Delhi Confidential: Party Time

BJP MP from North East Delhi and Bhojpuri star Manoj Tiwari cut short his visit to Vantara in Jamnagar, Gujarat, for an impromptu New Year Eve celebration with his supporters at his official residence in the Capital. Tiwari, who was visiting Vantara as part of a VIP contingent, got multiple calls regarding his return to Delhi. Not to disappoint his supporters, he boarded the first flight he could, reaching home around 10.30 pm by which time an estimated 1,000 guests had arrived. Tiwari took the stage soon after and sang Vande Mataram with the crowd before proceeding with his Bhojpuri hits.

Tech Support

After the Environment Ministry, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has turned to hackathons to tackle governance challenges through technology. The ministry is tapping into the Smart India Hackathon for a web portal on Forest Rights Act, to track the landmark law’s implementation and monitoring of rights. As part of this initiative, the participants of the hackathon also got to visit villages in Nashik to interact with gram sabhas and witness collection of data on forest rights.

Preamble Power

Inspired by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the UP unit of Congress Friday undertook a “special” initiative in Ghaziabad’s Shalimar Garden. Party leaders, led by AICC secretary Shahnawaz Alam, distrib­uted roses and copies of the Preamble to the Constitu­tion in the same locality where Hindu Raksha Dal had distributed swords three days ago. The UP Congress leaders initially had planned to distribute roses and “send a message against hate with love”, but later they decided to add the “constitutional touch”.