LONDON, July 14: ‘Tammy’ star Susan Sarandon has revealed she is down with cannabis but feels tobacco is worst for a person’s health.
The 67-year-old actress says her number one secret for looking younger than her age is never smoking cigarettes, reported Contactmusic.
“Theses days there’s a lot of women who don’t look like you through 67 was going to look so I’m not so unusual. A lot of it is down to being happy and staying curious and keeping a sense of humour. But my main advice would be, first of all, don’t smoke cigarettes.
I’m down with cannabis but tobacco is the worst for the skin. And apart from that, just practise moderation because too much of anything takes its toll. Not too much sun, not too much alcohol, not too much food,” Sarandon said.
The actress said alcohol does not suit her because it makes her feels sluggish and she prefers to get some fresh air and power walk when she’s stressed out.
“Alcohol doesn’t really help me. I find the next morning I’m in worse shape than before. What I’ve had in my time is a lot of midnight walks down the West Side Highway of New York City,” she said. (PTI)
I am down with cannabis: Susan Sarandon
Home Guards scream for justice
Sir,
The J&K Police vide PHQ’s Order No. 86 of 1990 dated: 05-12-1990 had regularized the services of Volunteers’ Home Guards (VHGs). Since then till date no such order has been issued. The volunteers enrolled thereafter as Home Guards are waiting impatiently for such an order. Though the duty allowance of a VHG was enhanced from Rs 45.00 per day to Rs 60.00 per day during the call up duty of 90 days in a year vide J&K Government order No. 123 Home 2011 dated 09-02-2011. But it is insufficient as well as against the mandates of Minimum Wages Act.
The VHGs render their duty with honesty and dedication round the clock even in hard and adverse situations like the jawans of other belt forces. To increase their knowledge, experience and skills they attend the training camps also whenever and where ever the higher authorities desire. But it is difficult for the VHGs to meet their both the ends with such a meager amount paid to them by the Government. One may fully imagine the poor condition of a volunteer in which he tries to perform his domestic duty. How he manages the domestic expenses mainly relating to the fundamentals like food, clothes, education and medical of his family members only he knows. Precisely, VHGs in J&K are passing their life in extreme miseries. They have been knocking relentlessly at the doors of concerned higher authorities at State as well as Centre level for over two decades for their most genuine demand of regularization fulfilled. They demand that they should be treated at par with other jawans of belt forces. But the fruitful results still seem far away. Except some paper work and few assurances nothing has been done by any quarter in the long pending matter. Though, they are vigorously agitating and struggling at every level. Yet, none is here to pay any attention towards their woeful screams.
Even the Minister of Home Affairs Communication and Information Technology (Govt of India) in its letter dated 24th February 2011 had requested Omar Abdullah Chief Minister J&K to look into the matter personally and consider the case sympathetically for regularization of 2nd batch of VHGs at par with Ist batch as well as at par with their counterparts of Punjab and Haryana. But the sympathetic personal consideration of the Chief Minister is still awaited.
The concerned authorities at all levels now should not hesitate to take prompt and favourable decision in the long delayed painful issue. The noble act of the higher ones would provide solace to the VHGs as well as their family members. Otherwise, great injustice is being done to them by the elite holding the responsible chairs.
Yours etc…
Swatantra Dev Kotwal
(Advocate) Udhampur
41 civilians exchange sides on LoC in Poonch
JAMMU: As many as 41 civilians today exchanged sides in a weekly Poonch-Rawlakote “Peace Bus” via Chakkan-da-Bagh on the Line of Control in Poonch district.
“From this side of the border, only one fresh Indian citizen boarded the bus, while 19 citizens of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) returned back to their homes after completing their stipulated stay on this side,” official sources here said.
They said that from other side, no Indian citizen returned back while fresh 21 PoK residents reached Poonch to meet their relatives.
The gate was opened at 1339 hrs and closed at 1349 hrs. (AGENCIES)
Train service to Katra formally begins
NEW DELHI: Train service to Katra, the base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine from the national capital today formally began with the AC superfast Shri Shakti Express embarking upon its maiden journey from here.
“The 18-coach AC train departed for Katra at 5.30 PM from New Delhi railway station here and the corresponding service from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra station would start at 10.55 PM tonight,” said Neeraj Sharma, Northern Railway spokesperson.
He said the train has received an overwhelming response and was fully occupied.
The daily service is expected to be a great convenience for the passengers desirous to travel between New Delhi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra stations.
The train will depart daily from New Delhi at 5.30 PM to arrive at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 5.10 AM the next day. On its return leg, it would depart from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 10.55 PM daily to reach New Delhi at 10.45 AM the next day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the train service while inaugurating the Katra station on July 4.
Consisting of one first AC, five AC two tier, nine AC three tier coaches and a pantry car facility the Shri Shakti Express would stop at Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana, Jalandhar Cantt, Pathankot Cantt, Jammu Tawi and Udhampur Stations en route in both directions. (AGENCIES)
Army chief seeks speedy implementation of road projects along China border
NEW DELHI : Army chief Gen Bikram Singh today met Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and requested speedy implementation of road projects in areas along the China border including northeast.
During the 40-minute-long meeting, the Army chief discussed the speedy implementation of road projects in areas such as Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir and northeastern states with the Union Minister, Army sources said here.
As part of efforts to match infrastructure build up by the Chinese forces along the borders in the northern and northeastern states, the Government has approved several projects to help in improving mobility of the armed forces in these areas.
The projects approved by the Government include the construction of 73 strategic roads to be built in these areas but these have been delayed due to several reasons like lack of green clearances and difficulty in sending machinery to far flung areas.
The raising of a new Mountain Strike Corps along the China border has also been facing difficulty due to delays in the construction of these roads.
However, the new Government has taken several steps to fast track these projects and has given a waiver to defence projects including road construction work in the border areas. (AGENCIES)
Govt rules out changes in AFSPA in J&K
NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi Government is understood to have ruled out changes in the controversial AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir and favoured its continuation in the present form in the State.
The decision in this regard is understood to have been taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by the Prime Minister recently, sources said here.
The CCS discussed changes suggested by the Administrative Reforms Commission, they said.
The Army had also given its opinion in the matter and had opposed the repealing or dilution of the law in any form and stated that it was required for it to operate in the State, sources said.
Even though J&K has been relatively peaceful in the recent past except for the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC), the Army feels that it is more of “absence of violence” rather than establishment of peace there.
Several groups and political parties in J&K and north eastern region have been demanding either repeal or amendment to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)which has been in force in some of the disturbed regions in the country.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley had also visited J&K to analyse the situation in the State and had visited the forward locations there.
He had stated that any decision on revoking AFSPA will depend on the progress in the situation in the State over a period of time.
On the need for AFSPA, Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh had stated that it was “an enabling” act as it “gives Army additional powers to operate in an environment which is marked by very high degree of uncertainty and complexity and an asymmetric environment where you cannot differentiate between a friend and a foe as the terrorist merges with the backdrop and hides amongst the locals.” (AGENCIES)
22 PoK guests arrive, 3 Kashmiri women cross to other side
SRINAGAR : Twenty-two fresh guests from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) arrived here today while three Kashmiri women crossed over to other side of the Line of Control (LoC) to meet their relatives, separated in 1947.
As many as 36 returnees also cross side at Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the border in Uri sector, official sources said.
They said 22 PoK residents, including nine women and three children, arrived at Kaman post after crossing the Aman Setu, peace bridge.
Three Kashmiri residents, including a woman, who had gone to PoK returned here after completing stay with their relatives there.
Sources said three Kashmiri women crossed over to other side of the PoK to meet their relatives, separated due to partition.
They said 33 PoK residents, who had arrived here in previous Karwan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad since April 7,2005, returned to their homes after completing stay here.
The service has helped thousands of families, divided in 1947 to meet each other. (AGENCIES)
Ram Naik new UP Governor, O P Kohli moves to Gujarat
NEW DELHI : Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Ram Naik was today appointed as Governor of Uttar Pradesh and party’s veteran Delhi leader O P Kohli will move to Gujarat, in the first appointment of five Governors by the Narendra Modi government.
According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique, Naik will take over in Uttar Pradesh after B L Joshi, perceived to be a close confidante of Gandhi family, was asked to tender his resignation. Joshi was the first Governor who tendered his resignation after the Modi Government came to power on June 17 this year.
A three-time Parliamentarian, 80-year-old Naik has the rare distinction of being the only Minister who completed five years as Petroleum and Natural gas minister in one government.
Hit by cancer, Naik was bedridden in 1994 but fought back resolutely and overcame the deadly disease. He had announced in 2013 that he would not be contesting the 2014 elections.
78-year-old Kohli, who was a Rajya Sabha member from 1994 to 2000, takes over as Governor in Gujarat after 87-year-old Kamla Beniwal was shifted to Mizoram by the Government for remainder of her term till November this year.
A former Chief of BJP’s Delhi unit in 2009, Kohli has been associated with BJP since his student days and was President of its student wing — ABVP — and later became Chief of Delhi University Teacher Association.
According to the communique, Keshari Nath Tripathi, a former Uttar Pradesh Speaker will take over in West Bengal, a post which had fallen vacant after the resignation of M K Narayanan after he was nudged to resign.
A poet and author of books, Tripathi, who will turn 80 in November this year, was a five-time MLA and has written a few books like Commentary on “The Representation of the People Act, 1951” and two poetic books in Hindi – ‘Manonukriti’, ‘Aayu Pankh’.
In his student life, he went to jail in connection with the Kashmir Movement.
Balram Das Tandon, 87, founder member of Jan Sangh in 1951, was appointed Governor of Chhatisgarh after Shekhar Dutt tendered his resignation on June 18 after he too was sounded by the Union Home Ministry.
Tandon was the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab in 1969 and later served as Cabinet Minister in Parkash Singh Badal’s government. A six time MLA, Tandon was critical of Badal government’s decision in 2012 of providing free electricity to state farmers.
Padmanabha Acharya, a member of working group on North East region of BJP and Co-Convener of Overseas Friends of BJP, was appointed Governor of Nagaland after President Pranab Mukherjee accepted resignation of Tripura Governor Vakkom Purushothaman, who was also officiating as Nagaland Governor.
The President asked Acharaya to perform the duties of Tripura Governor until regular arrangements are made, the communique said. (AGENCIES)
18th batch of devotees leave for Amarnath
JAMMU : Amid tight security, the 18th batch of 2,211 pilgrims today left for the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas from here.
The batch, including 1,662 men, 398 women, and 18 children, left in a convoy of 64 vehicles from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu at 4:15 am, police said.
The convoy for the yatra has already crossed Patnitop on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and would reach their destinations at Baltal and Pahalgam base camps by this evening, they added.
With today’s batch, as many as 34,417 pilgrims have so far left from the Jammu base camp for the Amarnath shrine. (AGENCIES)
15,000 pay obeisance at holy cave, yatra crosses 2 lakh
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, July 13: With annual Amarnath yatra picking up day by day from both Baltal and Chandanwari-Pahalgam tracks, 15,444 pilgrims paid obeisance at holy cave situated in deep Himalayas in South Kashmir district of Anantnag on Day 16 of the yatra today.
With this, the total number of pilgrims, who paid their obeisance in holy cave since the 45 day long yatra started on June 28 has reached 2,11,844 an official spokesman said.
He said the yatra is picking up day by day and thousands of devotees are thronging holy cave daily for darshan.
He said 8316 pilgrims left for the cave from Baltal base camp early this morning while 7000 left from Nunwan –Pahalgam Base camp for cave shrine.
He said the yatris who had a night halt at Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarni also left for cave shrine in the morning. Over 1.90 lakh yatris out of 2.11 lakh pilgrims who performed darshan in cave shrine have returned to Srinagar so far, he added.
The spokesman said the weather on both the tracks was pleasant today.
Meanwhile, three more pilgrims have died en route the holy cave, taking the death toll in the ongoing yatra to 25, officials said.
A 55-year-old woman pilgrim, identified as Sarojini G from Vadodara in Gujarat, died after she suffered a heart attack en route the cave shrine last evening, police said.
Two male pilgrims also passed away following cardiac arrest en route the shrine on Friday night but their identities are not yet known, they said.
With this, the death toll of Amarnath pilgrims has risen to 25 since the yatra began on June 28.
The spokesman said, 2139 pilgrims left for holy cave from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas early this morning under tight security in a cavalcade of 59 vehicle. They included 1631 male, 395 female, 33 children and 80 Sadhus. All the pilgrims had reached the base camp of Nunwan (Pahalgam) in Anantnag district and Manigam camp in Central Kashmir district of Ganderbal when last reports came in.
The 45 day long yatra will culminate on Sawan Purnima falling on August 11 with the darshan of holy mace being taken by Mahant Deependera Giri Ji Maharaj from Dashnami Akhara to holy cave.