MoHUA committed to create supportive and empowering environment for street vendors: Hardeep S Puri

Hardeep S. Puri, Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, and Petroleum and Natural Gas, stressed the significance of establishing and maintaining robust Grievance Redressal Committees under the Street Vendors Act 2014, to resolve disputes and conflicts among street vendors. Speaking while inaugurating a seminar on ‘Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) for Street Vendors’ yesterday, the Minister congratulated the States/UTs who have constituted GRC and urged remaining States /UTs to expedite the constitution of the Committee at the earliest. He said that street vendors have long played an integral role in the urban informal economy and the Ministry is committed to creating a supportive and empowering environment for street vendors across the nation.

The seminar on ‘Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) for Street Vendors’ was organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on January 4, 2024. The seminar aimed to sensitise all States and Union territories on the importance of robust GRCs and brought together key stakeholders, including GRC members, to enhance their understanding of the legal provisions within the Street Vendors Act 2014. The seminar was attended by officials from the Union and State Government, partner from civil society organisations, member from GRC and other experts. The event served as a platform for capacity building among State officials and GRC members, to address the challenges faced by street vendors and ensure the protection of their rights. Participants also had the opportunity to exchange best practices from States and Union Territories that have successfully constituted and managed effective GRCs under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.

During the seminar, two websites, the refreshed PAiSA Portal Dashboard and the PM SVANidhi Mission Monitoring Portal, were launched by the Hon’ble Minister. These portals will provide real-time progress updates on the mission and scheme, fostering transparency and accountability.

At the event, the Centre for Civil Society made a presentation on the Street Vendors Act, 2014 and GRC, shedding light on the legal framework and its implications. A panel discussion on "Strengthening Grievance Redressal Mechanisms for Street Vendors" engaged panelists in addressing the challenges faced by street vendors and proposing effective solutions.

By forming, 4,342 Town Vending Committees, demarcating 13,403 vending zones, constructing 1,350 vending markets, and issuing 38.06 lakh Certificates of Vending, the Act safeguards vendors from arbitrary evictions, fostering economic sustainability and contributing to vibrant urban spaces.

About PM SVANidhi:
Ministry launched PM SVANidhi scheme on June 1, 2020, to address the challenges faced by Street Vendors and help them in resuming the businesses adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. More than 57.83 lakh street vendors have been provided with 1st term loan, more than 16.23 lakh with 2nd term loan, and 2.16 lakh with 3rd term loan. All this has been achieved within 43 months during which the nation witnessed three waves of the pandemic.

#BNHAF Awards and Festival 15th Edition Honors "Talent Ka Maha Utsav" winners

By: Aanya Kumar

 

15th Edition of #BNHAF Awards and Festival concluded at Ravi Sarin Film Institute on December 18, 2023 with the screening of last set of films from Italy, Sweden, USA and India.

 

#BNHAF 15th edition was unique because for the 1st time the edition was held in a hopping format within an edition. The venues were IMS Ghaziabad University Courses Campus, Ravi Sarin Film Institute, Noida and Talent Ka Maha Utsav screening room.

 

Amit R Agarwal (India), Rekha Vohraa (India) and Mari Ann (France) headed the jury of the 15th edition. Styled as the annual-gala edition; the highlight of 15th Edition was Talent Ka Maha Utsav Pre-Season Awardee, Kiaan.

 

 

Another highlight was introduction of 'Pitch Films' category to #BNHAF Awards and Festival. The founder, Amit R Agarwal said that the idea came when a pitch film was Sweden won one of the top honors, from 16th edition onwards we have made this an Official Category.

 

Ravi Sarin, the founder of Ravi Sarin Film Institute said that festivals are very important for any film school to grow, he said the students at his film-school were very motivated to reach out to more film festivals after watching the films from world-over.

 

Deepali Sarin, co-founder of Ravi Sarin Film Institute thanked all the sponsors of #BNHAF Awards and Festival, she was particularly appreciative of Gem Mines that awards top-gifts at each of the editions of #BNHAF.

 

Punit Jindal, director, Ravi Sarin Film Institute said that finding you true calling is the key to success. At the same time it was very important for all to pause, think, analyze and reflect to find success in the film-industry.

Amit Gupta, founder of Gem Mines, congratulated all the winners and said he hoped that this win will motivate all winners worldwide to excel and do better next time around.

 

Rekha Vohraa again reiterated as she dd in the opening that Talent can really help you achieve your goals. She said identify your talent work on it, go out and conquer the world. She said it is time that people also learn to relax and find their inner self.

 

Gurmeet Singh, founder of gifting partners, Perfume Point said that he feels privileged to be associated with such a formidable brand as #BNHAF

 

Amit R Agarwal, founder of #BNHAF Awards and Festival, Popcorn Flicks and Talent Ka Maha Utsav, with an established vertical in media and entertainment industry said that Talent betters mental health, as it helps release pressure. Talent also enhances career, as many a success-stories in career started with top-people appreciating the talent.

 

 

Deepali Sarin was also given a copy of Amit R Agarwal authored second book, "The Making of Virgin.. Mira" for the library. The book is is already read by more than 18 million-readers worldwide across formats, is not part of the library of 33 film and media schools worldwide.

 

The closing ceremony was wonderfully anchored by Kanishka Jain. The Best Director at the 15th edition of #BNHAF was a tie between a Swedish and an Italian film-maker. The major awardees at the closing ceremony were:

 

Best Director (Tie) - Simone Massi (Italy)

Best Director (Tie) - Harald Neslein Sandø (Sweden)

Honorable Mention - Beneath The Surface (India)

Best Faculty (Ravi Sarin Film Institute) - Sanjay Dattani 

Best Student (Ravi Sarin Film Institute) - Manika Sisodia

Best Student (Ravi Sarin Film Institute) - Ritik Garg

Best Actor - Aastha

Best Model - Shraddha

 

Kiaan flew all the way from the US with his parents to receive his award. This 11-years old boy, self-shot ‘Maglev Train’ scientific-exhibit at his school in the US, to help his teachers and fellow students understand the working of the train. His film on Maglev Train and full speech is available on Talent Ka Maha Utsav IG handle @tmahautsav 

 

The 16th Edition of #BNHAF Awards and Festival will be held in February 2024 in a hybrid-format edition; while 17th Edition in April-May 2024 will be held in the USA and France in physical format.

Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra Program

News in Pictures

 

 

Glimpses of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra program

 

Glimpses of the program from Kanchipuram, Tikona Park,

Nand Nagri, Delhi on December 31, 2023

 

News in Pictures

The Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation, Amit Shah addressing the gathering at

Pujya Purani Swami Smriti Mahotsav, organized by

Shri Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratisthanam (SGVP) 

at Ahmedabad, Gujarat on December 30, 2023

Salaar 1 l Not Just A Review

By: Amit kumaR Agarwal

 

 

After the blockbuster success of KGF and KGF 2, Prashanth Neel is back with Baahubali, Prabhas, top-lining the cast of Salaar. Will Salaar turn the sipahsalaar of the Indian BO?

 

The 70's and 80's masala fare is back and how; the biggest hits of 2023 have all been action-extravaganzas with vendetta written loud and clear. The latest Indian release Salaar is in the same genre and needless to say set many BO records even before the first day is over.

 

Ironically, the star of the film it clashed with 'Dunki'; starring romantic-superstar, Shahrukh, had two of his career's highest grossing films in 2023 in action genre - when he tried to change the genre, the result is an overtly underwhelming performer, Dunki.

 

Salaar opens with childhood friends, Deva (Prabhas) and Vardha (Prithviraj Sukumaran) in a place called 'Khansar'. They share a very strong bond of till 'death-do-us-apart'. 

 

Cut to: 32 years later, a girl Adya (Shruti Haasan) flies to India much to the chagrin of her father, Krishnakant. To see Adya safe her father orders his man in India, Bilal, to take her to the only man that can save her, revealed to be Deva.

 

In a turn of events, Bilal tells Adya the story of Deva and Vardha. Many years ago, while Vardha and Deva were still kids, Deva together with his mother was banished from Khansar because of a fallout. Vardha's father, Raja Mannar (Jagapathi Babu) takes away Vardha's share of the kingdom as a punishment.

 

Vardha also does not get along with his step-brother, Rudra (Ramachandra Raju) and step-sister (Shriya Reddy). A power game ensues and to come on top, Vardha calls Deva to help him. Deva now a one-man-army meets Vardha after a gap of many years.

 

Together they go on to win the entire Khansar, or do they fail?

This is the basic plot of Salaar.

 

Prashanth Neel has modeled the film on his super-successful K.G.F. franchise. Though K.G.F. was a complete film with romance and comedy perfectly infused, here, the audiences are definitely going to miss romance and comedy. Also, while K.G.F. was seamless, the screenplay here is patchy, as a result, audiences might get confused. Also because of this patchy writing, the highlight scenes impact to elicit claps and whistles fades to an extent. Though there, claps and whistles are not as thunderous as K.G.F. As a stand-alone film, though, Salaar is a good action-drama.

 

Prabhas fits the character of Deva to the 'T', for Hindi-region audiences this is his best role post - Baahubali franchise. He looks phenomenal with a perfectly chiselled physique. Prithviraj Sukumaran is good as Vardha. Shruti Haasan hardly has a role in the film.

 

In the end, in spite of shortcomings, the film works. The lead-in to the second part is second only to Baahubali The Beginning. A perfect treat for those that love action-drama, Salaar 1 is a perfect-taster set for the wine, Salaar 2.

IFFI 2023 l Curtains fall, the joy of cinema to continue with IFFI 55

By: Amit kumaR Agarwal

 

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• Persian film ‘Endless Borders’ by Abbas Amini bags Golden Peacock Award for best film at 54th IFFI
• Hollywood Actor/Producer Michael Douglas honoured with Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award
• ‘Drift’ by Anthony Chen receives ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal
• Best Web Series (OTT) Award for Amazon series ‘Panchayat Season 2’
• Over 5,000 films of multiple languages in the 4K digital format will be restored under National Film Heritage Mission: Union I & B Minister Anurag Singh Thakur

As the sun set over the Arabian Sea, casting a gleam golden glow upon the picturesque coast of Panaji, the 54th edition of International Film Festival of India concluded, reverberating the shores with echoes of cinematic excellence and charm. The festival reached its crescendo with a dazzling closing ceremony, attended by a constellation of celebrities, filmmakers and luminaries from the film and entertainment domain.

 
Notable winners at the 54th edition of IFFI were:

Persian Film Endless Borders bags Golden Peacock for the Best Film

 

Still from Endless Borders

 

The Persian film Endless Borders directed by Abbas Amini received the Golden Peacock award for the Best Film at the 54th IFFI.  The film depicts that the emotional and moral borders that you impose upon yourself can be more complicated than the physical borders, observed the jury.

Bulgarian Director Stephan Komandarev gets Silver Peacock for Best Director

 

Eli Skorcheva and Rozalya Abgaryan actresses of Blaga's Lessons

receive the Silver Peacock award for Best Director on behalf of Stephan Komandarev

Bulgarian Director Stephan Komandarev won Silver Peacock for Best Director for his film Blaga’s Lessons - a powerful and shocking lesson through the character of a woman who has to decide to achieve her goals and in doing so compromise her values, reads the Jury’s citation. Goa CM, Pramod Sawant, Turkish Director Nury Ceylan, Australian Film Producer Helen Leake and Film Actress Esha Gupta presented the coveted prize.

Iranian Actor Pouria Rahimi Sam won the Best Actor (Male) for his role in the Persian film Endless Borders. The Jury chose the actor “for the richness of acting and interacting with his partners, children and adults in challenging shooting conditions.”

 

Melanie Thierry won Silver Peacock for Best Actor (Female) for her exemplary role in the film Party of Fools. The jury remarked that the range of expressions by the actress gives audience with subtlety all the emotions from hope to despair, encountered in her character’s crazy journey. 

 

Indian Filmmaker and Actor, Rishabh Shetty of Kantara fame won the Special Jury Award for his critically and commercially successful blockbuster film "Kantara". The Jury praised the director’s ability to put across a very important story. “The film, rooted in its own culture of the forest demons, reaches out to audiences worldwide, regardless of culture and social status,” the jury cited.

Animal l Not Just A Review

By: Amit kumaR Agarwal

 

 

Recipe to make chicken soup is the same, it is the presentation that makes the difference.

The latest Hindi film, Animal, is a striking testimony to this fact.

 

Animal has a done to death story-line. 

Two brothers fall out, the progeny of one brother wants to kill their paternal uncle, but their cousin stands between their mission.

This hackneyed story-line is made into a 'cult' film for generations to remember, thanks to a very imaginative screenplay that is turned into an equally novel narrative.

 

The beauty of the screenplay is such that the audiences forget that the law and the police are both missing in the film!

Another thing that audiences forget is the 3 hours and 23 minutes long runtime, such is the grip of the movie! 

 

Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the director had said on record before making Animal that he will tell the audiences what violence is.

 

Did the reviewer found the violence unsettling. Not really, having been exposed to European-Arthouse, which is much more violent and explicit.

 

Though, Indian audiences not exposed to world cinema might find the film violent.   

Ranbir is out of this world, the way audiences root for him shows the conviction with which he has played the role of Rannvijay Singh. Rashmika nails the role of Geetanjali. Bobby Deol is menacing as Abrar. Anil Kapoor leaves a mark as an unintentionally-abusive father. Everyone else in the cast is good. A special mention ought to be made of Tripti Dimri, her portrayal of Zoya is uninhibited packing in all the emotions and oozing oomph, given the right roles, the next superstar!

 

Technically the film is very polished. While everyone has done a great job, one person that stands out is Harshavardhan Rameshwar the man behind the BGM. If Barfi, Baahubali The Beginning  and Befikre established the power of BGM, here it is reiterated and how! Each strain greatly heightens the impact of a scene.

 

Animal is a masterclass in cinema and must for all that love to see cinema in cinema!

India joins Executive Committee of Codex Alimentarius Commission

India has been unanimously elected as a member representing Asian region in the Executive Committee of Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) during its 46th meeting being held at FAO Headquarters at Rome.

Executive Committee is an important arm of the CAC and the member countries have a considerable interest in getting its membership. In this capacity, India would not only get an opportunity to contribute substantially in the International standard setting process for different food product categories but will also be involved in the decision making process. The Executive Committee supports in the management of the Commission’s programme of standards development by conducting a "critical review" of proposals to undertake work and monitors the progress of standards development.

The Executive Committee comprises of the Chair, three vice Chairs, six regional coordinators and seven elected representatives from the various geographical regions of Codex.

India’s proposal for setting up group standards for millets was also accepted by the Commission and India’s initiative for establishing global standards for millets was acknowledged by the Commission and supported by the member countries.

India had proposed for setting up the global standards for millets under the Additional Agendas category on the first day of the CAC meeting on 27th November 2023 and the matter was deliberated at length on 30th November and was approved by the Commission for preparation of three Project document.

The Indian delegation was led by G Kamala Vardhana Rao, CEO, FSSAI and comprised of Aradhana Patnaik, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harinder Oberoi, Director, NIFTEM, P Karthikeyan, Joint Director, FSSAI, Dr. Saswati Bose, General Manager, APEDA and Dr JS Reddy, Additional Director, EIC.

PASSING OUT PARADE OF AGNIVEERVAYU TRAINEES

 

The Passing Out Parade (POP) of the maiden intake of Agniveervayu (Women) along with second intake of Agniveervayu (Men), was held at Airmen Training School Belagavi on 02 December 2023 after completion of their Ab- initio training. 

 

This day would be etched in the history of Indian Air Force as the first batch of 153 Agniveervayu (Women) marched shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. A total of 2280 Agniveervayu (Men and Women) trainees successfully completed 22 weeks of training. Air Marshal R Radhish, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, Indian Air Force, reviewed the parade and witnessed the scintillating display of Drill and March Past by the trainees.

The Air Marshal congratulated and felicitated the award winners who had performed exceedingly well in different fields. The RO lauded the Agniveervayu for their excellent effort to make the parade impressive and magnificent. He exhorted that new challenges were emerging from the global security scenario. Hence, the combat training and military preparedness acquired during the 22 weeks should be used in deliverance of military objectives. He also impressed upon the Agniveervayu to continue enhancing their knowledge, skill and conduct themselves in exemplary manner at all times.

The RO also expressed his appreciation to the parents of the Agniveervayu, acknowledging their contribution to the country and for raising men and women of honour, who are all set to be part of the fourth largest Air Force of the world.

This intake of Agniveervayu was inducted into the IAF on 28 June 2023 under the Agnipath scheme. The passing out parade marked the culmination of their basic military and stream based training that not only imparted physical training but also enhanced intellectual and moral capabilities of Agniveervayu, essential to the ethos of an air warrior.

It was a momentous occasion for the families of young men and women who were present to witness the impressive passing out parade function.