Kumbh Mela Authority to be established soon
Nashik: State govt has begun the process of establishing the
Kumbh Mela Authority
for
Nashik
and Trimbakeshwar.
This initiative follows chief minister
Devendra Fadnavis
's announcement in Feb during a Kumbh Mela meeting in Mumbai, where he had emphasized on the need for a dedicated authority to efficiently manage the event's organization and ensure better execution of the large religious gathering.
In line with this, the state's urban development department has prepared a draft for the Kumbh Mela Act. A presentation on this draft act is scheduled for a meeting in Mumbai on Friday, which will be chaired by deputy chief minister
Eknath Shinde
.
Divisional commissioner of Nashik Praveen Gedam is likely to give a presentation.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around
Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List
Undo
Guardian minister of Nashik Eknath Dawale, municipal commissioner Manisha Khatri, and principal secretary of the law and judiciary department will remain present during the meeting.
Earlier, the meeting was to be held on April 23, but now it will be held on Friday at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai. During the meeting, a presentation about the Kumbh Mela plans, which was prepared by the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), is also to be given.
The NMC has prepared a Rs7,800 crore plan for the upcoming Kumbh Mela to be held between 2026 and 2028. Around 7 lakh sadhus are expected to visit Nashik during the upcoming Kumbh Mela slated to be held in 2027.
During the Kumbh Mela held in 2015, around 2.5 lakh sadhus visited Nashik.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Oil jumps over 7% after Israel's strikes on Iran
Oil prices jumped more than 7% on Friday, trading near multi-month highs after Israel launched widescale strikes against Iran, sparking Iranian retaliation and raising worries about disrupted oil supplies. Brent crude futures jumped $5.1, or around 7.4%, to $74.46 a barrel by 0843 GMT after hitting an intraday high of $78.50, the highest since January 27. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: 1 simple trick to get all TV channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up $5.1, or 7.5%, at $73.15 a barrel after hitting a high of $77.62, its highest level since January 21. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Friday's gains were the largest intraday moves for both contracts since 2022, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused a spike in energy prices. Israel said it targeted Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders on Friday at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. Live Events Iran's nuclear facility in Natanz was damaged, the country's atomic energy organisation said in a statement, but investigations have not shown any radioactive or chemical contamination outside the site. The primary concern was around whether the latest developments would affect the Strait of Hormuz, said SEB analyst Ole Hvalbye. The key waterway had been at risk of impact from increased regional volatility previously but had not been affected so far, Hvalbye said. There was also no impact to oil flow in the region so far, he added. About a fifth of the world's total oil consumption passes through the strait, or some 18 to 19 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil, condensate and fuel. Under a worst case scenario, JPMorgan analysts said on Thursday that closing the strait or a retaliatory response from major oil producing countries in the region could lead to prices surging to the $120-130 a barrel range, nearly double their current base case forecast. The $10 a barrel price gain in the past three days had yet to reflect any drop in Iranian oil production, let alone an escalation that could involve disruption to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, Barclays analyst Amarpreet Singh said in a note. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Israeli strikes against Iran a "unilateral action" and said Washington was not involved while also urging Tehran not to target U.S. interests or personnel in the region. "The key question now is whether this oil rally will last longer than the weekend or a week - our signal is that there is a lower probability of a full-blown war, and the oil price rally will likely encounter resistance," said Janiv Shah, analyst at Rystad. "Fundamentals show nearly all Iranian exports going to China, so Chinese discounted purchases would be most at risk here. OPEC+ spare capacity can provide the stabilizing force," he added. In other markets, stocks dived and there was a rush to safe havens such as gold and the Swiss franc. "A key question is whether the Iranian retaliation will be limited to Israel or if the leadership will seek to internationalize the cost of tonight's action by targeting bases and critical economic infrastructure across the wider region," RBC Capital analyst Helima Croft said in a note.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Iran-Israel conflict: How secret friends turned bitter enemies
After nearly two decades of hostilities, Israel has finally attacked Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders during the start of a prolonged operation to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapons. Last year, Israel had struck Iran's defence facilities and Iran's launched retaliatory strikes on Israel but that was a limited conflict. "We are at a decisive moment in Israel's history," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded video message yesterday. "Moments ago Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat." The relationship between Iran and Israel stands today as one of the most hostile and fraught rivalries in international politics. However, this animosity belies a complex history of covert cooperation, strategic alliances and shared interests that lasted for several decades. They used to be friends once, then became secret allies, and finally turned bitter enemies. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Elegant New Scooters For Seniors In 2024: The Prices May Surprise You Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Learn More Undo Also Read: Why Israel bombed Iran's nuclear sites and what it means for global security, oil, and trade Iran-Israel tango during Shah's regime Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, most Muslim-majority countries refused to recognise it. Iran, a predominantly Shia country with a long imperial history and uneasy relations with Arab states, was an exception. While Iran did not officially recognise Israel, the two countries developed discreet and pragmatic relations rooted in shared strategic concerns. Live Events You Might Also Like: India calls for restraint, dialogue amid rising tensions between Iran and Israel Under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran followed a Western-aligned foreign policy during the Cold War and was a key regional ally of the United States. Israel, since it was dependent on American support, found a natural partner in Iran. Israel's strategic doctrine in the 1950s and 1960s, known as the Periphery Doctrine or sought to build alliances with non-Arab states in the Middle East that were hostile to pan-Arab nationalism. Iran, along with Turkey and Ethiopia, became a central partner in this strategy. In a secret meeting in 1958, Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion and Turkish prime minister Adnan Menderes formed the so-called "alliance of the periphery" following which Iran, Turkey and Israel established a pact known as the "Trident". The relationship included intelligence sharing, economic cooperation, and arms trade. Notably, the Mossad and Iran's spy agency SAVAK collaborated closely. Israel also provided military advisors and technical support to Iran, especially during the development of the Iranian military-industrial complex. The Israel-Iran relationship was significant economically too. Iran supplied Israel with crude oil, particularly after the 1967 Six-Day War when many Arab nations imposed boycotts. In return, Israel provided Iran with advanced agricultural and technological assistance. Israeli companies were active in infrastructure development projects across Iran. Also Read: Iran accuses US of 'supporting' Israel in carrying out strikes You Might Also Like: Israel strikes Iran: A timeline of the decades long conflict As per a declassified CIA document, "Israel's ties to Iran developed from a broader Israeli effort to forge links to strategically-located non-Arab states, also including Turkey and Ethiopia, after the 1956 Suez Crisis. Israel figured that it had much in common with these states, each of which nurtured its own set of grievances with neighboring Arab countries. All had reasons to fear the emergence of Arab power and to resent Soviet military support for their enemies, Ali maintained a close relationship with the US, and all bordered on strategically important international waterways." "Building on these commonalities," the CIA document says, "Israel eventually developed nearly full diplomatic relations with Turkey and Ethiopia. Relations with Iran developed more slowly and cautiously, due mainly to the Shah's concern for the Islamic sensibilities of his subjects. Nevertheless, Israel and Iran eventually exchanged missions which enjoyed diplomatic privileges and built up close economic and security relations in the 1960s and 1970s. Iran became Israel's chief supplier of crude oil until Israel began operating the Sinai oil fields following its conquest of the territory in the Six Day War. After Israel returned the fields to Egypt under the Sinai II Agreements in 1975, Iran once again became the chief source of oil, supplying about 70 percent of Israel's requirement until the overthrow of the Shah in 1979." The CIA document also claimed that Israel regularly sold armaments to Iran during the Shah's reign, "The arms sales gave a significant boost to Israel's fledgling defense industries, and barter arrangements secured much-needed oil in return for arms and technical assistance." As per the CIA, Israel also was interested in assisting Iran in its support of Kurdish separatists in Iraq, and Iran, in turn, may have provided Mossad with intelligence concerning the Iraqi military. The document says that Israel also sought to ensure welfare of the 90,000 Jews who lived in Iran. Despite Khomeini's open animosity, secret Iran-Israel ties flourished The Iranian Revolution of 1979 marked a fundamental break in Iran-Israel bilateral relations. The overthrow of the Shah and the establishment of the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini radically altered Iran's foreign policy. The new Islamic regime viewed Israel not only as a political adversary but also as an illegitimate state. Khomeini's rhetoric portrayed Israel as a Zionist regime and a tool of Western imperialism. Iran's new Islamic ideology prioritised support for oppressed Muslims, particularly Palestinians, and declared unwavering opposition to Israel's existence. Iran severed all diplomatic ties with Israel, expelled Israeli personnel, and handed over the Israeli embassy in Tehran to the Palestine Liberation Organization. Anti-Israel sentiment became a core tenet of the Islamic Republic's foreign and domestic discourse. During the 1980s and 1990s, Iran emerged as a key sponsor of militant groups opposed to Israel, Hezbollah in Lebanon and later Hamas in the Palestinian territories. This support extended to training, funding and the provision of weapons. Effectively, Iran was positioning itself as Israel's biggest enemy in the Middle East. However, interestingly, even after Iran and Israel had turned into enemies, secret bilateral ties persisted. During the Iran–Iraq War, which began in 1980 and lasted eight years, Israel viewed Saddam Hussein's Iraq as a greater threat than Khomeini's Islamic Iran. Israel, along with the US, became involved in covert transfer of arms to Iran. This episode, later exposed as part of the Iran–Contra affair, revealed that Israeli intermediaries had facilitated the shipment of weapons to Iran in exchange for help securing the release of American hostages in Lebanon and funding anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua. The revelation shocked many, given the public hostility between Iran and Israel. Such was the covert cooperation between Iran and Israel that the US was worried that Israel could be supplying US-origin parts or weapons to Iran, Interestingly, the CIA document cited above, dated 7 October 1985, titled 'Israel and Iran: The ties that bind' said, "We believe Israeli arms sales to Iran, which began in the late 1950s, are continuing." "We believe the Israeli Government's relatively benign attitude toward the sales is influenced by the same strategic concerns that impelled Israel to forge links to Iran in the late 1950s," the CIA document says. "The Israelis have told us that they hope their aid will help to prolong the Iran-Iraq conflict and thereby keep Baghdad's vastly enlarged military tied down along Iraq's eastern border. Their aid, however, probably would not extend to operational assistance such as providing the Iranians with battlefield intelligence. The Israelis probably fear that such assistance would reveal too much about their capabilities and that the Irani might share this knowledge with confrontation states such as Syria." The CIA document also flagged that Israel believes, despite repeated US statements to the contrary, that US strategic interests in the Gulf will lead Washington inexorably to mend fences with Iran. Israel sees Iran as the key to promoting its interests in the Gulf and hopes eventually to use its good offices to facilitate a rapprochement between Washington and Tehran. It may seem immensely ironic in today's context that Israel was hoping that it would use its covert ties with Iran to broker peace between the US and Iran. "According to the US Embassy, the Israelis also continue to believe, despite repeated US statements to the contrary, that US strategic interests in the Gulf will lead Washington inexorably to mend fences with Iran," the CIA document says. "Israel sees Iran as the key to promoting its interests in the Gulf and hopes eventually to use its good offices to facilitate a rapprochement between Washington and Tehran." Israel was also looking to buy oil from Iran in case the US and Iran mended ties. The CIA document said that Israel would continue supplying weapons to Iran but only secretly. "Israel is acutely aware of the US desire to punish the Khomeini regime and wants to avoid angering its patron," it said. "The Israelis are consequently unlikely to allow arms sales to expand to a point where they are no longer plausibly deniable. In the past, sensitivity to US concerns appears to have prevented Israel from selling Iran any major items such as tanks or aircraft." In the 1990s, the secret Iran-Israel alliance ended due to Iran's nuclear programme and the two countries turned into bitter enemies. Israel began viewing Iran's nuclear ambitions as an existential threat. Its pursuit of nuclear technology, despite its insistence on peaceful intentions, has prompted Israeli fears of a potential nuclear-armed adversary. Iran expanded its support to anti-Israel entities such as Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthis. By the 2020s, the rivalry between Iran and Israel had escalated into a shadow war, involving drone attacks, cyber warfare and maritime sabotage. Iran's increasing influence in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen has been matched by Israel's growing cooperation with Gulf states and continued military operations aimed at limiting Iranian entrenchment near its borders. The ongoing Gaza conflict and subsequent regional tensions, culminating in direct missile and drone exchanges in 2024, brought the Iran-Israel confrontation close to open warfare. Yesterday, the attack Israel has been vowing to mount on Iran for years finally happened and is likely to turn into a full-scale war.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Chinese President Xi extends condolences to President Droupadi Murmu, PM Modi over Air India plane crash
Beijing : Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday extended condolences to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the loss of lives in the plane crash at Ahmedabad. At least 265 people were killed on Thursday when the London-bound Air India plane crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad and burst into a ball of fire less than a minute after take-off. In his message to President Murmu and Prime Minister Modi, Xi expressed shock upon learning about the heavy casualties in the crash. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Treatment That Might Help You Against Knee Pain Knee pain | search ads Find Now On behalf of the Chinese government and people, he conveyed deep condolences over the loss of lives, extended sympathies to the injured and the bereaved families, and wished the injured a swift recovery, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Chinese Premier Li Qiang also sent a message of condolence to Prime Minister Modi. Live Events A London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday. Among the dead were 241 on board and 24 from a medical college complex on which the plane crashed. The AI 171 flight had 169 Indians, 53 British, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals onboard apart from 12 crew members; one British national survived the tragedy. Xi also sent a separate message of condolence to Britain's King Charles III expressing shock and sorrow over the British casualties in the plane crash. President Xi, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, expressed deep condolences to the victims, conveyed sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured, and wished the injured an early recovery, Xinhua said. Chinese Premier Li also sent a message of condolence to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
