Saturday, October 11, 2014


CM distributes aids of Rs 1-Cr at Garib Mela at Dwarka
Gandhinagar, October 10: In a extolling tone Gujarat Chief Minister Mrs. Anandiben Patel today stated that Gujarat Government’s Garib Kalyan Mela (GKM) scheme has truly become an instrument for the poor beneficiaries of it to unshackle themselves from the evil clutches of the poverty.

The Chief Minister said, like any assistance scheme of the government for the rural poors which normally provides them doles and equipments, the GKM scheme has become a path leading to prosperity and progress.

The Chief Minister was speaking at the launching of the 7th series of the Garib Kalyan Mela held at Dwarka. During the Mela, Mrs. Patel had distributed equipments and assistance worth Rs 106.45 lakh among 1894 poor beneficiaries.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister dedicated newly constructed ‘Nand Ghar’ built at a cost of Rs. 12-lakh to the people and also laid foundation stones for various developmental works worth of Rs 1434.06-lakh.

Mrs. Patel also announced that every farmer of the district would be given a copy of 7/12 and 8-A documents for their lands.

The Chief Minister said, under the GKM scheme the state government has, so far, given a direct assistance of Rs 10,000-crore to the poor beneficiaries.
      
Similarly, ‘Lok Samvad Setu’ programme of the state government has become a perfect medium to solve the people’s problems at local level. The programme has attained 85% positive solutions of the 8,000 problems people brought at the programme.

She appealed to the beneficiaries to use the government’s assistance as a leverage to turn the life on to the path of self-reliance living.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Gujarat’s Minister of State for Mahila and Bal Kalyan Mrs. Vasuben Trivedi, GSRTC Chairman Mr. B. H. Ghodashar, MLA Mr. Pabubha Manek and others.

On the occasion, a cheque of Rs 1.52 lakh was handed over to Mrs. Patel towards the Chief Minister’s Kanya Kelavni Fund.


Others who graced the occasion included Jamanagar District Panchayat President Dr. P. B. Vasoya, Secretary Incharge Dr. Kamaldayani, District Collector Mr. S. K. Pandya, District Development Officer Mr. R. J. Mankadia, District Superintendent of Police Mr. Jagdish Patel and others.
Greetings of Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Minister, WCD on International Girl Child Day">Greetings of Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Minister, WCD on International Girl Child Day 
Minister Women and Child Development



Nobel Peace Prize winners Malala and Kailash Satyarthi make South Asia proud


Kathmandu, 10 October 2014 - Pakistani child education activist Malala Yousafzai and Indian anti-child labour activist Kailash Satyarthi have won the Nobel Peace Prize today.

UNICEF South Asia is incredibly proud to congratulate the two South Asian activists who were awarded this honor for their “struggle against the suppression of children and young people.” Their work and struggles have transcended national boundaries and captured the hearts of millions of people not only in the region, but around the world.

At 17, Malala is the youngest ever recipient of the prize. In October 2012, she was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen for campaigning for girls’ education. In a region where a staggering 17.42 million girls aged between 5-13 are out of school – some of the highest rates in the world – Malala’s tireless efforts to campaign for education has truly been a “heroic struggle” for girls’ rights to education, as cited by the Nobel Committee.

Similarly, Mr. Satyarthi was praised by the Committee for “showing great personal courage” in leading peaceful demonstrations focusing on the exploitation of children for FINANCIAL gain and child labor. He has shown an unrelenting commitment to ending child labor, which devastates the lives of millions of children in South Asia and more than 168 million children around the world.

“Education can unlock a better future and end child labour. Educated girls and women are less likely to have been pushed into child marriage or push their own children into it. They are less likely to die in childbirth, and more likely to raise healthy children. Education is especially transformative for children who are poor, female who live in remote areas” said Karin Hulshof, Regional Director for UNICEF in South Asia.

Over 12% of children in South Asia aged 5-14 are engaged in child labour. And in some parts of the region the levels are much higher. One out of two girls marry before 18, and many as young as 15.

This announcement comes as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).  The CRC has inspired domestic legislation to respect, protect and fulfil child rights in all eight countries of South Asia, as well as the creation of policy and national development plans for their implementation.

“Improving children’s lives and transforming the future is the message that transcends from Malala and Kailash” concluded Karin Hulshof. 
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About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org
For further information, please contact:
Jean-Jacques Simon, Regional Chief of Communication, UNICEF South Asia. Tel: +977-9801030076;jsimon@unicef.org ; @unicefrosa
Sarah Nam, Communication Section, UNICEF South Asia. Tel: +977-9803892356;  snam@unicef.org
Cyclone threat: Tens of thousands evacuated along AP coast 

Cyclone threat: Tens of thousands evacuated along AP coast
Tens of thousands of people from low-lying areas of coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh have been evacuated as the state intensified preparations to face Cyclone Hudhud, expected to reach the northern coastline around Visakhapatnam by forenoon Sunday.
Anticipating heavy rains accompanying the severe cyclone "Hudhud" that is likely to affect parts of Odisha on Sunday, the administration here is worried about Cuttack city's inherent problem of waterlogging.
With the drainage system of the city undergoing massive renovation currently, the district administration has asked the local civic body to remain alert with adequate pumps to remove water logging immediately from the low-lying areas. 

Meanwhile, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has also undertaken a drive to de-silt the drains since Tuesday, a regular exercise that the civic body undertakes during pre-monsoon days. 

"We are more worried about waterlogging problem of Cuttack city and have kept at least 200 pumps ready to remove the waterlogging from low-lying areas immediately," said CMC Commissioner GR Das, adding, arrangements are in place to evacuate the people from affected areas to safer places. 

Dogged by last year's unfortunate incident in which some ruling party corporators allegedly looted relief materials in the aftermath of severe cyclone, the CMC authorities have decided that this time relief to the affected persons would be distributed by municipal staff.

In a review meeting taken by the district collector here yesterday, emphasis was put on ensuring "zero-casualty" in the district during the cyclonic storm. 

Officers of various departments have been instructed to ensure immediate restoration of road communication, tele-communication and electricity. 
As many as 24,000 people were shifted from Visakhapatnam district, 15,000 from Vizianagaram and 46,000 from Srikakulam and 160 from East Godavari district so far, special commissioner, state disaster management authority, K Hymavathi said.

She said that 146 cyclone relief shelters have been opened in the coastal districts. National Disaster Response Force has deployed 19 teams (each comprising 45 to 50 members) to undertake rescue and relief missions. In addition, a large number of Army personnel have also been kept ready in Visakhapatnam.

In Srikakulam, sea conditions were rough this morning.

Met department has warned that extensive damage to 'kutcha' houses, uprooting of big trees and partial disruption of power and communication lines and minor disruption of rail and road traffic are expected.

"The government machinery is ready to face the cyclonic storm," said deputy chief minister K E Krishna Murthy.

Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy too is ready to help with four ships on stand-by.

These ships have been equipped with additional divers, doctors, inflatable rubber boats, integral helicopters and relief material including food, tentage, clothes, medicines, blankets etc, in quantities sufficient to sustain over 5,000 persons, Navy sources said. 

Six aircraft are standing by at the Naval Air Station INS Dega to undertake reconnaissance, rescue, casualty evacuation and air drop of relief materials. Additionally, 30 diving teams and four platoons with additional relief material are ready to be pressed into action at short notice, sources said. 
#7: 31st Youth National Basketball Championship – Day Four and Five: Quarterfinal Line-Up Becomes Clearer

(Vishnu Ravi Shankar) Chandigarh, 10th-11th October 2014: The quarterfinal line-up has become clearer as we head into the last day of the league stages at the 31st Youth National Basketball Championship in Chandigarh. The Kerala boys picked up an 89-75 win over Maharashtra today morning to advance to the quarterfinals. The Maharashtra team has also made it to the quarterfinals on the back of their earlier wins in the league stages. Thus far, five teams have booked quarterfinal berths in the boys category, which includes Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Maharashtra.

The Chandigarh boys team lost their match yesterday evening in front of a home crowd against Tamil Nadu, who put up a consummate team display to register a huge 93-60 win. This puts hosts Chandigarh on the brink of elimination from this year’s championship, with Tamil Nadu all but advancing to the quarterfinal stages.

Among the girls teams, Maharashtra beat Uttar Pradesh 51-39 today to assure itself of a place in the quarterfinals. The Haryana girls team has also qualified, leaving only two spots left for the girls’ quarterfinalists. Madhya Pradesh will square off against the Delhi team and Andhra Pradesh will face Punjab in the pre-quarters to decide the final two quarterfinal berths. The other quarterfinalists in the girls category are Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh.

A complete list of results of the matches held after 5.30 p.m. on 10th October 2014 up to 11.30 a.m. on 11th October 2014 is as follows:

Girls:

10th October 2014 (5.30 p.m. to end of day)

1.      Chhattisgarh (Mahima 22) bt Haryana (Surya 24) 82-45 (21-6, 14-11, 17-13, 30-15)
2.      Gujarat (Saiesha 10) bt Assam (Enuwara 2, Rima 2, Mary 2) 35-7 (6-0, 14-4, 11-1, 4-2)
3.      Goa (Rachel 16) bt Jammu and Kashmir (Pearl 11) 43-24 (9-7, 13-6, 18-10, 3-1)
4.      Rajasthan (Neha 6, Nikita 6, Khanak 6) bt Bihar (Supam 5) 35-11 (10-2, 12-1, 3-4, 10-4)
5.      Odisha (Jayshree Baskey 16) bt Uttarakhand (Rhea S. 9) 37-20 (15-9, 14-2, 8-2, 0-7)

11th October 2014 (beginning of day to 11.30 a.m.)

6.      Maharashtra (Neha S. 16) bt Uttar Pradesh (Shreyasi Vats 23) 51-39 (19-14, 23-5, 9-5, 0-15)
7.      Andhra Pradesh (M. Laxmi Sravanti 26) bt Delhi (Gurkiran 18) 60-50 (13-5, 8-13, 15-18, 24-14)

Boys:

10th October 2014 (5.30 p.m. to end of day)

8.      Tamil Nadu (P. Baladaneshwar 20) bt Chandigarh (Amit 24) 93-60 (15-18, 38-16, 30-18, 10-8)
9.      Punjab (Rahul M. 30) bt Madhya Pradesh (Rishab S. 23) 78-58 (17-11, 17-10, 24-21, 20-16)
10.  Uttarakhand (Vaibhav 18) bt Goa (Roy 17) 60-55 (15-15, 12-16, 17-8, 16-16)
11.  Mizoram (Zorinsanga 14) bt West Bengal (G. Sharma 27) 61-60 (17-10, 15-11, 15-20, 14-19)
12.  Himachal Pradesh (Rohit 13) bt Assam (Sanju 12) 45-39 (12-6, 11-14, 7-10, 15-9)

11th October 2014 (beginning of day to 11.30 a.m.)

13.  Tamil Nadu (R. Hariram 14) bt Chhattisgarh (M. Das 18) 67-53 (21-11, 20-13, 20-15, 6-14)
14.  Kerala (Hari Krishnan 20) bt Maharashtra (Mearaj 28) 89-75 (22-14, 20-17, 19-24, 28-20)

The tentative schedule for the rest of the matches to be held on 11th October 2014 is as follows:

FIXTURES
Date: 11-10-2014  (SATURDAY)
Court – 1
No
Team “A”
Vs
Team “B”
Group
Timing
87
HARYANA
Vs
ANDHRA PRADESH
BA
12.30 PM
88
HARYANA
Vs
WEST BENGAL
GB
02.00 PM
89
MADHYA PRADESH
Vs
UTTAR PRADESH
BB
03.30 PM
90
CHATTISGARH
Vs
MADHYA PRADESH
GB
05.00 PM
91
PUNJAB
Vs
KARNATAKA
BB
06.30 PM

Court – 2

No
Team “A”
Vs
Team “B”
Group
Timing

LOSERS KNOCKOUT (LKO) SEMI-FINALS

93
W/O UTTARAKHAND/GOA
Vs
W/O ASSAM/HP  
BOYS
04.00 PM
94
BIHAR
Vs
MIZORAM
BOYS
05.30 PM

Court – 3

No
Team “A”
Vs
Team “B”
Group
Timing

LOSERS KNOCKOUT (LKO) SEMI-FINALS

96
GOA
Vs
W/O ODISHA/UTTARAKHAND
GIRLS
04.00 PM
97
GUJARAT
Vs
W/O RAJASTHAN/BIHAR
GIRLS
05.30 PM

About the 31st Youth National Basketball Championship
The Youth National Basketball Championship is an annual basketball tournament for the U-17 teams of boys and girls from various states of the country. This year’s tournament, being the 31st version, is taking place in Chandigarh from the 7th to the 14th of October, 2014. The tournament is being held under the aegis of the Basketball Federation of India and IMG-Reliance and is being conducted by the Chandigarh Basketball Association. The venue for the tournament is the recently constructed multi-facility sports complex in Sector 42, Chandigarh along with two other basketball courts located in the Government College for Women, Sector 42, Chandigarh and the Gurunanak Dev Public School, Sector 36, Chandigarh. There are 25 boys teams and 24 girls teams taking part in this year’s championship, which will witness 130 matches in all. Last year’s tournament, in the boys category, was won by team Delhi, with Rajasthan finishing runners up. In the girls category, team Kerala were last year’s winners and Tamil Nadu finished in second place.
About Basketball Federation of India
The Basketball Federation of India or BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. BFI has been involved in conducting camps, clinics, events, and training sessions at its academies for the development of basketball. BFI came into being in 1935 and took complete control over Indian basketball in 1950. Prior to that time, the Indian Olympic Association handled the conduct of Indian basketball championships. Since 1950, the BFI has been conducting various such championships, from the grassroots to senior team participation in international tournaments. In addition, the BFI has been responsible for the establishment of strong sub-junior and junior level programs. The BFI has to its credit produced several international players of repute, among them 17 have been bestowed with the honor of Arjuna Award. More information at www.indiabasketball.org
About IMG Reliance

IMG Reliance Pvt Ltd., is an equal joint venture between Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), India’s largest and most recognized private sector company, and IMG Worldwide (IMG), the world’s leading sports marketing and management company. The joint venture company will develop market and manage sports and entertainment in India. Its current assets include India’s premier fashion event, Lakmé Fashion Week and South Asia’s only ATP World Tour event, the Aircel Chennai Open. IMG Reliance has entered agreements with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) to create a new professional basketball league and manage all aspects of the commercial rights to the game in India and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), to improve, popularize and promote the game of football throughout India, from the grassroots to the professional level. IMG Reliance has also created a scholarship program to identify and train talented young Indians from sports including – basketball, soccer and tennis at IMG’s world-class sports training facilities at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Florida.

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