LIVE! HAL workers go on hunger strike over wages

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Tue, 25 June 2019

HAL workers go on hunger strike over wages

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23:25 Monsoon covers all of Maha, moves to south Guj, MP: IMD

The south-west monsoon on Tuesday covered all of Maharashtra on Tuesday and has further advanced into some parts of south Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, an India Meteorological Department official said.

"While entire Maharashtra has been covered, monsoon has now advanced into south Gujarat and southern part of Madhya Pradesh. However, there won't be any further progress as it lacks strength," Anupam Kashyapi, head, weather department, IMD Pune, said.

"Further progress may happen at the end of this month," he said.

Heavy rains are expected at isolated places on Wednesday in Konkan, Goa, Gujarat, and some parts of Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalseema, Vidarbha, the IMD said. -- PTI

23:21 HAL workers go on hunger strike over wages

About 500 employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited went on an indefinite relay hunger strike Bengaluru from Tuesday, demanding settlement of wages and also salaries on par with other public sector undertakings.

"We have not got our wages settled since 2017. We are on a relay hunger strike for an indefinite period. Its throughout the nine units across seven states," chief convenor of all the unions Suryadevara Chandrasekhar told PTI.

The union leader said the management was not coming forward for wage settlement on par with what the executives got.

"Their (executives) settlement happened in November2017. Our negotiations continued but it wasnt fruitful.Hence, the deadlock," he said.

However, the HAL said, Most of their (unions)contention were untenable. The claim of the unions that the HAL management is deliberately delaying wage settlement andthat offers given to them are meagre, is not true, as nine rounds of discussions have already been held."

The company said in a statement there was no justification and rationale in the demand of the unions to extend the benefits such as fitment benefit and allowances, on par or more than executives, when salary revision of executives was effected from January 1, 2017 after the stipulated 10-year period.

The PSU's management believes that workers wage revision from January 1, 2017 can only be achieved with the co-operation of the unions, based on realistic and affordable expectations, the company said.

The increase in respect of officers with effect from January 1, 2017 needs to be compared with the base of January1, 2007, the state-owned firm said.

It added that the workmen got two wage revisions of five years periodicity during the same span.

The revision needs to be settled keeping in view the increase derived by the officers from the 2007 scales to the2017 scales and by the workmen from the 2007 scales to the2012 scales and now 2012 to the 2017 scales, HAL said. -- PTI

Image only for representation.

22:53 No decision on Ram Rahim's parole yet: Khattar

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Tuesday a decision on the parole application of Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape-murder convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh would be taken keeping in view the interests of the state.

"Anyone who is entitled for parole can seek one. We cannot stop anyone," Khattar said at a press conference in Chandigarh, in which two Indian National Lok Dal legislators -- Zakir Hussain and Parminder Dhull -- joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Asked about who would be responsible in case violence breaks out if the Dera chief was granted parole, Khattar said: "You are trying to draw inference on your own as if any decision has been taken."

Ram Rahim, behind bars at Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak district after being convicted in two rape cases and in the murder case of a journalist, has sought 42 days of parole to look after his fields in Sirsa district.

The 51-year-old, who is also facing trial in the murder case of a Dera follower -- Ranjit Singh -- and in another case involving castration of sect followers, got a favourable report from the jail superintendent, who said his conduct had been good and he had not violated any rule.

Earlier in the day, Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Garg said things were under process and reports had been sought from the revenue and police departments.

"At this stage, all I can say is that things are under process," Garg told PTI.

The chief minister said there were legal, administrative and other procedures involved on a parole plea.

A parole application is filed before the jail superintendent who forwards it to the deputy commissioner concerned. Then a report is sought from the superintendent of police and, in the end, a recommendation is made by the divisional commissioner, he said.

Khattar said after receiving the divisional commissioner's recommendation, the government would play its role if needed.

"If there will be no role of the government, it won't," he added.

"Any decision, which is in the interest of the state, will be taken. If we (government) have to take any decision that is not in the interest of the state, then it won't be taken," he said.

"We have not taken any decision so far (on parole issue)."

Khattar said the parole issue was with the DC-SP level and there was no time frame when the Sirsa SP or DC would submit their report.

Things will move forward after a report is submitted, Khattar said, adding that the government would make a point regarding law and order if needed.

On Monday, the police in Sirsa, where the Dera is headquartered, said it would prepare its report keeping in view the merits and demerits of the plea. A district police official had said earlier that the revenue department would ascertain how much land the Dera chief owns.

The Sirsa district administration has been asked to submit a report to the Rohtak division commissioner with a copy marked to the jail superintendent.

In Ram Rahim's case, the Rohtak commissioner is empowered to exercise the powers of the state government in deciding parole request. Before taking a decision, the recommendation from the Sirsa district administration will be taken into account, officials said.

Health Minister Anil Vij had said earlier that Ram Rahim or any other prisoner was entitled to seek parole if the criteria was met as per the law.

He said the parole issue should not be linked with the upcoming assembly polls.

"There is no connection between the two. If under law, any convict is entitled to apply for parole he is free to do so," Vij said.

"However, whether to grant one (parole) or not will be decided by the authorities concerned after taking various factors into account."

The chief minster said the courts were 'also keeping an eye' on various cases pertaining to the Dera and Ram Rahim regarding the incidents of violence followed the sect chief's conviction in August 2017.

In August 2017, the flamboyant Dera chief was sentenced to 20 years in jail for raping two women. The violence which broke out after his conviction left 41 people dead in Panchkula and Sirsa and scores injured.

In January, a special CBI court in Panchkula sentenced Ram Rahim and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago. -- PTI

Rajya Sabha witnessed strong protests by Congress members on Tuesday after Bharatiya Janata Party MP G V L Narasimha Rao targeted former prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi over treatment meted out to Dr B R Ambedkar and the anti- Sikh riots.

Participating in the discussion on Motion of thanks to the President's address, Rao alleged that Nehru 'campaigned' against Ambedkar to ensure his defeat in Lok Sabha elections.

He also alleged that Rajiv Gandhi had justified anti-Sikh riots following the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

"It was Jawahar Lal Nehru, who aggressively campaigned against Dr B R Ambedkar and (got him) defeated in 1952 and 1954. In the two elections he was defeated and Congress did not allow him to win the election and he died an unhappy man," said Rao.

On Rajiv Gandhi, the BJP member said the late prime minister 'justified the killings of thousand Sikhs on the street of Delhi (by saying) When a big tree fall, then earth shakes. Truth is hurtful'.

After his remarks, senior Congress MPs trooped into the well demanding an apology from the BJP MP and started raising slogans.

Congress members, led by Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, were not pacified after the repeated assurances by Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh that he will expunge the remarks after examining the records.

Congress MPs were also supported by members of the other opposition parties, including Samajwadi Party, Trinmool Congress, though they did not join them in the well.

Amid sloganeering, Anand Sharma of Congress said that convention and rules of the House mandates that no member can make any comment on persons who have occupied higher positions in which the post of the prime minister is also included.

"If you want to do that, then you will have to inform by giving a notice," said Sharma.

Azad said that the ruling party would have to understand that they cannot run the government and perform the role of an Opposition.

The LOP said that Nehru played a vital role in building the nation and Rajiv Gandhi too had a role.

"You cannot use such type of language against former prime minister. You cannot abuse them," he said adding he always praised former prime minister A B Vajpayee.

The opposition party want the House to run smoothly, but if treasury benches creates such obstacles then 'we cannot help', Azad added.

Seeing the gravity of the situation, senior BJP leaders including Prakash Javedkar and Dharmendra Pradhan were seen heading to Rao, who later withdrew his remarks.

"I have taken names of some former prime ministers and I said that they are very illustrious leaders in my own words. I did not say anything to disparage him and I have made the statement based on the informtion in the public domain," said Rao.

He further added: "I am a new member. If it is not the convention of taking the name of former Prime Ministers, I would like to withdraw my statement."

Following this, the agitating Congress MPs returned to their respective seats and Vijila Sathyanathan of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam resumed her speech. -- PTI

21:19 Journalist accuses Salman Khan of assault

A TV journalist moved a court in Mumbai on Tuesday seeking registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Bollywood star Salman Khan and his bodyguards for allegedly assaulting him after he tried to film the actor who was riding a bicycle.

Ashok Pandey, the journalist, filed a 'private complaint' in the court of R R Khan, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Andheri, under Indian Penal Code Sections 323 (causing hurt), 392 (robbery), and 506 (criminal intimidation).

According to the complaint, the alleged incident took place in the wee hours of April 24 when Salman Khan was riding a bicycle escorted by two body-guards.

Pandey said he was riding in a car, and after spotting the actor -- known to be a bicycle enthusiast -- started recording a video after seeking consent of Khan's bodyguards.

The actor, however, got enraged, and his bodyguards allegedly came to the car and started thrashing Pandey, the application said.

Khan too assaulted him and snatched away his mobile phone, Pandey alleged.

The trio threatened him with dire consequences, the complaint said.

He approached the court because police disposed of his complaint saying that no crime was made out, the journalist alleged.

The application, seeking registration of FIR and probe, will be heard by the magistrate on July 12. -- PTI

Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil on Tuesday said the assembly elections in the state might be held between October 15 and October 20.

Speaking at a function in Pimpri-Chinchwad township in Pune, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said the model code of conduct might come into force by September 15.

"The assembly elections may be held between October 15 and October 20. I am not a fortune teller but I am predicting it so because the last assembly polls had been held on October 15 (in 2014)," he said, adding that the term of the incumbent state government will end on November 8.

Talking about a seat-sharing formula with ally Shiv Sena, Patil said a 50-50 per cent partnership in seats and sharing power has been decided.

"This is the core aspect (of the alliance), however, while doing the detailing there is the possibility of some plus-minuses here and there," he added.

In 2014, the BJP and the Sena had contested the assembly elections separately, but later joined hands to share power.

In the Lok Sabha elections held recently, the National Democratic Alliance alliance won 41 out of total 48 seats in Maharashtra. -- PTI

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed the alleged lynching of a 24-year-old man in Jharkhand as a 'blot on humanity' and said the 'silence' of powerful voices in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled central and state governments over the incident is shocking.

Tabrez Ansari was thrashed by a mob for alleged theft on June 18 and a video had emerged which purportedly showed that he was forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Jai Hanuman' in Jharkhand's Saraikela Kharsawan district.

He was declared 'brought dead' by doctors at the Tata Main Hospital in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, on Saturday.

'The brutal lynching of this young man by a mob in Jharkhand is a blot on humanity. The cruelty of the police who held this dying boy in custody for 4 days is shocking as is the silence of powerful voices in the BJP-ruled central and state governments,' Gandhi tweeted, along with a still from the video of the incident.

The Congress president used the hashtag 'India Against Lynch Terror' with his tweet.

Eleven people have been arrested in connection with Ansari's death and a special investigation team (SIT) has been set up to look into the matter. -- PTI

20:18 BJP team submits report on WB violence to Shah

A Bharatiya Janata Party delegation, led by Lok Sabha member S S Ahluwalia, on Tuesday submitted its report to party chief and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on violence in trouble-torn Bhatpara area of West Bengal, and alleged that the local police was acting in a 'partisan' manner.

The team, which also included MPs Satyapal Singh and B D Ram, both retired police officers, had visited Bhatpara on Saturday.

Two people were killed and 11 others injured in clashes in the town in North 24 Parganas district on Thursday.

After submitting the report to Shah, Ahluwalia questioned the police action during the violence between two groups belonging to different communities.

The police fired gun shots at one group, while it only did lathi-charge on the other, the former Union minister alleged.

The delegation, which spoke to a cross-section of people in Bhatpara, claimed that people have lost trust in police.

"People are unable to do their work there as they have lost trust in police. Police either act as mute spectator or are partisan," Ahluwalia told reporters in New Delhi.

He also said that police tried to prevent the delegation from going to the area and stopped them at the airport as Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure was imposed.

Ahluwalia said that in the report they have suggested giving financial help to those affected by violence and ensuring education for the children. -- PTI

19:37 Acharya given additional charge of Manipur

President Ram Nath Kovind has given additional charge of Manipur to Nagaland Governor P B Acharya during the absence on leave of Manipur Governor Dr Najma Heptulla, a press release from Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

India meets the criteria for a United States sanctions waiver for procuring S-400 missile defence systems from Russia and the Trump administration has "enough flexibility" on the issue, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday, asserting that New Delhi cannot "wish away" its longstanding defence ties with Moscow.

The pitch for a waiver came a day before talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his American counterpart Mike Pompeo during which the issue is likely to figure.

There has been a discussion on the issue with the US, both in private as well as in public domain, and it is of "some concern" to Washington, diplomatic sources said.

"We have a longstanding defence relationship with Russia which we cannot wish away," a source said.

India inked an agreement with Russia in October last year to procure a batch of the missile systems at a cost of Rs 40,000 crore. India went ahead to seal the deal notwithstanding the US' warnings against it.

The US is well aware of the circumstances that "compelled" India to go for a system like S-400, the sources said.

The Indian side has explained the rationale very well to the US side and they are appreciative of India's requirement, they said.

The Indian side feels that it meets the requirements for waiver in the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.

"We meet the CAATSA conditions for waivers from our point of view. We continue to remain engaged," the source said.

"The legislation is very clear as to what circumstances a waiver can be given by the administration. So if you look at purely from the legal point of view, our understanding and assessment is that India fulfils those requirements," the source said.

"So, the (Trump) administration has enough flexibility to give us the waiver that we look for," the source added.

It will have to be a combination of legal and political stand of the US government, keeping in mind the strategic US-India ties, the sources said.

The Indian government had said earlier that it will start receiving the missile systems from Russia from October next year and the deliveries will be completed by April 2023.

There were apprehensions about the payment mechanism for the deal in the wake of the US sanctions against Russia. -- PTI

18:44 No decision yet on Ram Rahim's parole: Khattar

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday said that the state government has not yet taken a decision on self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's appeal for parole.

Khattar also asserted that the state government cannot stop anyone from seeking parole.

The chief minister opined that as per certain legal procedures, a person who has the right to seek parole can ask for it.

"There are certain legal procedures and a person who has the right to seek parole can seek it. We cannot stop anyone. As of now, no decision has been taken on Ram Rahim's parole," Khattar said during an event.

Ram Rahim, who is serving life imprisonment in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for the murder of a journalist and 20 years in prison for raping two of his women followers, had sought parole in a letter to the jail authorities.

He sought parole saying he wants to farm his land in Sirsa, which is lying barren.

Jail authorities had sent his parole appeal to the district administration which, in turn, forwarded it to the Haryana government.

A special CBI court in Panchkula had on January 17 this year sentenced Ram Rahim and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of journalist Ramchander Chhatrapati in October 2002.

The journalist was killed in Sirsa after his newspaper published an anonymous letter alleging sexual exploitation of women by Ram Rahim at his Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in the town.

He was sentenced in August 2017 to 20 years imprisonment for raping two of his women followers. -- ANI

Editor of a local Urdu daily has been arrested here in a nearly three-decade-old terror-related case, officials said on Tuesday.

Ghulam Jeelani Qadri, editor of 'Daily Afaaq', was arrested late Monday night in a case that was registered in 1990 under section three of Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act.

He was arrested on a non-bailable warrant issued by the then chief judicial magistrate on October 15, 1992.

The law under which Qadri has been arrested deals with intention to overawe the government as by law established or to strike terror in the people or any section of the people or to alienate any section of the people or to adversely affect the harmony amongst different sections of the people does any act or thing.

He was arrested from his residence in Balgarden area of the city, Qadri's family said.

"It was nearly midnight when police came to arrest Qadri sahib. No reasons were given before taking him away, a police official asked him when is the election," a relative said.

Kashmir Editors' Guild, of which Qadri is a member, has moved court to seek bail.

Various journalist bodies, including the Kashmir Union of Working Journalists, has condemned the midnight arrest of Qadri, alleging it seems the aim of the government's move was to muzzle the voice of local press.

"Qadri was attending his office on daily basis and there was absolutely no need for carrying out a midnight raid at his residence. The working journalists here are wondering about the timing of execution of the warrant which was issued 26 years ago," a spokesman of the KUWJ said.

The KUWJ has demanded Qadri's immediate release and a probe into the midnight arrest of the editor. -- PTI

Continuing his attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked the Emergency during replies to the motion of thanks to President's address in the Lok Sabha.

"Today is June 25, it was this night that country's soul was crushed. India's democracy wasn't born out of Constitution but it was born out of India's soul. All of India was reduced to a jail, all the laws and constitutions were crushed on June 25," PM said while referring to the Emergency that was imposed in 1975 under Indira Gandhi.

He further siad, "We remember this (Emergency) not because we want to criticise somebody but because we must not forget what happened. It is important for all of us to remember. This black spot on our democracy will stay forever."

17:40 We gave Bharat Ratna to Pranab Da: PM in LS

PM continues his address in Lok Sabha:

I know that it takes time to change things which have been existing for last 70 years. We did not divert or dilute from our main goal. We have to moved forward, be it regarding infrastructure or in space.

There are some people who feel only a few names contributed to national progress. They only want to hear those few names and ignore the others. We think differently, we feel each and every citizen has worked for India's progress.

Did those in power from 2004 to 2014 ever talk about the good work of Atal JI?

Did they ever speak about the good work of Narasimha Rao Ji?

In this Lok Sabha debate the same people did not even speak of Manmohan Singh.

We did not look at to which party Pranab Da belonged all his life, we gave him Bharat Ratna for his service to the nation.

17:31 Chinese Prez to visit India this year

JUST IN: Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to visit India this year, says External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi replies to the motion of thanks to President's address in the Lok Sabha:

The people of India have elected a stable government. The 2019 Lok Sabha elections show that more than themselves, the people of India are thinking about the good of the nation. This spirit is wonderful.

I do not think about elections in terms of who won and who lost. For me, what is satisfying is the opportunity to serve 130 crore Indians and do work that has made a positive difference in the lives of our citizens.

In a heart-wrenching incident, a first information report has been lodged against 39 people in Harivanshpur in Vaishali district on Tuesday after they protested the lack of water supply and death of several children due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in the area.

"Our children have died. We did a road gherao, but the administration has filed an FIR against us. Men against whom FIR has been registered have left the village and gone away. They were the only breadwinners," said a relative of a person against whom the FIR has been registered said.

The fear of AES forced villagers in Harivanshpur village of Vaishali district to vacate their homes.

Most families moved home with their children in tow to other villages after the outbreak of the vector-borne disease.

"My two sons died due to Acute Encephalitis in the matter of an hour. The elder one was 7 years old while the younger one was two years old. There were no awareness campaigns by the administration regarding the disease," father of a child who died due to AES told ANI.

The man also criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and said: "The Chief Minister has done nothing to spread awareness regarding the disease. There are no arrangements in the hospital for children suffering from the disease."

Another man said, "My seven-year-old daughter died. There was no arrangement from the administration regarding the disease."

Another person said, "I have shifted my two children to another village as it is dangerous here. Other families have also shifted their children."

The death toll due to AES touched 131 in Muzaffarpur district of the state alone on Tuesday, according to data by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). -- ANI

India on Wednesday called on Iran and the United States to de-escalate the tensions, amid strained bilateral ties between them, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.

"India is concerned about the situation because of the huge diaspora (living in the region). India wants the situation to de-escalate and will urge Iran and US to de-escalate," they said.

On June 20, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps downed an "intruding American spy drone" -- RQ-4 Global Hawk -- after it violated Iranian airspace over the southern coastal province of Hormozgan.

The US has labelled it as an "unprovoked attack," claiming that the drone was flying over international waters when it was attacked.

In the wake of the incident, several airlines, both in India and abroad, have decided to avoid flying over Iranian airspace and re-route their flights in view of the rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said that he is imposing economic sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his ministry officials, a provocative action aimed at increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic in retaliation for what Washington says are recent aggressive acts by Tehran. -- ANI

16:04 Karnataka told to release Cauvery water to TN

Cauvery Water Management Authority has pulled up the Karnataka government and ordered it to release water to Tamil Nadu which is facing an acute water crisis.

The water board has also asked the Karnataka government as to why the allotted water for June was not released and asked it to provide allotted water to Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery board decision comes following Tamil Nadu government's raised demand for release of water from Karnataka.

The AIADMK had earlier urged the Centre to take control of the Cauvery Water Management Authorityand ensure that Tamil Nadu gets its share of water.

"Centre should take complete management control of Cauvery Water Management Authority," AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP Vijila Sathyananth had said. Sathyanath had also called for expediting the proposal to link Godavari river with the Cauvery as this could provide 300 tmc of Godavari water to other parts of the state.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have been locked in a decades-long dispute over the sharing of Cauvery water. Tamil Nadu is facing acute water shortage due to erratic rainfall and reservoirs in the state have reached their lowest level.

Opposition DMK has staged protests over water scarcity and accused the ruling AIADMK of not being serious in taking steps to address the issue.

The state said that it could not open Mettur Dam on the scheduled date of June 12 this year too for Cauvery Delta Irrigation due to non-release of water by Karnataka and poor storage in Mettur Dam.

West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara was on Tuesday admitted to a hospital in Mumbai after complaining of discomfort.

The 50-year-old from Trinidad, considered one of the greatest batsmen to have played the game, was admitted to the Global Hospital in Parel after complaining of discomfort during an event here, a source said.

The hospital authorities, so far tight-lipped about why the former player has been admitted, are expected to issue a statement on his condition in some time.

The former batsman is in the country as an analyst for the official broadcasters of the ongoing Word Cup.

The legendary left-hander played 131 Tests for the West Indies and averaged 52.89 for his 11,953 runs, while his 299 ODI appearances yielded 10,405 runs at 40.17.

He is the first and only player to have registered 400 runs in a Test innings. Lara is considered one among the most awe-inspiring batters of an era in which the iconic Sachin Tendulkar was his contemporary.

-- PTI

A simple shop selling 'kachoris' in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh has left the commercial tax sleuths astounded.

The shop, known as 'Mukesh Kachori', is located near Seema cinema hall and is a favourite among the locals.

Mukesh, the owner of the shop begins selling 'kachoris' and 'samosas' in the morning and continues through the day. The line of customers never seems to end.

All was well with Mukesh and his shop until recently when someone lodged a complaint with the commercial tax department.

A team of tax inspectors sat at another shop near Mukesh Kachori and started keeping track of sales. They found that Mukesh was earning anywhere between Rs 60 lakh to Rs 1 crore and even more annually.

A notice has now been issued to Mukesh because he has not registered his shop under GST and does not pay any taxes.

"I am not aware of all this. I have been running my shop for the past 12 years and no one ever told me that these formalities are needed. We are simple people who sell 'kachoris' and 'samosas' for a living," Mukesh said.

A member of the State Intelligence Bureau, who is investigating the case, said: "Mukesh readily admitted to his income and gave us all details of his expenditure on raw material, oil, LPG cylinders etc."

It is mandatory for anyone having a turnover of Rs. 40 lakhs and above to get a GST registration. A 5 per cent tax is levied on prepared food.

The SIB official said that Mukesh will have to get a GST registration and also pay tax for one year.

SIB Deputy Commissioner RPD Kaunteya said that a notice has already been issued to Mukesh.

Kerala has emerged as the top ranking state in terms of overall health performance, while Uttar Pradesh is the worst, according to the second health index launched by Niti Aayog.

The second round of the health index took into account the period 2015-16 (base year) to 2017-18 (reference year).

According to a report by the government think tank, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have emerged as the second and third best performers, respectively, on health parameters.

The health index is a composite measure of States and Union Territories based on 23 health indicators with major weightage to the outcomes.

Among larger states, Haryana, Rajasthan and Jharkhand were the top three states in terms of incremental performances, according to the report.

In February 2018, the first round of the health index was released, which measured the annual and incremental performances of States and UTs for period 2014-15(base year) to 2015-16 (reference year).

The report has been prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with technical assistance from the World Bank.

-- PTI

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Majid Takht Ravanchi, on Monday said that Washington's decision to impose more sanctions on its leadership was another indication that the United States "has no respect for international law and order," even as President Hassan Rouhani, in a televised address, termed the sanctions as "idiotic and outrageous".

On Monday US President Donald Trump imposed a fresh set of sanctions on Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a string of military commanders, days after Teheran said it shot down an American drone in the region on Thursday.

"You sanction the foreign minister simultaneously with a request for talks?' Rouhani said on state television, referring to remarks by US officials suggesting plans to sanction Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif later this month, report Erin Cunningham and Ruth Eglash in the Washington Post.

And Al Jazeera reports that Ravanchi, Iran's envoy to the UN, told reporters outside the world body's headquarters in New York, that Washington should stop its "economic war" against Iranians.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape-murder convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's application for parole to tend to his farms is under process with reports being sought from the revenue and police departments, a senior Sirsa district official said on Tuesday.

Ram Rahim, behind bars in Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak district after being convicted in two rape cases and in the murder of a journalist, has sought 42 days parole to look after his fields in Sirsa district.

Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Garg said things are under process and reports have been sought from the revenue and police departments.

"At this stage, all I can say is that things are under process," Garg said on phone.

The 51-year-old sect chief, also facing trial in the murder of a Dera follower Ranjit Singh and in another case involving castration of sect followers, got a favourable report from the jail superintendent who said his conduct had been good and he had not violated any rule.

On Monday, police in Sirsa, where the Dera is headquartered, said it will prepare its report keeping in view the merits and demerits of the plea.

A Sirsa police official had earlier said the revenue department would ascertain how much land the Dera chief owns.

The Sirsa district administration has been asked to submit a report to the commissioner of Rohtak division with a copy marked to the jail superintendent.

State Health Minister Anil Vij said Ram Rahim or any other prisoner is entitled to seek parole if criteria are met as per the law.

Vij said the parole issue should not be linked with the upcoming State assembly polls.

-- PTI

Union Minority Affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday said 'Jai Shri Ram' can be chanted by embracing people and not by throttling them.

Naqvi made the remarks while referring to the recent incident where 24-year-old Tabrez Ansari was lynched by a mob in the Saraikela Kharsawan district of Jharkhand.

Eleven people were arrested on Monday in connection with Ansari's death, who was thrashed by a mob here for alleged theft and is seen in a purported video being forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Jai Hanuman', the police had said.

The Union minister said such incidents cannot be justified as they have only one motive of spoiling the positive atmosphere created by the government.

"Such incidents cannot be justified. We have committed that we won't let the destructive agenda dominate the development agenda.

"People who are involved in such incidents have only one motive -- to spoil the positive atmosphere created by the government," he said.

13:50 Cop shoots self outside finance ministry

A head constable of the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary deployed outside the Union finance ministry allegedly shot himself with his service weapon on Tuesday, the police said.

The deceased, identified as Jai Narain (48), was posted on guard duty near gate number 2 of North Block, they said.

"The incident took place at around 12.40 pm. In the CCTV footage, the victim can be seen shooting himself with his service carbine," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma.

Jai Narain was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead. No suicide note has been found from the spot, the officer said, adding that further investigation is underway.

12:36 Antigua to revoke Mehul Choksi's citizenship

The Antiguan government on Tuesday has decided to revoke the citizenship of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi.

Antiguan PM Gaston Browne in a statement said, "His citizenship was processed; he got through but the reality is his citizenship will be revoked and he will be repatriated to India; so there is recourse. Its not a case that we are trying to provide any safe harbour for criminals, for those who are involved in financial crimes."

Extradition process against the absconding businessman, who is an accused in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank scam, began in March.

Following the proceedings, the Antiguan Prime Minister on Tuesday said that Choksi has the right to defend his position.

"But I can assure you after he has exhausted all of his legal options, he will be extradited, Browne said.

In January, last year, Choksi absconded after the Rs 14,000-crore PNB fraud came to light, whereby the primary accused were diamantaires Nirav Modi and Choksi himself. Following this, he surrendered his Indian passport and took up Antiguan citizenship.

Security forces have killed 733 terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir since 2016. Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy revealed these numbers in the Lok Sabha today.

The minister informed the House that this year alone, 113 terrorists have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir as on June 16.

Besides the 113 terrorists, 18 civilians were also killed in the state.

Meanwhile, terror-related incidents in J-K have tripled since 2014. According to the home ministry, in 2014, there were 222 terror related incidents in the state but by 2018 this increased to 614.

According to the government, the year 2018 saw the most number of killings in Jammu and Kashmir as security forces killed 257 terrorists. This was followed by killing of 213 terrorists in 2017 and 150 in 2016.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition by the Congress against holding separate bypolls to two seats in Gujarat that have fallen vacant after BJP's Amit Shah and Smriti Irani moved to the Lok Sabha.

The Election Commission has fixed July 5 for the separate Rajya Sabha by-elections to the two seats. The petition was filed by the Leader of the Opposition in the Gujarat assembly, Pareshbhai Dhanani.

The Congress said that holding the elections for the two seats separately would be against the rules. The poll body opposed the Congress's request saying that it can't approach the top court under Article 32 of the Constitution.

11:46 A nightmare called Emergency, 44 years on

'Emergency' is a word that's casually thrown about by political opponents to run down the government of the day, but very few would have any idea of the kind of horror that India had been through for 21 painful months, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi decided to impose Emergency to counter what she saw as challenges to her leadership, on this day 44 years ago.

'The Constitution of India was suspended' is a term that is glibly used to sum up what a state of Emergency meant, but no words can describe the horror imposed when all civil liberties, that flow from the Constitution, were suspended.

In short, Right to Life was suspended. Thousands of political opponents, civil activists, students, lawyers were detained across the country. People simply disappeared, to never be heard of again. The famous Rajan case from Kerala was one of them, and was even made into a poignant film. It could have happened to anyone, writes Rajeev Srinivasan.

A draconian piece of legislation called Maintenance of Internal Security Act was drafted to stifle dissent and protests. Press censorship was imposed, so citizens would not know what was going on.

All this, one would have imagined, would have made a young nation that had freed itself from the yoke of foreign rule not too long ago rear up and agitate but no, the converse was true. Barring pockets of resistance, India, it seemed, had decided to buckle under. In LK Advani's famous words, we crawled when asked to bend.

As former journalist K R Sunder Rajan, who was imprisoned then, wrote on Rediff.com, 'The real point is that a people who put up such a brave fight against foreign rule surrendered to Indira Gandhi's Emergency like a flock of sheep.'

Finally, when Mrs Gandhi decided to lift Emergency in March 1977 and order fresh elections, it was not because India had become more ungovernable. She did it because internal surveys pointed to the citizens' happiness over trains running on time and government offices working like clockwork (cliches that are even today used to whitewash the excesses of the time like mass sterilisation), and that the people will vote her back.

But the opposite happened. The very same political forces she hoped to nip in the bud in June 1975 now rode to power on the back of a popular mandate. Popular rage, we realised then, need not always boil over to the surface; it can also simmer at a subterranean level, and explode at the right time.

As for Mrs Gandhi, she was elected back to power in 1980, but she never recovered fully from the Emergency setback.

Alas, neither did the nation.

Trinamool Congress's winning candidate from Jadavpur, Mimi Chakraborty took oath as a member of Lok Sabha today.

The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned for three hours as a mark of respect for departed BJP member Madan Lal Saini, and will reassemble at 2 pm for completing the debate on the motion of thanks, sources said.

Saini, 75, died on Monday while undergoing treatment at AIIMS in Delhi. He was diagnosed with infection in lungs and was admitted at a private hospital in Jaipur. On Saturday, he was shifted to Delhi owing to his deteriorating health and was being treated under the Hematology Department at AIIMS.

The decision to adjourn the Upper House till 2 pm was taken this morning at a meeting of leaders of about 15 parties, which was chaired by Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu.

The government is keen that the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address be completed on Tuesday to enable the prime minister reply to the debate before he leaves for Japan for the G20 summit on Wednesday.

Precedents are when sitting member Kalyan Ray of CPI died in 1984, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for an hour and later took up business. Another reference was given by Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad that when former MoS External Affairs E Ahmed, a Lok Sabha member, died, the budget was presented as scheduled.

-- PTI

11:10 Amit Shah to embark on 2-day Kashmir visit

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Jammu and Kashmir for two days beginning June 26, the sources said.

Earlier, Shah was scheduled to visit the Valley for a day on June 30.

The visit has been advanced due to the home ministers busy schedule connected with the Union Budget. The Home Minister will chair a high level security meeting in Srinagar during his visit. He will also address BJP workers and Panchayat members separately during this visit.

He will also meet the state governor, Satya Pal Malik and discuss the prevailing security scenario in the state with the governor.

Amit Shah will pay obeisance at the Shri Amarnathji Shrine during his visit. This will be his first visit to J&K after he took over as the home minister of the country, sources said.

Shah is not visiting the Jammu or the Ladakh divisions of the state during tomorrows visit.

10:45 Trump to meet Modi, Xi during G20 summit

US President Donald Trump will hold a number of meetings with world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of G-20 meeting in Japan this week and is expected to discuss several issues, including trade.

Trump is scheduled to leave for Japan on June 27 to attend the two-day summit meeting of G-20 leaders in Osaka on June 28 and 29.

"We anticipate that he will conduct a number of meetings with world leaders, a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call on Monday.

The list of his meetings on the sidelines of the G-20 summit include, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister Modi of India, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from Turkey, the official said.

This would be the first meeting between Modi and Trump after the recent general elections in India. Trump had called and congratulated Modi over phone on his re-election.

India raised tariffs on as many as 28 products, including almonds and walnuts, on June 16 in response to higher duties imposed by the US on products including steel and aluminum. The Trump administration on June 1 terminated India's designation as a beneficiary developing nation under the key GSP trade programme.

Recently, the US tried to ease India's concerns over reports that Washington was considering capping H-1B visas to countries that force foreign companies to store data locally.

Trump's highly anticipated meeting with Xi comes amidst a trade war between the US and China.

-- PTI

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo will arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday night, as part of his three-day visit to India. This will be the first high-level engagement between India and the US after National Democratic Alliance's return to power for a second term.

Pompeo is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Jaishankar will also host a lunch for his US counterpart.

Pompeo's visit will provide "an important opportunity for both sides to explore further ways to strengthen India-US strategic partnership", according to MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.

The two sides will hold high-level engagements on matters of mutual interest including bilateral, regional and global issues.

Pompeo's visit to India comes in the backdrop of escalating tensions between the US and Iran and trade differences between New Delhi and Washington.

On June 15, India imposed retaliatory tariffs on American goods, less than two weeks after Trump announced an end to preferential trade treatment for India over the trade barriers.

In addition, Pompeo's visit will further prepare grounds for a summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and Modi in Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 meeting scheduled to be held on June 28-29.

-- ANI

10:07 PM, Shah salute people who resisted Emergency

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid homage to all "those greats" who resisted the Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on this day in 1975 and said democracy had prevailed over authoritarianism.

"India salutes all those greats who fiercely and fearlessly resisted the Emergency. India's democratic ethos successfully prevailed over an authoritarian mindset," he tweeted.

BJP's working President JP Nadda said in a tweet that the Emergency period was a "black blot".

"In 1975, on this day, democracy was murdered by the Congress party to remain in power. A grateful nation remembers thousands of unsung heroes from Bharatiya Jan Sangh and RSS, who led the anti-Emergency movement from the front" he tweeted.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter to highlight how it was one of the darkest chapters in the history of the country.

"The declaration of Emergency on June 25, 1975 and the incidents that followed, mark as one of the darkest chapters in India's history.

"On this day, we the people of India should always remember the importance of upholding the integrity of our institutions and the Constitution," he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah recalled how newspapers were shut and citizens of the country were deprived of their fundamental rights.

"Lakhs of patriots suffered to restablish democracy in the country. I salute all those soldiers," he tweeted.

Emergency was imposed in India from June 25, 1975 to March 21, 1977.

-- PTI

09:45 On Emergency anniversary, Mamata attacks Modi

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday attacked Narendra Modi-led government on the 44th anniversary of Emergency, which the late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had imposed on the country forty-four years ago.

Today is the anniversary of the Emergency declared in 1975. For the last five years, the country went through a Super Emergency. We must learn our lessons from history and fight to safeguard the democratic institutions in the country, tweeted Mamata.

Both Mamata and PM Modi have been at the loggerheads ever since the schedule of the Lok Sabha election was announced. Late month, she escalated her fight by skipping the oath-taking ceremony of the Prime Minister and his new Council of Ministers.

On June 15, she also boycotted Niti Ayog meeting. Given the fact that the Niti Ayog has no financial powers and the power to support State Plans, it is fruitless for me to attend the meeting of a body that is bereft of any financial powers, said the TMC Supremo, in a letter addressed to PM Modi.

A few days back, she had also skipped the meeting of presidents of all political parties convened by Modi in New Delhi. Mamata wrote to the Centre saying it should not go about hurriedly on a sensitive and serious subject like One Country, One Election.

A meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party's parliamentary party, which was scheduled today, has been postponed due to the sudden demise of Rajasthan unit party president Madan Lal Saini.

The new date for the meeting which would be headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not been announced yet.

The 75-year-old BJP leader breathed his last at All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Monday.

Ruling BJP's first parliamentary party meeting during the ongoing session and after JP Nadda's election as the working president was scheduled to take place here in the morning.

-- ANI

At least six people were killed and 39 injured after a bus skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in Garhwa in Jharkhand on Tuesday.

Rescue operations are underway, officials have said.

The cause of the accident is not yet known at this time.

08:08 Trump calls accuser a liar: She's not my type

US President Donald Trump reiterated his denial of the rape allegations described by E Jean Carroll, this time by saying the journalist and advice columnist was not his type.

Ill say it with great respect: No. 1, shes not my type. No. 2, it never happened. It never happened, OK? the US president said in an interview with The Hill.

In an excerpt from her upcoming book, What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal, published on Friday by New York Magazine, Carroll detailed an alleged attack by Trump in the 1990s in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room.

The columnist said she encountered Trump at the Manhattan store and that he asked for her help buying lingerie for an unnamed woman. Once inside the dressing room, Carroll alleged, Trump pinned her against a wall and forced himself on her.

The US president denied the allegation in a statement on Friday, claiming he had never met this person in his life. He also accused Carroll of inventing the story to help her sell her book.

Carroll is the 16th woman who has publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct. The US presidents remark that Carroll isnt his type echoes similar comments hes made about other women who have accused him.

The Congress targeted the government on Monday over the rising number of wilful defaulters in the country and said the regime change had not prevented the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party from "mishandling" the economy.

Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that the tremors of "mishandling" the economy in the last five years under the BJP, which had mastered the art of "disruptive economy policy measures", still continued to be felt as the number of wilful defaulters had gone up to 8,582 in 2018-19.

"Even though the BJP has got a renewed mandate, India's economic woes under its regime continue to simmer. The tremors of the massive mishandling of the economy in the past five years under a government, which has mastered the art of disruptive economic policy measures, are still being felt," he said in a statement.

The Congress leader said as the country was staring at a below-average monsoon and reeling under a severe water crisis, private investment in India was also taking a huge hit, thereby deepening the economic woes of our people.

"Wilful defaulters galore in 'suit boot ki sarkar'. The list of wilful defaulters has gone to 8,582 in 2018-19," he said.

Citing the figures of a credit information company, Surjewala claimed that the amount involved in wilful defaults had soared by Rs 1,21,700 crore from Rs 39,504 crore in March 2014, adding that India's largest public sector bank, the State Bank of India, alone accounted for Rs 39,471 crore of wilful defaults as of December 2018. "This alone is a surge of a whopping 308 pc," he said.

"Rollover risks for outstanding borrowings are rising as these companies could only raise less than one-seventh of the debts they incurred the previous year. Founders of most of these companies are selling businesses to tide over the crunch," he said.

Surjewala also said that even the cost of funding for non-bank lenders had gone up by 50 basis points and investors were scrutinising Indian banks that had a loan exposure to companies with stressed debt.

"Not only is Rs 1 trillion (USD 14.4 Billion) of 11 firms wiped out, cracks of the credit crunch spread far and wide. A major challenge is refinance of outstanding bonds of Rs 2.03 trillion," he said.

On the resignation of Reserve Bank of India's deputy governor Viral Acharya six months before his term was to end, Surjewala said he had added his name to the long list of experts who attempted to show the "mirror of truth" to the BJP regime. -- PTI

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