LIVE! Mumbai airport T1 to open on Oct 13 to sort chaos

LIVE

Fri, 08 October 2021

Mumbai airport T1 to open on Oct 13 to sort chaos

Timeline Refresh

23:29 Forex reserves down by US$ 1.169 bn to US$ 637.477 bn

The country's foreign exchange reserves dipped by US$ 1.169 billion to stand at US$ 637.477 billion in the week ended October 1, RBI data showed on Friday.

In the previous week ended September 24, 2021, the reserves had declined by US$ 997 million to US$ 638.646 billion. The reserves had surged by US$ 8.895 billion to a lifetime high of US$ 642.453 billion in the week ended September 3, 2021.

During the reporting week ended October 1, 2021, the dip in the forex kitty was on account of a fall in the foreign currency assets (FCAs), a major component of the overall reserves.

FCAs declined by US$ 1.28 billion to US$ 575.451 billion, as per weekly data by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves.

Gold reserves were up by US$ 128 million to US$ 37.558 billion in the reporting week, the data showed.

The special drawing rights (SDRs) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declined by US$ 138 million to US$ 19.24 billion.

The country's reserve position with the IMF increased by US$ 122 million to US$ 5.228 billion.

Representational pic

23:10 Mumbai airport T1 to open on Oct 13 to sort chaos

The Adani Group-owned Mumbai airport on Friday witnessed chaotic scenes due to heavy passenger rush amid the festive season, forcing the private operator to prepone resumption of flight services from the domestic terminal (T1).

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will resume operations from T-1 from October 13 instead of October 20-mid night, announced earlier, the private airport operator said in a statement late evening.

On Friday morning, many people took to social media to mention about the chaos and also shared pictures and videos of the scenes at the airport, while airlines advised passengers to report early to allow sufficient times for security check.

As of now, the CSMIA is operating all services -- domestic and international -- from T2, which is largely used for overseas flights.

"This morning, a surge in traffic due to the festive season resulted in delays in passenger processing at CSMIA. These delays were compounded due to intelligence alerts leading to heightened security measures, as well as ongoing COVID restrictions. Therefore, the airport has taken several measures to ensure a smooth experience while keeping security protocol intact," a CSMIA spokesperson said in the statement.

These measures, the airport operator said, include resuming T-1 operations from October 13 with flights operated by Go First, followed by AirAsia India on October 16, it said.

Mumbai Airport on October 4 announced the reopening of its domestic passenger terminal T1 from the midnight of October 20, saying GoFirst, AirAsia India, Star Air and TruJet will resume all their domestic operations from Terminal 1 from October 20 midnight.

However, IndiGo's select flights will resume from October 31 with most of its flights operating from T2 and base flights will operate out of Terminal 1, it had stated.

The Mumbai airport authorities had suspended flight services from T1 in mid-April after the deadly second wave of the pandemic hit the country and moved all operations to T2, which is largely used for international connectivity.

The other measures, the spokesperson said in the statement on Friday, are deployment of additional personnel to handle the passenger inflow at Security Handling Area (SHA) as an immediate remedy to deal with passenger congestion.

Installing additional X-ray machines over the next four days to expedite scanning of passengers' carry-on luggage and asking airlines to remind passengers to report early and allow them to check-in their cabin luggage to avoid delays at security handling are the other mitigating measures taken by the airport operator, it said.

In a tweet, Bollywood musician Vishal Dadlani said, "literally feels like we're in the dark ages".

"Endless milling crowds, machines breaking down, tempers frayed, chaos everywhere. Staff doing their best but absolutely unable to cope," he said.

Along with a video of the jam-packed terminal, another passenger said, "complete chaos at Mumbai airport and the poor admin/officials have no idea how to control it. Proper mismanagement".

Stating that the other city airports of the country also witnessed similar scenes, the CSMIA in its earlier statement in the day said, "owing to recent intelligence reports received by stakeholders and threats at another airport in the state, security has been further beefed up at CSMIA."

"The security and safety of our passengers are of utmost priority and our endeavour is to continue to not compromise on these critical aspects," it added.

"CSMIA sincerely regrets the congestion at the security area and the inconvenience caused. Passenger safety is our utmost priority, and security aspects cannot be compromised.

"Along with the different airlines, we are providing full support to affected passengers and have already accommodated the majority of passengers on alternative flights," the private airport operator said.

CSMIA has deployed additional staff for a quicker turnaround at all the security checkpoints for a smoother passenger experience. Additionally, the airport is following all the COVID protocols laid down by the government to ensure a smoother transition, it had said in its earlier statement.

The West Bengal government has put the police on alert in view of the Durga Puja festivities in the state, citing terror threats.

Issuing a set of guidelines, Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi asked officials to ensure that communal harmony is maintained in the state.

All community puja committees were asked to engage an adequate number of volunteers in the pandals to keep vigil on the movement of suspicious persons and inform the police in case of any emergency.

CCTV cameras and watchtowers were made mandatory for large puja pandals, as per the guidelines.

The police were put on alert in view of the prevailing threats from divisive and terrorist groups to destabilise peace and harmony, leading to law and order problems during the ensuing festivities, it said.

Dwivedi asked all the departments concerned to ensure that communal harmony is maintained in the state during the Durga Puja festival. "Special attention should be given to areas having mixed population and thickly populated areas as well as isolated places and vulnerable or sensitive regions."

The government also asked community puja committees to fix the date and time of immersion in consultation with the local police.

This year the state has allowed immersion of idols from October 15 to 18.

"Steps should be taken so that the festivities do not result in annoyance of local residents and people of other communities," the guidelines said.

The usual restrictions on the use of loudspeakers should be strictly followed, it said.

"The state Home Department must be informed of any untoward incident during the festivals forthwith," it added.

ANI Photo

22:17 Sidhu on maun vrat, fast for arrest of MoS's son

LIVE! Sidhu on maun vrat, fast for arrest of MoS's son

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday began a fast in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri, declaring that he will continue it till Union minister Ajay Mishra's son is not arrested.

Sidhu on Friday met the kin of the farmers killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, a day after he was detained along with Punjab Congress leaders in Saharanpur.

The minister's son, Ashish Mishra, is an accused in the case and was told by police to appear before it for questioning on Friday but he skipped it.

Sidhu, who met the family of 28-year-old journalist Raman Kashyap, one of the eight people killed in the violence, proceeded on a fast and could be seen lying on a cot at the scribe's house in Lakhimpur Kheri.

Sources said Sidhu is also observing a "maun vrat" (silent fast).

Punjab Cabinet minister Vijay Inder Singla, who is among the Congress leaders from Punjab accompanying Sidhu, said they too will sit on a fast with him.

Sidhu had earlier demanded the arrest of the ministor's son, saying he would go on hunger strike if action is not taken against him by Friday.

Sources said Sidhu has said he will continue his fast until Ashish Mishra does not join investigation and is not brought to Kashyap's house by police after taking him into custody.

Meanwhile, in a tweet, Sidhu while tagging photos of his meeting with one of the families, said, "Justice delayed-justice denied."

During his meeting, Sidhu consoled family members of Lovepreet Singh.

Sidhu later said, "What has happened is a barbaric crime. Entire India is asking for justice. Loss of human life can never be compensated."

Lovepreet's father said he wants justice, said Sidhu.

"There is evidence, video evidence is there. There is name in the FIR, witness account is there. But the arrest is not being made because he (Ashish) is a Union minister's son," said Sidhu.

There cannot be two yardsticks for justice, he said.

While assuring the victim families of every possible help, Punjab minister Singla said justice must be ensured and they would keep putting pressure on the Centre to immediately sack Ajay Mishra and arrest his son.

Singla said farmers are the backbone of the country "and their murder in broad daylight was heart wrenching and extremely distressing".

Sidhu, who is accompanied by Punjab ministers and MLAs, was allowed to head towards Lakhimpur Kheri hours after they were detained at a police station in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, a delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal led by Harsimrat Kaur Badal met the families of the farmers and the journalist.

Badal, a former Union minister, demanded immediate dismissal of Ajay Mishra besides the arrest of his son, a party statement said here.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal was accompanied by senior party leaders Balwinder Singh Bhundur, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Bikram Singh Majithia, Manpreet Singh Ayali and SGPC chief Jagir Kaur.

"The video footage of Ashish Mishra's vehicle is available. There are eye witness accounts that Ashish Mishra fled from the scene. He should be arrested on murder charges immediately," said Badal.

Similarly, there was a video footage of the Union minister allegedly threatening farmers and even inciting violence against them, she alleged.

"It is wrong to keep him in the Union cabinet and the central government should take immediate action against him," she added.

SGPC president Jagir Kaur handed over a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to each of the victim families besides assuring them that they will look after educational needs of next of the kin of the victims.

Four of the eight people who died on Sunday were farmers, allegedly knocked down by vehicles carrying BJP workers. Angry farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles.

The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver.

Farmers claimed that Ashish Mishra was in one of the vehicles, an allegation denied by him and his father.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke with Japan's newly elected Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and discussed the robust cooperation between India and Japan in the Indo-Pacific region.

Japan's parliament had elected Kishida prime minister on Monday.

In a tweet Modi said, "Spoke with H.E. Fumio Kishida to congratulate him for assuming charge as the Prime Minister of Japan. I look forward to working with him to further strengthen India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership and to enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region."

The prime minister conveyed his congratulations and best wishes to Kishida for assuming charge as the premier of Japan, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement.

Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the rapid progress in the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, and agreed on the potential to further enhance cooperation in a variety of areas, including in high-technology and futuristic sectors, it said.

Prime Minister Modi invited Japanese companies to benefit from India's economic reforms through greater investment, the PMO said.

The leaders also discussed the increasing alignment of perspectives, and robust cooperation, between India and Japan in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.

They reviewed the progress of cooperation under the Quad framework in this regard, the statement said.

Prime Minister Modi also invited Kishida to visit India at his earliest convenience for a bilateral summit meeting.

20:59 12 Sena MLAs in touch with BJP: Ex-minister

BJP leader and former Maharashtra minister Babanrao Lonikar on Friday claimed 12 MLAs of the ruling Shiv Sena are in contact with his party and predicted a "change" in the state.

The Shiv Sena, which heads the three-party MVA government in the state, rubbished Lonikar's claim and said the opposition BJP was "daydreaming" of coming to power in the state.

Lonikar was speaking at a rally organised in support of Subhash Sabne, the BJP candidate for the October 30 bypoll from the Deglur assembly seat in Nanded district.

Union minister and BJP leader Raosaheb Danve and his party colleague Ashish Shelar were also in Deglur to campaign for Sabne, who recently joined the main opposition party in the state after leaving the Shiv Sena.

Sabne had represented Deglur and Mukhed constituencies in his previous three terms as an MLA.

Lonikar said, 'If a change has to occur in the state of Maharashtra,... in the present government, then voters should make BJP candidate Subhash Sabne victorious. Magic (change) will take place in the state. Twelve MLAs of the Shiv Sena are in contact with the BJP."

Asked about Lonikar's comments, Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said in Mumbai there was no truth in his claim.

"The BJP is daydreaming of coming to power in the state. They are daydreaming even after their tally came down in the just held bypolls to more than 80 Zilla Parishad seats in half-a-dozen districts," she said.

Speaking at the rally, Shelar, a former minister, said, "This by-election is a fight between financial power and public power."

The BJP and the Shiv Sena parted ways in November 2019 over differences on sharing power after the assembly polls.

The Shiv Sena then joined hands with the Congress and the NCP to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

20:12 Air India unions welcome Tata takeover

Several employee unions of Air India on Friday expressed happiness over the carrier's earlier owner Tata Sons winning the bid to acquire the national carrier.

After a marathon disinvestment process, which was reinitiated in January last year, the government on Friday announced that Tata Sons' winning bid of Rs 18,000 crore was higher than the reserve price of Rs 12,906 crore set by it.

"We are most happy to hear that it will be the Tata group that is taking us over. We look forward to giving this company our best.

"And, in return, we are sure that the Tata group will ensure that a mutually beneficial working relationship will be kindled over the years," said a committee member of the Indian Pilots' Guild, the Boeing pilots' union of Air India.

Separately, the Guild in a tweet said, "@GuildPilots is proud that @airindiain is an airline founded by India's first licensed pilot and that the airline is going back to the Tata Group... We look forward to being a part of the #tatafamily."

The Indian National Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), the Airbus pilots' body of Air India, said it has great hopes from the new employer.

ICPA General Secretary Praveen Keerthi said, "The Tata group is well known for taking care of its employees. Even during the pandemic, the employees of Vistara were better looked after than Air Indians. We have great hopes from the new employer and are excited and apprehensive at the same time."

Keerthi added that ICPA looks forward to meeting the new employer to take Air India to its former glory. "In this, they have our complete support."

The All India Cabin Crew Association, which claims to represent a majority of the cabin crew members in Air India, said in a tweet, "...it is a #Gharwapasi for our great #Airline... historic #aviation moment."

Rohit Nandan, Air India's former chairman and managing director, expressed hope that the airline is expected to be more professionally managed now with Tata Sons becoming its new owner."

He added that the people in Air India are quite happy.

"At least, Air Indians will have better times ahead. He said that the jobs of the pilots and engineers are secured, It is the other categories who might have difficulty but I think the government must have made some provisions to see that their jobs are safe," Nandan said.

Representational pic

20:01 IInterfaith relationship in Karnataka: 10 held in connection with murder of man

The Belagavi police has arrested 10 people including a woman's parents in connection with the murder of 24-year-old Arbaz Mulla over his interfaith relationship.

According to police, Eerappa Kumbar and his wife Susheela Kumbar are among the arrested.

The couple were upset that their daughter was in love with Arbaz Mulla.

Police said the couple had warned the man as well as their daughter over their relationship. They had even warned Mulla's mother Nazima Sheikh of dire consequences.

These warnings did not have any effect on the duo as they continued to remain in touch with each other.

A week ago, Mulla's beheaded body was found on the railway tracks at Khanapur. Nazima had accused one 'Maharaj' and 'Birje' for the killing, police said, adding a special investigation team was formed to probe the matter.

Police said a member of a recently floated right wing organisation called Sriram Sena -- Hindustan, a breakaway group of Pramod Muthalik's Sriram Sena, was also among the arrested.

Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) K V Subramanian on Friday said he has decided to return to academia after completion of his three-year term in the finance ministry.

The government had appointed Subramanian, a ISB Hyderabad professor, as the CEA in December 2018. He had succeeded Arvind Subramanian.

In a statement, Subramanian thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman for their support and inspiring leadership.

"I have decided to return back to academia following the completion of my 3-year fulfilling tenure," he said.

Investors' wealth rose by Rs 4,16,413.43 crore in two days, with the market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies reaching a lifetime high of Rs 266.36 lakh crore on Friday.

The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex on Friday jumped 381.23 points or 0.64 per cent to close at 60,059.06. On Thursday, it had rallied 488.1 points to 59,677.83.

Following the uptrend in equities, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms climbed Rs 4,16,413.43 crore in two days to reach Rs 2,66,36,960.48 crore.

The Sensex soared past the 60,000-level on Friday after the Reserve Bank kept the key interest rates unchanged but maintained its accommodative stance to bolster economic recovery.

"Domestic indices traded higher with optimism underpinned by dovish RBI policy and mixed global cues due to US jobs data awaited later in the day," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) expectedly kept interest rates unchanged at a record low but signalled the start of tapering pandemic-era stimulus measures on economic recovery taking root.

Reliance Industries was the biggest gainer in the 30-share Sensex pack, rallying 3.84 per cent, followed by Infosys, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, TCS and Tata Steel.

In contrast, HUL, NTPC, Dr Reddy's, Kotak Bank and Maruti Suzuki were among the laggards.

In the broader market, the BSE midcap and smallcap indices climbed up to 0.83 per cent.

This week, the Sensex rallied 1,293.48 points or 2.20 per cent.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said he will speak about the Income Tax department's raids on the properties of his relatives and aides once the action is over.

He did not want to obstruct the I-T department's work, he told reporters here.

"The department is doing its job. The officials are still there. Once they leave, I will issue my statement. By speaking while the searches are on, I do not want to obstruct their work," said the senior NCP leader.

He also appealed the NCP workers who had gathered outside the Council Hall here to express support for him to leave, Pawar added.

"Let I-T officials leave and I will answer all questions. I have answers for your questions," said Pawar, who holds finance portfolio in the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government.

"My stand is always clean and transparent. I am disciplined about financial matters. I always appeal people to pay their taxes....tax should be paid by everyone including me and the firms linked to me," he said.

He will also speak about the controversial sale of defunct cooperative sugar mills in the state by providing proof, Pawar said.

Earlier in the day, NCP president Sharad Pawar had alleged that the Income Tax raids came after he compared the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

"The I-T raids were carried out because I likened the Lakhimpur Kheri violence to Jallianwala Bagh massacre...Don't we have the right to air our views in democracy?" asked the senior leader who is Ajit Pawar's uncle.

The I-T department on Thursday raided some businesses linked to family members of Ajit Pawar and some real estate developers on charges of tax evasion. The premises linked to business groups such as DB Realty, Shivalik, Jarandeshwar Sahkari Sugar Karkhana (Jarandeshwar SSK) and businesses linked to Ajit Pawar's sisters were raided during the operation, official sources had said.

Delhi Police personnel will now get leaves to spend time with their families to celebrate birthdays and wedding anniversary among other important occasions of their lives, an official order has said.

Officials said the move has come into immediate effect after the order dated October 7 was issued with the approval of Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana.

With this order, around 80,000 police personnel of the force will henceforth get leaves to spend time with their families to celebrate the importance occasions of their lives, officials said.

"It has been observed that on several occasions, police personnel are unable to spend time with their family members on important landmark occasions eg. birthdays of police personnel, spouse and their children as well as on their marriage anniversary," said the order undersigned by Mahesh Batra, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Information Technology).

According to the order, police personnel will be granted 'a day rest' on their birthday, wedding anniversary, birthday of spouse as well as birthday of their children.

A senior police officer said, "The order is for the entire Delhi Police force and has been implemented with immediate effect. Each one of them will be definitely given a day off to celebrate the important events of their lives as per the order issued."

Welcoming the move, another senior police officer said "Every person has specific days in their lives which they would want to celebrate it with their respective families but due to emergencies or nature of the job, police personnel miss out on these occasions.

"But this is indeed a very good step especially for the field functionaries who will also now get a days off for important occasions."

17:40 JRD gazes at his labour of love

It is said that Tata group executives used to complain in private that JRD -- the pioneer of the Indian aviation industry -- spent more time worrying about Air India than the Tata group when he was heading both the entities.

For JRD the airlines was a labour of love.

As Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons. Chairman, Tata Trusts, Ratan Tata tweeted today, JRD would have been overjoyed the acquisition of Air India.

"On an emotional note, Air India, under the leadership of Mr J R D Tata had at one time gained the reputation of being one of the most prestigious airlines in the world," Tata said.

Tatas, he said, will have the opportunity of regaining the image and reputation it enjoyed in earlier years.

The Sensex soared past the 60,000-level while the Nifty finished at an all-time high on Friday after the Reserve Bank kept the key interest rates unchanged but maintained its accommodative stance to bolster economic recovery.

Market heavyweight Reliance Industries led the gains, while IT stocks too saw heavy buying ahead of TCS' results.

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 381.23 points or 0.64 per cent to close at 60,059.06, just shy of its lifetime high.

The NSE Nifty rose 104.85 points or 0.59 per cent to its fresh closing peak of 17,895.20.

Reliance Industries was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying 3.84 per cent, followed by Infosys, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, TCS, Tata Steel and L&T. In contrast, HUL, NTPC, Kotak Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Dr Reddy's and Titan were among the laggards, shedding up to 1.16 per cent.

17:17 No bail, it's jail for Aryan Khan

The Magistrate's court in Mumbai has said that the bail applications of Aryan Khan and two others are not maintainable before it and hence it has been rejected. In effect, Aryan Khan will spend the night at Arthur Road Jail today.

During the hearing, NCB opposed the grant of bail to Aryan Khan on grounds including that he is an influential person and may tamper with evidence.

Lawyer Satish Maneshinde, who appeared on behalf of Aryan, opposed the ground. "Merely because person belongs to affluent family, it cannot be said that evidence will be tampered with. What influence have I used? I am suffering for 6-7 days. People roaming free with much serious offences. I am not one of those," he said.

The court had on Thursday rejected the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) plea seeking further custody of Aryan Khan, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son, and seven others, saying simply doing this would be ' violation of their fundamental rights'.

Additional Metropolitan Magistrate R M Nerlikar sent the eight to 14-day judicial custody instead.

Gopal Ansal. File pic

16:59 Uphaar fire: Ansals convicted in evidence tampering case

A Delhi court on Friday convicted real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal for tampering with evidence in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire case.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma also held a former court staff Dinesh Chand Sharma and individuals P P Batra and Anoop Singh guilty in the case.

The court is likely to hear arguments on quantum of sentence on Monday.

The case is related to tampering with the evidence in the main fire tragedy which had claimed 59 lives, in which the Ansals were convicted and sentenced to 2-year jail term by the Supreme Court.

The apex court however released them taking into account the prison time they had done on the condition that they pay Rs 30 crore fine each, to be used for building a trauma centre in the national capital.

Two other accused, Har Swaroop Panwar and Dharamvir Malhotra, died during the course of the trial.

16:47 Ratan Tata: JRD would have been overjoyed

Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons. Chairman, Tata Trusts, tweets this image alongside with a short, emotional note on the return of Air India to the Tata hangar. "Welcome back, Air India (plane emoji, house emoji)," Tata wrote.

Read the note alongside.

Tatas have won the bid to acquire debt-laden state-run Air India offering Rs 18,000 crore for acquiring 100 per cent shareholding, a senior government official said on Friday.

An SPV of Tata Sons - the holding company of conglomerate - has emerged as successful bidder, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, secretary to the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) -- the government department responsible for privatisation - said.

Tata Sons beat SpiceJet promoter to bag Air India.

The DIPAM secretary said Tatas' bid of Rs 18,000 crore comprises taking over of 15,300 crore of debt and paying the rest in cash.

16:37 Govt to get Rs 2,700 cr cash from Tatas

Tata Sons beat SpiceJet promoter to bag Air India.

The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) secretary said Tatas' bid of Rs 18,000 crore comprises taking over of 15,300 crore of debt and paying the rest in cash.

The government will get Rs 2,700 cr cash from Tatas.

Both bidders had quoted above the reserve price, he said adding the transaction is planned to be closed by December.

He said a group of ministers comprising Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has cleared the winning bid for Air India on October 4.

Tatas will have to retain all employees of Air India for 1 year; can offer VRS in 2nd year.

16:31 Tatas back in Air India cockpit

For the Tatas, the original owners of Air India, bringing back the airline to its fold is worth the wait even if the attempt to privatise the bleeding national carrier by successive governments has taken over two decades.

The salt-to-software conglomerate has never let the love affair with aviation, more so with Air India that its former Chairman Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (JRD) had, to go off the radar.

From the first airmail service flight from Karachi to Bombay in October 1932 with JRD steering a Puss Moth aircraft to wresting control of Air India 89 years later, the conglomerate has had a roller coaster ride in the Indian civil aviation history.

Tata Airlines going public in 1946 as a 'joint stock company' named Air India and the maiden flight on June 8, 1948 of Air-India International -- the first public-private enterprise of independent India -- with its iconic mascot Maharaja to Europe, remain the breakout landmarks in the skies of the group.

Air-India International became one of the best airlines in the world with staff, maintenance and services provided by Tatas' domestic airline Air India.

16:27 Tata Sons buy Air India for Rs 18,000 crore

Tata Sons wins the bid for acquiring national carrier Air India. The company had the winning bid for Rs 18,000 crore.

Apart from a 100 per cent stake in Air India and its low-cost arm, Air India Express, the winning bid also includes a 50 per cent stake in ground-handling company Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited (AISATS).

Earlier this month both Tata Sons and SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh (in his private capacity) had placed bids.

Reports last month that Tata had won the bid were played down by Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who said then that nothing had been finalised.

In December 2020, the government invited expressions of interest for the divestment of Air India.

The Supreme Court expressed displeasure over a tweet posted by a media organisation which falsely claimed that Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana had met the kin of victims of Lakhmipur Kheri violence.

The Court said it respects the media and their independence but "this is not at all fair".

The apex court, which was hearing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence matter, termed the tweet very unfortunate and said the media should verify the facts.

"We are sorry to observe that somebody is exceeding the limit of freedom of speech. They should verify the facts. These are all false representations which is being done," said a bench, comprising the CJI and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli.

The issue cropped up when an advocate told the bench that on Thursday, a media organisation had posted a tweet which said the CJI had met the kin of victims of Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

"All of us are at the receiving end of irresponsible tweets. I have seen some about myself also," said senior advocate Harish Salve, who was appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government.

CJI Ramana said, "They must have some sense because I was sitting in the court. How can I go to Lucknow and visit the family. Leave it there. We should not bother about these things. In public life, we have to receive..," the CJI said.

Justice Surya Kant said the court expects they should come out with a bona fide and voluntary report to say this is what we have done.

The top court said it is not satisfied with the steps taken by the Uttar Pradesh government in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case in which eight persons were killed on October 3.

The bench told Salve to communicate to the top most police official that evidence and other relevant materials in the case are not destroyed. The court has posted the matter for hearing on October 20.

Aryan Khan and other accused will be kept in a quarantine cell for 3-5 days in Arthur Jail, says Nitin Waychal, Superintendent of Arthur Jail.

Earlier today the accused was brought to the Mumbai jail by the NCB.

The court gave judicial custody to the accused yesterday but they could not housed at the Arthur Road jail since it was past 6pm and their Covid tests were not done.

All the accused tested negative for Covid today.

The hearing for the interim bail of Aryan Khan is still on at a Mumbai court after a brief lunch break.

Aryan Khan was supplied drugs by one of the other men arrested in the cruise ship drug bust, the anti-drugs agency said in court yesterday as it argued against the 23-year-old being given bail.

On Monday, he was denied bail after his sensational arrest and was sent to the custody of anti-drugs agency Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till yesterday by a Mumbai court.

A fresh notice was posted at the Teni home today

15:33 Son will report to police tomorrow: Ajay Teni

Union Minister of State (Home) Ajay Mishra Teni on his son Ashish not reporting today before the UP police. He has been summoned for questioning tomorrow as well.

"My son was summoned yesterday but due to health reasons, he could not report to the police. He will report tomorrow," Teni said.

The Uttar Pradesh Police issued a fresh notice to Union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra asking him to appear before it by 11 am on Saturday in connection with the violence that killed eight people, including four farmers, after he missed his 10 am deadline on Friday.

The latest notice, pasted on the wall of Ajay Mishra's house Friday afternoon, warned that legal action will be initiated against him if he fails to appear before the investigators on Saturday.

Deputy Inspector General (Headquarters) Upendra Agarwal who is heading the team probing Sunday's incident waited for him at the police lines but he didn't show up, after which the fresh notice was issued.

As Ashish Mishra did not show up, reports emerged that he may have fled to Nepal.

Mumbai airport today. Pic: @ArjV89

15:16 Passenger rush, mega chaos at Mumbai airport

The Mumbai airport witnessed chaotic scenes on Friday due to heavy passenger rush amid the festive season and airlines advised travellers to report early to allow sufficient time for security check.

Many people took to social media to mention about the chaos and also shared pictures and videos of the scenes at the airport, which is operated by Adani Group.

In a statement, the airport operator said with the onset of the festive season, there has been a surge in passenger traffic and a sudden spike was witnessed at CSMIA this morning.

The aerodrome is known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Other city airports of the country also witnessed similar scenes, it added.

The operator also expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to any passenger and said that it was offering them all the support required.

In a tweet, Bollywood musician Vishal Dadlani said, "literally feels like we're in the dark ages". "Endless milling crowds, machines breaking down, tempers frayed, chaos everywhere. Staff doing their best but absolutely unable to cope," he said.

Along with a video of the jam-packed terminal, another passenger said, "complete chaos at Mumbai airport and the poor admin/officials have no idea how to control it. Proper mismanagement".

"Due to Security Hold Area congestion at Terminal T2 Mumbai Airport, we recommend our customers to report early for check-in to avoid any inconvenience," Vistara said in a tweet.

IndiGo issued an advisory asking its passengers at Mumbai and Chennai airports to report early to allow sufficient time for security check.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, saying thanks to him the "festive spirit has faded" due to sustained inflation.

In a tweet, Gandhi quoted a news report that price rise has hit the common people hard with petrol becoming dearer by Rs 2.35 and diesel by Rs 3 in 11 days.

"The prices of petrol, diesel and food items and LPG are continuing to rise. Thanks to Modi Ji, the festive spirit has faded," he said in a tweet in Hindi with the hashtag "price hike".

Rahul Gandhi and his Congress party has been attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the rise in prices of petrol, diesel and LPG and of essential food items. PTI

15:04 Cong, Aviation ministry pressers today

Two pressers to be held today:

1. A Special Congress Party media briefing will be held by Randeep Surjewala at 3 pn today, at tge Congress HQ in New Delhi.

2. The Civil aviation ministry will address a presser today at 4 pm.

Nobel Peace Prize 2021 awarded to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their efforts 'to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace'.

Ressa in 2012 co-founded Rappler, a news website that has focused 'critical attention on the (Philippines President Rodrigo) Duterte regime's controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign', the Nobel committee said.

Muratov was one of the founders of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta in 1993. -- Agencies

NCB brings Aryan Khan and other accused in the drug raid case to Arthur Jail.

This is the gist of what Aryan Khan's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said in the court today speaking on behalf of his client:

"Now on facts, I am a 23 yr old with no prior antecedents.

I happen to be part of Bollywood so I reached International terminal.

When I reached the NCB asked if I had drugs on me, I denied.

Despite that they searched me, my bag, my clothes.

They perused my phone.

They thought they will find something to interrogate me.

I have been found with nothing. Not even one gram, one ounce and so much capital is being made out of it. Power to grant regular bail means power to grant interim bail."

Maneshinde also told the Supreme Court that the fundamental rights of citizens should not be played around with. "They should not stand on technicalities. They should go by merit. There is no case on merit," he said.

Pakistan and the US have discussed regional security issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, and bilateral economic cooperation as America's Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman held talks with the country's NSA Moeed Yusuf in Islamabad.

The two countries expressed a desire to promote their bilateral relations during a meeting between Advisor to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on National Security Yusuf and the visiting US diplomat on Thursday.

No statement was issued after the meeting but according to Radio Pakistan, both sides discussed economic cooperation and the regional security situation.

Lakhimpur Kehri violence case: The Supreme Court says "not satisfied with action taken by Uttar Pradesh government so far", hearing after Dussehra.

This is a suo-motu hearing in the SC on the Lakhimpur Kheri violence which left 8 people dead.

The Supreme Court notes that senior advocate Harish Salve appearing for Uttar Pradesh government has assured it that the highest police officer in the state will be informed to preserve the evidence in the case.

Salve says the post mortem report did not show gun shot injury. "They have found two cartridges, maybe the accused had a bad aim," Salve said.

CJI asks Salve if this is ground for not taking custody of the accused.

Supreme Court says Uttar Pradesh government to apprise the court of an alternative agency which can conduct the probe.

The court says it is a brutal murder of eight persons and the law must take its course against all accused.

Court further says that it hopes that the UP government will take necessary steps due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh begins arguments on maintainability of bail petitions in the cruise ship drug seizure case.

Aryan Khan's bail petition also among those filed.

Satish Maneshinde, Aryan Khan's lawyer asks the court, "Why is the Union of India so agitated in this case where no possession is there...?"

He was sent to judicial custody by the Magistrate's court yesterday. Aryan Khan was supplied drugs by one of the other men arrested in the cruise ship drug bust, the anti-drugs agency said in court yesterday as it argued against the 23-year-old being given bail.

And while we wait for the outcome of the court proceedings for Aryan Khan and others, here's something to burst your fiscal bubble.

Former Reserve Bank Governor C Rangarajan said today that India becoming a USD five trillion economy by 2025 is impossible under the current circumstance and the country needs to grow at nine per cent per annum for the next five years in order to achieve that.

Delivering his address at 11th Convocation of ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Rangarajan said attempts should be made to curb the adverse impact of a third wave of COVID-19, if it happens and both the coverage of vaccination and the pace of investment in health infrastructure should be accelerated within the strategy of expanding the overall infrastructure investment.

"A few years ago, there was the hope that India would become a USD five trillion strong economy by 2025. That has become impossible. India's economy was USD 2.7 trillion strong in 2019. At the end of March 22, we will still be at the same level. To go from USD 2.7 trillion to USD 5 trillion, the economy has to grow at 9 per cent for five consecutive years," Rangarajan said.

In order to achieve the USD five trillion economy, growth which is the answer to many of socioeconomic problems, should therefore become the undivided concern of the government and equity which is equally important will be a distant dream unless it is supported by high growth spurred by reforms.

13:01 Aryan Khan's bail hearing begins

Mumbai's Esplanade Court begins hearing on bail pleas of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha in the cruise ship drug case.

Aryan Khan, son of movie star Shah Rukh Khan, was sent to judicial custody by the Magistrate's court yesterday.

Aryan Khan was supplied drugs by one of the other men arrested in the cruise ship drug bust, the anti-drugs agency said in court yesterday as it argued against the 23-year-old being given bail.

On Monday, he was denied bail after his sensational arrest and was sent to the custody of anti-drugs agency Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till yesterday by a Mumbai court.

All 8 accused, including Aryan Khan, have tested negative for COVID-19.

They could not be sent to judicial custody (jail) since it was after 6 pm when court proceedings ended and they had not been tested for Covid.

Has poll strategist Prashant Kishor parted ways with the Congress party.

This morning Kishor tweeted, "People looking for a quick, spontaneous revival of GOP led opposition based on #LakhimpurKheri incident are setting themselves up for a big disappoinment. Unfortunately there are no quick fix solutions to the deep-rooted problems and structural weakness of GOP."

Any decision on poll strategist Prashant Kishors induction to the Congress has seemingly been put on hold following reservations by senior party leaders and feedback that his lateral entry at a senior position can bring discontent in the party ahead of Assembly elections early next year.

Following meetings with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, there were reports that Kishor is expected to join in a top opposition to revamp the party.

Massive protests in Jammu over the killings of civilians by terrorists.

The Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Forum today staged a protest in Jammu against Pakistan over the killings of two teachers by terrorists in Srinagar, yesterday.

Slogans of, "We want justice" were raised during the funeral procession of Supinder Kaur, a teacher who was shot dead by terrorists inside a Srinagar school yesterday. Members of the Sikh community took part in her funeral procession today.

Two government school teachers, including a woman, were shot dead by terrorists in Eidgah area of Srinagar amid increasing attacks on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

A total of seven civilians have been killed by terrorists in the Kashmir Valley in five days.

Of the seven, four were from minority communities and six of the deaths took place in Srinagar, the main urban centre of the Valley.

Supinder Kaur, a Srinagar-based Sikh, and Chand, a Hindu from Jammu, were killed two days after The Resistance Force, a shadow outfit of the banned Lashkar-e-Tayiba, claimed responsibility for the deaths of three people on Tuesday.

Makhan Lal Bindroo, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit and owner of Srinagar's most famous pharmacy, was shot dead at his shop that evening. Minutes later, a 'chaat' vendor, Virendra Paswan from Bihar, was gunned elsewhere in Srinagar. Almost simultaneously, another civilian, Mohammad Shafi Lone, was killed at Naidkhai in Bandipora.

11:58 US says it supports Taiwan amid Chinese threat

The United States has said that its support for and defence relationship with Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the people's Republic of China, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The remarks made by Pentagon spokesperson John Supple come amid a report in Wall Street Journal that claimed that a US special operation unit and a contingent of Marines have been secretly training military forces in Taiwan to help shore up the country's defence.

Though Supple declined to comment on the specifics of the report, he said that US' support for Taiwan remains "strong, principled, and bipartisan," in line with his country's one-China policy and longstanding commitments, Focus Taiwan reported.

The US will continue to support the peaceful resolution of cross-Taiwan Strait issues, consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people on both sides, Supple said.

11:28 Dera Sacha Sauda chief convicted of murder

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been convicted in a Dera follower's murder case.

Panchkula CBI special court judge Sushil Garg pronounced him and others guilty.

The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on October 12.

Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni's son, Ashish, an accused in the deaths of eight people in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri, skipped summons at a police station this morning.

This was the first time that Ashish Mishra has been summoned for questioning amid calls for his arrest by the opposition and farmer leaders.

Mishra was asked to appear for questioning at 10 am for a probe headed by UP cop Upendra Agarwal.

Eight people died in Lakhimpur on Sunday after a car ran over a group of demonstrators protesting against the visit to the district by junior Home Minister Ajay Mishra and UP's Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Image: A policeman pastes a notice outside the residence of Union MoS for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra, summoning the main accused of Tikonia violence Ashish Mishra, for his personal appearance at the crime branch office.

Filmmaker Farah Khan is the latest celebrity to support Shah Rukh Khan and his family.

As Aryan's bail plea is to be heard by a Mumbai court today, it is also the his mother Gauri's birthday.

Taking to Instagram, Farah wished Gauri a very happy birthday and hoped that the latter gets the 'best birthday present' today.

"The strength of a mother is second to none! The prayers of a parent can move mountains & part seas.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the strongest mother and woman iv personally witnessed this past week.. @gaurikhan here s wishing you the best birthday present today," she wrote.

Alongside the note, Farah posted a throwback picture of SRK and Gauri.

10:44 IMPS limit to be increased to Rs 5 lakh: RBI

Another important announcement from the RBI: IMPS limit to be increased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.

This is the eighth time in a row that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has maintained status quo.

RBI had last revised its policy repo rate or the short-term lending rate on May 22, 2020, in an off-policy cycle to perk up demand by cutting interest rate to a historic low.

MPC decided to keep benchmark repurchase (repo) rate at 4 per cent, Das said while announcing the bi-monthly monetary policy review.

10:21 RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 4%

Reserve Bank of India keeps repo rate unchanged at 4%, maintains accommodative stance; reverse repo rate remains unchanged at 3.35%.

"Monetary Policy stance remains accommodative as long as necessary to revive and sustain growth and mitigate the impact of COVID19 pandemic while ensuring inflation remains within the target," RBI governor Shaktikanta Das said.

"The recovery of Indian economy is gaining traction; it's in better shape than last MPC meeting. Growth impulses strengthening, inflation trajectory favourable than anticipated; hope to sail towards normal times, due to resilience of economic fundamentals of our economy," the governor added.

On GDP, Das said that the projection for real GDP growth is retained at 9.5% for FY 2021-22. This consists of 7.9% in Q2, 6.8% in Q3 and 6.1% in Q4 of 2021-22. Real GDP growth for Q1 of FY 2022-23 is projected at 17.2%.

10:17 Vivek Oberoi seeks Goddess Durga's blessings

Actor Vivek Oberoi and his family welcome Ma Durga on the 2nd day of Navratri. "Let's pray to the divine Goddess but also remember to love and respect the Goddesses on earth; our mothers, wives, daughters and sisters," the actor tweeted.

10:09 Sensex rises over 200 pts ahead of RBI policy

Equity benchmark Sensex jumped over 200 points in early trade on Friday, tracking gains in Infosys, Reliance Industries and TCS, ahead of the Reserve Bank's policy outcome.

The 30-share Sensex was trading 223.79 points or 0.37 per cent higher at 59,901.62.

Similarly, the Nifty rose 77.75 points or 0.44 per cent to 17,868.10.

Tata Steel was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising over 3 per cent, followed by TCS, Dr Reddy's, L&T, Infosys and M&M. On the other hand, HUL, Asian Paints, HDFC, HCL Tech, SBI and Titan were among the laggards.

A vaccine kit delivered by drone

10:05 COVID-19: India records 21,257 cases, 271 deaths

With 21,257 people testing positive for the coronavirus infection in a day, India's total tally of cases rose to 3,39,15,569, while the number of active cases declined to 2,40,221, the lowest in 205 days, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Friday.

The death toll has climbed to 4,50,127 with 271 new fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The daily rise in coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 14 straight days.

The number of active cases has declined to 2,40,221, accounting for 0.71 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.96 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

A decrease of 3,977 cases has been recorded in the active caseload in a span of 24 hours.

Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, was invited to the Goa-bound cruise ship from where drugs were allegedly seized to 'add glamour', and he had no connection with its organisers, his lawyer told a court in Mumbai on Thursday.

Khan and seven other accused in the case were remanded in 14-day judicial custody by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R M Nerlikar, who rejected the Narcotics Control Bureau's plea for their further custody for interrogation.

While Aryan, along with Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha, was arrested on Sunday following a raid by the NCB on the ship off the Mumbai coast, Nupur Satija, Ishmeet Chadha, Mohak Jaiswal, Gomit Chopra and Vikrant Chhokar were arrested the following day.

Opposing the NCB's remand extension plea, Aryan Khan's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said his client was not connected with any of the other accused.

Aryan was on cruise as a 'VVIP guest' and 'a person connected with Bollywood wanted to add glamour to the cruise and hence invited him', the lawyer claimed.

'I (Aryan) am nowhere connected with any other person in cruise, or other arrested accused. I have no connection with the organisers or the other arrested accused,' advocate Maneshinde submitted.

He, however, accepted that Aryan knew Arbaaz Merchant.

'He (Merchant) is my friend, I'm not denying that. But mere knowledge of a person is not enough to keep me in custody,' the lawyer said.

As to the NCB's contention that it wanted to confront Khan and other accused with Achit Kumar, who was arrested later, Maneshinde said the agency had accessed Aryan's WhatsApp chat 'where Achit (Kumar) and I have discussed football about a year back', and 'football doesn't contain any drugs'.

Lawyers of other accused too opposed the remand application, saying no specific role was assigned to them.Advocate Ali Kaashif Khan, representing Munmun Dhamecha, said she was not connected to the other accused and no specific role had been assigned to her in the NCB's remand plea.

He also moved a plea seeking CCTV footage of the check-point from where she was arrested.

The NCB, seeking extension of the remand of Aryan and others, had said it wanted to confront them with Achit Kumar who was arrested on Wednesday and a foreign national arrested subsequently.

Kumar has been remanded to NCB custody till October 9.

The judge, after hearing all the submissions, rejected the NCB's plea and remanded Aryan and seven others in judicial custody.

They will, however, be kept at the NCB office till Friday as jails do not admit new prisoners without a negative COVID-19 test report.

Aryan and other accused have filed bail pleas which will be heard on Friday. -- PTI

08:49 Lakhimpur violence: SKM to hold meeting today

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday said that it will hold a meeting on October 8 to discuss the next course of action on the Lakhimpur Kheri violence that left four farmers dead.

The SKM, which is spearheading the farmers' agitation against the Centre's farm laws, also said that it is waiting for the arrest of Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra.

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday arrested two men in connection with the October 3 violence in Lakhimpur Kheri district.

According to a notice, Ashish Mehra has been asked to come to the police lines at 10 am Friday.

The SKM had on Wednesday warned the Centre and the UP government that it would launch a 'big programme' if its demands for the removal of MoS Ajay Mishra and the arrest of his son were not fulfilled till the 'antim ardas' of the farmers killed in the incident.

In its statement on Thursday, the SKM said that the 'antim-ardas' of the deceased farmers will be held on October 12.

It said that it is still waiting for the arrest of Ashish Mishra and his accomplices.

The farmers' group also condemned the statement of Uttar Pradesh minister Baldev Singh Aulakh that the Lakhimpur Kheri incident was an 'accident' and demanded that he withdraw it.

Eight people were killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

Of these, four were farmers, who were allegedly knocked down by vehicles driven by BJP workers travelling to welcome Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to an event in the area.

The other four include two Bharatiya Janata Party workers, a driver of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra, and Raman Kashyap, a journalist working for a private TV channel. -- PTI

IMAGE: A policeman pastes a notice outside the residence of Union MoS for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra, summoning the main accused of Tikonia violence Ashish Mishra, for his personal appearance at crime branch office on Friday at 10 am, in Lakhimpur Kheri, on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Image only for representation

08:24 India, China face off along LAC in Arunachal

Troops of India and China were engaged in a face-off along the Line of Actual Control in the Arunachal Pradesh sector as the patrols of two countries came face to face at one location.

Sources in the defence establishment said the face-off took place between the two sides last week and the troops disengaged after the talks between the two local commanders as per existing protocols.

The face-off lasted for a few hours before the troops disengaged and Indian troops outnumbered the Chinese at the location, sources said.

There was no damage to the Indian defences in the face-off that took place between the two sides at the location, they said.

Since the India-China border has not been formally demarcated and hence there is a difference in perception of LAC between the countries.

"Peace and tranquillity in these areas of differing perceptions have been possible by adherence to existing agreements and protocols between the two countries," they said.

Sources said both sides undertake patrolling activities upto their line of perception.

Whenever patrols of both sides physically meet, the situation is managed according to established protocols and mechanisms agreed by both sides.

Physical engagement can last for a few hours prior to disengaging as per mutual understanding, they said.

Earlier in August, India and China had disengaged troops from the Gogra heights area and moved them back to their permanent bases.

In the 12th round of military talks, India and China had agreed to disengage troops from patrolling point 17A, one of the friction points between the two countries in the eastern Ladakh region. -- ANI

Tamil Nadu has witnessed an increase in the overall sero-prevalence among the people at 70 per cent, suggest the findings of a latest round of serosurvey by the state government.

The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine on Thursday released the report of the 'state wide cross sectional Sero Survey', conducted in July-August across 827 clusters covering 24,586 samples.

A cluster consists of 30 participants who were randomly selected from a village in a rural area, while it was a street in urban locality.

"The overall sero prevalence was 70 per cent and the highest sero positivity was observed in Virudhunagar at 84 per cent," the report said.

Serosurvey or Seroprevalence studies are based on analysis of antibodies collected through blood sample collection.

In the earlier state-wide sero-surveys conducted by the department in October-November 2020, the sero-positivity was at 32 per cent while in March-April 2021 it was 29 per cent.

According to the findings released today of the 24,586 samples tested July-August 2021, 17,090 individuals have developed IgG antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 Virus.

Chennai, Tenkasi, Madurai and Theni districts reported sero positivity of above 75 per cent while Karur reported the lowest with 51 per cent. Perambalur, Ariyalur, Nilgiris reported less than 60 per cent of the sero positivity, the report said.

The blood samples were collected from the 24,586 participants while the presence of SARS CoV-2 IgG antibodies was tested using the Chemiluminescence based Immuno Assay (CLIA) method.

The samples were tested at the six laboratories of the Department of Public Health in Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem, Tirunelveli for the detection of IgG antiobodies.

The survey was led by the Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Director, T S Selvavinayagam and his team at the state and district level.

Timeline Refresh

TOP STORIES