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Tue, 14 March 2023
IIT-M student dies by suicide, second in a month
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering prayers at Ambaji temple
23:56 Gujarat's Ambaji temple reintroduces 'mohanthal' as offering after row
Following a controversy, the Gujarat government on Tuesday announced that ohanthal', the traditional sweet offering or `prasad' distributed at the famous Ambaji temple, will be available along with chikki.
Two weeks ago, the Ambaji temple trust in Banaskantha district, headed by a government-appointed administrator, replaced mohanthal, which is made from gram flour, ghee and sugar, with chikki.
The change did not go down well with some Hindu outfits.
The opposition Congress raised the issue in the Assembly and asked the BJP government to reintroduce mohanthal.
Health minister and government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel on Tuesday said both mohanthal and chikki will be available for devotees at the temple.
"It is up to devotees to choose between the two. We will stop providing chikki if there are no takers for it. Same applies to mohanthal," he told reporters.
State Congress chief Jagdish Thakor had alleged that some BJP supporters were tampering with tradition to make money, and warned of a state-wide agitation if 'mohanthal' was not reintroduced. -- PTI
23:49 HC grants interim protection from arrest to Maha ex-minister Parab in ED case
The Bombay high court on Tuesday granted interim protection from coercive action to former Maharashtra minister Anil Parab till March 20 in a money laundering case related to a resort at Dapoli in Ratnagiri district.
Parab, a leader of the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, has moved the HC seeking to quash the case registered by the Enforcement Directorate.
A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sharmila Deshmukh granted him interim relief, directing that no coercive action (such as arrest) should be taken against him till March 20, the next date of hearing.
Senior advocate Amit Desai, appearing for Parab, argued that the Enforcement Case Information Report of the ED was based on a complaint filed by an individual alleging violation of the Environment Protection Act, Coastal Regulation Zone rules and cheating in the construction of Sai Resort at Dapoli.
Parab moved the court following the arrest of his aide Sadanan Kadam in the case.
The ED has also arrested then sub-divisional officer Jairam Deshpande.
"I have rushed to the court only because of a tweet," the lawyer said, referring to a tweet by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya who had hinted, after Kadam's arrest, that Parab could be next. -- PTI
23:39 IIT-M student dies by suicide, second in a month
A third-year BTech student of IIT-Madras died by suicide on Tuesday, police said.
The 20-year-old student of the electrical engineering department, who hailed from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, was found hanging in his hostel room by his roommates, they added.
A preliminary investigation indicated that the deceased may have had issues on "focusing on his studies and completing his academic tasks", a police officer investigating the matter said.
Only after completion of the probe and autopsy can further comments be made, he added.
This incident comes just a month after a post-graduate student of engineering at IIT Madras also died by suicide on February 14.
He too had been found dead in his hostel room.
In a statement, IIT-M said: "It is with deep anguish that IIT Madras conveys the untimely passing away of a third year BTech student of the Electrical Engineering department on March 14, 2023."
The premier institute said the post-Covid environment has been challenging, and that it has strived to improve and sustain the wellbeing of students/scholars, faculty and staff on campus, while constantly evaluating the various support systems in place. -- PTI
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23:23 Govt hospital auditorium named after TN anti-NEET crusader Anitha
A newly built auditorium of the Government Medical College Hospital in Ariyalur was named after S Anitha, a Tamil Nadu student who fought a legal battle against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test in Supreme Court and died by suicide six years ago.
Minister for youth welfare and sports development Udhayanidhi Stalin inaugurated the auditorium in Ariyalur, about 75 km from Tiruchirappalli in central Tamil Nadu.
Ahead of the inauguration, Stalin said her death made evident the 'NEET's cruel method' to pick students for medical courses.
As Anitha could not realise her ambition of becoming a doctor following introduction of NEET, she ended her life on September 1, 2017.
A Tamil medium student, she had an excellent score of 1176 out of 1200 in her Class 12 board exam.
Hailing from a humble Dalit family in Ariyalur district, Anitha's death led to outrage in Tamil Nadu.
Following similar suicides of students who could not clear NEET, it became an emotive issue in Tamil Nadu and political parties barring the BJP are opposed to the national test.
Like its predecessor AIADMK regime, the DMK government also passed a Bill in the assembly to exempt TN from the purview of NEET.
That Bill is pending with the President for her assent. The DMK regime has been urging the Centre to allow the State to fill medical seats based on Class 12 marks by clearing TN's anti-NEET Bill. -- PTI
File image of a US drone
23:09 Russian jet collides with US drone over Black Sea
A Russian Su-27 jet collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea Tuesday, a US defence official told Fox News.
It was one of the two Su-27s flying.
This happened in international airspace over international waters.
The propeller to the drone was damaged and the drone landed in the Black Sea, west of Crimea, the US defence official says, Fox News reported.
The Russian Su-27 was headed toward Crimea and landed there after this incident, the official says.
It is unknown if there was any damage to the Su-27. -- ANI
22:40 NEET aspirant from Bihar hangs self in hostel room in Kota
An 18-year-old NEET aspirant from Bihar allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan in her hostel room in Kota on Tuesday, the police said.
The deceased has been identified as Shembul Parveen, they said.
She came to Kota from West Champaran in Bihar in June last year and enrolled herself in a coaching institute for NEET preparations, they said.
The police is yet to ascertain the reason behind the extreme step as no suicide note was recovered from her room, however her parents claimed that the girl was upset over scoring low marks in tests, the police said.
The teen's parents were in Kota for the last couple of days to find her a new hostel as she had complained about the food being served there, they said.
The parents had gone out in the morning and upon returning, they found their daughter hanging from a ceiling fan in her hostel room, they said.
The body was handed over to the family after the post-mortem and a case under section 174 of Cr. P.C. has been lodged for investigation, circle inspector (Dadabari) Rajesh Pathak said.
This is the fifth such incident that has taken place in Kota in last two and a half months.
At least 15 coaching institute students, including NEET aspirants, committed suicide in the city in 2022. -- PTI
22:28 Kaushik death: Police quiz farmhouse owner, wife
The Delhi police on Tuesday questioned the owner of the farmhouse, where Satish Kaushik attended a party a day before his death, and his estranged wife after she alleged that her husband "was planning to get rid" of the actor-filmmaker, officials said.
Kaushik (66) died after suffering a heart attack while he was on his way to a Gurugram hospital in the early hours of Thursday.
He felt dizzy late on Wednesday night and was taken to the Fortis Hospital in Gurugram, where he was declared "brought dead on arrival," they said.
While the farmhouse owner was questioned for around three-and-a-half hours, his estranged wife was quizzed separately for nearly three hours.
The farmhouse owner joined the inquiry at 1 pm in the southwest district's Kapashera police station and was questioned regarding the sequence of events that led to Kaushik's death, the police said.
"He came around 1 pm and the questioning ended at 4.30 pm. During questioning, he told police that Kaushik had come to celebrate Holi with them and stayed at his farmhouse," a senior officer said.
"He said he knew the actor for over 30 years and they were family friends. He (Kaushik) was doing fine at the Holi party but hours later, he complained about pain following which he was rushed to the hospital," the officer said. -- PTI
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22:17 Mumbai sees 36 new Covid cases; active tally at 144
Mumbai on Tuesday recorded 36 new cases of coronavirus that took the tally of infections to 11,55601, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.
The daily count of infections in the city has doubled since Monday, when it recorded 18 cases.
The toll remained unchanged at 19,747 and the count of recoveries stood at 11,35,710 after 14 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, the official said.
With this, the city now has 144 active cases, he said.
The recovery rate stands at 98.3 per cent, while the average doubling rate of COVID-19 caseload in the city is 45,501 days, the official said.
As many as 1,385 swab samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of tests conducted in the city to 1,87,71,256. -- PTI
Thousands of Maharashtra farmers march towards Mumbai from Nashik on Tuesday/ANI
21:43 Farmers begin Mumbai march, govt to talk on Wed
Thousands of farmers and tribals launched a march towards Mumbai from Nashik district in North Maharashtra on Tuesday in support of their demands, including an immediate financial relief of Rs 600 per quintal to onion growers, uninterrupted electricity supply for 12 hours and a waiver of agriculture loans.
They have also sought measures to arrest the fall of soybean, cotton and tur prices, and immediate relief to farmers affected by recent unseasonal rains and other natural calamities.
The protesters demanded implementation of the Old Pension Scheme for state government employees who have joined service post-2005.
The march, organised by the Communist Party of India-Marxist, started from Dindori in Nashik district and will cover a distance of around 200km to reach Mumbai.
Raising the issue in the state assembly, which is having its budget session, CPI-M MLA Vinod Nikole said a meeting between the state government and representatives of the agitating farmers was scheduled for Tuesday, but it was cancelled.
Ports and mining minister Dada Bhuse, who is also the guardian minister of Nashik, said the government will hold a meeting with farmer representatives on Wednesday and hoped to reach an understanding on issues raised by the cultivators and tribals.
In the Maharashtra assembly, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar urged the government to hold immediate talks with farmers keeping in view the prevailing hot weather as many protesters are walking barefoot. -- PTI
21:05 Man impersonates Andhra CM, dupes electronics retain chain of Rs 12 lakh
The Mumbai police arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly duping a city-based electronics retail chain of Rs 12 lakh by impersonating Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, an official said on Tuesday.
Accused Nagraju Budumuru was recently taken into custody from the Srikakulam district in the southern state, nearly two months after a complaint was filed in the city, the official said.
Budumuru has cheated about 60 companies of nearly Rs 3 crore using the same method, he said.
In December last year, an employee from the managing director's office of the electronics seller received a call from a man claiming to be the personal assistant of the Andhra CM.
The caller said the CM wanted to have a word with the MD, said the anti-cybercrime official.
The unsuspecting staffer shared the MD's mobile number.
The accused then allegedly contacted the MD claiming to be Andhra CM and sought Rs 12 lakh from the electronics retail chain towards sponsorship of the kit of a cricketer, the official said.
The accused also sent fake documents in the name of the Andhra Cricket Association and an email id claiming that it belongs to the cricketer and got the amount released, the official said. -- PTI
20:34 Job scam: Lalu, Rabri to appear in court tomorrow
Former railway minister Lalu Prasad, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and 14 others are likely to appear before a Delhi court on Wednesday in connection with a case related to the alleged land-for-job scam.
The case relates to alleged appointments made in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold to Prasad's family when he was the minister of railways between 2004 and 2009.
The Central Bureau of Investigation in its charge sheet alleged that irregular appointments were made in the railways, violating the laid down norms and procedures of Indian Railways for recruitment.
It alleged that as a quid pro quo, the candidates directly or through their immediate relatives and family members sold land to the family members of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Prasad, then railway minister, at highly discounted rates up to one-fifth of the prevailing market rates.
Special judge Geetanjali Goel had on February 27 issued summons to the accused persons, including Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti, and directed them to appear before the court on March 15.
"A perusal of the charge sheet and the documents and material on record prima facie shows commission of offences under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), read with sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc.), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged document as genuine) of the IPC and various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Accordingly, cognizance is taken of the said offences," the judge had said. -- PTI
20:09 Toys 'R' Us shuts store within 24 hours of opening in Hyderabad
American toy and clothing retailer Toys 'R' Us is said to have shut within 24 hours a store it opened in Hyderabad to mark its second entry into India over some legal complexities with the mall owner, sources said.
Toys 'R' Us opened a store in Sarath city Capital mall in Hyderabad on March 11 but closed it within 24 hours, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Emails sent to the company, as well as its Indian operator and the mall owners, remained answered. Sources said a no-compete clause with another global toy retailer is said to be behind the mall pulling the plug on Toys 'R' Us.
Just like cola brands Coke and Pepsi are seldom retailed from the same restaurant, the no-compete clause meant the two competing toy retailers could not operate in the same mall.
The other retailer already had a shop in the mall. Toys 'R' Us has been launched in India in two formats -- Toys 'R' Us, which is the world's leading toy store, and Babies 'R' Us, a one-stop destination for baby essentials.
It is run by a Bangalore-based firm, Ace turtle, which entered into a joint venture with the Flipkart Group's wholesale entity in India to acquire the licence for Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us in June 2021.
The toy retailer had made an unsuccessful entry into India in 2017 when it tied up with Tablez India, a division of Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group International, for an exclusive master franchise agreement. -- PTI
20:02 Facebook parent Meta to sack 10K workers
Facebook-parent Meta on Tuesday said it will lay off another 10,000 workers and will not fill another 5,000 positions, announcing the second round of significant job cuts by the tech major in four months.
The latest move comes after Meta slashed approximately 13 per cent of its workforce, or 11,000 jobs in November last year, in the single largest round of cuts in the company's history.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the job cuts will take place "over the next couple of months."
"We expect to announce restructurings and layoffs in our tech groups in late April, and then our business groups in late May,' he wrote.
In a "small number of cases, it may take through the end of the year to complete these changes," he said.
The grim news for the tech industry came days after the Silicon Valley Bank, which catered to start-ups, collapsed.
"Overall, we expect to reduce our team size by around 10,000 people and to close around 5,000 additional open roles that we haven't yet hired," Zuckerberg said.
As of September 2022, Meta reported a headcount of 87,314, per a securities filings. With 11,000 job cuts announced in November and the 10,000 announced on Tuesday, it would bring the firm's headcount down to around 66,000, according to CNN.
Meta is among the big tech companies to undergo layoffs amid higher inflation, recession fears and pandemic-induced demand. -- PTI
19:44 Netflix announces third seasons of 'Delhi Crime', 'Mismatched', 'Kota Factory'
Streamer Netflix on Tuesday ordered third seasons of their critically-acclaimed and popular shows, including Delhi Crime, Mismatched and Kota Factory.
Netflix has also announced third seasons of reality TV series Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives and Imtiaz Ali-created She.
The streamer shared the news in a teaser video posted on Instagram.
"Shway Shway! It's time to refill your coffee cups because these favourites are coming back for a NEW SEASON with a whole lotta twists, crime and drama!" Netflix wrote in the caption.
Delhi Crime, fronted by Shefali Shah, follows the officers of Delhi police as they investigate high-profile crimes in the national capital.
The show's first two seasons were inspired by both real and fictional events. Based on Sandhya Menon's 2017 novel When Dimple Met Rishi, Mismatched is headlined by Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf.
It follows Rishi (Saraf), a die-hard romantic who believes in traditional ways of dating, who falls for Dimple (Koli), a gamer, and eventually wants to marry her.
Kota Factory, directed by Raghav Subbu, is about Vaibhav, a young student on his journey to Maheshwari -- one of Kota's leading training institutes, and how he tries to balance his friendships, his relationship with his mentor and the looming pressure of getting into IIT. -- PTI
FSL team conducts an inspection of the car in the Kanjhawala death case/Ayush Sharma/ANI Photo
19:08 Woman hit and drag case: Court extends judicial custody of five accused
A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of the five accused in the hit-and-run case in which a 20-year-old woman was dragged to death while trapped under a car in the national capital by 14 days.
The police had arrested the five accused Deepak Khanna (26), Amit Khanna (25), Krishan (27), Mithun (26), and Manoj Mittal in the case on January 2.
The link court of Metropolitan Magistrate Ajay Singh Parihar extended the accused's judicial custody till March 28 upon their physical production in the court.
Two other co-accused, Ashutosh Bhardwaj and Ankush were earlier granted bail by the court, while the bail plea of accused Deepak Khanna was rejected by a sessions court.
The Delhi police recently invoked Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code in the case which was initially registered for the offences of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and rash driving on public way.
Anjali Singh (20) was killed in the early hours of the new year day after her scooter was hit by a car, which dragged her for more than 12 kilometres from Sultanpur to Kanjhawala. -- PTI
PM Narendra Modi's convoy is stranded in Ferozepur, Punjab, January 5, 2022/ANI
18:52 PM security breach: Punjab to send report to Centre
The Punjab government will soon send an action taken report to the Centre over a security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state in January last year, a top official here said on Tuesday.
The action being contemplated is based on the findings submitted by a Supreme Court-appointed committee which probed the security breach during Modi's visit.
The Centre had recently sent a missive to the state regarding the matter.
"We have received the report of the committee (court-appointed), which has held some officers responsible for the lapses in security.. We will soon send the action taken report (to the Centre) in this regard," chief secretary VK Janjua told reporters in Chandigarh.
Asked whether nine state police officials, including a former DGP, have been reportedly indicted in the report and if action will be taken against all, the chief secretary said, "Whatever action is deemed as per law will be taken."
Asked whether charge sheets will be filed against these officials, Janjua said, "Whatever action under the law has to be taken will be taken".
The file will go to the chief minister for his approval before action is initiated, he said in response to a question.
To another question, he said punishments to the erring officials can include stopping increments, demotion and in worse case dismissal if they are still in service.
However, he said everyone will be given a hearing to defend themselves.
To a question, he said the lapses on part of the erring officials have been elaborated in the report. -- PTI
Ramdas Athawale
18:40 Athawale's RPI-A plans to contest 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Assam
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday said Republican Party of India-Athawale, led by him, is looking to contest two seats in Assam in the Lok Sabha polls next year.
The leader of the Maharashtra-based political party said it is aiming to contest from Barpeta Lok Sabha seat and another constituency in Assam having a sizable Muslim population after its recent success in Nagaland assembly polls.
"We have won two seats in the recently held Nagaland assembly elections. With this, we have opened our account in the North East. Our next plan is to contest in the Lok Sabha polls in Assam," Athawale said at a press conference in Guwahati.
The RPI-A is looking to contest from Barpeta, currently represented by Congress MP Abdul Khaleque, and one more seat in Assam during the general elections for Lok Sabha in 2024, he added.
"We are aiming at Muslim priority seats. We will contest as an NDA constituent. We will speak to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on this," Athawale said. -- PTI
Representational image/PTI
18:12 Fire in Kolkata's BSNL godown, no injuries
A fire broke out in a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited godown in Sector V of Salt Lake area in Kolkata on Tuesday afternoon, a fire official said.
Nobody was injured in the blaze which initially broke out at the open space adjacent to the godown at around 1.40 pm before spreading to the store, he said.
"The fire spread quickly as the godown had inflammable items. It is under control now," the fireman said.
The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained, he added. -- PTI
17:46 Pensioners to go on nationwide protest tomorrow
Pensioners under the Employees' Pension Scheme 1995 have decided to go on a nationwide protest in 200 cities, including the national capital, from Wednesday to press for a higher pension of Rs 7,500 per month along with dearness allowance.
"Beneficiaries of the EPS-95 have decided to go on a nationwide protest in 200 cities, including the national capital, from March 15 to press for their four-point demands, which include hiked pension of Rs 7,500 per month along with dearness allowance and medical facility to self and spouses," according to a statement.
A delegation of the beneficiaries had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past and their protest is continuing since 2018 in Buldhana in Maharashtra.
National Action Committee convenor Ashok Raut said in the statement, "Our struggle is for justice to the beneficiaries of EPS-95 and it is continuing for the past seven years. Under the leadership of BJP MP Hema Malini, we met the Prime Minister twice and he had given assurance, but still, the matter is lingering".
He alleged that the government is running various schemes for the benefit of the people, but despite being beneficiaries of government-run pension funds, they are being pushed to the periphery. -- PTI
Karnataka, senior minister V Somanna
17:28 Will not quit BJP, will remain in the party: Karnataka minister Somanna
Amid intense speculation that he might join Congress ahead of the assembly polls in Karnataka, senior minister V Somanna on Tuesday clarified that he would not quit Bharatiya Janata Party, and would remain in the party.
The MLA from Govindrajnagar in Bengaluru, who turned emotional while speaking to reporters about the rumours, said he was not disgruntled with the party.
"I'm clarifying to you that I will not quit BJP, I will remain in BJP. I'm a minister in the BJP government and the BJP people have not treated me disrespectfully in recent times. Being a minister I would not like to cause even a slightest disservice to the party, this is a national party," Somanna said.
Without naming anyone, he alleged that unnecessary attempts of "character assassination" were being made against him.
He called for an end to the alleged campaign against him that portrayed him as behaving with "pettiness" towards the party, its leaders, and towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Let's end all these speculations, I will remain in the BJP and work for it," he said, adding that he has served the party with loyalty and will continue to do so.
As Somanna was not included in the BJP's election campaign committee and election management committee, it added to the talk that he may quit the party and join the Congress, the party he had quit in 2009.
He himself had recently made cryptic comments about his political future stating, "Somanna is not stagnant water. He's flowing..." -- PTI
Pic: KBK Graphics
17:06 Sensex, Nifty fall for 4th day on the trot
Benchmark BSE Sensex declined nearly 338 points to close below the 58,000 level on Tuesday, marking its fourth straight day of losses as auto, IT and financial stocks wilted amid concerns over interest rate hikes and the fallout of failure of two US-based banks.
The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 337.66 points or 0.58 per cent to settle at a new five month low of 57,900.19. During the session, it touched a high of 58,490.98 and a low of 57,721.16.
The broader NSE Nifty declined 111 points or 0.65 per cent to end at a five-month low of 17,043.30, with 38 of its scrips ending in the red. Sensex tumbled 2,447 points or 4.1 per cent while Nifty tanked 711 points or 4.6 per cent in the four days to Tuesday.
16:59 Youth Congress protests outside Delhi LG's office on Adani
The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) held a protest outside Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena's office in New Delhi, demanding an investigation into allegations made against the Adani group in the Hindenburg research report.
Several IYC leaders and workers gathered at Civil Lines, holding banners and raising slogans against the BJP and the Centre. The party has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe or a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter.
Security around Raj Niwas was beefed up with a large number of police personnel being deployed and barricades put up. Adani Group stocks had taken a beating on the bourses after US-based activist short-seller Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share price manipulation, against the Gautam Adani-led group, which has dismissed the allegations as lies. PTI
16:49 Police at Imran Khan's home to arrest him
A heavy contingent of police on Tuesday surrounded the residence of Pakistan's ousted prime minister Imran Khan in Lahore as Islamabad police intended to arrest him in the Toshakhana case.
The police blocked all roads leading to the house of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman by placing containers and riot personnel took positions to launch the operation.
A large number of PTI workers equipped with clubs are also present outside the 70-year-old leader's residence to resist the police action. Senior PTI leader Farukh Habib told reporters that come what may Imran Khan would not surrender to police in fake cases.
"The arrest warrants in the case related to threatening a female judge were today suspended by the Islamabad High Court. Let's see what new warrants police have brought with them now," Habib said.
A senior police officer of Islamabad police said that his team has come here to arrest Khan in the Toshakhana case. Clash between police and PTI workers seems imminent if the former press ahead to arrest Khan.
One activist of Khan's party was killed on Wednesday during a crackdown on his supporters who gathered outside his residence in Lahore, defying a government ban on rallies in the city. On Monday, the Lahore police had booked Khan in a case related to the killing of the PTI worker - Ali Bilal alias Zille Shah - in a road accident.
Pic: KBK Graphics
16:38 Wholesale inflation eases to over 2-year low
The wholesale price-based inflation declined to over two-year low of 3.85 per cent in January on easing prices of manufactured items, fuel and power, even though food articles remained expensive. This is the ninth straight month of decline in the rate of wholesale price-index (WPI) based inflation.
16:23 Sensex sinks below 58,000
Benchmark BSE Sensex declined nearly 340 points to close below the 58,000 level on Tuesday, marking its fourth straight day of losses as auto, IT and financial stocks wilted amid concerns over the fallout of failure of two US-based banks.
The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 337.66 points or 0.58 per cent to settle at anew five month low of 57,900.19. During the session, it touched a high of 58,490.98 and a low of 57,721.16.
The broader NSE Nifty declined 111 points or 0.65 per cent to end at a five-month low of 17,043.30, with 38 of its scrips ending in the red. Analysts said relentless foreign capital outflows, investors junking riskier assets and weakness in the rupee against the US dollar hit the market sentiment.
M&M was the biggest loser in the Sensex pack, declining nearly 3 per cent, followed by TCS, Bajaj Finance, Wipro, Kotak Bank, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech and Tata Motors. In contrast, Titan, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank and L&T were among the gainers, rising up to 0.93 per cent.
16:16 Bharat is already a Hindu rashtra: RSS
India is already a 'Hindu rashtra' which is a "cultural concept" and does not need to be established by the Constitution, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said here on Tuesday.
Explaining his statement, he said Nation and State are two different things. While a nation is a "cultural concept", State is that which is established by the Constitution.
"About Hindu rashtra, we have been saying for the last 100 years that it's a cultural concept, not theoretical," he said while replying to a question on the issue at a press conference in Haryana.
"State and Nation are two different things. A State is that which is established by Constitution. It is state power," he said. "Nation is a cultural concept. Bharat is already a Hindu rashtra. It doesn't need to be made a Hindu Rashtra," he added. PTI
15:54 Tamil writer in International Booker longlist 2023
Tamil writer Perumal Murugan has been selected for the International Booker prize longlist for 2023, the Booker Prize Foundation announced on Tuesday.
"Just a few minutes back someone broke the news to me. I am very happy, and this is great acceptance for my writing.... 'Pyre' deals with honour killing. Honour killing is a very big problem in our country, I hope more people get to know about this issue after this recognition," Murugan told PTI over the phone.
Murugan makes it to the prestigious list with his 2016 book "Pyre", translated from the Tamil by Aniruddhan Vasudevan. "Pyre" tells the tale of an intercaste couple who elope, setting in motion a story of terrifying foreboding.
The 56-year-old is the first Tamil writer to make it to the longlist of 13 works. Last year, Hindi writer Geetanjali Shree became the first Indian writer to win the award, which celebrates translated works, for her book "Tomb of Sand".
The prize jury termed Murugan a "great anatomist of power and, in particular, of the deep, deforming rot of caste hatred and violence". Murugan, who is based in Salem in Tamil Nadu, described "Pyre" as a very important book of his.
"Just a few minutes back someone broke the news to me. I am very happy, and this is great acceptance for my writing.... 'Pyre' deals with honour killing. Honour killing is a very big problem in our country, I hope more people get to know about this issue after this recognition," Murugan told PTI over the phone.
The other longlisted books are: "Ninth Building" by Zou Jingzhi and translated by Jeremy Tiang, "A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding" by Amanda Svensson and translated by Nichola Smalley, "Still Born" by Guadalupe Nettle and translated by Rosalind Harvey, "While We Were Dreaming" by Clemens Meyer and translated by Katy Derbyshire, and "The Birthday Party" by Laurent Mauvignier and translated by Daniel Levin Becker.
15:38 Pitroda: I was there, this is what Rahul said...
Amid a political storm over Rahul Gandhi's "democracy under attack" remarks in the UK, Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda on Tuesday said the former party president never invited any foreign countries for help and was being subjected to a "well-orchestrated" personal attack based on "lies and misinformation".
Gandhi's remarks in the UK have rocked Parliament with both Houses of Parliament failing to transact any significant business during the first two days of the second half of the Budget Session.
A battery of senior Union ministers have led the charge against Gandhi, demanding an apology, while the Congress has countered it with its JPC probe demand on the Adani issue.
Pitroda, who heads the Indian Overseas Congress and was present for Gandhi's interactions during his UK visit, mounted a strong defence of the comments in a series of tweets.
"Please, stop promoting and propagating lies about what Rahul Gandhi said in London. Were you there? Did you see the video? Do you really know what he said? In what context? What was the main message?
"For clarification please, note that Rahul Gandhi basically said the following: 1. Indian Democracy is Global Public Good. 2. The state of democracy in India is of concern. 3. It is an Indian problem, and we will deal with it," Pitroda said.
Gandhi never invited any foreign countries to help, he asserted. "I was there as an Indian professional with a logical, rational, and open mind, eyes, and ears," said Pitroda, who is credited for leading the country's telecom revolution during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure as prime minister.
"What is the sense in launching a well-orchestrated and well-organised personal attack based on lies and misinformation through elected leaders in collaboration with the media? Is this what Indian democracy is all about? Is there some decency left in political discourse?" he said.
"Why are some people so agitated and have ganged up in promoting lies, and are attacking Rahul Gandhi all the time," Pitroda asked.
There are more important things to do in India such as creating jobs, improving the economy, reducing violence, improving environment, education and health services, he said.
"Why is national TV media spending so much time, money, and energy on this? Why are they always quick to jump on Rahul Gandhi without checking their own facts ? What are they all trying to accomplish? Is this fair?" he said.
"I am simply astonished. I would expect a little better sense and response from Indian media....May I request that before responding to these tweets, please take a deep breath and think before saying anything? Be respectful, dignified, truthful, factual, responsible, and a little generous. We need love and not hate," he said.
Pitroda stressed that "we need understanding and not misunderstanding". "We must unite to take India forward for all the people - especially the poor, hungry, homeless, unemployed, and young," he added.
15:02 Rahul: Objective of Centre is to make Adani rich
The Congress on Tuesday said the Modi government's refusal to allow the Opposition to raise its demand for a JPC into the Adani issue was to be blamed for the impasse in Parliament.
Amidst stepped up opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi levelled a slew of allegations against the Modi government on its foreign policy and claimed that it was aimed at benefiting the Adani Group.
"Is the objective of India's foreign policy to make Adani richer? In the last nine years, Modi ji has kept India in 'bhram (misled)' and Adani in 'vishwa bhraman (global travel)' along with him," Gandhi alleged in a video in Hindi.
Asked about Congress' allegations, Union minister Giriraj Singh said, "Adani had made it clear that the first break was given to him was given by (Congress CM) Chimanbhai Patel...the second break was given by Rajiv Gandhi. (They believe that) if Adani does development for the country then it should be only under their rule not in any other's rule."
Terming it as a non-issue, he said, "Adani-Ambani is just an excuse, they just want to abuse Modi".
"Their (the Congress') 10 years in government was marred by controversies, while Modi's government has been of hope, it has been about houses, toilets, Ujjwala, water, so now they want to finish all this thinking that then only the government will be finished," the BJP leader told reporters outside Parliament.
Both houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day Tuesday as the ruling party demanded that Rahul Gandhi apologise for his democracy remarks while the opposition stayed firm on its demand for a JPC into the Adani issue.
"Modi Government's continued refusal to even allow the combined Opposition to raise its legitimate demand for a JPC into the PM-linked Adani 'MagaMegaScam' has resulted in an impasse in Parliament. This is the only issue. Anything else is a deliberate diversion by the PM & his colleagues," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.
Earlier in the day leaders of 16 parties, including the Congress, DMK, CPI-M, JDU, RJD, NCP, SP, SS (Uddhav), AAP, CPI, JMM, MDMK, NC, and Kerala Congress, held a meeting and decided to raise the Adani matter in the House.
The TMC did not attend the meeting but its MPs staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament complex, asking the government to stop "protecting" the Adani Group.
TMC members held banners and placards saying "Stop protecting Adani" and raised slogans against the government. The government's offensive against Rahul Gandhi over his democracy remarks in London also came up for discussion at the meeting held in the chamber of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, sources said.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi also met senior leaders of the party at the Congress office in Parliament House to discuss the party's strategy in the wake of the government's attack on Rahul Gandhi. Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil charged that the government is trying to protect the Adani Group and asked why it was shying away from a discussion and a JPC probe into the matter.
Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said only can a JPC can bring out the truth. She also alleged that the government was misusing probe agencies to target opposition leaders.
AAP's Sanjay Singh alleged that probe agencies had become partners of the government in targeting opposition leaders. K Kesava Rao of the BRS also spoke on similar lines.
Several Congress leaders had given adjournment notices in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha for discussing the Adani issue, but the same were rejected by the chairman and the Speaker in Lok Sabha. These include Pramod Tiwari, Naseer Hussain, Amee Yajnik, Kumar Ketkar, Jebi Mather and Neeraj Dangi.
RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale
14:41 Rahul should speak more responsibly: RSS
RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Tuesday said that Rahul Gandhi should speak more responsibly and see the reality of the Sangh's acceptance in society, after the Congress leader repeatedly targeted the organisation in his recent speeches.
Hosabale also said that the RSS agrees with the Centre's view on same-sex marriage, adding that marriage can take place only between two people from opposite genders.
Asked about Gandhi's recent remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Hosabale said he must be doing this for his "political agenda" but RSS does not work in the political field and he has no competition with the Sangh.
"As a political party leader, he should speak more responsibly and see the reality (of Sangh's expansion and acceptance in society)," Hosabale said at a press conference on the last day of RSS's 'Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha' in Haryana.
Responding to questions on Gandhi's remarks in the UK, the RSS leader said, "Those who converted India into a jail have no right to comment on democracy in the country." On the question of the Sangh's outreach to Muslims, Hosabale said RSS leaders are meeting Muslim intellectuals and their spiritual leaders on their invitation only. PTI
14:16 Lakhimpur violence case trial not slow paced: SC
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the trial in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, in which Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish is among those facing prosecution, is not "slow paced" and directed the concerned sessions judge to keep apprising it about the future developments of the trial.
The top court observed though it is not monitoring the trial but it is having an "indirect supervision" on it.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J K Maheshwari said the interim direction contained in its January 25 order, by which it had granted eight-week interim bail to Ashish Mishra in the case, shall continue to operate. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the victim families, told the bench that about 200 prosecution witnesses have to be examined and he is concerned about the "slow pace of the trial".
"The trial is not slow paced. We have received three letters from the trial judge," the bench observed, adding it had gone through the contents of the letters received from the First Additional District and Sessions Judge, Lakhimpur Kheri.
The top court said as per the letters, examination of three witnesses is over while cross-examination of one of them is going on.
"We are not using the word monitoring but we are having indirect supervision on the trial and we will do that," it said, adding, "Let us continue with the same status for some more time."
On January 25, the apex court granted eight-week interim bail to Ashish Mishra and directed him to leave Uttar Pradesh within one week of his release from jail.
On October 3, 2021, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri district's Tikunia after violence erupted when farmers were protesting against the then Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area. According to the Uttar Pradesh Police FIR, four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in which Ashish Mishra was seated.
Following the incident, the driver of the SUV and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by angry farmers. A journalist also died in the violence. During the hearing on Tuesday, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Ashish Mishra, told the bench at the outset that after the January 25 order his client was released from jail and he has appeared before the trial court on every date of hearing.
The bench said it has received letters from the trial judge and the proceedings are going on and witnesses are being examined. "The trial court shall continue to apprise this court of the future developments of the trial," the bench said and posted the matter for hearing in May.
While hearing the matter on February 13, the apex court had said, "With a view to ensure that trial proceedings can run smoothly and no impediment is caused by anyone, it is directed that the accused persons and one family member of each victim/complainant shall be permitted to attend the court proceedings along with their respective counsels in both the First Information Reports."
In its January 25 order, the top court had exercised its "suo-moto constitutional powers" and directed that four accused -- Guruwinder Singh, Kamaljeet Singh, Gurupreet Singh and Vichitra Singh -- who were arrested in connection with a separate FIR lodged over the killing of three occupants of the SUV, which allegedly mowed down farmers there, be released on interim bail till further orders.
14:14 Senior journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik passes
Senior journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik breathed his last on Tuesday. The 78-year-old was rushed to a hospital in Gurugram after he reportedly had a fall in the bathroom at his residence.
A political analyst and a renowned columnist, Ved Pratap Vaidik was the founder-editor of Press Trust of India's Hindi news edition Bhasha.
He studied and researched Afghan foreign policy and enrolled at Columbia University. He also held degrees from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and Moscow's Institute of People of Asia.
13:36 Brand India has arrived: Thakur on Oscar wins
Lauding India's achievements at the Oscars, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said 'brand India' has arrived as he called for concerted efforts to make the country a content hub of the world.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, he said "RRR's" "Naatu Naatu" has not only won hearts in the country but also across the world.
"It is a matter of pride for India that the Indian film industry has won two world awards in Oscars.
"Brand India has arrived and it is just a beginning. India has the potential to become the content hub of the world. Let us work together to make India the content hub of the world," he told the House.
At the Academy Awards, the foot-tapping Telugu chartbuster "Naatu Naatu", composed by MM Keeravaani and penned by Chandrabose, won the Original Song award and made SS Rajamouli's "RRR" the first Indian feature film production to bring home the Oscar.
Tamil documentary "The Elephant Whisperers", directed by debutante Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, also became the maiden Indian production to win in the Documentary Short Film category.
Noting that nothing is regional today, the minister said as the prime minister has said "local to global", "our regional has become international and that is a big achievement for India".
He said though "Naatu Naatu" was sung in Telugu and was dubbed in many languages, today it is beating in the hearts of crores of people across the world and India's music is being sung all over. Thakur also said the "Elephant Whisperers" was made in Tamil on a small budget but it has won accolades across the world and "I congratulate the makers for it".
While noting that the government has helped provide a platform to Indian films at international film festivals, he said India was given the status of "country of honour" at the Cannes Film Festival.
He also cited an incident where a youth delegation from central Asia had come visiting and sang Indian songs at a cultural evening. Thakur also noted that the story writer behind "RRR" is a member of this House. The scriptwriter of "RRR" V Vijayendra Prasad is a Rajya Sabha MP.
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12:58 Drunk TTE urinates on woman inside train
A drunk Travel Ticket Examiner (TTE) has allegedly urinated on a woman's head in Akal Takht Express on Sunday, a Government Railway Police (GRP) official said.
The woman was travelling with her husband Rajesh Kumar, both hailing from Amritsar. The incident happened on Sunday midnight in the A1 coach of Akal Takht Express which was going from Amritsar to Kolkata, the GRP official said.
The passengers gathered around hearing the noise from the woman and got hold of the drunk TTE, who was identified as Munna Kumar, a resident of Bihar.
The TTE was then handed over to the GRP when the train reached Charbagh Railway station, Lucknow, on Monday.
The TTE has been sent to judicial custody. -- ANI
Congress MPs protest outside Parliament
12:47 Parl adjourned till 2 pm over Rahul's UK remarks
Both houses of Parliament were adjourned till 2 pm today after opposition members caused an uproar over the government's demand for an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks in Cambridge.
In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the House and Union Minister Piyush Goyal, without naming Gandhi, alleged that he had insulted the Parliament and constitutional institutions and said he should tender an apology. This resulted in protests by opposition members, led by the Congress, who raised slogans against the government.
"Yesterday (Monday), we had raised a very important issue and the manner in which India was insulted and its institutions, including the Parliament, were insulted.
"Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are part of the Parliament, which have been insulted. I feel this is the first time that the entire Parliament was insulted," Goyal told the House amid the uproar by opposition members.
Lok Sabha proceedings were also adjourned till 2 pm over the same reason. As the Lok Sabha met for the day, Speaker Om Birla urged members to let the House function and took up the Question Hour. Asking the Congress members, who were on their feet, to maintain the decorum of the House and not show placards, Birla said they should let the House function. However, Congress members continued their protest following which the speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm. -- PTI
12:29 India to be Hindu rashtra by 2026: BJP MLA
Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party leader and MLA T. Raja Singh has said India will be declared an "akhand Hindu rashtra" by 2026. Addressing a programme organised by Hindutva bodies at Rahata in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra recently, Singh said the names of Ahmednagar and Hyderabad (capital of Telangana) cities will be changed to Ahilyabainagar and Bhagyanagar, respectively.
"Hindus are demanding the country be made an 'Akhand Hindu Rashtra'. If there can be more than 50 Islamic countries and more than 150 Christian nations, why can't India be declared a Hindu Rashtra given that Hindus constitute a majority of its 100 million people?
"Come what may, in 2025 and 2026, India will be declared as 'Akhand Hindu Rashtra'. I am not saying this, this is the roar of all sadhus and sants and it is their prophecy," said Singh, who represents the Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad, amid cheers by the crowd.
He said renaming Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities in Maharashtra is just the beginning. Notably, the Union government recently approved the renaming of Aurangabad city as 'Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar' and that of Osmanabad city as 'Dharashiv'.
"Some people are pained by the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities. I would like to tell these people this is just the beginning as the renaming of Ahmednagar will also happen. It will be renamed as Ahilyabainagar and the name, Ahmednagar, will be erased," he said, adding that Hyderabad will also be renamed as Bhagyanagar.
In an apparent dig at AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jalil who has been opposing the renaming of Aurangabad city, Singh said some people say they were born in Aurangabad and they will die in Aurangabad. "I would like to tell them that even if you were born in Aurangabad, you will have to die in Sambhajinagar. You will die in Hindu Rashtra. Come what may, the (new) name will not be changed as Hindus have risen," he added. -- PTI
12:09 SC rejects Centre's plea for more compensation for Bhopal gas tragedy victims
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the Centre's curative plea for enhanced compensation for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy from US-based firm Union Carbide Corporation, now owned by Dow Chemicals.
"The sum of Rs 50 crores lying with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shall be utilized by the Government of India to satisfy pending claims," Supreme Court said while dismissing Centre's curative plea for enhanced compensation for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy.
The judgment was pronounced by a five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul. The bench also comprised Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Abhay S Oka, Vikram Nath and JK Maheshwari.
"If it is reopened then it may open a pandora's box and will be detrimental to the claimants. The curative petition cannot be entertained," the court said.
The court noted that the failure to take insurance policies is gross negligence on the part of the Government of India.
On January 12, the Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on the Centre's curative plea for enhanced compensation for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy from US-based firm Union Carbide Corporation, now owned by Dow Chemicals.
The Centre's curative plea for enhanced compensation for the victims sought a direction to Union Carbide and other firms for over Rs 7,400 crore additional amount over and above the earlier settlement amount of USD 470 million (RS 715 crore at the time of settlement in 1989) for paying compensation to the gas tragedy victims. -- ANI
12:06 Air India pax smoking in loo opts to go to jail
A man booked for alleged unruly behaviour and smoking on an Air India flight was sent to jail by a court in Mumbai after he refused to pay Rs 25,000 for bail and instead cited online 'search' to claim the fine payable under the IPC section was Rs 250.
A court has granted the accused, Ratnakar Dwivedi, a cash bail, but he refused to pay the amount and told the court on Monday he was ready to go to jail. He was booked under section 336 (the act of endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code after he was allegedly caught smoking in the lavatory of Air India's London-Mumbai flight and behaving in an unruly manner on March 10.
The accused told the court he had read online that the fine payable under section 336 of the IPC is Rs 250, which he was willing to pay, but not the bail amount.
Following this, the Andheri metropolitan magistrate sent him to jail on Monday. Air India had said a passenger was found smoking in the lavatory of the flight and behaved in an unruly and aggressive manner, despite repeated warnings.
According to Mumbai Police, the accused also caused a disturbance on the aircraft and endangered the lives of all passengers, besides disobeying the pilot's oral and written instructions to keep calm. PTI
11:41 Modi holds meeting with top ministers in Parliament
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a meeting with his top ministers in Parliament.
The minister included Union Minister of Coal Pralhad Joshi, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in Parliament.
On Monday, the second leg of the Budget session of Parliament resumed after a month-long break. The Parliament was adjourned twice after ruckus by the Opposition as Leader of the House Piyush Goyal sought an apology from Rahul Gandhi over his statement in London.
The second leg of the ongoing Budget Session will continue till April 6.
On Monday, Modi held a meeting with his top ministers to formulate the government's strategy ahead of the second part of the Budget session.
Earlier on Monday, a meeting of Congress MPs under the chairmanship of party president Mallikarjun Kharge also took place at the party's Parliamentary Party (CPP) office in Parliament to chalk out the strategy.Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Kharge and West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were present in the meeting.
Congress Lok Sabha Sabha and Rajya Sabha members also participated in the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting to decide the strategy for the Budget session. -- ANI
The PM with Gautam Adani
11:07 16 Oppn parties to corner govt on Adani in Parl
Leaders of 16 opposition parties on Tuesday met in Parliament complex and decided to step up their demand for a JPC on the Adani issue.
The government's offensive against Rahul Gandhi over his democracy remarks in London also came up for discussion at the meeting held in the chamber of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, sources said.
Among the parties which attended the meeting include the Congress, DMK, CPI-M, JDU, RJD, NCP, SP, SS (Uddhav), AAP, CPI, JMM, IUML, MDMK, NC, VCK and Kerala Congress.
Earlier, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi met senior leaders of the party at the Congress office in Parliament House to discuss the party's strategy in the wake of the government's attack on Rahul Gandhi. Sources said the Congress strategy group decided to step up the demand for a JPC on the Adani issue.
Several Congress leaders have given adjournment notices in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha for discussing the Adani issue. These include Pramod Tiwari, Naseer Hussain, Amee Yajnik, Kumar Ketkar, Jebi Mather and Neeraj Dangi. PTI
Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga at the Oscars
10:52 Elephant whisperers watched the film first!
Kartiki Gonsalves the director of the 'The Elephant Whisperers', which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film, says, the protagonists of the film, Bomman and Bellie were the first were to watch the film. She tweeted to say, "I'd like to address that Bomman and Bellie were the very first people to watch the documentary at a special viewing by me. They live in the core area of the forest and do not have access to streaming channels."
The film was produced by Achin Jain and Guneet Monga.
The Elephant Whisperers created history by becoming the first Indian production to win in the Documentary Short Subject category at 95th Academy Awards, leaving behind other nominees like Haulout, How Do You Measure a Year?, The Martha Mitchell Effect and Stranger At The Gate.
Rahul Gandhi raises the Adani issue in parliament
10:41 Now, Anurag Thakur slams Rahul's LS attendance
Hitting out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks during his London visit, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said that the Wayanad MP's attendance in Lok Sabha is lower than the average attendance of MPs in Parliament.
Recently, Rahul Gandhi while addressing British parliamentarians in London alleged that the functioning microphones of Opposition leaders in Parliament are often silenced.
The Union Minister further said that Rahul Gandhi should come to the Parliament and apologise to the nation.
Addressing a press conference, "Today India is emerging as a global superpower and India is chairing the G20. All these things show the progress of India but on the other hand, Rahul Gandhi is not leaving any chance to humiliate India."
Thakur said that Rahul Gandhi goes abroad and insults the country.
"He should come to the Parliament and apologise to the nation. He says that he is not allowed to speak in Parliament but his attendance in Lok Sabha is lower than the average attendance of MPs in Parliament," said the Union Minister.
"Congress knows the art of corruption and corruption through art. They are running a campaign against the country. They should apologise to the nation and stop their Cambridge cries," he added -- ANI
10:30 Former top cop turned politician K Vijaya Rama Rao passes away
K Vijaya Rama Rao, former DG CBI passed away today after a brief illness. He was in the IPS 1959 batch and was part of the AP cadre.
Rama Rao, also a former minister in the N. Chandrababu Naidu-led government in united Andhra Pradesh, was admitted to a city hospital a few days ago after suffering a brain stroke. He was declared dead by the hospital around 7 pm, yesterday.
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10:16 Goa govt to hold meeting on H3N2 flu today
The Goa government will hold a high-level meeting on Tuesday to discuss monitoring of seasonal influenza subtype H3N2 as directed by the Centre, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said.
He said the government will ensure that the directives of the Union Health Ministry are strictly implemented. Goa has not reported any confirmed H3N2 cases so far this year. "I will be addressing a meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) in the presence of the Health Secretary, officials from the Health Department and Goa Medical College and Hospital to discuss monitoring of the Influenza A virus subtype H3N2," Rane tweeted on Monday night.
He said directives of the Union Health Ministry will be strictly implemented and a review meeting will be held once a week on the same. The Union Health Ministry had issued directives to various states regarding the H3N2 virus. PTI
09:55 Kejriwal to make 'big announcement' in Bhopal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will address a rally of AAP in Bhopal on Tuesday as he kicks off the party's campaign for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, due later this year. The rally, to be held at BHEL Dussehra Maidan in the state capital, is expected to be a show of strength by the Kejriwal-led party, which is trying to gain a toehold in the Madhya Pradesh politics traditionally dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.
An Aam Aadmi Party functionary said Kejriwal is expected to make some big announcements at the rally. Kejriwal will be joined by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at the rally, organisers said.
"Kejriwal is expected to make some big announcements. We are giving very cheap electricity in Delhi, and free quality education and health facilities to the poor unlike what is happening in MP. Here power and health facilities are very costly," an AAP leader told PTI from the rally venue.
"We have worked hard to ensure one lakh people across MP attend the rally. After this, we are going to hold big rallies in all the divisional headquarters in the state. AAP has enrolled more than five lakh members since a drive was launched by organisation general secretary Sandeep Pathak on February 4," former MP AAP chief Pankaj Singh said.
The AAP, which recently announced it would contest all 230 Assembly seats in MP, is buoyed by its performance in the urban local body polls in July-August last year, where it claimed it had garnered 6.3 per cent of the vote share.
It had fielded 1,500 candidates for local body polls and the party managed to win the mayor's post in Singrauli in the state's Vindh region. The 2018 elections in Madhya Pradesh threw up a hung Assembly, with the Congress emerging as the largest party with 114 seats in the 230-member House. The BJP won 109 seats.
The Congress formed a coalition government under Kamal Nath, but it fell in March 2020 after several MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia walked out and joined the BJP, paving the way for Shivraj Singh Chouhan to return as chief minister
Belli with Raghu
09:42 Raghu from Elephant Whisperers draws crowds
A large number of tourists thronged Mudumalai Theppakadu elephant camp to catch a glimpse of the baby elephant made famous by the Indian documentary film 'Elephant Whisperers', which won an Oscar in the 'Best Documentary Short Film' category on Monday.
The documentary competed for the honour with fellow nominees 'Haul Out,' 'How Do You Measure A Year?' 'The Martha Mitchell Effect,' and 'Stranger At The Gate'.
The film's plot revolves around a family, which adopts two orphan baby elephants in Tamil Nadu's Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
"It is such a great moment. It's a pleasure to be here. The elephant is my favourite animal and the fact that the film won an Oscar does make me delighted and excited," said a tourist.
The director of the Tamil documentary, Kartiki Gonsalves, and producer Guneet Monga stepped up to collect the golden statuette at the 95th Academy Awards on Monday (IST).In her winning speech, Gonsalves said,
"I stand here today to speak on the sacred bond between us and our natural world. For the respect of indigenous communities. For entity towards other living beings, we share our space with. And finally for co-existence. Thank you to the academy for recognizing our film highlighting indigenous people and animals. To Netflix for believing in the power of this film. To Guneet my Producer and my entire team and finally, to my mother father and sister who are up there somewhere, you're the centre of my universe. To my motherland India."
09:30 Cong: Centre protecting Adani because...
The Chhattisgarh Congress on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government was covering up alleged irregularities in Gautam Adani's firms because the saffron party gets election funding from the billionaire industrialist.
Congress general secretary and Chhattisgarh in-charge Kumari Selja addressed party leaders and workers during a protest in Raipur over the Centre's failure to initiate a probe into US-based firm Hindenburg Research's allegations against the Adani Group.
The protest began at Ambedkar Chowk and ended at Raj Bhavan where party leaders submitted a memorandum to the governor seeking a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe.
"It has been a long time since Hindenburg made the disclosure against Adani, but so far neither has an FIR been registered nor has any kind of inquiry been ordered into it? Why is the Modi government silent?" Selja questioned.
The BJP and Modi government are silent on the issue as the ruling party gets funds from Adani, she alleged.
Speaking at the protest, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel asked why the prime minister and Centre were scared of ordering a probe into the fraud committed by the Adani Group.
Baghel also accused the Centre of murdering democracy and said people of the country has the right to know under whose influence Adani got such a huge investment from public sector banks and LIC.
US short seller Hindenburg Research has alleged the Adani group was "engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud", and used offshore shell companies to inflate stock prices.
The group has denied all Hindenburg allegations, calling them "malicious", "baseless" and a "calculated attack on India". -- PTI
09:29 US, Australia and UK ink nuclear-powered submarine deal
The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom have announced a nuclear-powered submarine deal, a step aimed at countering the Chinese aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.
The announcement was made after the leaders of the three countries attended a summit meeting in San Diego on Monday and asserted that the move is to keep the Indo-Pacific region "free and open".
"With the support and approval of the Congress, beginning in the early 2030s, the United States will sell three Virginia-class submarines to Australia with the potential to sell up to two more if needed, jumpstarting their undersea capability a decade earlier than many predicted," Biden said in San Diego with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
"This state-of-the-art conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine will work -- that will combine the UK submarine technology and design with the American technology," he said.
Australia's future SSN, which Biden described as "SSN-AUKUS", will also be a state-of-the-art platform designed to leverage the best of submarine technology from all the three nations.
SSN-AUKUS will be based upon the United Kingdom's next-generation SSN design while incorporating cutting edge US submarine technologies, and will be built and deployed by both Australia and the United Kingdom.
"Beginning this year, Australian personnel will embed with US and UK crews on boats and at bases in our schools and shipyards. We will also begin to increase our port visits to Australia. In fact, as we speak, the nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Asheville, is making a port call in Perth," Biden said.
"And later this decade, we will be establishing a rotational presence of the US and UK nuclear-powered subs in Australia to help develop the work force Australia is going to need to build and maintain its fleet," he said.
Describing it as a new chapter in the relationship between the three countries, Albanese said this is a friendship built on their shared values, commitment to democracy, and common vision for a peaceful and a prosperous future.
"The AUKUS agreement, we confirm here in San Diego, represents the biggest single investment in Australia's defense capability in all of our history, strengthening Australia's national security and stability in our region; building a future made in Australia with record investments in skills, jobs, and infrastructure; and delivering a superior defense capability into the future," he said.
From early in the next decade, Australia will take delivery of three US Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines. This is the first time in 65 years and only the second time in history that the United States has shared its nuclear propulsion technology, he said.
Commenting on the deal, Sunak noted, "Sixty years ago, here in San Diego, President Kennedy spoke of a higher purpose: the maintenance of freedom, peace, and security. Today, we stand together united by that same purpose. Recognising that to fulfil it, we must forge new kinds of relationships to meet new kinds of challenge, just as we have always done."
"In the last 18 months, the challenges we face have only grown. Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, China's growing assertiveness, the destabilising behavior of Iran and North Korea all threaten to create a world defined by danger, disorder, and division," he said.
08:27 Ex-Pak PM Imran Khan may be arrested today: Report
Following the directives of Islamabad courts to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, sources said the Islamabad police will visit Zaman Park in the next 24 hours to arrest the former prime minister, reported Geo News.
Notably, a sessions court in Islamabad issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khan in a case of threatening a female judge belonging to a court in the federal capital.
Khan was booked in a case for threatening judicial magistrate Zeba Chaudhry and police officers at a rally in F-9 Park on August 20, to "terrorise" police officers and the judiciary, reported Geo News.
Earlier in the day, Civil Judge Rana Mujahid Rahim released the three-page reserved verdict and issued non-bailable arrest warrants over Khan's repeated non-appearance.
The former prime minister, instead of attending the hearing, filed a plea for an exemption from physically appearing before the judge, requesting permission for joining the court proceedings virtually via video link.
Desperate to put him behind bars, a police party from Islamabad earlier in the day flew by helicopter to Lahore to arrest the PTI chairman -- who was ousted as the prime minister last year in April.
The sources told Geo News that several decisions were taken during a meeting between Islamabad and Lahore's police officials -- as the law enforcers came to the city for the second time to arrest Khan.
The meeting's participants decided that the Islamabad police would be completely supported and it will be ensured that the capital's cops reach Khan's Zaman Park residence with no hindrances, sources said.
"Before Islamabad police leave for Zaman Park, they will contact Khan's chief security officer," the sources added.
Two courts have issued Khan's non-bailable arrest warrants in separate cases, however, he has not appeared before them repeatedly -- and instead, held a rally in Lahore, where he also announced to hold a "historic" rally this Sunday.
02:10 Jaipur foot manufacturer BMVSS' executive chairman Virendra Raj Mehta dies
Virendra Raj Mehta, executive chairman of Jaipur Foot manufacturer Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, died at a hospital in Delhi on Monday.
He was 90.
His last rites will be held on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the BMVSS.
The Padma Shri awardee is survived by his wife Vimla, son Shelendra Raj Mehta and daughter Sandhya. Mehta hailed from Jodhpur and earned a degree in engineering from BITS Pilani before joining the Indian Railways, the statement said.
It was due to Mehta's efforts that the Jaipur Foot Centre was established in Manila, the Philippines.
In 2010, he was honoured in the Parliament of the Philippines (House of Representatives) for his commendable work of serving the disabled and was given the status of Honorary Citizen of the City of Manila, it said.
He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015. -- PTI
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01:11 5-year-old boy falls into borewell in Maha, rescue operation underway
A five-year-old boy fell into a borewell in a village in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district on Monday evening and efforts are underway to rescue him, said officials.
A team of the National Disaster Response Force, along with local police and district administration personnel, is carrying out an operation to pull out the child from the borewell in Kopardi village under Karjat tehsil, around 125km from Pune city, they said.
According to the NDRF officials, the boy fell into the borewell at around 4 pm.
"The boy is trapped at a depth of 15 feet. A rescue operation is on and an ambulance and other medical aid have been kept ready at the spot," they said.
As per the police, the boy, son of a sugarcane worker, may have fallen into the defunct borewell while playing. -- PTI
00:40 Ex-CBI director Vijayarama Rao no more
Former director of CBI, K Vijayarama Rao, who had served as a minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh, died at a private hospital here on Monday night due to brain-related health issues.
He was 85.
Rao was taken to the hospital in the afternoon and the end came at 7.30 pm, hospital sources said.
After retirement, Vijayarama Rao had served as a minister in the TDP government headed by N Chandrababu Naidu.
He joined the ruling BRS (then TRS) after the formation of Telangana state.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Naidu, state Congress president A Revanth Reddy and other leaders condoled the death of Vijayarama Rao.
The CM recalled his association with Vijayarama Rao and praised the services of the latter as a government official and people's representative, an official release said.
The CM directed officials that the funeral of Vijayarama Rao be held with state honours, it said.
The TDP chief said Vijayarama Rao rendered yeoman's service as director of CBI and later as a minister. -- PTI
00:19 Umesh murder: Reward doubled for info on 5 men
The Uttar Pradesh police on Monday increased the reward for anyone providing information leading to the arrest of five accused, including former MP Atiq Ahmed's son Asad, in the Umesh Pal murder case from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, an official said.
The other four accused are Arman, Gulam, Guddu and Sabir, he said.
Umesh Pal, the key witness in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, and his police security guard Sandeep Nishad were shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj's Dhoomanganj on February 24.
Based on a complaint lodged by Umesh Pal's wife Jaya Pal, a case was registered at Dhoomanganj police station against Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others.
The reward for anyone providing information leading to the arrest of five accused, including Atiq Ahmed's son Asad, has been increased to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 2.5 lakh, a senior police official said. -- PTI
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