Country’s costliest mango sale in UP
A farmer from UP’s Saharanpur has pulled off what is being billed as India’s costliest Miyazaki mango sale. Sandeep Chaudhary of Tharoli village sold four Miyazaki mangoes weighing around a kilogram to Surat-based trader Praveen Gupta for Rs 2.11 lakh. The deal had originally been fixed at Rs 3.5 lakh, but Chaudhary lowered the price after learning Gupta wanted to buy the rare fruits in his mother’s name, drawing comparisons with PM Narendra Modi’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign. Having started cultivating the Japanese variety just three years ago, Chaudhary now has about 40 Miyazaki trees. The Miyazaki is prized for its taste and nutrient-rich profile.
Mayawati remains undisputed BSP boss
Ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, BSP party chief Mayawati has firmly asserted that she remains the final authority on candidate selection, dismissing speculation that her nephew Akash Anand has been empowered to decide tickets. In a post on X, the four-time UP CM said that candidates for all Assembly and Lok Sabha elections across the country are given final approval by her. She said she has been holding meetings with party functionaries in Lucknow, directing them to shortlist names at state and divisional levels, and has already finalised around two dozen candidates after completing the necessary formalities.
‘Learning has no age and no retirement’
When most people are enjoying retirement, former IAS officer Zohra Chatterjee collected her PhD degree. The 72-year-old 1979-batch IAS officer, who retired in 2014 after a distinguished career in public service, received her doctorate at Lucknow University’s 69th convocation on Friday. Chatterjee enrolled for a PhD in 2017, three years after retirement, driven by her lifelong fascination with Lucknow’s history and culture. Her thesis, “The Cultural Renaissance of Awadh: Perspectives, Quintessence and Quietus”, explores the region’s enduring heritage, including stories linked to Sikanderbagh and Kaiserbagh that she first heard as a schoolgirl.
namita bajpai
Our correspondent in Uttar Pradesh
namita.bajpai@newindianexpress.com