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PM Modi visits Theppakadu Elephant Camp and Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka ahead of a crucial BJP meet, posts stunning photographs

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi visits Theppakadu Elephant Camp and Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka ahead of a crucial BJP meet, posts stunning photographs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on a 20 km ‘jeep safari’ at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka on Sunday, as part of programmes to mark 50 years of ‘Project Tiger.’ The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is located partly in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district and partly in H.D.Kote and Nanjangud taluks of Mysuru District.

The Prime Minister also launched the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) on this occasion. He released the publication ‘Amrit Kaal Ka Vision for Tiger Conservation’, a summary report of 5th cycle of Management Effective Evaluation of Tiger Reserves. The PM also also released a commemorative coin on the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger.

According to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) will focus on the protection and conservation of seven major big cats of the world — Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Puma, Jaguar and Cheetah.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen armed with a pair of binoculars and a camera with a big zoom lens. He was carrying a Canon EOS R3 mirrorless camera fitted with a 600 mm telephoto lens from canon to view the forest and take its photographs.

PM Modi posted several photographs from the Tiger Reserve, showing him at various places in the reserve and interacting with workers there.

PM Modi’s visit to the Tiger Reserve signifies that the central government is committed towards tiger conservation. This reserve was brought under ‘Project Tiger’ in 1973.

The BJP stalwart also went to Theppakadu Elephant Camp in the Mudumalai National Park. He met Bomman and Bellie, stars of the Oscar-winning documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ there. The camp was formed in 1910 for elephants used by timber traders. 

The working elephants, also known as kumkis now perform a variety of activities after the government acquired control of the forests. They are employed for both patrolling during the monsoon and providing rides to tourists. The prime minister also fed sugarcane sticks to the elephants.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to convene its Central Election Committee meeting today for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections scheduled for next month. The session will reportedly include members of the party’s Central Election Committee as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, along with party President J. P. Nadda, and general secretary B. L. Santhosh.

Earlier on Saturday, Amit Shah had a meeting to discuss and finalise the list of candidates for the elections at J. P. Nadda’s residence. Karnataka BJP president Nalinkumar Kateel, former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and other leaders were also present there.

The central committee of the BJP in Karnataka has purportedly chosen three candidates for each assembly seat and would present them to the Central Election Committee. The central leadership of the party will review these names before finalising the candidates.

In a meeting on April 4 with the party’s national general secretary Arun Singh, state election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, co-in-charge Mansukh Mandaviya, Central Election Committee member Annamalai, former chief minister Yediyurappa, and his successor and current incumbent Basavaraj Bommai, the BJP’s core group in Karnataka created a shortlist of applicants.

In an earlier interview with reporters, the current CM stated that the BJP’s core committee meeting will include a discussion about the choice of candidates for assembly seats.

“Today, an important meeting is to be held under the guidance of BJP national president JP Nadda. During this meeting, a discussion over candidate selection for 224 assembly seats will be done. And tomorrow Parliamentary board of the party is also meeting,” he remarked.

With 104 seats won in the last assembly elections, the BJP was the dominant party by a wide margin over the Congress with 80 seats and the JD(S) secured 37 seats. The election is scheduled for May 10 of this year as informed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on March 29. The counting of votes will be held on May 13. The term of the current Karnataka Legislative Assembly is set to end on May 24.

While the BJP has not yet announced its candidates for the elections, the Congress has already produced two lists of the same.

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn part ways after six years of relationship

ANI
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Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn part ways after six years of relationship

American Singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift is roaring in her career with Era Tour, US leg being sold out but her love affairs are still suffering from instability in view of the fact that Swift has broken up with ‘Stars at Noon’ actor Joe Alwyn after dating for 6 years.

As reported by People, a US-based media house, news of separation is confirmed by a close source to the pair. Joe was also not present at any of the concerts in Era Tour. The couple parted ways a few weeks ago. “It wasn’t dramatic.”.”[The relationship] just ran its course,” a source confirmed to Page Six.

Swift has never commented about the status of her relationship neither has Joe ever given a firm response to the dating speculations. But several incidents have always proven how well the couple was in love.

Joe has always been sarcastic towards the media asking for his confirmation of the relationship. When asked by reporters about getting engaged with the singer-songwriter, he replied “If I had a pound for every time I think I’ve been told I’ve been engaged, then I’d have a lot of pound coins,” actor later added, “I mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn’t say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn’t say.”

The rock-solid couple has been dating since 2016, although they rarely share details about their love life. The 10-time Grammy winner and the ‘Harriet’ star have only made a handful of public appearances together over the years. They have always bonded over music, resulting in several collaborations during the Pandemic. The 2020 Sister albums ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’ included the association of Joe and Swift making them win a ‘GRAMMY’ for ‘Folklore’ and a nomination for ‘Evermore’ in the 2022 ceremony under the same category. Joe used to write with the fictional name of ‘William Bowery’.

In her award acceptance speech, ‘You Belong With Me’ singer mentioned Joe by stating “Joe is the first person that I play every single song that I write, and I had the best time writing songs with you in quarantine” which reflected the love and respect she has for the actor. 

Sachin Pilot announces hunger strike against his own govt claiming inaction on corruption, accuses Ashok Gehlot of being ‘hand in glove’ with Vasundhara Raje

OpIndia Staff
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Sachin Pilot announces hunger strike against his own govt claiming inaction on corruption, accuses Ashok Gehlot of being ‘hand in glove’ with Vasundhara Raje

After a calm for some months, the internal fight in Congress in Rajasthan erupted again today, as Sachin Pilot launched an attack on the Ashok Gehlot government on corruption issues. He alleged that the Gehlot govt is hand in glove with BJP leader and former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje, and the govt has failed in fulfilling poll promises.

In the most dramatic move, Sachin Pilot announced that he will hold a one-day fast on 11 April demanding probes on corruption cases in Rajasthan.

Addressing a press conference today, Sachin Pilot accused the Ashok Gehlot government of not taking any action against Vasundhara Raje over corruption cases. He said that only a few months are left for the assembly elections, and therefore the Congress party needs to approach the voters with evidence of actions taken against corruption.

He said that Congress won the assembly polls by launching a massive attack on the BJP govt on corruption, and that is why the voters gave the mandate to the Congress party.

But now that no actions were taken against the corruption cases during the Vasundhara Raje government, now people can question whether they are hand in gloves. “Due to inaction by Ashok Gehlot government against corruption cases during Vasundhara Raje regime, our opponents can question whether they are hand in gloves,” he said.

Sachin Pilot said that he has written letters to the CM demanding action on corruption cases during the previous BJP government, but he has not received any reply to the letters. “I had written letters to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on March 28, 2022. However, I did not receive any reply. I again wrote a letter on November 2, 2022, seeking action in those cases of corruption whether it is about mining mafia,” he said.

Pilot further said, “We had fought hard while being in Opposition due to which we came to power. While in Opposition, we raised several issues of corruption during Vasundhara Raje government’s regime. Our credibility will be there when the allegations that we are levelled while being in Opposition are acted upon.”

He further claimed that while the central govt is misusing various probe agencies like ED, CBI, and Income Tax, and 95% of cases are false cases against opposition leaders, but Rajasthan govt is not even using its own agencies to probe corruption cases. This is a matter of great concern, as public should not think that Congress promises action against corruption but does not actually do it.

Sachin Pilot further said that on 11 April, on the occasion of birth anniversary of Jyotiba Phule, he will do a one-day hunger strike to reiterate that his government will fulfil the promise of action against corruption. He said that he is doing this so that the public does not feel that they are not doing any work or they have not fulfilled any of the poll promises. Every political is required to provide evidence so that people believe the promises made by the parties, he added.

The Congress MLA said that he has already informed the district administration about his one-day hunger strike at Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur.

Amul vs Nandini: Politicisation of Milk, and instigation of regional sentiments ahead of the Karnataka elections

Dibakar Dutta
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Amul vs Nandini: Politicisation of Milk, and instigation of regional sentiments ahead of the Karnataka elections

Ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections in May this year, social media is rife with misinformation about Amul taking over the State’s local dairy brand Nandini.

The controversy began on Wednesday (April 5) when the official Twitter handle of Amul posted an infographic with the caption, “The #Amul family is bringing in some Taaza into #Bengaluru city. More updates coming in soon. #LaunchAlert”.

The archive of the tweet can be accessed here. Soon after, vested political interests began trending hashtags such as ‘#GoBackAmul’ and ‘#SaveNandini’ on the micro-blogging platform.

In December 2022, Union Home Minister Amit Shah called for greater cooperation between Amul and Nandini, which is owned by the Karnataka Milk Federation.

While inaugurating a mega-dairy plant in Mandya, Amit Shah had said, “Amul and KMF together will work together towards ensuring there is a primary dairy in every village of the state.”

“In 47 years, Karnataka has progressed in the dairy sector and the turnover has increased from Rs 4 crore to Rs 25,000 crore. Amul and KMF have to work together to boost the cooperative dairy in Karnataka,” Shah further added.

His statement was deliberately misconstrued to suggest that Amul might buy Nandini in the near future and thus sell the local dairy brand to ‘North Indian businessmen.’ Some vested interests went on to claim that Amul is trying to ‘root out’ Nandini and thus undermine Kannadiga identity and culture.

The controversy was re-ignited after Amul tweeted about its plans to launch its brand in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, the Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels Association has vowed to use only Nandini milk to support Karnataka’s dairy farmers.

It must be mentioned that the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) is the second largest milk dairy in India, with over 2.4 million milk producer members and 14,000 milk producers’ cooperative societies.

Congress, JDS leaders add to the hysteria

Opposition political leaders in Karnataka are now trying to use the Amul-Nandini controversy to whip up regionalism ahead of the state elections. Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah even appealed to the Kannadigas to boycott the Amul brand.

While speaking about the matter, he said, “In addition to language treason by the imposition of Hindi and land treason by trespassing within the state borders, now the BJP government is going to betray the farmers by shutting down Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), which is the livelihood of millions of dairy farming families in the country.”

Congress leader DK Shivakumar suggested a larger conspiracy in the entry of Amul into the Karnataka market. “We want to protect our milk and our farmers. We already have Nandini which is a better brand than Amul…We don’t need any Amul…our water, our milk, and our soil is strong,” he told ANI.

Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy also resorted to regionalism over the Amul-Nandini row.

“Amul is being pushed into Karnataka from the backdoor with the support of the Central government. Amul is strangulating the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) and the farmers. Kannada people should rebel against Amul,” he said.

“We as Kannadigas should oppose Amul and protect the interest of Karnataka farmers unitedly. Our people and customers should use Nandini products on priority and save the livelihood of farmers,” HD Kumaraswamy further claimed.

Toxic acids from the China-funded Narochcholai coal power plant could affect the holy Maha Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka

ANI
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Toxic acids from the China-funded Narochcholai coal power plant could affect the holy Maha Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka

Recent reports have emerged indicating that toxic acids, which evaporated from the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, may pose a threat to the Sri Maha Bodhi tree, the oldest living tree in the world with a written history, Colombo Gazette reported.

The development comes as China is making a comeback in Sri Lanka as Beijing first gave its consent on conditionalities for the International Monetary Fund to lend money to the island nation. 

Reports have emerged that indicate that China’s Sinopec has committed to invest in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota. In the past, China’s predatory practices in Sri Lanka have been well documented and the possible threat of environmental damage to the sacred Sri Mahabodhi Tree located in Anuradhapura is disturbing, according to the Colombo Gazette report. 

The Sri Mahabodhi Tree is grown from a branch of the sacred Bodhi tree in India’s Gaya.

The Sri Lankan President’s Media Division (PMD) said China’s Sinopec has committed to investing in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota at a meeting with the Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe. 

The decision comes as China seeks to consolidate its investments in the island nation’s ports and energy sector.

The previous government had leased the USD 1.5 billion Hambantota port constructed by China to state-owned firms on a 99-year lease. China had promised to set up a 15,000-acre industrial zone around the port which is yet to materialize, as per the news report. 

Beijing’s lending to the island nation and the investments worth billions of dollars has raised concerns regarding a possible plan to set up a military base in Hambantota.

The Sri Lankan President’s Media Division (PMD) said a meeting took place between the representatives of the Sinopec Group and Wickremesinghe on March 13. 

The PMD, in a statement, said, “President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the government has taken a principled decision to expand the distribution of fuel & Hambantota has been identified as a primary energy hub”, reported Colombo Gazette. Sinopec has also committed to invest in a refinery in Hambantota.

Wickremesinghe’s meeting with the Sinopec comes ten days after Sri Lankan President ordered the country’s Petroleum Minister to swiftly revive the Trincomalee oil tank farm and incorporate it into the country’s economy. Emissions from the Lakvijaya(Norchcholai) power plant has already cast a negative effect on the environment and resident society.

Ecologists have assessed that clouds carrying dangerous acid deposits could move in the direction of Anuradhapura, where the sacred Sri Mahabodhi tree is located in Sri Lanka. Evidence regarding this has come from the trees near the plant which have already started showing symptoms of damage, as per the news report.

The leaves of taller trees have started turning yellowish due to the emission of gases from the power plant. It is expected that the effect of toxic emissions will also be felt on the Sri Mahabodhi tree. Furthermore, the acidic condition is also spreading towards the sea areas, as per the Colombo Gazette report.

Rebuilding such harmful coal power plants in future will pose a threat to the ecosystem. The Norochcholai Power Plant in Sri Lanka’s Northwestern province is about an hour away from the Sri Mahabodhi tree at Anuradhapura. The tree holds significant importance for Buddhists who visit and pay homage to the sacred tree.

Norchcholai is Sri Lanka’s largest thermal power plant and emissions from the 900MW coal power plant are said to be much above permissible standards possibly due to frequent breakdowns, intermittent operations and unexpected storage of fly ash in open pits. 

Sri Lanka’s first coal-fired thermal power plant and largest power station was implemented as a joint venture of the Ceylon Electricity Board with the aid of the EXIM Bank of China.

The power plant also gives rise to a large amount of solid waste, heat waste and water pollution due to the release of heated water and will have long-term environmental impacts.

The main issues regarding the plant are related to fly ash and bottom ash produced during the power generation process. Fly ash and bottom ash are by-products of the coal combustion process. Fly ash open dumping is also of significant concern as the yard is open to wind erosion and leaching.

Reportedly, several children in the areas surrounding the Norochcholai power plant have contracted skin diseases. China’s recent attempts to make inroads into Sri Lanka again are to be noted remembering the past experience of the negative effect of such penetration with regards to investments and conditional aid, as per the Colombo Gazette report.

The environmental impact of the Chinese-built power plant and its potential effect on the Mahabodhi tree should be a warning to Chinese-built projects, which fully disregard environmental norms and cause more headaches than solutions.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

‘Incidences of girls being lured into love traps are on the rise’, says Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Kerala in his pastoral letter on Easter

OpIndia Staff
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‘Incidences of girls being lured into love traps are on the rise’, says Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Kerala in his pastoral letter on Easter

The growing occurrences of ‘love traps’ for females, according to Metropolitan Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany of Thalassery (formerly Tellicherry) Archdiocese, Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala, is concerning. In his pastoral letter to be read in local churches on Easter, the bishop expressed his worries over this issue.

He expressed concern about the alarming rise in cases of girls being duped by men who lure them into love traps and recommended that such instances must be prevented.

In addition, he emphasised the necessity for gender equality in the transfer of ancestors’ estates and made a case against the dowry system. He criticised the patriarchal attitude supported by brute power and decried the lack of respect for women in both society and the church.

He urged that women should be viewed as priceless assets in marriage rather than as mere commodities. He called for an end to this sexist custom and asked people to reject the custom of equating marriage with riches.

The Supreme Court’s ruling that daughters have the same rights as sons in the patrimony, he remarked, has not yet been effectively embraced by society. He proposed that extravagant weddings should be avoided by guaranteeing both male and female children equal inheritance rights.

Similar to this year, the archbishop stated that the ‘love traps’ that prey on young ladies associated with the Christian community are legitimate and that he is basing his assertion on reliable information, in 2022 as well.

In an interview with a Malayalam news channel, he conveyed that his critique of ‘love traps’ cannot be interpreted as animosity towards any faith. “These are factual statements. My statement does not invoke religious rivalry. I am only pointing out the concern of parents about their children treading on the wrong paths,” he observed.

A pastoral letter from the Thalassery archdiocese from September of last year likewise highlighted that terrorist organisations seek and entice unwary Christian women using ‘love traps.’ The letter appealed for prayers on behalf of the defenceless parents whose children had been abducted by religious fanatics.

“During this lent period we can offer our prayers for the parents who are helpless as they do not know what to do when their children have fallen into the ‘love trap’ by religious extremists. All our children should be protected from extremists that are one of our plans as part of our birthday gift to Mother Mary,” it noted.

In his sermon in the primarily Christian Kottayam district in September 2021, Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt discussed the twin problems of ‘love jihad’ and ‘narcotic jihad.’  According to him, ‘jihadis’ are trapping Christian girls in the state by pretending to be in love, and the latter are then subjected to exploitation, forced religious conversion, and terrorist activities.

He used the accounts of two girls, Nimisha and Sonia Sebastian from Kerala, who converted to Islam in order to marry Muslim husbands and eventually found themselves in ISIS-controlled Afghanistan where they joined the terrorist outfit to illustrate his argument.

Furthermore, he underlined how a well-organized ring used narcotics to allure and ensnare non-Muslim youth and referred to it as ‘narcotic jihad.’

In 2020 the Bishop argued that those who claimed that ‘love jihad’ doesn’t exist in Kerala are ‘blind to reality.’ “Such people, be they politicians or those from social and cultural spaces, media may have their own vested interests. But one thing is clear. We are losing our young women. It is not just about love marriages. It’s a war strategy to destroy their lives,” he declared.

The horrific killing of Shraddha Walkar by her live-in boyfriend Aftab Amin Poonawala once again brought the serious threat posed by ‘love jihad’ to the forefront.

He purchased a refrigerator and stored her dead body inside it for a few days. Afterwards, he sliced her into more than 30 pieces and dispersed them all around Delhi before being arrested. It is important to note many Hindu females have succumbed to this menace over the course of the last several years.

Bihar: Two groups clash after Friday namaz during Ramzan in Muzaffarpur, 7 injured

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Two groups clash after Friday namaz during Ramzan in Muzaffarpur, 7 injured

In the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar, two groups of Muslims clashed after performing namaz on Jummah (Friday prayer) in Town Police Station precinct. Reportedly, a clash erupted when Rashtra Janata Dal (RJD) leader Wasim Ahmad Munna was coming out from a mosque situated near Tilak Maidan Road after performing namaz there. He was then attacked by a group of people. 

A video of the incident has been doing rounds on social media platforms, wherein it is seen that several people are thrashing each other hands and sticks, meanwhile, a woman is also seen there. In the violent clash, a woman along with seven others were severely injured and are being provided medical attention at Sadar Hospital. RJD leader Wasim Ahmed Munna was also injured. It has been reported that the RJD leader’s brother Nasim is critical and has been referred to Shri Krishna medical College and Hospital.

According to a News18 report, a fight broke out between RJD’s Wasim Ahmad Munna and the mosque secretary. Following this, their supporters assaulted each other. 

Meanwhile, RJD leader Wasim Ahmed Munna stated that he had come from the Tilak Maidan Road Masjid to perform Namaz. As soon as he stepped out of the mosque, a group of armed people surrounded him.  Munna also named one  Muhammad Tayyab Azad. Munna alleged that he was attacked over a contract in the Municipal Corporation. The RJD leader further accused the attackers of throwing acid. 

Meanwhile, Town Police Station in-charge Shriram Singh said that a complaint has been submitted by both the parties seeking registration of FIRs adding that four people have so far been taken into custody. 

According to a Jagran report, Afsana Tarannum of Islampur Ward-20 submitted an application to the police and named the Mutwalli of Tilak Maidan Masjid, Muhammad Tayyab Azad, and Muhammad Sarwar, Muhammad Gulab Ricky, Muhammad Laddu, Muhammad Phool, and Muhammad Mannu, along with 40–50 other people, as the accused.

In the application, Tarannum claims that on Friday at around 1:30 p.m., when her husband Mohammad Naseem came of the Tilak Maidan mosque after performing the Namaz, the accused encircled him and began pressuring him to withdraw the case filed against him in the Municipal Corporation.

When her husband refused, all of the attackers assaulted him, causing injuries to his jaw and head. She was assaulted along with her brother-in-law, nephew, and sister-in-law as they tried to intervene.

Furthermore, Tarannum claimed that the accused pushed Wasim Ahmad Munna—who jumped to his aid—down, climbed up on his chest, and beat him with sticks. Also, the attackers allegedly took her sister-in-gold law’s chain by force.

After this, they tried to attack her husband and brother-in-law by hurling acid, however, police arrived on time, and situation was brought under control. 

8,000 flour bags stolen during Ramzan amid severe economic crisis in Pakistan, four government officials booked

OpIndia Staff
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8,000 flour bags stolen during Ramzan amid severe economic crisis in Pakistan, four government officials booked

Amidst food shortage in a crisis hit Pakistan, a case has been registered against 11 people including a revenue Patwari and a civil defence official for stealing 8,000 bags of flour in Chiniot. 

Some counterfeit tokens were found at a flour distribution centre at the Government Islamia College, Chiniot, according to the FIR filed at the city police station under Sections 420 and 408 of the Pakistan Criminal Code.

On the application of assistant commissioner office clerk Muhammad Hassan, the police have arrested patwari Omair Nawaz, civil defence official Iqbal, employee Zeeshan Ali of Mulsim Flour Mills, Mulazim Hussain, Amjad Hussain, Farooq Azam, Munawar Hussain, Fakhar Imam, Shaukat Ali, Sarfraz Ahmad, and Manzar Abbas.

Omair Nawaz was in charge of the record of tokens being issued to recipients of bags and admitted to stealing around 7,000 to 8,000 tokens, costing the national exchequer approximately Rs 5 to 6 million. In addition, four persons have been arrested by police, and more are being arrested in ongoing raids.

The staff has so far delivered 500,000 bags around the Chiniot district. According to Assistant Commissioner Majid Bin Ahmad, the patwari has been fired and a Punjab Workers Efficiency and Discipline Act investigation has been opened against him. The fraud casts doubt on the operation of the government-run charity scheme. 

Meanwhile, Bar Secretary Shahid Yakoob raised concern that there might be more such facilitators in the Revenue Department adding that weak FIRs against such people will be enough as they would manage to get relief from the courts. He further urged the caretaker CM Syed Mohsin Naqvi to order a high-level inquiry into the scam. 

On one hand, Pakistani officials are allegedly stealing flour bags adding to an already over-burdened national exchequer, on the other, Pakistan’s central bank increased its key interest rate by 100 basis points (BPS) to a record 21% in a bid to curb skyrocketing food inflation.  The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has hiked its key rate by a cumulative 1025 bps since January 2022. 

The government started a programme to give free wheat to low-income families throughout the holy month to lessen the effects of record-breaking inflation and accelerating poverty. However, the initiative resulted in violence and stampedes, which has resulted in at least 21 fatalities since the beginning of Ramazan.

Meet Ahmed Khabeer: Supposed catfish turned ‘journalist’ known for peddling fake news, normalising Hinduphobia

OpIndia Staff
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Meet Ahmed Khabeer: Supposed catfish turned ‘journalist’ known for peddling fake news, normalising Hinduphobia

On Tuesday (April 4), ‘journalist’ Ahmed Khabeer courted controversy after he falsely claimed that three Muslim youths were supposedly beaten by ‘Hindutva groups’ and forced to drink alcohol in Telangana.

The disinformation was debunked by the State police, which denied any communal angle in the assault. Khabeer, who works as the editor of ‘Jamia Times,’ has been notorious for peddling fake news to portray the Hindu community in a bad light.

Despite being called out on multiple occasions on social media, the ‘journalist’ has been firm and relentless in his pursuit of malicious narratives.

On Saturday (April 8), the popular OSINT handle ‘D-Intent Data’ pointed out how Ahmed Khabeer posed as a girl on Twitter and send creepy, flirtatious messages to others on the micro-blogging platform. It is likely Khabeer posed as a woman to earn followers. This method of posing as a woman or someone you are not to ‘earn followers’ is termed as ‘catfishing’ in online world.

A former student of Jamia Milia University, Khabeer clashed with the police during the 2019 Anti-CAA protests. He has also seen glorifying Delhi riots accused, Shahrukh Pathan, on Facebook.

According to ‘D-Intent Data’, the Khabeer was spotted alongside several Opposition leaders. He has also extended his unwavering support for Congress scion Rahul Gandhi and his political pilgrimage ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra.’

Ahmed Khabeer had previously worked for ‘Two Circles.Net’. The propaganda portal recently made headlines after its Editor Irfan Mehraj was arrested in connection to a terror funding case on March 20 this year.

“Ahmed not only spread fake news but also justified youths joining terrorist outfits. He claimed the army has occupied #Kashmir, raised voice for the withdrawal of all security forces from Kashmir & above all showcased fake narrative about injuries-death of militants as civilian,” stated D-Intent Data in a tweet.

As expected, the ‘journalist’ has been a strong supporter of terrorist Afzal Guru and claimed that the latter was executed to satisfy the Hindu majority of India.

“He retweeted a recent tweet from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Gulf accounts condemning India. Also shown support for another fake propaganda spreader Meer Faisal and #Maktoob media,” the OSINT handle pointed out.

Ahmed Khabeer had been desperately trying to legitimise the claims of ‘Muslim victimhood’ in India by cherry-picking stories, exploiting societal fault lines and presenting a distorted version of non-communal crimes.

He had once been suspended from the micro-blogging platform and had solicited funds from the public so as to continue peddling his anti-India propaganda.

Given that Khabeer makes a living by reiterating the false narrative of Hindu majoritarianism, it is no surprise he is followed on Twitter by The Wire journalists Rohini Singh, Alishan Jafri, former The Guardian journalist Aina Khan who peddled fake narrative during Leicester violence, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale, Atiq Iqbal Tanha, an accused in Delhi riot and several other like-minded individuals.

PM Modi wins hearts as he clicks a ‘special selfie’ with a wheelchair bound BJP worker

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi wins hearts as he clicks a ‘special selfie’ with a wheelchair bound BJP worker

On Saturday, April 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Tamil Nadu to launch various development projects. During his visit, PM Modi took a ’special selfie’ with a differently-abled Thiru S Manikandan, a Bhartiya Janata Party worker from Erode who is serving the party as a booth president. 

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi shared this ‘special selfie’ and wrote, “A special selfie…In Chennai I met Thiru S. Manikandan. He is a proud @BJP4TamilNadu Karyakarta from Erode, serving as a booth president. A person with a disability, he runs his own shop and the most motivating aspect is – he gives a substantial part of his daily profits to BJP!”

In another tweet in the thread, PM Modi expressed his immense pride in being a ‘Karyakarta’ (worker) of a party where people like Manikandan are there. PM Modi also added that Manikandan’s life journey and his commitment to the BJP and its ideology are inspiring.

“I feel very proud of being a Karyakarta in a Party where we have people like Thiru S. Manikandan. His life journey is inspiring and equally inspiring his commitment to our Party and our ideology. My best wishes to him for his future endeavors,” PM Modi tweeted. 

Netizens were in awe of this special selfie as they lauded PM Modi for his sweet gesture and also heaped praises on Manikandan for his indomitable spirit and dedication.

A Twitter user named Aron Michael thanked PM Modi for recognizing people like Manikandan as he wrote, “Thank you Honorable Prime Minister for recognising such people!

Meanwhile, Pratibha Kaul offered her salutations to BJP worker Manikandan and wrote, “Naman to such staunch karyakartas.”

One Manish Soni seemed quite impressed with PM Modi’s gesture as he wrote, There’s only one heart, how many times will you win it Modi Saheb.”

Another Twitter user noted that PM Modi’s gesture will motivate the party workers as wrote, “What an amazing gesture to uplift and motivate every Karyakarta.”

One Ashwin hailed PM Modi’s selfie with Manikandan as the selfie of the day. “Selfie of the day or sure. This is why people are with PM Modi Ji,” Ashwin replied.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of road projects worth about Rs 3700 crores.  In Chennai, PM Modi inaugurated the New Integrated Terminal Building of Chennai Airport. The Prime Minister also flagged off the Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express.

The Prime Minister added that Tamil Nadu is the home of history and heritage, the land of language, and the land of literature while addressing the gathering. The prime minister emphasized that many of the country’s freedom fighters are from Tamil Nadu and described it as a center of patriotism and national consciousness.

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