Inspector General Vijay Kumar of the Jammu and Kashmir police has confirmed that Hilal Ahmad Dar, the missing Ph.D. scholar from Srinagar, has joined militant ranks in the terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen. As per reports, he went for a trek to high altitude Naranag in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir on 14th June with his four friends. All of them returned on the same evening but Hilal.
Missing PhD scholar Hilal Ahmad Dar of Bemina Srinagar, who went missing during a trekking expedition has joined Hizb militant group, says IG Police Vijay Kumar while talking with media along with DG police after wreath laying ceremony of CRPF jawan at RTC Humhama.
On 22nd June, his family staged a protest in Srinagar and urged the police to take immediate steps to locate him. IG Kumar was talking to press after the wreath-laying ceremony of a fallen CRPF jawan who lost his life in a gunfight in Pulwama. Two terrorists were neutralized during the operation. One of the reporters asked IG for an update on Hilal to which he replied, “He joined Hizbul Mujahideen.”
Dar’s recruitment unusual amid dip in people taking up arms
As per reports, in the last few months, police officials have noted a dip in the recruitment of terrorists. While 85 people joined such groups from January to May 2019, only 39 have taken up arms this year. There were some reports on Sunday that Hilal was killed along with two other terrorists in an encounter, but the J&K police denied such claims. They said that Hilal Ahmad was not among the three terrorists neutralized in the Gilli Kadal area of Srinagar.
During the protest on Monday, his family members said that Hilal was an orphan, and he lost his parents when he was in class 10. They requested to trace him and help the family in getting him back home.
Thirty five years ago, on this very day, the then deadliest aviation oriented terrorist attack occurred in the world. It would remain the deadliest of its kind until the 9/11 attacks in 2001. It was the bombing of Air India Flight 182 Kanishka by Khalistani terrorists which led to the death of 329 people, that is, everyone aboard the flight.
The events that followed marked one of the gravest injustices in modern history. Despite the most expensive trial in Canadian history, only one person was convicted for the same and even he was granted bail in 2008 after he was sentenced to only 15 years in prison. Inderjit Singh Reyat spent over 20 years in jail for his role in the deadliest mass murder in Canadian history.
Reyat was also convicted on two counts of manslaughter for his role in building a bomb that exploded at the Narita International airport, killing two baggage handlers. The luggage bomb in Air India Flight 182 exploded when it was above the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland on its way from Montreal in Canada to London. A similar fate awaited the other aircraft as well but it exploded before it could be loaded onto the plane.
The terror attack was carried out by Khalistanis in revenge for former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s decision to storm the Golden Temple in order to rid it of Bhindranwale. Apart from his role in the terrorist attack, Reyat was also accused of lying and committing perjury during the trial of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri.
Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only person convicted for the terrorist attack on Air India Flight 182. Darryl Dyck—AP
Justice Ian Josephson called Reyat an “unmitigated liar under oath” while acquitting Malik and Bagri of the bombing deaths. While he at least served some time in prison, most others, including the individual believed to be in charge of the conspiracy, died a natural death without facing the consequences for their actions.
Years after the incident, in 2010, a report on the matter blamed a “cascading series of errors” by the government, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the spy agency for failing to avert the terror attack. Former Canadian Supreme Court Justice John Major said that the blunders that were committed by security agencies were “inexcusable”.
“I stress this is a Canadian atrocity,” Major said. “For too long the greatest loss of Canadian lives at the hands of terrorists has somehow been relegated outside the Canadian consciousness.” 268 Canadian citizens died in the act of terrorism. 27 Brits and 24 Indians were also murdered in the said attack.
The report also said that Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and RCMP were in possession of pieces of information “that, taken together, would have led a competent analyst to conclude that Flight 182 was at high risk of being bombed by known Sikh terrorists in June 1985.” One of the key recommendations of the report was for the Prime Minister to clear the turf wars between the agencies.
Organisations suspected of involvement
Inderjit Singh Reyat was a member of the International Sikh Youth Fderation (ISYF), which has since then been banned in Australia, European Union, Japan, India, Canada and the USA through counter-terrorism legislation. Even so, it continued to receive funds from Sikh extremists based in western countries.
ISYF members have also engaged in numerous terrorist attacks and assassinations against Hindus as well as Sikhs who did not align themselves with their cause. One of the founders of the banned outfit was Jasbir Singh Rode, a nephew of Bhindranwale. It also collaborated with other terrorist organisations such as Babbar Khalsa and the Khalistan Liberation Force.
Babbar Khalsa was also suspected of involvement in the terrorist attack on Air India Flight 182. It was later found in an inquiry that the terror attack was indeed carried out by the banned outfit headed by Talwinder Singh Parmar. It receives funds from the ISI in Pakistan and terrorist groups based in Germany to reignite terrorism in Punjab.
Support for Khalistani Terrorists abroad
Despite the heinous terrorist attack on Air India Flight 182, Khalistani terrorists continue to enjoy support in western countries. Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone appointed a member of Sikh Federation UK, the successor of ISYF, to the Board of Transport of London. Dabinderjit Singh had also been a member of the ISYF itself.
More recently, Canada has emerged as a safe haven for Khalistani terrorists. During Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official visit to India in 2018, terrorist Jaspal Atwal convicted in an attempt to assassinate an Indian Minister received official invitation to a dinner hosted by the Canadian High Commission. It created quite the furore even then. Atwal, too, is a former member of the ISYF.
Another prominent Canadian politician, Jagmeet Singh, has also been under the radar of Indian intelligence agencies for his pro-Khalistani and pro-Pakistan stance. In 2014, he had been denied a Visa by Indian authorities. Two years later, he had attended a pro-Khalistan seminar and went so far as to endorse the use of violence to establish Khalistan by partitioning India again.
The Legacy of Air India Flight 182 Kanishka
Thirty-five years after the terrorist attack on Air India Flight 182 that led to the death of everyone on board, it appears that the lessons of history have been forgotten. In 2020, support for Khalistan, ironically, does not essentially come from Indian Sikhs but from those who have settled abroad.
Politicians in western countries for the purpose of their suicidal brand of vote-bank politics have not only entertained such extremists but also encouraged them and provided them with financial support to increase their base. Justin Trudeau’s approach towards Khalistani terrorists has led to deteriorating relationship between the two countries and it was only to be expected.
The terror attack in 1985 was the greatest evidence of the fact that in an extremely interconnected world such as ours, a ripple in a pond has the potential to cause a tsunami miles away. While western politicians mollycoddle Khalistani extremists in their pursuit of power, they appear to have forgotten that they are risking the well-being of their own citizens. But as has become evident of late, the welfare of their citizens is the last thing that western politicians care about.
For India, the mainstreaming of Sikh extremism abroad has the potential to cause turmoil in our country. Therefore, it has become imperative for our intelligence agencies and diplomats to keep an eye on such radical elements in foreign nations. Under such circumstances, western countries would do well to remember, those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.
Even as the coronavirus outbreak in Maharashtra rages uncontrollably, the Marathi daily newspaper–Sakal, in an article today, has lauded Maha Vikas Aghadi’s bungled handling of the crisis. Extolling the state government, Sakal depicted Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray as Captain America, Health Minister Rajesh Tope as Iron Man and State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh as Thor from Marvel’s Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Avengers’ while the chief secretary Ajoy Mehta was illustrated as Batman, the fictional character by DC Comics.
Source: Sakal
Providing a flattering account of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, the article said that the quality of governance of the state in the last six months had proven them wrong who had expressed anxiety over the fate of the state when the alliance between Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP was announced back in December 2019.
“When the alliance between Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP was announced as a coalition to lead Maharashtra, many had expressed their scepticism and wondered if the coalition would be efficient enough to handle the state. A raft of people had desired and wished the coalition to fail. But it did not. Uddhav Thackeray, with his governance of the state, has slammed all his critics,” the article read.
Sakal hails Uddhav as the leader that Maharashtra needs
It further added that even those who opposed Uddhav Thackeray for supporting Hindutva are seen today praising him for his work today. Many people in the state today regard Uddhav as a leader that Maharashtra needs, the article said. “We need to see how this transformation occurred. From those opposing him, how they turned into his greatest admirers? Understanding this transformation does not mean singing paeans to Uddhav but it means recognising qualities that makes one a popular leader,” the article read.
Despite the dire situation in Maharashtra with regards to the coronavirus outbreak, the article heaps praises on the Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for his handling of the crisis. The Marathi news daily claims that Uddhav Thackeray’s decisions to combat the coronavirus spread in the state are grounded in his study of the COVID-19’s spread across the world and inspired from advises rendered by medical and epidemiological experts.
“Officials and journalists who have been closely monitoring Uddhav’s activities from day one claim that the Maharashtra chief minister seeks information from experts in administration and medical field. The experts keep a close tab on how the epidemic pans out in different parts of the world and how different countries are tackling the crisis and the research to tame COVID-19. All these studies help him in making informed decisions,” the article said.
Putting Maharashtra government leadership on the pedestal, the article asserted that Uddhav Thackeray and his ministers did a splendid job in containing the spread of the contagion by constantly talking with the officials, ministers, local administrators, seeking detailed information from different parts of the state through video conferencing and promptly solving those problems.
“In the current era when the information is concealed, Uddhav Thackeray appeared before people like the head of the family and provided information to them in a transparent manner. He kept interacting with the people through news channels or Facebook Live. There was no ambiguity, no concealment, no extravagance in his claims. People were impressed with his sincerity and his tendency of laying bare truth in front of them,” the article in the Marathi news daily said.
Caseload in Maharashtra keeps soaring
However, while the article showered praises on Uddhav Thackeray and other Maharashtra cabinet ministers, the coronavirus outbreak in the state continues to intensify. So far, 135,000 coronavirus cases have been registered in the state with more than 6,200 fatalities. It remains the worst-affected state by the pandemic and the number of caseloads in the state form approximately 40 per cent of the total infections recorded in India. Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra and India’s financial hub is the worst-hit city from the coronavirus outbreak as the tally of COVID-19 cases touched 67,586 mark.
Since Sakal is owned by Sharad Pawar’s family, we are left to wonder whether the depicted persons got to chose their favorite superheroes.
A social science e-textbook for class 10, available for download from the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) website, says Maharana Pratap, the 16th-century king of Mewar “lacked the patience, control and planning which is required in a military commander during hostile circumstances” as reasons for ‘failure’ in the Battle of Haldighati.
“Senanayak me pratikul paristhitiyon me jis dhairya, sanyam aur yojana ki avashyakta honi chahiye, Pratap me uska abhav tha (The patience, control and planning which is required in a military commander during hostile circumstances, was lacking in Maharana Pratap),” read a part of chapter 2 in the e-textbook version of Sangharshkalin Bharat-1206AD-1757AD’.
Screenshot from the e-textbook available for download on Rajasthan government website. Image via The Indian Express
The Battle of Haldighati was fought between Maharana Pratap and Akbar’s forces led by Raja Man Singh of Amer. The battle was lost by Maharana Pratap.
The erstwhile royal family of Mewar react strongly to the changes made in e-textbook on Maharana Pratap by Congress govt
The erstwhile royal family of Mewar, who are the direct descendants of Maharana Pratap have strongly objected to the revisions made in the school textbooks by the Congress-led state government. The royal family has demanded that the state education board either provides evidence to substantiate the claims made in the textbook or removes the content from the book immediately.
Reacting to the wrongful portrayal of his forefather, Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, a member of the erstwhile Mewar royal family said that it’s unfortunate that frequent changes are being made to the textbooks which would confuse a generation. “The valour and courage of Maharana Pratap has been documented on the basis of rightful evidence by the historians of all ages and time right from the Sixteenth century. I would like to know whether those who are writing chapters on Pratap even have expertise with them. If not, then it is an injustice to the students and society,” said Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar.
The family also expressed displeasure over downsizing of the relevant portions of the life of the brave Rajput warrior by the Congress government.
Writer expresses shock, says content downsized without his consent
The writer of the previous book CS Sharma also expressed shock saying that the content of his book was downsized without his consent. He said that the modified content is away from facts and attributing it to him was an offence.
The revision in class 10 social science textbook was carried out by the Congress government soon after it came to power in Rajasthan in 2018. The Congress not only insulted Maharana Pratap by calling him impatient and lacking in control and planning but also downsized the portion in school textbook which spoke of the great Rajput warrior. According to reports, the Congress government reduced the content on Maharana Pratap in school textbooks by 40 per cent from the previous book written during the former BJP government.
The downsizing has been done in class X printed and e-book version of ‘Sangharshkalin Bharat (1206 AD -1757 AD) while the objectionable comment on Maharana Pratap was added in the e-textbook version only.
The Congress government has in the e-textbook also revisited the famous battle of Haldighati by not only saying that many historians believe Pratap was defeated in the battle but also lists four reasons for the defeat under the subhead: “Parajay ke liye nimna uttardayi bataye jate hai (the following are said responsible for the defeat)”.
Reacting to the controversy, BM Sharma, convener of the textbook revision committee, agreed that the textbook revision doesn’t happen without political interference.
Following the controversy, RBSE Board chairman DP Jaroli told The Indian Express that if there is a mistake in the e-textbook, it will be corrected.
Veer Savarkar loses the ‘Veer’ prefix as Congress government re-writes history textbooks in Rajasthan
The Ashok Gehlot led Congress government in Rajasthan has not only insulted Maharana Pratap by attributing disparaging and unfounded remarks to the great Rajput warrior but has previously also insulted Veer Savarkar by axing the prefix ‘Veer’ from freedom fighter Savarkar’s name in the revised Class X social science textbook in the state.
According to the recommendations made by the textbook review committee set up by Rajasthan government on February 13 last year, Savarkar would be instead referred to as “conspirator who plotted the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi” and one who begged for clemency from the British government.
Similarly, in the revised history textbooks for class XII, Savarkar is addressed as ‘Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’. It describes how Savarkar, troubled by the torture inflicted on him in the Cellular Jail by the British, called himself a ‘son of Portugal’ in his second mercy petition on November 14, 1911. He sent four mercy petitions to the British. Following his freedom, it says Savarkar worked towards establishing India as a ‘Hindu nation’ and gave the call to ‘militarise Hinduodom’.
The Congress’ self-absorption pulls them back from crediting India’s evolvement to anyone else apart from its own ancestry.
The BJP government has accused the Congress of trying to indulge in ‘Congressisation’ of education and following a policy of minority appeasement.
The third virtual Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting chaired by party president Sonia Gandhi is currently underway. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had tweeted a picture of him standing during the meeting saying that CWC observed a two-minute silence to pay tribute to the 20 brave Indian soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the violent face-off with China in the Galwan Valley.
Sharing his picture, Ashok Gehlot tweeted: “In the virtual meeting of Congress Working Committee, observed two minutes silence to pay tributes to our brave soldiers, who made the supreme sacrifice on the India-China border”.
In the virtual meeting of Congress Working Committee, observed two minutes silence to pay tributes to our brave soldiers, who made the supreme sacrifice on the India-China border. pic.twitter.com/XNO38UNB2H
Ashok Gehlot shared two pictures. In one picture, Gehlot is seen standing, while in the other one the Congress President Sonia Gandhi remains seated. Netizens who were quick to observe this asked why “madam” remained seated when the committee observed two minutes silence to pay tributes to our brave soldiers.
One twitter user said that probably Sonia Gandhi remains unaffected by the country’s loss, that is why she did not feel the need to stand up and pay tribute to our brave soldiers. To this one other replied that Indians have paid tribute to the soldiers, Italians haven’t. Speaking of Sonia Gandhi’s Italian roots, he said that since she is an Italian she remains impervious to the death of Indian soldiers.
Indians ne tribute diya hai Italians ne nahi. ?
— Vigilant ???????????????? (@Vigilantlenses) June 23, 2020
Another Twitter user commented that while the CM of a state is standing up, the ‘queen mother of sycophants’ has remained seated.
India-China stand off in Eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley
During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off had taken place between Indian and Chinese troops on the night of June 15 with casualties on both sides. At least 20 Indian soldiers, including a Commanding Officer, had attained martyrdom in the violent clashes with the Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley.
The killing of the Indian soldiers marked the Indian Army’s worst losses since the Kargil War in 1999 and signifies the most intense military combat between India and China since 1967 when India lost around 80 soldiers while over 300 Chinese army personnel were killed in the confrontation.
A week later, we are still coming to grips with the shocking events that unfolded on the night of June 15 between Indian and Chinese armies at Galwan Valley. The contours of what happened are amply clear: Indian troops on a patrol were ambushed by the Chinese. There was furious hand to hand fighting, in which both sides suffered casualties.
There are two things we know for sure. One, the Indian Army has tragically lost 20 soldiers. Second, there have been casualties on the Chinese side. The question is how many. The grim reality of war forces us to compare.
Given the authoritarian nature of the Chinese state, they may never officially disclose the losses on their side. This forces to put the pieces together using source based reports about Indian and US intelligence, observing China’s reactions and some basic common sense.
So here are four reasons we can be sure that China suffered heavier losses than we did in the June 15 conflict.
Countries hide casualties only to avoid embarrassment
It is noteworthy that China admitted openly that they have suffered casualties. They confirmed this on Day 1, but since then they have stubbornly refused to disclose how many. Since then, they have also been hiding behind the term “casualties,” which is a weasel word in itself. It could refer to the dead or to the injured, or both.
In the history of warfare, there is ever only one reason a country hides its losses. To save face and keep up morale of their civilians and their military.
Ironically, China claims that they are not disclosing casualties to protect the sentiments on the Indian side. This is weak sauce. And if the matter were not so serious, it would be laughable. In other words, they are willing to sacrifice morale of their own people in order to protect our sentiments? Come on. We are all grown ups here.
US intel sources appear to say the same thing
US News carried a report the very next day, saying that US intelligence indicates that the Chinese side suffered 35 casualties. They have repeated the figure today from US intel sources and provided more details about who ordered the ambush on the Chinese side.
These reports have since gone viral on the internet and have been widely quoted by Indian media. Even with China’s strict censorship, it is near impossible that the reports haven’t reached the Chinese public. If nothing else, there are hundreds of thousands of Chinese students and professionals working abroad, who will see these reports and mention them to folks back home.
China has not tried to contradict or even discredit these reports, officially or unofficially. They have not offered even the slightest assurance to the Chinese public against them.
China has a recent history of hiding deaths due to Coronavirus
Officially, China claims to have suffered only 4,634 deaths due to the Wuhan Coronavirus. It would be hard to find any rational person who takes this number seriously.
There are studies that estimate over 35000 people could have died in Wuhan city alone, when the official death toll for the whole of China is not even 5000.
If China can hide literally tens of thousands, possibly even lakhs of deaths with such ease, it is really not difficult for them to conceal a few dozen deaths on the LAC.
China’s childish efforts to keep morale high on their side
It’s not like China has done nothing to keep morale high on their side. They could have been adults about it and revealed their casualty figures. Instead, we have seen propaganda that can only be considered childish.
Chinese media propaganda
As if this poster of live fire from Chinese batteries is supposed to scare us. In fact, on the day after the conflict, Chinese mouthpiece Global Times and its editors and reporters said an astonishing number of times that China is “not scared” of India. The kind of desperate self-assurance that you would hardly expect from a winner.
They literally said that again yesterday, along with another high resolution picture of a soldier.
Chinese media propaganda
It’s not clear whether China is trying to intimidate us or showing off their photo editing skills. And here is China showing that its soldiers can perform circus tricks.
Chinese media propaganda
I think they had another one today, of Chinese soldiers grabbing their guns while waking up from sleep. One guy wakes up quickly and spins his cap around with a flourish. It is possible this video was taken during a school trip, intended to make third graders start clapping their adorable little hands.
Again, if the matter were not so serious, we could just laugh. We don’t have time for that. Instead, the Indian public must ask itself two questions.
Who is helping China wage psychological war and why?
Having fared badly in the ground conflict, China is only left with psychological warfare. The posters and videos from Global Times won’t scare the Indian public. But since the morning of June 16, there have been certain cartels on the Indian side who have been trying to run down our morale. Trying to create visions of China pulling off some huge military victory and humiliating us.
Who are these people and what is their motivation? Could these be frustrated people who want the BJP to lose power at any cost? Could these be frustrated weapons dalals who have been put out of business by the Modi government?
Who prepared the ground for the Chinese propaganda offensive and why?
China is not a democracy and will not become one in the foreseeable future. For China, the only hope of turning global opinion against India was to project India as an authoritarian, fascist state. In particular, they would like the world to think of the Indian government as run by Nazi sympathizers and the Indian Army as brutal occupiers. Above all, they want the world to think India “annexed” Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh in Aug 2019.
Now, who on the Indian side has been saying exactly these things defaming India for the last 6-9 months? How come their rhetoric matches so perfectly with what China wants everyone to hear? What were the real motivations and real incentives of those who were defaming India.
At the LAC, the Indian Army has given a befitting response to the Chinese on the night of June 15. But China may have a shadow army operating very deep within our borders. Are we prepared for that?
As the coronavirus outbreak rampages through the country, afflicting more than 440,000 people and killing 14,011 people till date, Patanjali Ayurved—the entity run by renowned Yoga guru Ramdev has launched an Ayurvedic medicine combination which claims to cure the Wuhan originated Coronavirus disease within 3-7 days.
The Ayurveda based pharmaceutical company launched a kit containing ‘Coronil’ tablets, Swasri tablet and Anu oil, claiming that these ayurvedic medicines have shown up to 100 per cent favourable results during the clinical trials.
We’ve prepared the first Ayurvedic-clinically controlled, research, evidence & trial based medicine for COVID19. We conducted a clinical case study&clinical controlled trial, and found 69% patients recovered in 3 days & 100% patients recovered in 7 days: Yog Guru Ramdev, Haridwar pic.twitter.com/QFQSVF0JIh
What is the coronavirus medicine developed by Patanjali called?
Yoga Guru Ramdev on Tuesday revealed that his organisation ‘Patanjali Ayurved’ has successfully developed a treatment to cure coronavirus within 7 days. Patanjali has claimed that this is the first evidence-based medicine which can effectively cure COVID-19.
What is the claim made by Patanjali Ayurved?
Patanjali Ayurved asserted that the newly developed medicines have shown a 100 per cent efficacy against coronavirus infection within 3-7 days. In addition, the clinical trials have reportedly revealed that the usage of the aforesaid medicine resulted in the reduction of hsCRP and IL-6 levels in the treatment group as compared to the placebo group. The Ayurvedic treatment also showed weaker IL-6 response causing a lesser chance of cytokine storm.
Acharya Balkrishna of the Patanjali Ayurvedic said that minerals with herbs have been added in the medicine to make it more effective in battling the coronavirus, adding that the medicine kit can be taken as prevention for coronavirus. Yoga Guru Ramdev Baba, present on the occasion of the launch of the medicine, said that the Patanjali developed coronavirus kit is not an immunity booster but a coronavirus cure.
Baba Ramdev, while talking about the trials of the newly developed medicine said, “We are launching COVID medicines Coronil and Swasari today. We conducted two trials of these, the first clinical controlled study that took place in Delhi, Ahmedabad, and many other cities. Under this 280 patients were included and 100 per cent of those have been recovered. We were able to control corona and its complications in this. After this, the all-important clinical control trial was conducted.”
Who made the Ayurvedic medicine?
The novel Ayurvedic medicine to combat and prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus has been prepared by the combined efforts of Patanjali Research Centre and National Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur.
Thanking the Director of National Institute of Medical Sciences Dr Balbir Singh, and other associated doctors and scientists, Baba Ramdev said, “With the help of NIMS, Jaipur we conducted the study of the new medicines. The biggest thing which came out of this is that within three days 69 per cent of patients recovered and became negative from positive cases and within seven days 100 per cent of them became negative.”
Baba Ramdev also said that necessary approvals for conducting the trials of medicine on patients had been taken from competent authorities.
Acharya Balkrishna, CEO of Patanjali Ayurved said, “We appointed a team of scientists after COVID-19 outbreak. Firstly, the simulation was done and compounds were identified which can fight the virus and stop its spread in the body. Then, we conducted a clinical case study on hundreds of positive patients and we have got 100 per cent favourable results.”
What is the cost of ‘Coronil and Swasari’ medicine prepared by Patanjali and its availability?
The corona kit prepared by Patanjali Ayurved and NIMS will be available in Patanjali stores across the country as well as on the e-commerce app to be ordered online in a week. Very soon, an app will be launched for the delivery of the Corona kit. The price of the kit is kept at Rs 545 which will last for 30 days, Patanjali CEO Acharya Balkrishna said. He had earlier this month claimed that the Ayurvedic medicine developed by Patanjali has proven to be efficacious in curing the COVID-19 patients within 5 to 14 days.
In a bid to promote ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ (Self-reliant India), the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) – the dedicated portal for government procurement has made it mandatoryfor sellers to mention the ‘country of origin’ on products they sell through the platform.
The Union Commerce Minister released a statement on Tuesday making it mandatory for sellers to mention the ‘Country of Origin’ while registering new products on GeM.
Further, sellers who had already uploaded their products before the introduction of this new feature on GeM, have been asked to update the Country of Origin, with a warning that their products shall be removed from GeM if they fail to update the same.
The Commerce Ministry in its statement said that the GeM has taken this significant step to promote ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
Percentage of local content to be mentioned
The platform has also enabled a provision for indicating the percentage of local content in products in order to promote local goods.
“With this new feature, now, the Country of Origin as well as the local content percentage are visible in the marketplace for all items. More importantly, the ‘Make in India’ filter has now been enabled on the portal. Buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50% local content criteria,” the statement said.
Since its inception, GeM is continuously working towards promoting ‘Make in India’ initiative and the portal has facilitated the entry of small local sellers in public procurement, the statement said. Government e-Market (GeM) portal was launched in August 2016 for online purchases of goods and services by all the central government ministries and departments.
Earlier this month, the government had made changes the rules of public procurement to give maximum preference to companies whose goods and services have 50 per cent or more local content, a move aimed at promoting “Make in India” and making the country self-reliant.
PMO seeks details of action plan to cut dependence on China
This development comes on the backdrop of a high-level meeting that took placeat the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to discuss ways to promote Aatmanirbhar Bharat and cut import dependency on China.
During the meeting, the PMO reportedly asked for further details to form an action plan. The discussion over reducing imports from China has underlined significance amidst increasing border tensions between the two nations. There has been a rise in the demand to boycott products from China.
The move to replace the Chinese imports with more reliance on the domestically-manufactured products comes after the recent standoff between Indian and Chinese border troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Even earlier, there have been calls for promoting Indian products and reducing dependency on Chinese goods in the Indian market, especially after the coronavirus pandemic impacted global supply chains.
Enforcement Directorate is carrying out raids in six premises of north-east Delhi’s anti-Hindu riots mastermind Tahir Hussain in the National Capital. Four factories out of these six locations are in North-east Delhi and two are located in Noida.
#Breaking | Crackdown after ‘conspiracy’, Tahir Hussain’s premises raided. 6 premises have been raided across Delhi & Noida.
Hussain is accused of money laundering to finance Delhi riots
ED had registered a case against Tahir Hussain in March under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). As per the Times Now report, in the two-month-long investigation, ED has reportedly collected evidence that Hussain had set up an elaborated web of shell companies that he used to launder over 1.5 crores rupees. He allegedly paid anti-CAA protesters from the collected amount to carry out riots in at least 15 locations in north-east Delhi, including the Chand Bagh area. The anti-Hindu riots resulted in the death of at least 50 people.
Hussain’s name appeared in two charge sheets filed by Delhi Police. The first charge sheet holds him as one of the accused who had led a mob to destroy parked vehicles in Delhi’s Chand Bagh area. The second charge sheet names him as an accused in the incident where a mob had robbed a godown in Karawal Nagar. ED has said that in the next few days, they will move to court for permission to question Tahir Hussain, who is currently in judicial custody.
Hussain is also under investigation for the muder of IB official Ankit Sharma.
Shah Alam, brother of Tahir Hussain, was also arrested by the crime branch and north-east Delhi police. There is a possibility that the ED may subsequently call him for interrogation. Times Now has stated that ED has evidence that those who carried out riots in the Chand Bagh area are close to Tahir Hussain. All of them are working in companies that are directly or indirectly owned by Tahir Hussain.
Jamia student Safoora Zargar was granted bail by the Delhi High Court on Tuesday in the Delhi Riots case on humanitarian grounds. The bail was awarded after the Central government said that it had no objection to her release. She is in her 23rd week of pregnancy. Safoora Zargar was arrested on the 10th of April.
BREAKING: Delhi High Court Judge Rajiv Shakdher grants Safoora Zargar bail in connection with Delhi Riots case. @HuffPostIndia
A regular bail was granted to Safoora Zargar after furnishing a bond of Rs. 10,000 on the condition that she will not leave the territory of Delhi without th permission of the Court and will not hamper the investigation. She has also been instructed to be in touch with the Investigating Officer through phone calls once every 15 days.
The Delhi Police had opposed her bail in the Delhi High Court asserting that there had been 39 deliveries in Tihar jail over th past 10 years and Safoora Zargar was not entitled to any special treatment. However, the Court thought otherwise while asserting that it should not be taken as a precedent.
Zargar had appealed to the Delhi High Court for bail after it was rejected by a local court. She was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for her alleged role in the conspiracy that led to the Delhi Riots in February. Th Delhi Police had claimed that she was part of the conspiracy to “destroy, destabilize and disintegrate the Government of India in order to compel to withdraw the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the alleged National Register of Citizens”.
