NAadhaar cards are now valid travel documents for Indians under 15 and over 65 travelling to Nepal and Bhutan, according to a Home Ministry communique.

Indians other than those in the two age brackets will not be able to use Aadhaar to travel to the two neighbouring countries, for which no visas are needed, clarified the communique issued recently.

Indian citizens going to Nepal and Bhutan don’t need a visa if they have a valid passport, a photo identity card issued by the government of India or an election ID card issued by the Election Commission, it added.

Earlier, persons over 65 and under 15 could show their PAN card, driving licence, Central Government Health Service (CGHS) card or ration card, but not the Aadhaar, to prove their identity and visit the two countries.

The Aadhaar card has now been added to the list, explained a senior Home Ministry official.

“Now, persons in the age group of over 65 years and below 15 years have been allowed to use Aadhaar as a valid travel document,” the official told media.

Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). It is being made mandatory for using a host of government services.

Giving details, the official said a certificate of registration issued by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, to Indian nationals is not an acceptable travel document for travelling between India and Nepal.

“However, the emergency certificate and identity certificate issued by the Indian Embassy in Nepal will be valid for single journey for travelling back to India,” he said, citing the communique.

Teens between 15 to 18 years will be allowed to travel between India and Nepal on the basis of an identity certificate issued by the principal of their school in a prescribed form, the officer said.

In case of a family (like husband, wife, minor children and parents) travelling together, all persons will not be required to carry relevant documents (such as a passport or an election ID) if one of the adult members has valid travel papers, he said.

However, the other family members must have some proof of their identity with a photograph and their relationship as a family, such as a CGHS card, ration card, a driving licence or an ID card issued by school/college, the official explained.

Indian nationals travelling to Bhutan need to have either an Indian passport with minimum validity of six months or a voter identity card issued by the Election Commission of India.

Bhutan, which shares borders with the Indian states of Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal, has about 60,000 Indian nationals, employed mostly in the hydroelectric power and construction industry.

In addition, between 8,000 and 10,000 daily workers enter and exit Bhutan everyday in border towns.

About six lakh Indians live in Nepal, according to data by the Ministry of External Affairs.

These include businesspersons and traders who have been living in Nepal for a long time, professionals (doctors, engineers, IT personnel) and labourers (including seasonal/migratory) in the construction sector, it said.

Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand

[Nasheman news] Jammu The Jammu-Srinagar highway was closed on Monday following fresh snowfall in the Bannihal sector that saw over a foot deep snow accumulate on the strategic route, a Traffic Department official said.

No vehicular movement would be allowed on the highway during the day keeping the safety of travellers in mind. The situation will be reviewed after the weather improves,” he said.

Intending travellers have been advised not to undertake journey without finding out the latest status of the road from traffic helplines in Jammu and Srinagar.

The MET has forecast moderate to heavy snowfall in the Kashmir Valley and rain in the Jammu division during the next 24 hours till Tuesday.

[Nasheman news] Srinagar Heavy snowfall occurred in the Kashmir Valley on Saturday, with the weather office forecasting more in store for the next three days.

“A western disturbance (WD) is presently active over the state under whose influence moderate to heavy snowfall is likely to occur in the valley till January 23 after which the intensity of the WD will start decreasing,” a Met Department official said here.

District administration have set up helplines to help prevent any untoward incident due to the heavy snowfall.

While the nightlong cloud cover increased minimum temperatures throughout the valley on Saturday, the maximum temperatures are expected to drop further, the weather official said.

Srinagar recorded minus 2.0 degrees Celsius, Pahalgam minus 4.4 and Gulmarg minus 7.0 as the minimum temperatures.

Leh town had minus 9.2 degrees Celsius and Kargil minus 18.9 as the night’s lowest temperature.

Jammu city recorded 8.3 degrees Celsius, Katra 9.1, Batote 3.9, Bannihal 2.3 and Bhaderwah 1.3 as the minimum temperatures.

[Nasheman news] Bengaluru Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) legislators will return on Saturday from a private resort in Gurugram where they were lodged for the last few days, a party leader said.

“All our MLAs have been directed to return to the state,” state BJP President B.S. Yeddyurappa told the media here.

The party was not trying to “destabilise” the coalition government as alleged by the Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), he said.

“We are not trying to destabilise the government. We will work as a strong opposition.”

Meanwhile, Congress legislators headed to a private resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru after a party meet on Friday, in an attempt to “safeguard” the MLAs.

“The BJP is indulging openly in horse trading. We need to have all our MLAs in our place and deliberate on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections (in April-May),” state Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao told the media earlier.

[Nasheman news] Shimla An intense cold wave saw most parts of Himachal Pradesh shivering on Thursday, with Kalpa and Keylong towns seeing more snowfall.

The resort town of Kalpa, some 250 km from the state capital which saw mild snow, experienced a low of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 10 degrees in Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district with a snowfall of 3 cm.

“The night temperature of Shimla fell by 3.8 degrees from Wednesday’s 7 degrees,” a weather official told IANS.

Vehicular traffic was disrupted in Kinnaur district after snowfall.

Popular tourist spots near Shimla like Kufri, Chail and Narkanda saw the night temperatures close to sub-zero.

It was minus 0.6 degrees in Manali, while it was 4.4 degrees in Dharamsala and 1.7 degrees in Dalhousie.

The Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet) and the Baralacha Pass (16,020 ft) – located on the Manali-Leh highway – experienced heavy snowfall.

Met officials said the entire tribal belt in Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Kullu and Chamba districts had witnessed snowfall since Wednesday.

The weather forecast said the western disturbances – storm systems originating from Caspian Sea in the Central Asia and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region – had almost receded from the region and the weather would mainly remain dry in the next few days.

Thereafter, a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect the western Himalayan region with chances of rain and snow on January 20 and 21.

[Nashemman news] New Delhi Biting cold winds from the northwest lashed the national capital on Wednesday as the minimum temperature here dropped to 4.5 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season’s average.

The maximum also dropped to 19.5 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average, given a partial cloud cover.

Shallow to moderate fog enveloped the city in the morning. “There will not be much sunlight as it will be partly cloudy through the day, keeping the temperature cold,” an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official told IANS.

“Winds from the northwest is making Delhi colder than usual at this time of the season. 

“It will continue to be this cold for another two-three days. After that, it will slowly start getting warmer,” the official added.

At least 11 trains headed towards Delhi were delayed due to fog. Trains running from Puri in Odisha and Gaya in Bihar were delayed by five hours.

The overall air quality in Delhi continued to remain ‘poor’ due to high wind speed.

However, some areas like Mundka, Jahangirpuri, Ashok Vihar, Burari, ITO, NSIT Dwarka, RK Puram, Rohini fared in the ‘very poor’ category with PM2.5 as the major pollutant.

The IMD has forecast cold wave conditions at some places in the national capital on Thursday with the minimum temperature continuing to remain around four degrees Celsius.

[Nasheman news] Kolkata Two nursing students, allegedly seen in a video mercilessly beating puppies to death in a state-run medical college and hospital, were arrested on Tuesday after a marathon interrogation, police said.

The two nursing students — Moutushi Mondal of the first year and Shoma Burman of second year — of Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College & Hospital were identified from the video, a hospital official said.

“We identified nursing students — Moutushi Mondal of the first year and Shoma Burman of second year — seen in the video. They were interrogated and probe is still going on,” Dwaipayan Biswas, NRS Medical College and Hospital deputy superintendent heading the probe said. A security guard was also interrogated.

A police officer claimed the duo were taken into custody at Entally police station after they broke down and “admitted their role in killing the puppies” during the interrogation.

The accused had reportedly claimed they were fed up with the puppies which did not allow them to go out of the hostel and moved too close to their feet for comfort.

Charges under Sections 429 (Mischief by killing or maiming cattle, etc., of any value or any animal of the value of fifty rupee) 201 (Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and section 11L (mutilate any animal or kill any animal by using the method of strychnine injections, in the heart or in any other unnecessarily cruel manner) of Indian Penal Code have been slapped against the duo.

After the gruesome incident surfaced, NRS Medical College & Hospital had formed a three-member committee to investigate and assist the police.

Meanwhile, various animal rights bodies demonstrated before the Entally police station. They broke a police vehicle and attacked the cops.

Hospital garbage bags containing 16 dead puppies and a dog with signs of severe torture were recovered near the NRS medical college on Sunday.

A video later surfaced on social media where two women were seen beating the puppies near the hostel building of Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College & Hospital.

The video has been captured by the students of Dr. R. Ahmed Dental College and Hospital which is housed in Athe opposite building.

A hospital employee who had first noticed the puppies in the dump yard on Sunday said the dog made desperate sound and was found tied in three garbage bags used in hospitals.

[Nasheman news] BangkokThe Thai police have arrested an Indian man and 27 Thai women in connection with a fake-marriage registration scam that enabled Indians to get residential visas in the country.

The Indian man, Wikrom Layerhi, was arrested on charge of being a broker to arrange for Thai women to register fake marriages with Indian nationals, the National daily cited Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakpal, Immigration Bureau Chief and Deputy Head of the Technology Crime Suppression Centre, as saying on Monday.

Surachate said that the arrested women were hired for 8,000 to 10,000 bahts each, adding that these women never stayed with the Indians with whom they had registered their marriages. 

One of the women was 70 years old and had a family, including children, Surachate said. 

Police officials said they checked more than 8,000 Indians living in Thailand and found that 127 of them unlawfully obtained residential visas, which have been revoked. 

Thirty-six of the 127 men had been deported, according to authorities.

[Nasheman news] New Delhi India has called for a more multilateral global order keeping in focus the Indo-Pacific, a region that has grown in significance in recent years.

Noting that India was committed to upholding multilateralism and the institutions it engenders, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday that the world was going through a particularly disruptive phase.

“Technology-driven transformation has further quickened that pace of change,” the Minister said while addressing the First Annual Disarmament and International Security Affairs Fellowship Programme organised by the Ministry.

“Many of these changes are marked by rebalancing of the global economy, and consequently, of international politics — this is especially true of the Asia Pacific or Indo-Pacific region, where India is located.”

India, along with the US, Japan and Australia, is part of a quad revived in 2017 that is seeking to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, a region that stretches from the eastern coast of Japan to the eastern coast of Africa.

This is of special geostrategic importance given China’s increasing footprint in the region and its belligerence in the South China Sea.

“The only way for us to take advantage of these opportunities so as to ensure sustainable peace and security, is to navigate these disruptions and underlying fault lines through a pragmatic and constructive approach, and most importantly, one that strengthens existing mechanisms of cooperation and helps to foster new and forward-looking partnerships,” the Minister said.

“The challenges we all face today, and all of us know this, whether they be the traditional security issues such as nuclear proliferation, armed conflict and so on or newer non-traditional issues such as terrorism, migration and refugee flows and environmental degradation – all of these, in our view, require more, and not less, multilateralism.”

Sushma Swaraj said that India’s vision of engagement in the Indo-Pacific region will be based on the values of peace, stability and prosperity on a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc central to the concept, which serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large.

“There is greater energy, pragmatism and strategic content in India’s relations with Southeast Asian regions, known as Asean, in the context of the wider Indo-Pacific.

“We are leveraging the full potential of this policy to accelerate the development of India’s northeastern states and to enhance regional connectivity between them and Southeast Asia,” she said.

Sushma Swaraj said that the paradox is that globalisation seems to be leading to less, not more multilateralism.

“Or to put it another way, unilateral tendencies are coming to the fore, be they in rising trade protectionism or in the disregard for established international mechanisms governing the global commons such as in maritime domain.”

She also highlighted India’s revitalisation of ties with its immediate neighbourhood under the Neighbourhood First Policy.

“And this includes a well thought-out approach towards the Indian Ocean region, including maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, Blue Economy, as well as the leveraging of the economic and cultural complementarities between the littoral states.

“We are paying special attention to infrastructure and connectivity projects.”

The Minister highlighted India’s deepening of ties with all the major countries of the world.

The annual programme covers a range of issues relevant to disarmament and international security such as global security environment, weapons of mass destruction, certain conventional weapons, space security, maritime cooperation, security of cyberspace, export controls and emerging technologies.

It aims at equipping participants with knowledge and perspectives on various contemporary disarmament, non-proliferation, arms control and international security affairs.

Young diplomats from 27 countries are participating in the programme, which is being held at the Foreign Services Institute and will conclude February 1.

By Saket Suman

[Nasheman news] Prayagraj Hundreds of hoardings carrying the images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath dotted the streets of the holy town as millions from across India and abroad have descended here for the religious, spiritual and cultural congregation taking place barely three months ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The Kumbh Mela, which opened formally in the early hours of Tuesday with the first of the six ‘shahi Snan’ (royal bath), and is expected to draw over 15 crore pilgrims this year, is a sea of saffron and slogans such as “Modi tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hain” (Modi you lead the fight, we are with you) and “Mandir wahin banayenge” (temple will be built at the disputed site in Ayodhya) rent the air at the site.

Notably, both Modi and Yogi have waxed eloquent on the preparations for the holy dip, which according to legend, opens the doors to heaven. The Kumbh Mela administration officials told IANS that Yogi has resolved to provide an unforgettable pilgrimage experience to crores of devotees visiting Kumbh.

They say that Yogi has laid special emphasis on “blending the grand traditions of Kumbh with the deployment of modern techniques and solutions” so that the kalpavasis, spiritual gurus, dignitaries, foreign visitors and the pilgrims have a “life emancipating experience” during their visit to Prayagraj.

At a press conference on Monday, Prayagraj Commissioner Ashish Kumar Goyal told reporters that the state government is fully dedicated to providing a unique and fulfilling experience to visitors, highlighting that “there is no shortage of budget, we have sufficient funds”.

He maintained that the Chief Minister is personally monitoring the Kumbh Mela, and has advised officials to do everything that is needed.

The Kumbh is also the world’s largest religious congregation of its kind, making it a potential political playfield for the BJP that has a strong voter-base among the Hindus.

The 2019 Kumbh Mela is organised on a much wider scale than its previous editions and multiple tent cities, along with lakhs of new toilets have cropped up along the banks of the holy river Ganga. The historic city was also recently renamed from Allahabad by the BJP government.

Displayed here are multiple life-size hoardings welcoming pilgrims to Kumbh and they carry images of Modi and Yogi on either side with their messages. 

Such hoardings and posters are among the first sights that visitors arriving in the city encounter, and on the way leading up to the Sangam — the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna rivers and the mystical Saraswati — visitors are introduced to the various programmes and campaigns introduced and promoted by the BJP government.

One example of this is a massive yellow-coloured hoarding that appears near the Parade Ground on Kali Road, about 3 kms before the Sangam, that sings praises of the bonhomie between the Yogi-led Up government and the Modi-led NDA government at the centre. It states that in keeping with the piousness of the Ganga, the state of Uttar Pradesh is marching forward.

The hoarding, whose similar variations also appear in other parts of the city, states that Modi has allotted Rs 146.87 crores and Rs 52.76 crores towards Prayagraj District Sewerage Project and Prayagraj District Sewerage Network Project, respectively. The hoarding carries smiling pictures of Modi and Yogi on either sides, with the achievements of the BJP government inscribed at the bottom.

Another similar hoarding reads: “Ek dubki aastha ki, ek bhaav sadbhav ka” and displays a saint offering water to the Sun god. The smiling pictures of Modi and Yogi on either sides of the hoarding keep the visitors company here as well.

The Kumbh administration has built pontoon bridges that lead the visitors to the five-kilometre bathing ghat at Sangam. These bridges can only be reached after passing through the by-lanes of the city, which are dotted with hundreds of such hoardings and posters at regular intervals.

While several such hoardings in multiple colours and sizes attract the visitors visually, there are occasional political sloganeering in the praise of the two leaders that reverberate the Kumbh nagri.

Organised processions of men, women and sadhus were seen late on Monday evening, hailing lord Ram and calling for the construction of a grand Ram Temple at the disputed Babri Masjid site. Such slogans, almost routinely, shift from singing the praises of gods to those of PM Modi.

Visitors too seem to have entered the election mood as political conversations and predictions can be heard at roadside tea stalls and dhabas. This gathering of Hindu pilgrims also becomes significant for its political implications as Congress President Rahul Gandhi had recently set on a Mandir-hopping exercise before the state assembly elections.

The Kumbh Mela, 2019 is being held from January 15 to March 4, with six important bathing dates. Makar Sankranti, which falls on Tuesday, was the first of these dates for bathing, and officials expect over a crore devotees to take the holy dip on the first day of the fair.