Home Blog Page 1747

Begusarai: Vandalism of Shivling sparks outrage; locals blame it on the ‘Samuday Vishesh’ members

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Begusarai: Vandalism of Shivling sparks outrage; locals blame it on the ‘Samuday Vishesh’ members

In Begusarai, Bihar, protests broke out on September 23 over purported vandalism of Shivling and a Hindu temple by hooligans belonging to the ‘Samuday Vishesh’ community, a report published in Jagran said. Angry protesters blocked roads, disrupted traffic, and hurled stones at the police in protest against the vandalism.

In the aftermath of the incident, the demonstrators razed the residences of the individuals believed to be responsible for desecrating the Hindu temple at Khatopur Chowk in Begusarai. A resident of Begusarai expressed, “Last night, a Shivalinga was desecrated. We are calling for a thorough investigation.”

Prompted by the misconduct, District Magistrate Roshan Kushwaha and Superintendent of Police Yogendra Kumar, accompanied by senior officials, promptly arrived at the protest site to quell the demonstration. Addressing the situation, Kushwaha affirmed that the police have identified the wrongdoers and are on track to apprehend them. “An investigation is currently in progress,” he further stated.

Members of ‘Samuday Vishesh’ responsible for the vandalism of the temple and Shivling: Locals

Local residents allege that members of ‘Samuday Vishesh’ gather in the temple to consume alcohol. They further contaminate the sacred premises by consuming non-vegetarian food near the religious site and disposing of the remains in the vicinity. The locals assert that they had accosted the accused on multiple occasions but they did not heed their requests. They alleged that members of a particular community had gathered in the temple and consumed alcohol last night, causing damage to the deity.

The residents also asserted that they were abused for asking the accused to stop consuming alcohol and meat inside the temple premises. They further claimed that even though the accused had been identified, the police were not taking any action.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh lashes out at INDI alliance over increasing attacks on Hinduism

In the aftermath of the incident, Giriraj Singh, the Member of Parliament for Begusarai and a Union Minister, arrived at the scene and alleged that the district administration and the governing authorities were conspiring to perpetrate injustices against the Hindu communities.

“The district administration is actively shielding the accused and displaying negligence in handling the situation. Upon careful consideration, it appears that the I.N.D.I Alliance is bent on eradicating Sanatan Dharma. We are aware that miscreants were involved in the desecration of the Shivalinga,” remarked the union minister, subtly criticizing the Bihar government led by CM Nitish Kumar.

‘Father was in army, won’t buckle under pressure’: Manish Kashyap lambasts Bihar govt outside court, asks why NSA not slapped on Udhayanidhi Stalin

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Father was in army, won’t buckle under pressure’: Manish Kashyap lambasts Bihar govt outside court, asks why NSA not slapped on Udhayanidhi Stalin

On September 22, Friday, a video emerged on social media wherein the Bihar-based YouTuber Manish Kashyap, who has been languishing in jail for the last 6 months, could be seen lambasting the Bihar government for the mistreatment he was being subjected to by the jail authorities working at the behest of CM Nitish Kumar.

Infuriated by the arbitrary action he has been facing at the hands of the Bihar police, the Youtuber declared that no matter how hard the Bihar government tries to break him, he will not buckle under the pressure.

The video which has now gone viral on social media is from outside a court in Patna where he was produced yesterday (September 22, Thursday).

Bihar-based YouTuber Manish Kashyap was arrested in March this year in a case related to the ‘fake videos’ of attacks on Bihar migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. The YouTuber was slapped with the stringent National Security Act (NSA) and is currently housed in the Beur jail in Patna, Bihar.

In the video, Manish Kashyap appears to get emotional at first when he sees his mother, Madhu Devi, who is waiting outside the court to see her son. “Today, there are tears in my mother’s eyes,” the YouTuber tells the press, “but I promise, once I’m out of here, I will wipe the tears of lakhs of mothers.”

The Youtuber then throws an open challenge before the Bihar government saying, “I am the son of an armyman. My father and grandfather both served in the army. I will die but not bend before them. They have handcuffed an innocent person. I have reacted in the last 6 months but now I shall not keep quiet. I will get scared, won’t buckle under the pressure,” Manish Kashyap asserted.

Further targeting Bihar’s former CM and fodder scam convict Lalu Yadav, the Youtuber was seen shouting, “I am not the son of a fodder thief, my father and grandfather served the country. My grandfather fought against China, while my father battled against the Pakistani army. When they did not get scared, what made them think that I would get scared of these netas (leaders), that too in our independent country and the independent state of Bihar?

When questioned whether the Bihar government should take action against those who mistreated Bihari labourers in Tamil Nadu, Manish Kashyap fumed saying that ideally it should be done but does the Bihar police have the courage to act against them? he asked. If they do, let them arrest the accused, bring them here and put them behind bars, he exclaimed.

Further condemning the Bihar administration for its selective targeting, Manish Kashyap brought up the demolition of a bridge worth Rs 1700 crore in Bhagalpur and the death of a sub-inspector in Samastipur and questioned why the Nitish government had not taken action in these cases.

He also attacked Tejashwi Yadav, claiming that the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar publicly slanders other caste communities while batting for the Yadav caste, yet his mouth is always tied when people of the Yadav community fall prey to the caste-based killing in Bihar.

Drugs being smuggled into jail with help of police officials: Manish Kashyap lambasts Nitish Kumar govt for poor governance

Further, speaking on the difficulties he has been facing in Patna’s Beur jail where he has been housed, the YouTuber said that smuggling of narcotics and other contraband items into the jail in connivance with prison officials is passe in Bihar. He lamented how he has been kept with drug addicts inside the jail who purposely blow smoke on his face to harass him. “I get a headache,” Manish Kashyap lamented.

He added that most lower-ranking police officers in the state are honest in contrast to the ones with one or two stars are the ones who are most corrupt. Yet it is the junior officers who get suspended and the seniors steer clear of disciplinary action.

“Every parent in Bihar is worried today,” Manish Kashyap remarked. Further stressing the poor administration in the state of Bihar under the ruling government, Manish Kashyap pointed to the police vans standing outside the court and asserted how they were in all in terrible condition and urgently needed repairs. He stated that the one in which he was brought to the court had suddenly stopped on the road and that people had to physically push it because it was carrying almost 60 detainees.

Claiming that further FIRs will be filed against him in order to silence him, the YouTuber stated that while Bihar workers are being attacked and killed in TM, the Bihar government is remaining silent and instead utilizing its resources to suppress him.

Manish Kashyap further stated that no one is safe in Bihar now and that journalists’ lives are at risk. He asked President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transfer his case outside Bihar or Tamil Nadu because he wouldn’t get justice here. He claimed that the liquor ban had transformed the youth of Bihar into ‘ganjedis’ (adicts).

Mother of Manish Kashyap writes to President Murmu, questions the discrimination faced by her son

It may be recalled that recently, Madhu Devi, the mother of YouTuber Manish Kashyap wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu raising questions over the National Security Act (NSA) invoked against her son by the Tamil Nadu police for allegedly fueling tensions between two states while no such action taken against DMK leader and state minister Udhaynidhi Stalin who called for the “eradication of Sanatan Dharma”, posing an even greater threat to national security.

Manish Kashyap’s mother demanded that if the constitution is same for all then even Udhaynidhi Stalin should be booked under the NSA too. Moreover, she demanded that an independent committee formed by the Supreme Court should investigate the video of the migrant Bihari labourers.

Manish Kashyap’s arrest

Earlier this year, on 18 March, the Police arrested YouTuber Manish Kashyap aka Tripurari Kumar Tiwari from Bihar in connection with the alleged attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. A special team of the Tamil Nadu police brought him to the southern state on transit remand after the Madurai Crime Branch police registered a case against him.

Back then, it was reported that Kashyap had tweeted a ‘fake video’ of the attacks on migrant workers from Bihar in Tamil Nadu which went viral over social media. However, the video was created by the main accused Rakesh Ranjan Kumar, a native of Gopalganj district in rented accommodation in Patna. Later, the Tamil Nadu police slapped stringent NSA on Kashyap. He has been in jail since then despite moving bail petitions multiple times.

Pakistan’s economic model has failed completely: The World Bank says as it asks the government to tax agriculture and real estate

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pakistan’s economic model has failed completely: The World Bank says as it asks the government to tax agriculture and real estate

On Friday (22 September), the World Bank unveiled draft policy notes for Islamabad emphasising that it is deeply concerned over the current state of the Pakistani economy.  Highlighting that Pakistan’s economic model has failed completely, the Washington-based lender asked Pakistan to tax agriculture and real estate, Pakistan media reported. 

The World Bank has also urged Pakistan to cut down on its wasteful expenditures to attain financial stability.  

According to the World Bank, poverty in Pakistan has increased from 34.2% to 39.4% within one year. This has sent more than 12.5 million people below the poverty line of $3.65 per day income level. As per World Bank data, around 95 million Pakistanis now live in poverty. The World Bank asserted that the increase in poverty was consistent with ground realities.

The global lender’s lead country economist, Tobias Haque said, “The World Bank is deeply concerned about the economic situation as of today.” 

He added that Pakistan is facing serious economic and human development crises and it is at a point where major policy shifts are required.

Haque further added, “Pakistan’s economic model is no longer reducing poverty and the living standards have fallen behind peer countries.” 

According to the World Bank, it has identified several priority areas for reforms for the next government. These include improving low human development, an unsustainable fiscal situation, an over-regulated private sector, agriculture, and energy sectors.

On its part, the global lender has proposed a slew of measures. This includes – immediately increasing the tax-to-GDP ratio by 5% through the withdrawal of tax exemptions and increasing the burden of taxes on the real estate and agriculture sectors; and cutting expenditures by about 2.7% of GDP to achieve financial stability. 

The country director for Pakistan at World Bank, Najy Benhassine said, “This may be Pakistan’s moment for significant policy shift.”

He added, “We hope there is a realisation of the current economic situation but the question is whether the realisation for the change in policies is across all the political parties, businesses, civil society, and all those who count.” 

The World Bank draft policy further noted that Pakistan has the capacity to collect taxes equal to 22 percent of the GDP. However, its current ratio is only 10.2 percent – highlighting that there is a gap of more than half between the two.

This alarming development comes at a time when inflation soared to 27.4 percent in August after Pakistan received 1.2 billion USD from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in July. The package was a part of the 3 billion USD bailout programme for nine months. 

Punjab Police heads to Udaipur to provide security for Raghav Chadha-Parineeti Chopra wedding

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Punjab Police heads to Udaipur to provide security for Raghav Chadha-Parineeti Chopra wedding

Two days before the wedding of Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra in Udaipur city of Rajasthan on Friday (September 22), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP had roped in Punjab police to provide security for the event.

As per a report by NDTV India, a team of Punjab police travelled a whopping distance of 860 km to Udaipur to take charge of the security of Raghav Chadha’s wedding. It must be mentioned that the police is a State Subject and Punjab is ruled by AAP-led-government.

Earlier on Friday (September 22), Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha were spotted at the Delhi airport, prior to heading for their destination wedding in Udaipur. The wedding is being held at the iconic Hotel Leela Palace.

As per a report by India Today, 100 private security guards have been appointed for the purpose of the wedding. The security guards will be stationed on boats in the middle of Lake Pichola. A special security cordon has been arranged at the jetty of the Hotel Leela Palace.

Reportedly, the entire security system of the hotel has been changed for the wedding. About 15 blockade points have been set up in Udaipur by the police. All guests will be escorted by the security forces from the airport to the hotel.

In order to maintain the privacy of the wedding ceremony, a blue coloured tape would be pasted on the mobile phone cameras of those who enter the hotel.

Several high-profile guests have been invited to the wedding. This includes Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, designer Manish Malhotra, tennis player Sania Mirza, director Karan Johar and the bride’s cousin sister Priyanka Chopra.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife files ₹10 crore defamation suit against Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi over ₹10 crore subsidy allegation: Read details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife files ₹10 crore defamation suit against Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi over ₹10 crore subsidy allegation: Read details

Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, wife of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has filed a lawsuit against Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi over his allegation of receiving undue favours from the central government. The allegations by MP Gaurav Gogoi, son of former CM Tarun Gogoi, that her business Pride East Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. received a sizeable subsidy of Rs 10 crore from the central government is at the heart of the defamation case.

According to her attorney, senior advocate Devajit Saikia, the case was filed on Friday at the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) of Kamrup Metropolitan, Guwahati is scheduled to hear the case on 26 September 2023.

The controversy erupted after a document from the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries appeared which showed that Pride East Entertainments was granted ₹10 crore to set up an agro-processing unit in the Nagaon district of Assam under the Agro Processing Cluster (APC) Scheme of the ministry. Pride East Entertainment runs several news and entertainment TV channels, including the Assamese news channel News Live and the English news channel North East Live. Riniki Bhuyan Sharma is the CMD of the company.

Gaurav Gogoi claimed that the Chief Minister had arranged a substantial Rs 10 crore subsidy for his wife’s enterprise through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana of the federal government which sparked an escalation in the conflict between the two. The latter responded that his wife had not benefited from any such subsidy and fiercely denied these accusations.

Gaurav Gogoi shared a screenshot of the document from the ministry in support of his accusations on 13 September. However, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma and Himanta Biswa Sarma maintain that although the company was found eligible for the grant under the scheme, they never applied for the subsidy subsequently and therefore no govt subsidy has been taken by the company. But Gogoi continued to attack the CM and his wife over the issue, after which the CM’s wife filed the lawsuit against him.

The lawyer informed, “My client has claimed a defamation of Rs 10 crore against Gaurav Gogoi for various tweets on X. We have made it very clear that we never made any application to receive subsidy.” He explained that the application for a subsidy had not yet been started which led to a show-cause notice and an email from the Ministry of Food Processing were issued to his client’s company on 26 May of this year.

He highlighted, “The approval for the project was given on November 22, 2022. In the last email, we were told that our claim would lapse if we did not submit our proposal. We are not responding to anything to seek subsidy.”

Whatever the Congress leader wrote about Riniki Bhuyan Sharma and her company on social media was untrue, according to the counsel. He pointed out, “He did not do his homework. Getting approval for a project does not mean that a subsidy has been received. We will fight the case tooth and nail.”

As the Chief Managing Director (CMD) of her business, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma previously announced her intention to sue the Kaliabor MP and termed his comments a smear campaign intended to harm the reputation of an Assamese company run by a woman entrepreneur. She strongly refuted the accusations and emphasised that her company is just as eligible as any other qualifying business for government-sponsored programmes and incentive plans.

Pride East Entertainments Pvt Ltd asserted that despite meeting all eligibility requirements for the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana, it has neither applied for nor received any government assistance.

Riniki Bhuyan Sharma’s response to the allegation

Riniki Bhuyan Sharma who is the chairperson and managing director of the company, countered the charges by announcing that she would initiate legal proceedings against the latter in the amount of Rs 10 crore. She referred to the accusations as a “slanderous campaign” against the business she is connected to in a public statement which emphasised that the Congressman attacked a 17-year-old Assamese company with the intention to disparage and discredit the firm which upheld all legal requirements.

The press release posted on 14 September stated, “Pride East Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. is an independent entity in existence since 2006 with business interests in varied sectors. It is a law-abiding company with all its financial records in the public domain. With a long and successful business track record, Pride East Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. like any other qualifying enterprise is eligible to participate in government-supported programmes or incentive schemes.”

It highlighted, “However, in the present case, pertaining to the PM Kisan Sampada Scheme, Pride East Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. has neither claimed or received a single paisa (coin) of government subsidy, despite meeting all the eligibility criteria.” The clarification noted that the charges are “nothing but an attack to malign and defame a 17-year-old Assamese enterprise, which has adhered to every aspect of the law, headed by a women entrepreneur.”

It further read, “To protect the reputation of our hard-working employees from this slanderous campaign of Shri Gaurav Gogoi, Honable Member of Parliament, I am thereby constrained to file a case of defamation with Rs 10 crore in damages against him in the court of law.”

Assam Chief Minister’s reply to the Congress MP

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Deputy Leader of the Indian National Congress in the Lok Sabha indulged in a raging war of words on corruption allegations against his spouse after her company’s name appeared in a central government list which showed that a grant of 10 crore was received by it under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana which was firmly declined by the CM.

The Bharatiya Janat Party stressed that no monetary aid was given to Pride East Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. by the central government when the Congressman voiced that “the Ministry of Food Processing website clearly shows the name of the person and the company she is associated with” and told him to “report to the Union Minister if their website has been hacked.”

The Congress MP posted the link to the website of the Ministry of Food Processing and conveyed, “It shows the list of companies and promoters who have received the Rs 10 crore government subsidy. Please see serial 10,” after the claim of the money transaction was categorically opposed by the Assam CM.

Afterwards, the Congress leader uploaded the document of a Lok Sabha reply of Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and claimed, “Piyush Goyal’s reply has exposed the truth and both Ministers need to clarify.”

Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterated that no such financial assistance was provided to the business and affirmed, “The reply itself clarifies the fact that the Government of India has not released any funds to the mentioned company.” He announced, “If anyone can provide evidence to the contrary, I am willing to accept any punishment including retirement from public life.”

“Is the Hon’ble Chief Minister complaining to Union Minister Piyush Goyal,” the member of the Assam Congress questioned. “He is saying that Piyush Goyal has only approved the grant to the wife of Himanta Biswa Sarma but has not released the funds. How many more BJP politicians have used the PMKSY scheme to enrich their families,” he alleged.

Later the two leaders also dragged family history and other past events into their verbal spat. Afterwards, Gaurav Gogoi asked the chief minister to come to the state assembly and debate the issue to which the chief minister answered, “I spent 90 minutes in the Assam assembly today, where I introduced a bill and made a statement. No one raised anything about any issue concerning me. For your information.”

Himanta Biswa Sarma also stressed that as a legitimate business organisation, Pride East Entertainments has full rights to apply for and receive govt assistance for projects, and there would not have been any wrongdoing had the company received the grant. He also noted that almost all media companies in Assam run businesses in other sectors, which is a completely legal practice.

The background of the charge

The accusation was based on a news story which claimed that in February 2022, nine months after Himanta Biswa Sarma took office as chief minister, his wife’s company in which she owns the majority share bought approximately 10 acres of agricultural land in Kaliabor Mouza (which is located in Gaurav Gogoi’s constituency).

According to the report, Pride East Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. applied for a subsidy under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana to establish a food processing unit and the Union Food Processing Ministry approved a subsidy of Rs. 10 crore to the company on 10 November of last year. The agricultural plot was transformed into industrial land within months.

“PM (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi launched the Kisan Sampada Scheme to double the income of farmers in India. But in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma used his influence to help his wife’s firm get Rs.10 crore as part of credit credit-linked subsidy. Are central government schemes meant to enrich BJP,” Gaurav Gogoi alleged.

Himanta Biswa Sarma vehemently objected to the accusations after the chairman of the Congress Media and Publicity Department and All India Congress Committee member Pawan Khera asked, “Why you still deny” and uploaded images of Riniki Bhuyan Sharma’s professional biography and the government list which had her and Pride East Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. name on it.

“The Pride East Entertainments Private Limited, whose Chief Executive Officer is Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, advertises itself as the premier regional media organization uniting the entire northeast region. But a short while after the Assam Chief Minister took the oath of office, this corporation purchased 50 acres of farmland in Nagaon, Assam. This agricultural terrain quickly transforms into industrial land in a matter of days,” claimed Gourav Vallabh, the national spokesperson for the Congress in a press conference.

“Then, this company submits an application to the Government of India’s ‘Pradhanmantri Kisan Sampada Yojana’ stating that it will do the task of food processing. Furthermore, it receives a grant of Rs 10 crore for it. Is this the model to double farmers’ income, where the money allocated for a scheme dedicated to farmers was distributed as a grant to a company associated with Assam’s CM’s wife,” he asked.

Assam units of Congress and All India Trinamool Congress maintained the allegations against Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, however, didn’t bring forth any evidence to prove their point. The Assam Assembly was also adjourned multiple times on 15 September as the Opposition MLAs continued to grow ruckus on the issue.

Notably, The PM Kisan Sampada Yojana is a comprehensive package which aims to create modern infrastructure with efficient supply chain management from farm gate to retail outlet.

After Congress, now Akali Dal comes out in support of Canadian singer Shubh who had shared distorted map of India

OpIndia Staff
-
0
After Congress, now Akali Dal comes out in support of Canadian singer Shubh who had shared distorted map of India

Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has come out in support of Canadian singer Shubhneet Singh. This comes after the singer’s India tour was called off due to backlash across India. The Canadian-Sikh singer posted a distorted map of India on his Instagram story on March 23, 2023.

Harsimrat Kaur said that Shubh “does not need to prove patriotism to anyone as he is a proud son of Punjab”. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, she wrote, “Singer @Shubhworldwide we stand with you. You don’t need to prove your patriotism because you are a proud son of Punjab and #India. @Akali_Dal_ appeals to fellow countrymen not to fall prey to conspiracies to label Shubh & others who speak for #Punjab as anti-nationals.”

This comes a day after Punjab Congress President Raja Warring backed Shubhneet Singh. Taking to X on Friday, September 22, Warring stated that while his party is opposed to the idea of Khalistan, he is against the labelling of singer Shubh as an “anti-national”.

Moreover, the MLA from Gidderbaha said that the people of Punjab don’t need to give proof of their patriotism. Warring further alleged that there are certain forces at work to undermine Punjabis.

The Canadian singer on September 21 played the victim card taking to social media in which he said that he was extremely disheartened due to the cancellation of his upcoming India tour.

On September 20, BookMyShow announced the cancellation of Shubhneet Singh’s India tour. The event ticketing website initiated a refund for all consumers who had purchased the tickets. Consumer electronics brand boAt sponsoring the event had also pulled out from the same.

Bhoomi Pujan for India’s first semiconductor plant conducted in Gujarat’s Sanand, Tata Projects to build the Micron plant, first chip to come out by next year

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Bhoomi Pujan for India’s first semiconductor plant conducted in Gujarat’s Sanand, Tata Projects to build the Micron plant, first chip to come out by next year

The “Bhoomi Pujan” (groundbreaking ceremony) for the country’s first semiconductor plant took place in Gujarat’s Sanand on Saturday, 23 September. The plant is being set up by US-based Micron Technology, which is investing ₹22,500 crore in the project. Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Rajeev Chandrasekhar were present on the occasion.

The Assembly, Test, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) of Micron is being set up on 93 acres in Sanand GIDC-II industrial estate and is expected to be commissioned within 18 months. The groundbreaking ceremony was conducted within just three months of an MoU signed by Micron and Gujarat govt.

The Micron facility will focus on transforming wafers into Ball Grid Array (BGA) – integrated circuit packages, memory modules and solid-state drives. The project encompasses the design and construction of a first-of-its-kind DRAM (dynamic random access memory) and NAND (non-volatile flash memory) assembly and test facility in India.

This semiconductor mission, launched in December 2021, aims to position India as a significant player in semiconductor technology. In line with this vision, on June 22, global semiconductor giant Micron announced plans to invest USD 825 million in building a new assembly and test facility in Gujarat.

The facility, set to meet both domestic and international demand, is strategically located in the Sanand Industrial Park, Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), benefiting from Gujarat’s robust manufacturing infrastructure, favourable business environment, and skilled talent pool.

Micron has awarded the contract to build the new semiconductor assembly and test facility at Sanand to Tata Projects, as per reports. A formal agreement was signed between Micron and Tata Projects during the groundbreaking ceremony. Tata Projects said that it aims to use modern construction methods and techniques involving integrated EPC delivery through 4D BIM and hybrid modular accelerated construction for the project.

According to a statement by Tata Projects, the Micron Sanand factory will be designed in accordance with LEED Gold Standards of the Green Building Council and will also integrate advanced water-saving technologies.

“This new manufacturing site will be an invaluable addition to Micron’s existing global assembly and test footprint. Micron selected Tata Projects to construct our new facility,” said Gursharan Singh, senior vice-president, Micron Technology while speaking at the event at Sanand. He said that the site of 1.4 million square feet facility including 500,000 square feet of clean room is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. “We expect to operationalise the facility by then,” Singh added.

About 50 per cent of the total cost of setting up the facility will be borne by the central government, while 20 per cent of the cost will be given in the form of various reliefs by the state government. The plant will generate 5,000 direct and 15,000 indirect jobs after phase I and phase II of the project is completed.

The ground-breaking for the country’s first semi-conductor plant marks a pivotal moment in carrying forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a self-reliant India. It comes after a minor setback faced when Foxconn pulled out of a $19.5 billion semiconductor joint venture with Vedanta. The JV was to set up semiconductor and display production plants in Gujarat. However, Foxconn said that it is committed to India and will pursue its Semiconductor manufacturing plan in the country. 

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, expressed confidence that the construction of the semiconductor plant would be completed soon, adding that the first indigenous microchips are expected to be rolled out by December 2024.

“Today ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ of the first semiconductor plant was conducted. This is an important step in carrying forward the PM’s vision (of Atmanirbhar Bharat). The construction of the plant will be completed soon and the first indigenous microchips will roll out from here by December 2024,” Vaishnaw said.

Talking about the importance of semiconductors, he said, “Chips today are an integral part of our lives. The semiconductor manufacturing is also going to help the IT hardware PLI 2.0 in a very big way because this PLI has special incentives for chips which are manufactured in India.”

Giving examples of of use of semiconductors, he said that a train can have over 10,000 chips, while an aircraft can have over 25,000 of them.

Underlining the strides marked by the country’s electronic industry under the leadership of PM Modi, Vaishnaw said, “In 2014, the manufacturing cost of mobile phones in India was Rs 17,000 crores. This has now soared to Rs 3,65,000 crores. The electronics industry, once valued at Rs 1,90,000 crores, has expanded to be worth Rs 8,30,000 crores.”

“Exports have increased fivefold, rising from Rs 40,000 crores to Rs 2,00,000 crores,” the Union Minister added. All these advancements are attributed to semiconductor chips, Vaishnaw said, adding that the country was poised to become a major semiconductor hub.

Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said, “in just 18 months since PM Narendra Modi set out his India’s semiconductor ecosystem vision, here we are today breaking ground for Micron’s state-of-the-art modern facility in Sanand, Gujarat along with so much more progress made.”

This facility will serve as a beacon for all investors, manufacturers, and participants in the global semiconductor ecosystem, encouraging them to partner with India, he added.

PM Modi lays foundation stone of cricket stadium in Kashi, designed drawing inspiration from Lord Shiva, in presence of cricketing legends

OpIndia Staff
-
0
PM Modi lays foundation stone of cricket stadium in Kashi, designed drawing inspiration from Lord Shiva, in presence of cricketing legends

On Saturday (September 23), PM Modi arrived in his Parliamentary constituency Varanasi to launch a slew of development projects including laying the foundation stone of an International cricket stadium in Ganjari, Varanasi.

The design of the stadium draws inspiration from Lord Shiva. Evidently, the roof covers in the newly constructed stadium will be crescent-shaped, its floodlights will resemble the shape of a trident, it will have ghat steps-based seating, and Bilvipatra-shaped metallic sheets on the facade. Moreover, one of the structures will be shaped like a ‘damru’.

(Courtesy – PTI/India Today)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, accompanied by cricketing legends Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, as well as officials from BCCI including President Roger Binny, Vice President Rajiv Shukla and Secretary Jay Shah, also joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the foundation stone laying ceremony.

In a press statement, the Uttar Pradesh government highlighted that it has spent Rs 121 crores on land acquisition for the construction of the International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi. Additionally, the Cricketing body BCCI will spend Rs 330 crores on the stadium’s construction.

This will be Uttar Pradesh’s third international cricket stadium after Kanpur and Lucknow and it will have a capacity of 30,000 spectators.

Apart from laying the foundation stone for the cricket stadium, PM Modi is also slated to address a rally of women supporters and speak about the women’s reservation bill passed by the Parliament granting 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State assemblies.

At the Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre, PM Modi is also slated to inaugurate 16 newly constructed Atal Residential Schools and will participate in the closing ceremony of Kashi Sansad Sanskritik Mahotsav 2023.

As per the official statement, the Prime Minister’s vision to strengthen the cultural vibrancy of Kashi has led to the conceptualisation of Kashi Sansad Sanskritik Mahotsav. 

More than 37,000 people across 17 disciplines, who displayed their skills in singing, instrumental playing, nukkad natak, dancing, etc. participated in the Mahotsav.

PM Modi will also dedicate 16 Atal Awasiya Vidyalayas built across Uttar Pradesh at a cost of about Rs 1,115 crores. 

These 16 Atal Awasiya Vidyalaya have been started exclusively for children of labourers, construction workers, and orphans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of these Vidyalayas is to provide quality education and help in the holistic development of Children.

Every school is built on a 10-15 acre campus featuring classrooms, a sports ground, recreational spaces, a mini auditorium, a hostel complex, a mess, and residential apartments for staff members. The long-term goal for these residential schools is to house up to 1,000 students in each.

Pakistan cricket team cancels team bonding trip to Dubai due to visa delays for ICC World Cup in India

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pakistan cricket team cancels team bonding trip to Dubai due to visa delays for ICC World Cup in India

With less than a week left until their first ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 warm-up match, the Pakistan cricket team encountered a visa challenge, forcing them to abandon their pre-tournament team bonding trip to Dubai. The Pakistan team is still awaiting visas for their travel to India, where the ten-team event is scheduled to commence on October 5.

Ahead of the tournament, each team will engage in two warm-up matches. Pakistan’s first warm-up match is slated against New Zealand in Hyderabad on September 29.

According to reports, the Pakistan cricket team originally planned a brief bonding session in Dubai before heading to Hyderabad. However, visa delays have disrupted their plans. Consequently, they’ve opted to fly from Lahore to Dubai on the 27th, en route to Hyderabad for the match in two days. Despite this setback, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) maintains hope that the visas will arrive in time for the warm-up fixture.

Pakistan’s involvement in the World Cup has been marked by prolonged complexity. Following months of uncertainty, the team received government clearance in August to travel to India. However, this situation was further complicated by India’s choice to abstain from travelling to Pakistan for this year’s Asia Cup.

Pakistan’s second warm-up game is set for October 3 against Australia, followed by their opening match against the Netherlands on October 6, both to be held in Hyderabad.

The World Cup commences with defending champion England facing off against New Zealand, the last edition’s runner-up, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India will embark on their World Cup campaign against the five-time winners Australia on October 8 at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. In this year’s event, a total of 10 teams are participating. Each team will compete against all others, and the top four teams will progress to the semi-finals.

45-year-old young child: Kamal Hassan defends Udhayanidhi Stalin in ‘eradication of Sanatan Dharma’ row citing his young age

OpIndia Staff
-
0
45-year-old young child: Kamal Hassan defends Udhayanidhi Stalin in ‘eradication of Sanatan Dharma’ row citing his young age

Tamil actor-politician and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Hassan came out in support of Udhayanidhi Stalin in the Sanatana Dharma eradication row. Kamal Hassan said that Udhayanidhi Stalin is a young child being targeted over this issue. The actor made this statement in his address to the party workers’ meeting on 22nd September.

Kamal Hassan said, “Today, a young child is being targeted because he has spoken about Sanatan Dharma. Several leaders of the Dravidian movement like Udhayanidhi’s grandfather and late DMK leader M Karunanidhi have also spoken about it in the past. The extent of reformist leader Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy’s resentment towards social evils can be understood from his life.”

Kamal Hassan said that he could understand the word Sanatan because of Periyar. He said, “Periyar was the priest of a temple and he also worshipped during his stay in Kashi, but he gave up everything and dedicated his entire life to the service of the people. Neither the ruling DMK nor any other party can claim that Periyar belongs only to them and the entire Tamil Nadu should be proud of him as a leader.”

Kamal Hassan said that he too respects Periyar. He further speculated that the BJP could go ahead of schedule for the next Lok Sabha polls at its convenience.

On Saturday, September 2, the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They’ve to be eradicated completely. The same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it. So, my appreciation to you all for giving an apt title to the meeting.”

The so-called Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association organised an “Eradicate Sanatan Conference” at Kamarajar Arangam, Teynampet in Chennai. The anti-Hindu event was attended by DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.

1...1,7461,7471,748...7,599Page 1,747 of 7,599