Who Are The Wealthiest Candidates In Election 2019?

Video Stories: India’s 2019 general election has the highest number of wealthy candidates. The number of crorepati candidates has seen a rise of 84% since 2009.

This election out of the 8049 candidates, 2297 are crorepatis. 358 crorepati candidates are from Uttar Pradesh, which is the highest in the country.

While among the top 5 rich contestants 4 are from INC, 83% of the candidates from BJP are crorepartis. Among the 2297 crorepati candidates, the average assets of each comes up to 4.14 crore.

However, Ramesh Kumar Sharma, an independent candidate with 1107 crore worth assets, is the wealthiest of them all.

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Women In Lok Sabha 2019: All You Need To Know

Video Stories: For the first time in India’s election history, 14.3% of the Lok Sabha will be represented by women. Out of the 724 women contested, 78 were elected to the parliament.

Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have the highest number of women MP with 11 from each state. Next in line is Maharashtra and Odisha with 8 and 7 MPs respectively.

At 67%, the number of female voters too was equal to the number of male voters this time. This is also a record turnout in terms of female voters in 2019.

The Women’s Reservation bill that sets out 33% reservation for women in parliament. The bill is pending since 2008 and is yet to be passed.

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India’s Meat Consumption To Increase By 2027

Video Stories: Popular myths suggests that India is a country of vegetarians. But data suggests otherwise. 71% of India’s population are non vegetarians. This over 900 million people in India.

Telangana is the state with highest number of non vegetarians in India. Among Indian cities, Meerut and Indore consume the least fish or meat.

However, on a global scale Indians are the least consumers of meat. Over 65% of meat consumption in India is poultry as it is cheap and there is no cultural or religious taboo attached to eating poultry.

Meat consumption among Indians is predicted to increase by 13% by 2027. Urbanization and increase in income have pushed more and more Indians towards a non-veg diet.

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Rise in keratoconus, a progressive eye condition, is putting many at risk of blindness

Keratoconus is disease of the eye in which the cornea slowly begins to bulge into a cone-like shape, losing its original thin, round shape.

Health News: When 32-year-old Yuvraj presented with impaired vision in one eye, doctors who examined him diagnosed him with keratoconus. They tried a number of non-surgical treatment options, but none gave Yuvraj relief. Of the number of diseases of the eye that may lead to visual impairment, keratoconus can be particularly tricky.

In Keratoconus, the cornea, a transparent covering present over the iris and pupil, thins and takes on a cone-like shape. This leads to impaired vision and irritation of the eyes. As the cornea becomes more conical, the light entering the eyeball is deflected irregularly, leading to visual impairment. Keratoconus is a progressive disease, which means that it worsens over time if not attended to. The National Health Portal of India has noted that the condition is extremely prevalent in the country, though it may go undiagnosed.

In Yuvraj’s case, doctors eventually decided that optical keratoplasty or corneal transplant was the best line of treatment, seeing that his cornea had become very thin and presented with severe scarring. After undergoing the corneal transplant, there was a dramatic improvement in his vision and today he is able to live his life normally.

“The incidence of eye allergies among children is rising due to increasing pollution. Also, widespread exposure to artificial lights and to computer and mobile screens is causing dry eyes. Dryness and inflammation is a vicious combination that leads to eye allergies. When children keep rubbing their eyes due to… continue reading full story

Study shows that pregnancy may be linked to depression

Researchers discovered that pregnant women’s feelings about their changing bodies could help predict how well the mother might bond with her unborn baby and her emotional well-being after childbirth.

Health News: Women go through several physical and emotional changes during pregnancy and their negative attitude towards body changes during this time can lead to depression after childbirth, suggests a new study.

In the study, published in Psychological Assessment journal, the researchers discovered that pregnant women’s feelings about their changing bodies could help predict how well the mother might bond with her unborn baby and her emotional well-being after childbirth.

“Women are under constant pressure about their appearance during pregnancy and after birth,” said Catherine Preston, a psychology expert in body image at University of York, England.

“It is important therefore that pregnancy care is not just about the physical health of the mother and the health of the unborn child, but also about women’s emotional well-being, which can give us a lot of important information about how they might react to being a new mum in the longer-term.”

For the study, the researchers included over 600 pregnant women who were asked about their satisfaction with appearing pregnant, weight gain concerns, and the physical burdens of… continue reading full story

Is your mom addicted to toxic TV serials? Why you must stop judging her

These women watch mega serials because they identify with them. Are we ready to ask why and acknowledge our role in it?

Entertainment News: “When will women stop watching the Saas vs Bahu type of shows? Such a waste of time!” This post on a social media group garnered more than a 100 likes. Replies were many in the vein of “Hear, hear” and “TV serials are making women dumb and naive”, as more and more users got indignant about the current state of Indian women’s intelligence. If only they could stop watching bad TV, the world would be so much better.

I wouldn’t bet on it.

These women watch mega serials because they identify with them. Why? Why are they so enthralled with shows that mostly concentrate on twisted, violent and abusive topics and relationships? Why do they emphathise, nod along and shed tears over these fictional characters, mostly blood relatives living inside four walls, who scheme and plan one another’s downfall? Why is the trope of family and non-family members ganging up on the innocent daughter-in-law so popular, her struggles as she survives many incredible attempts on her sanity and life watched with bated breath in almost every Indian home that has cable and a Woman of a Certain Age?

I know, I know, your mom/wife/aunt watches only CNN or shuns TV as the spawn of Satan, so all women have free choice, surely? I mean, nobody has put a gun to their head, forcing them to watch badly made shows day in and… continue reading full story

‘Lisaa’ review: The horror of sitting through a boring horror film

Perhaps it is time for us to question why filmmakers choose the already wrung-dry horror genre, cast a woman actor as its lead and completely squander a promising one-liner.

Entertainment News: Raju Viswanath makes his debut as director with Lisaa, marketed as ‘India’s first ever stereoscopic 3D horror film’ – lots of words to call it a 3D film. Except two jump scares that might manage to evoke the faintest gasp from you, the film has no horror in it. Perhaps it is time for us to question why filmmakers choose the already wrung-dry horror genre, cast a woman actor as its lead and completely squander a promising one-liner – in this case, a woman visits her grandparents who live away from civilisation for the very first time, a premise that M Night Shyamalan used so well in The Visit – with a poorly executed horror film.

To watch a horror film that not just lacks “horror” but also a convincing story and most of all, basic logic, turns out to be a complete waste of time and money (the only horror about it). Thinking back, the previous sentence had more horrors in it than the film.

Anjali plays Lisaa, but we don’t know much about who she is or what she does. We, however, are told that Lisaa grew up without a father and was brought up entirely by her mother.

“With my father being a military man, he did not accept the man I loved. I had to elope with your father when I was 17. Soon, you were born and your father passed away when you were just two. I haven’t gone back to visit my parents since, neither have I been in touch with them,” Lisaa’s mother tells her adult daughter a story… continue reading full review

Schools in Telangana to reopen only on June 12, due to heat wave

A government order has been issued regarding the delay in school reopening dates.

Telangana News: A government order has been issued to postpone reopening of schools in Telangana by 2 weeks, due to the existing heat wave conditions in the state. All schools in the state will now reopen on June 12 and not June 1st, as per the order.

Issued on May 24, the order issued by the Education Secretary Janardhan Reddy to Commissioner of School Education reads, “The attention of the Commissioner of School Education, Telangana, Hyderabad is invited to the references cited and is informed that the Government have decided to reopen the schools on 12.6.2019, in view of the prevailing heat wave condition instead of from 01.6.2019.”

The order also requested the Commissioner of School Education to take necessary action to implement the order.

Telangana witnessed high temperatures this week with Hyderabad and Nizamabad sizzling at over 40 degrees Celsius. While Hyderabad witnessed a maximum temperature of 42.7 degrees, with a 3.1 degree variation above normal, Nizamabad and Ramagundam were at 44.4 degrees and 44.2 degrees… continue reading full story

Temperature in Telangana crosses 47 degrees, Hyd boils at 44.8 degree Celsius

Medchal-Malkajgiri district, which includes large parts of Secunderabad and some parts of Hyderabad witnessed the temperature shoot up to 46.6 degrees.

Telangana News: Telangana continued to reel under the effect of the heat wave as several parts of the state witnessed the temperature cross 47 degree Celsius. The Telangana State Development Planning Society (TDSDPS) said that Neelwai in Mancherial district witnessed the highest temperature in the state on Sunday, at 47.8 degrees, followed by Dharmapuri in Jagtial district at 47.7 degree Celsius.

Other parts of Jagtial district like Endapally Rajarampalli and Jaina witnessed maximum temperatures of 47.7 and 47.6 degrees respectively. Maredupalle in Peddapalli district sizzled at 47.5 degrees while Kothapallegori in Jayashankar-Bhupalpally district saw the temperature shoot up to 47.5 degree Celsius.

TDSDPS data also stated that Adilabad district saw a maximum temperature of 46.4 degrees, while neighbouring Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district also saw the mercury rise to 46.2 degree Celsius. Normal life was also affected in Warangal city as Warangal Urban district saw a maximum temperature of 46.9 degrees.

Meanwhile, Medchal-Malkajgiri district, which includes large parts of Secunderabad and Hyderabad witnessed the temperature shoot up to 46.6 degrees. The maximum temperature in the districts of Hyderabad and Rangareddy was 44.8 and 44.9 degree Celsius respectively.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has already issued a heat wave warning and said that the temperature is likely to… continue reading full story

Madurai’s Prema Vilas alwa: The story of the city’s 65-yr-old sweet shop

Although Thirunelveli Iruttu Kadai alwa precedes it by its world-famous reputation, Madurai’s Prema Vilas has plonked itself on a sweet spot in a city that’s famed for its meat delicacies.

Tamil Nadu News: The alwa from Madurai’s Prema Vilas lies on a mandarai leaf, dripping sugary ghee and reminding me of sunshine. Giving into the temptation instantly, I scoop a warm blob into my mouth using a wooden spoon. Sweet sunshine. That’s how the alwa in Madurai’s Prema Vilas tastes and if you are a skeptic, I dare you to try for yourself.

Although Thirunelveli Iruttu Kadai alwa precedes it by its world-famous reputation, Madurai’s Prema Vilas has plonked itself on a sweet spot in a city that’s famed for its meat delicacies. Its location too cannot be any better at just a few hundred metres from the railway station. A reminder for you to not leave Madurai without having tasted Prema Vilas alwa.

There are quite a few Prema Vilas sweet shops in Madurai, but the one on Town Hall Road at West Veli Street junction is the oldest of the lot. Started by Ganga Ram Singh in 1954, the sweet stall is run by his five grandsons. Prema Vilas, we learn, was named after Ganga Ram Singh’s first daughter.

One of the five grandsons, 43-year-old Saravanan, whom we met on the day we visited the shop, smiles sheepishly when we ask him about his grandfather.

Ganga Ram Singh and his wife Ganga Bai look down upon the bustling sweet shop from their framed photos on the wall while Thilak Singh, Prema Vilas’s employee of 25 years, deftly hands over scooped up “sunshine” in mandarai leaves, a tradition that Ganga Ram Singh started. Almost 20 years after he set up the shop, Ganga Ram Singh passed away, leaving the business to his… continue reading full story