LIVE! Govt bans drone import to promote local production

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Wed, 09 February 2022

Govt bans drone import to promote local production

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23:54 Govt bans drone import to promote local production

The government on Wednesday banned import of drones, with certain exceptions, as part of efforts to promote manufacturing of drones in the country.

Import of drones for R&D, defence and security purposes have been exempted from the ban but such imports will require due clearances.

"Import of drone components, however, shall not require any approvals," the civil aviation ministry said in a release on Wednesday.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade under the commerce and industry ministry has issued a notification banning the import of foreign drones. -- PTI

Representational image

23:16 6 wagons of coal laden goods train catch fire in Jharkhand

A coal-laden goods train travelling on Howrah-New Delhi route caught fire at Nimiyaghat police station area in Giridih district of Jharkhand on Wednesday disrupting train services for several hours, a railway official said.

Six coal-laden wagons of the goods train caught fire which could be doused with the help of fire tenders averting any mishap, railway manager at Parasnath Station, Shashikant Bharti said.

The goods train was on its way to Haryana from Mahuda, Dhanbad.

Fire could be doused with the help of fire tenders from Giridih and Dhanbad after hours, the official said.

Rail operations which were disrupted for some time could be restored later, the official added, without specifying the time period. -- PTI

Sachin Waze

22:42 Waze wants to turn approver in Deshmukh case

Dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze has written a letter to the Enforcement Directorate, saying he wants to turn an approver in a money laundering case registered by the central agency against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh and others.

Waze, currently in judicial custody in the Antilia bomb scare episode, is also an accused in the money laundering case in which Deshmukh has been arrested.

"I am willing to make truthful and voluntary disclosure of entire facts known to me regarding above referred matter before a competent magistrate," Waze said in his letter to Tassin Sultan, assistant director, ED.

"I request you to kindly treat this application for granting me pardon u/s 306, 307 of the CrPC," the former assistant police inspector said.

Sections 306 and 307 of the CrPC deal with powers of a court to grant pardon to an accomplice in a crime.

In a related development, the ED on Wednesday opposed Deshmukh's bail plea before a special court here, saying it's completely devoid of merits and liable to be rejected.

On January 28, the special court took cognisance of a supplementary charge-sheet filed by the ED against Deshmukh (71), his two sons and others in the money laundering case. -- PTI

An 18-year-old cadet of the National Defence Academy died after collapsing in the hostel of the tri-service training institute in Maharashtra's Pune on Wednesday, police said.

According to the police, Cadet G Pratyush, who had reported to the academy on Monday, collapsed outside his room in the hostel on Tuesday evening.

"The cadet fainted and collapsed in the passage outside the hostel room. He was taken to the military hospital, where he was declared brought dead," sub-inspector Suresh Jaybhay of Uttam Nagar police station said.

The family of the cadet was informed and a post-mortem was performed on Wednesday to ascertain the cause of death, the official added. -- PTI

On the third day in row, Mumbai reported less than 500 coronavirus cases on Wednesday.

However, the number of fatalities due to the infection jumped to nine, a day after recording only one COVID-19 death, as per the bulletin released by the city civic body.

With the detection of 441 fresh cases, the overall tally of cases has risen to 10,52,617 in Mumbai.

The COVID-19 death toll has jumped to 16,676, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's bulletin said.

On Monday, Mumbai had logged 356 COVID-19 cases- the lowest daily rise after December 21, 2021 when the third wave of the pandemic started.

The day before the city had recorded 447 cases and only one fatality. Mumbai's case positivity rate now stands at 1.16 per cent, the BMC said, adding that Mumbai is now left with 4,096 active cases.

Of the 441 new cases, 85 per cent or 376 patients are asymptomatic. In the last 24 hours, only 65 patients were hospitalised and 24 are on oxygen support, it said.

A total of 37,800 tests were conducted in Mumbai in the last 24 hours, 3,000 more than Monday, taking the number of samples tested so far to 1,56,51,624, it said.

With 1,115 COVID-19 patients being discharged in the last 24 hours, the number of recoveries in Mumbai has jumped to 10,29,006.

Mumbai's case recovery rate now stands at 98 per cent.

The doubling rate now stands at 840 days, while the overall growth rate stood at 0.08 per cent between February 2 and February 8, the bulletin said. -- PTI

Bollywood actor Aditya Pancholi and film producer Sam Fernandes have lodged cross non-cognisable complaints against each other following a dispute, a Mumbai police official said on Wednesday.

Both of them have accused each other of manhandling and using abusive language, he said.

Fernandes and Pancholi met recently at a five-star hotel in suburban Juhu to discuss the role of Aditya's son Suraj Pancholi in a movie produced by Fernandes.

However, both entered into a heated exchange over the production of the film.

Both of them allegedly manhandled each other, the Juhu police station official said quoting the complaints.

The official said that Fernandes had given a role to Suraj Pancholi in his film, but due to some financial issue, the production of the film got stuck.

Aditya Pancholi was insisting that Fernandes complete the movie.

The cross complaints were registered under charges of intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace and punishment for criminal intimidation of the Indian Penal Code.

Further investigation is underway, the official added. -- PTI

20:12 I see a wave for BJP in all states: Modi

The Bharatiya Janata Party is always involved in serving people, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"When in power, we work with mantra of sabka saath, sabka vikas. I can see a wave for the BJP in all states. We'll win with an overwhelming majority & people in 5 states will give us an opportunity to serve them,' said Modi to ANI.

Wherever the BJP has been given the opportunity to work with stability, there you will find an atmosphere of pro-incumbency and not anti-incumbency, he said.

"BJP always emerges into elections with pro-incumbency,' said the PM. -- ANI

19:35 CBI calls TMC MP Dev in cattle smuggling case

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday summoned Trinamool Congress MP and actor Deepak Adhikari, who is popularly known by his screen name Dev, in connection with its probe into a multi-crore cattle smuggling racket operating along the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, a source in the agency said.

The anti-corruption branch of the CBI asked the actor-turned-politician to appear before officials of the central agency on February 15 at its Nizam Palace office in Kolkata, the source said.

"Dev's name had surfaced several times during interrogation of those accused in the case," the agency source said.

The CBI had earlier questioned several persons, including Bikash Mishra, brother of Binay Mishra, a businessman allegedly involved in the cattle smuggling racket, and considered close to the West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress. -- PTI

After blocking for over a week, social media giant Instagram restored the handle of Chinar Corps, the Indian Army's strategically located formation in the Kashmir valley, while Facebook has assured a timely solution, officials said here on Wednesday.

As the issue of Instagram and Facebook taking off the pages was highlighted, the social media website got in touch with the officials at the Kashmir-based XV Corps, popularly known as Chinar Corps, following which the Instagram page, having around four lakh followers, was restored on Wednesday morning.

The company had objected to some of the posts, alleging that they were against the rules laid down.

Following e-mail interactions with the technical team of Facebook, the Instagram account was restored while the account on Facebook would be restored soon after all the material from the previous handle was shifted to a new handle, the officials said.

On Tuesday, a senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, had said that the matter had been taken up with authorities concerned in Facebook, but there had been no response from their side. -- PTI

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh on Wednesday claimed that Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari of the Bharatiya Janata Party, is keen to return to the TMC, finding himself suffocated in the saffron party.

However, the TMC will not take him back because of his 'abusive comments' against state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee after joining the BJP, Ghosh told reporters.

In response, Adhikari who had quit the TMC and joined the BJP in December 2020 ahead of the assembly election said he does not reply to remarks of persons who were accused in graft cases.

Describing Sabyasachi Datta, a TMC candidate in the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation election, as a 'chameleon', Adhikari recently said it was a mistake on the part of the BJP to give him ticket for the assembly polls.

Dutta quit the TMC in 2019, unsuccessfully contested as a BJP candidate in the 2021 assembly polls and returned to his former party later. -- PTI

President Ram Nath Kovind will visit Maharashtra and Telangana from February 10 to 14, said a release issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday.

Accordingly, the president will inaugurate the new Darbar Hall at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on February 11.

On February 12, Kovind will visit Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial at Ambadawe village in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.

He will grace the Sri Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Samaroham and unveil the golden deity of Sri Ramanujacharyaji in Hyderabad on February 13, said the release.

As the hijab row escalated to reach the Parliament, Congress Lok Sabha MP K Suresh on Wednesday gave adjournment motion notice to discuss the matter and hit out at the Karnataka government stating that the 'communalisation of the ongoing crisis by the state government is against the constitution.'

In his adjournment notice, Suresh wrote, "The communalisation of the ongoing crisis by the state government is against the Constitution and the government must find ways to resolve the crisis immediately."

Calling the situation panning out in Karnataka following the initiation of the row 'dangerous,' the Congress MP said that the rights of the Muslim students to wear hijab is being 'unilaterally denied.'

"The dangerous situation unfolding in Karnataka, where the rights of Muslim students to wear hijab is being unilaterally denied and their rights to freedom of choice and practice of faith are interfered. The colleges forcing Muslim students to choose between hijab and studies is denying the right to education to students and the situation is spiralling out of control to a violent communal conflagration spilling across the country and it can ignite religious animosity between communities," he wrote.

The matter being subjudice, Karnataka high court's single bench of Justice Krishna Dixit on Wednesday referred petitions challenging the ban on hijab in colleges to a larger bench. -- ANI

RBI governor Shaktikanta Das

18:05 LIVE! RBI unlikely to change key policy rates tomorrow

The Reserve Bank of India is likely to keep key policy rates, including repo and reverse repo rates, unchanged in its monetary policy review to be announced on Thursday against the backdrop of Union Budget 2022-23 and growing inflationary concerns.

The six-member Monetary Policy Committee headed by Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das started deliberations on the bi-monthly policy review on Tuesday and is scheduled to make the announcements on February 10.

The meeting was originally scheduled to take place on February 7-9, 2022. However, it was rescheduled to February 8-10 after the Maharashtra government declared February 7 as a public holiday to mourn the death of legendary singer Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar.

This policy review is particularly important as it comes just nine days after the 2022 budget announcements. Also, this is the last policy review of the financial year 2021-22.

Analysts and industry leaders feel that the RBI is unlikely to change key policy rates this time and may increase the rates in April.

"Union Budget 2022 has stressed on growth rather than fiscal consolidation, clearly indicating its priority. In order to support this, the RBI should maintain the low interest rate regime and keep the policy repo rate unchanged in its monetary policy," said Mahesh Desai, chairman, Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India.

"We are yet to see economic recovery taking roots and the spurt in high-frequency numbers may be the result of pent-up demand due to restrictions imposed to contain virus spread. The contact-intensive sectors are struggling and trying to come out of the long pandemic shadow," Desai added.

The RBI has not changed key policy rates for over one-and-a-half years.

The last time the RBI changed policy rate was in May 2020 when it had slashed the key interest rates to a historic low to support the economy ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The repo rate, the interest rate at which the RBI lends short-term funds to banks, was slashed to 4 per cent. The reverse repo rate, the interest rate at which the RBI borrows from banks, was reduced to 3.35 per cent in May 2020.

These policy rates have remained unchanged since May 2020.

In the last policy review announced on December 8, 2021, the Monetary Policy Committee took a unanimous decision to maintain the status quo on policy rates. The committee had also decided to maintain an "accommodative policy stance."

17:14 Farm sector needs more attention: Oppn in RS

Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday accused the government of leaving out the majority of the poor in its Budget 2022-23 and not doing enough for the farm sector that employs a large number of people in the country.

During the second day of the discussion on the Union Budget, CPI leader Binoy Viswam alleged that the Budget was a "failure" and only intended to benefit "big corporate houses such as Tata, Birla, Ambani and Adani".

"This Budget is not for the poor but the rich at the top," he said, adding there has been no attempt to provide succour to women, farmers and health sector as allocations have been slashed and subsidies reduced. TRS leader K R Suresh Reddy lamented the "cut" in food subsidies and the "meagre" sum allocated for research in agriculture.

"With the heavy heart, I must tell the finance minister that a 90 minutes (budget) speech has left 90 crore Indians out of a Budget. This so called progressive budget has alienated the majority of the poor people," he said.

Reddy added, "The year 2022 was the year to double the farmers' income...You reduced Rs 10,000 crore for procurement ( of agriculture produce).

"The policy of procurement (agriculture produce) is vague. Farmers sows crops in December and you assure them to tell them about the procurement plan in March. Growing crops is not a SWIGGY service. Farmers need time," he said.

Reddy said the agricultural sector's growth needs to be brought to a "reasonable high" in order to double the farmers' income, else it will remain a mirage.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra's Modi's allegation that the Congress governments in states were the reason for migrants walking back home during the pandemic, Viswam said, "Was it Congress party which did the lockdown?"

He said though his party CPI has lots of criticism against the Congress party as it started the disastrous policies of the economy, it is BJP that is doing much more damage.

In his speech earlier this week, while replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address, the prime minister had said the government would support the wealth creators, he noted.

"Who are the wealth creators. For this governments Adani, Ambani, Tata and Birla type of people .. This is a Adani Ambani government and a Tata Birla Government," he alleged.

Comedian Vir Das on the ongoing hijab ban.

"When you pass your prejudices down to your kids, you're fighting your own irrelevance. Most of them will learn enough to outgrow you. Those that don't, will turn in to you. But in the long run, the world will always leave those who refuse to evolve behind. Just like it left you," Das tweeted.

The picture shows a black student in the US when schools began desegregation. Black students were heckled and several white students refused to go to school with them. But so many more white students, fought to go to the desegregated schools and at long last, justice prevailed.

Maruti was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising over 4 per cent, followed by IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finserv, Titan, Wipro, and Bharti Airtel. On the other hand, Sun Pharma, ITC and PowerGrid were the laggards.

AIIMS, Delhi discontinues routine Covid-19 testing prior to inpatient hospitalization and surgeries. This is the norm for admission of patients to hospitals across the country.

India reported 71,365 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

The active caseload mounted to 8,92,828, which is 2.11 per cent of the total COVID-19 cases reported so far. The daily positivity rate in the country dropped to 4.54 per cent while the weekly positivity rate also dipped to 7.57 per cent.

16:22 The Telegraph newspaper on the Hijab Row

The Karnataka High Court's single bench of Justice Krishna Dixit refers petitions challenging the ban on hijab in colleges to a larger bench.

An overwhelmed Babu plants a kiss on army personnel after being rescued

16:13 Don't denigrate Army: Union Minister

Politics in the rescue of a trekker by armed forces in Kerala.

Union Minister V Muraleedharan: "I want to congratulate Southern Command of Indian Army and NDRF for rescuing a trekker in Palakkad, Kerala. It is unfortunate that there are some people among us, who, instead of applauding the Army, have been denigrating them.

"I want to remind them that our Armed Forces are trained not only to protect and save the borders but also to come to the rescue of the citizens. If you do not respect them, at least don't denigrate them."

An Indian army team on Wednesday rescued a youth who was stuck in a steep gorge in Kerala's Malampuzha mountains since Monday.

"One team of 12 personnel from Madras Regiment Centre, Wellington, consisting of mountain qualified personnel with specialist equipment reached by road at the location at early hours on Wednesday," Army sources said.

The boy named Babu from Malampuzha was trapped in the pocket of a steep hill since Monday.

Single Bench of Karnataka High Court refers the hijab ban issue to a larger bench. The Bench refuses to pass interim orders permitting girls to attend colleges wearing the hijab and says that interim relief is to be considered by the larger bench.

The Karnataka High Court was hearing petitions filed by five women from a government college in Udupi.

The Karnataka court said there is nothing in the Karnataka Education Act which deals with uniform. There is a residual rule making power but rule making power cannot go beyond Act. Even if assuming the State has power, can it be exercised this way? The answer, Justice Hegde, said, was, "No".

"Ultimately what is relevant for us is whether children go to school or not," Justice Hegde said.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh claimed that according to a report the Campus Front of India (CFI) is said to have incited the Hijab row, and would be investigated. CFI is the student wing of the Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).

Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Karnataka hijab row: "Where there is a prescribed uniform in schools/colleges, it should be followed. Only education should be the focus at centers of education. Religious or political issues should not be brought to schools/colleges."

The Karnataka high court is hearing the matter on a batch of petitions challenging the Karnataka government order dated February 5, which prohibited any cloth other than the prescribed uniform, which disturbed peace, harmony and, law and order.

Jnanendra on Tuesday night held a meeting with the Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan and Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh.

The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday said that no proposal to ban 'hijab' in educational institutions in the state is under its consideration even as state school education minister Inder Singh Parmar, who had backed 'hijab' ban and proposed a dress code in schools, said that his statement was "wrongly interpreted".

There is no controversy over (the wearing of) 'hijab' in Madhya Pradesh. No proposal is under consideration of the state government regarding hijab ban. So, there should be no confusion in this regard, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who is also spokesperson of the state government, told reporters.

When asked about the protests for and against the wearing of 'hijab' or headscarves in Karnataka, Mishra said this matter is related to Karnataka which is pending before the High Court there.

Protests for and against the 'hijab' intensified at colleges in different parts of Karnataka after the state government last week issued an order making uniforms prescribed by it or management of private institutions mandatory for its students at schools and pre-university colleges across the state.

Speaking on the campus unrest in parts of Karnataka, BJP's national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who hails from Indore, on Wednesday said that schools are to gain knowledge and not to spread religious fanaticism.

"The attempt is being made to spread religious hysteria in Karnataka schools by insisting on wearing hijab is inappropriate. A school has its own dress code and it should be strictly followed, Vijayvargiya tweeted. Meanwhile, Parmar issued a video statement stating that his remarks about the uniform in schools was related to "uniformity, discipline and identity of schools". -- PTI

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi misused the Parliament for political gains.

Speaking to ANI, Kharge said, "The Prime Minister was only attacking Congress and was not answering questions raised by the party. Congress party raised issues like China's extreme aggression, rising inflation in the country, unemployment, crisis arising out of Pegasus and COVID-19 in front of the government, but the Prime Minister did not say anything on these issues."

He slammed the Prime Minister stating that he should have kept in mind the dignity of the post he is occupying.

"The Prime Minister should have kept in mind the dignity of the post but he talked only on those issues which can be used for elections in five states, if there is any hate and anger against Congress, Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and Rahul Gandhi, he can speak these things outside the House and should have responded to the issues raised by the Congress in the House. But the Prime Minister has misused the House for electoral gains.

The Congress leader further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to divide the country on the basis of religion.

"Since independence till now all the people in the country are living together, in a democracy, all the people are voting which is because of the contribution of the Congress party. Whereas the mindset of the BJP is to divide the country on the basis of religion because they do not want to keep the country united," he added.

Earlier in a scathing attack on the grand old party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that Congress's thinking has been hijacked by 'urban Naxals'.

As many as 610 Kashmiri Pandits were given back their properties left behind in Jammu and Kashmir following eruption of militancy there in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said in the Rajya Sabha that 3,000 state government jobs were created for Kashmiri migrants under the Prime Minister's Development Package-2015 (PMDP-2015) with an outlay of Rs 1,080 crore.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed 1,739 migrants and selected additional 1,098 migrants under PMDP-2015. As per the information provided by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, the land of 610 applicants (migrants) has been restored in the last five years, he said in a written reply to a question. -- PTI

14:35 Making of a Maoist

In Jharkhand's Gomia block, men and women find themselves falsely accused of being Maoists, called to police stations and threatened, arrested in fake cases, harassed to identify fellow villagers as Naxals. Investigation reveals police procedures were flouted, detainees were beaten, fake witnesses presented, minors' age not verified and illegal offers made for government rewards upon surrender.

Read the report here.

14:18 Open to tinkering in capital gains tax: Govt

The government is open to 'some tinkering' in the varied rates and holding period for computation of capital gains tax on shares, debt and immovable property, in a bid to make it simple, Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj said on Wednesday.

Under the Income Tax Act, gains from sale of capital assets, both movable and immovable, are subject to 'capital gains tax'.

The Act, however, excludes movable personal assets such as cars, apparels, furniture from this tax. Bajaj said the current capital gains tax structure is "too complicated" in terms of varied rates and period of holding across the assets and hence needs a relook.

"We need to rework the capital gains structure for rates, holding period We would be open to some tinkering in it the next time we get an opportunity," Bajaj said at a CII event. Asking the industry chamber to also conduct a study on what are the prevailing rates of capital gains tax across the world, Bajaj said, the department has already studied the rates in other nations like India and the developed world.

"Number one is rate and number two is the period for which it is. I think it is too complicated... that we have created. For real estate, we have made it 24 months, for shares 12 months, for debt it is 36 months. We need to work on that," Bajaj said.

Observing that when any such tinkering is brought about, there would be a segment of taxpayers who would stand as gainers, while there would be a segment who would lose out compared to their present tax provision, the Secretary said, adding "that becomes the most difficult part".

Amid FY23 Union Budget's focus on investments, leading domestic credit rating agency Crisil on Wednesday said that the capital expenditure is "not as high as it sounds".

It, however, was quick to add that considering that governments usually tend to cut capex during a crisis, the government has maintained its focus on growth-spurring initiatives amid the pandemic.

The research wing of the agency said, if one excludes the Rs 1 lakh crore of loans to states for capex included in the headline figure of Rs 7.50 lakh crore or 2.91 per cent, the actual spend in FY23, will go down to 2.58 per cent of GDP, which is barely at par with the revised estimate of FY22.

The report also pointed out that the overall number showing a rise has been 'offset' through a reduction in internal and extra budgetary resources (IEBR), which funds capex of central public sector enterprises (CPSEs). IEBR has been budgeted at 1.82 per cent of GDP for the next fiscal, much lower than the pre-pandemic average (fiscals 2018-20) of 3.33 per cent, it said, attributing the same to poor capex execution by CPSEs lately.

The overall central capex for FY22 which is the sum of effective budgetary capex and IEBR, would remain intact at 5.96 per cent of GDP for next fiscal, the same as pre-pandemic average between 2018-20. It can be noted that many quarters had hailed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her budget speech that mentioned an over 35 per cent jump in capex for FY23, to help revive growth, which has suffered in the pandemic.

Additionally, on the revised estimates for FY22, showing a rise in capex to 2.60 per cent from the budget estimate of 2.39 per cent, the Crisil report explained that this is due to a one-time expenditure of Rs 51,971 crore towards Air India's liabilities.

Noting that the government has been able to fully spend its capex budget, the report said in the last two fiscal, a bulk of expenditure happened in the last quarter and made a plea for frontloading of the committed money to help the demand process. -- PTI

14:07 BJP copy-pasted Cong's UP manifesto: Priyanka

More on the Congress party's UP manifesto.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday accused the BJP of copy-pasting the pledges made by her party in their Uttar Pradesh poll manifesto which she termed as "dhokha patra".

The BJP on Tuesday assured free electricity for irrigation, a job for every household and free travel for women over 60 in its Uttar Pradesh election manifesto, which also promised a minimum 10-year sentence in cases of what it describes as "love jihad".

"The BJP should name its 'Ghoshna Patra' as 'Dhokha patra'. The BJP, which used the talk about past 70 years, could not fulfil even one-fourth of the promises made in its manifesto in past five years years," Priyanka said in a tweet in Hindi.

"It (manifesto) neither has the account of the work of five years, nor has the vision of building the future. That is why, it (BJP) has copy-pasted the pledges of Congress," she added.

Update: More on the Congress party's UP poll manifesto.

The Congress will waive all farm loans within 10 days of forming the new government, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Wednesday as she released her party's (third) manifesto for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, which begins tomorrow with voting in the western districts.

"We have released three manifestos so far - for women, for youth, and today the general one. Everything is based on suggestions from the public. We talked to one lakh people... including common people, labourers, farmers and people of all classes. This is a public manifesto," she said.

-- Aid up to Rs 10 lakh will be given for any disease. Cow dung will be bought for Rs 2/kg, which will further be used in vermi-composting.

-- Small and medium businesses were more affected, no support came from the government. We'll develop clusters and support them.

-- All suggestions have been taken from the UP public. Farmers' loans will be waived off within 10 days of coming to power. Electricity bills will be waived off, COVID-affected families will be given Rs 25,000.

-- Will provide 20 lakh govt jobs. School fees will be controlled, around 2 lakh vacant teaching seats will be filled. Teachers & 'Shiksha Mitra' will be regularized. Free education for students of tribal & backward classes from KG to PG.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launches the Congress manifesto 'Unnati Vidhan Jan Ghoshna Patra-2022' for the Uttar Pradesh Elections.

She said in 10 days after coming to power in UP, her party will waive farmers' loans.

The Congress will be contesting all the 403 Assembly seats in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls after nearly three decades, terming it a "major achievement".

The Congress general secretary and the party in-charge for Uttar Pradesh also said she is mentally prepared to face FIRs, court cases or even a jail term in her attempt to put up a fight against the Yogi Adityanath government.

Shabnam Hashmi

13:20 Safdar Hashmi's sister on the hijab row

Social activist, Nobel Peace prize nominee and human rights campaigner Shabnam Hashmi tweets on the hijab row:

"My women rights friends,

I have seen your statements, read your articles.

I am not fighting to safeguard the hijab. Period.

Refuse to become a pawn between the Hindu Right and the Muslim Right.

Hijab is neither my identity, nor my pride , and not my dignity."

Shabnam is the sister of playwright Safdar Hashmi, known for his work with street theatre in India. He passed away in 1989.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra holds a roadshow in Mathura

12:47 50,000 paramilitary deployed for Phase I UP polls

Nearly 50,000 paramilitary personnel from 412 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed at different locations to maintain poll-bound state's law and order as the election campaign for the first phase of assembly polls in western Uttar Pradesh ended on Tuesday evening.

The police have sealed the borders of the State and strict vigilance is underway to maintain peace in 58 assembly constituencies which will go for polling tomorrow.

"The highest deployment will be seen in Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh and Meerut. In Mathura alone, 75 convoys of paramilitary have been deployed and the total force deployed is 21,000 in this constituency," the security officials told ANI about the deployment of troops in sensitive areas.

The officials also informed that thorough vigilance is being done at the state borders of both Haryana and Rajasthan where police officials are listing the car numbers. Amidst tight security, polling officers and the teams have started assembling at Krishi Utpanna Bajar Samiti to collect all the required election materials since 7 am on Wednesday.

"There will be movement of force throughout and voting will be held amidst tight security. Duty cards were allotted. The liquor shops have been closed for 48 hours and will open only once the voting is over," the officials added.

Moreover, if hoardings, banners or posters of candidates will be seen within a radius of two hundred meters of the polling booths it will be taken down immediately. At the election booths, candidates who will put more than three by four and a half feet banner will be considered as a violation of the Model code of conduct, the official said. -- PTI

Cartoonist Manjul on the hijab row

12:40 There was never any problem earlier, says former student

When the leadership at the Centre changes, states tow the line.

Swaroop Mami a lawyer and former student of MGM College where the hijab row is taking place, tweets, "I studied here from 2000-2002. There were hijabi students there at that time, and I even recall one or two students in burqas. There was never a problem. And to all those talking about uniforms - MGM College never had uniforms and doesn't have even now."

BJP National Executive Committee member Khushbu Sundar tweets in support of a ban on students wearing the hijab to school.

"Education is not about religion, it's about equality. I believe n am for wearing a uniform in school. The rules are n should be the same for all. Educational institutions are not to showcase your religion, but to show your strength as an Indian. Shame on those who play politics," Sundar wrote.

"Let us be as we use to be in our school days, as one. I didnt see any child wearing anything else but a uniform in my school days. Not even when my kids were in school. No one complained. Why this sudden urge to wear your religion as your badge to school? Dont schools have rules?" she added.

The hijab controversy first erupted in January at a government PU College in Udupi, where six students who attended classes wearing headscarf in violation of the stipulated dress code were asked to leave the campus, has spread to different parts of the state with Hindu students too responding by turning up in saffron shawls.

Such saffron-clad students are also being barred from entering classes.

The row has also taken a political colour as the ruling BJP stood strongly in support of uniform-related rules being enforced by educational institutions, calling the headscarf, a religious symbol, while the opposition Congress has come out in support of Muslim girls

11:42 SC notice to Future group on plea of Amazon

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Future group on an appeal of US e-commerce major Amazon against the January 5 order of the Delhi High Court staying the ongoing arbitration proceedings before an arbitral tribunal over Future Retail's Rs 24,500-crore merger deal with Reliance.

A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli issued notices to the Future group firms and listed the plea for hearing on February 23. The Delhi High Court on January 5 had stayed the Amazon-Future arbitration which is going on before a three-member arbitral tribunal over the latter's Rs 24,500-crore deal with Reliance.

Amazon and the Future group are engaged in the legal battle for over a year as the US major is opposing the merger of FRL with Reliance Retail. PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Statue of Equality, the 216 feet seated statue of Ramanujacharya, is made in China. The statue was inaugurated by PM Modi in Hyderabad on February 5.

@RahulGandhi tweeted, "Statue of Equality is Made in China. 'New India' is China-nirbhar?"

Gandhi's accusations are based on reports that claimed that the 135 crore statute was made by China's Aersun Corporation. The contract was given in August 2015. The reports said a major work was carried out in China and the statue was brought to India in 1,600 pieces. The installation took about 15 months.

11:27 Why the hijab row is happening in Karnataka

Much of the outrage on the hijab row asks the naive question: "Why is it happening in Karnataka?"

The answers from @churumuri

"Why are you surprised?"

The startup state was an early-stage investor in #Hindutva. Its reputation as a #Hindutva laboratory precedes #Gujarat and #UttarPradesh.

BJP's political quest for the Babri Masjid only began in the late 1980s. In #Karnataka, the ground to reclaim Baba Budangiri, a Sufi shrine in #Chikamagalur district, had been laid a decade before #Ayodhya became common parlance, in 1978.

"In 1990, when L.K. Advani's 'Rath Yatra' passed through #Karnataka, seven people died in Bidar in communal riots. But 600 km away, in and around #Bangalore, at least another 33 people died in clashes in 5 locations. It was not an accident.

"In the Ram Janmabhoomi movement that resulted in the demolition of the #BabriMasjid in 1992, the head of the #PejawarMutt in #Udupi was a key behind-the-scenes playerand mentor to the likes of Uma Bharati. His successor is a member of the Ram Temple trust.

"In 1921, the Anjuman-e-Islami got the Idgah Maidan in #Hubli on lease for 999 years. But the Sangh Parivar contested the constructions on it in the 1960s. When #UmaBharati tried to hoist the national flag in 1994, riots claimed five lives.

"Although he was born in #Bangalore, the late #BJP leader and former Union minister Ananth Kumar cut his political teeth in #Hubli, where his mother Girija Sastry was a member of the Jan Sangh and the deputy mayor of the local city corporation.

"Karnataka's coastal belt has been a happy hunting ground for #Hindutva. In 2009, the Sri Rama Sene attained national infamy for barging into a pub in #Mangalore and beating up young men and women at lunch. They claimed the women were violating "traditional Indian values".

"Moral policing is an old story in #Karnataka. In 1998, an eve-teasing incident involving a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl in #Surathkal resulted in riots. 10 died. Hindu Jagran Vedike, a Sangh Parivar outfit, allegedly fanned the communal flames."

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has written a letter to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, claiming he was approached by certain people who asked him to assist in toppling the MVA government in Maharashtra so that the state could be forced into mid-term elections.

In the letter to Naidu, who is also chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Raut said central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) were systematically targeting Shiv Sena leaders, after the party formed government in Maharashtra with the NCP and Congress after severing ties with its old ally BJP. Raut requested Naidu to take note of the abuse of power and alleged harassment of Rajya Sabha members, and said the vice president should also speak up and take action in this connection.

The Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson wrote the letter to Naidu on Tuesday and also sent its copies to leaders like Congress's Rahul Gandhi and NCP president Sharad Pawar.

"About a month ago, I was approached by certain people and was told to assist them in toppling the state government in Maharashtra. They wanted me to be instrumental in such an endeavour so that the state could be forced into a mid-term election," Raut alleged.

The Rajya Sabha member further said he refused to be part of the clandestine agenda, and claimed he was told that his refusal would lead to him paying a heavy price.

"I urge you to not just take note of the abuse of power to perpetuate intimidation and harassment of members of the Rajya Sabha, but also to speak up and take action," Raut said in the letter to Naidu.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi on Wednesday, Raut also accused the central agencies like the ED of becoming part of a criminal syndicate of the BJP". He charged the ED with working on the directions of some people. Raut expressed confidence that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will complete its five-year tenure. -- PTI

Mumbai based innovation-driven global pharma company Glenmark has launched Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (FabiSpray) in India, in partnership with SaNOtize, for treatment of adult patients suffering from COVID-19.

Glenmark received manufacturing and marketing approval from India's drug regulator, Drugs Controller General of India, for Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray as part of the accelerated approval process.

"Phase 3 trial in India met the key endpoints and demonstrated reduction of viral load of 94 per cent in 24 hours and 99 per cent in 48 hours. Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) was safe and well-tolerated in COVID-19 patients. Glenmark to market NONS under the brand name FabiSpray," reads the official statement.

The company claims that when the Nitric Oxide Nasal is sprayed over nasal mucosa it acts as a physical and chemical barrier against the virus. "FabiSpray is designed to kill the COVID-19 virus in the upper airways. It has proven anti-microbial properties with a direct virucidal effect on SARS-CoV-2. NONS when sprayed over nasal mucosa acts as a physical and chemical barrier against the virus, preventing it from incubating and spreading to the lungs," the statement reads.

Terming the spray an effective and safe antiviral treatment for COVID-19, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd's Chief Commercial Officer Robert Crockart said "we are confident it will offer patients a much needed and timely therapy option." -- ANI

R Babu, the trekker from Kerala, trapped in a steep gorge in Malampuzha mountains in Palakkad has been rescued. Teams of the Indian Army had undertaken the rescue operation.

Dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, Babu was pictured with smiling helmeted army personnel. Some were even clicking selfies and flashing the victory sign.

Babu climbed the Cherad Hill in Malampuzha along with two friends on Monday. Babu kept climbing even after his friends abandoned the effort, and reached the top, but he slipped and was trapped between two rocks.

For the rescue operation in Palakkad, two Army teams were moved on requisition from the state government.

The second team of 22 personnel from Parachute Regiment centre, Bangalore also moved by aircraft to Sulur and reached the spot by 4:00 am.

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) star campaigners for Goa Assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, will visit the state on Wednesday, and hold a series of public rallies and door-to-door meetings across various constituencies in North and South Goa.

As per a press release issued by the BJP, Shah's day-long engagements start with the door-to-door campaign at Mayem Assembly Constituency at 3.30 pm followed by a door-to-door campaign at Bicholim Assembly Constituency at 4.25 pm.

He will campaign for BJP candidates Premendra Shet and Rajesh Patnekar in their respective two constituencies.

Shah will further address a public meeting at Open Space of Zantye Hall in Bicholim at 4.50 pm.

He will conclude his campaign trail with a public meeting at Bodke Ground, Sakhali Bazar at 6.50 pm where Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will also be present. Sawant is the BJP candidate from Sanquelim Assembly Constituency.

Rajnath Singh will campaign for the BJP in South Goa. His itinerary includes a visit to Mahaalsa Temple, Mardol-Ponda and Darshan at 4.00 pm.

He will hold a public meeting at Ponda Bus Stand from 5.00 pm to 6.00 pm and another public meeting near the municipality at Vasco from 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm.

BJP has fielded Ravi Naik in Ponda Assembly Constituency and Krishna (Daji) Salkar in Vasco Assembly Constituency.Goa will go to the Assembly polls on February 14. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. --ANI

Violence broke out in the Shivamogga district on Tuesday as the row over hijab spread to the district. A group of saffron-clad students hoisted a saffron flag on a flagpost at Government First Grade College (GFGC). There were reports of stone-pelting and the subsequent imposition of Section 144.

Read the report on Alt News.

10:04 Bikini or ghoonghat ... Priyanka on hijab row

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra holds forth on the hijab issue in Karnataka.

The Congress leader tweets, "Whether it is a bikini, a ghoonghat, a pair of jeans or a hijab, it is a woman's right to decide what she wants to wear. This right is GUARANTEED by the Indian constitution. Stop harassing women. #ladkihoonladsaktihoon."

Incidents of stone pelting and use of force by police were reported on Tuesday as the hijab row in Karnataka escalated and protests by students spread to more colleges prompting the state government to declare a three-day holiday for all educational institutions.

As the Karnataka high court and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai appealed to all students and people to maintain peace and calm, Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh claimed that according to a report the Campus Front of India (CFI) is said to have incited the hijab row, and this will be investigated.

CFI is the student wing of the Islamic outfit Popular Front of India(PFI).

The high court, which is looking into pleas by some Muslim girl students on their right to wear a headscarf and will resume hearing on Wednesday, observed that only 'some mischievous people' were keeping the hijab issue burning.

Nagesh told reporters that out of about 5,000-plus Pre-University colleges in the state that function, a 'conflict-like' situation has been created in about 10-12 institutions and in some degree colleges due to the hijab and saffron shawl controversy.

As the hijab row evoked mixed reactions in Karnataka and elsewhere in the country, visuals of a group of boys heckling a hijab-clad girl in Mandya, near Bengaluru, went viral.

The student, who asserted that the protest demanding the girls' right to wear hijab would continue, said she had the support of her teachers and claimed that the boys with saffron shawls who heckled her were 'outsiders'.

The army has communicated with the boy, who said he was safe.

09:52 Army launches operation to rescue boy stranded on cliff in Kerala

Indian Army teams have undertaken a rescue operation to extricate a person stuck in a steep gorge in Kerala's Malampuzha mountains.

Teams have been mobilised overnight and rescue operations are under progress, the Indian Army said.

For the rescue operation in Palakkad, two Army teams have been moved on requisition from the state government. "One team of 12 personnel from Madras Regiment Centre, Wellington, consisting of mountain qualified personnel with specialist equipment reached by road at the location at early hours on Wednesday," Army sources said.

The second team of 22 personnel from Parachute Regiment centre, Bangalore also moved by aircraft to Sulur and reached the spot by 4:00 am.

The boy named Babu from Malampuzha trapped in the pocket of a steep hill since Monday. Communication has been established with the boy and he is safe, the Army said.

Meanwhile, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan also spoke about the incident and said the efforts are in full swing to rescue the youth.

Taking to Twitter, Vijayan wrote, "Efforts are in full swing to rescue the youth trapped in Malampuzha Cherat hill. There are currently two units of the Indian Army at the scene. Army members were able to talk to him. The rescue operation will be intensified today. Air Force helicopter is ready to be deployed." -- ANI

India reports 71,365 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1,72,211 recoveries and 1,217 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Active cases: 8,92,828 (2.11%)

Death toll: 5,05,279

Daily positivity rate: 4.54%

Total vaccination: 1,70,87,06,705.

The number of cases of the novel coronavirus disease registered globally since the start of the pandemic has surpassed 400 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The global case tally stands at 4,00,487,672. The death toll amounts to 57,62,582, the university said.

Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary on Tuesday accused the ruling BJP of the bid to create a Hindu-Muslim divide and urged people to stay united.

He said this while addressing a programme in favour of a party candidate in the Sadarpur area of Ghaziabad.

He said no stone will be left unturned for the progress of farmers and labourers if the SP-RLD alliance comes to power in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

There will be no place for communal politics, Chaudhary said as he alleged that the BJP is trying to divide Hindus and Muslims.

He also alleged that the government failed to provide transport facility to the workers, who had to travel hundreds of miles to reach their homes during the coronavirus lockdown.

Agitating farmers and unemployed youth were brutally beaten up by the government, he said, seeking votes for the alliance. -- PTI

Condemning the Karnataka 'hijab' row, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said that grave violations of the constitution are being committed in the state.

"I pray that our sisters fighting for their right to wear hijab are successful in their fight. Grave violations of the Constitution's Articles 15, 19 and 21 are being committed in Karnataka. I condemn this decision of Karnataka's Bharatiya Janata Party government," said Owaisi while addressing a public rally in Sarai Tarin in Uttar Pradesh.

Several protests have erupted in Karnataka after some students were allegedly denied entry to college wearing hijab (a headscarf worn by Muslim women).

The students at the Government Girls PU college in Udupi district alleged that they had been barred from attending classes.

The pre-University education board had released a circular stating that the students can only wear the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious practices will be allowed in colleges. -- ANI

00:20 Pak Hindu teacher gets lifer for blasphemy

A Hindu teacher was on Tuesday sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court over charges of blasphemy in Pakistan's southern Sindh province.

The teacher, identified as Nautan Lal, was also fined Pakistani Rs 50,000 by Additional Sessions Judge Murtaza Solangi in Ghotki in Sindh.

The court took two years to convict Lal who has been in jail since 2019 as an undertrial prisoner. In the past two years, his requests for bail have been rejected twice.

Lal was arrested in September 2019 after a video went viral on social media in which an intermediate student of the public school alleged that the Hindu teacher had committed blasphemy against the Prophet.

The student claimed that Lal, who is the owner of the school and teaches physics at a local government degree college, had visited the school that day and committed the act.

Shortly afterwards, a leader of the Jamaat-e-ahle Sunnat party and local cleric Mufti Abdul Karim Saeedi filed a complaint with the police against Lal under the blasphemy act.

As the news spread, a protest erupted in the town and a violent mob attacked the Sacho Satram Dham Temple and damaged its idols in Ghotki.

The caretaker of the Sacho Satram temple, Jay Kumar, later said that around 50 masked men had attacked the temple but some 500 Muslims later came and guarded the temple the whole night.

Pakistan's blasphemy laws were enacted by former military dictator General Ziaul Haq in the 1980s. Nobody has been executed under these laws but several people have been killed on mere suspicion of committing blasphemy.

Human and civil rights groups have said that the blasphemy law is often misused to settle personal enmities and land disputes particularly in rural areas.

Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.

According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, the community claims that over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country.

The majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents.

They often complain of harassment by extremists. -- PTI

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