Lucknow's Jagriti Yadav becomes UK high commissioner for a day
New Delhi, Oct 10: Jagriti Yadav, a 20-year-old woman from Lucknow, became the top boss at the British High Commission in India for a day after winning a competition that was aimed at empowering the next generation of women as trail-blazers.
Jagriti is the sixth winner of the India edition of the 'High Commissioner for a Day' competition organised annually since 2017, the British embassy here said.
"Twenty-year-old Jagriti Yadav from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, spent a day as the UK's top diplomat in India after winning the sixth edition of the 'High Commissioner for a Day' competition," it said.
Jagriti experienced a broad range of diplomatic activities that included leading meetings with diverse stakeholders, chairing discussions and attending several events during the day.
She met the Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi, the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, and the Executive Chairman of Wipro Rishad Premji, the High Commission said in a statement.
Other highlights included interacting with project leads working on the Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) project at the British Council and beneficiaries of the Chevening-funded SheLeads project -- a women leadership programme that helps aspiring female political leaders.
Alongside Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the government of India, she also launched a book honouring 75 Indian Women in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).
"It was an intellectually inspiring experience to serve as the British High Commissioner for a day," Jagriti said.
"My day was full of opportunities -- discussions with established business leaders, a meeting with the Mayor of West Yorkshire and interacting with a leading female politician of India about significant obstacles to women's professional advancement and the value of women as leaders," she said.
Jagriti said meeting the SheLeads project beneficiaries and female STEAM role models was motivating.
"I learned about STEAM engagement between the UK and India and the UK's efforts to advance gender equality. The day gave me the opportunity to learn from a diverse perspective and, as a young woman, it gave me the confidence to be more determined and considerate towards the role of women in society," she said.
Alex Ellis, Deputy High Commissioner for the Day (on other days, High Commissioner to India), said: "The High Commissioner for a Day is an event I look forward to every year. Jagriti is articulate and focused and shows the talent across India. As women rise, we all rise."
"The UK and India do a lot together to promote gender equality, including on research and education. I'm delighted that 50 per cent of the Chevening scholarships for India this year were awarded to women," he said.
The envoy said the UK is a world leader at incorporating gender equality in universities and India is a top country for girls studying STEAM-subjects.
"I wish Jagriti the best for the future and hope she enjoyed being High Commissioner for the day," he said.
The High Commission organises 'High Commissioner for a Day' competition annually to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child (October 11). More than 270 young girls from all around India applied for this year's competition.
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
