Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his day-long visit to Varanasi on Saturday, credited ‘women power’ for the passage of the women’s reservation bill named ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam‘ at a special session of Parliament earlier in the week. He emphasized that the bill would provide renewed energy, direction, and momentum to women-led development in the country.

During his visit, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation for an international cricket stadium in the presence of cricketing legends and BCCI officials. Additionally, he inaugurated 16 Atal Residential Schools (ARS) designed to benefit underprivileged and orphaned children. Addressing a gathering of women during his 42nd visit to Kashi over the past nine years, the Prime Minister acknowledged the historical influence of women leaders.

“The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which had been pending for three decades, has now become a reality. Your strength compelled even those political parties who were initially opposed to it to support the bill in both Houses of Parliament,” Modi said, giving credit to the women of the country. He added, “Your awareness and unity have made all Indian political parties tremble, and that’s why this bill was passed—this is your strength.”

The Prime Minister indirectly addressed those who had objections to the term “Vandan” in the bill, stating, “Who would be respected and worshipped if our mothers and daughters were not?”

During his visit, the Prime Minister was warmly welcomed by women who showered flower petals on him as a gesture of gratitude for the passage of the women’s reservation bill. Speaking at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University grounds in Kashi, Modi highlighted the historical recognition of women’s leadership in India. He praised the valor and strength of figures like Rani Lakshmibai and Ahilyabai Holkar, emphasizing their contributions to India’s history.

“From Rani Lakshmi Bai and her freedom struggle to the achievements of Mission Chandrayaan in modern India, we have consistently demonstrated the power of women’s leadership in every era,” the Prime Minister remarked.

“Kashi is the holy city of Mother Kushmanda, Mother Shringar Gauri, Mother Annapurna, and Mother Ganga. The glory of their power is embedded in every corner of this place. Therefore, after the passage of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, I came to Kashi first to seek your blessings,” he added.

Earlier in the day, alongside UP CM Yogi Adityanath and cricketing legends including BCCI chairman Roger Binny, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, Gundappa Vishwanath, Madan Lal, Karsan Ghavri, BCCI secretary Jay Shah, and vice-chairman Rajeev Shukla, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for a Rs 451 crore International Cricket Stadium. Designed with attributes inspired by Lord Shiva, this stadium will be the first sports facility in UP developed with the assistance of the BCCI, with an investment of Rs 330 crore from the BCCI and the rest from the UP government. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the stadium would not only benefit athletes but also boost the economy of eastern UP (Purvanchal), becoming a symbol of India’s promising future.

The Prime Minister concluded his visit to Kashi by inaugurating 16 Atal Residential Schools (ARS), including one in Varanasi’s Karsara locality, built at a cost of Rs 1115 crore across all 18 divisions of the state. He dedicated these schools to children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those who lost their parents during the pandemic, highlighting his vision of combining development with heritage conservation. He expressed hope that these ARS facilities would nurture India’s future leaders, who would excel in both education and other pursuits.

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took action on Saturday by seizing the assets of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent Sikh separatist believed to be residing in Canada and closely associated with the late Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The killing of Nijjar has become a source of diplomatic tension between India and Canada.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer who was designated as a terrorist by Indian authorities in 2020, is wanted on charges of terrorism and sedition.

He is also known for founding the US-based organization Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), where Nijjar was the head of its Canadian chapter before he was assassinated by masked individuals near Vancouver in June.

SFJ, which has been banned in India, has been an outspoken advocate for the establishment of an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan.

This diplomatic dispute escalated this week when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that there were credible reasons to believe that the Indian government was involved in Nijjar’s death.

In response, India dismissed Trudeau’s allegations as absurd, leading to reciprocal diplomatic expulsions and a suspension of visa processing for Canadians.

Pannun entered the fray and released a video in which he urged Canadian Hindus to return to India, accusing them of adopting a jingoistic stance by aligning with India.

During an interview with an Indian news channel, Pannun revealed that he had been a close associate of Nijjar for more than two decades, describing him as a younger brother. He also held India responsible for Nijjar’s assassination.

Following the airing of this interview, the government issued an advisory to news networks, urging them to avoid providing a platform to individuals accused of heinous crimes.

Armed with court orders, NIA officials seized Pannun’s residence in Chandigarh, the capital of the Sikh-majority state of Punjab. Additionally, they confiscated agricultural land owned by him in Amritsar. The NIA accused Pannun of actively inciting Punjab-based gangsters and youth on social media to advocate for the independent state of Khalistan, thereby challenging the country’s sovereignty, integrity, and security.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Friday that efforts have been underway to reestablish communication with Chandyayaan 3’s lander, Vikram, and rover, Pragyan. As of now, no signals have been received from either of them. An official had initially indicated that the resurrection plan would be postponed to Saturday, citing undisclosed reasons.

Nilesh Desai, Director of Space Applications Centre, had stated, “Our initial plan was to reactivate the Pragyan rover and Vikram lander on the evening of September 22nd, but due to certain reasons, we will now proceed with the operation on September 23.”

Following successful experiments conducted on the lunar surface throughout the daytime, the rover and lander entered sleep mode on September 2 and 4, respectively. The integrated solar panels were positioned to capture light at dawn, ensuring that the batteries remained charged while the devices were in sleep mode.

If the resurrection process proves successful tomorrow, the mission will be granted an extended lease of life. This extension will enable scientists to obtain additional samples and continue their exploration of the lunar surface.

Regarding the findings of Rover Pragyan, during its 14-day operational phase, both the Vikram Lander and Pragyan rover conducted numerous lunar experiments, surpassing their listed objectives. They covered a distance of over 100 meters on the lunar surface and confirmed the presence of Sulphur (S) near the south pole of the moon.

The Vikram lander also conducted groundbreaking measurements of the near-surface lunar plasma environment over the south polar region.

Initially, ISRO had planned for the rover to cover a distance of 300-350 meters. However, due to certain constraints, the rover has thus far moved only 105 meters.