Home Blog Page 6972

16 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh arrested in Mathura, had paid money to sneak through border

OpIndia Staff
-
0
16 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh arrested in Mathura, had paid money to sneak through border

Sixteen Bangladeshi immigrants were arrested in Mathura on Monday as reported by Times of India. These illegal immigrants were found in possession of Adhaar cards and Voter cards which they had obtained by submitting fake documents to government offices for legalizing their stay in India. As confirmed by the Police, these illegal immigrants have been staying in Mathura for past 3 years, working as ragpickers.

Mathura’s Senior Superintendent of Police Babloo Kumar disclosed the identity of illegal Bangladeshi people arrested as following: Mohammad Baker (32), Mahur (33) and his wife Rihanna (33), Mahabur (26) and his wife Ritu (23), Litton (30), Mosali (24) and his wife Sirina (22), Kiviriya (39) and his son Yusuf (19), Mannan (36), Mohammad Farukh (48) and his wife Sapna (38), son Yasin (18), Yasin’s wife Rabiya (21), Meenu (50) On the other hand, the local citizen who has sheltered him in Kosikalan has been identified as Ilyas (62).

“On the basis of a tip-off, the local intelligence wing and police in a joint operation nabbed 16 residents of Bangladesh along with four children who had been living illegally in Kosikalan for over two years. They had paid Rs 8,000-10,000 for crossing the border.” SP (Rural) Aditya Kumar Shukla said.

Eight Aadhar cards, one PAN card, one driving license and other documents have reportedly been recovered from them. Two persons named Wakar and Meenu had reportedly taken Rs 8000 each from them.

A case has been registered all the arrested. The court has sent everyone to judicial custody.

Illegal immigrants from Bangladesh have often been found in possession of Indian identity documents. The state of Assam has enforced the National Citizenship Registry (NRC) to identify illegal immigrants in the state. North-Eastern states like Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya frequently see cases where illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar manage to obtain Indian documents to stay in India.

EC comes down hard on Congress in Court: ‘Congress using fake documents to scandalise EC’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
EC comes down hard on Congress in Court: ‘Congress using fake documents to scandalise EC’

The Election Commission (EC) on Monday in the Supreme Court accused the Congress party of using forged papers to undermine the integrity of the Commission ahead of elections in five states.

The EC alleged that the Congress is resorting to peddling wrong voter lists that have been rectified by the Election Commission earlier after finding some discrepancies. The ECI said to the court it had rectified the error in the voters’ list in June after Congress had complained about the same and went on to accuse the Congress of using fake lists to discredit the institution.

Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Sachin Pilot had filed a petition in the Supreme Court as they had claimed that there were nearly 60 lakh fake voters in the state. Following this, the apex court had issued a notice to Election Commission to respond to the allegations. Election Commission had denied the allegations and said that these are “misleading and misconceived”.

The Election Commission had also said that the Congress party leaders should be punished for furnishing fabricated voter list. The Commission had asserted that it had always upheld the integrity and purity of the electoral process and was committed to holding “free and fair elections”.

The Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice A K Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan was hearing the responses of the counsel representing the EC. Vikas Singh representing the Election Commission said that “Despite the voter list being corrected, Congress continues to peddle mistakes in earlier lists and attempts to discredit a statutory organisation which has earned an impeccable reputation for conducting free and fair elections”. “This is nothing but using forged documents to scandalise the EC”, said Singh to the court.

Kabil Sibal appearing for the Congress demanded an inquiry conducted by the CBI into the duplicate votes and also wanted to fix responsibility on the EC officials who are alleged to be involved in creating Bogus voters’ list.

Vikas Singh supported the call for a probe on the charges but also added that there should also be charges against people for false accusations and should be punished if their allegations turn out to be false. “The allegations should be taken to a logical end. Let there be an inquiry. If EC officials are found guilty, let them be punished. But if the petitioners are found to have made wrong charges, they should also be punished”, said Vikas Singh.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the dates for the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Telangana. The states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan will go to poll on November 28 and December 7 respectively and the results will be announced on December 11, 2018.

Crude bomb goes off in Mumbai slum, Azrul Sheikh and a minor arrested

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Crude bomb goes off in Mumbai slum, Azrul Sheikh and a minor arrested

Two men were arrested on Sunday afternoon after a bomb they were assembling accidentally went off, injuring one of them. The impact of the explosion was so high that it sent the household articles tumbling down in the neighbourhood shanties.

The bomb was loaded with ball bearings, nails and glass shards, typical of terrorist attacks to maximize casualties. Eyewitnesses said that the explosion was extremely loud and could be heard within a radius of 1 KM. The case has since been transferred to the Crime Branch and the Anti-Terrorism Squad has started its own parallel investigation.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpWEjZPUjus]

One of the two arrested has been identified as Azrul Shaikh, 22. The other person is a minor. They both reportedly worked for BEST and MTNL as contract labourers, mainly involved in digging trenches for electric wires. Shaikh and his accomplice, both the natives of West Bengal, had recently moved in on Garib Nawaz Road in Antop Hill with Shaikh’s aunt. Police have stated that they had gathered potassium nitrate powder from ‘sutli’ bombs and were trying to develop a crude bomb by adding glass shards, nails and ball bearings to it.

Though the police on Monday refused to say whether they suspected a terrorism angle, they were actively considering all possibilities. A team of Crime Branch will leave for West Bengal on Tuesday for further investigations.

The bomb remains collected from the site have been sent to a forensic lab. The investigating team refused to comment on the explosives used by Shaikh. “We will wait for the FSL report,” said an officer. Neighbours have stated that Sheikh was injured in the blast. “We have registered an offence and the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch,” DCP N Ambika of zone IV reportedly stated to media.

Watch: Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore’s hate speech in Gujarat, inciting mob to take to violence against non-Gujaratis

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Watch: Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore’s hate speech in Gujarat, inciting mob to take to violence against non-Gujaratis

Days after widespread violence in Gujarat, shocking videos have emerged where Congress MLA from Gujarat, Alpesh Thakore is giving a hate speech against non-Gujaratis and instigating the mob to take to violence.


In a video which is believed to be from Becharaji, Gujarat, from last month, Alpesh could be heard saying, “all these outsiders who come here, they commit crime here which has led to increase in ‘goondagardi’. Villagers are beaten up and run off to their own hometown in other state after committing the crime. Is our Gujarat for such people?” Inciting people present there to take to violence, he said, “The trucks of these companies will be stopped and their doors will be broken.”

He then asks people how many are in a mood to fight? “Containers will be stopped, trucks will be stopped, and if needed, we will burn tyres.

In another video, he could be seen justifying violence.


The above video is edited by Japan Pathak, who tweeted it to put relevant portions. Full video could be seen here. He says, “Our system of protest is very clear. We don’t take to violence, we don’t break the law.” In the same interview, he says, “If these companies (which invest in Gujarat) do not give 85% of the jobs to Gujaratis, then tyres will burn, trucks will be stopped and trucks will be broken. I believe we should fight aggressively and now that same Alpesh Thakore is getting into the field to play his cards. We will then see how these ‘lions’ are dragged on to the roads.”

Adding how much he loves the colour of blood, he said, “We are going to put up an aggressive fight where you will be able to see blood on my white shirt. Because the red colour on your screen and that red colour is my identity. Along with that red and blue colour, we will lead a bloody protest.”

The recent violence in Gujarat followed a rape of a minor girl in a Thakor dominant village, after which a labourer from Bihar was arrested by police accusing him of the crime. After it was known that a person from Bihar has allegedly raped a Gujarati Thakor girl, it was reported that Kshatriya Thakor Sena instigated revenge violence against people from Bihar and UP working in the state, in various industries as well as people working as street vendors. The attacks were instigated by messages circulated in various social media networks. Following the attack, hordes of people from the two north Indian states have been leaving the state via buses and trains.

Later, evidence emerged that another Congress leader MV Thakore, also associated with Kshatriya Thakore Sena led by Alpesh Thakore, was seen threatening violence against non-Gujaratis. In the video, Thakore was seen threatening non-Gujarati people of massive violence if they don’t leave the state, and he had given them time till 9 PM on 8th October to do so. He said that after the deadline is over, he does not want to see anyone from Bihar and UP in his village. Everyone from Bihar and UP will have to leave, and they will come again to check, he added.

Gujarat minister and chief minister have urged the migrant workers who had left to come back and assured them of safety.

Meanwhile, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, instead of questioning leader of his own party for such hate speech, has decided to brazen it out by blaming ‘unemployment’ for the violence.

#MeToo: Now Comedian Varun Grover accused of sexual harassment, denies allegations categorically

OpIndia Staff
-
0
#MeToo: Now Comedian Varun Grover accused of sexual harassment, denies allegations categorically

The country has been gripped by a string of sexual allegations against prominent personalities after the #MeToo movement hit India. After the various film and media personalities, including stand up comics, being outed by women on the accusation of sexual harassment, the latest to be accused is comedian Varun Grover.


The story narrated by the victim anonymously dates back to 2001 when Varun Grover was the victim’s senior in Benaras Hindu University. The victims recount that Varun was the head of the dramatics society and she looked up to him for his skills.

She says that one afternoon, Varun inviter her to rehearse for the annual fest and had told her that she reminded him of Tillotama, the Apsara. Varun Grover had told her that he was writing a play and she would be the lead role as Tillotama.

She said that they finally met at a music club where he was to give her insights into what role she is to play. He said that she was to play a character which was playful and childlike but also destructive.

She says he kept calling himself Vishwakarma which she at the time thought was a joke. She said that he asked her to walk towards him from a distance with her arms extended, which she thought was play acting. He then snuck up behind her and grinded against her which made her feel terribly uncomfortable.

The victim says that she pushed him away and yet, he held her hand and said he was Vishwakarma and she was Tillotama.

Varun Grover has denied these allegations categorically. He has said that these statements are defamatory and untrue and that he will post a detailed response shortly.

OpIndia investigation: State Congress leader’s brother allegedly involved in corporate fraud

Ashutosh Muglikar
-
0
OpIndia investigation: State Congress leader’s brother allegedly involved in corporate fraud

Politicians and land deals have a very close-knit connection. Usually, any scam or allegation somehow leads to a property. When top leaders of Indian National Congress and Mr Robert Vadra a “Private” citizen himself are involved in land scams (read deals) then it won’t take too much time for their party members (read followers) to follow suit. One such case has been in the news for a long time but has missed the attention of national media probably because the news is from a relatively small state.

The current case allegedly involves Mr Sachin Upadhyay, brother of a prominent State Congress leader, Kishor Upadhyay and one Mr Mukesh Joshi. Thick in allegations flowing from multiple sides, the case takes strange twists and turns. At one point Mr Sachin Upadhyay is also alleged to have locked Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority inside a room and they had to be rescued by the police. If you think this is strange, then read the chronological allegations being made by Mr Mukesh Joshi his estranged business partner. Here is a synopsis.

FACTS AND ALLEGATIONS RAISED BY MR. MUKESH JOSHI

The matter is related to activities in 3 Companies

  1. S M Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.
  2. S and N Lifestyle Infraventures Pvt. Ltd.
  3. S and N Lifestyle Hospitality Pvt. Ltd

SM hospitality was incorporated in 31/10/2006 by Mukesh Joshi and Sachin Upadhaya as equal shareholders, each holding 5000 equity shares of Rs 10 each.

The objective of this venture was to construct a hotel. Mukesh Joshi and Sachin Upadhyay both have to bring in equal share of investment for the construction of the hotel.

As per the understanding and the statement given by Mr Joshi in the matter filed before the Company Law Board, he gave a Loan of R.s 1.7 Crores to the company (SM Hospitality) for the purchase of land. Sachin Upadhyay, however, did not contribute his share of investment and kept delaying it on one pretext or another.

Due to the stress caused by the non-fulfilment of promise by Sachin Upadhyay, apart from other harassment, Mukesh Joshi suffered a massive heart attack in October 2010 and was bedridden for more than one year. Allegedly, according to Mr Joshi, taking advantage of Mukesh Joshi’s medical condition Sachin Upadhyay, in blatant disregard of the Law of land and his fiduciary position as the director of the company, fraudulently with the intent to usurp the company and its properties filed various forms with the Registrar of Companies (ROC) to remove Mukesh Joshi from the post of director only to appoint his wife Nazia Yusuf Izuddin. He then proceeded to allot further 2,27,800 number of equity shares to himself in 18/02/2011 which is the same day when the appointment of Ms Nazia was approved.

In essence, it is alleged that Sachin Upadhyay converted the debt in the books of the company which was introduced by Mukesh Joshi into equity shares. He then proceeded to allot the 2,27,800 equity shares to himself thereby diluting Joshi’s stake in the company.

In fact, Form 32 for the appointment of Nazia and removal of Mukesh Joshi along with Form 2 were filed after a gap of 3.5 years (41 months) and on the same day.

It is worthy to note here, that as per the documents filed by Sachin Upadhyay, Mr Mukesh Joshi had allegedly resigned from Directorship in 2007.

However, in the year 2009, the documents filed by Sachin Upadhyay had the signature of Mr Joshi as the Director. The reader must recall that Mr Upadhyay has already conceded that the financial documents filed by him were fraudulent. It is alleged, that Upadhyay fabricated Joshi’s signature on the financial documents that were then retrospectively filed.

In the year 2012, Joshi took the matter to Company Law Board (CLB). In 2012 itself, Joshi also filed an FIR against Upadhyay in the Economic Offences Wing.

Realizing that their actions are bad in law both husband and wife agreed to enter into a compromise before the Company Law Board and entered into settlement dated 06.08.2013 before the CLB, wherein Sachin admitted that the Complainant (Mukesh Joshi) is holding 50% share in SM Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. In essence, Sachin Upadhyay agreed that his act of him allotting 2,27,800 shares to him and appointing his wife as the Director was incorrect and bad in law.

The settlement deed dated 06.08.2013 was submitted by Sachin and the complainant before CLB and CLB vide its orders dated 16.09.2013 declared Complainant as 50% shareholder in SM Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. Sachin under a separate agreement hypothecated his 50% shareholding to the Complainant. Hence complainant owns total 100% shareholding of SM Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. Sachin Upadhyay and Nazia have no right left whatsoever in the same since 2013.

The agreement between Sachin Upadhyay and Mukesh Joshi came into effect in 2013. Ideally, within a few days, Sachin Upadhyay should have taken steps to restore the directorship of Mukesh Joshi by removing his wife Nazia from the board. Further in line with the settlement deed, he should have paid Mukesh Joshi Rs. 2.65 crores as agreed and restore the ownership of the company to a 50-50 status.

 

However, according to Mukesh Joshi, Sachin Upadhyay did not take any concrete steps to honour the settlement deal and kept delaying the process under false pretexts.

While Mukesh Joshi waited and pursued Sachin Upadhyay to make good the settlement agreement, Sachin Upadhyay proceeded to write another chapter of this alleged scam.

Ideally, Sachin Upadhyay and his wife Nazia should have had no right to sell or mortgage any asset of the company. But, while Upadhyay kept delaying the agreement with Joshi, he hypothecated the property of the company SM Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. with a public financial institution like Punjab National Bank. By hypothecating the said properties, Upadhyay availed loan and credit facility to the tune of Rs. 39 crores from Punjab National Bank and 5.2 crores from other Financial Institutions. He had done exactly the same, with another company of theirs called SM Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

Prima facie, this entire transaction seems dubious and of an illegal nature and would point towards connivance between Upadhyay and officials of the bank.

A keen look at these allegations shows that there are three aspects to this alleged fraud.

  1. Fraud on an individual i.e. Mukesh Joshi
  2. Fraud on a public institution like Punjab National Bank
  3. Fraud on the general public by accepting a large amount of funds from them for running club membership

Mr Joshi claims that he has filed various complaints at different forums against the said individuals. He has even approached the Central Vigilance Commission to take due notice of the apparent illegalities being done under the various companies.

Mr Joshi also claims that Nazia and Sachin have duped scores of people by offering life membership of a club which has no legitimate existence.

“Politicians and their kin are above law whole system collude to protect their interests and shield their crime. My struggle of last 8 years taught me this lesson that No matter what evidence and facts I have against Sachin Upadhyay this battle is futile exercise he will go scot-free and will have the last laugh to add on my agony”, said Mr Joshi when OpIndia spoke to him.

In a media published by The Tribune, it was reported:

“Three officials of the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) were allegedly held captive by the owner of a property, Sachin Upadhyaya, a younger brother of Tehri Congress MLA Kishore Upadhyaya when they went to photograph the premises on Rajpur Road here today. The officials could only be freed with the timely intervention of the police”. 

The Media report goes on to say:

“Vice-Chairman, MDDA, RK Sudhanshu said: “The officials had been sent to take pictures of the residential premises, to be shown at the hearing, to describe the kind of commercial activity going on in the building. Moreover, the MDDA has the authority to enter any property under its jurisdiction without permission.” Sudhanshu added the property was in the name of Rajender Nautiyal, a businessman, but a social club was illegally being run there by Sachin Upadhyay. The owner of the property had encroached upon a big chunk of government land in the vicinity and was building a four-storied building there”.

At a time when the banks are struggling with NPA’s and matters are filed before the National Company Law Tribunal across the country, a serious alleged breach and misuse of public funds is done by a prominent person related to tall Congress Leader of Uttarakhand. It remains to be seen when the government starts acting on the complaint filed before the Central Vigilance Commission.

Editor’s note: We sent a detailed questionnaire to Mr Sachin Upadhyay on 22nd September 2018 after a telephonic conversation earlier soliciting answers. On 26th September, we sent Mr Upadhyay a reminder to respond to our questions. After that, Mr Upadhyay reached out to us via telephone and sought more time to furnish answers. Failing which, finally on 6th October 2018, Mr Upadhyay was informed that OpIndia.com will be publishing the story. This story will be updated with Mr Upadhyay’s response if and when he chooses to furnish the answers. 

(This investigation was conducted along with Nupur J Sharma)

Update: Mr Sachin Upadhyay was arrested in this case on 19th January 2019.

Journalist shares practical tips on how to deal with sexual harassment after sour experience

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Journalist shares practical tips on how to deal with sexual harassment after sour experience

Last one week has been triggering and heartbreaking at a lot of levels with many women coming out and calling out their sexual abusers, especially from the media and television and film industry. It is not easy to speak up about such incidents and hence the courage the women have displayed at taking the step, which could have severe repercussions on personal and professional lives, is highly commendable.

However, many times when one is faced with such a situation, one is not sure how to go about handling it and how to take action to bring it to a logical conclusion. A journalist, who faced such a situation has written about some practical advice on how to deal with it.

She had accused her former employer Co-founder and Managing Editor of a viral content website of sexual harassment and levelled charges of abetment against the Co-founder and CEO, and Co-founder and CCO of the content website. She says the harassment dates back to 2015 when she joined the website as the Founding Editor-in-Chief.

She says that she took legal steps and the litigation has lasted over a year. Since the case is sub-judice, she could not give out details of the case but does list out some of the hardships and harassment she faced. She says that when she complained in June 2016, there was no internal complaints committee (ICC).

She says she was assured by the Co-founder and COO that strict action would be taken and she would not be made to work with the harasser again. However, the opposite happened. She says that an ICC was set up in August 2016 and without her knowledge or consent she was named as one of the members along with one of the accused in abetting, and hence she could not judge her own case.

Her concerns, she says, were met with silence. She says she was repeatedly and coercively told not to put anything in writing. Hence, her first advice is to put everything in writing:

“It seems exhausting (and almost unnecessary until you’ve been harassed), but even if you don’t take your fight to court, you will need any and all evidence to participate in an ICC investigation or even to substantiate your claims should you face any legal or social media-fueled backlash. We must accept that we live in a less-than-ideal reality where we must come to expect and be prepared for any assault or harassment, and with that understanding – I urge you to collect and store any and all evidence from the time you notice something’s off in someone’s interaction(s) with you.”

She says that after her complaint, her time in the organisation was marred by constant harassment on the hands of these individuals. “In fact, ironical and sad as it is in the scheme of women supporting women, this workplace harassment was largely perpetrated and abetted by *name redacted*. *name redacted* used every trick in the ‘How to Silence Sexual Harassment Victims’ handbook to edge me out of the company on what would seem like my own volition, to criticize my work without adequate reason, to overburden me with work far below my qualifications, designation, and capabilities and beyond the reasonable scope and timings of my job, and more.” she wrote on Facebook.

She further accuses her former colleagues of indulging in an intra-office mail smear campaign maligning her and another colleague. She then started collecting evidence. Chat records and anything that could help in the ICC to strengthen her case. She then advises not to quit:

“It is likely that many of you who have spoken up (or not) are worried for the security of your job and your next paycheque. My strictly personal advice to you is to STAY within the system, if your strength allows it, and fight while you’re inside. The Sexual Harassment Act of 2013 provides for a 90-day PAID leave for complainants to avoid the discomfort of her workplace during the pendency of the investigation. In fact, even if you choose to take your fight to a higher court, you are well within your legal rights to maintain your status of employment.”

After realising that the ICC is not going to help her get justice, she decided to take up the legal course of action. She spent days waiting to file an FIR and says the police did a very shoddy preliminary investigation. On this, she advises to get a lawyer:

“I strongly recommend getting legal counsel in place the moment you decide to pursue even so much as an internal investigation. Several stories have emerged in the past year alone of willfully botched up ICC investigations, and one must accept that such committees are mere creatures of the organization and management, should they even exist in the first place. In that event, if you approach the police, please have a lawyer accompany you to ensure all formalities are addressed. The police isn’t always your friend, but it may be your only logical recourse.”

She says that after the FIR, the media picked up her story and she was hounded by conflicting media narratives and insensitive reporting by ‘small section of renowned, otherwise holier-than-thou media enterprises.’ She especially finds fault with a portal named NewsD and Newslaundry.

She further alleges that, “In an even more infuriating and bizarre turn of events, I was informed that in spite of putting out a carefully crafted press release acknowledging my complaint and the pending investigation, *name redacted* brazenly edited, wrongfully contextualized, and then leaked my private official emails to him and *name redacted* to the entire office of the website and to several news Websites in an attempt to further harass, humiliate, and malign me, and destroy my well established career.”

She says these emails contained details about her and violated the laws that protect the identity of the survivors of sexual crimes. She then advises to be ready to see people take u-turn:

“You must accept and prepare for is the dark reality that when it comes to standing as your witnesses, some of your closest companions and/or most upright colleagues will either shy away or go against you. I had colleagues I considered friends either outright refuse to stand as witnesses, or distance themselves completely, or turn against me. Some of my ex-colleagues blatantly lied in their police testimonies against me (you know who you are, and I can’t wait to destroy you in a cross examination). I later heard from sources that *names redacted*, and their legal team had allegedly coerced and/or bribed employees to testify against me and manipulated key evidence.

I would advise you to forgive those who don’t have the courage to stand with you (but want to), and immediately let go of those who just won’t. But fight anyway.”

She further advises to be aware of the law:

“Acquaint yourself with the law, arm yourself with the knowledge necessary to advocate for yourself in an ICC (you are not allowed any legal representation within the hearings and investigation, but may seek counsel outside of the ICC), and be well prepared with any jurisprudence to mitigate the impact of an investigation that may be engineered against your interests. It has been heartening to see certain well-intentioned ICCs take up complaints from even a few years ago, but equally unsettling to see that the legal framework may not always support the victims who inculcate the courage to come forward much later. That said – YOU CAN ALWAYS TAKE IT TO THE POLICE.”

She urges more women to come out and speak out and tell their story. This will help in creating a robust body of judgements so that going forward, women find it relatively easier to take the legal course of action against sexual harassment, especially at the workplace.

Update: Names have been redacted due to an order of the honourable High Court of Delhi, as apprised to us by one of the parties. However, the information is being retained as the objective of this article is to make readers aware of the issues related to reporting workplace harassment rather than passing judgment in this particular case. OpIndia is not commenting on the merits of the case.

NSA Ajit Doval to take charge of ‘Strategic Policy Group’, to look after India’s long-term security and strategic interests

OpIndia Staff
-
0
NSA Ajit Doval to take charge of ‘Strategic Policy Group’, to look after India’s long-term security and strategic interests

The Union government has decided to bring in National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to head ‘Strategic Policy Group or SPG’ to assist the National Security Council, which advises the Prime Minister on matters of national security and strategic interests.

According to reports, NSA Doval will be replacing Cabinet Secretary in the SPC, a mechanism created in April 1999 to assist the National Security Council (NSC) in strategising on matters dealing with external, internal and economic security of the country.

The Strategic Policy Group or SPG will assist the National Security Council and undertake among other tasks, a long-term strategic review of the country’s security affairs. Reportedly, the SPG will be the foremost mechanism for inter-ministerial coordination and integration of relevant inputs in the formulation of national security policies of the country.

According to the reports, the high-level panel will be chaired by Mr Doval and its members include the NITI Aayog vice chairman, cabinet secretary, the chiefs of the three defence services, the RBI governor, the foreign secretary, the home secretary, the finance secretary and the defence secretary. The other members are secretaries of revenue, atomic energy, space, director of Intelligence Bureau and secretary, National Security Council Secretariat.

in addition to this, the secretary of the Department of Defence Production and Supplies, the scientific adviser to the defence minister and the secretary, cabinet secretariat will also be members of the panel.

The NDA government through a notification brought changes to the 1999-order, by making NSA as its chairman of SPG replacing the cabinet secretary.

The new changes brought in by the government to its National Security architecture has made sure that NSA Ajit Doval is at the helm of all strategic and security affairs, making him one of the most powerful people in the government currently.

Delhi Police raids illegal arms factory run from a house basement owned by Furkaan in Meerut

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Delhi Police raids illegal arms factory run from a house basement owned by Furkaan in Meerut

The Special Cell of Delhi police raided an illegal arms factory being run in the basement of a house in the Lissari Gate area of Meerut as reported by ABP news.

According to CO Kotwali Dinesh Shukla, under the leadership of DCP Kuldeep Kumar of Delhi Special Cell, the raid was carried out in Lakhipura street No. 2 of Leesari Gate.

The house which was being used for running the illegal weapons factory belonged to one Furkaan Rajmistri. The police raided the house on Monday night and seized a large number of finished and unfinished weapons including spare parts in the basement of the house.

Delhi Police launched this operation with the help of an arms smuggler. The workers working in the illegal factory are originally from the Munger area of Bihar which is known to be the stronghold of illegal weapons. Delhi Police has recovered a lot of sacks, sticks, tanks and machines from here.  The number of people reportedly arrested by the police is five according to ABP News and three according to Amar Ujala.

The Police got the clue of the illegal weapons factory a few days ago when an illegal smuggler named Danish was arrested by the police in possession of an illegal pistol. In a massive haul, more than 400 finished and unfinished country-made pistols were recovered from an illegal arms factory in Meerut in August this year.

IMF WEO report: India is the fastest growing economy in the world, 7.4% growth predicted for the next fiscal

OpIndia Staff
-
0
IMF WEO report: India is the fastest growing economy in the world, 7.4% growth predicted for the next fiscal

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday lauded Indian government for its efforts to carry out economic reforms in the country and also projected India to be the world`s fastest growing major economy in the current year and also in 2019.

According to the IMF, India will achieve a growth rate of 7.3 percent in the current fiscal year and it has predicted that India will grow at 7.4 percent in 2019-20.

IMF has released its annual World Economic Outlook (WEO) report ahead of its annual meeting in Bali said, “In India, important reforms have been implemented in recent years, including the Goods and Services Tax, the inflation-targeting framework, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, and steps to liberalize foreign investment and make it easier to do business.”

The international organization cited external factors of the recent increase in oil prices and the tightening of global financial conditions for its revision of India`s growth projection made in July for next year by 0.1 percent to 7.4 percent. However, it has retained the 7.3 percent growth projection for this year made in July.

IMF predicts India to be the fastest Economy in the world
Image Source: Economic Times

The WEO report suggested the rise in the growth rates reflected a rebound from transitory shocks of demonetization and implementation of the GST accompanied by strengthening investment and robust private consumption. The IMF in its report is of the view that India’s growth rate will improve post-2019 due to structural reforms initiated by the present government and favorable demographic dividend.

“India`s medium-term growth prospects remain strong at 7.75 percent, benefiting from ongoing structural reform,” it added.

This year’s China will growth rate stays at 6.6 percent, which is 0.7 percent less compared to India and it will be staggering 1.2 percent less than India in the next year, said IMF. The IMF has also cut the world growth projection made in July for this year and the next by 0.2 percent to 3.7 percent.

IMF Chief Economist Maurice Obstfeld has warned that “there are clouds on the horizon” and “the likelihood of further negative shocks to our growth forecast has risen. In several key economies, moreover, growth is being supported by policies that seem unsustainable over the long term,” he said.

He further indicated the uncertainties in the trade as a result of US President Donald Trump`s policies and the tightening of financial markets in developing countries among factors increasing the risks to global growth,

The IMF has recommended India to reforms to revive bank credit and enhancing the efficiency of the banks by solving NPA crisis and advised to improve corporate balance sheets and the governance of public sector banks.

It has also added, “A high-interest burden and risks from rising yields also require continued focus on debt reduction to establish policy credibility and build buffers. These efforts should be supported by further reductions in subsidies and enhanced compliance with the Goods and Services Tax.”

Earlier this year, the World Bank had also predicted a growth of 7.3% for the 2018-19 fiscal for India.

1...6,9716,9726,973...7,677Page 6,972 of 7,677