NEW DELHI: To enhance civil-military cooperation and improve the quality of life in remote border areas, the Indian Army has constructed a 10-KW solar power plant in north Sikkim and a water storage facility in Arunachal Pradesh.“Trishakti Corps of the Indian Army has established a 10-KW solar power plant at Muguthang village, North Sikkim”, located at an altitude of around 15,000 feet near the China border, an official statement said. “Reliable electricity has enabled year-round habitation and improved safety in this remote border village,” it said.

Muguthang is a sparsely populated border village with 32 residents from 10 families. The plant has improved night-time safety, enhancing connectivity and eliminating the need for seasonal migration during the harsh winter months. Earlier, due to the absence of a dependable power supply, villagers relied on small personal solar panels and were compelled to migrate to other areas for nearly 5-6 months every year, leaving behind their homes and livestock.

In Arunachal Pradesh, Army troops from Spear Corps have constructed a log hut with water storage facility at Ojugo village in Taksing, Upper Subansiri district. The newly constructed facility will provide essential shelter and assured water availability. “The initiative under Operation Sadbhavana ensures basic amenities in remote areas, benefiting local villagers and graziers,” Spear Corps posted on X.Also, the Army on Monday flagged off an eco-tourism exposure tour from Along Military Station, Arunachal, marking a significant step towards youth empowerment and sustainable development in the border regions.

Prior to the tour, a comprehensive three-day homestay and eco-tourism training capsule was conducted at Aalo, during which 30 students and two instructors were familiarised with the fundamentals of community-based tourism, responsible travel practices, and the economic potential of eco-tourism in Arunachal.In Manipur, Red Shield Division under SpearCorps inaugurated a textile unit and Yarn Bank at Nungkot, empowering Kom women weavers through skill training and livelihood support. A visit to IDP Camp Lamlai was also organised and raw material for handloom and tailoring units were distributed.

LONDON: Individuals from white British and Indian ethnic groups have seen substantial increases in median wealth in Britain since 2012, whilst the wealth of those of Pakistani ethnicity has seen a marked decline, a new report from the London School of Economics (LSE) shows.Individuals from Asian Other and white Other ethnic groups also experienced substantial increases in median wealth from 2012/2014 up to 2021/2023, In contrast, wealth among individuals from the Pakistani ethnic group dropped sharply and black African, black Caribbean, and Bangladeshi ethnic groups remained with “almost no accumulated household wealth throughout”, it said.The largest gains were experienced by the Indian and Asian Other groups, with median wealth rising by £93,000 for the Indian ethnic group.UK-born adults from the Indian group “have a clear wealth advantage” over both non-UK-born Indians and the white British group, it said.The report, titled “The Ethnic Wealth Divide in the UK: Mapping Disparities Across Time, Age and Immigrant Generations”, by Eleni Karagiannaki, research fellow at LSE, used data from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey to show how ethnic wealth gaps have widened in 24-month periods from 2012/14 to 2021/2023.Adults from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, black Caribbean, and black African ethnic groups reported significantly lower savings than those from the white British, Other Asian, and Indian ethnic groups, with PIOs recording the highest levels. More than 50% of adults among the Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and black African groups had no savings.Whilst white British, white other, and Indian individuals are more likely to move up from the bottom quartile, Pakistani and black African individuals are more vulnerable to downward mobility from the top, it said.In 2012/14, adults in the white British, Indian, and Asian Other groups already had higher rates of home and investment ownership compared to other groups. By 2021/23, these gaps had widened further, as these groups increased ownership while Bangladeshi, black Caribbean, and Pakistani groups saw sharp declines, particularly in home ownership.“Indian and white British groups typically experience steadier income growth across the life-course, enabling earlier asset accumulation. Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups exhibit the widest income gaps relative to the white British group than any ethnic minority group,” it said.

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is due to present a record ninth consecutive budget, is working with a team of officials which is a mix of experience and fresh faces.It is likely that for the first time in recent years, she will not have a finance secretary, a first among equals, leaving it to Anuradha Thakur to coordinate the exercise. Public enterprises secretary K Moses Chelai is the senior most secretary in the departments that are part of Sitharaman’s team, but his department has little to do with the budget exercise.Only four members from the last budget team remain – CBDT chairman Ravi Agrawal, Dipam secretary Arunish Chawla, financial services secretary M Nagaraju and chief economic adviser V Anantha Nageswaran. The three key secretaries, V Vualnam (expenditure), Arvind Shrivastava (revenue) and Thakur (economic affairs) took over their current roles this summer.

Vivek Chaturvedi took over as Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) chairman in Dec and Vyasan R, the joint secretary in-charge of the budget division, also moved into his current assignment only a few months ago. Of course, Vyasan is no stranger to the budget exercise as he was part of the team earlier as well.In fact, revenue secretary Shrivastava too is a veteran, having led the budget division for several years, before moving to the Prime Minister’s Office, where he was part of the discussions for the annual exercise that not only focuses on the Centre’s receipts and budget but also includes key policy and reform-related announcements.Since Sitharaman moved into North Block in 2019, she has dealt with several officers with long tenures in the finance ministry – T V Somanathan was expenditure secretary before he took over as Cabinet secretary last year, Ajay Seth, who was economic affairs secretary, and Tuhin Kanta Pandey, the longest-serving Dipam secretary, who was finance secretary and in-charge of revenue during the last budget. This year, the expenditure department will have an additional role as the Finance Commission’s recommendations are being reviewed and the devolution formula along with the other proposals will be announced in the budget.

Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet Jones (Credit: Getty Images)

The contributions of Wayne Gretzky to the game of hockey are immeasurable, and he has played his career with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and New York Rangers. His wife, Janet Jones Gretzky, has had an equally inspirational personal life, albeit at the same time that his fans are reveling in his on-ice achievements. It is a mix of Hollywood sense of charm, the heritage of sports, and the level of family commitment that makes their story a favorite among the ardent followers of the sport, as well as the rest of the world.Janet Jones Gretzky is a successful actress and dancer in America, and the first woman to bump into Gretzky was on the set of Dance Fever in 1984. The two met again professionally but eventually got back together in 1987 and finally got married on television in Edmonton in July 1988. They have, over the years, produced five children, Paulina, Ty, Trevor, Tristan, and Emma, and have been able to balance both their parenthood and the continued appearance of Gretzky in NHL news and events.

Wayne Gretzky and Janet Jones Gretzky’s love story timeline and their personal journey

The relationship between Wayne Gretzky and Janet Jones Gretzky started in 1984 when Gretzky, being a star player of the Edmonton Oilers, was one of the judges of the dance program Dance Fever. He was immediately impressed by Janet, who is a professional dancer and actress; their romance really came into play after they rekindled their relationship in 1987. In July 1988, their relationship reached its peak with a high-profile marriage in Edmonton, and this marked the beginning of a long-lasting partnership between the two.Janet was supportive throughout Gretzky’s career in the NHL, both when he played for the Los Angeles Kings and when he worked as a coach and manager. She frequently made appearances at NHL events, charity games, and other civic engagements. She easily balanced her career as an entertainer with her need to be married to a hockey legend. The fact that the couple is able to balance fame and a good family life is often discussed in the NHL news magazines as well as in the interviews.Gretzky has five children: Paulina, Ty, Trevor, Tristan, and Emma. All children have been able to develop personal interests, such as sports or arts, that make them balanced in their upbringing, as was stressed by their parents. The family is not a passive participant in social life; they can be observed in the present day watching NHL matches, charity events, and social appearances. The fans of Gretzky still enjoy the way the family balances on both personalities and NHL news, trade speculations, and match outcomes that keep the hockey world abuzz.The love affair between Wayne Gretzky and Janet Jones Gretzky is not just a star romance but an affirmation of a long-lasting relationship, family principles, and the capability to stay together despite the busy schedule of professional hockey.Also Read: Brad Marchand’s lifestyle: Inside Florida Panthers star’s early life, NHL career, and personal adventures