LIVE! Pak objects to India's 4 hydropower projects

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Thu, 25 March 2021

Pak objects to India's 4 hydropower projects

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23:46 Public celebrations and gatherings disallowed during Ugadi, Holi in Karnataka

The Karnataka government on Thursday issued an order not allowing public celebrations, gatherings or congregations during the coming festivals like Ugadi, Holi, Shab-e-Barat and Good Friday following a spike in COVID-19 cases.

In an order, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar, who is also the State Disaster Management Authority's State Executive Committee Chairperson has directed authorities concerned to ensure that public gatherings and congregations during the upcoming religious festivals not be allowed in public places, including parks, markets and religious places.

It has asked the Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP-city civic corporation), Deputy Commissioners, and authorities concerned to ensure strict compliance of the order and adequately inform and sensitise field functionaries in this regard.

The order also warns of action under the Disaster Management Act, IPC and Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, against those violating the guidelines.

Noting that Karnataka is again under threat of COVID-19 spread, the government said it has been observed that there has been a persistent rise in coronavirus cases in the state during the last fortnight.

It is anticipated that gatherings, congregations and public celebrations during the coming festivals may pose a considerable threat of spread of virus and may cause setback to the appreciable gains made in the suppression of chain of transmission of COVID-19 cases.

For the last three consecutive days, the state has been reporting over 2,000 fresh cases of coronavirus. -- PTI

23:41 Pak objects to India's 4 hydropower projects

Pakistan has raised its objection to at least four hydropower projects in India and sought more information from it as Islamabad emphasised the importance of early resolution of the outstanding issues in accordance with the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, the Foreign Office said here on Thursday.

The 116th meeting of the India-Pakistan Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) was held in New Delhi from March 23-24, where a host of issues related to the Indus Waters Treaty were discussed.

"Pakistan side reiterated its objections to the Indian projects including Pakal Dul, Lower Kulnai, Durbuk Shyok and Nimu Chilling. The Pakistan side also urged the Indian side to share data of water flows as per the provisions of the IWT following the practice in vogue since 1989," the FO said.

Pakistan emphasised the importance of early resolution of the outstanding issues in accordance with the provisions of the IWT, it said.

Both sides agreed to make endeavours to resolve the issues, conduct tours of inspection and hold the next meeting of the Commission in Pakistan at an early date, the FO added.

Under the relevant provisions of the IWT, the meeting is held annually alternately in Pakistan and India.

During the meeting, India told Pakistan that the designs of the Pakal Dul and the Lower Kalnai hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir, over which Islamabad raised objections, are fully compliant with the provisions of the IWT.

"Discussions continued on designs of two Indian projects, namely Pakal Dul (1000 MW) and Lower Kalnai (48 MW)," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement in New Delhi on Wednesday.

"The Indian side held that these projects are fully compliant with the provisions of the Treaty and provided technical data in support of its position," it said.

The annual Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) meeting took place in New Delhi after a gap of over two years. The last meeting had taken place in Lahore in August 2018.

The Indian delegation was led by P K Saxena, India's Indus Commissioner, and his team included officials from the Central Water Commission, the Central Electricity Authority and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation.

The Pakistani delegation was led by its Indus Commissioner Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah.

The waters of the Indus river and its tributaries are crucial to India and Pakistan and serve as a lifeline for millions of people of the two nations.

This year's meeting is the first between the two commissioners after the August 2019 nullification of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Last year's meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi in March was cancelled, a first since the treaty came into being, in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the Indus Waters Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all the waters of the eastern rivers -- Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi -- amounting to around 33 million acre feet annually is allocated to India for unrestricted use. The waters of western rivers -- Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab -- amounting to around 135 MAF annually has been assigned largely to Pakistan.

According to the treaty, India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run-of-the-river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation. The treaty also gives right to Pakistan to raise objections to designs of Indian hydroelectric projects on the western rivers. -- PTI

India has not imposed any ban on export of coronavirus vaccines and it will continue to supply them to partner countries over the coming weeks and months in a phased manner, sources said on Thursday.

They said given India's manufacturing capacity and requirements of national vaccination programmes, there may be a need to calibrate the supply schedules from time-to-time.

The sources said all stakeholders will have to work together to adjust the schedules as required and the pandemic can only be dealt collectively by such cooperation.

"We had stated that keeping in view the domestic requirements of the phased rollout, India will continue to supply COVID-19 vaccines to partner countries over the coming weeks and months in a phased manner," said a source.

"This position remains unchanged. We have not imposed any ban on exports of vaccines unlike many other countries," the source added.

India started supplying the vaccine doses to foreign countries on January 20. The first countries to receive such vaccines were from the neighbourhood.

So far, India supplied more than 60 million doses of Made-in-India vaccines to over 75 countries including through COVAX which is a global initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The government has already announced that people who are 45 and older can be vaccinated from April 1.

It is ramping up the nationwide inoculation drive as the COVID-19 cases have increased in many states. -- PTI

Army chief Gen MM Naravane on Thursday said no de-radicalisation camps of any kind existed in Jammu and Kashmir, noting that the focus of the government was to increase education and employment avenues for youths of the union territory.

Speaking at the India Economic Conclave, Gen Naravane also said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved significantly.

"We do not have any de-radicalisation camps of any kind. So, I don't think we should get that impression that we are herding any local people together in some camps somewhere and trying to brainwash them," he said.

"Nothing like that is happening on the ground. But yes the youths are prone to join the militant ranks for various reasons, including, you know it is a very romantic kind of a thing to hold a gun, take your photo and put it out on social media. So that remains a concern," the Army chief added.

His remarks came in response to a question that had reference to de-radicalisation camps and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir

Gen Naravane also listed the steps for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir such as opening up avenues for education outside the union territory and increasing employment opportunities for them as part of efforts to deal with the situation.

"If your basic needs are being met, then nobody will join the ranks of the militants and that is where the focus is now. It is not just by the Army but by the government as a whole," he said.

In January last year, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat said de-radicalisation camps are operating in the country as it is necessary to isolate people who are completely radicalised.

Gen Rawat made the comments while delving into the situation in Kashmir.

To a question, the Army chief said radicalisation does have a religious slant to it, but not as much as people would like to believe.

"I think the people of Jammu and Kashmir know what is good for them. They are also under the shadow of the guns and sometimes are forced into a particular direction or forced to make certain statements

because the security forces cannot be everywhere all the time," he said.

"We have to follow the laws of the land; the terrorists do not (have to). Therefore, their power to coax and extract a particular kind of behaviour from the population will always be slightly more," Gen Naravane added. -- PTI

Officials of the National Investigation Agency on Thursday evening took suspended police officer Sachin Waze to Reti Bunder creek in Thane where businessman Mansukh Hiran's body had been found.

The NIA, which has now taken over both the Ambani security scare case as well as the Hiran murder matter, got further custody of Waze till April 3 earlier in the day.

In the evening, some seven or eight officials took Waze to the spot where Hiran's body had been found on March 5, a local police official said.

On Wednesday, the NIA had taken the custody from the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad of suspended police officer Vinayak Shinde and cricket bookie Naresh Gaur in the Hiran case.

Waze was arrested by the NIA on March 13 in connection with the Scorpio with gelatin sticks and threat letter found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in south Mumbai on February 25.

Hiran had claimed that this Scorpio had been stolen from his possession a week earlier. -- PTI

Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday said the agitating farmers were prepared for a long haul and will relent only when their demands are met.

Tikait reiterated that the Centre must withdraw the farm laws and provide a legal guarantee on MSP.

He said the farm laws were not only adversely affecting the farmers but will impact other sections as well.

"This fight is not just of farmers but it is also for the poor, small traders..," said Tikait while addressing a farmers' 'mahapanchayat' at Assandh in Haryana's Karnal district.

Asserting that farmers were prepared for a long haul, he said, "This agitation will go on for long. We have made preparations till November-December."

Referring to his late father Mahender Singh Tikait, he said, "Tikait sahib used to say that when Haryana stands in support of an agitation, government shivers."

"They tried to break our agitation by dividing it on lines of Punjab and Haryana and projecting it as specific to a particular state but that did not work," he said, hitting out at the government.

Tikait said the government may try to impose restrictions in the garb of coronavirus pandemic at places where farmers are sitting in large numbers as part of the ongoing stir but that will not deter them.

"There is the possibility that in the name of corona, restrictions may be imposed but our agitation will go on. We will follow all the guidelines, but we will not end our dharnas," he asserted.

He also said farmers have shown how to manage their time for the stir as well as for their crops.

Tikait said the agitation was drawing good support from several states across the country including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Hundreds of farmers are camping at Delhi's borders since November last year demanding the repeal of the three contentious farm laws. -- PTI

The Gujarat government on Thursday banned people from gathering in mosques and other places for Shab-e-Barat that will be observed on March 28.

In a notification, the Gujarat home department said on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat, or the night of forgiveness, Muslims gather in large numbers in mosques to offer prayers in order to to seek forgiveness on behalf of the deceased and visit graves of their loved ones.

"There has been a recent increase in the number of coronavirus cases. In such a situation, cases are likely to grow due to large gatherings. It is important people do not gather in mosques and other places for Shab-e-Barat and COVID-19 guidelines issued by state and Central governments are strictly followed and social distancing maintained," said the notification.

Gujarat reported 1,961 new coronavirus positive cases on Thursday, its highest single-day spike on the fourth consecutive day since March 22, taking the state's tally to 2,94,130.

The state home department had issued a notification on Wednesday banning public celebration of Holi. -- PTI

Politicians have no business talking about how people dress because ultimately their service is of policy making and ensuring rule of law, Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said on Thursday, reacting to the controversial "ripped jeans" remarks by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat.

Rawat had drawn flak when he said that youngsters follow strange fashion trends due to a lack of values and consider themselves to be big shots after wearing jeans ripped at the knees.

Rawat then went on to describe the attire of a woman who sat next to him on a flight. He described her as wearing boots, jeans ripped at the knees, bangles in her hands and with two children travelling with her.

He also said she runs an NGO, goes out in society and has two children and wondered what values she would give them.

Speaking at the Seventh Edition of Times Network India Economic Conclave on 'Ladies Who Lead', Irani said there are certain things which are sacrosanct and one of them is a woman's right to choose the way she wants to live her life and engage with society as she deems fit.

"Irrespective, men, women, transgender, politicians have absolutely no business talking about how people dress, what they eat, what they do because ultimately our service is of policy making and ensuring rule of law. There have been faux pas made by many politicians -- men and women," Irani said.

"It is not as though these particular positions have been taken only by men and I think with growing urgency there is conversation across our country in all communities that there are certain things which are sacrosanct and one of them is woman's right to choose the way she wants to live her life and engage with society as she deems fit as long as you don't break the law I have absolutely no business telling you what to do," she added.

Responding to a question on why she is calling her party colleague Rawat's remarks a faux pas, she said, "No one in their enlightened mind will make that statement."

On the alleged absence of top Congress leaders in the West Bengal poll campaign, Irani said politically the Congress party knows that in West Bengal it has no gains to be made and its political leadership has accepted defeat even before the first vote is cast.

"I think it speaks volumes about their leadership that they did not stand in support of their own political workers and their own ecosystem within the state of West Bengal and this is possibly the first time that in Bengal elections the Congress by its very demeanour of its political leadership has accepted defeat even before the first vote is cast," Irani said.

Talking about women reservation, she said the BJP was the first party to make 33 per cent reservation within itself.

"People like Nirmala (Sitharaman) and me received our first organisational positions because of that. There have been many women who never had an opportunity to serve in higher offices. Today if you look at global indices which talk about political empowerment of women...women serving in panchayats have not been recognised internationally," Irani said.

"In India, we have 1.3 million women serving in panchayats, no other nation in the world has such a big contingent of women politically serving doesn't get recognition. There is this potential that needs more and more opportunities because wherever women have been given equal opportunity to compete they have done well," she added.

On the #metoo movement in India involving former Union minister M J Akbar and journalist Priya Ramani, Irani said if there is a violation of law it is a woman's right to pursue justice.

"There can be no debate on it," she said. -- PTI

Justifying his controversial comment on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said on Thursday that a woman in a saree flaunting her leg is not a reflection of the Bengali culture.

Addressing an election rally in Purulia on Tuesday, Ghosh had targetted Banerjee over her injured leg, saying that if she has to display her "broken leg" for votes, she can very well wear bermuda shorts, which help people see it clearly.

Asked about the comment, Ghosh told reporters, "Being a woman chief minister we certainly expect from her some decency that goes well with the culture and tradition of Bengal, and with the values of a Bengali woman."

"However, here we can see a saree-clad woman who is flaunting her leg frequently. Do you consider this as a reflection of the culture of Bengal? I have protested against this (at the meeting)," he said.

Reacting to Ghosh's justification, the Trinamool Congress said the BJP president has gone on to defend the insult he meted out to the "daughter of Bengal" and the people will punish the "misogyny".

"Be it saree clad women or those wearing ripped jeans, Bengal won't forgive!" it tweeted.

State minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that women of Bengal won't give a single vote to people of such mindset.

Actor-turned-politician Nusrat Jahan said, "Misogyny and the need to control women as per the wishes of men is so deeply embedded in BJP leaders that it's a matter of national concern now." -- PTI

Bills passed in the Budget Session of Parliament will be challenged in court, the Congress said on Thursday, alleging this is the first time that the government did not agree to any of the opposition's demands as it was only interested in pushing its legislative business.

Addressing a joint press conference, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Jairam Ramesh and Ravneet Singh Bittu claimed that they wanted the current Parliament session to continue till its stipulated time of April 8, but the government found excuses to curtail it two weeks ahead of schedule.

"Every bill that was passed in the Parliament session will be challenged in the Supreme Court. There is no doubt about it," Ramesh told reporters and cited the examples of the Delhi bill and the mines and minerals bill.

"Passing bills like this is against the tenets of democracy. We strongly condemn the government for this and the manner in which the role of parliamentary committees was ignored," he added.

Noting that the Budget Session was curtailed two weeks ahead of time, he said the Congress was not in favour of it.

"We wanted the session to run till April 8 and wanted to raise people's issues and debate them. As the PM, home minister and other ministers are campaigning, the session was wound up two weeks ahead. I feel curtailment of the session weakens democracy," Ramesh said.

Kharge, the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said the opposition wanted to raise many issues like the rising fuel prices, withdrawal of farm laws and price rise, but was not allowed to do so.

"We have done what we had to do, you can decide. The BJP behaved like any party with a brute majority would behave," he said, adding that when the Congress was in power it heeded everyone's requests.

Kharge said Jawaharlal Nehru used to sit in Parliament when he was the prime minister, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were busy with elections.

"They did not even look once at Parliament. The prime minister came on the last day in a routine course to attend when the National Anthem was being sung," he said.

"When we call Parliament, it is to heed the troubles of people and solve them. Otherwise there is no point in calling the Parliament," the senior Congress leader observed.

Kharge also alleged that the government was on a no-holds barred privatisation spree.

"It is privatising loss making and profit making entities so that in private sector enterprises there is no need to give the benefits of reservation. The government is privatising firms to indirectly hatch the conspiracy of eliminating quotas," he alleged.

On the GNCTD amendment bill, he said on December 20, 1991, BJP leader LK Advani had stated in the Lok Sabha that their party was of the view that Delhi should be given the status of a full fledged state.

"Statehood is a far cry. Even the current status has not been protected. We sought the bill be referred to a select committee, but it was not allowed," he said.

Congress whip in Lok Sabha Ravneet Singh Bittu said the government is on a privatising spree, as it is busy privatising all sectors and has kept a target of Rs 1.75 lakh crore.

He alleged that after the British looted the country, the current dispensation led by Modi is on a mission to "sell everything" that is left over to their "private friends".

"Will you not spare anyting? You will target everything," he asked.

"This is a government of jumlas," he alleged. -- PTI

People in Maharashtra may face problems in telecom connectivity if a lockdown is imposed in the state due to infrastructure companies facing inconvenience from local authorities in rolling out and maintaining networks, industry body TAIPA said on Thursday.

Maharashtra has seen a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases and there were 31,855 fresh cases recorded in the state on Thursday, as per data available on the Aarogya Setu app.

Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association has alleged that various local authorities and municipal corporations are not ready to acknowledge and accept the telecom infrastructure policy dated February 17, 2018, duly notified by the state government in August 2018.

"The situation is very alarming as the infrastructure providers continue to face coercive threats from one municipal corporation or the other each day," TAIPA Director General T R Dua said.

The body, whose members include companies like Indus Towers, American Tower Corporation and Sterlite Technologies, said the local authorities of the state are still insisting on following their own policies, circulars and resolutions.

This has led to a situation wherein the infrastructure providers are constantly living under threat of coercive action of disconnection and demolition or sealing of the sites, it said.

"We are afraid, it is going to hurt not only the investor's sentiment but also make the common public life difficult in absence of sound telecom infrastructure which is fundamental to digital services like work from home, remote meeting, e-education etc besides meeting the basic needs of voice and data services," Dua said.

TAIPA said non-implementation of the policy has led to multiple policies, rules and bye laws.

"Nagpur, Bhivandi Nizampur, Pimpri Chinchwad, MCGM, Mira Bhayender, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Kalyan Dombivali have come up with their own circulars and resolutions etc. Concerns are exorbitant fees up to Rs 2 Lakh per tower for regularization and stringent documentation," TAIPA said.

The industry body said even the 2018 policy of the state has not addressed clauses around regularisation and validity of existing towers.

"This non approval of existing towers leads to coercive action. Property tax is very high and on top of it, Shasti penalty is levied for non-regularised towers by considering them as unauthorised by MCs such as MCGM, Aurangabad, Vasai Virar and MBMC," it said. -- PTI

20:10 Situation in Ladakh 'eased distinctly': China

The Chinese military on Thursday said the situation at eastern Ladakh has "eased distinctly" thanks to the joint efforts with India on the disengagement of troops from the Pangong Lake area but gave no indication about when the pull out will take place from the remaining areas along the Line of Actual Control.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two countries had completed withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong Lake last month in line with an agreement on disengagement.

But the disengagement is yet to take place in remaining areas along the LAC.

The Indian Army has been pitching for a faster disengagement process in areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang to bring down tension in the mountainous region.

At present, China and India have disengaged front-line troops in the Pangong Lake area and both countries have positively commented on the current moves, Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defence said at an online media briefing.

"Thanks to the joint efforts made by China and India, the situation in the border area has been eased distinctly," he said.

Both sides have agreed to maintain communication through military and diplomatic channels to promote the settlement of other issues in the west section of the China-India boundary, Ren was quoted as saying by the Chinese military-run China Military Online portal.

Ren was responding to a question on reports quoting the External Affairs Ministry spokesman asking China to complete its military withdrawal at the remaining friction points along the LAC. -- PTI

The Maharashtra government on Thursday said legendary singer Asha Bhosle has been selected for Maharashtra Bhushan award, the state government's highest honour.

A committee chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray decided to nominate Bhosle for the award for the year 2020.

The award, instituted in 1996 by the Maharashtra government to recognise distinguished work and achievements of eminent persons from the state, representing different walks of life, carries a cash prize and a citation.

Her sister Lata Mangeshkar had won the award in 1997.

Born on September 8, 1933 in Sangli district, Bhosle was initiated into music by her father, the renowned Marathi stage actor-singer Dinanath Mangeshkar.

Having sung her first song for a Marathi film in 1944, she has the distinction of having sung thousands of songs in practically every major Indian language.

The versatility of her voice and talent has been acknowledged through a host of awards conferred on her, including the National Award twice, the prestigious Filmfare Award eight times, and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.

Bhosle was selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2000. -- PTI

19:42 Milind Soman tests positive for COVID-19

Actor-model Milind Soman on Thursday said he has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently under quarantine.

The 55-year-old actor shared his health update on Twitter.

"Tested positive. #Quarantine," Soman wrote.

The actor was last seen on the ALTBalaji and ZEE5 series Paurashpur, which started streaming in December.

Earlier in the day, actor R Madhavan also said he has tested positive for COVID-19, adding he was "recovering well".

Recently, several other Bollywood celebrities, including Kartik Aaryan, Manoj Bajpayee and Satish Kaushik contracted the virus.

Mumbai today reported its highest one-day rise in COVID-19 cases so far with 5,504 new infections, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

19:25 Ranbir Kapoor recovers from COVID-19

Actor Ranbir Kapoor has recovered from COVID-19 and is doing well, his paternal uncle and veteran actor Randhir Kapoor said on Thursday.

On March 9, Ranbir Kapoor's actor-mother Neetu Kapoor had informed his fans that the 38-year-old actor had tested positive for the virus and was under self quarantine.

"Ranbir is absolutely fine now. He is alright. I have met him," Randhir Kapoor told PTI, adding he was unaware when his nephew tested negative for COVID-19.

Speculation over Ranbir Kapoor's health status arose when his sister and jewellery designer Riddhima Kapoor Sahni posted their picture from the 11 month prayer meet for their late father, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor on Thursday.

"Always watching over us. We miss you," Sahni captioned their photo on Instagram and tagged their mother.

Rishi Kapoor passed away last April after a two year-long battle with leukaemia.

Rail and road transportation services are likely to be affected and markets may remain closed in parts of the country on Friday as farmer unions protesting against the three agri laws have called a complete 'Bharat Bandh', even as it will not be observed in four poll-bound states and Puducherry.

According to the Samkyukta Kisan Morcha, the nationwide shutdown will start at 6 am and it will be in force up to 6 pm across the country on March 26 which marks four months of the farmer agitation on Delhi's three borders -- Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri.

Senior farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said that road and rail transport will be blocked, claiming that markets will also remain closed.

The Morcha, which is an umbrella body of protesting farm unions, said that the 'bandh' will also be observed in the national capital.

Rajewal said that trade unions from organised and unorganised sectors, and transport and other associations have extended their support for the 'Bharat Bandh' call of farmer organisations on March 26.

"Farmers will block rail tracks in various places. Markets and transport services will be closed during 'Bharat Bandh'," Rajewal told PTI.

He said that however, emergency services like ambulance and fire will be allowed during the nationwide shutdown.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee for the minimum support price on their crops.

Confederation of All India Traders, which claimed representation of eight crore traders in the the country, said that markets will remain open on March 26 as it is not participating in the 'Bharat Bandh'.

"We are not going to participate in 'Bharat Bandh' tomorrow. Markets will remain open in Delhi and other parts of the country. The ongoing deadlock can be resolved only through dialogue process. There should be discussions on amendments in the farm laws that can make existing farming profitable," CAIT's national general secretary Praveen Khandelwal told PTI.

Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar, who is also senior member of Samkyukta Kisan Morcha, said that the major impact of the 'Bharat Bandh' will be felt in Haryana and Punjab.

Kohar said that farmers have appealed to trader associations to close their shops during the nationwide shutdown as the three new agri laws will also affect them indirectly.

The farmer leader said that in poll-bound Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Puducherry, the Samkyukta Kisan Morcha has appealed to people to not observe 'Bandh' there.

An explosion occurred at an unused oxygen plant of a hospital in Maharashtra's Solapur district, an official said on Thursday.

A 49-year-old man, who was sitting near the plant at the time of the blast, died during treatment in the wee hours of the day, the official said.

Markandeya Sahakari Hospital has two oxygen plants and the explosion took place on Wednesday night at a plant, which has not been in use since early March, chairman of the hospital Dr Manik Ghurram said.

Hanmant Kshirsagar fell unconscious after the explosion and died during treatment, it was stated.

The victim's family has alleged that the death was caused due to the blast, as Kshirsagar had inhaled a white powder-like substance that had spread in the air post the explosion.

"The exact cause of death will be ascertained once the post-mortem report arrives," Dr Ghurram said.

"A white powder-like substance spread in the air following an explosion at the unused plant. As the powder spread in the hospital, we shifted the patients to another building as a precautionary measure," he said, adding that it was a non-hazardous and non-toxic substance.

The victim's kin have filed a complaint application with Jail Road police station, it was stated.

18:26 1st phase poll campaign ends in Bengal, Assam

Curtains came down at 5 pm on Thursday on the high decibel campaign in 30 assembly seats in West Bengal and 47 in Assam where polls are scheduled in the first phase on March 27.

The 30 seats in Bengal are spread across tribal-dominated Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Purba Medinipur (Part 1) and Paschim Medinipur (Part 1) districts which were once considered the citadel of the Left in the state.

The campaign for the seats saw high profile leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party, which has emerged as the main opposition to the ruling Trinamool Congress, addressing poll rallies in Purulia, Jhargram and Bankura districts promising 'ashol poriborton' (actual change) to build 'Sonar Bangla' (prosperous Bengal).

The star BJP campaigners for the seats going to poll in the first phase were Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

The other star campaigners of the saffron party were Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, party president Jagat Prakash Nadda, top leader Smriti Irani who repeatedly harped on the various scams.

They attacked Mamata Banerjee's party for the multi-crore rupees Saradha scam, the Narada tapes scandal to the more recent alleged siphoning of money meant for Amphan relief and the TMC government's dealing with COVID-19 pandemic.

The saffron party leaders virulently attacked the Mamata Banerjee government for not allowing the implementation of central schemes like the Ayushman Bharat, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and 80 others aimed at helping the poor, dalits, tribals and people from the marginalised sections.

The BJP leaders claimed that corruption and anarchy are prevalent in TMC-ruled West Bengal and that the party will put an end to the menace after coming to power in the state.

The saffron party leaders, including Modi, targeted TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee alleging that he was involved in cross-border cattle smuggling and the coal scam.

In almost all of their rallies, the BJP also accused the TMC-government for its "cut money" culture and 'syndicate raj' in the state.

Bollywood Megastar Mithun Chakraborty who joined the saffron party campaigned for BJP candidates at Jangalmahal and Bankura.

His road shows became a huge hit as people from all walks of life gathered to hear him, throwing all caution for COVID-19 to the winds.

On the other hand, West Bengal Chief Minister held poll rallies in each of the 30 constituencies, her injured leg notwithstanding.

The TMC supremo in her campign described the Modi government as "anti-people" and the prime minister a "liar". She also blamed him for not allowing the state government to give free coronavirus jabs to the people.

She alleged that 'harmads' (goons) of CPI-M who had joined BJP had scripted the attack on her at Nandigram, from where she is contesting this time, to stop her from campaigning.

Banerjee, who is among the strident critics of the prime minister, had said that the Centre is selling off government concerns and that only Modi's "factory of lies will remain". She urged people not to vote for "goons from outside" (the state) and often threw the challenge at BJP by uttering her party's popular "khela hobe" (game will take place) slogan.

She charged BJP with bringing in outsiders to the state for the assembly election in Bengal and attacked the Modi government for the hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas.

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, another star campaigner for the party, urged the people to vote for "Banglar nijer meye" (Bengal's own daughter) Mamata Banerjee to live in peace in the state.

The 30 constituencies had overwhelmingly voted for TMC in the last two state elections but BJP had swept them in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. PTI

The 2021 edition of the Producer's Guild of America (PGA) Awards honoured the late Indian star Irrfan Khan during its 'In Memoriam' segment but got his name wrong.

The awards, considered as an Oscar bellwether, were held virtually on Wednesday.

Khan was among the 21 cine personalities who were remembered during the ceremony's 'In Memoriam' segment.

However, the pre-taped production of the awards committed a gaffe with the actor's name as it read 'Irrif Kahn' instead of Irrfan Khan, reported Variety.

Another typo was spotted when the name of Minari star Steven Yeun, who was one of the presenters at the event, was misspelled as 'Steven Yuen'.

Khan, who straddled both Indian and international cinema with equal elan, died in April 2020 at the age of 54 following a two year-long battle with a rare form of cancer.

In Hollywood, he featured in blockbusters such as Inferno, A Mighty Heart, Life of Pi, Amazing Spider-Man and Jurassic World.

BJP's Pandabeswar candidate Jitendra Tiwari was show-caused by the Election Commission for promising voters a free trip to the temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya if elected, officials said on Thursday.

Tiwari made the promise at two places -- once while speaking at a public meeting in Haripur on March 21, and then at a party meeting, they said.

The Trinamool Congress lodged a complaint with the EC on March 22 over the issue.

In his reply to the EC notice, Tiwari said that he was unaware that making such a promise would violate the model code of conduct.

He also apologised to the EC for "being ignorant". -- PTI

17:22 Losers and gainers as Sensex sheds 740 pts

The 30-share BSE Sensex on Thursday slumped 740.19 points or 1.51 per cent to close at 48,440.12.

The broader NSE Nifty tanked 224.50 points or 1.54 per cent to 14,324.90.

Maruti was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding 3.98 per cent, followed by HUL, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Auto, NTPC, Bajaj Finance and UltraTech Cement.

Only four index components managed to close in the green -- Dr Reddy's, ICICI Bank, HDFC and L&T -- rising up to 0.74 per cent.

17:12 I have been made scapegoat: Waze to NIA court

Suspended Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze, arrested in the Mukesh Ambani bomb scare case, told a National Investigation Agency court he is being made a scapegoat in the case.

However, the court extended his NIA custody till April 3.

Waze, who was with the Crime Intelligence Unit, was arrested in connection with the investigation into the recovery of explosives from a car parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in Mumbai on February 25.

One CRPF jawan was killed and three others injured in a terror attack in Lawaypora on the outskirts of Srinagar on Thursday, the police said.

The terrorists opened fire on the CRPF personnel in Lawaypora in the Parimpora police station area in Jammu and Kashmir.

The injured personnel have been rushed to a hospital, the official said.

The area has been cordoned off, he said, adding that further details are awaited.

Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Thursday filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay high court seeking an "immediate and unbiased" probe against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who he claimed asked police officer Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants.

The IPS officer had earlier this week approached the Supreme Court, which on Wednesday termed as quite serious the matter in which he had filed a plea against Deshmukh, but asked him to approach the Bombay high court with his grievances.

Singh said in his plea before the high court that Deshmukh held meetings at his residence with several Mumbai police officials, including Waze, in February this year.

In these meetings, Deshmukh instructed the officers to collect Rs 100 crore per month from various establishments, the plea reads.

It added that Deshmukh regularly interfered with police functioning and often misused his office.

Deshmukh's conduct warranted a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the plea read.

Singh urged the court to direct the CBI to conduct an immediate, unbiased, uninfluenced, impartial, and fair investigation" in the "various corrupt malpractices" of the minister. -- PTI

The Andheri magistrate's court in Mumbai on Thursday granted bail to actress Kangana Ranaut in the defamation case filed against her by lyricist Javed Akhtar.

Ranaut had appeared before the court today and had sought cancellation of the bailable warrant issued against her.

She had also applied for bail, which was allowed by the court.

16:24 Release of 'Bunty Aur Babli 2' put off

The release date of Aditya Chopra's upcoming Bollywood production Bunty Aur Babli 2 has been postponed due to the rise in Covid-19 cases.

The new release date will be announced later by the makers.

Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh confirmed the news on Twitter on Thursday. He tweeted, "#BreakingNews: #BuntyAurBabli2 - which was scheduled to release in *cinemas* on 23 April 2021 - has been postponed... #YRF will announce the new release date later. #SaifAliKhan, #RaniMukerji, #SiddhantChaturvedi #Sharvari."

In what is being dubbed as the second wave of Covid-19, new restrictions and lockdowns are being implemented in certain parts of the country, most notably in Maharashtra.

Owing to this, Bunty Aur Babli 2 producer Aditya Chopra has decided to postpone the release of the film. It was earlier set to release on April 23.

The film stars Saif Ali Khan, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Rani Mukerji. The cast also includes debutante Sharvari.

Bunty Aur Babli 2 is a sequel to the 2005 hit film starring Rani alongside Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan.

15:56 Kumbh Mela cut to 1 month over Covid surge

The duration of the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar has been curtailed to just one month for the first time in its history in view of the recent surge in Covid-19 cases and it has been made mandatory for pilgrims to have a "negative" RT-PCR test report to attend the mega congregation.

According to a notification, the congregation on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar in Uttarakhand will take place from April 1 to 30, with three "shahi snan" (major bathing) dates on April 12, 14 and 27.

Thousands of devotes take a dip in the holy river during the mela with their number increasing manifold on the days of "shahi snan".

Authorities also expect heavy turnouts on the occasions of Chaitra Pratipada on April 13 and Ram Navami on April 21.

Held once in 12 years, the congregation usually lasts around three-and-a-half months.

Its last edition was held in Haridwar from January 14 to April 28 in 2010.

A "negative" RT-PCR test report, not older than 72 hours before arrival, has been made mandatory for devotees by the Uttarakhand high court.

Devotees who have taken the Covid-19 vaccination will have to upload their certificate in an official portal and follow the guidelines.

India is reporting an increase in the daily Covid cases since February, clearly indicating a second wave, a report by the State Bank of India said. The report added that the second wave may last up to 100 days, counting from February 15 onwards, it said.

The report said that based on trends till March 23, the total number of coronavirus cases in the country in the second wave is expected to be around 25 lakh, NDTV reported.

India is witnessing second wave of infection beginning February 2021, with daily new cases rising again. Pan-India total cases in the second wave expected in the order of 25 lakhs (based on trends in data till 23-Mar). Considering the number of days from the current level of daily new cases to the peak level during the first wave, India might reach the peak in the second half of April, the report said.

It said that the localised lockdowns and restrictions have been ineffective against Covid and that mass vaccination is the only hope to win the battle.

Lockdown ineffective, mass vaccination is the only hope. This is visible in case of many states including Maharashtra and Punjab, it said.

The SBI report further said that the business activity index, based on high frequency indicators, has declined in the last week, and the impact of the lockdown or restrictions imposed by certain states might become visible next month.

Team Mahindra with the award

14:57 New Thar wins Autocars car of the year award

The All-New Mahindra Thar was declared 'Car of the Year' at the recently held Autocar Awards.

In a glittering ceremony attended by stalwarts of the Indian automotive industry in New Delhi, the trophy was presented to Dr Pawan Goenka, MD & CEO, M&M, by Hormazd Sorabjee, editor, Autocar India.

The All-New Thar also took home the coveted 'Mid-size SUV of the Year' award.

Launched to mark the Mahindra group's 75th anniversary on October 2, 2020, the All-New Thar crossed 20,000 bookings in the first month itself and has recorded over 47,000 bookings till date.

14:50 Actor R Madhavan tests positive for Covid-19

Actor R Madhavan on Thursday said he has tested positive for Covid-19 and is recovering well.

The 50-year-old actor took to Twitter and gave the health update to his fans, referencing his film 3 Idiots. His co-star from the 2009 blockbuster, Aamir Khan, had tested positive for the virus on Wednesday.

Like his character Farhan from the Rajkumar Hirani directorial, Madhavan quipped he had followed in the footsteps of Khan's Rancho here too. The virus, he said, caught up with duo in real life.

In the film, actor Boman Irani's Viru Sahasrabuddhe, a strict college principal, was nicknamed Virus.

"Farhan has to follow Rancho and Virus has always been after us but this time he bloody caught up. But all is well and the Covid will be in the Well soon," he tweeted.

Madhavan said he doesn't want their friend Raju, the character played by Sharman Joshi, to follow them to the same place.

"Thank you for all the love. I am recuperating well," he added.

On Monday, Madhavan posted a video from the sets of his latest film, Amriki Pandit, on social media. "Shoot in Bhopal, with tons of precautions," the actor had written.

14:44 Amid turmoil in Maha, Supriya Sule meets Sonia

NCP leader Supriya Sule met interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday amid the ongoing turmoil in Maharashtra following corruption allegations levelled against the state home minister.

In the wake of the crisis, the BJP has been demanding president's rule in the state.

In a tweet, Sule said, "Thank you so much Hon. Mrs. Sonia Gandhi Ji for your valuable guidance. It's always such pleasure interacting with you"'.

The meeting assumes significance as the Maha Vikas Agahdi government in Maharashtra led by Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress is facing a turmoil after former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh alleged that the state's Home minister gave a target to cops for collect Rs 100 crore every month.

On Wednesday, a delegation led by Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and urged him to seek a "status report" from the state chief secretary on the law and order situation.

Fadnavis said BJP leaders requested the governor to seek a detailed report from the state government as Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is not taking any action despite "numerous scandals" coming to fore over the past few days.

The party has also alleged corruption in police transfers.

Sule's father and NCP president Sharad Pawar is known as the architect of the MVA government in the state and her meeting with Gandhi was aimed at ensuring better coordination among the alliance partners in the state as the opposition BJP mounts an aggressive campaign against it over the alleged corruption charges.

-- PTI

Just In: Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh has filed a petition in the Bombay high court pursuant to the Supreme Court asking him to move the high court.

Singh in his petition in Supreme Court had challenged his transfer as police commissioner and sought a CBI inquiry against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

Patricia Mukhim

14:21 SC quashes FIR over Meghalaya journo's FB post

The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed an FIR lodged against journalist Patricia Mukhim for allegedly creating communal disharmony through her Facebook post.

A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao allowed the plea filed by Mukhim against the Meghalaya high court order which had refused to quash the FIR against her.

We have allowed the appeal, the bench said while pronouncing its judgment.

The top court had reserved its verdict in the matter on February 16.

Mukhim's counsel had earlier argued before the apex court that there was no intention to create disharmony or conflict through the post which referred to an incident of a murderous assault on July 3, 2020.

14:15 Sharad Pawar to campaign for Mamata in Bengal

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar will travel to West Bengal to campaign Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the state assembly polls, said NCP chief spokesperson, Mahesh Tapase on Thursday.

"NCP chief Sharad Pawar will campaign in West Bengal in support of Mamata Banerjee. He will be on a three-day visit to the state from April 1, to hold various rallies, press conferences and meet Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress workers at Trinamool Bhavan," said Tapase.

Elections to the 294-member state assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

The state is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance and BJP in the fray.

-- ANI

Dadar market in Mumbai during Diwali

13:54 Mumbai earns Rs 4 cr in fine for not wearing mask

The Mumbai police have collected a total fine of Rs 4 crore in a month from two lakh people in the city, who were found not wearing mask despite the surge in Covid-19 cases, an official said on Thursday.

The amount was collected from February 20, he said.

"Rs 4 crore fine was collected from two lakh people at different locations across the city after they were found not wearing mask," Mumbai police spokesperson DCP S Chaitanya said.

"While 50 per cent of the collected fine will go to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the rest of the amount will be used for the police welfare activities," he said, adding that the drive would continue.

Mumbai on Wednesday reported its highest one-day rise in Covid-19 cases so far with 5,185 new infections coming to light, which took the caseload in the country's financial capital to 3,74,611.

There are 39 active containment zones in the city, which include slums and chawls, while 432 buildings have been sealed so far after patients were found there, the civic body has said.

The Delhi high court on Thursday adjourned the hearing on the petition of former Union minister MJ Akbar challenging a trial court order which had dismissed the criminal defamation case filed by him against journalist Priya Ramani over allegations of sexual harassment.

The bench of Justice Mukta Gupta adjourned the matter to May 5 as the concerned bench did not assemble today.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey, while passing the trial court order on February 17, had said that Indian women are capable, the way should be paved for them to excel, and they only require freedom and equality.

"The 'glass ceiling' will not prevent Indian women as a roadblock for their advancement in society if equal opportunity and social protection are given to them," the court said.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Thursday said that he had met President Ram Nath Kovind and demanded President's Rule in Maharashtra.

"The situation in Maharashtra is out of control. The government is not able to control the surge in COVID-19 cases in the state. They are not able to handle the law and order of the state," Athawale said.

"I met President Kovind and gave him a memorandum on behalf of RPI-A party demanding the President's Rule in Maharashtra. The situation in Maharashtra is serious," the union minister said.

Referring to the allegations of the former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh over the involvement of home minister Anil Deshmukh's involvement in severe "malpractices", he said, "No inquiry can take place until the Maharashtra government is removed."

Athawale had earlier sent a letter to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding President's Rule in Maharashtra.

The Union minister further said, "Rajya Sabha has passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill. This will give more power to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi."

"The constitution was kept in the mind while passing the GNCTD Bill," he added.

The passing of the bill in the Upper House was met with a walk-out by opposition parties including Congress and the AAP, who strongly opposed the bill. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed the passing of the bill in Rajya Sabha a "sad day for democracy".

-- ANI

Petrol and diesel prices were on Thursday cut for the second straight day as international oil prices cooled fell on prospects of speedy recovery in consumption getting clouded by second wave of Covid-19 cases.

Petrol price was cut by 21 paise per litre and diesel by 20 paise, according to a price notification of State-owned fuel retailers.

Petrol now costs Rs 90.78 per litre in Delhi and a litre of diesel comes for Rs 81.10.

Rates have been reduced across the country and vary from state to state depending on the local incidence of taxation (VAT).

Prices were reduced by 18 paise a litre on petrol and 17 on diesel in the first reduction in six months on Wednesday.

Despite bouts of rate freeze, prices had gone up by a record Rs 21.58 per litre on petrol since the government raised excise duty in March last year. Diesel prices had increased by Rs 19.18 a litre.

Prices which last month hit record highs including crossing Rs 100 mark in some places in Rajasthan, Maharasthra and Madhya Pradesh, had been on freeze since February-end when elections to five states including West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala were announced.

The Lok Sabha on Thursday adjourned sine die ahead of the assembly polls in four states and one union territory.

The month-long second part of the Budget Session, which started on March 8, was scheduled to conclude on April 8. The Rajya Sabha also is likely to be adjourned sine die later in the day.

Several MPs at the behest of their parties had earlier approached the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Chairman of Rajya Sabha M Venkaiah Naidu to curtail the session, citing elections as the reason.

Trinamool Congress leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O'Brien had written respectively to the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman, requesting them to adjourn the proceedings.

The first part of the Budget Session commenced with the address of President Ram Nath Kovind on January 29 and concluded on February 29.

Elections are due to be held in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry from March 27 to April 29. The results for the same will be announced on May 2.

-- ANI

12:43 Deepak, husband of Chanda Kochhar, gets bail

Deepak Kochhar, the husband of former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, has been granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Thursday in the alleged ICICI Bank-Videocon money laundering case.

The multi-crore money laundering scam was being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate.

Deepak Kochhar was arrested by the ED in September last year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in the alleged money laundering case.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said it is not right to call the RSS and its associated groups 'Sangh Parivar' as a family has women, respect for elders, compassion and affection, and the organisation has none of these.

Gandhi's remarks come a day after he said the alleged harassment of nuns belonging to a Kerala-based congregation in Uttar Pradesh was a result of the Sangh Parivar's "vicious propaganda" to pitch one community against another and trample on minorities.

In a tweet in Hindi on Thursday, he said he will no longer refer to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as 'Sangh Parivar', united family.

"I believe it is not right to call the RSS and associated organizations Sangh Parivar -- there are women in the family, there is respect for the elderly, a sense of compassion and affection -- which is not there in the RSS," he said on Twitter.

"Now I will not call RSS 'Sangh Parivar'!" the Congress leader added.

12:31 Mehbooba Mufti appears before ED in Srinagar

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case, officials said.

Mufti reached the ED office in Rajbagh at 11 am to face questioning in the case, they said.

The Peoples Democratic Party president did not appear before the agency in Delhi on Monday, citing she had prior commitments that could not be cancelled.

Her request to ED officials that she be questioned in Srinagar instead of Delhi was accepted.

The 61-year-old leader, who was released last year after more than a year in detention following the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, was served a notice to appear at the ED headquarters in the national capital.

On March 19, the Delhi high court had refused to stay summons issued to her after she moved the court seeking quashing of the summons in the case.

-- PTI

Representational image

12:10 Brace yourselves for a bunch of bank holidays

Planning to visit your bank branch for some pending work. Here's an alert for you. After Friday, March 26, banks have a slew of holidays coming up as per the list on the RBI's website.

That's because March 27, is a holiday on account of it being the 4th Saturday.

March 29, Monday, is a holiday on account of Holi (though not in some metros like Chennai). The next day, March 30, is a regular working day, except in Patna.

All banks, public and private, are closed for normal customer-facing activity on March 31 and April, for account closing in the yearend and account settlement the next day.

April 2 is a holiday on account of Good Friday.

Banks will open for normal activity the next day, which is the first Saturday of the month.

Of course, there will no disruption to online banking services and ATM operations during these holidays.

You can see the complete of bank holidays on the RBI website, here.

Representational image

11:48 Women officers to get permanent commission: SC

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday ruled that women officers will be considered for permanent commission subject to disciplinary and vigilance clearance.

A career in the Army comes with many trials. It becomes more difficult when society puts responsibility of childcare and domestic work on women, the Supreme Court said while pronouncing its verdict, and we allow these petitions with a number of directions.

The court was hearing a bunch of petitions filed by women officers for permanent commission in Indian Army and Navy.

Live Law adds: The Supreme Court on Thursday declared that the evaluation criteria adopted by the Indian Army to consider the grant of permanent commission for women to be "arbitrary and irrational'.

The top court held that the evaluation criteria adopted by the Army to benchmark the women officers with the lowest credentials of their male counterparts and to freeze their ACR evaluation at the fifth or 10th year of their service to be 'arbitrary and irrational', causing women officers 'systemic discrimination'.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said the controversy surrounding former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh's allegation of corruption against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh is now over for the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.

He made the statement while speaking to reporters in New Delhi.

"The issue of that letter (written by Singh) is now over for the MVA government. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has also welcomed any inquiry into this matter," Raut said.

"Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Anil Deshmukh were of the opinion that an inquiry be set up to probe the claims made by Singh in the letter. As a retired judge would be monitoring the inquiry, there is no need for removing Deshmukh from his post," he said adding there is no precedent for it.

It would be clear who tried to malign the image of the state, the Shiv Sena MP said.

Singh had sent an eight-page letter to Thackeray on March 20, claiming that Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels. However, the minister had refuted the allegation.

-- PTI

The United States surpassed 30 million cases of COVID-19 even as the country is making progress on the number of vaccinations.

While daily new infections have decreased significantly from their peak in January, new cases remain high at around 55,000 cases per day, while 1,000 people are dying every day despite a decline in casualties due to vaccinations, reported The Hill.

Meanwhile, hundreds of spring breakers have been flocking to the streets, beaches and restaurants in Miami Beach in Florida, prompting health officials to urge people not to let down their guard.

Health officials have also warned against states lifting coronavirus restrictions until a wider share of the population is vaccinated.

The US continues to remain the worst affected country by the coronavirus pandemic, with 30,009,771 total infections and 545,237 deaths so far, according to Johns Hopkins University.

-- ANI

Maharashtra has emerged as the leader in the COVID-19 vaccination drive as it has administered vaccine doses to 43,42,646 people, an official said on Thursday.

The state surpassed Rajasthan in the vaccination drive on March 24, he said.

Rajasthan now ranks second as it has vaccinated 43,27,874 people, the official said.

"Maharashtra tops the list of states in the country in terms of the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered," Dr Pradeep Vyas, principal secretary of Maharashtra Public Health Department, said.

The state has also administered the second dose of vaccine to 6,72,128 people, thereby reaching the cumulative vaccination figure of 50,14,774.

"Maharashtra is also the first stateto cross the 50-lakh doses benchmark. We will further scale up the vaccination," he said.

It is the only state to have covered half a crore of population in terms of vaccination, Vyas added.

The cumulative vaccination figure for Rajasthan is 49,94,574.

Maharashtra reported as many as 31,855 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, its highest single-day spike since the outbreak of the pandemic.

-- PTI

10:24 3 Rafale fighters landing next week

The Indian Air Force is set to acquire more teeth with three more Rafale omni-role fighters on their way to Ambala early next week with another nine slated to land by mid-April from France.

The Hasimara forward base in north Bengal will start operations with five fighters next month, people aware of the matter said.

According to French and Indian diplomats, an IAF team has already reached Merignac airbase in Bordeaux to finalise the date for ferrying three Rafales to Ambala. The expected date is either March 30 or 31 with the fighters to be refuelled mid-air by French refuellers as per availability with a stop-over at Al Dhafra airbase in the UAE.

India ordered 36 planes from France (the equivalent of two squadrons with 18 jets each) in September 2016 for ₹59,000 crore under a government-to-government deal. The IAFs Ambala-based Golden Arrows Squadron has already inducted 11 Rafale jets between July 2020 and January 2021. These fighter jets have been operated in the Ladakh theatre where the military is on high alert amid a border standoff with China since early May 2020.

An additional chief metropolitan magistrate court in Mumbai has issued summons to actress Alia Bhatt, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and two writers regarding a criminal defamation case connected to the upcoming film Gangubai Kathiawadi.

They have been asked to present themselves before the court on May 21. While Sanjay is the director of the film, Alia is playing the titular role in the film.

The defamation case has been filed by Babu Ravji Shah, who claims to be the adopted son of Gangubai Kathiawadi. The film is based on one chapter of Hussain Zaidi's book Mafia Queens of Mumbai.

Babu Ravji Shah claims that the chapters on Gangubai Kathiawadi in the book were defamatory, tarnished her reputation and infringed upon the right to privacy and self-respect of his deceased mother. The film by Bhansali in which Kathiawadi's role is played by Bhatt is based on the book and thus the defamatory suit is filed against the filmmaker as well as the actress.

Indias cases of the coronavirus disease witnessed a jump of 53,476 in a day while the daily toll from the disease went up to 251, according to the data released by the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Thursday.

This is the highest daily spike since October 23 last year when 54,366 fresh cases were recorded.

The total cases in India is 1.17 crore.

09:30 1K deaths a day in next 2 weeks: Maha predicts

Active Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra could top 3 lakh by April 4 with Pune district recording the highest number of active infections (61,125) followed by Nagpur (47,707) and Mumbai (32,927), said the state health department. Several districts are likely to face a shortage in treatment facilities. Nagpur and Thane could be among the most-affected district unless they amp up their facilities, it said. The death toll could also rise above 64,000 in next 11 days.

Projections of the public health department were based on the current 1% weekly average growth rate of infections, and has been shared with all districts in the state.

Using a cumulative case fatality rate of 2.27%, the department predicted 64,613 possible mortalities against a total caseload of 28,24,382, indicating a projection of up to 1,000 deaths a day over the next two weeks, said a TOI report.

Maharashtra on Wednesday reported record 31,855 new coronavirus cases, its highest ever single-day spike since the outbreak of the pandemic. The total caseload of the state rose to 25,64,881 with 2,47,299 active cases and the death toll rose to 53,684 with 95 new fatalities.

According to the projections of the state health department, there are adequate numbers of non-oxygen beds, ICU beds and ventilators, but the state needs to be outfitted with nearly 4,000 more beds with oxygen support. Nagpur and Thane districts may not match up to the adequate number of Covid-19 beds unless they build up an inventory of beds in the thousands over the next few days, said principal health secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas.

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday said he would welcome a probe if Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray orders any into former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh's allegation of corruption against him.

Deshmukh made the comment in a midnight tweet and also shared the copy of his March 21 letter to Thackeray, in which he had sought immediate probe into Singh's allegation.

"I had demanded the honourable chief minister to order probe into Param Bir Singh's allegation against me to clear the air. I will welcome if the honourable chief minister orders probe," Deshmukh tweeted, adding "Satyamev Jayate"

(truth shall prevail).

In his letter, Deshmukh had said that there is "no truth" in the allegations levelled against him and demanded investigation into the matter.

In his eight-page letter to Thackeray, Singh on March 20 had created a flutter in Maharashtras political circles, claiming that Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels.

On the same day, Deshmukh trashed the allegations Singh made against him.

-- PTI

08:36 Brazil second nation to top 3 lakh deaths

Brazil has reached 3,00,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and become the second nation to top that figure.

The United States hit the same milestone on December 14, but it has a larger population.

Yesterday's coronavirus figures from the Brazilian health ministry added another 2,009 deaths to the country's tally, which local media say is an undercount.

Brazil added 1,00,000 deaths to its tally in only 75 days, a spike health experts have blamed on a lack of political coordination, new variants that spread more easily and a disregard for health protocols in many parts of the country.

07:46 MJ Akbar moves HC against acquittal of Ramani

The Delhi high court will hear on Thursday an appeal by former Union minister MJ Akbar against the dismissal of his criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani.

A single judge bench of justice Mukta Gupta will hear Akbars petition that has challenged the February 17 decision of a city court, clearing Ramani of defamation charges for her allegations of sexual harassment against him.

The appeal, filed by Karanjawala & Co, has referred to portions of the trial courts judgment which admitted in one part that the content referred to by Akbar was defamatory in nature, and that the defence of the accused regarding only part of the article referring to Akbar and the rest to other male bosses is rejected .

Akbar has sought to highlight that once the trial court held that the content was defamatory in nature, there was a duty cast upon the trial judge to explain what exactly Ramani opted as her defence to this charge, and how her defence was accepted.

01:50 MVA leaders to meet Maha Governor today

A delegation of the ruling Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress coalition in Maharashtra will meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday and apprise him of 'facts' amid false allegations, Congress leader Nana Patole has said.

Earlier on Wednesday, a Bharatiya Janata Party delegation led by Devendra Fadnavis met the governor.

Patole, state Congress chief, said their delegation will be led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar too will be a part of it.

"We will keep facts before the Governor against the backdrop of false allegations levelled against the coalition," Patole said.

The BJP delegation submitted a memorandum to Koshyari, urging him to seek a 'status report' from the state chief secretary on the law and order situation.

Fadnavis told reporters that they requested the Governor to seek a detailed report as chief minister Thackeray was not taking action despite 'numerous scandals' coming to light over the past few days.

Meanwhile, asked about the BJP's 'vasuli sarkar' (extortionist government) jibe, Patole hit back, saying the opposition party was 'sharing its own experience'.

"All of us know what the (previous) Fadnavis government did in Maharashtra," he said.

The BJP has been trying to corner the government over police official Sachin Waze's arrest in the Ambani security scare case, businessman Manshukh Hiran's death, corruption allegations against home minister Anil Deshmukh and a purported intelligence report on 'corruption' in police transfers. -- PTI

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