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The consecration of the Ram temple at Ayodhya on January 22 will symbolise the merger of State and religion under the rubric of Hindutva. Central to the `Pran Pratishtha’ of the idol of Lord Ram will be the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underlining the fact that this is a State-sponsored event.

Ramlalla Virajman in Ayodhya is still at the makeshift temple. Tomorrow, on January 19, He, in the form of a 9 inch idol has been reported to be shifted to His new abode still under-construction, just to be reduced to occupy secondary place in front of the 51-inch RSS-VHP-BJP’s make idol, which is reportedly to be brought into the sanctum sanctorum on January 18, which would acquire the status of the deity after “Pran Pratishtha” on January 22, intended to be given the primary status.

New Delhi: Asian Games gold medallists Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy kept India's hope aluve after securing a hard-fought 21-15, 19-21, 21-16 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Fang-Chih Lee and Fang-Jen Lee in the Yonex-Sunrise India Open Super 750, at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court order staying the Allahabad High Court decision to appoint an advocate commission to conduct a survey of the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah complex in Mathura does not substantially alter the general approach of the judiciary with regard to the disputed places of worship, which is more in favour of faith rather than other issues.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is considering sending its astronauts on the highly ambitious Gaganyaan mission with spacesuits made in Russia, according to a document reviewed by Hindustan Times. There are signs that Russian spacesuits will be used for the Gaganyaan mission, although Vikram Sarabhai Space’s locally produced Intra-Vehicular Activity (IVA) suits are almost finished and being tested.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s controversial inauguration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22 will also mark the beginning of BJP’s campaign for Lok Sabah General Election 2024. Religious events, including fetching large number of Hindu devotees to Ayodhya Ramlala Darshan free of cost for the next two months, will be organized as a special feature of this year’s election campaign outside the purview of the Election Commission of India in which large number of RSS-BJP-VHP activists under the garb of Sadhus overtly and covertly will do the work of BJP and PM Narendra Modi who will be seeking for their third term. However, the ultimate political impact will be uncertain, because after showing initial panic, the opposition seems to be firmly opposed the design, as the four Shankaracharyas declared the consecration violation of shastras of Sanatan Dharma.

Recent transporters’ strike against the newly-introduced legal provisions that provide for a 10-year jail term for drivers who don’t take accident victims to the hospital, leading to the death of the victims, throws the spotlight on an issue of immense significance. India has a vast network of well-developed highways and roads and it’s growing. The number of vehicles is also growing at a significant pace. India spends a huge amount of money on oil bills. India’s need for oil defines its foreign policy.

India’s population is ageing fast. Elders accounted for 8.6 percent of population as per the 2011 census which was 10.38 crores. No decennial census was held in 2021 on account of the coronavirus pandemic. Country’s population of elders (senior citizens), aged 60 years and above, is expected to grow to 30 crores by 2050, according to the official sources. Growing migration of people from rural to urban areas in search of livelihood, rising nuclearisation of family where none of the spouses wants in-laws, and breakdown of joint family system have strained adversely the traditional family chores or family norms that used to take care of elderly. As a result, elders have been left to neglect and abuses, living a life of miseries, loneliness and indignity.

New Delhi: It turned out to be an uneven opening day for the home players at the India Open as World no 9 HS Prannoy ousted world No. 13 Chou Tien Chen while Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen, lost to junior compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat.

BSP national President Mayawati's decision to fight Lok Sabha independently without joining either NDA or INDIA has made BJP and the main opposition in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party, happy. The recent statements of Mayawati that gave the impression that she could join INDIA unnerved the BJP leadership as well as the Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav.