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Prince Harry is ‘frightened’ of his wife Meghan Markle, claims royal biographer; calls her ‘really scary’

OpIndia Staff
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Prince Harry is ‘frightened’ of his wife Meghan Markle, claims royal biographer; calls her ‘really scary’

According to Angela Levin, the royal biographer, Prince Harry is frightened of his wife Meghan Markle. She added that the Duke of Sussex is ‘nervous’ when he is around his wife. Referring to the Duchess of Sussex as ‘really scary,’ she said, “It’s well known that Meghan is delightful unless you say something that she doesn’t want you to say and then she is really scary.”

“I think he is frightened of her because of the way he looks at her. He doesn’t want to say something if she wants to speak”, She claimed. Adding further that Prince Harry moves back if Meghan wants to speak with someone first. Calling him anxious, she alleged that Meghan probably controls everything because ‘Harry isn’t the same guy he was a few years ago.’

“He said himself that what Meghan wants, Meghan gets”, She remarked, “It’s a tragedy because I think that he lets her say and do things that anyone else would say ‘no this is not how it works’ that ‘she is wrong’,” the former biographer of Prince Harry explained.

Last month, she revealed that Prince Harry was ‘shivering in his boots’ about seeing the Royal Family before King Charles III’s coronation over fears of ‘royal retaliation’.

Her latest statement came after Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, spoke about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship, praising the former actress for giving her husband ‘a love that he’s never had before’. She asserted that she has ‘absolutely no judgement’ on any other person’s life.

The royal couple has been in the middle of controversies since their marriage in 2018. In 2020, they renounced their titles and quit the British royal family. The royal family was even accused of racial discrimination by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in an Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021.

11 top American banks rescue ‘vulnerable’ First Republic Bank with a contribution of $30 billion after the collapse of two banks

OpIndia Staff
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11 top American banks rescue ‘vulnerable’ First Republic Bank with a contribution of $30 billion after the collapse of two banks

After the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, another bank in the USA is in crisis, the San Francisco-based First Republic Bank. Amidst falling stock prices and fleeing depositors, the First Republic Bank has received $30 billion from 11 large US banks to prevent it from collapsing. The cash injection came into effect after First Republic Bank’s executives met with Treasury Secretary Treasury Janet Yellen and bank regulators in Washington DC.

As per reports, four banks namely JP Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., and Citigroup Inc made uninsured deposits of $5 billion each into First Republic Bank. Besides two other banks, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley deposited $2.5 billion each.

Five other banks, namely, U.S. Bancorp, Truist Financial Corp., PNC Financial Services Group Inc.Bank of New York Mellon Corp. and State Street Corp. contributed $1 billion each.

In a joint statement, the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said, “This show of support by a group of large banks is most welcome, and demonstrates the resilience of the banking system.”

Reportedly, the $30 billion cash injection will help redress immediate issues of falling stock prices and fleeing depositors. It must be mentioned that the First Republic Bank’s stock dropped by 60% and market capitalisation fell from $21 billion to under $5 billion in a week’s time.

The deal was reportedly put together by power brokers including U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who discussed the package on Tuesday.

The $30 billion deposits by the banks came after First Republic was given access to $70 billion in funds by JPMorgan, but this was not enough to calm the worries of the investors following the demise of Silicon Valley Bank, as depositors had started to move cash to large banks.

It underwent a liquidity crisis after customers moved billions of deposits out of the bank in distress. The joint deal by 11 US banks to help the First Republic Bank comes amidst fears of the collapse of the entire banking system. The Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the Signature Bank shut shop earlier this month. In Europe, Credit Suisse is also facing a major crisis, although it has been extended a lifeline by the Swiss central bank, which has offered a loan up to 50 billion francs ($54 billion).

In the past, the First Republic Bank had several wealthy businesses and individuals as its customers. As of December last year, it had $176 billion in deposits and $213 billion in assets. The aggressive increase in interest rates by the Federal Reserve System took a toll on the First Republic Bank.

Tamil Nadu: Dairy farmers in Erode throw milk on road during protests demanding an increase in procurement prices

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: Dairy farmers in Erode throw milk on road during protests demanding an increase in procurement prices

In Erode in Tamil Nadu, dairy farmers have taken to the streets to protest against the low procurement prices of milk. The protests began early in the morning on 17 March and saw hundreds of farmers taking part.

As part of the protest, the dairy farmers threw milk on the road. The dairy farmers are demanding an increase in the procurement price of milk by Rs 7 per litre, which they say has not been revised for a long time. The protest has disrupted traffic in the area, with the farmers blocking the roads and refusing to move until their demands are met.

Members of the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers’ Welfare Association (TNMPWA) said that they will gradually withdraw their supplies as part of the protest. The association is demanding that the price should be hiked by Rs 7 from Rs 35 for cow milk and Rs 44 for buffalo milk.

Earlier the farmers had threatened to go on strike from Friday demanding an increase in procurement prices. Minister for Dairy Development S.M. Nasar on Thursday said that “the Aavin milk supply would not be affected in any manner due to the strike”. He further said that Aavin was in the process of procuring enough milk to meet the demand.

The Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Welfare Association’s M.G. Rajendran said “the present three-tier cooperative system was in danger of collapsing if the procurement prices were not increased. Private milk dairies were paying ₹10 more per litre than what Aavin was paying”

Aavin is a state government co-operative under the ownership of Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited, Ministry of Co-operation, Government of Tamil Nadu. Aavin procures milk, processes it and sells milk and milk products to consumers.

The company produces a wide range of dairy products, including milk, butter, yogurt, ice cream, and ghee among others.

Notably, India is the world’s largest producer of Milk. Milk is the single largest agricultural commodity by value contributing 5 per cent of the national economy. Dairying has become an important secondary source of income for millions of rural families and has assumed the most important role in providing employment and income generation opportunities mainly for women and marginal farmers.

Dairying plays an important role in the socio-economic development of rural households in the country. The major share of the milk in the country is produced by small, marginal farmers and landless labourers. A small land base encourages the farmers to practice dairying as an occupation subsidiary to agriculture.

Telangana: BJP candidate AVN Reddy wins Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad Teachers MLC election

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: BJP candidate AVN Reddy wins Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad Teachers MLC election

On Friday, March 17, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate AVN Reddy emerged victorious in the Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad Teachers’ Member of Legislative Council (MLC) seat in Telangana. 

AVN Reddy won with 13,436 votes after 21 rounds of counting, surpassing the necessary threshold of 12,709 votes. The Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad Teachers Constituency held voting on March 13 with around 29,720 voters registered across nine districts. The recorded poll percentage was 90.40 percent.

Taking to Twitter, Telangana BJP President Bandi Sanjay Kumar informed about Reddy’s victory and wrote, “The success of teachers and educators who stood on the side of Dharma! The victory of the BJP candidate Mr. AVN Reddy in the MLC elections of the joint Mahbubnagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad teachers’ constituency is proof of the accumulated anti-government among the teachers. Atleast now, KCR should open his eyes and take the initiative to solve the problems of teachers.”

Bandi Sanjay also asserted that the recent victory will be repeated in the upcoming state assembly elections. “People of Telangana will learn a lesson from this BRS government which is going towards dictatorial tendencies. The teachers expressed confidence that the same results would be repeated in the upcoming general elections. With the same spirit, we hope that the teachers’ world will come with us to overthrow the anti-teacher KCR government.”

The BJP leader further congratulated AVN Reddy for his victory. “Congratulations to Mr. AVN Reddy, the BJP candidate who won the MLC election. Heartfelt thanks to the teachers and faculty who voted for them. We will uphold this trust placed in us. This victory inspires us to fight more vigorously to solve the problems of teachers. Bharat Mata Ki Jai #TeachersWithBJP.” Kumar tweeted.

Jagat Prakash Nadda, the National President of the Bhartiya Janata Party, congratulated AVN Reddy, Bandi Sanjay and Telangana BJP unit on the historic win. “Congratulations to Sri AVN Reddy, @bandisanjay_bjp ji & team @BJP4Telangana on the historic victory in the Teachers Constituency of Mahbubnagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad in MLC elections. The people have discarded the BRS once more & have embraced the BJP’s vision under PM Modi Ji,” Nadda tweeted.

Meanwhile BJP’s National General Secretary (Org) B L Santhosh also congratulated AVN Reddy and the party’s state leadership calling the ‘well-deserved’ win a mandate against corrupt and dynast BRS.

“Congratulations @BJP4Telangana candidate for Mehbubnagar, Rangareddy, Hyderabad Teacher’s constituency Sri AVN Reddy for a well-deserved win. It’s another mandate against anti-poor, anti-development, corrupt, dynast @BRSparty & their arrogant leadership,” Santhosh tweeted.

Congratulating Bandi Sanjay and AVN Reddy, the state treasurer of Telangana BJP, Santhi Kumar tweeted, “When thousands of employees’ families are suffering because of G.O.317, CM #KCR has no time to address the grievances of the employees, at that moment our @BJP4Telangana Team leader by @bandisanjay_bjp ji stood for the employees. #TeachersWithBJP #CongratsAVNReddy.”

BJP Executive Committee member Ramchander Rao tweeted, “Congratulations to Sri. #AVNReddy Garu on winning Teachers MLC from Mahaboob Nagar, Rangareddy & Hyderabad Teachers constituency. Special thanks to the teamwork of #BJP, ABVP, TPUS, and other organizations.”

The 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election will be held in or before December 2023 to elect all 119 members of the state’s Legislative Assembly.

“Startups should opt Indian banks as their preferred partners”: Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar amid crisis in foreign banks

ANI
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“Startups should opt Indian banks as their preferred partners”: Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar amid crisis in foreign banks

Emphasising that the Indian banking system is resilient and strong amid the Silicon Valley Bank-led crisis in the US banking system and contagion effect on some others in a matter of less than a week, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said startups should opt Indian banks as their preferred partners.

Union Minister of State for Electronics & IT said special provisions available at Gift City in Gujarat can be quick and impactful support for Indian startups. During a session at the Lenovo Tech World India 2023 themed ‘Smarter Technology Empowering a Changing world’ on Thursday evening, the minister also spoke about the transfer of bank deposits worth over USD 200 million to GIFT City, Gujarat, which according to him was a sign of the Indian banking system’s growing prominence.

“Today what is attractive about the banking system is not their appetite to take risk instead it is their prudency which makes them strong. What startups are looking for is not risk or risky instruments, instead they are looking for safe havens where capital can be deposited,” he said further.

Further, he spoke about India Stack, and also announced India Stack Global Conference will be held in May where 7 to 8 countries are expected to sign up and implement the India stack — which are open-source, low cost, interoperable and scalable.

When asked about the Digital India Act, Chandrasekhar said, “We need a legal and cyber law framework that is contemporary and future-ready. Disruption is normal and innovation will push the conversation of what is acceptable. Thus, we need laws that can keep pace with the rate of change.”

The proposed Act, he said, will be contemporary, and future-proof for the current ecosystem and can show the rest of the world what a modern day legislation for the tech ecosystem looks like.

On the issue of semiconductors which are in huge demand, the minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision and support have been crucial for the inroads that India has made in the domain of semiconductors.

“We are certainly on course to announce a fab investment and a packaging investment being approved by the Government of India.”

He also announced the setting up of India Semiconductor Research Center, which will create capabilities and capacities in the leading edge of research in semiconductors.

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

Waited 3 hours to hand over notice to Rahul Gandhi regarding his statement during BJ Yatra but he did not meet: Delhi Police

OpIndia Staff
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Waited 3 hours to hand over notice to Rahul Gandhi regarding his statement during BJ Yatra but he did not meet: Delhi Police

The Delhi Police stated on Thursday, March 16, that their team waited for three hours on March 15 to hand over the notice to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, but he did not see them, reports ANI. The Delhi police had personally visited the Congress MP to hand over the notice issued in relation to his recent statement that women in Kashmir had told him during his Bharat Jodo Yatra that they were gang rape victims.

However, after three hours of waiting, the team returned since the Congress MP didn’t meet them.

The Delhi police further added that the team returned the next day to hand over the notice to the Gandhi scion. Then too, the Congress MP made the police team wait for one and a half hours before meeting them to receive the notice, ANI quoted a source as saying.

Notably, the Delhi police sent a questionnaire to Rahul Gandhi asking him “to give details about women who approached him regarding sexual harassment”.

The Gandhi scion had made the comments in Srinagar during the Bharat Jodo yatra in January, where he had said, “In one particular case I asked a girl, she had been raped, I asked her should we call the police, she said that don’t call the police then I will be shamed”. He also said that he had heard that women are still being sexually assaulted.

Rahul Gandhi also mentioned it during his controversial speech at Cambridge university in the UK, where he said that when he was walking in Kashmir during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, two women approached him and held his hand. He said that one of the women said, “my sister and me were gang raped by five guys”, when he talked to them.

He said that when he offered to call the cops, they declined, saying that they would be shamed and will never get married if he calls the cops. According to Rahul Gandhi, they only wanted their ‘brother’ Rahul Gandhi to know what happened to them, and then walked away.

It is important to note that the Delhi Police has explicitly requested that Rahul Gandhi disclose details about those women so that they can be given appropriate security and action can be taken against the perpetrators. Nevertheless, it is perplexing why the Congress party has chosen to utilise a simple notice to attack the BJP government.

After Delhi police issued the notice, the Congress party took to its official Twitter handle to write, “A govt rattled by Shri Rahul Gandhi’s questions on PM Modi & Adani’s relationship hides behind its police. 45-days after Bharat Jodo Yatra was completed, Delhi Police has, via a notice, sought details of women who met him & spoke about harassment & violence they may have faced.”

“We will respond to the notice in due course in accordance with law.”

“This notice is yet another proof of a govt in panic and their latest salvo to weaken democracy, women empowerment, freedom of expression and role of the opposition.”

It also posted photographs of police personnel outside Gandhi’s Tuglaq Lane residence in New Delhi, saying “Images are self explanatory.”

New Zealand to ban TikTok on parliament-linked devices after the UK banned the Chinese app on govt phones, both cite security concerns

OpIndia Staff
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New Zealand to ban TikTok on parliament-linked devices after the UK banned the Chinese app on govt phones, both cite security concerns

In a move to strengthen security protocols, New Zealand’s Parliament has officially decided to ban the use of TikTok on all the devices linked to Parliament or its MPs The decision was made due to concerns over potential security risks posed by the Chinese social media platform. This comes a day after the UK banned TikTok on government-issued phones.

TikTok will be banned on all devices with access to New Zealand’s parliamentary network by the end of March, said Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero. The announcement comes after a review of security procedures was conducted by the Parliamentary Service. It was found that TikTok’s data collection and privacy policies could potentially compromise sensitive information that is shared and stored on Parliament’s devices.

Parliamentary Service General Manager, Rafael Gonzalez-Montero stated that “We take the security of Parliament’s information systems and data very seriously. After careful consideration, we have decided to ban the use of TikTok on all parliamentary-linked devices to minimize potential risks.”

Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero further said that TikTok will be banned on all devices with access to New Zealand’s parliamentary network by the end of March. The Members of the New Zealand Parliament were told via email that “the Parliamentary Service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand parliament environment”.

This decision of the Parliamentary Service of New Zealand will impact all parliamentary staff and MPs who use TikTok on their work devices. They will no longer be able to access the app or use it on their devices.

Apart from this, New Zealand’s defence force and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade have already implemented bans on TikTok on work devices. A defence official said that the move was a “precautionary approach to protect the safety and security” of personnel.

TikTok has been a popular social media platform among young people globally, with millions of active users daily. The app is known for its short-form videos and trendy challenges that have gone viral on various social media platforms.

This move by New Zealand’s Parliament to ban TikTok on their devices follows similar actions taken by other countries. India was the first country to ban Tiktok, many countries later followed suit. India banned the app citing security concerns related to user data privacy and national security. The ban in New Zealand came just after a day the UK government banned the app from all Government devices with immediate effect.

“The security of sensitive government information must come first, so today we are banning this app on government devices. The use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review,” UK Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said in a statement. “Restricting the use of TikTok on government devices is a prudent and proportionate step following advice from our cyber security experts,” he added.

The UK government fears that sensitive data kept on official phones could be accessed by the Chinese government through the app, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.

Oliver Dowden said that now the users of government devices will be able to access third-party apps only from a pre-approved list. However, the ban does not extend to the personal devices of the govt officials. While the govt has not banned TikTok from the use by the public, minister Dowden said that people should always “consider each social media platform’s data policies before downloading and using them”.

The move by the British govt came after it had asked the National Cyber Security Centre to look at the potential vulnerability of government data from social media apps and the risks around how sensitive information could be accessed and used.

TikTok said it was disappointed with the decision and denied any security risk associated with the app. It said that it believes the recent bans are based on “fundamental misconceptions” and driven by wider geopolitics, adding that it has spent more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts and rejects spying allegations. The Chinese govt has said that the decision was based on political considerations rather than facts. The move “interferes with the normal operations of relevant companies in the UK and will ultimately only harm the UK’s own interests”, the Chinese embassy in London said in a statement.

The US government has also asked its officials to delete the app from their phones before the end of March. The US government has threatened a full-scale ban if Chinese owners in the app do not divest their stakes.

Several countries have either banned or temporarily blocked access to TikTok over concerns about data privacy and security. Here is a list of some of the countries that have banned TikTok:

India: In June 2020, India banned TikTok and several other Chinese mobile apps citing national security concerns.

United States: In September 2020, the US government issued an executive order to ban TikTok citing national security concerns, although the ban was later put on hold. Currently, the US government is pushing TikTok to dissociate itself from the parent company ByteDance and divest.

Bangladesh: In June 2020, the Bangladesh government banned TikTok for spreading “obscene” content and “spreading falsehoods.”

Pakistan: Pakistan has banned Tiktok several times but the bans were lifted amid Chine government pressure. In October 2020, Pakistan banned TikTok for failing to filter out “immoral” and “indecent” content.

Indonesia: In July 2021, Indonesia temporarily blocked access to TikTok over concerns about “negative content.”

Canada: Tiktok is banned on government phones in Canada, the ban was implemented citing security concerns.

Iran: In January 2021, Iran banned TikTok over concerns about the spread of “immoral content.”

Belgium: Belgian federal government employees are not allowed to use TikTok on their work phones, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on recently

It remains to be seen whether this move by the New Zealand Parliament will influence other organizations to take similar measures. For now, it is clear that the country’s Parliament is taking proactive measures to safeguard its sensitive information and data from potential security threats.

Green carpet laid out for Arvind Kejriwal over garbage mounds as he visits Bhalswa landfill site for inspection, BJP calls him ‘Raja Saheb’

OpIndia Staff
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Green carpet laid out for Arvind Kejriwal over garbage mounds as he visits Bhalswa landfill site for inspection, BJP calls him ‘Raja Saheb’

On Thursday, March 16, Delhi CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal was greeted with a green carpet at the Bhalswa landfill site in the national capital. Kejriwal had apparently visited the site to inspect the bio-mining work being carried out to remove the garbage piled up at the site.

Sharing pictures of Kejriwal’s visit to the Bhalwa landfill site, BJP leader Manoj Tiwari took a dig at the AAP supremo by calling him ‘Raja Saheb’. The BJP leader tweeted in Hindi, “When he visits the garbage site, he walks on the green carpet because he is a king…AAP’s charades are limitless @ArvindKejriwal ji.”

BJP leader Amit Malviya also shared the picture of Kejriwal walking on a green carpet specially laid out over the garbage mounds for the AAP supremo and used a dialogue from the Bollywood film to take a dig at him. He wrote, “Green carpet welcome at a landfill site for Arvind Kejriwal… Look at your shoes, they are special. Don’t put them on the ground, they will get dirty.”

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kumar also expressed shock at the green carpet welcome accorded to the AAP chief during his visit to a garbage site. Sharing a similar picture, Kumar wrote, “Wow Maharaj… you were once a common man. Now, look at @ArvindKejriwal ji’s style – when he reached Bhalswa to inspect the landfill site, a #GreenCarpet was laid out for sir to walk – lest the shoes would have gotten dirty.”

Meanwhile, after visiting the site, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that the garbage mounds in northwest Delhi’s Bhalswa landfill will be cleared by March next year.

“Presently, the landfill held around 5 million tonnes of waste. Over the last two-and-a-half years, 3 million tonnes of waste was removed, but the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which is now under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), will work at a faster pace. We are targeting the removal of another 3 million tonnes of waste by December this year,” Kejriwal said after inspecting the bio-mining work at the landfill.

Kejriwal added that while the initial target was to remove 6,500 tonnes of waste per day from Bhalswa, bio-mining work gathered pace and 9,000 tonnes of garbage was processed on Wednesday. “By March-end, around 12,000 tonnes of waste will be removed every day. With the speed at which the work is progressing, the area will be cleared of all garbage by March 2024,” he said.

Notably, Delhi alone generates 11,332 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste every day and only treats 47.2% of it, mainly for energy. The remaining waste ends up in Delhi’s three landfills in Okhla, Ghazipur and Bhalaswa. This means that 5500+ tons of waste are added to landfills every day.

Interestingly, during Delhi’s municipal election, the removal of landfills was at the top of AAP’s political agenda. During a visit to ‘Okhla-landfill,’ then-Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia spoke passionately about his plans to eliminate these landfills from the city’s landscape. After winning the MCD elections, AAP’s biggest challenge now is to remove the mountain of garbage that has amassed in these three landfills, pushing the national capital to the brink of a massive environmental disaster.

‘We don’t need madarsas’: Assam CM Sarma says Congress leaders are the new ‘Mughals’ who want to destroy India’s Hindu culture

OpIndia Staff
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‘We don’t need madarsas’: Assam CM Sarma says Congress leaders are the new ‘Mughals’ who want to destroy India’s Hindu culture

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated that over 600 madarsas have been shut down in the state because his government believes in establishing universities, schools and colleges rather than funding religious institutions. He was addressing a rally at Belgavi’s Shivaji Maharaj Garden in poll-bound Karnataka, on Thursday.

He asserted that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh pose a threat to the civilization and culture of the northeastern state.

He stated, “People from Bangladesh come to Assam & create a threat to our civilization and culture. I have closed 600 madrassas and I intend to close all madrassas because we do not want madrassas. We want schools, colleges and universities. The new India does not need madrasas.”

Last year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader emphasised that Assam has turned into a hub of ‘jihadi operations’ after five ‘jihadi’ modules with connections to Al Qaida-affiliated terror outfits in Bangladesh were busted in the state. 

He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for restoring temples and denounced Congress for attempting to undermine the nation. “Once upon a time, the ruler of Delhi used to talk about demolishing temples but today under PM Modi’s rule, I am talking about building temples. This is new India. Congress is working to weaken this new India.”

He also called out the grand old party for its objection to Ram mandir in Ayodhya. “When Ram mandir is built, they (Congress) have a problem. Congress is representing the new Mughals today.”

He spoke against the domination of Mughal empire in Indian history. “The Congress and Communists showed that India’s history was all about Babur, Aurangzeb, and Shahjahan.” He added, “I want to tell that India’s history was not about them but about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Guru Gobind Singh.”

The CM shed light on historical events and remarked that continuous effort was made to annihilate the ‘Sanatan culture’ under Aurangzeb’s reign. “Many people were forcefully converted to Islam. At that time Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took birth and he showed that Bharat Mata can give birth to a son like him who can challenge Aurangzeb.”

Referring to India as ‘Hindu,’ he proclaimed, “Aurangzeb was not able to destroy our ‘Sanatan’ culture. Today India is ‘Sanatan’ and ‘Hindu’ and will continue to remain so.”

He accused communist historians of attempting to prove that Mughals ruled over all of India. “It was not true that Aurangzeb had captured entire India.” He mentioned, that the Mughal emperor never had control over South India or the North East.

Govt announces 10% reservation, age limit relaxation, and exemption from physical test for ex-Agniveers in CISF

OpIndia Staff
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Govt announces 10% reservation, age limit relaxation, and exemption from physical test for ex-Agniveers in CISF

A week after announcing a 10 percent reservation for former Agniveers in Border Security Force (BSF), the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday, March 16 announced a similar reservation for ex-Agniveers in Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). 

The ministry amended the Central Industrial Security Force Security Wing (Subordinate Ranks) Group ‘B’ and ‘C’ to implement a 10 percent reservation for ex-Agniveers in the CISF.

“In exercise of powers conferred by section 5 read with clause 9(a) of sub-section (2) of section 2 of the Central Industrial Security Forces Act, (50 of 1968), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules to further amend the Central Industrial Security Force Security Wing (Subordinate Rank) Group ‘B’ and ‘C’ Post Recruitment Rules 2010,” the MHA notice states.

The Home Ministry also notified relaxation in the upper age limit by up to five years for the first batch.

For the candidates in the first batch of ex-Agniveers, the upper age limit may be relaxed by up to five years. According to a notice released by the ministry of home affairs, 10% of the open vacancies must be reserved for former Agniveers.

The upper age limit will be flexible by up to three years for the following batches of ex-Agniveers, it stated. Ex-Agniveers will not be required to take the physical efficiency test.

“The upper age limit shall be relaxable up to five years for the candidates of the first batch of ex-Agniveers. Ten percent of the vacancies shall be reserved for ex-Agniveers,” the MHA notification reads.

Reservation for ex-Agniveers in BSF

The union ministry of home affairs recently announced that 10% of all vacancies at the Border Security Force will be reserved for the Agniveers after their terms in the army under the Agnipath scheme is over. As the tenure of the Agniveers in the Agnipath is 4 years, this will ensure that ex-Agniveers will have the opportunity to join the BSF after their tenure.

Agnipath Scheme

On June 14, 2022, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with the chiefs of three armed forces, launched the Agnipath scheme for the recruitment of youth in the armed forces. Those who get enrolled in the armed forces under this scheme are called Agniveers. Enrollment under the scheme is open for both men and women for a four-year period, including the training.

The Agnipath scheme allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the armed forces for a short period of four-year. As per the press release by the Defence Ministry, the scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed forces. While 25% of the Agniveers will be absorbed into the army permanently after the 4-year term, the rest 75% will retire.

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