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Who is Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, once a close confidante of Vladimir Putin, now leading the mutiny in Russia

Jhankar Mohta
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Who is Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, once a close confidante of Vladimir Putin, now leading the mutiny in Russia

The long-running internal feud between Russia’s private military company- Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over the war in Ukraine is now in the open. On Saturday, Yevgeny Prigozhin vowed to topple the Russian military leadership, whom he accused of launching strikes on his men. Subsequently, the Russian authorities called for the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin after, in his audio message, he called for an armed uprising against the country’s military.

Notably, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s shadow army Wagner Group, has become one of the prominent figures in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Once considered a close confidant of Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin is now viewed as a potential challenge to the Russian President as a result of his severe and unprecedented criticism of the country’s military leadership.

Yevgeny Prigozhin founded the Russian private military company known as Wagner in 2014 when conflict broke out between Ukraine and Russia over the Crimean region. The Wagner Group, officially called PMC Wagner, is a Russian paramilitary organization that operates beyond the law in Russia. It is basically a private military company and a network of mercenaries.

Tens of thousands of fighters are now under the command of the paramilitary force, which has grown explosively since the conflict in Ukraine.

In January, BBC quoted the UK Ministry of Defence as saying that the Wagner Group now consists of 50,000 fighters in Ukraine and has become a key component of the Ukraine campaign.

Media reports suggest that the Wagner Group was involved in Russia’s capture of Bakhmut city which is situated in eastern Ukraine.

On the battlefield, the Wagner Group is notorious for its brutality and barbarism. Videos of suspected murders of its fighters who defected to Ukraine have also shown its ruthlessness off the battlefield.

After allegedly using a sledgehammer to execute a member who betrayed its ranks last year, Wagner adopted the weapon as its symbol.

Why Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group and Russia are fighting?

The internal feud between Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group and Russia which has been simmering for months came to the fore in January this year when the shadow army headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin captured Soledar, a salt-mining town in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Prigozhin had then accused the Russian Defence Ministry of trying to take away Wagner’s glory.

Yevgeny Prigozhin was also reportedly unhappy about the fact that the Russian military did not provide Wagner with enough ammunition for months-long battle for Bakhmut, which left the Ukrainian city in ruins. He also threatened to withdraw his troops from Ukraine.

The Wagner Group released a video wherein the head of the Russian military’s General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, was hurled with expletives and accused of failing to supply ammunition to the Wagner troop in Ukraine. Singling out Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin in the video accused the military leader of incompetence.

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin

Though Yevgeny Prigozhin has been recently grabbing the spotlight for declaring what Kremlin is terming as an “armed mutiny” against the Russian military, his history with leadership in Russia dates back decades. His closeness with the Russian President Vladimir Putin earned him the nickname ‘Putin’s chef.’

Prigozhin, who was born in 1961 in what is now St. Petersburg but was then known as Leningrad, is said to have spent his 20s serving a nine-year sentence for robbery and fraud in a Soviet prison. Following his release from prison in 1990 and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin started his own business and started selling hot dogs in his hometown. He soon after acquired a chain of supermarkets. He then opened the Old Customs House, a restaurant that quickly became one of Putin’s favourite hangouts.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prigozhin share the same hometown, St. Petersburg (then Leningrad). While Prigozhin was serving his decadelong prison sentence, Putin progressed from being a KGB insider to a Russian leader.

As per the Guardian, the Wagner chief and the Russian President met back when Putin was deputy mayor of St Petersburg, serving under the-then mayor, Anatoly Sobchak.

Putin reportedly frequented Prigozhin’s Old Customs House restaurant on Vasilievsky Island in St. Petersburg; even after being elected Russian President, he would frequently bring visitors there. By that time, the restaurant had been transformed into a floating restaurant.

The floating restaurant quickly became a popular hangout for the country’s elite, including President Vladimir Putin, who, according to Meduza, took President George W. Bush there in 2002 to celebrate his birthday.

Prigozhin’s Old Customs House restaurant on Vasilievsky Island in St. Petersburg (Source: WBP Stars)

Prigozhin started benefiting from the close association he established with Putin and started expanding his business, especially after Putin became Russia’s president. His catering business Concord founded in 1990, received exclusive and lucrative government contracts for state dinners, such as those for Putin’s inauguration ceremony and US President George W. Bush’s trip to St. Petersburg. Due to the contracts, Prigozhin gained the moniker “Putin’s chef.”

Putin also helped Prigozhin open a school-lunch factory on generous state-funded loans. However, Prigozhin did not confine his goals to the catering business.

Yevgeniy Prigozhin wanted by FBI for election interference

According to reports, Prigozhin went on to establish the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, also known as a network of troll factories that allegedly waged a social media influence operation designed to disrupt the 2016 US presidential election.

In 2022, weeks after imposing sanctions on several Russian elites linked to Vladimir Putin, in response to its invasion of Ukraine, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reiterated Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin as a wanted person for alleged electoral tampering that resulted in Donald Trump’s victory. The FBI claimed that the organisation ran a significant disinformation effort to influence the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election.

“He allegedly conspired to defraud the US by interfering with the functions of the Federal Election Commission, Justice Department, and State Department,” the FBI tweeted.

According to media reports, the FBI had first added Prigozhin to its ‘Most Wanted List’ in February 2021, citing his funding of the Internet Research Agency and a prior federal arrest warrant issued in February 2018.

According to the indictment, Concord, which was under Prigozhin’s control, provided funding for “Operation Lakhta,” a complex interference operation that was directed at other nations, including the United States. The operation had a budget of around $1.25 million per month by September 2016.

According to the indictment, Prigozhin met frequently with Mikhail Leonidovich Burchik, the second-in-command of the troll farm, and frequently corresponded with Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov, the general director of the Internet Research Agency.

On February 14, 2023, Prigozhin acknowledged running the Internet Research Agency, also known as a network of troll factories. Notably, prior to this, Prigozhin and his attorneys had been vehemently refuting the accusations and filed lawsuits against journalists who reported on his association with Internet Research Agency.

Other accusations levelled at Prigozhin by the US

This was, however, not the first time Prigozhin ran into issues with the American administration.

In December 2016, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Prigozhin due to his connections to a business that had been awarded a contract to construct a Russian military installation close to the border with Ukraine. The U.S. Treasury additionally imposed sanctions on Concord Management & Consulting and Concord Catering in June 2017 in response to Russian activity in Ukraine.

According to the Russian news outlet Fontanka, Prigozhin is connected to a business that has a contract with the Syrian government to safeguard oil resources under its control in exchange for a share of energy revenues.

In 2014, at the height of Russia’s first, covert invasion of eastern Ukraine, Prigozhin founded Wagner to support Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

A report published by Guardian in January 2023 quoted a former high-ranking defence ministry official as saying that in 2014, Prigozhin met Russian authorities and demanded land from the defence ministry that he could use for the training of ‘volunteers; who would have no official links to the Russian army but could still be used to fight Russia’s wars.

Although Prigozhin’s demeanour was disliked by many in the ministry, he made it plain that this wasn’t just any request. The orders come from Papa,” he told the defence officials, using a nickname for Vladimir Putin designed to emphasise his closeness to the president.

According to the source, the ministry gave Prigozhin land in Molkino, southern Russia, where businesses connected to Prigozhin built a staging base for fighters while passing it off as a camp for children.

Some defence ministry officials became furious with Prigozhin’s quick rise, and tensions grew over the years as his operations grew bigger. Putin’s decision to use military force to support Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria at the end of 2015 was a turning point for Prigozhin. In addition to sending his Wagner forces there, Prigozhin obtained contracts for food and supplies for Russian soldiers.

Wagner fighters operated with impunity in Syria and were accused of numerous war crimes. In one incident, men linked to Wagner were captured on video beheading and dismembering a Syrian man.

Wagner fighters also took heavy losses but remained silent because officially they were not supposed to be there.

As Prigozhin’s portfolio grew, so did the scope of scrutiny. Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption activist and opposition politician, launched an inquiry into Prigozhin’s corporate structures and accused him of fraudulently procuring contracts from the Ministry of Defence to support a lavish lifestyle.

Lyubov Sobol, the Navalny associate behind the investigation, said, “His children posted pictures on Instagram all the time; they were boasting about their private jet, and through that we could find the holding company, which helped us find out about all his wealth.”

Sobol and others flew a drone over palatial residences allegedly belonging to Prigozhin and his daughter, featuring a helipad and basketball court.

Soon after that, an unidentified person waiting outside the couple’s house stabbed Sobol’s husband in the leg with a needle, causing him to faint. Sobol claimed that a persistent campaign of legal threats and intimidation ensued, including goons who ostentatiously followed her wherever she went.

“These people were basically breathing down my neck, every day … It’s the logic of a bandit. You are getting up in my business, so I’ll get up in yours,” Sobol said.

Additionally, Russian journalists who were assigned to investigate Prigozhin’s activities also started receiving threats that they believed were related to their investigation. According to reports, after Novaya Gazeta ran an investigation in 2018, a severed ram’s head was delivered to the newspaper’s editorial offices. The journalist who wrote the investigation received a funeral wreath at his home address.

The most horrifying incident involved three Russian journalists who went to the Central African Republic in 2018 to investigate Wagner’s activities and were killed in an ambush. The ambush appeared to be well planned and coordinated, involving a Russian security instructor with links to Wagner, but Prigozhin had repeatedly denied any involvement in the killings.

By this time, Prigozhin’s business operations had reached at least ten African nations, where he provided security and military training, acquired mining rights, and pursued other business opportunities.

Prigozhin ran this worldwide network from an office on St Petersburg’s Vasilievsky Island, not far from his restaurant, Old Customs House.

Even though he held no formal position, Prigozhin was now a regular visitor to important gatherings concerning defence contracts. He even observed a private meeting between Putin and the president of Madagascar, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, that took place in the Kremlin in April 2018.

Two months after that encounter, Putin laughed off suggestions that Prigozhin was taking part in clandestine Kremlin-sponsored foreign policy manoeuvres. In an interview with Austrian television, Putin described Prigozhin as “a restaurant keeper in St. Petersburg; he runs a restaurant business as his job.”

When Prigozhin’s contracts with the defence ministry and allegations of election meddling were pressed, Putin defended him by comparing him to George Soros, a Hungarian-American businessman and a self-proclaimed philanthropist who is the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, and whom Russian officials have accused of bankrolling revolutions on US government orders.

During the course of his life, if there is one thing George Soros has hated the most, it is India and its nationalist government led by Prime Minister Modi.

Through his Open Society Foundation, which started its operations in India first in 1999 by offering scholarships and fellowships to pursue studies and research at Indian institutions, Soros has made great strides in creating disorder within India. In the name of running philanthropic activities, the left-wing international organisation led by Soros has begun to spread its tentacles across the country through his active support to anti-India elements operating inside India.

In the last few decades, George Soros has time and again shown his desperation to wage war against the nationalist government in India through various networks funded by him comprising NGOs, media, intelligentsia, etc.

Comparing Prigozhin to George Soros, Putin said, “There is such a personality in the United States: Mr Soros, who interferes in all affairs around the world … The state department will say that it has nothing to do with them, rather it is Mr Soros’s private affair. With us, it is Mr Prigozhin’s private affair,” said Putin.

The turning point that caused Prigozhin and Putin to fall out was Putin’s disastrous decision to begin a full-scale attack on Ukraine in February of last year.

Prigozhin criticises Russia over the Ukraine war

Prigozhin criticised the government for starting the conflict in a damning video released to the Russian social media app Telegram on Friday. He also claimed that Ukrainian soldiers were successfully pushing back the Russian army. The conflict blew up later on Friday, as Prigozhin claimed that Russian military leaders had ordered strikes on his men, killing thousands of them.

“The war was needed for a bunch of scumbags to triumph and show how strong of an army they are,” Prigozhin said Friday, speculating that the effort was part of the defense minister’s plan to get promoted.

How had Russia reacted?

Russian state officials instantly reacted angrily and condemned Prigozhin’s remarks, and they also opened a criminal investigation into him. One military official in Russia issued a warning that the actions amounted a “state coup.” State officials declared that “Prigozhin’s statement and actions are actually calls for the start of an armed civil conflict on the territory of Russia.”

Teaser of Kangana Ranaut-starrer Emergency released, highlights the darkest phase of Indian democracy

OpIndia Staff
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Teaser of Kangana Ranaut-starrer Emergency released, highlights the darkest phase of Indian democracy

On the 24th of June, Manikarnika Films uploaded a video teaser to announce the release date of their much-awaited film, ‘Emergency’. In the 1-minute 12-second video, Kangana Ranaut-owned production house gives a glimpse of one of the darkest chapters of Independent history. 

As per the announcement, the film will be released on the 24th of November, this year. It will have Anupam Kher and Kangana Ranaut in the lead roles portraying the reel-life characterisation of Indian stalwart politicians Jay Prakash Narayan and India’s first and only female Prime Minister Indira Gandhi respectively.  

Additionally, likes of Satish Kaushik, Bhoomika Chawla, Mahima Chaudhry, Shreyas Talpade, and Milind Soman will be seen in key roles in the film. 

It is important to note that this will be Kangana Ranaut’s solo directorial debut. Taking to her social media handles, Twitter and Instagram, she shared the announcement video, saying, “A protector or a Dictator? Witness the darkest phase of our history when the leader of our nation declared a war on it’s people.”

Earlier, the actor had shared that she mortgaged all her property for making this film.

The teaser

The teaser opens by flashing the black date of 25th of June, 1975 when democracy was strangulated and Human rights were curtailed in the country. 

The video further delves into the chaotic situation that prevailed afterward and a newspaper cutout with the headline announcing the draconian move stating, “State of Emergency declared.” 

Going ahead, Anupam Kher, playing the role of JP Narayan, narrates the ordeal of the nation as he is seen behind bars with the caption, “Opposition leader arrested.” 

He asserts that this is not ‘Sarkar Raj’ instead this is ‘Ahankaar (arrogance) Raj’. He further lamented that this is not our death but the country’s death. (“Ye hamari nahi iss desh ki maut hai”) 

As the protestors were indiscriminately shot in the streets, Narayan maintains that we have to stop this dictatorship.

At that moment, Kangana Ranaut’s voiceover as Indira Gandhi emerges, with her declaring, “Mujhe iss desh ki raksha karne se koi nahi rok sakta“. (No one can stop me from protecting this country.) As her face appears on the screen, she boasts “Kyuki India hai Indira, aur Indira hai India!” (Because India is Indira, and Indira is India!)

Interestingly, the announcement of the film ruffled some feathers, and leaders from the grand old party, Congress, registered their strong protest and dissatisfaction with the production and subject of the film. So, the film will definitely not be having a smooth sail going further and may witness major outrage against it.  

Earlier, in 2021, Kangana received wide admiration for her role when she appeared on screen playing the role of former Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa in her biopic, ‘Thalaivii’.

Alt News co-founder Zubair comes out in defence of ‘anti-India’ journalist Sabrina Siddiqui, cites her ‘Two-nation theory’ loving forefather to prove patriotism

OpIndia Staff
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Alt News co-founder Zubair comes out in defence of ‘anti-India’ journalist Sabrina Siddiqui, cites her ‘Two-nation theory’ loving forefather to prove patriotism

A day after Opindia exposed the anti-Modi and anti-India rants of ‘journalist’ Sabrina Siddiqui, who tried to insinuate that rights of Muslims and other minorities are under threat in India, dubious ‘fact checker’ and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair came to her rescue.

In a tweet on Saturday (June 24), Zubair wrote, “Great-Great grand-daughter of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan has to prove her loyalty too, just like thousands of Indian Muslims in India. This is an old trick by Right Wing trolls. One question to people in power, You’ll be labelled as Anti-National, Pakistani, Anti-Hindu, Anti-India etc.” 

He also included screenshots of the said Opindia article, besides the old tweets of Sabrina Siddiqui rooting for India’s victory during a cricket match. Zubair had also managed to find a tweet by the same ‘journalist’, wherein she is seen claiming to be the the great-great grand daughter of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.

Screengrab of the tweet by Mohammed Zubair

The dubious fact-checker thought it would be a good idea to make references to her ancestry to paint her as a patriotic Indian. In his desperate bid to give her a clean chit, Zubair glossed over the controversial past of the founder of the Aligarh Muslim university.

The controversial past of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was no ordinary Islamic scholar but a bigoted and radical cleric, baying for the blood of Hindus:

During a speech on March 14, 1888, he said –

“…You must remember that although the number of Mahomedans is less than that of the Hindus, and although they contain far fewer people who have received a high English education, yet they must not be thought insignificant or weak. Probably they would be by themselves enough to maintain their own position. But suppose they were not. Then our Mussalman brothers, the Pathans, would come out as a swarm of locusts from their mountain valleys, and make rivers of blood to flow from their frontier in the north to the extreme end of Bengal.”

In the same speech, he had claimed –

“Now, suppose that all English, and the whole English army, were to leave India, taking with them all their cannon and their splendid weapons and everything, then who would be rulers of India? Is it possible that under these circumstances two nations — the Mahomedans and the Hindus — could sit on the same throne and remain equal in power? Most certainly not. It is necessary that one of them should conquer the other and thrust it down. To hope that both could remain equal is to desire the impossible and the inconceivable.“

In 1876, he made similar claims in Benaras –

“I am convinced now that Hindus and Muslims could never become one nation as their religion and way of life was quite distinct from each other.”

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan also stated that it was the duty of Muslims to be loyal to the British Empire. He even called the Revolt of 1857 an act of ‘haramzadgi’. He further asserted that being subjects of the British Empire, which was Christian, was preferable to being under Hindu as the former were ‘people of the book’.

Screengrab of the tweet by Sabrina Siddiqui

Bizarre claims of patriotism

As such, the argument that a descendant of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan will be ‘patriotic towards India’ by virtue of lineage is ridiculous at best. Nonetheless, Opindia pointed out in its last report that ‘journalist’ Sabrina Siddiqui is an American citizen.

She was born to a Pakistani mother and a father, who was raised in Pakistan even though he was of Indian descent. Sabrina on the other hand was born in the United States. All in all, she is an American of Pakistani descent.

The ‘journalist’ has no compulsion to be patriotic, given that she does not hold the citizenship of India. But her antics during the joint press conference of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden have clearly shown that she certainly does not have the best interests of India at heart.

She cunningly raked up the issue of the ‘treatment of Muslims and minorities in India’ to give the impression that those groups are being ill-treated here. This narrative is a part of the larger leftist-Islamist imagination of ‘Dara hua Musalman.’

Sabrina Siddiqui tried her best to sour the press conference with an ill-intentioned question but Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi nonetheless gave a befitting reply.

Now, the likes of Mohammed Zubair are pointing out her old tweets, wherein she pledged allegiance to India during cricket matches. As leftists love to ask, will a trivial thing such as a cricket match now be considered the yardstick of patriotism?

Titan sub CEO Stockton Rush ignored security warnings as “baseless cries”

OpIndia Staff
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Titan sub CEO Stockton Rush ignored security warnings as “baseless cries”

Days after four high-profile passengers along with OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush and the pilot of the tourist submersible ‘Titan‘, died after their sub imploded due to extreme pressure deep in the North Atlantic Ocean, it has come to the fore that Stockton Rush repeatedly ignored Titan’s safety warnings in recently uncovered emails.

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush is claimed to have ignored warnings from prominent deep-sea exploration specialist Rob McCallum that he could endanger his clients.

Rush responded to one of McCallum’s emails by saying he was “tired of industry players trying to use a safety argument to stop innovation.”

McCallum said the heated exchange ended when OceanGate’s lawyers threatened legal action.

In March 2018, McCallum wrote to OceanGate’s CEO, “I believe you are potentially putting yourself and your clients in a dangerous dynamic. You are mirroring that famous catch cry, ‘She is unsinkable,’ in your race to [the] Titanic.”

Rush responded by expressing his frustration with the criticism of Titan’s safety measures.

“We have heard the baseless cries of ‘you are going to kill someone’ way too often,” he wrote, “I take this as a serious personal insult.”

McCallum told the BBC that he constantly asked Oceangate to seek classification for the sub before it was deployed commercially. 

“Until a sub is classed, tested, and proven it should not be used for commercial deep dive operations,” he wrote in an email.

“I implore you to take every care in your testing and sea trials and to be very, very conservative. As much as I admire entrepreneurship and innovation, you may be jeopardising an entire industry,” McCallum added.

Stockton Rush responded a few days later, defending his business and credentials as he wrote, “OceanGate’s engineering focused, innovative approach… flies in the face of submersible orthodoxy, but that is the nature of innovation.”

Throughout the conversation, Rush questioned the established framework for deep sea explorations. He claimed that “industry players” were attempting to prevent “new entrants from entering their small existing market.”

“I am well qualified to understand the risks and issues associated with subsea exploration in a new vehicle,” Rush stated in his email.

“The industry has been trying for several years to persuade Stockton Rush to discontinue his program for two reasons,” McCallum, who owns his own ocean expedition company, told the BBC on Friday.

McCallum stated that carbon fibre is not a suitable material and that this was the only unclassified submersible in the world undertaking commercial work. It was not certified by an independent agency. 

McCallum was one of more than a dozen top submersible experts who signed a letter to Rush in 2018 warning that OceanGate’s approach could end in “disaster.”

It is notable that submersibles, in particular, can be certified or “classed” by marine groups such as the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), DNV (a global accreditation agency based in Norway), or Lloyd’s Register.

The Titanic wreckage sits at a depth of around 3800 meters. As per reports, the implosion at a depth like that causes immediate crushing of the vessel and everything inside it. The pilot and the passengers would have died within a few milliseconds.

CEO of OceanGate was the pilot, and the 4 passengers included the billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, a British-Pakistani father-son duo named Shahzada Dawood and Suleiman Dawood, and the popular ‘Mr Titanic’ Paul-Henry Nargeolet. Nargeolet, a French Navy veteran, was part of the first expedition to visit the wreck in 1987, just two years after it was found. He has earned the moniker ‘Mr. Titanic’ as he has reportedly spent more time at the wreck than any other explorer.

Union Govt to introduce ‘Time of Day’ power tariff, electricity bill to be lower by upto 20% during ‘Solar Hours’

ANI
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Union Govt to introduce ‘Time of Day’ power tariff, electricity bill to be lower by upto 20% during ‘Solar Hours’

The Government of India has introduced two changes to the prevailing power tariff system and now across the country consumers can save up to 20 per cent in power bills by planning usage during solar hours or daytime as the government is set to implement a ‘time of the day’ tariff.

The Government of India has introduced two changes to the prevailing power tariff system, through an amendment to the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020. The changes are the introduction of the Time of Day (ToD) Tariff, and the rationalization of smart metering provisions, the Ministry of Power said.

“Under the ToD Tariff system, the Tariff during solar hours (duration of eight hours in a day as specified by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission) of the day shall be 10 per cent-20 per cent less than the normal tariff, while the tariff during peak hours will be 10 to 20 per cent higher, the release stated.

ToD tariff would be applicable for Commercial and Industrial consumers having Maximum demand of 10 KW and above, from April 1, 2024, and for all other consumers except agricultural consumers, latest from April 1 2025. Time of Day tariff shall be made effective immediately after installation of smart meters, for the consumers with smart meters, it further said.

Union Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh said that the ToD is a win-win for consumers as well as the power system.

“The TOD tariffs comprising separate tariffs for peak hours, Solar hours and normal hours, send price signals to consumers to manage their load according to the Tariff. With awareness and effective utilization of the ToD tariff mechanism, consumers can reduce their electricity bills,” he said.

“Since solar power is cheaper, the tariff during the solar hours will be less, so the consumer benefits. During non-solar hours thermal and hydropower as well as gas-based capacity is used – their costs are higher than that of solar power – this will be reflected in the Time of Day Tariff. Now consumers can plan their consumption in order to reduce their power costs – planning more activities during solar hours when power costs are less,” he added

The Union Minister said that the ToD mechanism will also ensure better grid integration of Renewable Energy sources thereby facilitating faster energy transition for India.

“The ToD tariff will improve the management of renewable generation fluctuations, incentivize demand increase during the periods of high RE generation hours and thereby increase grid integration of larger quantity of renewable power,” RK Singh said.

Most of the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) have already implemented ToD tariffs, for large Commercial and Industrial (C-I) categories of consumers in the country. With the installation of smart meters, ToD metering at the domestic consumer level will be introduced as per Tariff Policy mandate.

Time of Day (TOD) tariff, is recognized globally across electricity industries, as an important Demand Side Management (DSM) measure which is used as a means of incentivizing consumers to shift a portion of their loads from peak times to off-peak times, thereby improving the system load factor by reducing the demand on the system during peak period. Various statutory provisions already exist to enable and promote the implementation of ToD tariff (that is Tariff Policy, 2016, Electricity Act, 2003 and National Electricity Policy, 2005), the Ministry added.

The government has also simplified the rules for smart metering. To avoid inconvenience/harassment of the consumers, the existing penalties for an increase in consumer demand beyond the maximum sanctioned load/demand have been reduced.

The Power Ministry said, “As per the amendment in the metering provision, post-installation of a smart meter, no penal charges will be imposed on a consumer based on the maximum demand recorded by the smart meter for the period before the installation date. The load revision procedure has also been rationalized in a way that maximum demand shall be revised upwards only if the sanctioned load has been exceeded at least three times in a financial year. Moreover, smart meters shall be read remotely at least once a day and the data shall be shared with Consumers in order to enable them to make informed decisions about the consumption of electricity.”

The Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020 were notified by the government on December 31, 2020, based on the conviction that power systems exist to serve consumers and that consumers have the right to get reliable services and quality electricity.

It further stated, “The Rules seek to ensure that new electricity connections, refunds and other services are given in a time-bound manner and that willful disregard for consumer rights results in the levying of penalties on service providers and payment of compensation to consumers.”

The current amendment to the Rules is a continuation of the measures taken by the government, to empower power consumers, to ensure a 24X7 reliable electricity supply at affordable cost, and to maintain a conducive ecosystem for investment in the power sector, the release said. 

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

Delhi: Mohammed Zaid stabs Rahul over a minor argument in Brijpuri, case registered, paramilitary forces deployed to maintain peace

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: Mohammed Zaid stabs Rahul over a minor argument in Brijpuri, case registered, paramilitary forces deployed to maintain peace

On Friday, June 23, 2023, a knife attack took place in Delhi’s Brijpuri area, involving a 20-year-old Muslim youth named Mohammad Zaid as the assailant and a 19-year-old Hindu youth named Rahul as the victim. Rahul suffered deep wounds on his lower abdomen, which are currently being treated at a hospital. Additionally, Rahul’s cousin was also injured during the incident. The reason behind the attack was a minor argument. A case is registered against the absconding accused, Mohammed Zaid and paramilitary forces have been deployed in the area to ensure peace and stability.

Following a brief verbal altercation between Mohammed Zaid and Rahul, their argument escalated, and the accused reportedly brandished a knife, launching an attack on Rahul. According to the victims’ police complaint, Zaid allegedly stabbed Rahul in the lower abdomen. Rahul’s cousin, Sonu, who intervened to protect him, also sustained injuries during the altercation and is currently receiving medical treatment at the hospital.

Officials at Dayalpur police station said they received information about the incident at 10 pm on Friday. Both the accused and the victim are residents of the same locality. The accused has been absconding since the incident. A case has been registered against the accused and investigation is underway.

The police official said, “We are investigating the case further and efforts are on to trace and nab the accused.” DCP Joy N Tirkey said, “Sonu sustained some injuries on his hand, while Rahul was admitted to GTB Hospital after being stabbed by the accused in the lower abdomen. A case has been registered under sections 307 and 324.”

The area continues to experience heightened tension following the incident. Taking this into account paramilitary forces are deployed in the area.

Liberals and Islamists outrage against Himanta Biswa Sarma: How he was right and those outraging seem to be fighting for Jihadis’ dream to tear India apart

Nupur J Sharma
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Liberals and Islamists outrage against Himanta Biswa Sarma: How he was right and those outraging seem to be fighting for Jihadis’ dream to tear India apart

Obama, who has a notorious record as a potential war criminal, suggested that the Indian Prime Minister must be told by the Biden administration about protecting the ‘Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India.’ He also hinted at another ‘partition’ of India, under which the Modi government did not mend its ways.

He said, “If President (Joe Biden) meets with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, the protection of Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India is something worth mentioning.” Barack Obama also claimed, “If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, then part of the conversation would be that if you do not protect the rights of minorities, then there is a strong possibility that India at some point starts pulling apart…That would be contrary to the interests of India”.

The Liberal and Islamist cabal was celebrating this comment by former US President Barack Obama. It is pertinent to note that Obama himself has the unique distinction of bombing more Muslims across the globe than any other leader. He launched airstrikes in at least seven Muslim-majority countries of Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Pakistan, killing thousands of Muslims.

The United States of America, whether Obama was the President or not, has a terrible human rights track record with rampant atrocities against minorities – with a history of slavery, modern-day racism and atrocities against African-Americans, a crippling wage gap and further persecution of Muslims right after the 9/11 terror attack.

The Liberals and Islamists, who claim to be bleeding hearts for the Muslims of the world, including the terrorists and Islamists, had no compunctions allying with a potential war criminal who murdered several Muslims while he was in power simply to bring PM Modi and India down, furthering the mythical trope of Muslim persecution.

Rohini Singh, the woman who had disappeared from social media after emphatically claiming that Akhilesh Yadav would win Uttar Pradesh, extended her support to Obama and, strangely, picked Assam to berate the current government dispensation. Displaying the glory of her terribly low IQ, she wondered if the Assam police were on their way to arrest Obama for hurting sentiment. Responding to her wondrous asininity, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma responded with a scathing tweet. He said, “There are many Hussain Obama in India itself. We should prioritise taking care of them before considering going to Washington. The Assam police will act according to our own priorities,” the Assam CM tweeted.

Leftists and Islamists, of course, had their knickers in a bunch rather instantly. The outrage was amusing and deafening, in an attempt to defend the insidious comments of the man who oversaw the rise of ISIS – Barack Obama.

Essentially, the global Left ecosystem used the comments by Himanta Biswa Sarma to allege that the concern about Muslims displayed by Obama was spot on, given that Modi’s Chief Minister was himself talking about persecuting Muslims. Further, many asked for USA intervention in India based on this comment, saying that the tweet was an example of the human rights of Muslims being stifled in India under the leadership of PM Modi and another leader of the BJP.

If one breaks down the statement by Obama, there are two main components that one needs to focus on to understand what ‘kind of people’ was Himanta Biswa Sarma talking about arresting.

  1. Obama’s distinction between Hindu India and Muslim India
  2. The fact that he alluded to a second partition of India

Firstly, Obama should realise that India is India. Bharat. A ‘Muslim India’ was already carved out of the nation when Muslims claimed they could not survive with Hindus in India as their Muslim identity constituted a nation of its own. In 1947, Pakistan was created based on the fanaticism of one religion, and that religion certainly was not Hinduism – it was Islam – however, one won’t be remiss if one says that Barack Hussein Obama would not have the temerity to acknowledge the fanatic moorings of Islam and what those moorings did to Bharat. The partition of India based on religion, a partition demanded by the Muslims, was a blood-soaked one with several genocides of Hindus – from the Malabar genocide of Hindus to the Direct Action Day, the streets of Bharat were littered with Hindu bodies, chopped, raped, massacred by Muslims. If one wishes to go further back in time, one could also evaluate the period of Islamic invasion, where Hindu Temples were desecrated, Hindus were forcefully converted, beheaded upon refusal, barred from practising their religion, and so on. This article, however, is not to give Barack Obama a history lesson, one he desperately needs.

One simply needs to reiterate that a “Muslim India” already exists – in the form of Pakistan – the greatest exporter of Islamic terrorism, cross-border aggression and Islamic fundamentalism. It is in “Muslim India” that Hindus are persecuted regularly, with minors being raped and converted to Islam, forced to marry old Muslim men, Hindus being lynched in the streets in broad daylight and more.

One also needs to reiterate that Hindus and Bharat are not new to threats of partition, similar to the ones issued by Barack Hussein Obama. The nature of Muslim separatism was encapsulated rather well by the father of Communism. Karl Marx stated in 1854, “The Koran and the Mussulman legislation emanating from it reduce the geography and ethnography of the various people to the simple and convenient distinction of two nations and two countries; those of the Faithful and the Infidels. The Infidel is “Harby,” i.e. the enemy. Islamism proscribes the nation of the Infidels, constituting a state of permanent hostility between the Mussulman and the unbeliever.”

It was this very mentality, which was verbalised by Barack Hussein Obama, that led to the partition of India. The cycle has continued to date. Jinnah, for example, called for a separate Muslim nation because he felt that Muslims were not safe in Hindu majority India – this – while it was the Muslims who were massacring Hindus and this – while he gave a call to murder Hindus leading to the Direct Action Day. Once the violence was unleashed by the Muslims after they believed they were being victimised, sans proof or merit, they would blame the Hindus aided by the ‘secular’ politicians and leaders, threatening and demanding that they be given special privileges because they were persecuted.

There are, to this date, several Islamists in India who follow the same pattern. Despite the Islamist aggression, it is the Muslims who are to branded as victims in perpetuity. The Communal Violence Bill aimed to do just that. In the Purola case, too, for example, it is a Muslim man who abducted a minor Hindu girl, but the narrative is spun as such that the Muslims of the area are the REAL victims simply because the Hindus decided to protest against these religiously motivated crimes. Delhi Riots was another such example. While people from both communities died in the riots, it is pertinent to note that the Delhi anti-Hindu riots were planned for three months before the low-level everyday violence and hate speech culminated in the anti-Hindu riots. Several Islamists and Leftists had meticulously planned the riots to “teach Kafirs a lesson”, in the words of Tahir Hussain. The violence in February 2020 started with an onslaught against Hindus as well. The first to lose his life in the riots was countable Ratan Lal, who was lynched to death by a Muslim mob. Thereafter, others like Ankit Sharma, Dilbar Negi and several others were brutally murdered. Disregarding the conspiracy, the plan hatched, the meticulous planning of the violence, the hateful slogans, and so much more, the global media run by the Left and the Islamists cries hoarse, turning it into an anti-Muslim pogrom. The propaganda was such that NDTV deliberately cropped live footage of a mosque to ensure that bricks on the terrace were not visible to people.

When Himanta Biswa Sarma says that those who are like Barack Hussein Obama would be dealt with in India, he merely means that those who believe in the concept of a Muslim India – that is, Pakistan – and those who unleash violence and then threaten to tears India apart if their demands are not met – won’t be tolerated and will be met with the full force of the law.

One only wonders why the Liberals and Islamists globally are outraged by the idea of Bharat protecting its integrity and sovereignty. One wonders if those opposing Himanta Biswa Sarma and claiming to fight for the rights of Muslims are fighting for the right of Islamists and Jihadis to unleash violence against Hindus and tear India apart once again, all the while painting themselves as the victims with the help of Indian liberals and others like Barack Hussein Obama.

However, as a leader with appeal beyond Assam, he should henceforth avoid replying to jobless trolls masquerading as journalists, something PM Modi excels at

‘Inko bhagwan bhi maaf nahin karega’: Mumbai theatre owner Manoj Desai lashes out at Adipurush makers after the film collapses at box office

OpIndia Staff
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‘Inko bhagwan bhi maaf nahin karega’: Mumbai theatre owner Manoj Desai lashes out at Adipurush makers after the film collapses at box office

Film Adipurush, the cinematic adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana starring Prabhas, Saif Ali Khan and Kriti Sanon in lead roles has tanked at the box office after receiving severe backlash from the audience for its distortions, cheap dialogue and pathetic visual effects. Amidst the controversy, the executive director of Gaiety Galaxy and Maratha Mandir Cinema in Mumbai, Manoj Desai has lambasted the Adipurush makers for playing with the sentiments of the audience making a mockery of Ramayana. He even opined that the makers of the film Adipurush should be jailed. 

“We thought the film will be a super hit…Ramayana is not written like this. The way the film has showcased lord Hanuman & Ravana is unacceptable. How can Kriti Sanon be Sita…Everywhere the film shows are getting cancelled. The makers of the film should be jailed.,” Desai said.

Desai stated that the Om Raut directorial had not yet arrived but had already been rejected by the audience. They were screening Adipurush with only 30-40 people in the theatre because there were no other films to show. 

Manoj Desai said that he expected Adipurush to be packed because it was based on Ramayana, but the film fell short of all of the expectations. He recollected sitting in front of a black-and-white television to see Ramanand Sagar’s iconic Ramayana. 

Lamenting over the losses suffered by him due to Adipurush’s box office failure, Desai said that although the controversial dialogues in the film have been changed, however, it is of no use now as the negative word of mouth has spread and people are not coming to theatres.

“By today or tomorrow, the film will be removed from the cinema halls. We have suffered many losses. All theatres have incurred losses. They have changed dialogues but it’s too late…The people are very angry. We have decreased the price of the tickets but still, people are not coming,” Desai added.

The Gaiety Galaxy executive director was even upset with actor Prabhas over the sharp contrast between how he looked in the blockbuster film Bahubali and how he looked in Adipurush. 

Moreover, Desai slammed Manoj Muntashir for writing “Chhapri” dialogues for the film’s characters. He criticised Muntashir for defending such cringe dialogues instead of apologising to the audience. 

“Maafi maangni chahiye. Lekin inko to bhagwan bhi maaf nahi  karega Inko insaan maaf nahi karega. Inko janta maaf nahi karegi. Ye kahin ke nahin rahe iss picture ke baad mai likh kar de sakta hu (They should apologise but even the God and humans won’t forgive them. After this film, they are finished, i can give this in writing),” Desai asserted.

Expressing his utter disappointment over Lord Hanuman’s dialogues in the film, Desai said that if actor Dara Singh who played Lord Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, was alive, he would have thrashed the hell out of Adipurush team. 

Desai further took a jibe a the Adipurush makers’ decision to leave one seat empty to honour Lord Hanuman as he said that the entire theatres are going empty which seat are the makers reserving for Lord hanuman.

Notably, the movie which was off to a great start with 200 crore in its first weekend raked only 10 crore on June 20. It experienced a startling drop of 75% on Monday and a subsequent decline on the next day.

In August last year, Manoj Desai castigated actor Vijay Deverakonda for his “arrogance”. He slammed Vijay Deverakonda for his comments on the boycott trends as his film Liger was released. Liger, one of the most anticipated movies of 2022, had registered a disastrous opening on its first day.

Russia orders arrest of Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin after his call for mutiny

OpIndia Staff
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Russia orders arrest of Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin after his call for mutiny

On Friday, June 23, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) ordered the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group. This comes after Russian intelligence alleged that Prigozhin was inciting an “armed rebellion”.

With this, the long-running dispute between Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and the military’s top echelon over the Ukraine war has been exposed.

The Federal Security Service, or FSB, announced the criminal case, implying that Prigozhin might be arrested soon for remarks in which he stated that he was planning a “march of justice” against his foes in Russia’s Ministry of Defence. The Wagner mercenary leader, however, denied any attempt at a military coup.

Prigozhin, a former confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, demanded revenge after saying that the Russian military killed “an enormous amount” of his forces in the strikes launched on Friday on Wagner camps. The Russian military refuted these strikes took place, adding that there was no independent evidence to support his assertion.

In an audio recording posted on Wagner group’s social media on Friday, Prigozhin said, “The evil that the military leadership of the country brings forward must be stopped. They have forgotten the word justice, and we will return it. Anyone attempting resistance will be considered a threat and immediately destroyed. This includes all the checkpoints on our path and any aircraft above our heads.”

Prigozhin accused Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu of flying to Rostov in southern Russia particularly to launch a missile strike against Wagner before abandoning the area late Friday in multiple audio recordings.

The Russian Defence Ministry, however, reacted to Prigozhin’s threats, dismissing his assertion that the military had hit a Wagner camp as “an informational provocation.”

“The Russian Federation’s armed forces continue to carry out combat missions on the line of contact with Ukraine’s armed forces in the area of the special military operation,” the ministry said.

Social media videos showed armoured vehicles stationed in central Moscow, specifically on the roads where the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, and the Prosecutor General’s Office are situated.

According to Russian media reports, Wagner forces have gained control of the Southern Military District building in Rostov, prompting security to be heightened across Moscow. Moscow’s security forces are on high alert, and security has been ramped up in government buildings, transport facilities, and other vital areas.

Rostov area governor Vasily Golubev stated on Saturday that all public mass events slated for the weekend in the city have been cancelled. He said that public transit remained operational, but that downtown routes had been adjusted, and that certain limits had been imposed on roads leading to Taganrog, west of Rostov-on-Don, and north of the city.

Wagner, according to Prigozhin’s statement in May this year, lost 20,000 troops in the months-long battle for Bakhmut, which left the Ukrainian city in ruins. Wagner has played a critical role in the fight as the most combat-efficient Russian force in Ukraine. It has earlier reportedly clashed briefly with regular Russian forces in Bakhmut this month, detaining the commander of a Russian brigade whom Prigozhin claimed of mining the road used by Wagner as it retreated from the city.

Return of stolen antiquities, new H1B visa benefit, and ‘Invest in India’: Key takeaways from the address of PM Modi to the Indian diaspora

OpIndia Staff
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Return of stolen antiquities, new H1B visa benefit, and ‘Invest in India’: Key takeaways from the address of PM Modi to the Indian diaspora

On Friday (local time), Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his goodbye speech to the Indian diaspora at an event, which was held at the Ronald Regan Centre in Washington DC.

The invite-only event, organised by the United States Indian Community Foundation (USICF), also marked the end of PM Modi’s 3-day State visit to the United States.

During his speech, the Indian Prime Minister said, “The amount of love I am getting in the US is wonderful, all the credit goes to the people of this country. President Biden and I had a lot of discussions in the last 3 days…He has always tried to take the India-US partnership to another level.”

He pointed out that the India-US relationship has become stronger over the years with strong defence cooperation, transfers of technology and increased cooperation on strategic issues.

He said that the US State Department was working on a pilot programme wherein Indians working in the US on H-1B visas do not need to leave the country to renew them.

“America’s new consulates will be opened in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. It has now been decided that the H1B visa renewal can be done in the US itself,” the Indian Prime Minster added.

PM Modi on return of antiquities

He stated that more than 100 artefacts that were stolen and smuggled from India to the United States will be returned to the country.

PM Modi added, “I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 antiquities of India that were stolen from us. These antiquities had reached the international markets. I express my gratitude to the American government for this”

He also lauded India’s digital revolution. “Hundreds of years of colonisation had taken this belief away from us,” the Indian Prime Minister emphasised.

PM Modi urges entrepreneurs to ‘Invest in India’

He also urged entrepreneurs in the United States to invest in India. PM Modi informed, “During my visit, companies like Google Micron, Applied Materials and others have announced to make huge investments in India.”

He added, “India is the mother of democracy and America is the champion of advanced democracy – our biggest trading partner and export destination – but the real potential of the bilateral relation is yet to come out.”

“Technology handshake held at the White House today is a direct message to the companies, businesses, manufacturers and innovators of both the countries – This is the moment. India & US Governments have done the groundwork for you. But now, the responsibility to grow on this ground is yours,” PM Modi concluded.

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