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Paper-tigers of Bengal: The Telegraph maintains strategic silence over obscene amount of cash recovered from TMC minister’s aide

Nirwa Mehta
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Paper-tigers of Bengal: The Telegraph maintains strategic silence over obscene amount of cash recovered from TMC minister’s aide

The Telegraph, the English-language paper from ABP group published from Kolkata, West Bengal, often hailed by the ‘liberals’ in India for its anti-Modi headlines, has maintained strategic silence on the enormous amount of cash recovered from Arpita Mukherjee’s house. Mukherjee is a close aide of Partha Chatterjee, TMC leader and minister in Mamata government, currently under scanner over alleged involvement in SSC recruitment exams.

The Telegraph front page

In what would have been the biggest news of the day, since it is a locally published paper, likely catering to local people, the sea of cash recovered from Arpita Mukherjee’s second residence is pushed into a small corner ‘in brief’. To put things in perspective, Rs 29 crore cash was found from her house. 6 trucks and cash counting machines were brought in to count the huge cache of cash recovered. This was over and above the cash already recovered from her other residence. A total of about Rs 40 crore cash has been recovered till now.

Earlier on July 22, ED had recovered cash worth over Rs 21 crore, jewellery and foreign exchange from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee in Tollygunge. Reportedly, that flat had been ‘gifted’ to her by arrested TMC leader Partha Chatterjee. It is believed that the recovered money is proceeds of SSC teacher recruitment scam during the time when Partha Chatterjee was the education minister in West Bengal. The Calcutta High Court has ordered a probe in this scam, following which CBI and ED are conducing searches and investigations.

Even on its website, The Telegraph does not even have this piece of news on TMC leader and a minister in Mamata cabinet.

The Telegraph website

The Telegraph chose to put up an ‘interview’ with Alt News’ Mohammed Zubair whose online trolling and dog-whistling has now led to incidents of violence and at least three killings by Islamists.

In fact, when you scroll down the website, the news regarding the cash cache does not even appear – at least till a few miles this reporter scrolled.

In its ‘West Bengal’ section, the first article is about Mamata Banerjee ‘slamming ‘torturous’ Centre’.

The Telegraph West Bengal section

The news regarding the huge amount of cash found from aide of TMC minister is pushed further down.

Partha Chatterjee is a powerful minister in Mamata government. He is also secretary general of the ruling Trinamool Congress. Safe to say he is a close aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. On directions of the Calcutta High Court, the CBI is probing the irregularities in the Group-C and D staff as well as teachers recruitment in government sponsored and aided schools on recommendations of West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC). The Enforcement Directorate is following the cash trail.

The Telegraph ‘speaking truth to power’

This, of course, isn’t the first time The Telegraph appears to be terrified of Mamata Banerjee. In October 2020, on a day when the goons allegedly associated with the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, joined hands with the West Bengal Police and unleashed violence and mercilessly beat up people on the streets of Kolkata, the neutral media ‘Telegraph’ chose to remain a mute spectator against atrocities perpetrated by the West Bengal government. The Telegraph did not have any of its spiteful headlines it passes off as ‘witty’!

The Telegraph is more of an advocacy group than an actual media organization. During the 2019 general elections, its editor had claimed in an article removing Narendra Modi from power was the only hope for India’s redemption. The Bengal-based media house The Telegraph was called out by netizens for a headline that insulted the Dalit community as it compared the President of India, Ramnath Kovind, who is a Dalit leader himself, to ‘Covid19’. The meltdown came after President Kovind nominated ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi to Rajya Sabha.

“Kovind, not Covid, did it”, the headline read. The Coronavirus pandemic that started from China’s Wuhan province in November 2019 has wrecked havoc across the world with virus mutating, with millions across the world getting infected and lakhs succumbing to the disease. The virus continues to spread, infecting thousands every day in India.

May be, the Telegraph, which takes so much pride in its headlines except, has no courage at all to hold West Bengal government or Mamata Banerjee into account or report on things that are happening in its own backyard in West Bengal. And maybe find its spine buried under the pile of cash found in Arpita Mukherjee’s home.

Islamists who killed Umesh Kolhe now want transfer out of Arthur Road jail because they fear for their life: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists who killed Umesh Kolhe now want transfer out of Arthur Road jail because they fear for their life: Details

On Thursday, the accused who had brutally murdered Umesh Kolhe in June this year for allegedly supporting BJP ex-spokesperson Nupur Sharma on social media, have filed an application in the NIA court to shift from Arthur Road jail to another jail. The accused have stated that there is a threat to their life in Arthur Road jail.

According to the reports, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the jail authorities have raised no objection to the application. The application by the accused have been filed a day after one of them named Shahrukh was allegedly beaten up by some of the other prisoners in the jail. The case has also been registered by the Police against the prisoners who led the attack on Pathan.

Umesh Kolhe, a pharmacist in the eastern Maharashtra city of Amravati, was stabbed to death on June 21 while coming home after shutting his store. The 54-year-old was killed for reportedly sharing a post on several WhatsApp groups in favour of now-suspended BJP spokesman Nupur Sharma’s alleged inflammatory statements against Prophet Mohammad.

Pathan is one of seven persons detained in the case by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). All of the accused are being held in Arthur Road Prison. Earlier this month, the anti-terror bureau, which took over the investigations from the Amravati cops, had brought two of the 7 suspects from Mumbai to Amravati and recreated the series of events that led to the killing of Kolhe. The NIA has already taken custody of all seven defendants in the case including Shaikh Irfan Shaikh Rahim who is the primary accused in the case.

The governmental agency had earlier informed the in-charge NIA court in Mumbai that the case was extremely serious and had national and international consequences. According to the NIA, there was incremental material against the accused to indicate they were participating in terrorist operations.

Also, earlier it was reported that the murder was pre-planned and that the accused had done the recce of the place before the murder. The Police during the investigation gained the CCTV footage which revealed that three accused dressed in black had done the recce of the place. In another footage, the three accused were seen heading toward the spot to execute the murder.

All the accused identified as Sheikh Irfan, Yusuf Khan, Abdul Taufiq, Mudassir Ahmed, Shoaib Khan, Atib Rashid, and Shahrukh Khan Pathan have been detained by the Police. The NIA and the jail authorities have not objected to the ‘shift of jail’ application filed by the accused. However, it is not clear yet to which jail will the accused be shifted.

Murder of BJYM worker in Karnataka: CM Bommai announces new commando force to tackle anti-national and terror groups, cancels ‘Janotsava’

OpIndia Staff
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Murder of BJYM worker in Karnataka: CM Bommai announces new commando force to tackle anti-national and terror groups, cancels ‘Janotsava’

On the intervening night of July 27 and July 28, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the state government would form a commando force with special training, intelligence, ammunition, and resources to go after anti-national and terror groups conspiring to disrupt the peace and stir communal tension in the state.

CM Bommai was speaking at an emergency press conference following the unrest in the state over the brutal murder of BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru in Dakshin Kannada on Tuesday night.

Karnataka BJP had planned an official event at Soudha, and ‘Janotsava’, a mega rally at Doddaballapur, on Thursday to mark Bommai’s one year in the office. National President of BJP JP Nadda was scheduled to attend the event.

During the press conference, CM Bommai said another press conference would be held on Thursday. He said, “My mind wasn’t at peace after hearing the news, I gave directions to act on it then & there… it happened just a few days after Harsha’s (Bajrang Dal activist) death… It’s inhuman and condemnable.”

He further added that such elements would not be spared at any cost. He said the killers would be nabbed soon, but because of the inter-state issue involved in the matter, he could not shed more light.

Earlier on Wednesday, he had assured that justice would be served to the family. “We will not rest till the culprits who perpetrated the heinous act in Mangaluru that provokes social unrest and discord are crushed,” he said.

Speaking about coordination between Karnataka and Kerala Police over the matter, he said, “Praveen was killed in Mangaluru on Tuesday. Orders have been issued for stringent action against the culprits. Karnataka police officers are in constant touch with their Kerala counterparts to nab the killers. Mangaluru, Superintendent of Police, has spoken to Kasaragod, Superintendent of Police. Our Director General of Police has also taken up the issue with the Kerala Director General of Police. Teams have been formed, and operations have been launched to nab the killers. The culprits would be nabbed soon and severely punished.”

Notably, following Nettaru’s murder, tension had prevailed in the state. BJYM members were distressed after this incident and expressed their concerns. They took to social media to put up posts threatening mass resignation. Karnataka BJP MLA Renukacharyra also said that Hindus are not safe despite there being a BJP regime. He has also threatened to tender his resignation from the MLA post if the Hindus in the state are not protected.

Murder of Praveen Nettaru

On July 26, a Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death by unidentified assailants. As per reports, the killers came on a bike in Bellari, Dakshina Kannada of Karnataka, in the late evening and attacked Nettaru with sharp weapons. Nettaru, who ran a poultry business, was was shutting down his shop when the attack happened. The assailants escaped after the attack. Nettaru was rushed to the hospital, but he could not be saved.

Two theories about Praveen Nettaru’s murder emerge: Kanhaiya Lal connection to retaliation for death of one Masood and agencies ignoring security concerns

OpIndia Staff
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Two theories about Praveen Nettaru’s murder emerge: Kanhaiya Lal connection to retaliation for death of one Masood and agencies ignoring security concerns

Praveen Nettaru, a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha member, was hacked to death on July 26 by unknown assailants. Several Hindu organisations had taken to the streets to protest against the brutal murder, calling for bandh in various parts of Karnataka. After this incident, outraged BJP Yuva Morcha members started to furnish mass resignations.

There is a massive protest in southern parts of Karnataka after Praveen Nettaru’s murder. Protests have broken out in Bellare and Sullia, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has called for a bandh. Hundreds of people escorted Praveen Nettaru’s dead body as it was taken to his home on July 27 in the morning. The deputy commissioner of police, Mangaluru, remarked that the situation is being thoroughly probed. He said, “I spoke to the family regarding the autopsy and the funeral. We will forward the family’s requests to the government.”

According to police, 15 persons have been held for interrogation, and six teams have been formed to find the murderers. Three squads have been sent to Hassan, Madikeri, and the adjacent state of Kerala. Hindu activists and BJP workers surrounded BJP state party president Nalin Kumar Kateel’s car and heckled him as they protested Praveen Nettaru’s murder, demanding answers from senior party leaders.

The Chief Minister of Karnataka, after the murder, said, “Govt will form a commando force with special training, intelligence, ammunition, resources to go after anti-national & terror groups conspiring to disrupt the peace & stir communal tensions in the state”.

It is being reported that the assailants who murdered Praveen were riding a bike with a Kerala number plate. The CCTV footage from the neighbouring areas has been collected and the government has vowed to find the murderers soon.

As the angst of Hindu activists and BJP workers spills onto the streets after Praveen being the latest in a string of Hindu murders, there are two theories that have emerged in the murder case, that put Islamists smack in the middle of the storm.

The first theory that is being investigated by the authorities is if Praveen Nettaru’s murder was connected to the support he extended to Nupur Sharma and his posts that spoke against the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, who was beheaded by Islamists (for supporting Nupur Sharma). Praveen had also questioned the Congress government in Rajasthan over the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal.

In the Facebook post on June 29, Nettaru wrote about Kanhaiya Lal’s murder and his killers’ threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Questioning Congress leader Ramya Divya Spandana and others, he wrote in Kannada, “Where are you when a poor tailor was beheaded for supporting nationalist sentiments, and their next target is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Where are you? Did your voice die because of burning? This death has taken place in a state that is ruled by the Congress. Don’t you show mercy to a poor tailor’s life.”

Post by Praveen Nettaru

There have been a long list of Hindus who have been murdered and threatened after they either supported Nupur Sharma, ex BJP spokesperson, or spoke up against the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, who was beheaded by Islamists for speaking up in support of Nupur Sharma.

Even before Kanhaiya Lal was beheaded, another Hindu called Umesh Kohle was murdered for his support of Nupur Sharma. A family in Nagpur was also forced to flee their home because of threats by Islamists after social media posts that spoke in defence of Sharma. A 23-year-old man named Ankit Kumar Jha was also stabbed multiple times for watching a video of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on social media. The incident took place in the Sitamarhi district in the Tirhut Division of Bihar on July 15. In fact, only a couple of days before the murder of Praveen Nattaru, another youth, Nishank Rathore was found hacked on the railway tracks one day after his father received a message from his phone, that threatened to behead Nishank.

After multiple such incidents, there are suspicions that Praveen could have also been murdered because he spoke up against the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal. The Islamists have been any support to Nupur Sharma, or those murdered, like Kanhaiya Lal, as an affront to their “faith”. Chanting “Gustakh-e-Rasool ki saza, sar tan se juda” has become the norm for several pious Muslims because they view even speaking up for Kanhaiya Lal or Nupur Sharma as an insult to their Prophet.

The other theory that is being investigated by the authorities as a possible reason for Praveen’s murder is the death of a Muslim man from Kasaragod, Kerala called Masood only days earlier. On the 21st of July, Masood succumbed to his injuries in Mangaluru after he was beaten up by certain individuals. Reportedly, on the 19th of July, Masood had picked a fight with a Hindu boy called Sudhir. Masood had beaten Sudhir up brutally as a result of this quarrel that the former had picked. Later, Sudhir and 7 others assaulted Masood in retaliation. Masood was admitted to the hospital where he reportedly succumbed to his injuries.

The Bellare police arrested Abhilash, Sunil, Sudhir, Shiva, Ranjith, Sadashiva, Zym Ranjith and Bhaskar on July 20. They were accused of offences punishable under sections 143, 147, 323, 324 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code. Following the death of Masood, the eight arrested persons have also been accused of murder (Section 302 of IPC). 

Reportedly, the police is now also investigating if the murder of Praveen Nettaru was an act of retaliation against the death of Masood.

According to a report by News18, PFI leader Shafi Bellare had issued open threats to avenge the death of Masood and police are investigating if it was PFI that carried out this murder. Notably, the murderers of Praveen were riding a bike with a Kerala number plate and Karnataka authorities are now investigating the role of PFI and Islamists from Kerala as well.

“He was very active and was at the forefront of managing programmes for the party. He was a dedicated RSS karyakarta and rose up the rungs of the BJP through his sheer hard work. He had friends in every community. The day he was killed, that afternoon he had visited the house of a Muslim friend and posted about it as well,” a friend of Praveen said, seeking anonymity, according to a News18 report.

“After Masood’s death, there were several threats going around about attacking Hindu leaders. We are sure Praveen was targeted for this very reason.” Sachin Shenoy, Puttur Yuva Morcha city president, told News18 that Praveen had informed the police of a possible threat.

“He told the police that he knew he was being followed. The local officers dismissed it and ridiculed him instead of providing police protection. They said he (Praveen) was not that big a leader to face a threat. Now we have lost a good soul and a loving human being. There is a limit to our patience as well,” Shenoy said.

Rakesh Rai, another senior office bearer of the BJP in Sullia said that Praveen had become an innocent target after the Karnataka police did not act against credible intelligence. He claimed that Praveen had become a target because the police did not act against intelligence that claimed that Islamists from Kerala were planning to target BJP workers from Karnataka.

It is, therefore, clear that there are several questions that the Karnataka government and security agencies need to answer. There have been allegations levelled against the Karnataka government by their own karyakartas that the agencies ignored credible security intelligence and also dismissed concerns of threats expressed by Praveen Nettaru himself.

Actress Ratna Pathak Shah claims India is becoming like ‘Saudi Arabia’, says it is ‘appalling’ that modern women are doing Karwa Chauth

OpIndia Staff
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Actress Ratna Pathak Shah claims India is becoming like ‘Saudi Arabia’, says it is ‘appalling’ that modern women are doing Karwa Chauth

On July 26, PinkVilla published a video interview of veteran actress Ratna Pathak Shah. During the interview, while talking about society and how difficult it is for women in India, she made a bizarre statement and targeted the Hindu festival Karwa Chauth. Shah pointed out that India is moving towards becoming a conservative society and might become like Saudi Arabia. The reason she gave was someone had asked her last year if she observed Karwa Chauth fast or not. To the question, Shah had replied, “Am I mad?” Ratna Pathak Shah is wife of actor Naseeruddin Shah.

Karwa Chauth is an age-old tradition followed by North Indian Hindu women in which they observe fast and pray for long life for their husbands. She said, “Nothing has changed for women, or very little has changed in very crucial areas. Our society is becoming extremely conservative. We’re becoming superstitious, we’re being forced into accepting and making religion a very important part of one’s life. Someone asked me for the first time last year if I’m keeping ‘karwa Chauth ka vrat (observing karwa Chauth)’. I said, ‘Am I mad?'”

She further added, “Isn’t it appalling that modern educated women do karwa Chauth, praying for the lives of husbands so that they can have some validity in life? A widow in the Indian context is a horrible situation, isn’t it? So anything that keeps me away from widowhood. Really? In the 21st century, we are talking like this? Educated women are doing this.”

Shah said that when a country becomes more conservative, it clamps down its women first. She said, “Look at all the conservative societies in this world. Women are the ones who are most affected. What’s the scope of women in Saudi Arabia? Do we want to become like Saudi Arabia? And we will become because it’s very, very convenient. Women provide a lot of unpaid labour within the home. If you have to pay for that labour, who will do it? Women are forced into that situation.”

Referring to other Hindu practices like Kundali (Astrology) and Vastu, she claimed that ads for such services were a sign that India was becoming conservative. She also pointed toward the mushrooming of Godmen like Nityananda to express her concerns about India becoming more and more conservative.

Furthermore, she talked about the murder of Dhaborkar and the delay in the trial of the case, she said, “When a rationalist like Dhaborkar gets killed in broad daylight, and nothing can be done about it. His trial is still going on. We are moving towards an extremely conservative society.”

Netizens react to Shah’s statement on Karwa Chauth

Twitter user Sheetal Chopra said, “Ratna Pathak Shah finds Karwa Chauth extremely conservative & compares India with Saudi Arabia. But the hypocrite was completely silent on Hijab issue. What else can we expect from a typical elite Bollywood Secularist.”

Twitter user Batla G said, “I genuinely thought Ratna Pathak was more sensible than Naseeruddin Shah.”

Twitter user Sweetgirl said Shah lost all her respect.

Twitter user Karuna Tyagi said, “So guys Halala, Mutah, hijab, polygamy, triple talaq r symbols of progressive society & Karva Chauth is regressive for secular #RatnaPathakShah waise she is married with a Islamist #naseeruddinshah so feel her pain..she is still in marriage yahi bahut badi baat hai.”

Bollywood and its hypocrisy

In recent years, a number of Bollywood celebrities have received flak for trying to preach morality and modernity only to Hindus. Not just Ratna Pathak Shah, but many others have made it a habit to specifically target Hindu festivals and rituals while keeping total silence on the conservative practices of other religions in India.

Furthermore, the superstitions that Ratna mentioned are not limited to Hindus either. It is not understood why would an accomplished actress like Ratna would forget the fact that observing the rituals of Karwa Chauth is an option that Hindu women choose to do, it is not forced upon them. As some social media users pointed out, no woman has been killed for not following the rituals and no Hindu organisation has made it mandatory for Hindu women to observe fast on Karwa Chauth. Moreover, as the festival gained popularity in recent years, in many families, even men observe a day-long fast for the health and wellbeing of their life partner.

Obscene amount of cash recovered from another flat of TMC minister Partha Chatterjee’s close aide Arpita Mukherjee, trucks, cash counting machines brought in

OpIndia Staff
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Obscene amount of cash recovered from another flat of TMC minister Partha Chatterjee’s close aide Arpita Mukherjee, trucks, cash counting machines brought in

Days after recovering cash worth more than Rs 21 crore from a flat of Bengali actor Arpita Mukherjee, ‘close aide’ of West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, the Enforcement Directorate has recovered more cash from a flat belonging to her.

According to reports, the ED today raided two flats in an apartment in Belgharia in Kolkata, which belongs to Arpita Mukherjee. The probe agency has again found huge quantity of banknotes in one of the flats. Cash counting machine and even truck was called in to ferry the huge amount of cash recovered from her flat.

ED had reached Rathtala area in Belghjaria on Wednesday morning to search the flats in a luxury apartment building, but as they were closed, they could not enter. As the watchmen in the building didn’t have duplicate keys, the ED team brought in a locksmith to get duplicate keys made. But as that attempt was unsuccessful due to high end locks installed at the flat, the ED team broke into the flats. The flats are located in Block 2 and Block 5 in the building.

After searching one of the flats, the ED found a huge stash of cash in two wardrobes in that flat. The other flat has been sealed and will be searched later, as the search team is concentrating on one flat at present where the cash has been found.

ED has brought in cash counting machines and personnel from a bank to count the cash. Reportedly, ED has brought in 5 cash counting machines. Apart from banknotes, ED has also found gold and jewellery in the flat. Local media reports that ED also brought in a huge quantity of rubber bands, giving an indication of the amount of cash recovered by them.

According to reports, cash amounting to Rs 29 crore has been recovered. 10 trucks were filled to ferry the cash to authorities.

A total of Rs 40 crore have been recovered from her premises so far.

Earlier on July 22, ED had recovered cash worth over Rs 21 crore, jewellery and foreign exchange from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee in Tollygunge. Reportedly, that flat had been ‘gifted’ to her by arrested TMC leader Partha Chatterjee. It is believed that the recovered money is proceeds of SSC teacher recruitment scam during the time when Partha Chatterjee was the education minister in West Bengal. The Calcutta High Court has ordered a probe in this scam, following which CBI and ED are conducing searches and investigations.

Both Mukherjee and Chatterjee are currently under ED custody following their arrest in the case. Partha Chatterjee had got himself admitted to a state govt-run hospital immediately after the arrest, but after ED objected to it, the High Court had ordered to shift him to AIIMS Bhubaneswar. After AIIMS doctors certified that he is not ill, he was shifted to ED custody.

It has been found that Partha Chatterjee owns a large number of flats, many of which he has gifted to his ‘close aides’ including Arpita Mukherjee and another woman named Monalisa Das. Arpita Chatterjee has told the ED that Partha Chatterjee used her flat as a ‘mini bank’. It is suspected that the flats gifted to Monalisa Das also were used for the same purpose.

Note: Report has been updated with latest figures.

Government to revive BSNL with a package of Rs 1.64 lakh crores, saturate uncovered villages with 4G mobile services

OpIndia Staff
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Government to revive BSNL with a package of Rs 1.64 lakh crores, saturate uncovered villages with 4G mobile services

On 27th July 2022, the Union Cabinet, presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Rs 1.64 Lakh Cr. revitalization package for the government telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited – BSNL in order to make it financially sustainable. Additionally, the Union Cabinet gave its approval to a project that would cost a total of Rs. 26,316 Cr. and will bring 4G mobile services to all unconnected villages in the nation.

Revival package for BSNL

According to a press release by the Press Information Bureau, revival measures approved by the Cabinet focus on infusing fresh capital for upgrading BSNL services, allocating spectrum, de-stressing its balance sheet, and augmenting its fiber network by merging Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL) with BSNL.

In upgrading the BSNL services, the government will focus on administrative allotment of the spectrum, financial support for capital expenditure, viability gap funding for rural wireline operations, and an increase in the authorized capital of the public sector telecom giant.

To improve existing services and provide 4G services, BSNL will be allotted Spectrum in the 900/1800 MHz band administratively at the cost of Rs 44,993 Cr through equity infusion. With this spectrum, BSNL will be able to compete in the market and provide high-speed data using their vast network including in rural areas. To meet the projected capital expenditure for the next 4 years, Government will fund CAPEX of Rs 22,471 Cr. 

The government will provide Rs 13,789 Cr to BSNL as viability gap funding for commercially unviable rural wire-line operations done during 2014-15 to 2019-20. This measure will be taken because, despite the commercial non-viability, BSNL has been providing wireline services in rural/remote areas to meet the social objectives of the Government. Besides, the authorized capital of BSNL will be increased from Rs 40,000 Cr to Rs 1,50,000 Cr in lieu of AGR dues, provision of CAPEX, and allotment of spectrum.

For destressing the BSNL balance sheet, the government will restructure the debts, and provide financial support to BSNL for adjusted gross revenue dues, and BSNL will re-issue preference shares of Rs 7,500 crores.

To facilitate wider utilization of infrastructure laid under BharatNet, Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL) will be merged with BSNL.  The infrastructure created under BharatNet will continue to be a national asset, accessible on a non-discriminatory basis to all the Telecom Service Providers.

Saturating 4G mobile services in rural parts of India

According to a press release by the Press Information Bureau, the government has approved a project for saturation of 4G mobile services in uncovered villages across the country. The total cost of this project is Rs 26,136 crores.

The project will provide 4G mobile services in 24,680 uncovered villages in remote and difficult areas. The project has a provision to include 20% additional villages on account of rehabilitation, new settlements, withdrawal of services by existing operators, etc.

In addition, 6,279 villages having only 2G/3G connectivity shall be upgraded to 4G. The project will be executed by BSNL using Atmanirbhar Bharat’s 4G technology stack and will be funded through Universal Service Obligation Fund. The project cost of Rs. 26,316 Cr includes CAPEX and 5-year operational expenditure.

BSNL is already in process of deployment of the Atmanirbhar 4G technology stack, which will be deployed in this project as well. The project is a significant step toward the vision of the Government to provide mobile connectivity in rural areas. This project will promote the delivery of various e-governance services, banking services, telemedicine, tele-education, etc. through mobile broadband and generate employment in rural areas.

‘No Kashmiri Pandit left the Valley in 2022’: MoS for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in Rajya Sabha

OpIndia Staff
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‘No Kashmiri Pandit left the Valley in 2022’: MoS for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in Rajya Sabha

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday said no Kashmiri Pandit has left the Kashmir Valley in the year 2022. In response to a question by Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai provided the Upper House with the information in writing on 27th July 2022.

When asked about the details of the Kashmiri Pandits who left Kashmir Valley in 2022, Rai responded, “As per the records, no Kashmiri Pandit has left the Kashmir Valley during 2022.”

The minister also provided data, noting that as of July 20, 2022, there are 6,514 Kashmiri Pandits living in the Valley. According to the census, Kulgam district has the highest density of Kashmiri Pandits (2,639), followed by Budgam (1,204), Anantnag (808), Pulwama (579), Srinagar (455), Shopian (320), Baramulla (294), Ganderbal (130), Bandipora (66), and Kupwara (19).

According to reports, there were 6,432 Kashmiri Pandits living in the Valley as of 2019. 2 557 Kashmiri Pandits lived in the Valley at the time, followed by 1,204 in Budgam, 808 in Anantnag, 579 in Pulwama, 455 in Srinagar, 320 in Shopian, 294 in Baramulla, 130 in Ganderbal, 66 in Bandipora, and 19 in Kupwara.

The data is crucial at a time when multiple persons, including Kashmiri Pandits, have been killed in the Valley since last year, and there have been reports of Kashmiri Pandits quitting the Kashmir valley. Additionally, minister Nityanand Rai also stated that terrorists killed six Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020, 2021, and 2022. One was slain in 2020, four in 2021, and one till 20th July 2022.

In a separate response to another MP, the minister Nityanand Rai said that nine government employees excluding security personnel and one Kashmiri Pandit had died in terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. He also asserted that the government has a zero-tolerance stance against terrorism and that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has greatly improved, resulting in a remarkable decrease in terrorist attacks from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021.

Informing about the postings of the Kashmiri migrants, Nityanand Rai said that the office holders must operate within the Kashmir Valley and are not entitled to relocation beyond the Valley under any conditions in accordance with the Jammu and Kashmir Kashmiri Migrants (Special Drive) Recruitment Rules, 2009 notified on December 30, 2009. However, the minister clarified that the Kashmiri migrants are sent to safer zones in the Kashmir division’s different districts, tehsils, and headquarters.

Nityanand Rai said, “Besides, the government has taken several measures to ensure the safety of minorities in the valley. These include a robust security and intelligence grid, day and night area domination, patrolling and proactive operations against terrorists, round-the-clock checking at Nakas, deployment of security forces at strategic points to thwart any terrorist attack.”

Chinese Telecom giant Huawei can disrupt US defence and nuclear communications: FBI probe reveals CCP’s sinister plans

OpIndia Staff
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Chinese Telecom giant Huawei can disrupt US defence and nuclear communications: FBI probe reveals CCP’s sinister plans

Amidst growing concerns about Chinese State-run espionage, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has found that cell towers equipped with Huawei equipment can capture restricted communications of the US Defense Department.

Huawei, a telecommunications company, has often been accused of spying on the behest of the Chinese government. As per an exclusive report by CNN, the presence of Huawei equipment atop cell towers near military installations posed a serious threat to US Strategic Command, responsible for overseeing the nuclear arsenal of the country.

“While broad concerns about Huawei equipment near US military installations have been well known, the existence of this investigation and its findings have never been reported. Its origins stretch back to at least the Obama administration,” the report added.

Screengrab of the CNN report

Citing sources, the American news outlet stated that the Huawei equipment can not only intercept commercial call traffic but also critical communications made by the US Strategic Command via restricted airwaves.

According to an FBI official, Huawei can get into the way of sensitive military information. “It would impact our ability for essentially command and control with the nuclear triad. That goes into the ‘BFD’ category…If it is possible for that to be disrupted, then that is a very bad day,” he added.

At this point, it remains unclear whether Huawei has already extracted data packages and sent it back to Beijing.   The probe by the FBI was kept a secret in the initial days and even senior policymakers of the government were not informed about it until 2019.

‘Rip and replace’ program marred by fund shortages

As part of its action plan, Congress approved a budget of $1.9 billion in 2020 to ‘rip and replace’ ZTE cellular technology and Huawei equipment from cell towers in rural America. However, the plan did not move forward due to a shortage of funds.
     
“But two years later, none of that equipment has been removed and rural telecom companies are still waiting for federal reimbursement money, reported CNN.

A year later in 2020, the US Justice Department highlighted the security risks posed by Huawei equipment to the Commerce Department and also provided information about their installations across the country.

The CNN report stated, “Among the concerns that national security officials noted was that external communication from the Huawei equipment that occurs when software is updated, for example, could be exploited by the Chinese government.”

When quizzed about the matter, FBI Director said that the Department of Justice charged the Chinese telecommunications company in 2020 with racketeering and conspiring to steal trade secrets.

He, however, dodged the question about the failure of the State to remove Huawei equipment from all cell towers in the country. Meanwhile, Huawei has dismissed claims of espionage and sending sensitive data to the Chinese government.

How FBI unearthed the Huawei conspiracy?

Since the tenure of President Barack Obama,Huawei had been partnering with small telecom providers to provide cheap routers and other crucial tech support in rural parts of the country.

Many such cell towers mushroomed along the arteries of Nebraska and stretches of Interstate 25 in Montana and Colorado. Interestingly, these corridors are located in the vicinity of critical military installations including a nuclear arsenal.

The telecom providers such as Viaero found Huawei as a cheap and reliable alternative in sparsely populated rural areas. Their fleet of cell towers began getting equipped with technology provided by the Chinese firm.

Over time, Huawei-equipped towers began to grow exponentially near US military bases. An investigation launched by the federal authorities found that the company was not making profits through its supply of cheap equipment to telecom providers in rural providers.

“Of particular concern was that Huawei was routinely selling cheap equipment to rural providers in cases that appeared to be unprofitable for Huawei — but which placed its equipment near military assets,” reported CNN.

Mushrooming of Huawei equipped cell towers near US military installations, image via CNN

Ex-FBI agent John Kenkart informed, “(We began) examining Huawei less from a technical lens and more from a business/financial view.” He added that several counter-intelligence concerns were unearthed based on searches of Huawei’s sales efforts in areas with no return on investment.

On further probe, the FBI discovered that Huawei equipment was capable of recognising and disrupting Defence Department communications. This was despite the fact that the equipment was cleared and certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Radio Spectrum expert Eduardo Rojas informed, “It’s not technically hard to make a device that complies with the FCC that listens to nonpublic bands but then is quietly waiting for some activation trigger to listen to other bands…Technically, it’s feasible.” 

He said technical experts would need to disassemble the Huawei equipment to semi-conductor level and reverse engineer the design to ascertain its ‘clandestine capabilities.’

Use of HD surveillance cameras and real estate properties

Besides installing cheap China-made routers atop cell towers, telecom companies such as Viaero also began mounting HD surveillance cameras to live-stream traffic and weather.

These cameras were installed on towers along stretches of Interstate 25, and thus inadvertently provided a 24/7 bird’s eye view of military installations and the movement of armed personnel.

“The intelligence community determined the publicly posted live streams were being viewed and likely captured from China, according to three sources familiar with the matter,” reported CNN.

It further added, “Two sources briefed on the investigation at the time said officials believed that it was possible for Beijing’s intelligence service to “task” the cameras — hack into the network and control where they pointed. At least some of the cameras in question were running on Huawei networks.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation also probed real-estate investments, such as the purchase of land or factory, by Chinese companies near sensitive military installations.

“In one instance, officials shut down what they believed was a risky commercial deal near highly sensitive military testing installations in Utah sometime after the beginning of the I-25 investigation, according to one former US official. The military has a test and training range for hypersonic weapons in Utah, among other things. Sources declined to provide more details,” read the report by CNN.

Similarly, in July 2020, the US government ordered the Chinese government to shut down the office of the Consulate General of China in Houston over allegations of espionage.

Huawei defends itself   

“All of our products imported to the US have been tested and certified by the FCC before being deployed there. Our equipment only operates on the spectrum allocated by the FCC for commercial use. This means it cannot access any spectrum allocated to the DOD,” the company told CNN.

It further claimed, “For more than 30 years, Huawei has maintained a proven track record in cyber security and we have never been involved in any malicious cyber security incidents.”

According to national counter-intelligence expert Bill Evanina, it has been a challenging task for the federal authorities to differentiate between espionage and a legitimate business. He pointed out that both can co-exist at the same time.

Assam: Power and water to residences of MLAs to be cut as several opposition MLAs refuse to vacate old houses set to be demolished

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: Power and water to residences of MLAs to be cut as several opposition MLAs refuse to vacate old houses set to be demolished

The secretariat of the speaker of Assam Assembly has sent a letter to several MLAs informing that the power and water connection of their officials will be disconnected on 31st July. The MLAs were asked to vacate their official quarters by 27th July, as those houses inside the Dispur capital complex in Guwahati will be demolished and new buildings will be constructed, but several of them are yet to move out of the houses.

As several opposition MLAs are refusing to vacate the houses, it has forced the administration to send an ultimatum. The notice says that the legislators need to vacate the houses as they will demolished from August 1.

Several single-story ‘Assam Type’ houses in the MLA colony used as residence for MLAs, along with a multi-story building used as MLA hostel, are being demolished as part of capital complex redevelopment plan. These old houses are in dilapidated state, get flood during the monsoon, and require large amounts of money in maintenance and repairs of the houses which are decades old.

As a result, the state govt has decided to demolish the old houses and construct new multi-story buildings in their places. The new buildings will be used as residences for MLAs, and they will also have other facilities like a guest house, and will be equipped modern amenities and state of the art security measures.

The decision to demolish the old houses were announced in May this year, the MLAs staying in those houses were asked to vacate the houses by July 20 in that month itself. Affected MLAs have been asked to find rented accommodation to stay till the time the new buildings are ready. The MLAs will be paid Rs 50,000 per month towards house rent for the duration they will be staying outside the capital complex.

But several opposition MLAs are refusing to leave the official residences. When the MLAs didn’t vacate by the deadline of July 20, the secretariat had issued a final deadline of July 27, giving 7 more days. However, as the MLAs are still refusing to move out, today the notice was sent informing that power and water supplies will be cut on 31st August, and the demolitions will start from the next day.

Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal is one such MLA, who says that instead of demolishing all houses at the same time, only some should be demolished, some new houses should be built, and after that the MLAs should be shifted there. He said that there is no need to construct all the new buildings at the same time.

AIUDF MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya said he and other MLAs are discussing the matter with the speaker, and they expect that the deadline will be extended. The reluctant MLAs have also said that they have not found suitable houses to rent, and they need more time to shift. Other MLAs who are refusing include Ashraful Hussain and Abdur Rahim Ahmed of AIUDF and Congress.

On the other hand, several MLAs have already vacated the houses, including ruling alliance MLAs, and demolition of those houses have already started. Ministers in Assam govt live in new ministerial quarters constructed recently.

Construction of new houses will start from September after clearing the site. According to the plan, two 10-story buildings will be constructed for residences of the MLAs, while another multi-story building will be constructed for staff of the assembly. A park will also come up in the space vacated by old houses. The buildings will be completed in two to three years.

As time available for construction is very short in monsoon due to long monsoon season, the construction needs to start in September, when the monsoon ends. Ever since BJP came to power in 2016, the speed of construction of govt projects have improved remarkably. While it was not uncommon earlier for govt projects to get delayed by decades, now roads, bridges, flyovers etc are being completed months ahead of schedule. Given such a scenario, it is unlikely that the deadline to vacate the houses will be extended, as Himanta Biswa Sarma govt will like to complete the new houses as soon as possible.

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