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Animal Welfare Board issues notice to producers of Tamil movie Eeswaran for using CGI snake without taking permission

Aditi
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Animal Welfare Board issues notice to producers of Tamil movie Eeswaran for using CGI snake without taking permission

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has issued a show-cause notice to the makers of Tamil movie Eeswaran after the movie’s recently released trailer and poster featured a Computer Generated Image (CGI) of a snake. On November 16, AWBI Secretary SK Dutta issued a notice to Madhav Media, Tamil production house which is one of the producers of the film, and a copy of the notice was forwarded to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

The notice stated, “It is brought to the knowledge of the Board that Eeswaran, a Tamil movie, has recently released its trailer and poster in which a computer-generated snake (look-a-like Indian cobra) is being used without obtaining no objection certificate (NOC) from the Board”. The notice directed the filmmakers to stop the circulation of trailer and poster forthwith and submit an explanation in writing within 7 days.

The notice issued by AWBI (Source: silverscreenindia)

The notice said that movie trailer and poster was in direct violation of the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001 as they showed the computer-generated snake as a medium of entertainment without obtaining pre-shoot permission or NOC from the board.

Earlier a complaint was filed against the movie by a forest activist

The notice comes after a complaint was filed by an animal activist with the Tamil Nadu forest department against the Silambarasan starrer movie for allegedly using a real snake during its shoot. After the forest department began an enquiry on the complaint, a clarification was issued by the team of the film on November 13 that they had used a fake plastic snake during a shooting, which was made to look like real using computer graphics.

“Truly we shot the scene using a fake plastic snake. That was made to seem like a real snake in the movie using graphics. The news and stills about this scene have not been made public with the permission of the production team. This video was taken when we were using computer graphics and got leaked. From our side we are investigating as to how this video got leaked”, read the statement issued by film’s team.

The statement further said, “Based on a complaint filed by an activist, forest ranger officer Clement Edison has called us for an enquiry. We have completely complied with the enquiry and we have given an explanation from our side. We have also informed them that we will provide the necessary evidence soon. The shooting for the movie is being carried out in accordance to the guidelines provided by the Tamil Nadu government”.

According to The New Indian Express, Clement Edison told that the makers of the movie have not yet replied to the notice. They have claimed that the snake was computer generated and the required approvals were obtained. They have been asked to produce records within a week’s time which ends on this weekend.

Why NOC is required

An AWBI official told media that the NOC was essential because the computer-generated image looked so real that it was hard to distinguish it from the real animal. “Today, CG looks so real that you won’t be able to distinguish it from the real animal. That is why film units have to take NOC from us. Sometimes, they use stock-shots of animals running in the wild and merge them with the film. That is allowed because the animals are not performing and they are in their natural state. But even then, a film unit has to get a NOC”. He said that until the filmmakers obtain the NOC they would have to stop the circulation of the trailer.

“Even for using CG, a film unit has to take permission and NOC from AWBI. The problem here is they haven’t taken proper permission before releasing their trailer. We’ve to look into whether they were unaware of these things, or if they had applied and if we haven’t got the application for whatsoever reason. We’ve given the show cause notice with regard to that. Let them give us the reply and then, we’ll see what action needs to be taken depending on that,” the official said.

Film’s team applied for NOC 20 days ago:

A production executive of Madhav Media told Times of India that they had applied for the NOC with the AWBI 20 days ago when even the posters of the movie were not released. “We were going to submit the video proof and documents from our side on Thursday, but before that, we got the show-cause notice from the AWBI. We think they have sent us this notice after the complaint was filed with the forest department. Actually, we had applied for NOC with them 20 days ago- even before releasing the posters online. But we put them out before we could get the NOC. That said, NOC is usually required only to release the film, not the poster”.

Vietnam: Facebook bends over backwards to appease communist regime by censoring ‘anti-state’ comments: All you need to know

Dibakar Dutta
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Vietnam: Facebook bends over backwards to appease communist regime by censoring ‘anti-state’ comments: All you need to know

The Communist regime in Vietnam has been cracking down on its dissenters, often resorting to making illegal arrests and detentions. The social media giant Facebook, which claims to be the crusader of freedom of speech, has been complying with the diktat of the Communist government in censorship critics and silencing opinion makers. The appeasement of the dictatorial government by a tech company from the oldest democracy of the world has left netizens across the world infuriated.

Between mid-February and early April this year, the State-owned telecom companies in Vietnam pulled down the local servers of Facebook for around 7 weeks until the social media giant decided to give in to the demands of the Communist regime to censor ‘anti-state’ posts. Users in the country noticed that access to Facebook, Messenger and Instagram apps had become incredibly slow. While the State media had blamed the slower access on undersea cable maintenance, a Facebook source conceded that the action was to put undue pressure on the company to comply with the government’s orders.

Facebook acknowledges complying with government’s diktat

In an email to Reuters, Facebook has conceded that it ‘reluctantly’ restricted access to ‘illegal content’, as deemed by the government of Vietnam. “We believe freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, and work hard to protect and defend this important civil liberty around the world …However, we have taken this action to ensure our services remain available and usable for millions of people in Vietnam, who rely on them every day,” Facebook said in a statement.

While it is mandated by law for Facebook to open local offices and store data in the country, Facebook has claimed that it does not store data in Vietnam. Having said that, the country is one of the biggest markets in Asia with digital advertising revenue to the tune of 550 $million (2018), 70% of which goes to Facebook and Google.

Screengrab of the Reuters report

Communist regime acknowledges rise in 40% censorship

In August 2019, Information and Communications Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said Facebook conceded that the social media giant was ‘restricting access’ to 70-75% posts, which are flagged by the government. He pointed out that the compliance percentage has risen up from 30%, thereby witnessing an increase of 40-45% to government diktats. Since 2017, the Communist regime has directed companies to not advertise with Facebook and Google until they find a solution to ‘toxic anti-government information. And the strategy has been working in the government’s favour. Facebook is now removing user-generated content, under the pretext of violating ‘Community guidelines.’

Activists in Vietnam jailed over Facebook posts

Vietnam ranks 175th out of 180 countries on the press freedom index, as compiled by Reporters Without Borders each year. The scope of dissent is extremely limited in Vietnam with government monitoring online activity on social media platforms such as Facebook with over 65 million users. At least 16 people have been arrested or detained so far by the Communist regime over ‘anti-state’ Facebook posts.

On October 20, a 51-year-old man named Nguyen Quang Khai was taken into custody for supposedly ‘sharing national secrets’ after he highlighted concerns about problems facing Vietnam, at the hands of the Communist regime, on Facebook. He was booked under Article 377 (Distributing or collecting state secrets and other materials) of Vietnam’s Penal Code.

In November alone, an additional five people were jailed by the government. Earlier, a 45-year-old music teacher Nguyen Nang Tinh was arrested sentenced to 11 years in prison for criticising the Communist regime on Facebook. In 2018, about 16 activist groups and 34 prominent users wrote an open letter to Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, accusing him of working in tandem with the government in crushing popular dissent.

Global criticism of Facebook’s decision

Slamming the US tech giant, Christian Mir from Reporters Without Borders stated, “Especially in countries with limited freedom of the press, social media such as Facebook give many journalists the opportunity to report freely…Facebook must be aware of this responsibility, clearly acknowledge freedom of the press and must not bow to possible censorship requirements of authoritarian regimes.”

Moreover, Amnesty International has emphasised that the decision of the social media giant sets a dangerous precedent. It stated, “Facebook’s compliance with these demands sets a dangerous precedent. Governments around the world will see this as an open invitation to enlist Facebook in the service of state censorship.”

Vietnamese government threatens to shut down Facebook

In a new development, the Vietnamese government has threatened to close down Facebook if it did not censor more anti-state political content on its platform. The threat comes despite the fact that the social media giant had agreed to cater to the government’s diktat to silence dissenters. Facebook has stated in its biannual transparency report that it has censored 834 items in the first half of the year, on the behest of the Communist regime.

“We made an agreement in April. Facebook has upheld our end of the agreement, and we expected the government of Vietnam to do the same…They have come back to us and sought to get us to increase the volume of content that we’re restricting in Vietnam. We’ve told them no. That request came with some threats about what might happen if we didn’t,” a Facebook source revealed. The official has further conceded that the social media giant has been subjected to a 14-month-long negative media campaign by the Vietnamese press.

France refuses to upgrade Pakistan’s Mirage fighter jets, submarines, in retaliation to Imran Khan’s diatribes against President Macron

OpIndia Staff
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France refuses to upgrade Pakistan’s Mirage fighter jets, submarines, in retaliation to Imran Khan’s diatribes against President Macron

With the relationship between France and Pakistan taking a nosedive following Imran Khan’s verbal attack against the French President Emmanuel Macron for taking action against radical separatist Islamists, France has decided against upgrading Pakistan’s fleet of Mirage fighter jets, air defence systems and the Agosta 90B class submarines.

According to a report published in Hindustan Times, France has also reportedly asked Qatar to not allow Pakistani-origin personnel to work on the fighter jets, fearing that they will leak the technical details of the aircraft. Qatar is another country besides India which owns French-made Rafale jets.

The decision by Paris to not upgrade the Mirage III and Mirage 5 fighter jets could bear a huge impact on the Pakistani Air Force which has about 150 Mirage fighter aircraft manufactured by the French organisation Dassault Aviation. However, only half of them are serviceable. As per diplomats in New Delhi and Paris, Pakistan had requested France for upgrades to keep fighter jets in the air. However, the request was declined, one of the diplomats said.

Another request from Pakistan to upgrade its Agosta 90B class submarines with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems that would allow them to stay underwater for a longer duration has also been turned down by France. Pakistan has three Agosta 90B submarines: Khalid, Saad and Hamza.

Earlier this month, France took a stern decision of revoking the visitor visas of 183 Pakistani nationals, including kins of Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the erstwhile chief of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI. Besides, France had also forcibly deported 118 Pakistanis.

France is not the only one who had come down hard against Pakistan. Earlier, German Chancellor Angel Merkel had passed up a similar request for supply of the AIP system to upgrade submarine in Pakistan’s inventory because of its role in promoting terror, most notably in Islamabad’s failure in cooperating with Germany in identifying the perpetrators of the truck bomb attack on the Germany Embassy in Kabul in May 2017.

Pakistan tangles with France over President Macron’s strident criticism of radical Islam

The retributory action taken against Pakistan is believed to be grounded in Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s vigorous criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron over the latter’s comments on radical Islam in the wake of the gruesome killing of a teacher in the Parisian suburb.

Samuel Paty, a teacher in a school in Paris, was brutally beheaded by an Islamist for reproducing the Charlie Hebdo published Prophet Muhammad’s caricatures in his classroom. Days after his death, Macron paid a tribute to the deceased teacher, claiming that Paty epitomised the French secularism and Freedom of Speech which they would continue to uphold.

Macron spoke against the extremism bred by the radical Islam and stressed the need for developing an “Islam of Enlightenment”. Simultaneously, French authorities initiated crackdown against certain mosques and deported individuals they deemed were involved in extremist activities in France.

Macron also defended the right to caricature, stating, “right to caricature is an essential part of being French”.

Macron’s remark critiquing radical Islam had stirred a furore in Muslim countries, whose leaders wasted no time in launching an attack against the French President. Turkish authoritarian ruler Recep Erdogan questioned Macron’s mental fitness. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad posted a long series of tweets rationalising the killing of Paty over blasphemy.

Imran Khan trained guns against Macron for his defence of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad

Pakistani PM Imran Khan too justified the beheading of Samuel Paty during his address at UNGA. In a video statement at UNGA, he tried to justify what has happened in France and said, “The Prophet lives in our hearts. When he is ridiculed, when he is insulted, it hurts… We human beings understand one thing: The pain of the heart is far, far, far more hurtful than physical pain. And that’s why the Muslims react to this.”

In a tweet later, he said, “Hallmark of a leader is he unites human beings, as Mandela did, rather than dividing them. This is a time when Pres Macron could have put healing touch & denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarisation & marginalisation that inevitably leads to radicalisation.”

However, Khan did not stop just there. In a bid to appear as the leading light of the Muslim Ummah, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan intensified his attack against the Western countries, especially against France, by releasing a statement wherein he issued a clarion call to the Muslim leaders in the world to take note of the “growing Islamophobia” in the non-Muslim states.

From India Today to The Wire: ED debunks fake news that claimed the agency had denied links between the PFI and Bhim Army

OpIndia Staff
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From India Today to The Wire: ED debunks fake news that claimed the agency had denied links between the PFI and Bhim Army

The Enforcement Directorate has quashed media-generated rumours that claimed that the central agency had said that there was no link between the radical Islamist organisation PFI and the Bhim Army. Citing a News18 report on the same, the ED said, “This news is incorrect. In fact ED is investigating financial links between PFI and Bhim Army on the basis of credible evidence recovered from senior PFI officials.”

ED slams fake news spread by media

The report by News18, which has since then been deleted, claimed, “he Enforcement Directorate (ED) said Friday it found no links between Chandrashekhar Azaad-led Bhim Army and the Popular Front of India (PFI). The agency also rubbished claims that Rs 100 crore of alleged foreign funding to incite violence through the Hathras case had been recovered.”

News18 was not the only news network that made these frivolous claims. India Today, too, claimed that the ED had found no links between the PFI and Bhim Army. India Today claimed in its October 9 report, “Enforcement Directorate (ED) has clarified that they have found no links between Chandrashekhar Azad-led Bhim Army and PFI, which has been accused of inciting tension during the anti-CAA protests.”

India Today spreads fake news

“ED has also said that the talks of Rs 100 crore being recovered is untrue. The ED clarification comes after former UP DGP Brij Lal claimed that the Bhim Army and other outfits were trying to mislead the family of the Hathras alleged rape victim,” it added.

The Wire, too, was at the forefront of peddling the blatantly fake news. Along the lines of what India Today and News18 reported, The Wire claimed that ED had quashed speculations of links between the PFI and Bhim Army.

The Wire spreads fake news

The concerned reports that have been debunked by the ED are from early October. Only News18 has pulled its report down as of the time of writing this report. It is another instance where the mainstream media peddled fake news on an extremely sensitive subject with extreme abandon. The ED rebuttal was late but better late than never.

Hathras Case

On 14th September, a 19-year-old woman was strangulated, and later she succumbed to injuries on 29th September. The Hathras case had become the ground for political drama and media propaganda. Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad, TMC leader Derek O’Brien, and several others had visited Hathras to meet the family.

Reports have emerged that alleged PFI and Naxal connection to the case to instigate caste violence in the state. Investigation agencies found that a woman was posing as the sister-in-law of the victim and living with the family allegedly to train them what to say in front of the cameras. The state has requested for Supreme Court-monitored CBI inquiry in the case. The CBI eventually took over the investigation into the matter.

Arvind Kejriwal govt in Delhi returns 50-bed Covid-19 centre provided by BJP MP Gautam Gambhir’s Foundation

OpIndia Staff
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Arvind Kejriwal govt in Delhi returns 50-bed Covid-19 centre provided by BJP MP Gautam Gambhir’s Foundation

At a time when Delhi is facing a shortage of hospital beds as the third wave of Coronavirus has hit the city-state, the AAP govt has returned a 50-bed Covid-19 centre provided by BJP MP Gautam Gambhir.

The BJP leader and former cricketer posted a letter received from the Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi govt, which says that it is returning the 50 bed facility provided to set up an isolation centre. The letter says that the govt is returning the items in the facility along with the keys of the same to Gautam Gambhir Foundation.

The letter mentions the items which were provided by the foundation, which included 50 medical beds along with mattresses and bedsheets, 50 pillows with covers, 50 stainless steel side tables and 50 chairs, 20 oxygen cylinders with kit and trolley, two 40 inch smart TVs, 50 electric kettle, two hot and cold water cooler, and cutlery sets.

The Isolation centre has been set up at Community Centre, Shanti Mohalla, near Food and Supply Office as AC 61 and 62. The letter signed by the SDM of Shahadra said that the centre is being handed back to the Gautam Gambhir Foundation as per telephonic discussion with the CEO of the foundation.

It is notable that amid the rising cases of Covid-19 in Delhi, the state govt has ordered the private hospitals to reserve 60% of their beds and 80% of their ICU beds for treatment of Coronavirus infected patients. Private hospitals have also been asked to postpone non-critical planned surgeries for a few days so that more manpower and resources can be directed towards fighting Covid-19.

Delhi is registering 7000-8000 new Coronavirus cases per day for last several days, marking a third peak in cases. The state is also witnessing around 100 deaths per day from the virus. Yesterday Delhi High Court had slammed the Arvind Kejriwal govt for mismanagement of Covid-19 crisis, asking why the govt didn’t wake up when the cases were rising. The High Court had also asked the Delhi government why it waited till the court intervened to take steps such as reducing the number of people attending weddings to 50 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The total confirmed cases in Delhi has crossed 5 lakh, with over 7500 cases recorded yesterday. Delhi has a total of more than 43000 active Covid-19 cases, and have witnessed over 8000 deaths. At present, it has the third highest active cases in the country, after Maharashtra and Kerala.

Delhi HC orders Sameet Thakkar to remove tweets against India Today Group in the next 48 hours

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi HC orders Sameet Thakkar to remove tweets against India Today Group in the next 48 hours

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed social media user Sameet Thakkar to take down his tweets that were posted against India Today Group, its management and employees within 48 hours.

According to the reports, a petition was filed by TV Today Network in the Delhi HC seeking directions against Sameet Thakkar, who had allegedly posted derogatory tweets against the TV Today Network, its management and its employees.

Hearing the petition, the Delhi High Court Bench of Justice Mukta Gupta directed the defendant to remove the tweets in the next 48 hours and also said that they would ask Twitter to remove the content in next 72 hours if he fails to delete tweets against TV Today network.

“Defendant No. 1 is directed to take down the said URLs from its Twitter account within 48 hours of the receipt of the copy of such replication from the learned counsel for the plaintiff, failing which the plaintiff would write a letter to the learned counsel for the defendant No. 3 (Twitter) giving the specified 29 sets of ULRs as provided in Para 11 of the replication, which the defendant No. 3 (Twitter) will take down within 72 hours thereafter,” the Delhi High Court observed.

The matter has been listed for further hearing on 14 January 2021.

Sameet Thakkar had made allegations against TV Today network, management

The allegations by the TV Today network against Sameet Thakkar was that, on 15th April 2020, during the lockdown period, he had published 35 tweets on his Twitter handle at one go, making various allegations against the network and its top management.

Thereafter, he continued to publish several tweets using allegedly disparaging and derogatory language against the network, its management and also news anchors who appear on its channels Aaj Tak and India Today. The petitioners had claimed that the allegations made by Sameet Thakkar are completely baseless.

The petitioners had submitted 29 sets of ULRs to the court, which were not removed by Thakkar till date.

Hrishikesh Baruah, the counsel appearing for TV Today network submitted before the court that both the India Today Group as also Aroon Purie, news anchor Rahul Kanwal and other top management enjoy enormous goodwill and reputation in the industry, and making baseless allegations and using of derogatory and disparaging remarks against them has caused personal injury to their reputation.

Sameet Thakkar arrested by Mumbai Police

Sameet Thakkar, a Nagpur resident, got himself in soup after posting tweets against the Thackerays. He was also arrested by the Mumbai Police for posting tweets against CM Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aditya Thackeray and Nitin Raut.

Three cases were registered against Thakkar in Nagpur, VP Road police station Mumbai, and BKC Cyber Police. He approached Bombay High Court to get bail and requested the court to quash all FIRs against him. The court provided him protection from the arrest but asked him to cooperate in the investigation.

He was first arrested on October 24 by Nagpur Sitabuldi police and spent nine days in custody. He was rearrested on November 2 after the court granted him bail. BKC police then arrested him on November 10 after he got bail on November 9. He was finally granted bail in the third case on November 16.

Karnataka: Hoysala-era Mahakali idol at ASI protected Temple found damaged, miscreants suspected to have taken advantage of lack of security

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Hoysala-era Mahakali idol at ASI protected Temple found damaged, miscreants suspected to have taken advantage of lack of security

A Hoysala-era idol of Mahakali at the Doddagaddavalli Temple near Hassan district, Karnataka was found damaged on Friday. The temple, an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monument, was built in the 12th Century by Hoysala dynasty.

Reportedly, the incident came to light on Friday morning when local people visited the temple and found that one of the idols of the deity was damaged. It is suspected that miscreants in search of hidden treasure took advantage of the lack of security and vandalised the idol in the process.

Shivakant Bajpai, Superintending Archaeologist of Bengaluru Circle, told The Hindu, “I have spoken to Hassan SP R. Srinivasa Gowda about the incident and we will definitely take action against those who did it.” The ASI is being held responsible for the damage incurred by the idol.

Dr Shalvapille Iyengar, an ancient history and archaeology expert, speaking to Hassan News said, “The Bhadrakali or Dakshina Kali image of Doddagaddhavalli Chatushkuta temple is destroyed by miscreants. It is a great loss to our heritage. This temple was built in C.E. 1113 during the rule of Hoysala Vishnuvardhana. It is a unique temple of Mahalakshmi and Bhadrakali image is placed in the south sanctum.”

“Government should punish the miscreants in severe punishments. Now the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is celebrating the heritage week but at the same time heritage is damaged. This is a great loss to our heritage and History. ASI should answer for this great loss and they should be responsible for irreparable damage,” he added.

C.T. Ravi, BJP national general secretary, said, “Deeply disturbed and distraught to watch this desecration in Mahalakshmi Temple at Doddagaddavalli. I clearly remember my visit here.” He urged the Karnataka Home Minister to constitute a special team to investigate the matter and bring the guilty to justice.

The Lakshmi Devi temple, an architectural wonder, is located in Doddagaddavalli, a village in Hassan District of Karnataka. The Lakshmi Devi Temple, built in a chatuskuta style (four shrines), is one of the earliest known temples built in the Hoysala style. The temple was built by Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana in 1113 CE.

Nine out of Eleven component manufactures of Apple convinced to shift their plants from China to India: Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

OpIndia Staff
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Nine out of Eleven component manufactures of Apple convinced to shift their plants from China to India: Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Union Minister for IT and Communications Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday said that the Modi government was able to convince nine of the eleven component-makers of Apple Inc to move away from China to set up their plants in India.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the 23rd edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit held virtually, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that even during the COVID-19 pandemic period, the government was able to bring nine of their operating units along with component makers from China to India. “During Covid-19, about 9 of 11 component-makers of Apple have shifted their units from China to India. These huge changes, especially with the Digital India mission, has led to global inclusion with several home-grown elements,” the minister said.

The Union Minister, while addressing the summit, also pointed out to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa that Apple has chosen Bengaluru for manufacturing iPhones.

“I am pleased to inform BS Yediyurappa that Apple has chosen your city Bengaluru to manufacture their quality phones for India and abroad,” Ravi Shankar Prasad added.  

Apple’s supplier Wistron has a manufacturing facility in Kolar near Bengaluru where it has been assembling Apple devices. Wistron may expand its operations at the Bengaluru plant under the Union Government’s production-linked incentive scheme (PLI) and is expected to begin assembling iPhone 12. 

In July, Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn, one of the major component suppliers to Apple Inc had announced to invest up to $1 billion at the Sriperumbudur plant in Tamil Nadu.

Last month the ministry had approved proposals by Samsung, Foxconn, Rising Star, Wistron and Pegatron were filing applications under the government’s PLI scheme. Apart from these foreign companies, proposals of Indian companies like Lava, Bhagwati (Micromax), Padget Electronics, UTL Neolyncs and Optiemus Electronics were also approved. The scheme will lead to a total production of more than Rs 10.5 lakh crores over the next five years, in which the share of mobile phones will be Rs 9 lakh crores. It is expected that over 60% of this production will be exported. PLI scheme, one of the flagship initiatives of the Modi government aims to increase foreign investment in the country by offering companies incentives on incremental sales from products manufactured in domestic units.

Global mobile manufacturers to invest Rs 10 lakh crore in India

Highlighting the country’s tech-prowess, the Union Minister said that the Modi government was successful in bringing Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which has attracted major global and Indian mobile phone manufacturers. These companies have now invested close to Rs 11,000-lakh crore in India and have committed to manufacture phones worth ₹10.50-lakh crore, Minister Prasad said.

The Union Minister also pointed out that global manufacturing world was looking towards alternative destinations and are ready to invest in the country. Prasad said even during the pandemic the communications sector witnessed a growth of over seven per cent and also received significant investments from major global companies.

Prasad said that out of the nearly Rs 11 lakh crore proposed investment by major global companies in the next five years to manufacture mobiles and components, Rs seven lakh crore worth of products will be only for exports.

Bengaluru Tech Summit is organised annually by the Karnataka government along with Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society, and Software Technology Parks of India.

Baghpat police arrest Akram and his wife Rukhsar for forcing a woman to convert to Islam after sexually exploiting and impregnating her

OpIndia Staff
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Baghpat police arrest Akram and his wife Rukhsar for forcing a woman to convert to Islam after sexually exploiting and impregnating her

In the latest development in the Baghpat Grooming Jihad case, the Baghpat police have arrested the accused Akram who was absconding. His wife Rukhsar was arrested by the police yesterday. The police are on a lookout for Akram’s brother Tanveer.

Details of the case

In the present case of alleged Grooming Jihad, a nurse had filed a complaint against the accused Akram for sexually exploiting and impregnating her and then forcing her to convert to Islam. The victim and the accused worked in the same nursing home. The accused allegedly lied to the victim that he had divorced his wife and lured her into the relationship. He hid the fact that he was Muslim, was married and had two sons. According to the victim, he physically exploited by blackmailing her with an intimate video of the victim which he had recorded. He would use the video to blackmail and rape her. He allegedly forced the victim to convert to Islam when she asked him to marry her.

The victim alleged that the accused forced him to abort the child which she refused to do. The accused along with his wife and bother held the victim captive and physically assaulted her. During captivity, the wife of the accused kicked the victim in her belly in order to induce abortion. She somehow managed to escape from their captivity by pleading before them and promising that she would abort the child.

Taking cognisance of the matter, the Chairperson of National Women Commission (NCW) Rekha Sharma, had tweeted yesterday that she would talk to Baghpat police regarding the same.

She informed on Twitter today that she had received a report from the Baghpat police about the action taken by them against the accused.

In view of the rising cases of love jihad, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath had warned the miscreants indulging in the forceful conversion of non-Muslim women, and targeting of non-Muslim women under false identities that have been noted in several cases. The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to enact a law to deal with such cases and the proposal for the same was forwarded by the Home Department of the state to Law Department.

Trouble for India Today? ED to probe TRP case, channels mentioned in initial FIR, which did not name Republic, under scanner

OpIndia Staff
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Trouble for India Today? ED to probe TRP case, channels mentioned in initial FIR, which did not name Republic, under scanner

The Enforcement Directorate has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the equivalent of FIRs filed by the Police, in the TRP case. The ED will investigate money laundering allegations and all channels mentioned in the original FIR will be probed, Republic TV has reported.

A parallel CBI investigation is also underway. As per Republic TV, the Mumbai Police probe could also be under scrutiny. Republic TV has also cited sources to claim that the ED will merge all TRP related cases under the ED in Mumbai. The ED is the second central agency to come into the matter after the CBI. The CBI had earlier registered an FIR over the matter.

The TRP Case

On 8th October, Param Bir Singh, Mumbai Police Commissioner, said in a press conference that several channels have indulged in malicious practices to increase their TRP ratings. He alleged that Republic TV is one of the main accused. The complaint was filed by the Hansa group that regulated the devices to record TRP for BARC.

However, the initial FIR did not name Republic TV but named India Today network as one of the main suspects. During the investigation, several evidence and witnesses came forward that alleged Mumbai Police have been intimidating them to speak against Republic TV, including Hansa officials. Hansa has also complained that they are being harassed by the Mumbai Police to give statements against Republic TV.

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