Innholdsfortegnelse for 22 August 2022 i India Today

1985: Wins his first assembly election Elected to Lok Sabha for six terms, from the ninth Lok Sabha in 1989 to 14th Lok Sabha in 2004 First became Union minister of state in April 1990. Subsequently manned crucial portfolios like Railways, Surface Transport, and Agriculture March 1990: Nitish backs old associate Lalu Yadav's bid to become chief minister April 1994: Nitish revolts against Lalu along with George Fernandes. Their new outfit, Samata Party, wins 7 assembly seats in 1995 and ties up with BJP in 1996 March 3 to March 10, 2000: His first term as Bihar CM lasts just seven days November 2005: Takes over again as CM, this time earning renown for governance June 2013: Breaks 17-year-old alliance with BJP after the saffron party picks then Gujarat CM Narendra…

On August 5, when top Congress leaders thronged the streets of the national capital wearing black to protest unployment and the skyrocketing prices of goods, it should have logically had the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre worried. After all, the principal opposition party was raising twin issues that everyone agrees are the two biggest failures of the Modi government, according to India Today’s Mood of the Nation (MOTN) 2022 survey. Official recognition of the fact came the same day as the Reserve Bank of India admitted that inflation “persisted above the upper tolerance band”. Like most other nations, India too has been bearing the brunt of global political and economic developments—the Russia-Ukraine war and rising crude oil prices. The country’s foreign reserves are depleting, and the…

In 2019, India, the world’s largest democracy, was ranked 27th in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual Democracy Index. Now it is at the 46th position. Other global indices such as those of Freedom House and V-Dem Institute have also raised questions about democracy in India. In the latest INDIA TODAY Mood of the Nation survey, too, respondents have expressed greater concern for the state of democracy than before—almost half feel that democracy is in danger today and only 37 per cent feel it is not in danger, the lowest level of confidence in 18 months. Suppression of citizens’ voices is a threat to democracy, and much of the concern about Indian democracy stems from the growing number of criminal charges allegedly slapped on those who speak out against the ruling…

AUDI-A8 The Audi A8 L gets a facelift and comes in at Rs 1.29 crore for the Celebration Edition and Rs 1.57 crore (ex-showroom) for the Technology trim. For that, you get a more aggressive front end with a wider single frame grille and new headlamps with Digital Matrix LED lighting. The Rear Relaxation Package adds recliner seats, heated foot massage function, air ioniser, rear seat entertainment system, a 23-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system among other additions. The 3.0 L turbo-petrol produces 340 bhp and 500 Nm torque. KIA EV-6 Kia’s first EV for India is priced at Rs 59.95 lakh. The EV6 has two variants, the GT Line RWD with a single-motor gives 229 bhp and GT Line AWD with two motors makes 325 bhp. It can sprint…

The erstwhile Vitara Brezza was always a handsome small SUV and its successor has gotten even better. The front end is dominated by the LED projector headlamps, complete with snazzy LED DRLs while the grille has gotten bolder. The rear end looks as dynamic as the front thanks to the new LED tail lights and the scuff plates on the rear bumper keeping the aggressive styling theme. The new Brezza gets a redesigned dash and the overall cabin benefits from new colour themes. The dash houses the large 9-inch infotainment system which is loaded with features. It plays music through an Arkamys system which is linked to four speakers and two tweeters. Then there is a multitude of connected features accessible via the Suzuki Connect app. Special mention to the…

Simply Clever Simply Safe is Skoda's philosophy for its products globally, as well as for the Indian market. Having introduced Indian consumers to European build quality in 2001, Skoda has a reputation of retailing products that are made to last thanks to their superb tank-like feel. This no compromise approach aligns with the notion of #SAFERCARSFORINDIA with a wide array of active and passive safety features offered by the Skoda Kushaq. In a first for this segment in India, ESC comes as standard in all variants ensuring safe handling at all times. It also enables the use of the optional Hill-Hold Control feature. Standard safety features include rear parking sensors as well as a tyre pressure monitoring system that warns the driver in case the air pressure in the tyres…

Car manufacturers in India are constantly at work given the tough demands of the customers. Their special needs and requirements need more effort in R&D processes to deliver the high expectations. The skills required at various levels of the production process as well as design and development aren't as easily available and that's primarily down to the vast variations in socioeconomic standards. MG realised this dilemma even before setting up shop here and just as it rolled out its initial products for the Indian consumer, MG started taking up social responsibilities to help the underprivileged who can then realise their dreams and aspirations of better education and financial stability. You've known MG Motors for being a brand with many firsts like launching the first Internet connected SUV, the Hector and…

The Green Drive Project, a collaborative effort by Auto Today and Mahindra, partenering with leading automotive journalists and publications, aims to plant over 75,000 trees across the country. The project began with 24 Mahindra Scorpio-N cars travelling to the four corners of India, covering about 17,000 km with the intent of planting at least one tree every kilometre of the way. The journey’s northern leg heads towards the Nubra Valley in Ladakh; the southern leg heads to Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu; the eastern leg travels to Kaho village in Arunachal Pradesh; while the western convoy goes to Lakhpat, Gujarat. En route, various Mahindra dealerships will pledge donations to an NGO, Sankalptaru, which will take up the responsibility of planting over 75,000 trees and nurturing them during their initial years. This initiative…

Three days before the Games began, Tejaswin Shankar wasn’t even sure he’d make it to Birmingham. Shankar had taken the Athletics Federation of India to court for non-selection despite meeting the eligibility mark. With the Delhi High Court ruling in his favour at the nth hour, he anxiously awaited the UK visa. “Once I got here, I knew what I had to do,” says Shankar, who leapt 2.22 metres to clinch India’s first ever medal in the discipline. Shankar, the son of a lawyer couple in Delhi, initially dabbled in 400 metres and long jump before setting his heart on the high jump. He made a mark at the junior level and soon caught the eye of JSW Sports who signed him on. The national indoor and outdoor record holder,…

Achinta and brother Alok were preparing for the Junior Nationals in 2013 when tragedy struck—their father, a rickshaw puller, died. Alok gave up his dream to be a weightlifter and left college to take a part-time job to keep the household running. “It was the end of my weightlifting career but I was determined not to let my brother give up his passion,” says Alok. There were many days when the family of three had to make do with very little, but Achinta never let his focus waver. At the 2013 Guwahati Sub-Junior Nationals, Achinta came in fourth, but his skills drew the attention of officials at the Army Sports Training Institute. He joined the institute in 2014 and there has been no looking back since. A silver at the…

Nitish Kumar is about to hold his Monday janata durbar, a weekly interaction in which he meets common people at his residence—1, Anne Marg, Patna—to tend to their grievances. From his composure, no one could have guessed the Bihar chief minister was nursing a grievance too—a terminal one. Just before the programme begins, a top state BJP minister arrives on the scene, and asks for an audience. It’s granted, and they retreat to one of the inner rooms. Behind closed doors, the BJP leader says: “Sir, if you think some knots have developed in the alliance, I am here to iron out all differences, please share if you have anything in mind.” Later that evening, the diplomatic outreach is scaled up to Code Orange levels. Union home minister Amit Shah…

↘ A SECTION OF BJP leaders describes the separation as a blessing in disguise, as the saffron party will have an opportunity to expand ↘ THOUGH THE BJP has grown from strength to strength in Bihar, it has proved no match to the combined might of Lalu and Nitish, as was proved in the 2015 assembly polls ↘ WITH LALU AND NITISH having strong OBC-Muslim and EBCMahadalit consolidation in their favour, the BJP seems yet to decide whether to pursue aggressive Hindutva and hypernationalism or change tack to aggressive backward politics ↘ HAVING CHANGED ITS ENTIRE Bihar team after the 2020 polls—apart from retaining just one minister from the previous cabinet—the BJP will have to make a difficult choice—whether to bring back old but trusted hands like Sushil Modi back to…

On April 14, India’s seven-day average of new Covid cases returned to where it was two years ago in April 2020—a promising low of 975. Following the Omicron wave in January, it is clear that the virus is nowhere near replicating in numbers seen in 2021 and 2020. This is in large part due to the government’s highly successful vaccination programme, as part of which more than 2 billion doses of vaccines have been administered in 18 months. It’s not just the number of doses injected, India’s vaccination programme has also worked towards improving the efficacy and reach of vaccines. The booster dose has been made available to all adults, the gap reduced to six months and can be of a different vaccine to improve efficacy. Inoculation of 12 to…

SUZUKI KATANA The Katana (Rs 13.61 lakh ex-showroom) is powered by a 999 cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, inline-four engine that delivers 152 bhp at 11,000 rpm of maximum power and 106 Nm at 9,250 rpm of peak torque. The muscular design features LED head/ tail lights and a multi-functional LCD instrument cluster. BMW G 310 RR BMW Motorrad has launched the G 310 RR at a price of Rs 2.85 lakh (ex-showroom). Powering it is a water-cooled, single-cylinder, 313 cc engine tuned to offer 34 bhp at 9,700 rpm. It can go from 0 to 60 kmph in just 2.9 seconds and gets ride-by-wire throttle and four ride modes: Track, Urban, Rain, Sport. TRIUMPH TIGER 1200 The 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 has been launched in India with four variants on offer…

While the fifth generation C-class made its global debut last year, it has taken a while to get to India probably because of the disruptions caused by Covid-19 as well as the chip shortages. In India, the car is being launched as the C200 with a 4-cylinder 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and as the 220d and 300d with a 4-cylinder 2-litre diesel engine that comes in two states of tune. The 300d, which we drove, uses the same 4-cylinder engine as the 220d but with 265 bhp of max power and 550 Nm of peak torque. All the three engines come with an integrated starter motor (ISG), a first for the diesel engines that can assist the internal combustion engine when required with an additional 20 bhp of power and…

Tata Motors Electric Mobility Ltd has signed a unit transfer agreement with Ford India Private Ltd for the acquisition of the latter’s manufacturing plant in Sanand, Gujarat. The agreement involves the transfer of the entire facility, including the land and buildings, the manufacturing plant along with all its machinery and all eligible employees. This agreement will cost Tata a sum of Rs 725.7 crore and the acquisition will be focused towards manufacturing Tata’s electric vehicles. Ford, however, will lease back some land and buildings from Tata to continue the production of its engines which are exported to global markets. In case Ford ceases this operation as well, Tata has agreed to transfer the employees from that plant too. Tata will make the necessary investments for reconfiguring the plant to suit…

The NDA government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which assumed power for a second time in May 2019, has had to face a series of disastrous global headwinds. It started with three bouts of the Covid pandemic that led to widespread loss of life and livelihoods, followed by high inflation and a weak currency after Russia launched its long-drawn invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. The world is now staring at a probable recession, which has added to the uncertainty. Policymakers could take heart from a recent Bloomberg survey that said that India has zero probability of slipping into recession, unlike other economies, including some parts of Asia, Europe and the US. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while speaking in Parliament on August 1, affirmed that India’s economic fundamentals are looking…

With nearly 13,000 civilian casualties and an estimated 80,000 Russian troops killed or wounded, the continuing war in Ukraine is considered the most intense conventional conflict in Europe since World War II. New Delhi has trodden cautiously—condemning civilian deaths without naming old strategic ally Russia, and abstaining from UN votes on the conflict. It is walking a tightrope: India wants Russia and Ukraine to resolve the crisis, but its (strategic) interests—energy requirements, as well as the fact that 70 per cent of its military hardware is Russian—have not allowed it to condemn Russia. Forty-nine per cent of MOTN respondents believe that Russia was wrong to invade Ukraine. Sri Lanka, whose economy is in complete meltdown, has India worried, due to its proximity as well as its strategic location. On being…

It was a moment of pride for the students of Allied Health Sciences of SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre at Kattankulathur near Chennai. About 11 students from MSc Audiology and Speech Language Pathology department have been placed in United States of America (USA) at a very handsome pay package. Founder chancellor of SRMIST Dr T R Paarivendhar showered praises on the students who have won the placement with great pay package. The 11 students have been placed at Pleasanton in California of USA with a salary package of 72,000 USD per annum which amounts to about Rs 55 lakhs in the Indian estimates. The students have won applauds from every one at a function held in Chennai recently. Pro Vice Chancellor (Medical and Health Sciences) at SRMIST Lt…

The Scorpio is one of the biggest success stories of the Indian automotive industry, and provides a practical and affordable means of transport to lakhs of families with over eight lakh vehicles sold since its launch in 2002. From then till now, a lot has changed on the Scorpio. What has remained the same are the body-on-frame construction, the longitudinal engine layout with primary-driven wheels being at the rear, the seating for up to seven passengers, the sideways-opening back door and the boxy shape. The Scorpio-N is in essence an all-new car. On the outside, with its pleasing proportions is a muscular stance, dual rectangular LED headlamps upfront and an iteration of another iconic tail-lamp signature at the rear. There are many small elements that point to a contemporary design…

The neo-retro segment is trending big these days and TVS has joined in with the Ronin bearing a silhouette that shouts retro. Cropped fenders, sporty 17-inch alloy wheels shod with block pattern tyres, 41mm Showa USD forks, all-LED lighting and a muscular 14-litre fuel tank all come together to make the Ronin look attractive. An offset instrument pod mounted on the handlebar is the first to offer voice commands along with navigation and Bluetooth connectivity. The Ronin also offers a comfortable, upright rider’s triangle thus making it good for long rides. TVS has deployed a brand new double-cradle chassis for the 225.9cc engine which essentially comes from the Apache. The engine has been heavily reworked with changes like an enlarged cylinder fin area, slip and assist clutch, bigger oil cooler…

EV manufacturers have taken it upon themselves to eliminate the biggest challenge in pushing for electric cars—range anxiety. Mercedes-Benz is one such manufacturer discovering new frontiers with its electric technology. Its Vision EQXX beat its previous record of 1,008 km, with a 1,202 km record run from Stuttgart to the Silverstone Circuit in the UK. Boasting an extremely low Cd (drag coefficient) value of 0.17, the EQXX clocked a run time of 14 hours, 30 minutes in the 30°C European summer heat with the air-con running for eight hours, achieving 83 kmph of average speed and a power consumption of 8.3 kWh per 100 km. The bar has been set high.…

The ministry of road transport & highways (MoRTH) has announced the introduction of safety ratings for passenger vehicles through crash tests under the Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program). The aim is to enable consumers to make more informed choices while buying vehicles based on the level of occupant protection offered. As per MoRTH’s draft notification, these ratings will apply to the M1 vehicle category (‘motor vehicles used for the carriage of passengers, comprising not more than eight seats, in addition to the driver’s seat, with gross vehicle weight less than 3.5 tonnes manufactured or imported in the country’). Vehicles will be given a star rating of one to five depending on their evaluation on three main parameters—Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection and Safety Assist Technologies. Aligned with global…

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