LIVE! Vice Admiral Hari Kumar next chief of naval staff

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Tue, 09 November 2021

Vice Admiral Hari Kumar next chief of naval staff

Timeline Refresh

23:49 Malala weds Asser in a private ceremony

Malala Yousafzai, the female education activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, has got married.

In a post on Twitter Malala wrote: 'Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead.'

Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar will be the next Chief of Naval Staff, the Defence Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Vice Admiral Kumar is presently serving as the flag officer commanding-in-chief of the Western Naval Command.

He will take the reins of the Indian Navy on November 30 when the incumbent Admiral Karambir Singh retires from service.

"The government have appointed Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, presently flag officer commanding-in-chief Western Naval Command, as the next chief of the naval staff with effect from the afternoon of November 30," the ministry said in a statement.

During his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 39 years, the Vice Admiral has served in a variety of command, staff and instructional appointments.

Vice Admiral Kumar's sea command includes INS Nishank, Missile Corvette, INS Kora and guided missile destroyer INS Ranvir. -- PTI

Former State Bank of India chairman Pratip Chaudhari, arrested for selling a hotel allegedly in a fraudulent way, was granted bail by a Jaisalmer court on Tuesday.

Chaudhari was sent to judicial custody for 14 days on November 1 after being arrested for selling the hotel.

Chaudhari was granted bail by additional district and sessions judge Dalpat Singh Rajpurohit.

Chaudhari had been arrested on October 31 from his residence in Delhi in connection with a loan case of the hotel in Jaisalmer.

A case was registered against Chaudhari in 2015 for seizing the hotel property in a loan settlement case and allegedly selling it at a throwaway price through fraudulent means.

Chaudhari became a director on the board of the company which purchased the hotel, the police had said. -- PTI

22:25 Uddhav may undergo surgery for backache

Maharashtra Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray may undergo a surgery 'if need arises,' his aide said on Tuesday, a day after he was seen attending an event virtually wearing a cervical collar.

The aide said Thackeray has been exercising under an expert's guidance and also walks on a treadmill regularly.

"Since the last few days, he developed pain in his legs and back. He had also mentioned this during his meeting with journalists before Diwali,' the aide said.

The CM's pain has aggravated and a medical team is monitoring the development. He is also undergoing routine check-up, the aide added.

"If need arises, a surgery will be conducted,' the aide added without elaborating the nature of the medical process.

Thackeray was present at the virtual launch of road projects linking pilgrimage centre Pandharpur by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and was seen wearing a cervical collar during the event. -- PTI

Delhi University announced on Tuesday that classes for first year undergraduate students will commence from November 22, while exams will be held in March next year.

The university has released its academic calendar for first year students.

According to the calendar, the classes will commence for the first semester on November 22, while the exams will be held from March 21 to April 4 next year.

The preparatory break will be from March 11 to March 20 next year.

Classes for the second semester will start from April 7, with the exams being held from August 5 to August 22 next year.

The new session will commence for the students from August 26 next year.

Over 68,800 students have secured admission to the university since the first list was declared on October 1. -- PTI

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has taken suo motu cognisance of the news report regarding death of four infants in the SNCU of Kamla Nehru children's hospital in Bhopal on Monday night.

The NCPCR wrote to the Madhya Pradesh chief secretary asking him to constitute an inquiry team to probe the incident.

It also asked him to apprise the panel of the details of fire NOC given to the hospital and details of the last fire safety audit done for the said hospital.

The NCPCR also asked for adequate compensation to families of the deceased infants.

The child rights panel recommended that fire safety audits should be conducted at all hospitals, medical colleges and nursing homes having NICU, PICU, SNCU and other medical facilities for children.

They should get NOC from fire department and get renewal only after meeting given criteria, said the panel to all the chief secretaries.

Necessary directions may be given to all districts to strictly follow fire safety measures as per existing guidelines and as stipulated in the existing state Fire Service Act, National Building Code of India and National Disaster Management Authority to avoid any mishap in future, said the NCPCR. -- ANI

To observe one year of the movement against the Centre's three agri laws, 500 farmers will participate in a peaceful tractor march to Parliament every day during Winter Session starting November 29, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha said on Tuesday.

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting against the laws, which were stayed by the Supreme Court in January, at the Delhi borders since November 26 last year.

The SKM, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions leading the stir, announced the tractor march after it held a meeting in New Delhi.

In a statement, the amalgam said that it will observe one year of the movement on and after November 26 in a massive way all over India.

The SKM decided that from November 29 until the end of this Parliament session, 500 selected farmer volunteers will move every day to Parliament in tractor trollies peacefully and with full discipline, to assert their rights to protest in the national capital, the statement said.

This will be done to 'increase the pressure' on the central government 'to force it to concede the demands for which farmers across the country have launched a historic struggle', it said.

Earlier in March too, farmers had taken out foot march to Parliament to oppose the contentious three farm laws.

On January 26, a tractor rally had turned violent with protesters breaking barricades, attacking security personnel and storming the Red Fort, where they hoisted a religious flag.

The SKM statement said that on November 26, there will be huge mobilisations from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan at all the Delhi borders.

All farm unions in the SKM will mobilise farmers in strength for this occasion. Huge public meetings will be held there (at borders) that day.

Homage will be paid to more than 650 martyrs in this struggle so far, it said.

The SKM has also called for massive mahapanchayats in state capitals on November 26.

The Winter session of Parliament will begin on November 29 and go on till December 23. -- PTI

19:57 Rohit Sharma named captain for NZ T20 series

India's T20 squad against New Zealand:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), K L Rahul (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, and Mohd Siraj.

19:41 BJP ally apologises for remark on Lord Ram

Nishad Parry chief Sanjay Nishad on Tuesday apologised for a remark on Lord Ram that had triggered a row and also put ally Bharatiya Janata Party in a spot.

He said Lord Ram is a revered by the Nishad community.

"If any wrong words have been spoken about him, I apologise to God Shri Ram for it," Nishad told reporters in Fatehpur.

"Lord Shri Ram has done a lot for our community and our community has played an important role in the construction of the Shri Ram temple," he said.

He claimed that the Opposition is upset over the alliance between his party and the ruling BJP and his statement was presented in a distorted manner.

Asked to comment on the sidelines of the Allahabad University convocation on Monday, BJP's election in-charge for the state and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was dismissive.

"Sanjay Nishad has said a lot of things to me as well. His party is part of the NDA and he is our good ally, and we will fight the elections together," he said.

BJP state vice president Vijay Bahadur Pathak said he was not aware of Nishad's remark.

The Opposition, however, sought to corner the BJP on the issue.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi demanded a clarification from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Nishad's statement and said BJP leaders should give an explanation.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ashutosh Verma said if Nishad can talk in this manner after joining hands with the BJP, then the ruling party should be asked about its stand on it.

He said Nishad started talking about Ram-Rahim as soon as he came together with the BJP.

Inflation, unemployment and development are our main issues. I think Nishad ji should talk on serious issues now that he has become an MLC, he said.

Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Lalan Kumar accused Nishad of losing his mental balance after allying with the BJP, and demanded an unconditional apology from him.

He said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sometimes insults Mother Sita and or calls Lord Hanuman a Dalit, and Nishad too has become a victim of mental bankruptcy.

He accused the BJP and its allies of trying to change religious history and facts.

"The devout will not remain silent on this. The BJP, which is doing politics on Lord Ram and the temple, should clarify its stand on Nishad's statement," the Congress leader added. -- PTI

Narcotics Control Bureau zonal director Sameer Wankhede's wife Kranti Redkar and father Dnyandev Wankhede on Tuesday met Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and submitted a complaint against state minister Nawab Malik.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Redkar, a former actor, said, I met governor Koshyari with my father-in-law Dnyandev Wankhede and sister-in-law Yasmeen Wankhede.

"We submitted a complaint about minister Nawab Malik's constant attacks on us," she said.

They were 'humble people' but 'family reputation is at stake due to constant attacks', she added.

Asked about Koshyari's response, Redkar said, "He asked us to observe restraint and have patience, saying that truth shall prevail. We got a lot of positivity after meeting him."

Malik, the state minority development minister, has levelled several allegations against Sameer Wankhede following the NCB's alleged drug bust on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast during which actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan was arrested.

The NCP leader alleged that Wankhede forged his birth certificate to get government job in the Scheduled Castes quota and concealed that he was born into a Muslim family.

Malik also accused him of running an extortion racket by falsely implicating people in drug cases.

Wankhede has denied all charges.

His father has also filed a defamation case against Malik in the Bombay high court. -- PTI

IMAGE: Sameer Wankhede's wife Kranti Redkar speaks to media after meeting Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari in Mumbai on Tuesday. Photograph: ANI

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju Tuesday expressed concern over 'unpalatable' remarks being made against judges on social media and various other forums and said many people do not understand the life of a Judge and the hard work they put in.

He also said the Legislature and the Judiciary are not fighting for domain control and are part of the same team to make this country a robust democratic nation.

"We know what Judges do but many people don't understand the life of a Judge. There are some unpalatable remarks being made on social media, when you see closely how much judges have to perform, it's difficult for people like us to comprehend," Rijiju said at the Legal Services Day celebration, organised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) at Sharda University, Noida.

"We are from public life, we are open. Judges can't be open. It is not easy for them to come out of conventional duties and look after legal aid," he said.

Rijiju further said that both the Legislature and the Judiciary want to ensure that people don't have to struggle for bare minimum justice.

Noting that four crore cases are pending in lower courts, he said the lower Judiciary is the place where greatest thrust must be given at this time. -- PTI

The Punjab Cabinet has accepted the resignation of Advocate General A P S Deol and the post left vacant by him will be filled by Wednesday, said Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in Chandigarh.

State Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has been pushing for the replacement of Deol, who had represented former Punjab Director General of Police Sumedh Singh Saini in cases related to the 2015 desecration incidents and police firing on protesters.

Addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Channi said the AG had resigned a few days ago.

"The Cabinet today accepted it (resignation)," said Channi, adding that it would be sent to the state governor.

"Tomorrow, the new AG will be appointed," said Channi. -- PTI

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday asked people to remember that freeing terrorists involved in attacking Sri Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya were among the first acts of the Samajwadi Party government in 2012.

Adityanath made the allegations while addressing a rally in Budaun, one of the strongholds of the Samajwadi Party.

"Try to remember what was the first thing done by the Samajwadi Party when it came to power in 2012. First, riots took place in Kosikalan, then in Bareilly and then in Muzaffarnagar and Lucknow and Kanpur. There was no district in the state where riots did not take place," said the chief minister.

After coming to power, the SP did nothing for the poor, women, youth and farmers but withdrew cases against the terrorists who had attacked Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, he added.

"The previous government used to withdraw cases against terrorists and rioters and invite them to the CM's residence to honour them. But our government sent terrorists to their 'Lok' (world). There is no leniency with terrorists nor any compromise with rioters," he said.

"Before 2017, the law and order situation in UP was bad, festivals were never allowed to be held peacefully and anarchy was at its peak," the chief minister said, adding the women and girls did not feel safe in the state.

No one was willing to invest either here as they knew investing here was not safe, he said.

"In the last four-and-half years, all festivals have been held peacefully. Before 2017, there was no COVID-19 pandemic but owing to curfew during festivals, there was an attack on our faith," he said.

"If someone raised a voice against rioters, they were framed in false cases and harassed. After 2017, however, there have been no riots in the state," he added.

Adityanath also said owing to a zero-tolerance policy of his government against crime and criminals, UP has become an example in the country on how to act against criminals enjoying the patronage of those in power.

"Properties of the mafia dons worth Rs 1,800 crore have been seized and properties worth almost the same amount which could not be seized, were razed to the ground by bulldozers," he said.

Mukesh Ambani's Mumbai home, Antilia

17:12 Police trace car whose passengers asked for Antilia

The Mumbai police have traced the driver of a car whose passenger had asked a cabbie about the location of industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence 'Antilia', an official said on Tuesday.

The driver of the car, a private cab, was brought to the Azad Maidan police station here for questioning after the vehicle were traced to neighbouring Navi Mumbai late Monday night, the official said.

Security was beefed up on Monday outside industrialist Ambani's residence after a taxi driver informed the police that two suspected passengers in a vehicle carrying bags with them had asked him about the location of 'Antilia', a 27-storey building located on Altamout Road in south Mumbai.

The taxi driver was standing near Killa court in south Mumbai when a car had pulled over and its occupants asked him about the location of Ambani's residence. The two passengers in the car were speaking in Urdu and carrying two bags with them, an official earlier said, quoting the cabbie who called up the police control room.

On Monday night, the police traced the car to Navi Mumbai, another official said. They also found its driver and brought him to the police station here for questioning, he said. The car's passenger had left for Gujarat from where he came recently and stayed at a relative's place in Navi Mumbai, the official said. This passenger had on Monday asked his friend - the car driver - to take him to Mumbai.

After visiting a couple of places here, the map on their phones developed a glitch following which the passenger asked a taxi driver about the way to 'Antilia', the official said.

Finding their movement suspicious, the taxi driver dialled the police control room and alerted them. The police initially tried to trace the car with the number provided by the taxi driver, but it was incorrect, the official said.

They later identified the car with the help of CCTV footage and traced it to Navi Mumbai, official said. In February this year, an explosives-laden SUV was found parked outside 'Antilia', triggering panic. PTI

16:54 BSP to go it alone in UP 2022, says Mayawati

Ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday said that her party will not enter into an alliance with any political party and will get an absolute majority just like they did in the 2007 assembly elections.

"BSP won't have any "chunavi samjhauta" (poll agreement) with any party. We'll contest on our own. We are entering into an agreement with people of all sections of society to bring them together -this alliance is permanent. Don't intend to enter into an alliance with any party," said Mayawati.

The BSP supremo alleged that Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are two sides of the same coin.

"We don't see any difference between SP and BJP. They are two sides of the same coin. They just want to make the polls a Hindu-Muslim matter," she said.

"We are confident that we will get an absolute majority, just like we got in 2007," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister added. -- ANI

16:39 Sensex ends 112 pts lower, HDFC duo top drags

Equity benchmark Sensex dropped by 112 points on Tuesday, tracking losses in index-heavyweights HDFC twins, Kotak Bank and Bajaj Finance, despite a positive trend in global markets.

After a volatile trading session, the 30-share index ended 112.16 points or 0.19 per cent lower at 60,433.45.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty fell 24.30 points or 0.13 per cent to 18,044.25. HDFC Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding nearly 2 per cent, followed by HDFC, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, Maruti, Kotak Bank and PowerGrid.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced a compensation package of Rs 10,000 crore for the ones who would get displaced or affected in some way or the other due to the Deocha-Pachami coal mine project in Birbhum district.

The state has been allotted the Deocha Pachami Harinsingha Dewanganj -- the world's second-largest coal block -- by the Centre a few years ago.

"We will not do anything like what had happened in Singur (forcible land acquisition for car project). We will start the project with a government-owned land. We are a pro-people government. We don't believe in doing things by force," she told the Assembly.

Banerjee noted that the mining project has the potential of generating nearly one lakh jobs in Birbhum and its neighbouring districts.

"The state government is investing around 35,000 crore in this project, which spans an area of 3.04 lakh acres. Of the 3.04 lakh acres, around 1 lakh make for government-owned land. We have spoken to all the stakeholders to ensure their interests are secured," she said.

The feisty TMC boss further said that her government has prepared an attractive package for those who will be giving up their land for the mining project.

Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) independent witness in the Mumbai cruise raid case Kiran Gosavi has been sent to Judicial custody by a Pune court on Tuesday in a cheating case registered against him at Faraskhana police station.

Gosavi, till now, was in police custody.

On October 28, Gosavi, a key witness in the Mumbai cruise drugs case in which Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested, was held by Pune City Police in connection with a cheating case of Rs 18 lakh in the year 2018.

He had allegedly duped one Chinmay Deshmukh, promising to get him a job in Malaysia and collected Rs 18 lakh. Deshmukh filed a complaint against Gosavi in 2018 and a chargesheet was filed in the case.

Since then, he has been on the run.

The TN CM at an Amma canteen

15:29 Stalin inspects rain-affected areas in Chennai

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday visits rain-affected and water-logged areas in Chennai and distributes food to needy people in various parts of the city. "Till the end of the rainy season, free food will be distributed in Amma canteens," Stalin said.

Parents of children admitted to Kamla Nehru Hospital in Bhopal alleged negligence on part of the staff after four children died in a fire at the facility on Monday. They also claimed that the hospital staff was not letting them meet their children.

"My child is eight years old, she had her operation. Earlier I was told that she had died but later they said she is alive. But they are not letting me meet my child since the night. There was smoke everywhere," said Vikram, a parent while talking to ANI.

Yashoda, a relative of one of the children said, "Our baby is kept in ward number 1 but the staff is saying that he is not ours. We have the photos of our child. No one identifies our child more than us. But they are telling us that we will get the dead body of our child by 11am. Why should we take the body of some other child?"

Amin, another parent said to ANI that he was called to the hospital at night and was made to roam around for at least two hours before his child was declared dead by the doctors.

"It is because of the incompetence of the hospital administration that these children died. Four children have been declared dead, what about the other children admitted in the ward?" he asked.

Another parent demanded that her child should be handed back to her.

When asked about these allegations the Divisional Commissioner, Bhopal Gulshan Bamra said, "The incident is highly unfortunate. Our counsellors are talking to the parents of 36 children who are currently in a critical condition. The building is old, the flaws in its facilities are being investigated. The premises damaged due to fire is being reconstructed once again."

As many as four children died after the children's ward of Bhopal's Kamla Nehru Hospital caught fire on Monday night. As per state Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang, 36 other children inside the ward are safe. Sarang also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakhs for the parents of each deceased child.

The Congress on Tuesday accused the Modi government of conducting an operation to "cover-up" corruption in the Rafale fighter jet deal and asked why it did not initiate investigation into the role of a middleman despite recovering incriminating documents from him.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also alleged that the BJP government has sacrificed national security, jeopardised the interests of the Indian Air Force and caused loss worth thousands of crores of rupees to the state exchequer.

French investigative journal Mediapart in fresh revelations in a report has exposed how middleman Sushen Gupta got hold of confidential documents belonging to the Indian Negotiating Team (INT) in 2015 from the ministry of defence, he said.

The documents detailed the stance of Indian negotiators during the final lap of negotiation and in particular how they calculated the price of the aircraft. This gave clear advantage to Dassault Aviation (Rafale), Khera claimed, citing the Mediapart report.

"The 'operation cover-up' by the Modi government to bury the melting pot of corruption, kickbacks and collusion in Rafale deal is once again exposed," he said. "The BJP government undermined national security, jeopardised the interests of the Indian Air Force and caused loss worth thousands of crores to our exchequer," Khera said at a press conference.

Each revelation in the "murky affair in the last five years, every single allegation and each piece of the puzzle leads right up to the topmost leadership of the country- the prime minister's doorstep", he said. Khera alleged that the latest revelations in "operation cover-up" reveal the "dubious nexus" between the Modi government-CBI-ED to bury the corruption in the Rafale deal.

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday alleged that state minister Nawab Malik and his family members entered into land deals with people associated with the underworld.

Fadnavis also claimed he did not have this information earlier (when he was the state's chief minister).

The BJP leader said had he found this previously, he would have exposed NCP leader Malik earlier. Notably, Malik earlier this month sought to link the BJP with an alleged narcotics dealer by tweeting the latter's photograph with the former chief minister's wife Amruta Fadnavis.

Malik had also posted a similar photograph of Devendra Fadnavis with alleged the drug dealer.

The former CM had then said he will make revelations about Malik's underworld links after Diwali and also share the same with NCP president Sharad Pawar.

On Tuesday, Fadnavis said, "Nawab Malik and his family members were part of a company which purchased land in Kurla (area of Mumbai) at a very low rate by making some fictitious documents. There are four such land purchase deals where I can firmly say that Malik has entered into land deals with the underworld."

He claimed the land was purchased from Sardar Shahwali Khan and Saleem Ishaq Patel, who were convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

A Diwali market in Delhi

13:50 2.79L people fined for not wearing masks in Delhi

Over 3.15 lakh people were fined between April 19 and November 8 for violating of Covid-related norms, of which the highest were for not wearing face masks, police said on Tuesday.

According to the latest data shared by the Delhi Police, 3,15,772 challans were issued for such violations during this period.

The data showed that 2,79,198 people were fined for not wearing masks, followed by 30,379 for not adhering to social distancing norms and 3,046 for consumption of liquor, pan and tobacco at public places.

Another 1,685 challans were issued for spitting in public places and 1,464 for holding large public gatherings and congregations, the data stated. Lockdown was imposed in Delhi in April in the wake of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ''unlock'' process began in a phased manner with the government allowing construction and manufacturing activities from May 31. In the following weeks, markets, malls, metro trains, restaurants and bars and many other activities were allowed. PTI

"Normally, if I were to go to the Wipro Corporate Office, the security staff won't even allow me in, let alone permit me anywhere near him. But here we were, fellow passengers, and for that moment at least, we were together as (almost) equals in what an esteemed ex Minister, known both for his magnificent vocabulary and his irrepressible compulsion to flaunt it, had termed as 'cattle-class.'

"And I had the advantage of being in my Captain's uniform, which granted me the courage to walk up to him."

Read the blog here.

Uncertainties on account of COVID-19 pandemic have increased the demand for currency notes not only in India but across the globe, official sources said, dismissing the criticism that demonetisation has failed to reduce cash in the economy.

Government sources said that growth of the digital payments system post-demonetisation will ultimately curb the dependence on cash.

Official data points out a jump in digital payments through different modes, including plastic cards, net banking and Unified Payments Interface (UPI). UPI of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is fast emerging as a major medium of payment in the country.

UPI was launched in 2016, and the transactions have been growing month-on-month barring a few blips.

In October 2021, the transactions in value terms stood at over Rs 7.71 lakh crore or over USD 100 billion. A total of 421 crore transactions were done through UPI in October.

Sources also pointed out that even in the US, total currency in circulation soared to USD 2.07 trillion by the end of 2020 - a 16 per cent gain from a year earlier, and was also the biggest one-year percentage increase since 1945.

Demand for liquidity always increases during periods of economic uncertainty and since cash is the most liquid form of asset, the increase in cash during the period of enormous uncertainty is expected, sources said, adding, the larger holding of cash in the pandemic year has been a world-wide phenomenon.

The United States will exempt filing fees and streamline application processing for Afghan nationals who were paroled into the United States for humanitarian reasons on or after July 30, the Department of Homeland Security said.

The department, in a statement, said that these actions will help facilitate the resettlement of Afghan nationals in the US by streamlining the processing of requests for work authorization, Green Cards, and associated services.

The DHS is the lead federal agency coordinating Operation Allies Welcome, the ongoing all-of-government effort to resettle vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked on behalf of the United States.

12:58 Sonia holds meet on Manipur polls

Ahead of the 2022 assembly elections, a meeting of the Manipur Congress leaders with party interim President Sonia Gandhi is underway at her residence in the national capital on Tuesday.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) Manipur incharge Bhakta Charan Das, senior observer Jairam Ramesh along with other party leaders met Sonia Gandhi.

Former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and Gaikhangam Gangmei are also present in the meeting.

The meeting is crucial as elections are due in early next year and Manipur is an important state in the north east region.

Manipur has 60 assembly seats wherein BJP is currently in power.

12:22 Mapped: Covid-19 figures across states

Kerala and Maharashtra remain the top two most infected states for over 9 months now. Here's how the other states figure.

Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is expected to visit Pakistan this week for talks on the relationship between the two countries, a Pakistani official said on Monday. Read the report here.

File pic

11:57 Himachal to reopen schools from Class I

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to reopen schools for students of Class III to VII from November 10 and for students of Class I and II from November 15.

The decision was taken during a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday.

The government also decided to resume transport buses at full capacity instead of the earlier 50 per cent norms.

The state cabinet also decided to recommend the Governor of Himachal Pradesh to convene the winter session of Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha from December 10 to 15 at Dharamshala, district Kangra. "It would have five sittings," the release said.

11:41 BJP worker shot at in Prayagraj

A Bharatiya Janata Party worker has been injured on Tuesday after he was shot at in the Phaphamau area of Prayagraj.

Prayagraj Police, in an official statement on Tuesday, said, "BJP worker Ajay Sharma suffered bullet injuries in stomach and shoulders. Assailants barged into his house and shot him."

Further probe in the matter is underway.

Pak PM Imran Khan

11:29 Pak gets China's 'most advanced warship' ever

China has delivered to Pakistan the largest and most advanced warship that Beijing has ever exported, Chinese state media reported.

Designed and built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), the frigate was delivered to the Pakistan Navy in a commissioning ceremony in Shanghai, according to Global Times.

The Type 054A/P frigate was named the PNS Tughril, according to a statement the Pakistan Navy sent to the Global Times on Monday.The PNS Tughril is the first hull of four Type 054 frigates being constructed for the Pakistan Navy, the Pakistan Navy said.

The ship is a technologically advanced and highly capable platform with enormous surface-to-surface, surface-to-air and underwater firepower, besides extensive surveillance potentials.

It is equipped with state-of-the-art combat management and an electronic warfare system along with modern self-defence capabilities.

The Type 054A/P frigate can simultaneously execute a number of naval warfare missions in a highly intense multi-threat environment, the Pakistani statement said. -- ANI

Rahul Dravid. File pic

11:19 Shastri's advice to Dravid: Raise the bar

Outgoing head coach Ravi Shastri feels his successor Rahul Draivd has inherited a "great team" and backed him to raise the bar with his wealth of experience as a player and coach.

The T20 World Cup game against Namibia was Shastri's last day in the office as the head coach.

"There is one thing missing, that is (winning the) ICC tournament. They will get a chance and Rahul Dravid has come as a coach, I wish him all the luck.

"He is a great player, got the stature, he has done the yards as a coach, to further take this team over the next few years and raise the bar," Shastri said at the virtual post-match media interaction on Monday.

NCB Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede's father Dhyandev Wankhede has filed a police complaint here against Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik for allegedly making "false and derogatory" remarks against him and his family members and their caste, an official said on Tuesday.

The senior Wankhede approached the Oshiwara division's assistant commissioner of police on Monday with his written complaint, demanding that an FIR be registered against the minister under the SC/ST Act, he said.

The complainant alleged that NCP leader Malik made "false and derogatory" remarks against him and his family members as well as their caste on various media platforms.

"We belong to 'Mahar' community which comes under the Scheduled Caste category," he mentioned in the complaint. He demanded that an FIR be registered against the minister under provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections including 503 (criminal intimidation).

He further alleged that Malik, owing to his personal grudge, went to the extent of "stalking" his daughter Yasmeen online and illegally used her personal photographs from her social media accounts like Instagram, Facebook, etc and circulated them in print and electronic media.

The complainant also said the minister made an unfounded allegation against his daughter and family members of being involved in extortion while they were in Maldives.

5 years of demonetisation:

"Instead of the redistributing illicit wealth of the rich to the poor, as it was claimed would happen, demonetisation destroyed the livelihoods of those who had no wealth, white or black. But what it essentially revealed once again that the world of exchange, which often seems to be based on equivalence, is embedded in a highly unequal distribution of access and power."

Read the column here.

India logged 10,126 new coronavirus infections, the lowest in 266 days, while the active cases dipped to 1,40,638, the lowest in 263 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.

With the fresh cases, the country's total tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 3,43,77,113.

The death toll climbed to 4,61,389 with 332 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 32 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 135 consecutive days now.

The active cases comprise 0.41 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.25 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. A decrease of 2,188 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.93 per cent. It has been less than two per cent for last 36 days. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.25 per cent. It has been below two per cent for the last 46 days, according to the ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,37,75,086, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.34 per cent.

The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 109.08 crore. -- PTI

09:55 9 rescued from Mumbai house collapse

A house collapsed in Mumbai's Antop Hill area this morning. Nine persons were rescued and moved to a hospital, the Mumbai Fire Brigade said.

The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) in Maharashtra has said its employees who have not taken even one dose of vaccine against COVID-19 will not be paid salaries.

The decision was taken on Monday during a meeting of senior TMC officials, including civic commissioner Dr Vipin Sharma and Thane Mayor Naresh Mhaske.

According to an official release issued late Monday night, the civic employees who have not taken the first dose, will not be paid salaries.

The civic employees who have not taken their second vaccine dose within the stipulated period will also not get their salaries, the release said.

The TMC has made it compulsory for all civic employees to submit their vaccination certificates at their respective offices. These measures are part of an effort to achieve the target of cent per cent vaccination in the city by this month-end, Mhaske told reporters after the meeting.

Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness, was questioned for more than 10 hours by the Narcotics Control Bureau's Delhi vigilance team, probing the pay-off allegations in the cruise drugs case in which actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan is an accused, an NCB official said on Tuesday.

He has been called by the anti-drugs agency again on Tuesday, the official said.

Earlier, after being summoned by the NCB on Sunday, Sail along with his lawyer reached the Central Reserve Police Force's mess in suburban Bandra under police protection at 2 pm on Monday.

He left the place, where the NCB team questioned him, around 12.20 am on Tuesday with his lawyer and did not speak to media persons present outside the premises.

"We have called him again for questioning on Tuesday," NCB's Deputy Director General (northern region) Gyaneshwar Singh said.

The NCB's vigilance team, headed by Singh, who is also chief vigilance officer of the federal anti-narcotics agency, had reached In Mumbai from Delhi on Monday morning.

Sail, who claims to be the bodyguard of NCB witness KP Gosavi, last month alleged in an affidavit that he had heard Gosavi discussing a Rs 25 crore pay-off deal after Aryan Khan was arrested by the NCB.

Sail claimed that Gosavi had said Rs 8 crore of the deal money was to be given to NCB's Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede.

Sail's allegations had prompted the NCB to order a vigilance inquiry against NCB officials and others.

Wankhede had denied the allegations against him.

Last month, a vigilance team led by Singh came to Mumbai to probe the allegations of extortion, but had then failed to record Sail's statement.

It had at that time recorded statements of eight persons, including Wankhede, and collected some important documents and recordings related to the cruise drugs case, an official earlier said. -- PTI

The United Kingdom government has said that India's Covaxin will be added to its list of approved COVID-19 vaccines for international travellers from November 22, meaning that those inoculated with the Bharat Biotech-manufactured jab will not have to self-isolate after arrival in England.

The move follows the World Health Organisation's Emergency Use Listing for Covaxin, which is the second most used formulation in India.

Covishield, the India-manufactured Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, was added to the UK's approved list last month.

"More good news for Indian travellers to the UK. From 22 November travellers fully vaccinated with a COVID19 vaccine recognised by WHO for Emergency Use Listing, including Covaxin, will not have to self-isolate; so joining those fully vaccinated with Covishield," Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, said on Twitter on Monday.

The changes will come into effect at 4 am on November 22.

Besides Covaxin, China's Sinovac and Sinopharm, both on the WHO Emergency Use Listing, will be recognised by the UK government as approved vaccines for inbound travel, benefitting fully vaccinated people from the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia. These fully vaccinated passengers will not be required to take a pre-departure test, day-8 test or self-isolate upon arrival. -- PTI

The Pakistan government and banned terror group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have agreed on a month-long ceasefire starting Tuesday to further talks for achieving lasting peace in the country, according to a statement.

Both parties will honour the ceasefire period, which could be extended subject to the consent of the two sides, TTP spokesperson Muhammad Khurasani said in the statement.

The TTP, commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, is a banned terrorist organisation based along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

It has been involved in various attacks in Pakistan for more than a decade which killed thousands of people and reportedly been using Afghan soil to plot terrorist attacks in this country.

The government is now trying to use the influence of the Afghan Taliban over the TTP to reach a peace deal and end violence.

The statement said that the TTP is an Islamic Jihadi Movement comprising Pakistani people that has always kept the interest of the country supreme. Nobody can deny the fact that talks are part of wars.

The TTP agreed to the formation of negotiation teams that will further the peace process in light of the demands of both parties.

Last month, the government had faced criticism from politicians and victims of terrorism after Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed in an interview that his government was in talks with the TTP for "reconciliation" with the help of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid had defended the government's move, saying the negotiations are for "good Taliban". -- PTI

The Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday arrested two police officers, previously posted in the Mumbai crime branch, in connection with the extortion case registered against them and former city police commissioner Param Bir Singh at the Marine Drive police station, an official said.

The two officers are identified as police inspector Nandkumar Gopale, currently posted at the Khandala police training centre, and police inspector Asha Korke, posted in the Naigaon local arms unit.

Their arrests come concerning a complaint filed by real estate developer Shyamsunder Agrawal at the Marine Drive police station on July 22 on the charge of extortion.

The FIR names Param Bir Singh and seven others, including five police officers.

During the investigation, police had arrested Agarwal's former business partner Sanjay Punamia and his associate Sunil Jain.

The five cops named in the FIR are identified as DCP (crime branch) Akbar Pathan, Assistant Commissioner of Police Shrikant Shinde, ACP Sanjay Patil, Inspector Asha Korke and crime branch inspector Nandkumar Gopale.

Considering the scope of the investigation into the extortion case filed at the Marine Drive police station, its probe was transferred from the SIT to the state CID earlier, the official said.

The CID was also entrusted with the investigation of a case registered against Shyamsunder Agrawal under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) at Juhu police station for his alleged links with underworld gangster Chhota Shakeel.

Agrawal had alleged that based on this "false" case, Param Bir Singh and other police officers extorted money from him at the behest of his former business partner Sanjay Punamiya, as per the FIR.

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