Junior Digest

DEHRADUN: Oct19, 2020: In recreation of famous ‘Chipko Movement’ dating back to 1973, thousands gathered in Thano of Dehradun on Sunday opposing felling of over 10,000 trees for expansion of Dehradun airport.

A 12-year-old ‘Global Climate Activist’ Ridhima Pandey termed as Greta Thunberg of India, who was also there to support ‘Save Thano Forest’ movement said, “We are hell-bent on destroying our ecosystem mercilessly. This is a threat to whole mankind. These forests are source of life. We will be protesting against the felling of trees until the decision is reversed.”
Thousands of locals of Thano, Dehradun, Rishikesh, Bhaniyawala gathered and tied ‘Raksha Sutras’ to the trees pledging to protect those trees.

Slogans were raised and Raksha Sutras were tied around trees which represent that ‘we the people’ are the protectors of the forest.
Activists, environmentalists are apprehensive that the move to cut the trees in the Thano range of the Dehradun forest division could affect wildlife movement in the elephant corridors and change course of a river in the vicinity of the forest.

PARIS/PRAGUE Oct 15,2020: France imposed curfews while other European nations are closing schools, cancelling surgeries and enlisting student medics as overwhelmed authorities face the nightmare scenario of a COVID-19 resurgence at the onset of winter.
With new cases hitting about 100,000 daily, Europe has by a wide margin overtaken the United States, where more than 51,000 COVID-19 infections are reported on average every day.

As cases in France climbed rapidly, President Emmanuel Macron announced night curfews for four weeks from Saturday in Paris and other major cities, affecting almost one-third of the country’s 67 million people.

Macron said in an interview on national television that the curfews were to halt temporarily “the parties, the moments of conviviality where there are 50 or 60 people, festive evenings because, unfortunately, these are vectors for the acceleration of the disease.”

“We’ll get through this if we stick together,” he said.

Most European governments eased lockdowns over the summer to start reviving economies already battered by the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

But the return of normal activity – from packed restaurants to new university terms – fuelled a sharp spike in cases all over the continent.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she and leaders of Germany’s 16 states agreed on Wednesday on tougher measures without detailing them. “We are already in a phase of exponential growth, the daily numbers show that,” she said.

Bars and pubs were among the first to shut or face earlier closing in the new lockdowns, but now the surging infection rates are also testing governments’ resolve to keep schools and non-COVID medical care going.

Even Pope Francis was subject to new coronavirus rules, staying put at a safe distance from well-wishers at his weekly audience on Wednesday.

In Lisbon, football fans were unsurprised after Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo tested positive for the virus, saying it simply showed everyone was at risk of getting infected.

The Czech Republic, with Europe’s worst rate per capita, has shifted schools to distance learning and plans to call up thousands of medical students. Hospitals are cutting non-urgent medical procedures to free up beds.

Poland is ramping up training for nurses and considering creating military field hospitals, Moscow is to move many students to online learning and Northern Ireland is closing schools for two weeks and restaurants for four.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin described Northern Ireland’s rise in cases as “hugely worrying,” and the government increased restrictions in three counties on the border as well as almost all visits to homes across the country.

“We are on the brink of disaster,” immunologist Pawel Grzesiowski said in Poland, which reported a record 6,526 infections and 116 deaths on Wednesday.

Efforts to develop a vaccine hit snags in some areas, with Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N pausing its trial after an unexplained illness in a study participant. AstraZeneca’s AZN.L U.S. trial has remained on hold for more than a month.

Russia, which recorded a record daily increase in cases, has meanwhile granted regulatory approval to a second vaccine.
IMPOSSIBLE CHOICES

Germany, England and France have so far resisted pressure to close schools, but in Germany, politicians are debating whether to extend the Christmas-New Year school break to curb contagion.

The Netherlands returned to partial lockdown, closing bars and restaurants, but kept schools open.

European infections have been running at an average of almost 100,000 a day – about a third of the global total – forcing governments to tighten restrictions while attempting to avoid destroying livelihoods.

The United Kingdom, France, Russia and Spain accounted for more than half of Europe’s new cases in the week to Oct. 11, according to the World Health Organization.

In the United States, with the world’s highest number of confirmed infections, 22 states have so far in October set records for increases in new cases. But deaths are trending downward and have averaged 700 a day over the last week.
FIELD HOSPITALS

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces opposition calls for another national lockdown in England, but has so far resisted. Hospital admissions, however, are climbing and field hospitals constructed in the spring are once more being readied.

London faces tighter restrictions within days, the Financial Times reported.

In Spain, authorities in Catalonia ordered bars and restaurants to close for 15 days and limited the numbers of people allowed in shops.

In Belgium, with Europe’s second worst infection rate per capita, hospitals must now reserve a quarter of their beds for COVID-19 patients.

In Australia, one of the most successful countries in fighting the virus, clusters have emerged in the two most populous states, prompting New South Wales to delay relaxing some restrictions.

And new curbs have been imposed in Malaysia, where the royal palace postponed all meetings for two weeks.

Washington, Oct 17,2020: The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed grim milestone of eight million-mark on Friday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The country’s COVID-19 cases rose to 8,043,312, while the death toll reached 218,097, according to the CSSE.

The US COVID-19 cases reached five million-mark on August 9, hit 6 million on August 31, and exceeded 7 million on September 25.

The US has been the most affected country in the world, followed by Brazil in terms of deaths.

So far, Brazil has reported 153,214 deaths due to COVID-19.

According to the Johns Hopkins University, global COVID-19 cases reached 39,247,785, while the death toll stands at 1,103,352.

New Delhi, Oct 15 ,2020: Amid the continuing India-China border standoff, the United States has voiced concern over China’s repression of Tibetans and asked Beijing to respect and preserve their unique religious, linguistic and cultural identity.

The Trump administration which is for months has been locked in a tensed relationship with the Xi Jinping regime over trade, technology and its aggressive moves in the Indo-Pacific, designated Assistant Secretary Robert Destro, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, as Special Coordinator for Tibetan affairs, the State Department said.

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in a statement on Wednesday expressed “concern at China’s repression of Tibetan community, lack of meaningful autonomy, deteriorating human rights situation in Tibetan areas and severe restrictions on the Tibetans’ religious freedom, and cultural traditions within China.”

Destro will lead US efforts to address the humanitarian needs of Tibetan refugees and promote sustainable economic development and environmental conservation in the Tibetan communities in the plateau, said, the statement accessed here.

Destro will support US efforts to promote dialogue between the Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, exiled in India, or his representatives with China to protect the unique culture, religious freedom and respect the Tibetan human rights.

China has earlier called the Dalai Lama a “splitist” and said to have settled many Han Chinese in its so-called autonomous region.

Also, Pompeo said, the US will engage with international partners and experts, and the global Tibetan diaspora to address these issues.

Significantly, the appointment of Destro to the post which had remained vacant since 2017 comes after talks Pompeo and Deputy Secretary Stephen Biegun had with senior Indian officials on the regional situation during the Quad meeting in Tokyo and in New Delhi in the last few days.

Oct,18,2020: Michael Gove, the minister handling Brexit divorce issues for Britain, said on Sunday that the UK is “increasingly well-prepared” for a no-deal Brexit even as businesses urged Britain and the European Union to find a compromise over trade terms.

A tumultuous “no deal” finale to the United Kingdom’s five-year Brexit crisis would sow chaos through the delicate supply chains that stretch across Britain, the EU and beyond – just as the economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic worsens.

“But if the choice is between arrangements that tie our hands indefinitely, or where we can shape our own future, then that’s no choice at all. And leaving on Australian terms is an outcome for which we are increasingly well-prepared”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that Britain should get ready for a deal with the European Union similar to the one Australia has, “based on simple principles of global free trade.”
A so-called “Australia deal” means that the United Kingdom would trade on World Trade Organization terms: as a country without an EU trade agreement, like Australia, tariffs would be imposed under WTO rules, likely causing significant price rises.

Johnson’s critics say that an Australian-style deal is simply code for no deal at all with Britain’s largest export market. Australia’s trade with the EU is dwarfed by Britain’s.

More than 70 British business groups representing over 7 million workers made a last-ditch attempt on Sunday to persuade politicians to get back to the negotiating table next week and strike a Brexit deal.

Oct 18,2020:Global coronavirus cases rose by more than 400,000 for the first time late on Friday, a record one-day increase as much of Europe enacts new restrictions to curb the outbreak.

Europe, which successfully tamped down the first surge of infections, has emerged as the new coronavirus epicentre in recent weeks and is reporting on average 140,000 cases a day over the past week.

As a region, Europe is reporting more daily cases than India, Brazil and the United States combined.

Of every 100 infections reported around the world, 34 were from European countries, according to a Reuters analysis. The region is currently reporting a million new infections about every nine days and has reported more than 6.3 million cases since the pandemic began.

Major European countries – United Kingdom, France, Russia, Netherlands and Spain — accounted for about half of Europe’s new cases in the week to Oct. 18, according to Reuters tally.

France is reporting the highest seven-day average of new cases in Europe with 19,425 infections per day followed by the United Kingdom, Russia, Spain and Netherlands in worst affected European countries.

Several European countries are closing schools, cancelling elective surgeries and enlisting student medics as the authorities face a COVID-19 resurgence.

Russia is moving students to online learning and Northern Ireland is closing schools for two weeks and restaurants for four.

In Spain, authorities in Catalonia ordered bars and restaurants to close for 15 days and limited the numbers of people allowed in shops.

The Czech Republic has also shifted schools to distance learning and plans to call up thousands of medical students. Hospitals are cutting non-urgent medical procedures to free up beds.

Polish health officials have warned the country is on the brink of a disaster as a record 6,526 new coronavirus infections and 116 deaths were reported this week. Poland is ramping up training for nurses and considering creating military field hospitals.

Latin America is the worst-affected region with about 27% of total COVID-19 cases followed by Asia, North America and Europe, according to a Reuters analysis.

India is reporting fewer cases this month compared with September, with 69,000 cases per day, according to Reuters analysis. The numbers have fallen by more than 20,400 over the last three weeks, down 22% from its previous peak.

Washington, Oct 18,2020: The United States will be the first country to land people on Mars and the first to land a woman on the Moon, US President Donald Trump said.

“America will land the first woman on the Moon and the United States will be the first nation to land an astronaut on Mars, we’re getting very close,” Trump said at his campaign rally in Janesville, Wisconsin on Saturday.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Friday that his company was on track to launch its first uncrewed mission to Mars in four years, using the Starship reusable vehicle.

According to Musk, initially, the Starship launch vehicle should be able to carry over 100 metric tons of cargo to low Earth orbit once it is completed. The larger goal is to have Starship missions transport people to the moon and Mars. According to SpaceX, Starship lunar missions could start as early as 2022.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said at a virtual consortium on Wednesday that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has selected more than a dozen companies to develop technology to sustain US Moon operations.

“Together, NASA and industry are building up an array of mission-ready capabilities to support a sustainable presence on the Moon and future human missions to Mars,” Bridenstine said.

The awards totaled $370 million, about $270 of which will go to four companies that are developing cryogenic fluid management technologies needed for rocket fuel: one small business, Eta Space, plus three corporate giants, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance (ULA), NASA said in a statement.

Bridenstine said NASA plans the first human lunar settlement in 2028, four years after a scheduled visit to the Moon’s south pole by two American astronauts in 2024.

Washington, Oct 16,2020: US President Donald Trump has blamed countries like China, Russia and India for adding to the global air pollution and asserted that his country has the best environmental numbers.

Speaking to his cheering supporters at an elections rally in the key battleground State of North Carolina on Thursday, Trump said the US under his administration has achieved energy independence while protecting its pristine environment.

We have the best environmental numbers, ozone numbers, and so many other numbers. In the meantime, China, Russia, India all these countries they’re spewing stuff into the air, he alleged during the rally.

He said the US has achieved energy independence while protecting its pristine environment.

Trump in June, 2017 announced his decision to withdraw from the Paris deal, saying the accord would have cost America trillions of dollars, killed jobs, and hindered the oil, gas, coal and manufacturing industries.

He has continuously argued that countries like China and India are benefiting the most from the Paris agreement and the agreement itself was unfair to the US, as it badly hit its businesses and jobs.

During Thursday’s rally too, Trump said to the cheering crowd that it were a few nations that were contributing to global pollution.

I keep telling my people you know, I love clean air but Russia and China, you look at a map you have all these spots and India and many others are spewing it in. What do you suggest? he asked his thousands of supporters who had gathered at a city airport here to listen to his election speech.

Trump also mocked at those who call for replacing plastic with paper.

Well, we don’t think you should sell straws anymore. Oh great ok. You ever hear that, the straw, right? I say ok the straw is good, what about the plastic plate? What about the carton? What about the glass that’s out of plastic? Well we’ll get to that later. These people are crazy, he said.

In his speech, Trump also talked about jobs for the Americans and mentioned that he recently fired the head of a semi-private company for replacing American workers with foreign workers.

The chairman of Tennessee Valley Authority was fired because he replaced American workforce with foreign workers. I told the board chairman, chairman, you’re fired. Out. You’re fired, chairman, he said.

And what happened is as soon as I said that they hired all the employees back from Tennessee and five other states, six other states. They’re all back and they were great. They were great. So we do our little things, right? We did that one and it was great, he said.

Trump alleged that the immigration plan of his Democratic opponent Joe Biden is the most extreme in the history of the country.

Biden’s plan would eliminate US borders by implementing nationwide catch and release that’s catch, murderer comes over you catch him. What do you do? Well, not much. Most of them don’t say they kill people right? You catch them. You take their name and you release them into our country. It was a big deal, it sounds easy, he said, adding that he ended catch and release.

One of the worst things. Now we release them. You know where we release them? We release them back into their country. We don’t release them into our country anymore. We say congratulations we got them, he said.

Biden in one of his rally on Wednesday said that if voted to power he would give citizenship to 11 million illegal immigrants.

Oct 18,2020: New Zealand voted to award Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern a second term in office on Saturday. Prime Minister Ardern’s liberal Labour Party won a historic mandate by securing 49 per cent of the vote in comparison to the 27 per cent bagged by its primary challenger, the conservative National Party.

In fact, this is the first time since New Zealand implemented a proportional voting system 24 years ago that a single party (Labour) won an outright majority of seats in Parliament. Jacinda Ardern was voted to the top job in 2017 when her Labour Party entered into an alliance with two other parties.

This time around, the Labour Party will be able to comfortable form a government on its own, a first for the party in 50 years. Its ally Green Party won 7.5 per cent of the voters while the libertarian ACT Party managed to increase its vote share to 8 per cent this time around. At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and his New Zealand First party was voted out.

During the 2020 elections, New Zealanders also voted on two key issues- whether to legalise marijuana and euthanasia. Results to both referendums will be announced on October 30.

New Delhi, Oct 18,2020: Criticizing statements of Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Digvijay Singh regarding Article 370, Information and Broadcasting Minister and senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar on Saturday said that the Congress leaders are speaking in unison with the separatists.

Talking to mediapersons, Mr Javadekar asked whether the Congress will refer to the repeal of Article 370 in its manifesto for the Bihar Assembly elections?

The senior BJP leader said that Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Digvijay Singh, while denouncing the decision to withdraw Article 370, have spoken of withdrawing it which is against the sentiments of the people of the country.

Mr Javadekar said, ‘ Rahul Gandhi (Congress leader) also continues to praise Pakistan. He likes to praise Pakistan and China on any subject.’

The senior BJP leader said that the people of the country had welcomed the decision of abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.

‘After the abrogation of Article 370, everyone has seen how much progress has been made in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh,’ Mr Javadekar said.

89th birth anniversary OF APJ Abdul Kalam and world students’ day.
New Delhi , October 15,2020: From being the people’s President to spearheading the development of the most significant Indian missiles, late President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam has contributed to the development of the country in different spheres.
As an aerospace scientist, Kalam worked with India’s two major space research organisations – Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
While, his work in the development and operationalisation of Indigenous guided missiles – AGNI and PRITHVI – earned him the title of the ‘Missile Man of India,’ there are many more ways in which Kalam has helped India in the division of science and technology.
On the 89th birth anniversary of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, here are 5 of his scientific contributions to the country: –
1. Directed the project to develop India’s first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV)
Back in 1980s, when India had hardly dreamt of having its indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV), Dr Kalam’s over 10-year-long hard work as the project director for the development of the indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle at ISRO led to the ground-breaking scientific development.
It was in July 1980, that India’s SLV-III successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in the near-Earth orbit leading to the country becoming a member of the exclusive Space Club.
2. Directed projects for the development of ballistic missiles
Kalam also headed the projects Devil and Valiant which had the aim of developing ballistic missiles using the technology behind the successful SLV program. Under mission Kalam with other projects, members developed many missiles including AGNI which is an intermediate-range ballistic missile and PRITHVI which is a surface-to-surface missile.
3. Headed multiple nuclear tests at Pokhran
Serving as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the then Prime Minister, Kalam played a major role in heading the Pokhran-II nuclear testing leading to him being known as the best nuclear scientist of the country at that time. The nuclear testing under the supervision of Kalam during the period of July 1992 to December 1999 made India a nuclear-armed state.
4. He worked in making healthcare accessible to all
Working jointly with cardiologist Soma Raju, the late President developed a cost-effective coronary stent ‘Kalam-Raju Stent’ which helped in making healthcare accessible to all.
5. Developed the rugged ‘Kalam-Raju tablet’
The duo of Kalam and Soma Raju later in 2012 designed a rugged tablet computer for better health care administration in the rural pockets of the country. They termed it the ‘Kalam-Raju tablet.’
For his work in the stream of science and politics, the 11th President was also awarded India’s highest civilian honour or the Bharat Ratna.
Kalam breathed his last on July 27, 2015, while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong when he collapsed and died from a cardiac arrest.
Five years after his demise, his contributions are still remembered as some of the best scientific and technological developments in the country. (ANI)

Bangkok, Oct 15,2020: Thai government has announced an emergency decree to stem largely peaceful student-led democracy protests in Bangkok, including a ban on large gatherings.

The emergency measures came into effect at 0400 hrs local time on Thursday (2100 GMT on Wednesday) after a televised announcement read out by police said urgent measures were needed to “maintain peace and order”.

According to a BBC report, three key protest leaders — the human rights lawyer Anon Nampa, student activist Parit Chiwarak, widely known by his nickname “Penguin” and Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul. have also been arrested.

Both Anon and Panusaya have been arrested earlier as well.

Among the key demands being made by demonstrators are that the government headed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief who seized power in the coup, be dissolved; that the constitution be rewritten and that authorities stop harassing critics.

Shortly after the decree took effect, Thai riot police cleared protesters from outside the prime minister’s office. Some tried to resist, using makeshift barricades, but they were pushed back, Reuters news agency reported.

Hundreds of police were seen on the streets even after protesters were dispersed.

Paris, Oct 15,2020: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday announced that a curfew will be imposed from 9 pm to 6 am in number of cities, including Paris, starting from Friday midnight and last at least four weeks to stem the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

“A curfew will apply to the Ile-de-France region…and eight metropolitan areas — Grenoble, Lille, Rouen, Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Saint-Etienne, Toulouse, Montpellier and Rouen,” Macron said in a televised interview, Xinhua reported.

France has been in a second wave of the coronavirus epidemic with an average of 20,000 new infection cases per day. “We have now entered a phase to which we must react…The virus is everywhere in France,” Macron added.

The situation is worrying and the curfew is a “pertinent” measure while having the whole country locked down again would be “disproportionate”, he explained.

“We have not lost control. We are in a situation which is worrying and which justifies that we are neither inactive nor in panic. We have learned from the first wave,” Macron said.
The curfew does not ban driving between 9 pm to 6 am, but travel will be strictly limited unless with good reasons. “We must continue to be able to go to work in all sectors,” said Macron. “For those who have emergencies, health for example, there will be authorizations.”

GUJRANWALA/LAHORE, Pakistan Oct17,2020: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday accused the country’s army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa of toppling his government, pressuring the judiciary, and installing the current government of Prime Minister Imran Khan in the 2018 elections.
Sharif was speaking via video link from London to a gathering of tens of thousands of people organised by opposition parties to kick-off a countrywide protest campaign in the eastern city of Gujranwala aiming to oust Khan’s government.
The former prime minister also accused the chief of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence spy agency of being involved in conspiring against his government.

Nine major opposition parties formed a joint platform called the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) last month to begin a nationwide agitation against the government.

Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is the main opposition party, was sacked by the Supreme Court in 2017 on corruption charges and left for London last November for medical treatment.

New Delhi,14,2020:The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the STARS project under the New Education Policy to support states in strengthening the school education system, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference, Javadekar said the Modi government has started implementing the NEP-2020 and as part of the process it has approved the Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) project.

The centrally sponsored project will be implemented by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education. It will cover Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Odisha, he said.

The World Bank-supported project is estimated to cost Rs 5,718 crore, he said.

The project aims to support the states in developing and improving school education outcomes, the minister said.

Thrissur (Kerala), Oct 15,2020: Renowned Malayalam poet and Jnanpith laureate Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri died at a private hospital here on Thursday, family sources said. Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri who is popularly known as Akkitham has penned over 46 works in Malayalam. ‘Irupatham Nootandinte Ithihasam’ is his major work.

Akkitham was 94 and admitted to hospital due to age related ailments.

Recently, he was conferred with the Jnanpith award, the highest literary award in the country, at a special function held at his house at Kumaranallur in Palakkad district.
Earlier, he was honoured with Padma Sri, the fourth highest civilian award of the Government of India in 2017. He also won a number of awards including Kendra and Kerala Sahithya Akademi awards, Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, Odakkuzhal Award, Asan Smaraka Kavitha Puraskaram, Sanjayan Award, Padmaprabha Literary Award, Mathrubhumi Literary Award, Lalithambika Antharjanam Smaraka Sahitya Award, Vallathol Award, Vayalar Award,Puthoor Award, Krishna Geedhi Award, Nalappad Award, Puthezhan Award among others.

The poet, who was instrumental in heralding modernism in Malayalam poetry, was also a true Gandhian, social reformer, journalist and an example of simplicity.

Katra (Jammu and Kashmir), October 17,2020: Devotees queued up at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra for ‘darshan’ on the first day of Navratri on Saturday.
7000 people are being allowed to visit the shrine in a day. Their temperature is being checked and all necessary SOPs, in the wake of the pandemic, are being followed.
Sanitizing, social distancing and masks are mandatory. The per-day pilgrims limit has been increased from five thousand to seven thousand. Also, the Pitthu and pony services have also been resumed. Helicopter services are already operational.
A Mata Vaishno Devi App has been launched through which people, who are not able to come to Mata Vaishno Devi, can have live darshans at their homes.

A devotee said, “The decoration is very good and flowers have come from Bengaluru. The arrangement for COVID-19 has been done.”
“They are facilitating conducting COVID-19 tests before coming here,” she added.
The celebrations of Sharad (autumn) Navratri involve worshipping Goddess Durga and her nine forms. The festival is celebrated in different ways across the country. Over the next nine days, devotees offer their prayers to Goddess Durga and observe fasts.
Also known as Sharad Navratri, the occasion is believed to mark Goddess Durga’s victory over demon Mahishasura, signifying the victory of good over evil.
The 10th day of Sharad Navratri is celebrated as Dussehra or Vijaya Dashami.