Breaking his silence on the partys defeat in three northeast states, Congress president Rahul Gandhi today said he respected the mandate of people in the region and was committed to winning back their trust. Gandhis reaction came two days after results for assembly elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland were declared on Saturday. The Congress lost Meghalaya and failed to score a single seat in Tripura and Nagaland. The party won 21 seats in Meghalaya, where it was in power, and could not garner the support of regional outfits to cobble together a coalition government. Top party leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath rushed to Shillong to talk to regional parties but to no avail. The Congress party respects the mandate of the people of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya. We are committed to strengthening our party across the North East and to winning back the trust of the people. My sincere thanks to each and every Congress worker who toiled for the party, Gandhi said on Twitter. Gandhi had announced on Thursday that he would visit his 93-year-old grandmother in Italy over the Holi weekend. Top party leaders had refrained from making any comment on the results.
Month: November 2020
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar forced to cut short Srinagar event midway: Here’s what happened
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was forced to leave a seminar midway in Srinagar after a group of people created a ruckus. Reports said the they also shouted pro-freedom slogans at the event organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankars Art of Living. The group of people alleged they were tricked by the organisers to assemble a large gathering at the event. After sloganeering and ruckus, several people left the venue and Ravi Shankar was forced to cut short his speech. The incident occurred during AOLs Paigham-e-Mohabbat (message of love) event at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) lawns. A youth claimed that the organisers tricked them by saying that a management company would participate in the event and jobs will be offered to the people. Another group of men, which reached the venue from central Kashmirs Budgam district, said the organisers told them that some religious scholar will speak on Islam. We were tricked by the organisers, Another group of students alleged that they were promised cricket kits and money. But we have not been given anything, not even a glass of water, Asked about the controversy, Ravi Shankar appeared unsure of what led to the ruckus. He said that it…
Wow! This Mumbai auto driver just earned free education for his children; check how he changed their lives
Amit Gupta, an auto driver from Mumbai had never in his dream could have imagined that his little deed could make a huge difference in the lives of his children one day. Gupta returned a passenger As per a report by the TOI, two months back, 68-year-old Sarla Namboodiri took Gupta However, before getting off the auto the lady forgot to take her bag which she realised after reaching her car. As per the report, the bag had Rs 80,000 cash that was collected from students as fees. It also contained Aadhar card, credit and debit cards, driving licence, PAN card, car registration documents, two cell phones, house keys and locker keys that belonged to Namboodiri. Soon she sent one of her peons to the main road, where he approached a paan vendor who said that the auto driver had made a stop at his shop and that his name was Amit Gupta. Later Namboodiri decided to approach the police to lodge a complaint after she could not contact Gupta. But half an hour later, Gupta himself returned to the school with the bag. There he told the woman that the bag was spotted by another passenger and he remembered…
SC pulls up Centre for filing 700-page document, says only person enjoying is the one who is doing photocopies
The Supreme Court today pulled up the Centre for coming out with a bulky affidavit of over 700 pages on the issue of inadequate facilities for children living in orphanages and child care institutions and said it cannot waste everyones time. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur, Kurian Joseph and Deepak Gupta said this when the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) came up with an over 700-page document. Why do you file such a big affidavit, the bench asked the counsel representing the Centre. To this, the counsel responded that the affidavit was only of 10 pages and rest were annexures. Do not file so much. You are wasting your time and everybody elses time. The only person enjoying is the one who is doing photocopies. You file these 10 pages along with a chart only, the bench said and asked the ministry to file a status report within two weeks and said the matter be listed for hearing thereafter. The apex court had on February 20 rapped the Kerala government for not ensuring adequate facilities to children living in orphanages and child care institutions there as mandated under the law. It had noted that according to…
Telangana presents Rs 1,74,453-crore pro-farmer budget
Telangana finance minister Eatela Rajender on Thursday presented the budget for 2018-19 with an estimated total expenditure of Rs 1,74,453.84 crore. A big part of the allocation is towards agriculture and irrigation projects. Of this, revenue expenditure is Rs 1,25,454.70 crore and capital expenditure is Rs 33,369.10 crore, which constitutes 19% of the total expenditure. In 2018-19, the estimated revenue surplus is Rs 5,520.41 crore and the fiscal deficit is Rs 29,077.07 crore, which is 3.45% of the GSDP. Revenue is expected to touch Rs 73,751 crore in the current financial year, according to the finance minister. The minister said the average annual GSDP growth rate of Telangana at constant prices in the combined state was barely 4.2% during 2012-13 and 2013-14. After the formation of the new state, the growth picked up momentum and there is a perceptible increase in the growth. The growth at constant prices improved from 5.4% in 2013-14 to 6.8% in 2014-15 and this improvement continued in all the succeeding years. The growth rates in 2015-16 and 2016-17 were 8.6% and 10.1%, respectively. 4% in real terms, compared with the national GDP growth of 6.6%, While a large chunk of Rs 25,000 crore has been…
Yogi Adityanath government to withdraw 131 riots cases related to Muzaffarnagar, Shamli riots; opposition attacks BJP
In a big move, the Yogi Adityanath government has set the ball rolling on taking back 131 cases allegedly linked to the Muzaffarnagar and Shamli communal riots in Uttar Pradesh in 2013. Of those, 13 cases are for murder and 11 for attempt to murder. The move came after a delegation of Khap leaders from Muzaffarnagar and Shamli met CM Adityanath on February 5. The delegation included BJP MP Sanjiv Balyan and the party CM Adityanath was presented with a list of 179 cases, according to The Indian Express. A political slugfest has erupted after it came to light that the cases being withdrawn contain heinous crimes with a minimum punishment of seven years in jail under Indian Penal Code (IPC). Apart from this, there are 16 cases under section 153 A and two under section 295 A. IPC section 153 A pertains to promoting enmity on religious grounds and section 295 A to deliberate and malicious acts intended to insult a religion or religious beliefs. Balyan said that all the accused were Hindus. MLA Malik, however, claimed that Balyan said that during the meeting with the Chief Minister in February, he urged him to consider the withdrawal of 179…
PM Narendra Modi extends greetings on National Maritime Day, says BR Ambedkar inspiration for vibrant maritime sector
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended his greetings on National Maritime Day and said the governments efforts for a vibrant maritime sector were inspired by Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar. It was Babasaheb who gave topmost importance to Jal Shakti, waterways, irrigation, canal networks and ports. His work in this sector augured extremely well for the people of India, he tweeted. Modi also wrote that with its rich history, the maritime sector in India has the potential to power countrys transformation. On National Maritime Day, we affirm our commitment to harness our maritime strengths for the nations prosperity, he added. National Maritime Day is observed annually to commemorate the maiden voyage of the first Indian owned ship SS Loyalty which sailed from Bombay to London in 1919. Modi also remembered Babu Jagjivan Ram on his birth anniversary and said that he is a self-made and industrious, whose contribution to the nation can never be forgotten. As a freedom fighter and veteran administrator, his service to India was impeccable. Babuji was a true democrat, refusing to bow to authoritarianism. India remembers him on his Jayanti, he wrote on Twitter. Popularly called as Babuji, Ram was a politician from Bihar who was…
Mortal remains of 38 of 39 Indians killed by ISIS in Iraq brought back; VK Singh oversees process
The mortal remains of 38 of the 39 Indians killed in war-torn Iraq were brought back today in a special aircraft and handed over to their relatives or local authorities in Amritsar, Kolkata and Patna. Minister of State for External Affairs, V K Singh, who brought back the bodies from Baghdad, told reporters in Amritsar that Indian embassy did not have any record of the 40 Indians captured by the terror group ISIS in Iraq in 2014 as they had gone there through illegal travel agents. The minister said that had the government had any information about these people being in danger, it would have rescued them as it had done in case of over 45 Indian nurses in 2014. Thirty-nine of the 40 Indian labourers were killed by the terror group, while one of them managed to escape posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh. Out of the 39 killed, 27 hailed from Punjab, four from Himachal Pradesh, six from Bihar and two from West Bengal. The special aircraft carrying the mortal remains of 38 Indians in caskets landed at the Amritsar international airport around 2:30 pm. The presumed remains of one man from Bihar were yet to be conclusively…
Red Fort makeover under a cloud
The Red Fort makeover is under a cloud of controversy. The Congress on Saturday questioned how Dalmia Bharat, a private entity, was given the mandate to maintain the iconic Red Fort. However, the government has defended its move, stating the scheme was launched last year to attract public participation to develop heritage monuments. This comes days after the ministry of tourism and the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) signed an MoU with conglomerate Dalmia Bharat for the adoption of the monument under the Under this, the almost 400-year-old heritage monument is set to become a lively public space with modern amenities soon. stimated to cost `25 crore, the project will span over five years. The makeover, which will not involve any changes to the structure of the monument, will result in better seating facilities, cleaner surroundings and better accessibility to the remote corners of the fort. There are also plans to open an interpretation centre to help visitors get a better understanding of the monument Disabled-friendly pavements and Braille signages are on the cards too. Other amenities will include a multilingual audio guide, digital interactive kiosks, LED screenings, free Wi-Fi, cloakrooms, a surveillance system, etc. We will install more dustbins,…
UN’s peace building efforts struggling due to inadequate funding: India
Highlighting that funds available for UNs peacebuilding efforts are barely one per cent of the annual peacekeeping budget, India has told a high-level meeting here that UNs peace building efforts are struggling due to inadequate funding, a result of genuine political will. The concept of peacebuilding, that expanded the focus to post conflict situations and led to the establishment of UNs peacebuilding architecture around a decade ago, is struggling due to lack of adequate funding that betrays a lack of genuine political will, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs A Gitesh Sarma said in his address to the high-level meeting on peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace at the UN General Assembly yesterday. Sarma said while peacekeeping, the flagship activity of the UN, has been largely successful in containing inter-state conflict situations, its limitations in tackling chronic intra-state armed conflict situations, notwithstanding large-scale deployment of troops and other resources, are obvious. He pointed out that the funds available for UN peacebuilding efforts are not even 1 per cent of the annual budget for UN peacekeeping. In this context, India welcomed the specific financing options presented by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his report. These need to be examined seriously to address…
Renuka Chowdhury says her dignity as woman was taken away in Parliament when PM Narendra Modi spoke in derogatory way
Congress leader and former Member of Parliament Renuka Chowdhury on Tuesday said that casting couch is taking away privileges from women. Speaking to news agency ANI, the Congress leader alleged that her dignity as a woman was taken away in Parliament. Casting couch is taking away privileges from women use it for your personal benefit or in lieu of any compensation. My dignity as a woman was taken away in Parliament when PM Narendra Modi spoke in a derogatory way. How can a PM say that I remind him of Surpanakha? Chowdhury said. On February 7, Prime Minister Narendra Modi linked laughing style of Congress PM Modi compared the Chowdhury Modis statement was met with strong protests from the members of Congress party. The Prime Minister made the comment when Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu was stopping her from continuous disruption. The Prime Minister had asked Rajya Sabha Chairman not to stop her as it reminded him of Ramayana serial. Earlier in the day, Chowdhury made a sensational claim on the alleged culture of casting couch that has often brought the Indian film industry under attack. Speaking to news agency ANI, Chowdhury said that the casting couch exists in…
Justice Loya death case: SC says attempts to scandalise judiciary, dismisses pleas
The Supreme Court today dismissed pleas seeking an independent probe into the death of special CBI judge B H Loya, ruling that the judge died of natural causes and the petitions were a serious attempt to scandalise and obstruct the course of justice. The apex court also held that all litigations concerning circumstances of death of judge Loya is concluded with this judgement. The top court dubbed the PILs into the death of judge Loya who was hearing the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, as frivolous and motivated litigations to settle political scores and rivalry were behind the facade of the PIL to malign the dignity of judicial officers and Bombay High Court judges. Loya had died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on December 1, 2014 when he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleagues daughter. The top court said the judicial process will be reduced to a charade if the courts are burdened with such cases with extraneous reasons. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said there was no reason to doubt the statements of four judges on the circumstances leading to Loyas death and the…
MP BJP chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan wants to be relieved of responsibility
Madhya Pradesh BJP chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan has expressed his desire to be relieved of the charge, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan disclosed today, setting off speculations about the exact trigger behind the senior BJP leaders request to step down in a poll year. Interestingly, Nandkumars request to relieve him came days after he kicked up a row saying that the Kathua rape-murder might have been committed by Pakistans agents to divide the society. The state BJP unit president told me over phone last night that he wanted to be relieved of the charge he has been holding because he wanted to concentrate on his Khandwa Lok Sabha seat, Chouhan told reporters in Bhikangaon town in Khargone district. Sources in the state BJP said that a group of leaders wanted Nandkumar out as they believe that he might not be able to provide a strong leadership ahead of the assembly elections, due later this year. Nandkumar became the president of the state BJP unit in August 2014 replacing Narendra Singh Tomar. He was declared elected unopposed to the post in January 2016. Names of a few ministers are doing rounds to succeed Nandkumar in case the BJP leadership decides to…
Woman BJP functionary ‘slaps’ Tamil Nadu farmer leader P Ayyakannu
A woman BJP functionary allegedly slapped farmer leader P Ayyakannu when he used derogatory words against her for opposing his pamphlet distribution at a temple complex. The incident, which occurred yesterday and was captured on camera, went viral today. The woman, identified as Nellaiyammal of BJP, is seen asking the public at Tiruchendur Subramania Swamy temple not to receive pamphlets from Ayyakannu and allegedly calls him a fraud. She also objects to him distributing pamphlets in the temple precincts. The pamphlets, according to Ayyakannu, president,National South Indian Rivers Inter-Linking Farmers Association, covers issues like dangers of Genetically Modified seeds, need for Cauvery Water Management Board, comprehensive crop insurance, remunerative prices for farmers and linking rivers. Ayyakannu claimed that the pamphlet distribution was outside the main temple complex and near the seashore, while local BJP leaders said it was the outer temple precincts. The leaders alleged that the pamphlets were political in nature as it was critical of the government and such material should not be distributed in a place of worship. Irked over being called a fraud, Ayyakkannu uttered something, which appeared muted in the video and also raised his hand against her. Watch video: The lady, who is Tuticorin…
Yogi Adityanath to bring quota for most backward sections? Here is what UP CM hinted
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today indicated his government was considering bringing in a quota for the most backward sections to ensure their upliftment. Responding to concerns raised by members during a discussion in the state Assembly, Adityanath asserted the provisions related to reservations were not being done away with. Agar aavashyakta padi, to hum ati pichchde aur ati Dalit ko aarakshan dene par vichar karenge (If the need arises we will provide reservations to the most backwards and the most backward among Dalits), he added. The chief minister said all Dalits and poor, who have been deprived of development, will be taken care of by the government as they needed to be brought in the mainstream. He was intervening in the discussion on general budget in the state Assembly. We will provide jobs without discrimination.Earlier there used to be len den (deals). Could anyone imagine that Rs 40 lakh to Rs 60 lakh will be taken for recruitment in UPPSC jobs? Let the inquiry report come, those found responsible for it will go to jail and their properties will be attached, he said. It is our endeavour that this month itself we will implement proposals worth Rs 25,000…
Congress faces dissent ahead of West Bengal panchayat polls: Abhishek Manu Singhvi shown black flags in Kolkata; watch video
West Bengal panchayat polls: At a time when opposition parties are rallying for unity ahead of the 2019 elections, the West Bengal unit of the Congress party finds itself in a predicament that it may have difficulty explaining. Fissures within Congress party have come to the fore, thanks to an ongoing duel between Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. The situation has worsened to a such an extent that Singhvi was shown black flags at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. Anandbazar Patrika reported that a shoe was also hurled at him while he was in Kolkata to attend a private event. However, Singhvi escaped unhurt and denied that he was shown black flags, according to the Telegraph. Around 25 Congress workers were arrested after the incident, police officials were quoted as saying by PTI. Things heated up after Singhvi chose to defend the Mamata Banerjee government in Supreme Court against BJP even as Chowdhury had filed a plea against the ruling Trinamool dispensation in the Calcutta High Court. Here are the top developments: It has been learnt that Singhvi had represented the West Bengal government at the Supreme Court…
What changes did Supreme Court’s March 20 order bring to SC/ST Act and why did Dalits protest?
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay its earlier order that apparently diluted certain provisions of the SC\/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Hearing a review petition filed by the Centre seeking a stay on its ruling that changed certain provisions of the SC\/ST Act, the apex court refused to stay its March 20 order. It also asked all parties to submit detailed replies within two days and posted the matter for hearing after 10 days. The hearing in the Supreme Court came a day after at least nine people were killed and several others injured as violence marred protests during the Bharat Bandh called in protest against the changes effected as a result of the top courts order. Taking note of the violence, the SC bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel observed that those protesting on the streets had not read the copy of the judgment properly. Those agitating on streets may not have even read our judgment. Vested interests are also involved sometimes. We are only concerned about innocent people being put behind bars. We are not against the Act at all. But innocents cant be punished on unilateral version. Why does government want people to be…
PNB scam: Court issues non-bailable warrants against Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi
A special court today issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in the alleged Rs 12,700-crore Punjab National Bank scam. The court, set up under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), issued the NBWs on applications filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), one of the agencies probing the bank fraud cases registered last month. The court also allowed the EDs application seeking Letters of Rogatory (LR) to seven countries – Malaysia, Armenia, France, China, Japan, Russia and Belgium – in connection with the case. The ED had earlier issued summonses to Modi and Choksi, both key accused in the scam cases, asking them to appear before the central agency. However, the two diamond traders, who are said to have left the country before criminal cases were registered, had failed to appear before the ED, prompting the agency to move the PMLA court for issuance of NBWs against them. On February 27, the ED had moved the court seeking an NBW against Modi. The agency had told the court that it had issued three summonses to Modi to appear before it. The agency said it received replies from Nirav Modi for two summonses. In response…
UIDAI CEO makes PowerPoint presentation in SC on Aadhaar
Unique Identification Authority of India CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey today got a unique opportunity to make a PowerPoint presentation in the Supreme court to defend the governments ambitious Aadhaar scheme. The CJIs courtroom was the centre of attraction for lawyers, litigants and journalists as probably for the first time, two projectors were installed to enable the UIDAI CEO to make a case in favour of Aadhaar. Pandey, a 1984-batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre heading UIDAI since 2010, allayed concerns about data security and said the Aadhaar data is protected by a 2048-bit encryption and once biometrics comes to us, it will never go away. Making use of two projectors, he said breaking the Aadhaar encryption may take more than the age of the universe for the fastest computer on earth. The bench questioned the CEO on his plea that Aadhaar was infallible, asking why the UIDAI blacklisted 49,000 registered operators. Pandey said the agents were blacklisted for indulging in corruption, carelessness and harassment of the public. It sounds somehow strange that you blacklisted 49,000 of your operators for harassing people, the bench asked. Initially, we trusted these operators, but they ended up registering trees, Lord Hanuman, Jamun trees etc,…
CM Conrad K Sangma says job tough, but expresses resolve to spur development
Barely two weeks into his new role, 40-year-old Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma says he has realised running the government would be a tough job, but asserts he is here to take over and do my best to spur development. In a state that faces pressing financial and administrative challenges, Sangma, in an exclusive interview to PTI, said the priority of his government would be to bring about administrative discipline and a new work culture for faster delivery of services to the people. There are a lot of challenges ahead, he said, financial, implementation challenges, administrative challenges. And there are some issues that require immediate attention. Sangma, son of former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma, was sworn in as the 12th Chief Minister of Meghalaya on March 7. He is heading a coalition government of his National Peoples Party (NPP) with the BJP and a clutch of regional outfits like the UDP, the PDF, the HSPDP. He enjoys the support of an Independent MLA as well. He said the first thing he was trying to do as the chief minister was to bring about a disciplined system in the office, at the secretariat and in the government as…
Yogi Adityanath breaks silence on Gorakhpur, Phulpur by-elections loss; spells out reason for defeat
Gorakhpur, Phulpur by-election results in 2018: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has broken his silence after shock defeat of BJP on his home-turf Gorakhpur, and Phulpur – both seats previously represented by him and his deputy in Uttar Pradesh government Keshav Prasad Maurya respectively. Adityanath pointed out reasons that led to the defeat of BJP in both seats. Talking to ANI, the Uttar Pradesh CM said, SP-BSP alliance has been created once again to interrupt the development of Uttar Pradesh and the country. We will prepare our strategy to stop them. This is peoples decision. People are like god in democracy. We accept their decision. I congratulate the winning candidates from both Phulpur and Gorakhpur. He further said, Yeh BSP-SP ka jo rajnitik saudebaazi, desh ke vikas ko baadhit karne ke liye bani hai, iske baare mein hum apni rann neeti tayaar karenge (This SP-BSP political alliance has been formed to hamper the deveopment of the country. We will prepare our Watch Yogi Adityanath speaks after bypoll losses #WATCH UP CM Yogi Adityanath says Yeh BSP-SP ka jo rajnitik saudebaazi, desh ke vikas ko baadhit karne ke liye bani hai, iske baare mein hum apni rann neeti tayaar karenge…
Delhi Metro shocker! CISF nabs passenger with pistol in Uttam Nagar East Metro Station
A case has been registered against a person for carrying a country-made pistol at New Delhis Uttam Nagar East Metro Station. The case has been registered under section 25 and 54 of Arms Act,1959. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) held a passenger on Tuesday after they noticed the pistol inside his bag during checking. On March 6 at around 11:30 pm during the screening of a baggage through X – BIS machine at Uttam Nagar East metro station, Constable Laxman Rao of CISF noticed an image of a pistol inside a bag. Immediately, he stopped the conveyer belt as well as passenger, read an official statement. The passenger, identified as Mohammad Naeem, is a resident of Uttar Pradeshs Amroha. The security officials seized the pistol from the accused and handed over to Delhi Metro Rail Police Station, Dwarka.
Wang Yi is China’s key negotiator on border talks with India
Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi will now be its key negotiator with India on the vexed border issue after Beijing promoted him to the post of State Councillor, the countrys top diplomat, it was announced on Monday. Wang succeeds Yang Jiechi, Chinas senior-most diplomat, who until now was the countrys Special Representative on border talks with India. He will also remain the Foreign Minister. The decision was taken at the ongoing annual session of Chinas parliament.Wang will talk to Indias National Security Adviser Ajit Doval who is its Special Representative on boundary talks.China and India by far have held 20 rounds of talks on their 3,448-km disputed border. The countries fought a war in 1962 and have seen their armies cross into each others territories due to the different perceptions of the boundary. Wang repeatedly slammed India during the 73-day military stand-off at Doklam in the eastern sector of their border last year. The crisis was resolved in August.Wang, however, struck a positive tone about Sino-India ties while addressing the media on the sidelines of Chinas annual parliament session.Wang said if China and India were united then one plus will be equivalent to 11, a remark welcomed by India and…
Momos vendor killed for asking money: Two get seven year jail term
The Delhi High Court has sentenced two persons to seven years in jail for killing a street vendor by hitting him with a gas cylinder after he asked them to pay for a plate of momos. The high court, while deciding the appeals of the two men, reduced their sentence from life imprisonment awarded to them by a trial court which had convicted them for the offence of murder. It reduced the jail term after modifying their conviction for offence of murder to causing death of a person without any intention. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and I S Mehta considered that both men were of young age at the time of the incident in 2012 and had no history of any criminal activity. Their conduct in the jail was also found to be satisfactory. The court, however, maintained the conviction of Najafgarh residents Dharmendra and Jitender for the offence of attempt to murder. It also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 each on both convicts. The two men were held guilty by a trial court for murdering momos vendor Monu and attempting to kill his relative Ravi who tried to save the victim. According to the prosecution, the…
Narendra Modi government to open Atal Tinkering Labs in 30,000 schools in next 3 years: Amitabh Kant
With the aim to promote emerging technologies like Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, 3D and Robotics among school students, Prime Minister Narendra Modi government is mulling to open Atal Tinkering Labs in 30,000 schools across the country in next 3 years, said a top government official. Atal Tinkering Labs offers educational and learning The labs are being created within schools by Atal Innovation Mission under the guidance of central government think-tank Niti Aayog, where young students from class 6th to class 12th get hands-on experience in advanced technologies. Tomorrow Government has roped-in as many as 5,000 individual mentors to guide students. In addition, it is partnering with global technology giants having significant investment in emerging technologies. So far, Atal Innovation Mission has signed agreements with American technology giants IBM, Intel and on Tuesday it signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) with German enterprise software maker SAP. According to SOI, SAP will set-up 100 labs across Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by 2018-19, out which about 50 labs are already operational. Under this programme, SAP employee will volunteers to coach and mentor students in advanced technology topics, and the design lab of SAP Labs India, will…
Shiv Sena’s dig at PM’s China visit: Modi skipped Doklam, CPEC during ‘chai pe charcha’ with Jinping due to 2019 election
BJPs key ally Shiv Sena today criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his just concluded two-day China visit, questioning what the trip had managed to achieve. The party, which shares power with the BJP at both the Centre and in Maharashtra, termed PMs visit a casual tour and said that Modi avoided raising crucial issues during his meetings with President Xi Jinping in view of the next general elections. Issues like Doklam, border incursion by Chinese troops, CPEC were not raised with the Chinese side, the party said in an editorial published in its mouthpiece Saamna. It also sought to the know the RSSs stand on the matter. The editorial noted that PM Modi was trying to resolve pending issues with China through Panchsheel, the five principles of coexistence propounded by Jawaharlal Nehru. It said that Modi has never lost an opportunity to criticise Nehru but now it seems Modi is backing Panchsheel but the thoughts behind it belonged to Nehru. Like Nehru, Modi is also convinced about no to war, yes to peace approach, Sena claimed. It said that the Doklam issue was not taken up to avoid any The party said that the External Affairs Ministry said that…
Kathua incident: Kerala artist’s home attacked after painting sparks outrage on Facebook
The residence of a female artist in Kerala was pelted with stones after she shared some paintings on Facebook account expressing anger over the Kathua rape and murder incident. The artist has filed a written complaint alleging that some unidentified miscreants pelted stones at her home on Thursday night, police said. Her posts on the social media site of paintings attracted a lot of criticism and verbal abuse. The artist has also claimed of receiving death threats. She has also shared photos of the shattered windshield of her vehicle. She wrote on Facebook on Friday: I had to undergo the ignominy of repeating several times through posts and Facebook live that the paintings were not against any religion. I am constantly having to remind myself that I live in a democratic country. If I donThe artist has also said that silence from numerous quarters show that people somehow feel she deserved the criticism and abuse that she was getting from some quarters. The police have confirmed that they received a written complaint from Malathi on the alleged stone-pelting incident. Earlier this month Kotak Mahindra had sacked an employee for a controversial post on his Facebook page. In its post on…
Rajinikanth says he will fill the vacuum left by Jayalalitha, Karunanidhi
Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth, on Monday, addressed a gathering at Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai. The veteran actor during the rally remembered former Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalitha and said that Amma is no more while the patriarch Karunanidhi is ill. Tamil Nadu needs a leader and I will come and fill that vacuum. God is on my side, he added. The Thalaiva also said.I didnt expect the present political parties to welcome me. But why are you discouraging me and others? Rajinikanth also said,The present government and politicians are asking why are actors leaving their makeup and coming to take over their jobs as politicians. I am 67 years now, since you are not doing your duty I am stepping in. The veteran actor added that his political journey is not easy. He said,It is a journey through struggles and hurdles but I can give governance which they (MGR) gave to common people and I trust I can do that too. Rajinikanth also said that after having close relationship with M Karunanidhi, GK Moopanar and others he learned a lot about politics. Politics is a way where there are snakes, thorns and difficulties. He also scolded the public gathered…
Rajya Sabha election 2018: BJP top leaders in fray – from Arun Jaitley to Javadekar; know about states they are contesting from
Bharatiya Janata Party has released a list of eight candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. From the saffron party, key leaders like Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar will contest polls for the Upper House this time. Jaitley, who is currently a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, has got a ticket from Uttar Pradesh this time. While Pradhan and Javadekar will contest polls from Gujarat this time. Currently, Pradhan is an Upper House member from Bihar, while Javadekar is an MP from Madhya Pradesh. Interestingly, no MP, apart from Jaitley, Pradhan and Javadekar, has been shifted from his\/her state. Other bigwigs in the fray will be Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot, Health Minister J P Nadda, Union Ministers Parshottam Rupala and Manusukh Mandaviya. Gehlot and Nadda will contest from their respective states of Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Rupala and Mandaviya will contest from Gujarat. BJP is likely to make big gains owing to its impressive electoral performance in Assembly Elections in last two years. A total number of 58 Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant. The elections will see 10 MPs getting elected from Uttar Pradesh, six each from Maharashtra and…
Noida class 9 girl hangs self after failing exam, 2 Delhi school teachers booked for abatement to suicide
A 15-year-old Noida girl committed suicide on Tuesday, allegedly for scoring low marks. The family of the deceased claimed that the 9th standard student of Ahlcon Public School in Delhis Mayur Vihar was being harassed by her teachers, forcing her to take the fatal step. The father of the deceased alleged that the girl had earlier said that her SST teachers tried to touch her inappropriately. I said since Im also a teacher I can say they cant do it, might be a mistake but she said, Im scared of them, no matter how well I write theyll fail me. Ultimately they failed her in SST. School killed her, the grieving father alleged. The 15-year-old student was found hanging from the railing following which she was rushed to Kailash Hospital in Noida. The doctor of the hospital said that on arrival, her pulse and blood pressure was unrecordable. The team tried reviving her pulse but to no effect. The doctors have not cited the reason of death and said it will only be determined after the post-mortem. According to Arun K Singh, Superintendent of Police, Noida, the girl was harassed by two school teachers who failed her intentionally in her…