Home Blog Page 1811

Kanhaiya Lal murder: NIA special court grants bail to accused Farhad Mohammad

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Kanhaiya Lal murder: NIA special court grants bail to accused Farhad Mohammad

On Friday, September 1, a special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Jaipur granted bail to Farhad Mohammad alias Babla. Farhad was arrested in connection with the murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan’s Udaipur last year. He was charge-sheeted under the provisions of the Arms Act.

The accused Farhad Mohammad’s counsel, Akhil Chaudhary, claimed Farhad was not involved in the killing of Kanhaiya Lal and that the sword recovered from him was a blunt one. He claimed that Farhad Mohammad and his family are artisans involved in meenakari, a process of painting and colouring metal and ceramic tile surfaces. Mohammad and his family painted and decorated such things and sold them in local marketplaces, according to the counsel, and Mohammad was not charged with UAPA or criminal conspiracy.

It is worth recalling that Farhad Mohammad was apprehended after a sword was recovered from his possession last year. According to Advocate Chaudhary, Farhad purchased the sword in a khadi mela a long time back, adding that according to the forensic report, it was a blunt sword.

The NIA’s Special Public Prosecutor, TP Sharma, contested the bail plea, noting the discovery of the sword and arguing that he had joined a protest gathering against the then BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and raised inflammatory slogans.

Farhad’s lawyer, on the other hand, stated that his client had attended the protest but he was not leading the said protest.

Farhad, 31, was charged by the NIA under Section 4/25 (1B) (b) of the Arms Act of 1959. Farhad was granted bail by special NIA court judge Ravindra Kumar. Following Farhad’s arrest in July of last year, the NIA issued a statement stating that Farhad was a close associate of the main killer, Riyaz Attari, and was actively involved in the conspiracy to murder tailor Kanhaiya Lal.

Kanhaiya Lal murder case

On the dreadful day of June 28 last year, two Islamists identified as Riyaz and Ghous Mohammad brutally beheaded a poor Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, Rajasthan. He was murdered for posting a social media message in support of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The murderers had also made a video boasting about their heinous act, basking in false bravado over killing the hapless poor man inside his shop.

The Islamists, who had entered the shop pretending to be customers, slit Kanhaiya Lal’s throat and stabbed him around 26 times on his body, especially on the neck. They also recorded the murder and released it on social media platforms. After the incident, the killers released a video claiming responsibility for the act. The duo had also later threatened PM Modi with murder.

Rajasthan: Pregnant tribal woman stripped and paraded naked in Pratapgarh, 3 arrested after video of the incident goes viral

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Rajasthan: Pregnant tribal woman stripped and paraded naked in Pratapgarh, 3 arrested after video of the incident goes viral

On Thursday, August 31, 2023, a distressing incident took place in a village in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh district where a tribal woman was being publicly humiliated by her husband and his family. The video of the incident went viral on social media on Friday, September. Responding to the incident after the video went viral, the Rajasthan Police mobilised teams to arrest the perpetrator. Preliminary investigations indicate that the woman was involved in a relationship with another man for which she was humiliated by her husband.

The viral video shows a man forcibly removing the 21-year-old woman’s clothes in front of a crowd and subjecting her to a humiliating naked public parade. The incident reportedly took place in Nichalkota village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Pahada Gram Panchayat and Dhariyavad police station in Pratapgarh district of the state.

The victim had gotten married just a year ago as per police. However, her husband and her in-laws accused her of living with another man within the same village. 

Giving details about the incident, Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra said, “The woman was punished by her in-laws. They took her to the village, where the incident took place. Her in-laws were angry with her because she was living with another man.”

The Rajasthan Police have arrested three individuals, including the victim’s husband. Additionally, police have apprehended seven other suspects connected to the case. Among the three arrested individuals is Kana Meena, who is identified as the victim’s husband.

A legal case has been filed against ten individuals under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 294 (pertaining to obscene acts), 354 (related to assaulting women), 365 (involving kidnapping), along with section 67 of the Information Technology Act, which deals with the transmission of obscene material.

Following the outrage over the incident, Rajasthan’s chief minister Ashok Gehlot acknowledged the incident and posted from his X handle, “In Pratapgarh district, a video of a woman being stripped naked by her in-laws has surfaced in a family dispute with her in-laws. The Director General of Police has been instructed to send ADG Crime on the spot and take strict action in this matter. There is no place for such criminals in a civilised society. These criminals will be put behind bars as soon as possible and punished after being prosecuted in a fast-track court.”

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also taken cognisance of the incident and criticised the police for its inaction before the video went viral. They have asked for a comprehensive report from the police within 5 days.

Women safety has been a matter of concern in recent times in the state. Many cases of heinous crimes against women were reported in the state. On 21st July 2023, Rajasthan’s Rural Development Minister, Rajendra Singh Gudha also raised the question of women safety in the state, however, he was sacked by the Congress government after he raised this issue in the state assembly.

Aditya-L1 all set to launch at 11:50 am today from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh

ANI
-
0
Aditya-L1 all set to launch at 11:50 am today from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh

The country’s maiden solar mission — Aditya-L1 is all set to be launched today at 11:50 am from the launch pad at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

With the launch rehearsal and vehicle internal checks all being completed, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set for the country’s maiden solar mission — Aditya-L1 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in AP’s Sriharikota.

Shifting the focus to its next space odyssey after successfully placing a lander on the moon’s uncharted South Pole region on August 23, ISRO is going to launch India’s first solar space observatory Aditya-L1 by the PSLV-C57.

It will carry seven different payloads to have a detailed study of the sun, four of which will observe the light from the sun and the other three will measure in-situ parameters of the plasma and magnetic fields.

Last evening, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on X, “PSLV-C57/ Aditya-L1 Mission: The countdown leading to the launch at 11:50 hrs. IST on September 2, 2023, has commenced.”

The largest and technically most challenging payload on Aditya-L1 is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph or VELC. VELC was integrated, tested, and calibrated at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics’ CREST (Centre for Research and Education in Science Technology) campus in Hosakote in collaboration with ISRO.

Aditya-L1 will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrangian Point 1 (or L1), which is 1.5 million km away from the Earth in the direction of the sun. It is expected to cover the distance in four months’ time.

This strategic location will enable Aditya-L1 to continuously observe the sun without being hindered by eclipses or occultation, allowing scientists to study solar activities and their impact on space weather in real-time. Also, the spacecraft’s data will help identify the sequence of processes that lead to solar eruptive events and contribute to a deeper understanding of space weather drivers.

Major objectives of India’s solar mission include the study of the physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism, the solar wind acceleration, coupling and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, solar wind distribution and temperature anisotropy, and origin of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and flares and near-earth space weather.

The atmosphere of the sun, the corona, is what we see during a total solar eclipse. A coronagraph like the VELC is an instrument that cuts out the light from the disk of the sun, and can thus image the much fainter corona at all times, the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics said.

On August 23, India took a giant leap as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat and bringing to an end the disappointment over the crash landing of the Chandrayaan-2, four years ago. 

Overall, India became the fourth country – after the US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface.

After having landed, the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover performed different set tasks on the lunar surface, including finding the presence of sulphur and recording relative temperature.

The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, were a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, the rover moving on the moon’s surface, and in-situ scientific experiments.

Chandrayaan-3 is the ISRO’s follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its core mission objectives.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

‘First implement one nation, one income’: Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav on talks of ‘one nation, one election’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘First implement one nation, one income’: Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav on talks of ‘one nation, one election’

Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav on Friday made a bizarre suggestion when he asked PM Modi to implement ‘one nation, one income’ amid speculations of the implementation of ‘one nation, one election’ ahead of the special session of parliament scheduled for September 18 to 22.

“I would like to suggest PM Modi to first implement one nation, one income, before thinking of implementing one nation, one election,” Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav said, without offering measures that could realise such a socialist fantasy.

No sooner did PTI share Tejashwi Yadav’s video demanding ‘one nation, one income’ from PM Modi, a raft of X, formerly known as Twitter, than users mocked the Bihar Deputy CM for his incoherent utterances.

One user commented, “Whenever this dhakkan opens his mouth, he makes everyone aware of his educational qualifications.”

Another user mocked the leadership tussle in the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, asking Yadav to declare any one leader who will be leading their coalition.

Still another X user sharply noted that the first casualty of such a policy would be Yadav’s own family.

Notably, Tejashwi Yadav’s father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, has been convicted in a fodder scam. As per the allegations, Lalu had amassed a wealth of Rs. 4.6 million out of the government treasury through fodder scams.

Tejashwi Yadav has declared assets more than Rs 5 crores, as per his election affidavit

Also, it is worth noting that Tejashwi Yadav has assets worth more than Rs 5 crores under his name, as per his election affidavit filed in 2020, which is significantly higher than India’s current per capita income which stands at Rs 1,72,000.

Recently, Yadav was in the news for proclaiming that Bihar’s contribution to India’s GDP is the highest in the country, evoking laughter and ridicule from several social media users over his ignorance about Bihar’s economy.

‘Initiatives being taken to make UPI available on feature phones’, says RBI governor as number of UPI transactions cross 10 billion in August

ANI
-
0
‘Initiatives being taken to make UPI available on feature phones’, says RBI governor as number of UPI transactions cross 10 billion in August

Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Shaktikanta Das has said that initiatives have been taken to make feature phones (keypad mobile phones) also operate the UPI payment system.

Das made the remark while speaking at a program organised at Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district on Friday.

“The UPI payment system has been recognised as a great success internationally. It is one of the initiatives of the Reserve Bank with the solid support of the government without their support it would have not been possible. With the support of the government, RBI has been able to make the UPI as the largest payment system in the world,” the RBI governor said.

He also said that he was sharing information in his central board meeting on Friday that the number of transactions for the month in the UPI exceeded 10 billion in the month of August. The upi was started in September 2016 and then after the growth has been very steady and now it has crossed 10 billion. But that’s not enough, it will grow further.

“We have encouraged digital payment but the main challenge on the UPI is that it usually needs a smartphone but in our country a large number of people are using feature phones. We have launched some products to make feature phones to operate the UPI system as well. We have also taken steps to ensure that in areas where there is poor connectivity a wallet, kind of facility through which one can make transactions on the UPI,” he added.

“We are also among the few countries which have actually launched a pilot project on CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) that is e-rupee. It is nothing but just like paper currency and it is a digital unit of the currency. The pilot project is already in operation and a lot of trials are going on,” Governor Das further said.

Meanwhile, talking about the inflation he said that the latest inflation print which was released for the month of July on August 14 was quite high which was 7.4 pc. It has taken everybody by surprise but they were expecting the inflation to be substantially higher mainly because of vegetable prices. The tomato prices went up by over 200% and then the impact of the increase of tomato prices went straight to other vegetables so on the whole the vegetable inflation went up.

The impact of the vegetable prices which has gone up, they expect to start moderating it from September onwards. In fact the prices of tomatoes have come down, the government has initiated a number of supplies and measures to make tomatoes available in deficient areas at reasonable prices. They expect overall inflation rate to start getting moderate from September onwards, August inflation rate will be again very high but they expect from September the inflation rate to go down, he added.

Besides talking about the GDP, Das said, “India is the fastest growing nation in economy now, this has become possible because of the well coordinated action between the Government and the Reserve Bank. The GDP recorded in the April to June quarter of financial year 2023-24 is 7.8 % which is one of the highest. The NPA (Non-Performing Assets) which used to be around 11 percent has now reduced to 3.9 percent.”

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

RBI governor Shaktikanta Das rated A+ in Central Banker Report Card 2023 by Global Finance magazine

OpIndia Staff
-
0
RBI governor Shaktikanta Das rated A+ in Central Banker Report Card 2023 by Global Finance magazine

The Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das has been rated A+ in the Global Finance Central Banker Report Cards 2023 by the Global Finance magazine. According to a press release issued by the magazine, three central bankers have received the top A+ rating, India’s Shaktikanta Das, Switzerland’s Thomas J. Jordan and Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Hong.

8 chiefs of central banks have been rated A, while 10 others have been rated A-, according to the report card.

The official X handle of the RBI posted a tweet saying it is happy to announce that Shaktikanta Das has been rated “A+” in the Global Finance Central Banker Report Cards 2023. The central bank noted that Das has been placed at the top of the list of three central bank governors who have been rated A+.

The Central Banker Report Cards, published annually by Global Finance since 1994, grade the central bank governors of 101 key countries, territories and districts, including the European Union, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Bank of Central African States and the Central Bank of West African States.

Grades are based on a scale from A to F for success in inflation control, economic growth goals, currency stability and interest rate management. Here, “A” represents an excellent performance down through an “F” for outright failure.

“Fighting inflation, which has been fueled by pent-up demand and disrupted supply chains, has everyone turning to their central bankers for help,” said Global Finance founder and editorial director Joseph Giarraputo. “Global Finance’s annual Central Banker Report Cards celebrate those bank governors whose strategies outperformed their peers through orgininality, creativity and tenacity,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Shaktikanta Das on X (Twitter) for getting the A+ rating.

“Congratulations to RBI Governor Shri Shaktikanta Das. This is a proud moment for India, reflecting our financial leadership on the global stage. His dedication and vision continue to strengthen our nation’s growth trajectory,” PM Modi said in a tweet.

‘Marry me, or else I will kill you and your family’: Armaan Khan poses as Rahul to trap a Hindu girl, threatens her after getting exposed

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Marry me, or else I will kill you and your family’: Armaan Khan poses as Rahul to trap a Hindu girl, threatens her after getting exposed

Love jihad incidents in the country appear to be growing at a rapid pace. Now, in a startling episode that surfaced on 29 August in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior, a girl has accused a man named Armaan Khan of entrapping her in love jihad by pretending to be a Hindu.

She distanced herself from him after finding out about his authentic identity at which point he revealed his true colours. He began to stalk, blackmail and put pressure on her to embrace Islam. He even assaulted the victim and her family members. 

She shared her predicament with the Superintendent of Police, Rajesh Singh Chandel, at a public meeting. A probe is presently underway and the police are searching for the perpetrator.

The victim resides in the Gwalior district’s Shinde ki Chhawni neighbourhood. She met a man who lived nearby and introduced himself as Rahul a few months back. They developed a friendship that escalated into a romantic bond. She later learned who he really was and severed all ties with him.

This didn’t go down well with the accused who started to stalk her and even threatened to convert her to Islam under duress. He also assaulted her which prompted her to file a complaint against him, following which the accused started threatening her with more extreme consequences.

The victim disclosed that Armaan Khan attacked her father and brother along with his uncle and family. She revealed, “I am being continuously harassed and threatened to get married by a youth from a particular community. He warned that either marry me or else I will kill everyone in your family.”

She further added, “I made friends with a young man named Rahul who lives in the adjacent street. I discovered that his real name was Armaan Khan after speaking with him for a few days after which I stopped interacting with him. He then began to bother me occasionally.”

The girl mentioned, “One day when I was going out for household chores, he molested me on the way and tried to have a conversation with me. He became enraged and beat me when I refused to talk to him. I am here to register a complaint about the same.”

She voiced, “Armaan Khan and his family have been bothering my family ever since I complained about him at the police station. My brother was beaten by his uncle and we reported this to the police as well. Now, he is regularly pressuring me to compromise. He frequently threatens me and my family and says that he would kill everyone if I didn’t marry him.”

The culprit comes from a politically influential family and threatens the girl’s brother. He declared, “Do whatever you want to, no First Information Report or police can touch me.”

According to the Superintendent of Police, an inquiry into the instance would be conducted and any necessary legal action against the offender would commence after her statement. He informed, “The issue has been acknowledged, and consequently, action has already been taken. Currently, a probe into the matter has been ordered following the girl’s complaint.”

I.N.D.I.A. Alliance forms five committees in Mumbai meeting, puts Priyanka Chaturvedi in the ‘research team’

Shraddha Pandey
-
0
I.N.D.I.A. Alliance forms five committees in Mumbai meeting, puts Priyanka Chaturvedi in the ‘research team’

On Friday, September 1st, the I.N.D.I.A. alliance parties formed five committees as they passed a resolution today in its Mumbai meeting, resolving to fight the upcoming general elections slated for May 2024 ‘together’ but with a loaded caveat: ‘as far as possible’. While the desperation of the anti-Modi parties to somehow defeat the BJP-led NDA alliance is understandable, irony died a painful death when the bloc decided to include Shivsena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi in its Working Group for Research — one of the five committees formed.

The committees formed by the I.N.D.I.A. bloc will address various aspects of their election strategy and outreach initiatives. Among these committees, the Coordination Committee and Election Strategy Committee hold a prominent position in the alliance’s preparations for the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Other than Priyanka Chaturvedi, the research committee includes Congress’s Amit Dubey, RJD’s Subodh Mehta, Shiv Sena-UBT’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, NCP’s Vandana Chavan, JD-U’s K.C. Tyagi, JMM’s Sudivya Kumar Sonu, AAP’s Jasmine Shah, Samajwadi Party’s Alok Ranjan, NC’s Imran Nabi Dar, and PDP’s Aditya. A TMC leader will join the panel later once the party decides.

Priyanka Chaturvedi’s ‘intellect’ and earth-shattering research skills have always been a subject of discussion over social media. Let’s take a look at instances when Priyanka Chaturvedi demonstrated her intellectual capabilities beyond comprehensible levels.

When Priyanka Chaturvedi attacked the Indian Embassy in Poland for an Indian student stranded in Ukraine

In March last year, Priyanka Chaturvedi made a mockery of herself by vilifying the Indian Embassy in Poland in an attempt to highlight the misery of an Indian student stranded in Kyiv, the capital of war-torn Ukraine. Chaturvedi’s desperate attempts to denigrate the Indian Embassy in Warsaw, Poland backfired on her. Netizens took delight in the chance to impart geography lessons to the Shiv Sena MP. The Thackeray family loyalist was schooled by netizens that Kyiv is the capital city of Ukraine and not Poland while many called out Chaturvedi for her lack of understanding of diplomacy.

Priyanka Chaturvedi and her lack of logical reasoning

In August of last year, the I.N.D.I.A. Bloc’s newly appointed research expert fanned controversy over Smriti Irani’s daughter Zoish Irani’s ownership of the Silly Souls restaurant in Goa. Interestingly, Chaturvedi’s attempt to cast aspersions about Zoish Irani came just days after the Delhi High Court had trashed similar accusations brought up by the Congress party. It was clarified by Zoish Irani’s counsel that she was an intern at the said restaurant and did not own it.

When Priyanka Chaturvedi tried to snub Eknath Shinde government over getting ‘support’ from “PKMKB Academy”

Priyanka Chaturvedi is known for her speak first, think later, or just don’t think at all attitude. Exhibiting her disdain for common sense, Chaturvedi in October last year, attempted to take a dig at the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government by sharing a screenshot of a Twitter handle ‘Official PKMKB’ which had lauded the Eknath Shinde government. Chaturvedi who will now be conducting/monitoring research for the I.N.D.I.A. alliance did not bother herself with doing basic research to check that the “OfficialPKMKB” a troll account claiming to be “PKMKB Academy” had its location as Karachi, India instead of Karachi, Pakistan. Apparently, Chaturvedi thought that “PKMKB” is actually an official term although we all know what it is.

Priyanka Chaturvedi and Mathematics: It’s complicated!

Priyanka Chaturvedi has frequently demonstrated her lack of mathematical skills. During the migrant crisis that followed the Coronavirus lockdown, she erroneously stated that the Modi government made a fortune by operating special trains for migrant labourers.

The Sena leader did not understand the distinction between ‘revenue earned’ and ‘profit’. Contrary to Priyanka Chaturvedi’s claims that the Indian Railways made significant profits, the Railways spent Rs 2,142 crore on running Shramik Special trains but received a revenue of only Rs 429 crore and did not incur any ‘profit’. On the contrary, the Modi government lost approximately Rs 1,700 crores after employing Shramik trains for ferrying stranded migrant labourers from various regions of the country.

Furthermore, Chaturvedi incorrectly claimed in 2019 that 15% of all students are dyslexic, with a total population of 228 million. This cannot be true because, according to a 2014 report by TOI, India has nearly 315 million students. This covers high school and college students. Since not all of these students attend school, the number of school-age children is significantly lower. There would be even fewer students with dyslexia, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed.

The list of Priyanka Chaturvedi’s intellectual gems might go on and on, but it should be cause for alarm for the I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s already fragile unity after Chaturvedi joins their research committee ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. There is a verse in Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas that says, “Ja ko prabhu daarun dukh dehi taki mati pahele har lehi,” which implies that when the supreme god intends to cause terrible suffering to someone, he first takes away the person’s intellect.

Despite the bold assertions made by the I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders, it appears that Narendra Modi’s leadership has its hold on the Indian populace and may achieve a historic prevail in 2024.

Govt calls for a special session of parliament: What happened during the last time the Modi government called for a special session

Jinit Jain
-
0
Govt calls for a special session of parliament: What happened during the last time the Modi government called for a special session

Just over a month after the conclusion of the monsoon session of the Parliament, the Centre has convened a special session for five days from September 18 to 22, fuelling speculations among political circles and the public regarding the agenda of the meeting ahead of five assembly elections scheduled later this year. 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to tweet, “Amid Amrit Kaal looking forward to having fruitful discussions and debate in Parliament.”

The announcement of a special session has, predictably, evoked surprise and engendered speculations around what might be in the store for the public as the government has its sight fixed on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in May 2024.

Special convened by the Modi government in 2017 for the passage of Goods and Services Tax launch

However, this is not the first time that the Modi government has called for a special parliamentary session in its 9 years of duration so far. In 2017, during the first tenure of the Modi government, the Centre had called for a joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for the passage of the momentous Goods and Services Tax Bill, the biggest indirect tax reform since India’s independence, and one which supplanted all central and state taxes with a single tax. 

Notably, it was for the first time that legislation was passed during the special session of the parliament–the earlier ones were held to pay tribute to historically significant occasions.

The special session was held on 30 June 2017 in the Central Hall of Parliament to commemorate the launch of the GST, a monumental effort that had been in development for nearly a decade. The session saw speeches made by Prime Minister Modi, and outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee, who addressed an august assembly of over 600 attendees, including Members of Parliament, Chief Ministers, GST Council members, and several government officials. As a part of the event, two short films about the GST were also screened. 

Given the epoch-making occasion, the Modi government had extended the invite to former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and H.D. Deve Gowda, along with several members of the Opposition and the Congress, who declined to be a part of the historical special session. Among those present in the Parliament were Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. 

The invite was also extended to the top officials of the Reserve Bank of India, including former RBI governor Urjit Patel and his predecessors, Raghuram Rajan, who had a contentious relationship with the government, was among them. 

Even eminent citizens from non-political backgrounds such as singer Lata Mangeshkar, actor Amitabh Bachchan and industrialist Ratan Tata, graced the occasion.

Congress, TMC among opposition parties who had boycotted GST launch special session

The opposition political parties in attendance were the Janata Dal (United), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Samajwadi Party and Janata Dal (Secular). Besides Congress, the Trinamool Congress, Left, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), DMK and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) decided not to be a part of the event. 

Opposition parties that boycotted the session characterized it as a “publicity stunt.” The Congress accused the government of “insulting the very memory of India’s freedom struggle and the sacrifices associated with it” by holding the event in the Central Hall. Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was with Congress at the time, commented, “Perhaps for the BJP, 1947, 1972, and 1997 may be of no relevance because they played no role in securing India’s freedom.”

Mallikarjun Kharge, then the Congress’s leader in the Lok Sabha, highlighted that the UPA government had passed several significant acts such as the RTI Act, Food Security Act, MGNREGA, and Right to Education Act but never organised such celebrations in the Central Hall.

But GST implementation has proven to be a game changer for the much-needed reforms in India’s business sector, with the ever-increasing collections month-on-month underscoring the successful assimilation of the reform passed by the Modi government. Despite braving an unprecedented pandemic when the economy and much of the world had come to a standstill, the GST’s trajectory has risen exponentially. In April 2023, the GST collections surged to an all-time high of over ₹1.87-lakh crore. 

However, while the Centre had called the 2017 session to usher the country into the era of a single tax regime, the special session of 5 days in 2023 seems to have socio-political underpinnings and not commercial implications. Will the government initiate social justice that has eluded a large section of the population with the implementation of UCC or some form of it? Or is it about the electoral reforms of ‘one nation, one election’? Whatever it might be, one thing is for sure with the present government: It has demonstrated that it has the spine to grasp the nettle and make tough decisions consequential for the country rather than worry about their political implications.

CRPF trains around 450 personnel to protect Heads of States during G20 summit, drivers specially trained for left-hand drive bulletproof vehicles

ANI
-
0
CRPF trains around 450 personnel to protect Heads of States during G20 summit, drivers specially trained for left-hand drive bulletproof vehicles

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has trained around 450 personnel as drivers and Personal Security Officers (PSOs) for escorting the Heads of the States during G20, an official said on Wednesday. 

Around 60 personnel among drivers have been specially trained for the left-hand drive bullet-proof vehicles for G20.

“CRPF personnel will be driving left-hand driven BMW, Audi, Hyundai Genesis and Mercedes. Around 45 bullet-proof cars have been brought from foreign countries for VIP protection,” a senior CRPF officer said. 

A PSO armed with a sophisticated weapon and driver will be in coat pants.

“We have pooled these drivers from Special Protection Group (SPG) and NSG as they are already trained in VIP protection. Closed Protection Team (CPT), including drivers, are performing rehearsal after one month of training,” the officer said. 

“We have provided training to more than 900 personnel of CRPF including 400 in anti sabotage team and around 450 in CPT. They will be deployed in the movement of VVIPs at the G20 Summit on September 9 and 10. At least 48 anti-sabotage teams with dog squad of CRPF will be conducting checking of hotels and venues, ” the officer added.

Another CAPF official informed that the Border Security Force will be taking care of providing contingency motor cade. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) will provide security to spouses of guests and ministers who will be travelling with the Heads of the States.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.

The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

A G20 Leaders’ Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating Leaders’ commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

1...1,8101,8111,812...7,597Page 1,811 of 7,597