The Congress party is in a bit of a spot after details of the party and their leaders’ proximity to China emerged amidst the India-China standoff at Ladakh. First, it was revealed that Congress had signed an MoU with the Communist Party of China in the year 2008. Then, to make matters worse for the party, it was revealed that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation headed by Sonia Gandhi got multiple donations from not only the Embassy of China but also the government of China.
With the Congress in a fix over its China links emerging, several people on Twitter started posting pictures of Congress leader with Chinese functionaries.
BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra took to Twitter to post a picture of Sonia Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi with a Chinese functionary.
Miffed by the tweet, Nikhil Alva, Congress leader and son of Margaret Alva, responded to Sambit Patra with a picture of what he thought was Prime Minister Modi with some Chinese man.
Tweet by Nikhil Alva
It only goes to show the painfully low levels of IQ that one needs to possess to become a Congress foot soldier as Nikhil Alva simply assumed that any individual with Mongoloid features must be a Chinese man.
This photograph is actually from the time when Prime Minister Modi was gifted with the traditional Kyrgyzstan attire by the President of Kyrgyzstan President Jeenbekov. The picture is from June 2019 and was tweeted by the PMO handle on Twitter.
In Bishkek, President Jeenbekov presented PM @narendramodi a Kalpak, the traditional Kyrgyz hat, a Chapan, a traditional coat from Kyrgyzstan and a Samovar, a container to heat or boil water.
At the time, PMO had tweeted, “In Bishkek, President Jeenbekov presented PM @narendramodi a Kalpak, the traditional Kyrgyz hat, a Chapan, a traditional coat from Kyrgyzstan and a Samovar, a container to heat or boil water”.
Who is Nikhil Alva?
In 2018, Divya Spandana, who used to handle Rahul Gandhi’s social media strategy, was reportedly fired from her job. It was then reported that Divya was ‘upset’ with Congress as much of her role was transferred to Nikhil Alva, son of Congress leader Margaret Alva, limiting her duty.
A 2018 report on Business Standard read, “Former media entrepreneur Nikhil J Alva has been a key individual behind the turnaround. In Congress circles, 48-year-old Alva is known as the ‘gatekeeper’ of Gandhi’s Twitter handle. Alva’s Twitter bio states that he is a “media entrepreneur with the soul of a political activist, who wants to build a just and equitable world”. Alva is the middle of the three sons of senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva. All three brothers, Alva himself, his elder brother Niret and younger brother Nivedith, are well-known media entrepreneurs. Nivedith has also dabbled in politics”
Interestingly, the report had also said that all tweets by Rahul Gandhi’s Twitter handle were first approved by Nikhil Alva. The report further states, “It is Alva who actually presses the ‘tweet’ button, sources said. Gandhi and Alva are just a year apart and were contemporaries at New Delhi’s St Stephen’s College”.
Interestingly, Nikhil Alva was also accused of sexual harassment earlier in 2018. He was charged with stalking and sending vulgar emails, after a complaint was lodged by his neighbour. In the FIR filed against Nikhil Alva, the 47-year-old complainant said, “Nikhil Alva has wilfully, deliberately, intentionally and maliciously posted emails on various groups with unwelcome sexual overtones using highly inappropriate and grossly offensive language despite a clear indication of disinterest from my side and advice to stop using loose expressions, obnoxious language in the emails.”
She had accused Alva of having sent derogatory emails to her on at least 14 occasions.
With Alva now peddling fake news, one should be left with no doubt that the brilliance that emanates from the Twitter handle of Rahul Gandhi is a result of the deadly combination of the wits of Rahul Gandhi and Nikhil Alva.
In a major development in the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation fund row, it has now been revealed that fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi had made undisclosed donations to the Sonia Gandhi-led Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in 2014-15, reports Times Now. The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’s chairperson is Sonia Gandhi with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Manmohan Singh and several others as the trustees.
When one looks at the Annual Reports of the the Rajiv Gandhi foundation received funds from an organisation named Naviraj Estates Private Limited.
Donors of RGF
Mehul Choksi is one of the directors of this company. It is, however, not yet clear how much fund did Rajiv Gandhi Foundation receive from Mehul Choksi.
Company details according to zaubacorp.com
It is important to note that Mehul Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are economic fugitives, who fled the country in 2018 after Rs 14,000-crore PNB fraud surfaced. Choksi got the citizenship of Antigua after fleeing from the country after he was accused in the multi-crore PNB scam.
The new disclosure comes at a time when the Congress party is already facing all the heat over its secret deals with the Communist Party of China (CPC). There have been serious allegations against the Congress party and its interim chief Sonia Gandhi over receiving funds from not only China but also for diverting public money for her private foundation.
China funds Rajiv Gandhi Foundation
On Friday, shocking details had emerged in which it was revealed how the Chinese government had donated funds to ‘Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’ during the UPA era under the garb of charities.
We had reported how the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation had received donations from not just the Embassy of China but also the Government of China not once but at least thrice between 2005 and 2009. One donation amounted to Rs 10 lakhs and another one amounted to Rs 90 lakhs was funded by the Chinese to the Sonia-Gandhi controlled Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
The Annual Statements of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation had also revealed a far more sinister agenda as it turned out, the Chinese government had not only donated to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in the year 2006 but subsequent years as well.
It is pertinent to note that Sonia Gandhi is the Chairperson of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and since the year 2005, of which documents have been reviewed, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were the trustees.
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received funds from PMNRF
In the year 2005-2006, the Annual Report makes a disclosure that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received a donation from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. The same disclosure is also made in the 2006-2007 report. Again in 2007-2008, the Foundation for a ‘donation’ from the PMNRF.
Though the amount of such donation is not clear yet, it is a fact that a donation was indeed made.
The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was established in the year 1948. Initially, the purpose of the fund was to provide assistance to displaced people from Pakistan during and right after the partition of India.
The resources of the PMNRF are now utilized primarily to render immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities like floods, cyclones and earthquakes, etc. and to the victims of the major accidents and riots.
Not Just China: RGF received funds from other foreign governments too
Over the years, the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation has also received donations from the Governments of Ireland, Luxembourg and the European Union as well.
Apart from that, the RGF has also received donations from numerous other dubious sources. One of the sources it received a lot of funds from is the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung. FNS is a liberal organisation based in Germany that is closely associated with the liberal political establishment in the country and is a major donor for the RGF.
Ministries of Indian Government donated to RGF during UPA rule
In addition to such organisations, the RGF has also received huge donations from multiple government institutions. The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund is one of them but their annual reports reveal that RGF received funds from multiple government ministries when the UPA was in power.
The Ministries who were partners with RGF and donated to them include the Ministries of Environment and Forest, Health and Family Welfare, Small Scale Industries and even the Ministry of Home Affairs. All of this is greatly disturbing.
Soon after the Anamika Shukla scam was exposed in the Kasturba Gandhi School, the UP government has ordered that all the documents of the teachers from government schools and madarsas will have to be investigated properly. The office of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered to check the certificates of all the clerics of all the Arabic-Persian madrasas funded by the state government.
UP में राज्य सरकार द्वारा अनुदानित सभी अरबी-फ़ारसी मदरसों के शिक्षकों के सर्टिफिकेट और मूल प्रमाण पत्रों की जांच प्रारम्भ हो गई है।
क्या एक बार फिर मजहब खतरे में आएगा?
मदरसों के नाम पर स्कॉलरशिप का खेल पहले ही आधार से बैंक लिंक होने के बाद बंद हो चुका है।#योगी_का_आत्मनिर्भर_UP
Director of Minority Department JP Singh has written a letter to Madarsa Education council RP Singh and has ordered to make a plan for checking 558 madarsas in the state.
In a move to fight against corruption, the Yogi government has now decided to take action against teachers whose strings are linked to the fake gang. Meanwhile, Mohsin Raza, Minister of Minority Affairs in the Yogi government has claimed that the appointments made in the madrasas of Uttar Pradesh will also be investigated.
He said that an action plan will be sent against the people who are getting jobs through fake documents in the madarsas. After the Anamika Shukla case came to light, the Yogi government will also be investigating the staff members present in all the schools of Uttar Pradesh.
Mohsin Raza also targeted the Samajwadi Party. He said that the Samajwadi party did massive corruption in Madarsas just for their vote bank and provided benefits to its closed ones. Those found guilty in the investigation will be punished. He also claimed that they have received a lot of complaints against those who are working in madarsas on the basis of fake documents. The state government will now check the service records of all the employees.
Since the Yogi Aditya Nath has taken over the power in UP, many steps have been taken for the bright future of students studying in madarsas. The recent step is also taken for the same purpose. Earlier, the Yogi government had announced to take steps towards the modernization of madarsas. They also announce that the government will also reward of 5000 rupees to talented students of madarsas for boosting their morale.
Apart from this, the UP government had also issued an advisory on higher education in Madarsa recently. According to the rule stated in the advisory, it was also decided that non-speakers of Urdu will also be able to teach in madrassas.
The Anamika Shukla Scam
In the Anamika Shukla scam, one teacher with that name was found to be employed in 25 schools at the same time and had drawn Rs 10 crore as salary in 13 months. The teacher was registered as employed with 25 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas in Amethi, Ambedkarnagar, Raebareli, Prayagraj, Aligarh and other districts in the state. Later during the probe, it was found that the real person named Anamika Shukla is an unemployed woman, and her documents were misused by someone to draw salary in her name from 25 schools. She had said that she had applied for KGB schools in several districts, but she never joined any school. The documents submitted by her while applying for the job were being misused.
It has been revealed that the real Anamika Shukla had cleared the eligibility test but could not join the job due to personal reasons. Her credentials were used by other women to get job in various KGB schools in UP. Several women working as teachers under the name Anamika Shukla has been arrested by UP police since the scam broke, and one Pushpendra, identified as the mastermind behind the scam, has also been arrested. His gang has reportedly given jobs to many other people in a similar fashion. Apart from Anamika Shukla, Police have also discovered multiple teachers with the same name and other details working in various schools, and are verifying the detail for all of them.
The Mumbai edition of the Hindu newspaper is on the verge of closure. The newspaper has asked its journalists to resign citing the financial situation of the company. The company also assured them to disburse salary for the next three months.
The lockdown due to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic has hit many businesses. Due to the complete shut down in the last two months, many private entities are facing a gross financial crisis that created unemployment for thousands. Similarly, the impact can also be seen in media houses.
The companies are putting pressure on employees either to cut down their wages or resign. This is the reason that The Hindu, The Telegraph, and Hindustan Times have also sacked many of their employees. More than 100 journalists, sub-editors, and other employees have been asked to resign by their management in the various editions of The Hindu newspaper.
Now more than 20 journalists of Mumbai edition of The Hindu have been asked to resign by the company between 25 to 30 June. The employees are still waiting for a clear statement in this regard from their institution. It is being said that the Mumbai edition of the Hindu is on the verge of closure.
It is notable that The Hindu started the Mumbai edition in 2015 in which it hired several senior journalists. The email which was sent to the journalists asking for their resignation has surfaced on social media.
The above mail was sent to employees on 22 June from the Human Resource department of The Hindu. Citing the weak economic condition of the company, it is officially stated that the employees will be given a salary for three months along with the Dearness allowance and their service period will come to an end on July 1, 2020.
Dear former colleagues who have been sacked by @the_hindu , they’ve been vicious and vindictive while preparing the sack list. You should be too. How about pulling out the land documents of the bangalore office and expose the scam of the allotment? #hitEmDirty
However, apart from writing, it is also being said that some employees were also terminated verbally. Press Council of India has taken Suo-moto cognizance with regard to terminate the services of journalists working at The Hindu office in Mumbai.
Justice CK Prasad, President of the Press Council of India taking Suo-moto cognizance of the matter expressed concern that a large number of journalists working in the daily newspaper ‘The Hindu’ in the Mumbai bureau were asked to resign from their posts. The Press Council also asked the editor of The Hindu, Regional General Manager of The Hindu Mumbai to issue a statement in this regard.
Veteran actress and BJP Member of Parliament Roopa Ganguly on Friday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who ended his life at his residence in Mumbai on June 14.
The actor-turned-politician Roopa Ganguly took to social media to express her misgivings over the investigation into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
In a series of tweets, the veteran actress suspected foul play in the ongoing investigation being carried out by the Mumbai police and demanded a CBI enquiry to look into the untimely demise of the Bollywood actor. The actress expressed her shock regarding the manner in which the social media accounts are allegedly active.
The actress raised apprehensions about Sushant Singh Rajput’s phone being operated by someone else as she had picked up strange behaviour from his social media accounts even after his death. She said that the Instagram account of Sushant was unfollowing people after his death, suggesting that someone is operating his social media accounts.
The BJP MP also said that the strange behaviour was quite unsettling and alleged that there has been attempts to tamper evidence related to the case. The actress-turned-lawmaker also questioned when will the CBI intervene in this case.
The actress also said that there needs to be clarity in understanding the discrepancies so that we can not only do justice to such a brilliant and positive soul but to ensure that they could try and eradicate the possibility of such events ever occurring in the future.
“Was the investigation done in a hurry ,trying to justify a pre decided narrative?If not so then why did the forensic team reached on 15th June?” asked the BJP Rajya Sabha MP.
Roopa Ganguly also said even though the reason for death has been certified it does not prove that the death was by hanging of one’s self. On Thursday, the postmortem report of the late actor was handed over to the police which cited his death as a “clear case of suicide with no other foul play”.
“What I cannot understand is why such a brilliant inquisitive mind would choose such an alternative without any provocation,” Ganguly tweeted.
She also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah in her series of tweets demanding a CBI probe into actor’s death.
“We will be answerable to our future generations if we the parents, the colleagues, the friends and the family and the citizen of India fail to uphold justice now. I think an independent CBI investigation is necessary,” Ganguly tweeted.
The actress also asked why there are so many inconsistencies in reporting of the scene. She also alleged that there has been no clear information in connection with the case and they are being kept in the dark.
Echoing similar suspicion, Journalist Soumyadipta also suggested that the Instagram account of Sushant Singh Rajput was being operated by someone, who is allegedly deleting the images. The journalist also raised suspicion about handling the late actor’s social media accounts at a time when his phones are with the police and his family members do not know the password.
Absolutely true. Sushant Singh Rajput’s @instagram account is being operated slyly. Someone is deleting pictures. His phones are with the police while his family members don’t know the password. Then who’s logging into the account? There’s something very fishy going on here. https://t.co/xdnesqjPOo
The journalist also posed some tough questions to the Maharashtra police who are investigation the suicide case. Soumyadipta asked why were the CCTVs switched off on the day of death of Sushant Singh Rajput and also asked why were the death marks on his neck were inconsistent with a suicide victim.
6. Where is the duplicate key? 7. Where was he investing his money? 8. Who were mentally torturing him? 9. What happened between him & his friends in the last few days? 10. What is the reason of cadaveric spasm (fingers)? Cadaveric Spasms usually happens after violent death.
The growing suspicion over the death of Sushant Singh Rajput comes after the demand by the family members of the actor along with some political parties to carry out a CBI probe into his death.
The actor was found dead at his Bandra apartment on June 14. The Mumbai police have received the final post-mortem report and the cause of death has been identified as “asphyxia due to hanging”.
A video has gone viral on social media in which the school principal of one Bishop Scott Girls’ school in Patna, Bihar, is seen losing her cool on a guardian when questioned over school fees.
One Twitter user with the user name Lone Crusader took to Twitter to share a video where the principal of the private school in Patna attacks a guardian who was trying to film her to expose how the school administration was arbitrarily charging transportation fee and library fee for the months the school remained shut due to the Cironavirus crisis.
Bishop Scott Girl’s school Patna principal slaps a parent when she is questioning her on why Library fees, Transportation Fees etc were being charged even when the school was closed during #COVID19 crisis.@noconversionpic.twitter.com/Fhdjve3iOg
— L̶o̶n̶e̶ Crusader ?? (@seriousfunnyguy) June 25, 2020
In the video, which is being shared widely on social media, the principal of Bishop Scott Girls’ school threatens the guardian who records the conversation between them. She looks visibly miffed with the parent for making a video of their interaction. She warns the parents of dire consequences if she continues to record the meeting.
Bishop Scott Girls’ school principal tries to snatch the phone and slaps the guardian
When the parent does not concede, the principal calls another person to her chamber, who then is seen threatening the parent. He questions the parent whether she would want her daughter to continue studying in the school or not. Meanwhile, the principal is seen getting up from her seat and attacking the guardian sitting across her table. The principal tries to snatch away the phone and allegedly slaps the guardian.
After the video went viral, the Director of Primary Education, Bihar, Ranjit Kumar Singh constituted a two-member investigation team, ordering an inquiry against Patna’s Bishop Scott Girls School.
The Director of Primary Education has categorically stated that during the lockdown, the government had ordered that schools will not charge any transportation fee from parents. Not only this, but the administration also made it clear that during this time the parents will not be forced to pay the school fees. In such a scenario, questions were being raised as to why schools are not following the government advisory and charging the following fees from its students.
The death of a father and son-duo in police custody in Tuticorin has generated a huge outrage in Tamil Nadu. P Jayaraj and his son J Benicks reportedly died after they were picked up by the Police for opening their mobile accessories shop open on June 19 when lockdown was still in force in the state. It is alleged that they were tortured in custody, which led to their death.
Chennai based news website The Federal has quoted eyewitnesses who claim that the duo were subjected to sexual torture while in jail. “Between 7 am and 12 pm on June 20, the father and son had changed at least seven lungies each as they had become wet due to blood oozing from their rectums,” Rajkumar, a friend of Benicks, was quoted by the media portal as saying.
The friend also said that thy were instructed to arrange a vehicle for themselves to transport the two to the government hospital in Sathankulam. Then, the father-son duo apparently complained of pain in their rectum. They were also bleeding profusely and their lungis had to be changed on the way to the hospital.
“Thinking the person was Jayaraj, police took him to the station on June 19. Benicks rushed to the station to inquire about it,” said Raja, another friend of Benicks. “After he questioned the police brutality against his father, the policemen held him by his collar and pushed him towards the wall. At least five policemen including the sub-inspector and constables beat him black and blue in front of us,” he added.
People on social media claim that the policemen shoved batons inside the anus of the father and son several times. It is also claimed that their genitalia was also damaged. They were also thrashed brutally in custody, it is alleged.
The Madras High Court has ordered a probe into the matter. “There were complaints that they were killed in police assault..a judicial probe has been ordered,” Tuticorin Collector Sandeep Nanduri said. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami has assured that strict action will be taken based on the findings of the probe.
Benicks passed away at the Kovilpatti General Hospital on June 22 and his father passed in the morning the next day. Meanwhile, two sub-inspectors have been transferred in connection with the matter but the family of the deceased demand that a case of murder be registered against the two.
On Thursday, Uttam, the son of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) member of Dharmapukuria Panchayat in Bangaon was thrashed by the locals with brooms and sticks, reported Anandabazar Patrika. The incident took place in the Sukpukur area where the locals attacked the house of the TMC leader, following allegations of corruption in the disbursement of relief funds for Cyclone Amphan.
Dismissing charges of misappropriation of funds and alleging that the BJP supporters had been behind the attack, the TMC politician Gopal Dey said, “If anyone can prove the allegation of corruption, then, I will thank him personally. My own house has been damaged but I didn’t take the money. Instead, all the affected families in the area have been provided financial assistance.”
Anandabazar Patrika reported that the residents of the village had gone to the house of Dey and thrashed his son Uttam with brooms and shoes. A protestor by the name of Urmila Pal claimed that she did not receive the relief amount of ₹20,000, even though her house was damaged during the Cyclone Amphan. She alleged that people whose houses were unaffected in the natural disaster had somehow siphoned off the money.
Protestors had alleged that even though the house of Gopal Dey did not suffer any damage, yet he was a beneficiary of the relief fund. They demanded that the TMC member has to return the money or pay compensation to all the families in the village. The protestors, comprising mostly of women, informed that Uttam was thrashed by them after they saw him beating his own mother.
Deputy chief of Dharmapukuria panchayat Sukdev Shikari told Anandabazaar Patrika, “A list of all victims of Cyclone Amphan has been prepared. The owners of completely damaged houses have received the money. Partially damaged homeowners had not yet received financial assistance in the block.” He assured that stringent action would be taken against those found involved in corruption. Sukdev conceded that a family received double the assured sum but clarified that the mistake had been corrected.
BJP distances himself from the attack
In his defence, BJP’s co-president (Barasat) Devdas Mandal said that the attack was carried out by a group of villagers who did not receive their due share of compensation and that the party had nothing to do with it. There have been widespread protests in several districts, following allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds on the part of TMC panchayat members. The demonstrations were accompanied by the public humiliation of the accused, vandalism, and obstruction.
TMC Panchayat member publicly shamed for irregularities in compensation distribution
In a similar incident this week, TMC leader and panchayat member Swapan Kumar Ghatu was was gheraoed by the residents of Kailashpur village in South 24 Paraganas and held hostage at a local school playground for illegally receiving compensation amount, originally meant for the victims of Cyclone Amphan. The locals had alleged that the TMC politician had siphoned off relief funds by listing his family members as the beneficiaries. Later talking to media , Swapan Kumar Ghatu conceded that there were anomalies in compensation distribution. He said that there were some mistakes in preparing the list of beneficiaries, and he apologised for the same.
CM Mamata Banerjee orders probe in all allegations
Due to growing allegations of misappropriation of cyclone compensation funds by TMC leaders, West Benagl CM Mamata Banerjee has ordered probe into the allegations. According to reports, CM Mamata Banerjee informed Chief Secretary Rajiv Singh that she had received the said complaints through her sources and directed him to look into every allegation and take appropriate action. The report said that a majority of complaints were about the distribution of funds for farmers and house reconstruction.
Reportedly, the State Chief Minister had also learnt about the ‘partiality’ displayed by officials in reconnecting power lines in several areas. The government officials had also informed that all complaints received by Prashant Kishore’s organisation, regarding the distribution of relief funds, had been communicated to Mamata Banerjee. The CM has said that corruption in the distribution of relief funds would not be tolerated. About 5-6 Block Development Officers (BDOs) from Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas have been handed show-cause notices, following complaints of misappropriation of funds. If the response to the show-cause notice turned out to be unsatisfactory, then, stringent action would be taken against the said officials.
Mamata Banerjee on June 6 had warned her party workers against politicising relief work. She had reiterated that relief funds for both Coronavirus and Cyclone Amphan must reach all victims irrespective of party affiliation. Besides warning of dire consequences if found involved in corruption, West Bengal Chief Minister had advised the party leaders not to get involved in relief work and leave it to the administration.
In a bid to improve the livelihood of the indigenous people, the state of Tripura has recently introduced the Bamboo drinking water bottle. It is a unique fancy bamboo handcrafted utility made by the local artisans of Tripura. The bottles are made of an outer bamboo shell and an inner copper lining.
The product is a step towards improving the lives of tribal people and local artisans. Apart from that, the product is made without the use of plastic to encourage eco-friendly values.
Tripura is proud to introduce the Bamboo drinking ware to the world, which is a unique fancy bamboo hand crafted utility product made from the hands of the artisans. This product can bring laurels to the state along with foreign exchange by export. Is deviced & promoted by TRPC. pic.twitter.com/xwb0WONwPO
The bamboo bottles are the result of efforts by IFS officer Prasad Rao, who is providing tribal artisans training to create daily use items from bamboo, an abundantly available crop in the state. Earlier, he had trained 1000 people to make bamboo broom handles. After the success of that initiative, six months ago he began training artisan families to manufacture bamboo bottles. Talking to The Better India, the Managing Director of Tripura Rehabilitation Plantation Corporation Limited said, “For almost three to four months we have been immersed in the research and development of this product. We wanted to create something that not just looks good but is of international standards.”
The project has been implemented in collaboration with the Bamboo and Cane Development Institute (BCDI) and Forest Research Center of Livelihood Extension at Agartala. The program started with training by 10 master trainers. Now the trainers are in the process of training 1000 artisans under the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDVK) and National Bamboo Mission (NBM) schemes.
Rao said that they decided to use copper lining in the bottles to prevent fungus growth that is common with bamboo products. Copper is known to kill pathogens like bacteria, fungus and viruses. Due to this inner lining, the bottles are also leak proof.
The bottles are available in different sizes like 300 ml, 500 ml, 750 ml and 1 ltr, and they cost between Rs 700 and goes upto Rs 1200, excluding tax and shipping charges.
The bamboo bottles were first introduced by the state of Sikkim to avoid the use of single-use plastic bottles and unusual littering earlier this year. The Lachen town in Sikkim was the very first to ban packaged drinking water and introduce the Bamboo water bottles to avoid any kind of environmental desecration.
Sikkim attracts thousands of tourists every year who leave loads of plastic waste behind. Noting this the local community imposed a complete ban on plastic bottles and later introduced these handcrafted fancy bamboo bottles. Till 2016, the state also banned the use of plastic bottles in events and government offices.
Bottles made under Van Dhan Vikas Yojana in Tripura
Earlier this year, the Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb had launched Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Vikas Yojana to boost the morale of tribals who are specializing in crafting products from local natural raw material. The Chief Minister had thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching this scheme and claimed, “The center has provided rupees 1,21,90,000 for nine projects under the scheme.”
He added that the Tripura government has sent a total of 11 projects under the PMVDY scheme, of which a total of 9 projects have been approved to get it to implement in the state.
He stated that the scheme is designed to improve tribal incomes through value addition of tribal products. It is based on Value addition, collection, packaging, and marketing of the forest products.
The recent introduction of Bamboo bottles is a result of this initiative in Tripura. There are several incredible features of Bamboo, like it is a sustainable alternative and a rigid packaging material as well. Also, no pesticides or fertilizer is used in growing a bamboo plant, the bottles are safe to store water and free from any kind of chemical.
At what point can a political party be legitimately accused of compromising the sovereignty of a nation? At what point can a political party democratically elected to govern the country be legitimately accused of committing treason? At what point should a political party be disbarred from contesting elections on grounds of threat to national security? These are the questions that our country has to find answers to collectively in light of the latest scandal to have struct the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
It has now been revealed that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received over Rs. 1 crore from the Communist Government of China during the UPA regime. Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders were the top functionaries in the Foundation. However, that it not the only problematic aspect to the whole affair and China is not the only foreign government that has donated to the Foundation.
Not Just China: RGF received funds from other foreign governments too
Over the years, the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation has received donations from the Governments of Ireland, Luxembourg and the European Union as well. From the perspective of national security and sovereignty, it does not make sense why Indians should be concerned only when China makes donations to the RGF. Donations from other governments is a cause for concern as well.
Apart from that, the RGF has also received donations from numerous other dubious sources. One of the sources it received a great deal of funds from is the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung. FNS is a liberal organisation based in Germany that is closely associated with the liberal political establishment in the country and is a major donor for the RGF.
Source: RGF Annual Report
Donations from foreign governments to the RGF when the foundation was managed by top functionaries of the Indian government poses a grave threat to national security and sovereignty. We are now aware that the Congress party signed an MoU with the Chinese Communist Party and the African National Congress in 2008 for greater ties. Were similar MoUs signed with parties in western countries which then made a donation to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation as part of the arrangement?
If the answer is in the affirmative, then it begs the question what did they receive in turn? Even in the absence of such MoUs, it is extremely difficult to see such donations as anything other than investment by foreign governments in order to achieve certain foreign policy objectives. It can hardly be described as anything other than Quid Pro Quo in exchange for favours from the Indian government which was then controlled by the Congress party.
Ministries of Indian Government donated to RGF during UPA rule
In addition to such organisations, the RGF has also received huge donations from multiple government institutions. The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund is one of them but their annual reports reveal that RGF received funds from multiple government ministries when the UPA was in power. The Ministries who were partners with RGF and donated to them include the Ministries of Environment and Forest, Health and Family Welfare, Small Scale Industries and even the Ministry of Home Affairs. All of this is greatly disturbing.
It is unclear how this could be seen as anything other than the appropriation of public funds by the senior leaders of the Congress party through the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. They might not have broken any law but it is certainly extremely unethical for a government to transfer its funds to an NGO which is controlled by the same people. It is corruption, plain and simple.
The Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust
And it is not just the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation which is a cause for concern here, the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust operates in a similar manner. It is also pertinent to note that the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust does not show up in Home Ministry’s FCRA database until the year 2011-12. And in that very year, the FCRA donations to RGF fall to zero while RGCT records over Rs. 23 crores in donations.
Th trend remained similar in the years to follow. The RGF registered zero foreign donations mostly while the RGCT recorded funds to the tune of crores. The RGCT has Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in its Board of Trustees. Thus, on the face of it, it appears that it was decided that RGCT would be the primary receiver of funds going forward.
The RGCT has its own fair share of scandals. It has received a great deal of donations from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Another of its major donors is the Rural India Supporting Trust based in the United Kingdom. In this respect, a certain American donor raises great concern. Sreedhar Potarazu donated Rs. 11.7 lakhs to the RGCT in 2013.
Sreedhar Potarazu is a prominent Democrat donor in the United States who was sentenced to ten years in prison in 2017 for committing a fraud worth $49 million. He was a major fundraiser for the Democratic Party as well as its leaders Hillary Clinton and former US President Barack Obama. Potarazu was nominated to the important credentials committee at the Democratic Convention in 2016.
Sonia Gandhi’s links with the Clinton Foundation
The RGCT’s ties to the Democratic Party run far deeper than mere common donors. One of its technical partners is the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), which was floated by the scandalous Clinton Foundation (CF). The CF was founded by former US president Bill Clinton and the corruption in its management was one of the primary reasons why voters found Hillary Clinton so untrustworthy during her failed presidential run in 2016.
In this complicated series of events, another organisation marks its entry, the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojna (RGMVP). The RGCT’s website states, “RGMVP had entered into a non-financial partnership with CHAI to train community members on managing diarrhoea in 31 blocks within the Raebareli and Amethi districts.”
Source: Official Website of RGCT
Even if it is a “non-financial partnership”, we have a Clinton organisation working in partnership with a Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi backed organisation in constituencies where they have contested elections for years. Needless to say, any positive impact in the lives of the constituents in Rae Baereli and Amethi as a consequence of the partnership would directly translate into more votes for Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi respectively in those two particular constituencies and for the Congress party across India as a whole.
Thus, if this is not an example of blatant election interference by foreign entities, then what is? Moreover, the Clinton Foundation is the hotbed of financial corruption and ethical malpractice. In this regard, a certain salient point has to be mentioned. The kind of conduct that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation indulged in is exactly the kind of soup that plagued Hillary Clinton’s presidential run.
It was found that multiple foreign governments which were pursuing foreign policy objectives with the United States Government had also donated significant amounts of money at around the same time to the CF. It created a huge controversy which undoubtedly benefit Donald Trump a lot. Nevertheless, while no evidence of any “wrongdoing” has been established as per law, anyone who looked at the whole affair realises it was ethical corruption at a monumental scale. This is precisely what the RGF appears to have engaged in as well.
RGF received donations from Private Business
There is even more cause for concern here. The annual reports of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation shows that numerous private businesses made donations to it. It appears unlikely that any private business would donate such huge sums of money to a foundation run by top functionaries within the Indian Government out of the goodness of their hearts. It appears far more likely that these donations were investments these business institutions made in order to secure a lucrative deal.
RGF Annual Report
One particular private company that pops up in this context is Unitech Ltd. In 2010, Rahul Gandhi had purchased two properties worth Rs. 6.80 crores combined. At the time, Unitech was one of the accused in the 2G scam. It is also to be noted that at the time of purchase, the two properties were valued at 3 times the total assets Rahul Gandhi had declared in his election affidavit only 18 months ago. OpIndia had published an exclusive report on the matter, which ought to be read in its entirety. It can be read here.
Now as it turns out, Unitech had made donations to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation during the fiscal year 2007-2008. And in early 2008, Unitech Wireless, a subsidiary of Unitech, was granted a pan-India telecom license by the government for Rs. 1,658 crore under the infamous first-come, first-serve policy. To say that this is suspicious would be a mild understatement.
RGF and the pervasive ethical malpractice within civil society
The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation is evidence of the corruption and ethical malpractice that festers at the heart of ‘civil society’. And it is only to be expected that they have also formed partnerships and have among their donors the Ford Foundation and the Aman Biradari Trust. The former is of course an extremely controversial NGO that has funded political activists in India such as Teesta Setalvad in the past.
Ford Foundation had become embroiled in a controversy due to their funding Teesta Setalvad’s Sabrang Trust. The Ministry of Home Affairs even wanted to launch a prob into the matter. The Modi government, after it came to power, placed it under a ‘watch-list’. It was eventually rescued by the ‘magic touch’ of John Podesta, a close aide of Hillary Clinton, and the Ford Foundation eventually relented to register itself under Indian laws. The Ford Foundation had also funded Arvind Kejriwal’s NGO before he got into politics.
Along consistent lines, RGF’s annual report for the year 2018-19 mentions that Aman Biradari Trust was one of its working partners. The Aman Biradari Trust was founded by Harsh Mander, who was found inciting Muslim mobs after the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act. He is also, of course, is a senior member of the Ara Pacis initiative which is known to work with the Italian Secret Service and the Italian Government to help them achieve foreign policy objectives.
In addition, Harsh Mander was also a member of Sonia Gandhi’s extra-constitutional National Advisory Council that drafted the remarkably anti-Hindu Communal Violence Bill. That the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation counted the Aman Biradari Trust among its partners is further evidence of the cesspool of ethical malpractice that festered within the organisation.
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation: Sinister for far more reasons than the China links
Thus, all of this information that is available in public domain, amply demonstrates that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation was used by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to engage in shady deals with foreign governments that could have very well compromised the sovereignty of our nation. Furthermore, they also received donations from dubious entities abroad.
It also demonstrates that Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust had links to the scandalous Clinton Foundation as well. In addition, the RGF also received a lot of funds from private entities which come across as investments rather than for shared humanitarian objectives. Considering all of this, it is imperative that the Government of India order an investigation into the operations of the RGF and the RGCT in order to determine the extent to which they compromised Indian national interests.
