Army backs women-run cafe at 13,000 feet near Baba Harbhajan Shrine in Sikkim

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Gangtok, May 11 (IANS) In a significant push towards women empowerment and border tourism, the Indian Army has facilitated the establishment of an all-women operated cafe at an altitude of 13,000 feet near the famed Baba Harbhajan Singh Memorial Temple in East Sikkim, officials said.

The cafe, located close to one of the most visited high-altitude tourist and pilgrimage destinations in the state, has been set up under the Indian Army’s broader “Ranbhoomi Darshan” initiative aimed at promoting tourism and socio-economic development in strategically important border areas.

According to a press release issued by the Army’s Defence Public Relations Office at Guwahati on Sunday, the initiative was conceptualised and facilitated by the Trishakti Corps in coordination with the civil administration and local stakeholders.

Operated entirely by a local women’s team, the cafe is expected to provide a major boost to livelihood opportunities in the remote mountainous region while improving amenities for tourists visiting the Baba Harbhajan Singh Shrine.

Officials said the initiative reflects resilience, entrepreneurship and self-reliance among women in high-altitude border villages, while also contributing to sustainable tourism in East Sikkim.

The Army said the project seeks to integrate tourism promotion with livelihood generation, thereby enabling economic empowerment for women residing in remote communities that often face limited employment avenues due to harsh terrain and weather conditions.

Apart from serving visitors travelling to the shrine, the cafe is also expected to strengthen local participation in tourism-linked economic activities and encourage greater tourist inflow to the region.

The initiative further highlights the growing military-civil partnership in border areas, with the Indian Army continuing to undertake developmental and community-oriented programmes alongside its operational responsibilities.

Officials added that such efforts reinforce the Army’s commitment towards inclusive growth, citizen outreach, and strengthening ties with border communities in the northeastern region.

–IANS

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Amaravati, Jan 14 (IANS) Highlighting the rich Telugu culture, Sankranti celebrations began across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Wednesday with ‘bhogi’ amid usual pomp and gaiety

Villages and towns in both the Telugu states came alive with traditional celebrations to mark the harvest festival

Three-day celebrations kicked off with ‘bhogi’, burning of old and unwanted items such as old clothes, mats and broomsticks in the belief that new things usher into their lives.

People in villages and towns began the day with bhogi and prayers. Women were seen playing and dancing around the bonfire.

Sankranti or Makar Sankranti is the biggest festival in Andhra Pradesh. The festival marks the end of the winter harvest season of rabi crops and the beginning of the next sowing season, kharif.

Ministers, MPs, state legislators and leaders of all political parties participated in bhogi in various parts of the two states.

Andhra Pradesh Home Minister V. Anitha participated in the ‘bhogi’ festival at her house in Anakapalli. Accompanied by her family members, she performed ‘gau puja’ (cow worship). Cultural programmes were organised on the occasion. She played ‘dappu’, adding to the enthusiasm among participants.

At Visakhapatnam beach, 1.01 lakh dungcakes of ‘desi’ cows were burnt in the bhogi fire.

Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi, along with locals and tourists, participated in the celebrations

Amaravati Utsav Samithi organised bhogi with dung cakes in Vijayawada. According to the organisers, burning dung cakes is good for the environment and health.

Former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu celebrated ‘bhogi’ along with family members at Nellore.

Venkaiah Naidu greeted people and hoped that the festival would bring happiness and prosperity to them.

“The ‘Bhogi’ bonfires lit with joy and enthusiasm by young and old alike convey the message to let go of negative thoughts and move forward with a positive outlook,” he said.

‘Bhogi’ was also organised in front of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s house in his native village Naravaripalle in Tirupati district.

Chief Minister Naidu’s brother-in-law, Nandamuri Ramakrishna, MP M. Bharat and other family members participated in the celebrations.

The Chief Minister, along with his family members, is in the village to participate in Sankranti celebrations.

A festive atmosphere prevailed in residential colonies in Hyderabad and the outskirts, besides Vijayawada, Guntur, Visakhapatnam and other towns and villages in both the states.

Lakhs of people who live in Hyderabad headed to their homes in various districts of both the Telugu states.

State Road Transport Corporations of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh operated special buses, and the Railways operated special trains to carry people to their destinations from Hyderabad.

–IANS

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Tamil Nadu BJP shrugs off Dhinakaran’s NDA exit, says confident of ‘wider opposition unity’

Chennai, Sep 4 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday sought to downplay the exit of AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran from the NDA, stressing that all parties opposed to the ruling DMK would eventually come together under one umbrella as the Assembly election draws closer.

BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy told reporters that differences among allies are natural in a democratic setup and should not be seen as permanent setbacks.

“You will see who are all in the NDA in Tamil Nadu led by the AIADMK at the time of elections. This is not a break-up or an end to the alliance,” he said.

His remarks come just days after the BJP revived its poll pact with the Edappadi K Palaniswami-led AIADMK and even announced him as the NDA’s Chief Ministerial candidate.

However, the alliance has faced turbulence since then, with former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam walking out and now Dhinakaran declaring his decision to part ways.

AIADMK ally Premalatha Vijayakanth has also said that her party would decide its stand closer to the election.

Asked about Dhinakaran’s charge of “betrayal” as he said that his bid to unite the followers of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had failed, Thirupathy remarked: “He didn’t mean the BJP. So, I need not comment.”

Confident that the NDA would remain the focal point for opposition unity, he added: “All political parties driven by a common desire to dislodge the DMK from power will unite under the umbrella of NDA.”

On reports about former BJP state chief K. Annamalai skipping a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on September 3, Thirupathy dismissed speculation of internal rift.

“How can you speculate and arrive at conclusions about a meeting in which only senior leaders participated? Annamalai himself clarified that he had prior engagements. There is nothing more to it,” he said.

Despite exits and uncertainty, the BJP maintained that the alliance arithmetic will take shape closer to the polls, and insisted that the overriding political objective of unseating the DMK will serve as the unifying force for all opposition parties.

–IANS

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India less vulnerable to US tariff shocks than others: Report

New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) India will remain the fastest growing economy among the advanced and emerging G-20 countries and the large size of its domestic market makes the country less vulnerable to potential shocks from US tariff policy.

The report highlights that India has a low external vulnerability indicator due to its relatively modest external debt to GDP ratio of 19 per cent and low export dependence on the US market at 2 per cent of GDP.

In its report on emerging markets, Moody’s stated that India’s GDP growth, projected at 6.5 per cent for 2025-26, will remain the highest of the advanced and emerging G-20 countries on the back of tax cuts and continued monetary policy easing by the Reserve Bank as inflation has come down.

The report projects India’s inflation to average 4.5 per cent in the current financial year, down from 4.9 per cent in the previous fiscal year. This is expected to pave the way for a soft money policy, with lower interest rates and more liquidity in the economy, to spur economic growth.

“Large, diversified and domestically driven emerging market economies such as India and Brazil are more equipped than smaller peers to continue attracting capital and withstand any cross-border outflows. These two economies also have deep domestic capital markets and low external vulnerability indicators,” Moody’s said.

By contrast, smaller and more open economies are more exposed to fluctuations in investor sentiment and currency volatility, as are economies with a large share of debt denominated in foreign currency, such as Argentina and Colombia, Moody’s explained.

The report also states that emerging market growth will slow in the aggregate in 2025-26 but remain solid, with wide variations among countries. Growth will remain highest in Asia-Pacific, but the region’s integration in global trade means it is most exposed to US tariffs and their potential to slow down growth, the report added.

–IANS

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