urban inhabitants should be entitled to ration cards.

The CM said that following the linking of ration cards with Aadhaar, an additional 60 lakh cards have been issued, thus facilitating the distribution of free rice via biometric verification.

He commended the successful implementation of the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme, which has been in place for the past three years, allowing beneficiaries to access provisions from anywhere in the country.

The Chief Minister clarified that ration cards must be collected between the 1st and 10th of each month and reassured the public that no fraudulent claims would be entertained, as the government has made substantial efforts to ensure that deserving families receive their entitlements.

CM Sarma stated that in the 2023-24 fiscal year, 42,85,745 new beneficiaries have been included, with 10,73,489 new families receiving ration cards in January alone, benefitting more than 52 lakh people. The Chief Minister also said that families holding ration cards would be eligible for free medical treatment up to Rs five lakh at government hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat and Ayushman Assam schemes.

Patna, April 10: In a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the NEET-UG 2024 question paper leak, the Bihar Police have announced a reward of Rs 3 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of Sanjeev Kumar Singh alias Sanjeev Mukhiya, the alleged mastermind behind the scandal.

A formal letter was issued from the office of Kundan Krishnan, Additional Director General (ADG) of Bihar Police Headquarters, notifying the public about the bounty. A reward has also been announced for two others accused.

The officials said that police personnel or any individual who successfully helps to arrest the absconding accused will get the reward.

The notification will be valid for two years, which means if any police personnel arrest these three criminals within two years, they are entitled to the reward amount.

The other two accused are Shubham Kumar and Rajkishore Kumar. Bihar Police announced a bounty of Rs 1 lakh each on their heads. Subham is a resident of Beechbazar under the jurisdiction of Sohsarai Police Station in the Nalanda district and is involved in two cases.

Raj Kishore Kumar was also involved in two cases and is a resident of Bakhtari village under the Karpi Police station limit in the Arwal district.

The police have urged the public to come forward with credible information about the whereabouts of the absconding accused.

All identities of informants will be kept strictly confidential, and they will be entitled to the announced rewards, the officials have said.

Sanjeev Kumar Singh, alias Sanjeev Mukhiya, is an accused in the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak case registered initially in Shastri Nagar Police Station (Case No. 358/2024), Constable Recruitment scam, Teachers Recruitment scam, and another pending case. Mukhiya is a native of Shahpur Balwa village under the limit of Nagarnausa Police Station in Nalanda district.

The NEET-UG paper leak scandal was unearthed on May 5, 2024, when the Patna Police detected irregularities during the nationwide medical entrance exam.

The investigation was first handled by the Shastri Nagar police, then transferred to the Economic Offences Unit (EOU), and finally handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 23, 2024.

The CBI’s FIR named eight accused, including Sanjeev Mukhiya, Ayush Raj, Rocky, Amit Anand, Nitish Kumar, Bittu, Akhilesh, and Sikandar Yadavendu. Sanjeev Mukhiya has a known history of orchestrating high-profile examination frauds and is now among the most wanted criminals in Bihar.