Chhattisgarh: In a theatre set up by police, tribals in naxal hotbed get to watch ‘Bahubali’
Chhattisgarh, Sept 30: In an effort to connect the tribals of the region to the mainstream, the Chhattisgarh police have set-up a mini-theatre in the state’s Abhujmad region, news agency PTI reported on Sunday. The theatre, which was inaugurated on Thursday at Basing village of the Naxal-affected region, will be used as a platform to entertain as well as educate the people of the region, police said.
The theatre has been set-up through a special central assistance wherein around Rs 30 crore is being given to each Naxal-affected district to provide public infrastructure and various services, Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla told PTI. The theatre, which has been set up at a cost of nearly Rs 15 lakh, will cover around 13 villages in the vicinity, Shukla said. Seven more theatres will be set up in the region through the fund, he added.
Shukla, who is also the mastermind behind this initiative, told PTI, “The idea is to connect tribals of Abhujmad to the outside world which has been unknown to them largely because of Maoist activities.”
“Television and mobile phones are almost non-existent in the Abhujmad region, which is home to various aboriginal tribes, and except for the local market held once in a week, people do not have access to any means of entertainment. Even the Narayanpur town does not have a cinema hall or theatre,” he added.
The first film to be screened at the free-of-cost theatre was S S Rajamouli’s grand epic ‘Bahubali’. Villagers would also be shown films, documentaries, and TV channels through direct to home (DTH) service to increase their understanding of agriculture, education, sports and patriotism, the SP said.
A gaming zone has also been created in the theatre premises where people can play table tennis, carrom, and chess. A committee of people, comprising youth and children of the area, will manage and operate the theatre, the SP said.
Rajni Usendi, a member of the Orchha janpad panchayat which covers Abhujmad area, welcomed the initiative. “The smiles on the faces of tribals were quite evident when they watched ‘Baahubali’ movie. It shows how a little thing can make them happy and excited,” she said.
This was probably the first time that people from the interior area watched a movie, Usendi said, adding the initiative will have a positive impact on Abhujmad’s future.
Courtesy: indianexpress.com
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NATO, others turn down US call for help in Hormuz: Trump
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.
Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.
He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.
“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.
He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.
Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.
The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.
As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.
Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.
