Innholdsfortegnelse for November 29, 2021 i India Today

Farmers across the country have been reeling under a shortage of fertilisers, especially diammonium phosphate (DAP) and urea, both key inputs in the ongoing rabi season. The shortage could deplete farm incomes further as a delay in sowing leads to drop in production. For political parties, there is also the threat of an erosion of their support base. Pollbound states such as Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, where farmers are a crucial political group, could see a more acute fallout of the crisis. The DAP shortage has a lot to do with international factors, but it’s also true that the Union government’s late response in announcing the subsidy on fertilisers led to delays in placing import orders. India imports 6.1 million tonnes of DAP to supplement the 9 million tonnes it…

Registering for the Haryana government’s ‘Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP)’ in January, Sonepat resident Navin Kumar was shocked to find himself listed as deceased in government records. It turned out that instead of his father Tek Ram, who passed away in 2018, the death certificate was issued in Kumar’s name. Given such common goof-ups in government data, including misspelt names and incorrect addresses, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar is confident that his PPP unique family ID scheme will be a game changer The PPP is aimed at creating verified data of all families in the state to ensure that citizens are not denied social welfare benefits due to identification problems. On November 1, Haryana became the first state in the country to introduce the unique family ID, with 456 linked…

For Maruti Suzuki, human lives form both the core of their inspiration, and the foundation of their approach to innovation. With their technological interventions, Maruti Suzuki strives to make a true, noticeable difference that empowers and enhances the lives of people from all over the country and this, is what they call People Technology. Every new technology introduced by Maruti Suzuki is the result of years of research and hard work, all focused at ensuring a positive, tangible difference in the lives of the people who choose to put their trust in them. Spearheading revolution since its inception, Maruti Suzuki celebrates innovations and technologies that delight its customers. The Company’s focus is to offer Safe, Environment friendly, Comfortable and Connected Technologies to Indian customers. Maruti Suzuki not only provides advanced…

TVS RAIDER 125 With the 125 cc sporty commuter segment gaining traction in India, it was only a matter of time before TVS entered it. Sporty styling elements are among the main aspects buyers look for in this space and TVS has delivered. Apart from being sporty, the Raider 125 also comes with an Eco mode for better fuel economy. ENGINE: 124.8 cc, air-cooled POWER: 11.4 bhp PRICE: Rs 77,500 – Rs 85,469 (ex-showroom, Delhi) BMW C 400 GT Not only does it hold the title of the most powerful and most expensive scooter in India, the C 400 GT marks the entry of BMW Motorrad India into the maxi-scooter segment. Offered in Alpine White and Style Triple Black, the C 400 GT manages 0-100 kmph in 9.5 seconds with…

It has been just two years that MG has arrived in India and already the company is a dominant force in the Indian auto industry. MG since 1924 has stood for the best of British competition and engineering, and has been at the forefront of innovation. Back in 1957, Sir Stirling Moss broke the land speed record in the MG EX181 at the Bonneville Salt Flats and set the tone for MG’s future exploits. In the 97 years since, MG has continued to evolve while offering the newest of technologies through its products. In India, the company has launched a slew of SUV’s with a CASE philosophy in mind. CASE stands for Connected, Autonomous, Shared Mobility and Electric; qualities embodied by every MG model that cater to customers' fast-evolving needs.…

Skoda’s 'India 2.0 strategy' has brought about a revolution in India called the Kushaq. The Kushaq then is based on the MOB-AO-IN, a variant of the modular MOB-AO platform, specially adapted by Skoda for the Indian and global markets. This platform provides the technical basis for not just the Kushaq but for other volume models like the upcoming sedan Slavia. To achieve the desired localisation levels up to 95 percent, Skoda has set up a new MOB-AO-IN production line at its Pune plant. Additionally what sets the Kushaq apart from the rest is its classy interior design which is comfortable and spacious. Safety features on the Kushaq are top notch as well and it gets as many as six airbags too. Needless to say, the Kushaq has already tasted success…

Not owning an electric or hybrid vehicle shouldn’t stop you from contributing to the green cause. You can achieve a lot by doing a few simple things that will not only make your car more fuel efficient, but also help reduce emission of greenhouse gases. Some tips to lend a tinge of green to your car and your driving. LIGHTEN UP: Cluttering your vehicle adds to the overall weight of the car, and the heavier it weighs the more fuel it consumes. Only carry what you need and leave the rest at home. If you carry extra load on the roof, the air resistance can increase fuel consumption by as much as 20 per cent. Take off the luggage or bike rack when not in use. KEEP IT TUNED: The…

There is no high quite like the drive to the highest of the Himalayan passes. Umling La, at 19,300 feet above sea level, is nothing less than a high class adventure. Our ride on this epic drive was the recently launched Mahindra XUV 700 which rose to the challenge rather well. Despite having the two-wheel drive variants with us, the XUV 700s took on the challenge like they were born for it. Be it crossing the famous Gata Loops in the dead of night or taking on the jagged rocks of Photi La, the XUV 700 never missed a beat. Even as we approached areas higher than the Everest Base Camp, with temperatures around the minus 15 degree centi-grade mark and with air so thin that most humans need oxygen…

BHUVAN BAM YouTuber and comedian “I am happy if I am able to do what I want to do without any hindrance. Kyunki dimaag mein already bahut chalta rehta hai (because there’s already a lot going on in my head). If I want to eat something when I am hungry, I don’t eat it. If I want to shoot or write something and I can’t find my phone, I stop. I like living in the moment. It keeps me sane. I have stopped thinking about what’s going to happen. This lockdown and the past few months have made me realise that there’s no point thinking about the future. You can never predict what will happen next"…

WHILE IT IS, OF COURSE, well known that India fascinated the Beatles, no historian has yet been able to decisively solve the obvious riddle: How did four working-class Liverpool boys come to find comfort in Indian music and mysticism? A new documentary, The Beatles and India, proffers a few possible answers. Long before the Beatles came to Rishikesh in 1968, India had started travelling to the Beatles. In 1965, when filming Help! in the Bahamas, the Beatles encountered Vishnudevananda Saraswati. The yoga teacher rode up to them on a bicycle, leaving them with copies of his book, The Illustrated Book of Yoga. That year, George Harrison would play the sitar on ‘Norwegian Wood’, and, expectedly, when he met Pandit Ravi Shankar soon after, there would be what Shankar called an “explosion”.…

Eastern Uttar Pradesh was abuzz with political anticipation on November 13 as chief minister Yogi Adityanath, accompanied by Union home minister Amit Shah, arrived in Azamgarh, the Lok Sabha seat of Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, to lay the foundation stone of a state university to be built on 50 acres at a cost of Rs 108 crore. On Shah’s cue, Adityanath announced the university will be named after Maharaja Suheldev, an icon of the backward Rajbhar community influential in 24 districts of Purvanchal and Awadh. The Rajbhars form the voter base of Akhilesh’s new ally, the Om Prakash Rajbhar-led Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP). If Shah and Adityanath were challenging the SP on its own turf, Akhilesh was daring the BJP by launching his ‘Vijay Yatra’ the same…

Among others present at the event were Shri Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Law & Justice and Shri Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, Judge Supreme Court of India & Executive Chairman, NALSA who were the Guests of Honour for the function. Shri Justice Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice, Allahabad High Court and Shri Justice M.N.Bhandari, Executive Chairman, UP State Legal Services Authority and other dignitaries including Judges of the Supreme Court of India and Judicial Officers graced the occasion. Top legal luminaries teach at Galgotias Law school Galgotias University students felt privileged when Justice J.R. Midha (Retd.), Former Judge of Delhi High Court joined Galgotias University as an advisor/pro-fessor emeritus, amongst the first in the history of Indian higher education system where a retired High Court Judge has joined any Indian University…

Q. What was India’s approach at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference? Was it able to achieve what it set out to do? Our approach was that there is no planet B, this is the only one and it is our duty to save it. But our duty is also bound by our circumstances. That is why the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) that India had always pushed for was accepted in the 2015 Paris Agreement. That is why we said the text of the agreement should have national circumstances and poverty eradication. In Glasgow, we made it clear to all that the environment cannot remain an issue of just dialogues, it should be converted into action with vision. We are well on our way to achieving whatever goals…

AUDI E-TRON GT With gorgeous styling and unparalleled performance, the e-Tron GT redefines electric mobility. The all-electric luxury grand-tourer combines its pace, power and driving range to take the fight straight to the Tesla Model 3. The numbers are certainly impressive as the sportier RS e-Tron GT accelerates from zilch to 100 kmph in just 3.3 seconds. ELECTRIC MOTOR: Dual AC synchronous electric motors POWER: 523 bhp/637 bhp PRICE: Rs 1.8–2.05 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi) HONDA AMAZE This is the first facelift the Honda Amaze has received since the second-gen model made its India debut in 2018. Honda has gone for the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach, so apart from a few cosmetic tweaks to the exterior and interior the rest of the car remains largely the same…

Mahindra’s next generation 500 turned out to be so far ahead of the game that the company decided to up the ante and name it the XUV700, leaving space for a new car between the 300 and the 700. The 700 continues to be a 7-seater and will come in two distinct lines, the MX and the AdrenoX series. While the MX will be a plain vanilla offering, filling up the space currently vacated by the 500, with an old diesel engine and bereft of any of the class leading features, it is the AdrenoX series that we will be talking about here. The car has remnants of the 500 design language but is a much more mature design. Powering the AdrenoX series are two brand new all aluminium engines,…

The Skoda Kushaq is the first car developed by the VWG group with India in mind. The Kushaq along with its VW badged sibling will be the spearhead of the brand’s India 2.0 strategy. Marketed as a mid-size SUV, the Kushaq will be in the same segment as the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos in one of the Indian auto industry’s most intensely contested spaces. With the Kushaq (a play on the Sanskrit word ‘Kushak’ or king), Skoda promised smart functional and utilitarian interiors, and on that count they have absolutely delivered. Storage is well thought out with separate compartments for your phone, bottles, a tag holder and even a cooler/storage box under the central elbow rest. Features too have not been missed out, the 10.5-inch infotainment system is equipped…

BMW VISION-I CIRCULAR The electric four-seater car is intended to provide a glimpse of where BMW sees itself in the year 2040. The body takes shape in gold-anodised recycled aluminum, the bumpers are recycled plastic, while any type of chrome or leather is absent. The tyres are cultivated natural rubber mounted on rims designed to maximise aerodynamics. The glass roof flows into a dark glass tailgate that incorporates the tail-lights and turn indicators. The motor could be powered by a recyclable all-solid-state battery. MINI VISION URBANAUT Almost a year after the digital renders were presented to the world, MINI showcased the concept in Munich to give a better understanding of the all-electric lifestyle van. The British cousin of BMW is readying to go all-electric soon and the Vision Urbanaut gives…

True to its trait of launching revolutionary products, Renault has once again set new benchmarks with the Kiger. The Kiger comes with a unique crossover design which will appeal to the masses. The curvaceous lines make sure that one look at the Kiger is enough for you to fall in love with it. Then there is the technology to boot as well. The tri-octa pure vision LED head lamps with LED DRLs day & night and the C-shaped tail lights take care of the lighting. There is also the shark fm antenna and sporty rear spoiler which coupled with the chrome grille complete the muscular design of the Kiger. Not to forget the 205 mm of ground clearance offered. Inside, the Kiger impresses with a smart cabin which combines technology,…

Q. We’ll soon be seeing you in Salman Khan’s Antim: The Final Truth. What was that experience like? It’s a lot of fun working with him. He’s a great guy. He shared his own experience while working with us. We all know he is such a big star but you don’t feel that while working with him. He is very down to earth. Q. Your role in Gharey Bairay Aaj had shades of grey, but apart from that, do you feel you get typecast as a good guy a lot? I don’t think so. I have done many roles with shades of grey. Srijit Mukherji’s Rajkahini was one of the first major films I played a negative role in. Even in Zulfiqar (also by Srijit), I played a grey character.…

The Deocha Pachami coal mining project, involving land acquisition of thousands of acres, including a wide expanse of forests and 12 Adivasi villages, will be West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s biggest challenge yet. No one in the state has forgotten that 14 years ago, Mamata had been on the other side of the fence, spearheading the agitation against the Left Front government’s land acquisition policy in Singur, which led to the Tatas migrating an iconic car project to Gujarat, and Bengal earning the dubious reputation of being hostile to industry in the bargain. The public blowback from the row contributed in no small measure to the ouster of the CPI(M)-led Left Front government and Mamata’s rise to power in 2011. A decade later, the Trinamool Congress chief herself is…

IN REAL SENSE, A CM WHO IS TORCH BEARER OF A GOVERNMENT FILLED WITH YOUNG THOUGHTS AND PERSPECTIVE. The Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami decided to spread the happiness and joy of 21'' anniversary of the formation of Uttarakhand to the common man of the state. For this, he decided that various programs related to the 21'1 state formation day will be organized for one week in the state. On this occasion Chief Minister specially remembered former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Who was instrumental in the formation of the state and laid the foundation for special industrial development of the state as then Prime Minister. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami says that Uttarakhand state is a divine place, a Devlok of this earth. It finds mention…

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Dr Anish Shah CEO and MD, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd The penetration of electric vehicles in Indian markets is a few years behind some of the other leading countries in this space. This is basically due to cost of ownership, infrastructure and range-anxiety. All of this is set to change. Cost parity will come with some level of subsidies or lower taxes, and then, over time, it should be addressed by lower costs as production increases. Range anxiety will be addressed with technology. The government’s new PLI scheme is also a positive step in this direction. In the three-wheelers space, EVs have achieved cost parity and have enough range and there is infrastructure in place as well, so we have seen a pick-up in this segment. Four-wheelers will see the…

Transparent. Efficient. Zero-contact. In the past two years of the pandemic, customer experience across industries has undergone a sea change to align itself with the newly-emerging parameters. Like others, the highly-competitive fuel retail industry has also had to reinvent itself to make for a seamless customer experience high on convenience and personalization. Leading from the front is BPCL, who decades ago conceived the 'Pure for Sure 'initiative, altering the fuel retailing landscape forever. Now, in the backdrop of shifting technological paradigms, the petroleum major is devising unique ways to leverage technology in delivering the Pure for Sure promise to its customers. One such example of taking digitally-powered initiatives to customers is the recently-launched UFill initiative by BPCL. What is unique about UFill is that it not only eliminates human intervention…

Tata Motors stole the show at the last Auto Expo by showcasing the Tata HBX, a small SUV which looked ravishing thanks to the macho tyres and off-road accessories bolted on to it. Now, the production version has hit the showrooms and it’s called the Tata Punch. The Punch is immediately recognizable as a Tata SUV. Much like the Harrier and Safari, the Punch too gets a set of sleek DRLs on top and boxy projector headlamp units on the bumper below. What adds to the flair of this rather small vehicle are the black plastic claddings found all across. In profile one can spot the rather high 187 mm of ground clearance which should allow the Punch to take care of the biggest speed humps without fuss. The Tata…

Back in the early 2000s, Royal Enfield was in desperate need of a saviour. That saviour came in the form of the Classic 350 and Classic 500. The bikes transformed the perception people had regarding the brand. That was a long time ago and the Classic range now gets a new lease of life. Enter the brand new RE Classic 350. It is a strange predicament for a company which gets flak if it changes or makes its bikes a bit too modern. So the task at hand was to change everything and yet change nothing. At first glance one might be hard pressed to spot the changes. But look closely and you will spot the brand new twin downtube frame which has come from the Royal Enfield Meteor. As…

Driving in winters can be tricky. Motorists have to deal with low visibility because of foggy conditions. Low light conditions make it difficult to see far and the cold can play havoc with your car’s internals. It’s nothing short of a battle between the driver and the open road. There are some maintenance jobs and safety checks that are specific for winter. To make sure you don’t end up with a road-side popsicle, have a look under the hood to ensure things are in good shape. As with any weather change, you should go for regular maintenance check-up to make sure your car is up to date on all items that need regular upkeep. Doing this will help minimise or even avoid situations where you have to cope with problems…

BOOKINGS OPEN FOR THE MINI COOPER SE ELECTRIC BMW Group India has begun accepting pre-bookings for the MINI 3-door Cooper SE electric hatchback. This will be the group’s first-ever electric offering in the market and you can book the car exclusively online for a token of Rs 1 lakh. The 3-door Cooper SE made its global debut in 2019 and is the electrified version of the iconic British hatchback. There’s no word on the pricing yet for the upcoming offering. MINI India has confirmed the electric 3-door will be available in four colours—white silver, midnight black, moonwalk grey and British racing green. MARUTI SUZUKI UNVEILS S-ASSIST Maruti Suzuki India Ltd launched an industry-first AI (artificial intelligence)-based 24x7 virtual car assistant app, ‘S-Assist’, for its NEXA customers. The scan and voice-enabled…

ART CINEMA AND INDIA’S FORGOTTEN FUTURES Film and History in the Postcolony Rochona Majumdar COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS ₹699; 307 pages It sounds counterintuitive, but there isn’t a large body of literature on India’s “art cinema”—even as the more popular forms have drawn plenty of analysis in both academic and general publishing. This new book helps fill the gap and makes broadly this argument: that the initial attempts at serious cinema in the first decade or so after India’s independence were closely tied to “a narrative of transition to modernity” as well as the larger aspiration of making good citizens. However, at some point in the 1960s and ’70s, this approach gave way to one that entailed a more complex, sometimes cynical understanding of both the political present and the possible…

Apurba Kumar Roy urges his five-year-old son, Kajol, “Dadu ke bolbona. Esho… (We won’t tell Grandpa. Come…)” The child runs across, flinging himself up his father’s arms. Last we saw them, Kajol was sitting on his baba’s shoulders, chin on his head, while dadu was left clutching a toy train and looking on with a half-smile. That final scene of Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959), is, perhaps, one of Indian cinema’s most enduring and memorable images. For most, that’s where the story ended, but author Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay’s Aparajito, on which Ray’s Apu trilogy was based, still had a good 150 pages left. It is that bit of the novel—never filmed by Ray—that director Subhrajit Mitra obsessed over for nearly 10 years before he made Avijatrik: The…

F.N. Souza once said, “Renaissance painters painted men and women making them look like angels. I paint for angels, to show them what men and women really look like.” Walking into the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation (JNAF) gallery at the CSMVS museum in Mumbai, Souza’s words make more sense. On display until January 3, 2022, the exhibition F.N. Souza: The Power and the Glory can take one’s breath away. Your eyes are immediately drawn to ‘Death of a Pope’. In JNAF director Puja Vaish’s view, it is the show’s “indispensable centrepiece”. Painted in 1962, it recreates—rather “satirises,” as the exhibition’s curator Ranjit Hoskote puts it—Pope Pius XII’s death. Souza, Hoskote says, based his rendition (see pic) on a newspaper photograph of the Pope Pius XII, whose papacy was forever tainted…