Press Release l 6th edition of the ‘Secretariat Reforms’ report released

• 3.71 lakh Public Grievances disposed; 1.8 lakh physical files reviewed out of which 86,454 files weeded out
• 13 Ministries/Departments have 100% share of e-Receipts for May 2023
• Cleanliness Campaign conducted at 2,115; 17.55 lakh sq. ft. of space freed
• Rs 19.13 crore of revenue earned from scrap disposal
  

In pursuance of the decisions taken in the National workshop on 23.12.2022, DARPG published monthly report on “Secretariat Reforms” for May, 2023.

Key highlights of the Report for the month of May, 2023 are as follows:

Swachhata Campaign & Reduction in Pendency

1,80,557 files were reviewed. 86,454 files weeded out

3,71,156 public grievances disposed

17,55,001 square feet of space freed in May, 2023

Rs.19,12,72,388/- of revenue earned by scrap disposal in May, 2023

Cleanliness Campaign conducted 2,115 sites

Increasing Efficiency in Decision Making

71 Ministries/ Departments implemented delayering (48 fully delayered; 23 partially delayered)

43 Ministries/Departments have reviewed and modified Orders of Delegation in 2021, 2022 & 2023)

Desk Officer System is in operation in 40 Ministries/ Departments

e-Office implementation and analytics

All 75 Ministries which were identified for e-Office 7.0 migration have adopted e-Office 7.0.

25,93,223 active e-Files against 8,68,490 active physical files

13 Ministries/ Departments have 100% e-Receipts in the month of May, 2023

Overall, 91.43% share of eReceipts in May 2023 against 91.52% share of eReceipts in April 2023

89.96% of eFile adoption in Central Government

Best Practices

Department of Telecommunications: To solve the problem of attendance monitoring, C-DoT developed and installed Face-recognition Attendance System in Sanchar Bhawan.  An employee whose data has been populated in the system needs to merely stand in front of the device for a couple of seconds for it to scan his face and record timing for attendance purposes. As the system is contactless, it is Covid-appropriate as well. DoT has procured and installed Digital Notice Board/Screens at different floors of Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi.

Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation: Portals have been developed for the Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission for tracking and monitoring the implementation of the missions (Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2023, Village Assessment Form, Gobardhan Portal etc.)

Ministry of External Affairs: Portals for the Indian diaspora have been developed such as Madad Portal, Kailash Mansarovar Portal, E-Migrate Portal

Ministry of Food Processing Industries: Simplified and transparent processes related to the release of grants through an online scheme management system have been implemented. Separate online portals have been developed for all its schemes PMKSY, PMFME and PLI

In addition to monthly reporting, this edition of Secretariat Reforms entails a chapter of focus on citizen-centric initiatives and glimpses of Swacchata of Department of Post.

Adipurush l More Than Just A Review

 

Sonay ki Lanka to Koyle ki Lanka lagti hai ~ City of gold looks like city of coal, this one statement sums up Om Raut's, 'Adipurush'.

 

If a director with multi-million dollar budget can't even adapt an epic that has all the human emotions; he has no right to direct films any further. Om Raut should stop making films henceforth.

 

Adipurush is the retelling of 'Ramayan'. How God Shri Ram prevailed with good over evil. At the onset you feel, no filmmaker can ever go wrong with such a huge heritage that is aided by credible sources; but then when you ignore the very strong references that are the foundation of strong human-bonds, you know you will not get it right.

 

The major problem in this retelling, 'Adipurush' is, it lacks emotions. Where is the scene where Ram ji asks Lakshman, are these the ornaments Sita ji wore and Lakshman says I only looked at her feet. Or the reverence of Hanuman ji for God Ram, there is not even one single scene that establishes the bond.

 

There are so many such references in Ramayan that are so rich in emotions, but the director in his quest for a grandiose vision overlooks the emotions completely.

 

The vision is grand no doubt, but why model it on The Lord of The Rings, Game of Thrones and 300 - why not give it a much Indian look - say Baahubali or Bajirao Mastaani. Om had a ready reference too, Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan - that just three years back during the pandemic - became world's most watched TV Show - in a repeat run!

 

It is plain laziness on the part of director and writers to come up with such a bad screenplay and equally bad dialogues - mazdoor is not a Hindi word, the correct word is shramik. Manoj did a great job in Baahubali, but here he falters. Forget the words, the language used is that of street-taporis in Mumbai. Why?

 

When the foundation is bad, actors can hardly do anything.

 

The only silver-lining is Nitesh Tiwari is making Ramayan with Ranbir Kapoor and hopefully he will learn a good lesson from this debacle.

 

Till then, watch Ramayan by Ramanand Sagar - you will be much more happier.

#BNHAF Awards and Festival 11th Edition - Mekha Rajan wins the Best Actress Award

Mekha Rajan, Chennai based actor, best known for being the muse in Academy Awardee A.R.Rahman's music videos, won the coveted Best Actress Award at the recently concluded 11th #BNHAF Awards and Festival, held from May 24 to May 30, 2023 - coinciding with the closing of the biggest film festival in the world, the 76th edition of Cannes Film Festival.

Gunjan a regular at #BNHAF gushed that the Cannes connect was so evident at the 11th Edition with the introduction of the Screening Room. For the unacquainted, the Shorts Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival is a screening room with computers for attendees to view films. The 11th Edition of #BNHAF introduced the same concept, where a festival-attendee can see a film of their choice at a time and day convenient to them.

Mekha was elated to win the Best Actress Award for Akshat Gangrade's very poignantly made, Dwija. Mekha started off her career as a finalist in the Miss India pageant in 2000 where other competitors were Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta and Dia Mirza.

 

Talking exclusively to www.bol-news.com Mekha said that she started off English and Tamil theatre simultaneously with the beauty pageant to hone her acting skills.

 

Mekha is the face of the very successful "Hamam" campaign that highlighted the need for self defense and self-reliance for young girls. One of the most iconic TVC's, it's running since 2017 till date!

 

Talking more about herself, the multi-faceted actress, who also learnt Kalari a martial art form from Kerala revealed that her next is a Tamil film directed by Ameer Sultan, expected to open in 2024.

Rajan's diverse work includes Malayalam movies, "Kabini", "Collector " with Suresh gopi and " Mr Fraud" with Mohanlal. Amazon Prime series, "Suzhal" and Vadandhi and "Anantham" for Zee5. 

 

A dynamic and versatile personality with varied interests that include yoga, cycling, she is an avid painter practicing 'Art Therapy'. Her love for outdoors and nature, extends from her belief that art and nature are the best ways ways to nurture and heal body mind and soul.

 

The next editions of #BNHAF Awards and Festival are scheduled for July, 2023 and October, 2023.

News Shorts l 2nd Trade and Investment Working Group Meeting

The 2nd TIWG (Trade and Investment Working Group) meeting, under India’s G20 Presidency, is being organized in Bengaluru from May 23rd - 25th, 2023. The meeting will be inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Anupriya Patel on May 24th, 2023. During this three-day meeting, over 100 delegates from G20 member countries, invitee countries, regional groupings and international organizations will deliberate on reforming the multilateral trading system, integrating MSMEs in global trade, resilient GVCs, making trade work for growth and prosperity, and efficient logistics for trade.

1st SEA SORTIE OF SIXTH SCORPENE SUBMARINE ‘VAGHSHEER’

The sixth submarine of Project 75, Yard 11880, Indian Navy’s Kalvari class commenced her sea trials on 18 May 23. The submarine was launched in 20 Apr 22 from the Kanhoji Angre Wet Basin of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). Vaghsheer is scheduled for Delivery to the Indian Navy in early 2024 after completion of these trial.

MDL has ‘Delivered’ three submarines of the Project – 75 in 24 months and the commencement of sea trials of the sixth submarine is a significant milestone. This is indicative of the boost towards AatmaNirbharBharat.

The submarine will now undergo intense trials of all its systems at sea, these include propulsion systems, weapons and sensors.

Sports l MOC approves shooters proposals to train in Italy

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of May 18th approved proposal of Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) shooters Ganemat Sekhon and Gurjoat Singh’s proposals to train in Italy under foreign coaches Piero Genga and Ennio Falco respectively.

 

Ganemat, who recently won mixed team event Gold in the ISSF World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, is currently ranked India's number one in the Women’s Skeet event, would be spending 11 days training in Bari under Italian coach Genga while Gurjoat will head to Capua, to train at TAV Falco for 10 days. They both are preparing for the upcoming ISSF World Championship and Asian Games which is set to take place later this year.

 

The financial assistance will cover Ganemat and Gurjoat’s Coaching Fees, Range Fees, ammunition costs, Travel and Lodging costs, local transportation costs, and OPA among other expenses.

Cannes Film Festival l Day 3 - Indiana Jones Returns

Cannes Film Festival's 76th edition will see the return of one of the most loved hero of cinematic history, Indiana Jones played by legendary, Harrison Ford with the new film in the franchise.

 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is presented Out of Competition. Directed by James Mangold, the plot is about a new Nazi threat, against the backdrop of the Cold War. Set in the late 1960s, the film has Jones in search of the Dial of Destiny, in order to foil the plans of the ambitious Jurgen Voller played by another amazing actor, Mads Mikkelsen.

Harrison Ford returns to the red carpet, 15 years after the showing of the previous film in the franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Ford is a veteran on the Cannes Red Carpet, since the 1970s, with The Conversation (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979), winning the Palme d’or, both directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

On the other hand director James Mangold, best known for blockbusters like, Logan and Ford V Ferrari, is presenting his first film at the Cannes Film Festival.

 

The film is touted as the fifth and final episode in the series started by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, but fans are hoping that they get to see one more film (and then one more) with their fav hero, Indiana Jones.

Fast X l More Than Just A Review

In spite of a glaring screenplay glitch, which the general audiences might accept - the film shines with many highlight moments.

• Jason Momoa plays the psychotic villain to the hilt, you will love to hate him.
• John Cena leaves everyone teary-eyed, hope he returns in the next, Fast 11.
• Rock and Jason Statham get claps and whistles in their respective cameos.

Though, the loudest roar was when the character of Dom glides his car off the jet onto the expressway and rescues his son.

 

If you have loved F'n'F so far you will love this one as well - though they should have ended this one in Fast X and gone for a new story in Fast 11.

Cannes Film Festival 2023 l Report 2

By: Amit KumaR Agarwal

The 76th Cannes Film Festival, true to the Cannes reputation, opened with all the fanfare on May 16, 2023.

 

Of all the film fraternity that transcended on the Cannes Film Festival from across the world; addressing the press, giving interviews to the press - on the opening day of the festival - it seemed actress, model and entrepreneur, Poppy Delevingne - knew just the way to garner all the attention. Why?

Poppy's quote was the most lapped up by the media - as she talked about her biggest fear on the Cannes Red Carpet.

"Imposter syndrome, Falling flat on my face, and Not feeling like a pro."

Poppy a veteran of walking Cannes Red Carpet year after year, knows for sure about the intricacies of walking it!

 

Poppy attends the screening of 'Three Thousand Years Of Longing'

during the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival 2022