Latest news with #Anjana
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Co-op recruitment scam:ACB seeks guv's nod toprosecute ex-min Anjana
1 2 Jaipur: The state anti-corruption bureau (ACB) has sought governor Haribhau Badge's permission to prosecute Congress politician and former minister of cooperation Udailal Anjana in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment of managers for Gram Seva Cooperative Societies (GSS). The case centres on the appointment of over 1,100 individuals who, officials say, were hired in violation of prescribed norms during the 2022–23 recruitment process when Congress was in power. Many of those selected were reportedly unqualified. Sources said ACB has already received approval to investigate some officers from the cooperation department under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Anjana, a senior Congress functionary and former Lok Sabha MP, has been a prominent figure in state politics since the late 1980s. A three-time MLA from Nimbahera assembly seat, Anjana was also elected to Lok Sabha from the Chittorgarh seat after defeating former Union defence minister Jaswant Singh in the 1998 parliamentary elections. The case adds to Congress' recent troubles, following the former minister Mahesh Joshi's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in April last year for his alleged involvement in the Rs 900-crore Jal Jeevan Mission scam. An ACB officer said on condition of anonymity that the previous govt decided to regularise appointments made before 2017. For recruitments made after that, the Cooperative Recruitment Board was tasked with the process. But according to officials, key checks were ignored. The cooperative dept later raised concerns about the process and requested detailed data of eligible candidates, leading to further scrutiny of appointments. After allegations emerged linking him to the recruitment scam, Anjana told TOI Sunday he had nothing to hide and was ready to face any inquiry. Accusing BJP govt of targeting him Anjana said the govt should first investigate its own cooperative minister — Gautam Kumar Dak — before probing others. "He (Dak) has been accused of shielding individuals involved in corruption worth crores by using his political influence," Anjana said. He also pointed to alleged irregularities in the distribution of tractors through the Rajkishan Custom Hiring Centre. The ACB has been investigating suspected irregularities in recruitment within the cooperative department for several months. In Feb 2025, the agency launched a probe into a suspected scam involving the unlawful regularisation of nearly 100 contractual employees in cooperative banks in rural parts of Jalore district. ACB teams reportedly seized documents indicating irregularities in the screening process conducted between 2021 and 2023.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Carve your path
I finished Chemistry and am preparing for the UPSC. But I would like to be a pilot. How can I achieve this goal? Unnikrishnan Dear Unnikrishnan, Transitioning from Chemistry to becoming a pilot is achievable but requires a different set of qualifications and training. Balancing the UPSC preparation with flight training will be challenging. You need to create a structured study plan and manage time effectively. Consider prioritising one goal at a time. What about taking the UPSC CDS instead of UPSC CSE with the goal of joining the IAF as a pilot? The standard route for aspiring commercial pilots is to get the Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and certification from a DGCA-approved flying school in India. You also need to pass a Class I medical and written examination conducted by the DGCA to obtain a Student Pilot License (SPL) before starting flight training. Flight training is expensive and becoming a pilot requires significant dedication and hard work. Visit the DGCA website for detailed information on licensing requirements and speak with experienced pilots to gain insights. Is a Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication a good choice for an English Language and Literature graduate? Anjana Dear Anjana, It can be an excellent choice because of the synergy of skills. English Literature provides a strong theoretical foundation in writing, analysis, and critical thinking, which are valued in journalism and mass communication. A deep understanding of language is essential for literary analysis, crafting compelling narratives, effective communication, reporting, storytelling, and so on. The study of literature also cultivates analytical and critical thinking skills, again crucial for evaluating information, understanding context, and presenting a balanced perspective. Career opportunities include print, broadcast, and digital media, content writing and editing, public relations, corporate communications, social media management, advertising and marketing, digital marketing and online content creation. I am doing Computer Science (AI and ML), and am interested in Machine Learning. Are there any opportunities in the government sector or any exams I should take to get a good job? Anaswara Dear Anaswara, While the private sector currently dominates AI/ML jobs, government opportunities are emerging, and certain exams can help you access them. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) utilises AI/ML for various defence applications, including image analysis, pattern recognition, and autonomous systems. Research scientist positions or roles related to AI/ML development in DRDO open up from time to time. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) uses AI/ML for satellite data analysis, image processing, and mission planning. Opportunities exist in areas like remote sensing and data analytics. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) is involved in developing and implementing IT solutions for various government departments. AI/ML skills are increasingly relevant for data analysis, automation, and citizen services. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is involved in research and development in advanced computing technologies, including AI/ML. Opportunities exist for research scientists and engineers. All these organisations have their own recruitment processes and exams. Many government research labs and institutes are involved in AI/ML research, particularly in areas like healthcare, agriculture, and environmental science. Government Data Analytics Roles have a growing demand for data analysts and data scientists with AI/ML expertise. Exams to consider are the GATE, NIC Scientist 'B' exam, CSIR exams, the UPSC and State Public Service Commission Exam. Keep an eye on the websites of government organisations and recruitment agencies for job openings and exam notifications. I am in the first year of a Master's in Public Administration and Policy Studies. I want to start my own business but need financial support until I can do so. How should I go about this? Gowtham Dear Gowtham, Balancing academic pursuits with entrepreneurial aspirations requires careful planning. Leverage your academic skills and consider part-time jobs related to your field of study. This will provide income and relevant experience. Consider being a research assistant at your university, interning or explore part-time roles at local government offices or non-profit organisations, freelancing and writing or doing research for policy-related projects, grant writing for non-profits, consulting for small businesses or organisations who need policy guidance, online tutoring or teaching. Explore options like scholarships or grants for graduate students, especially those with entrepreneurial ambitions. Some organisations support students pursuing social entrepreneurship or businesses aligned with public policy goals. Explore student loan options, but study the long-term repayment implications. Start researching small business loan and grant programmes. Even if you are not ready to apply, this will help you understand the requirements and prepare for future applications. Study government programmes supporting small businesses. If your business idea has a strong social impact component, consider crowdfunding to raise initial capital. Network by attending industry events, conferences, and workshops to connect with professionals in your field and identify potential mentors. Work on a business plan and utilise university resources using market research, financial projections, taking courses on business creation and small business management. Does your university offer resources for aspiring entrepreneurs, such as business incubators, entrepreneurship workshops, and mentorship programmes?
The Hindu
13-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Renuka of Tirunelveli crowned Miss Koovagam at annual Koothandavar festival in Villupuram
Renuka, a transgender from Tirunelveli, was crowned Miss Koovagam at a pageant held in Villupuram on Monday night in connection with the annual Koothandavar festival. Organised by the South India Transgenders Federation along with Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society, the beauty contest saw as many as 25 entries. The contest tested the general knowledge and social awareness of the participants. The contestants' contribution to the future of the community was also one of the requirements of the event. Renuka was declared the title winner and Anjana from Kallakurichi the first runner up. Asthika from Coimbatore was the second runner up. They were crowned by P. Mohanambal, president of the South India Transgenders Federation. The 18-day festival at the Koothandavar temple, attracts hundreds of transpersons, from various parts of the country every year, on an occasion that celebrates transgenders. The festivities will conclude with a car procession on Wednesday.
New Indian Express
13-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Kids of pourakarmikas, mahouts from Mysuru scale peak
MYSURU: In a moment of unparalleled pride, a team of eight pourakarmikas' children, mahouts, forest guards, and other civilians from Mysuru achieved a historic feat by scaling the 13,990 ft Mt Kuari Pass in Uttarakhand. The expedition, named 'Junoon-2025', was spearheaded by Tiger Adventure Foundation in collaboration with The Mountain Goat, and others and the group, despite a somber national mood following the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed 26 lives, took part in the expedition with determination and completed. Led by Anil Kumar A, lecturer at Marimallappa PU College, the team of 24 included children of pourakarmikas, mahouts from the Hunsur forest division, forest beat guards, housewives and students from Shashwath Seva Samaj School. Anjana, who took part in the expedition said, 'My parents sell vegetables for a living. This trek gave me a chance to dream beyond my circumstances.' After mandatory medical check-ups in Pipalkoti, the team reached Tugasi Base Camp on April 27 and gradually acclimatised before ascending to Guling and Khullar. A minor health scare on the first day, involving a nasal block, was handled swiftly by the support team, showcasing the preparedness and care embedded in the mission, revealed the team members. As they ascended the challenging trail of crevasses, glaciers, and gusty winds, the team's resolve only grew stronger. On May 1, the Indian tricolour was hoisted atop Kuari, marking what organisers called the 'first-ever summit by pourakarmikas' children, forest guards, and mahouts in India's adventure history'.
Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Maa ke paas bhi desire hain: Why do we strip women of their sexuality when they become mothers?
Mother's Day 2025: There is a lot that women lose when they become mothers — our hairlines, waistlines, a full night's sleep, and the ability to put ourselves first. But what I miss most is the permission to be wrong, mediocre, selfish, unhappy and imperfect in the way everyone else, fathers included, are allowed to be. The moment you become a mother; people start looking at you differently. You become a human unicorn; magical, special, and a beacon of all that is good and hopeful. Perhaps this forced reverence also impacts how women are presented in cinema and OTT content. As I thought more about how mothers are portrayed on screen, I realised that women who are mothers, especially older women who are mothers, are never shown as individuals with sexual desire, or as sexually desirable. More alarmingly, they are seldom shown getting physically intimate with their partners on screen. Women characters who are vocal about feeling amorous are either laughed at in comedies or bad TV shows (remember the erotically charged dadi in Kapil Sharma's show), portrayed as scary cougars, unfaithful wives who are cheating on their husbands, or are divorced and looking to move on. Kirti Kulhari's character Anjana in Four More Shots Please is one of the few examples of a mother getting intimate with multiple partners on screen. It helps that Anjana is in her early thirties, attractive, and single. But when Neena Gupta's character Priyamvada in Badhai Ho gets pregnant in her late forties or early fifties, their intimacy is merely hinted at with thunder, rain and physical proximity. Even in the short film Khujli, where Jackie Shroff and Neena Gupta's characters decide to add an element of kink to their sex life, the film ends with him clipping the handcuffs back on to her hands, leaving the rest for us to assume and imagine. Dimple Kapadia played an older woman who gets physically involved with a younger man in the film Leela. However, the scene where they make love is shot using the shadows of a man and a woman. So, why don't the words mother and sexy or mothers and sex coexist more often in the movies and content we watch? There are perhaps several reasons for this. One maybe that female and/or male actors over a certain age are uncomfortable or reluctant to perform physically intimate scenes while playing parents. Second, we don't think of older female bodies or bodies that aren't skinny after childbirth as sexy or desirable. Thirdly, it is very difficult for us to imagine our mothers, and by extension, mothers in general, having or enjoying sex like young women. We put our parents, especially our mothers, on a pedestal where they are isolated from the vices and weaknesses of regular folk, and sexual desire is definitely on that list. Some may argue that not everything needs to be explicitly shown on screen, and this is fair. But to separate mothers from their sexuality or portray mothers, especially older women who are mothers, as comical or abnormal if they express sexual desire, is doing a huge disservice to them. Another factor in the representation of a woman's sexuality in cinema and OTT content is that we largely see it from a male perspective. Given the limited number of women filmmakers even today, the decision about what kind of women and from which age group or stage of life can be considered sexy or interested in sex is still largely determined by men. Additionally, women seen from a male gaze are not perceived as beings with sexual agency. They are simply a means for the man to find sexual fulfilment or titillation. For decades, mothers wept over sewing machines and passed on a legacy of revenge or abandonment issues. Alternatively, they were class-conscious and narrow-minded, determined to control every aspect of their child's life. Then there were the sauteli ma's (step mothers), uniformly uncaring and self-centered, who furthered the evil stepmother stereotype from western fairytales. Long story short, a mother was only ever seen in the context of her children and how well she had done as a caregiver. Younger filmmakers, influencers and digital creators have taken a more empathetic perspective on parenting and given us realistic and varied portrayals of mothers on-screen and social media platforms. However, if you do a quick search of films that had mothers as protagonists, the stories are of moms being multitasking superheroes, mom next door turned vigilantes, or mothers who reclaim their identity after years of sacrifice and servitude. Even in a seemingly progressive film like Paa, where Vidya Balan played a proud single mom, she was never shown expressing a need for physical intimacy, which would be quite normal for a young woman in her thirties. She was a great mom, but the film had to unite her with the father of her child after twelve years apart to make it acceptable to us. There are a few exceptions that come to mind. Lust Stories 2, where Amruta Subhash's character Seema is seen having sex with her husband in her employer's home because the couple has kids and a small home with little privacy. Kalyug, directed by Shyam Benegal, showed Reema Lagoo and Kulbhushan Kharbanda's characters enjoy an active sex life even after becoming parents. Other examples are The Sky is Pink, where Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar's characters enjoy intimacy as parents of teenage kids, or the OTT series Married Woman, where Riddhi Dogra plays a married woman with kids who falls in love with a younger woman played by Monica Dogra. Motherhood is perhaps the most life-altering decision for any woman. It's deeply fulfilling, extremely exhausting and not for the faint-hearted. Perhaps the physical and emotional sacrifices it demands have led to mothers being venerated in stories and cinema. For years, women have been labelled Devki, Yashoda, Durga, Lakshmi, or Kali to deify their every dimension or emotional expression. But strangely, fathers have no divine or mythological points of comparison. They are allowed to remain regular, fallible human beings who get congratulated for doing the bare minimum. Perhaps it's time we replace reverence with realism and acknowledge that women don't stop being regular people with physical, emotional and sexual needs once they have children. We just forget to look at them that way.
