Home Blog Page 3301

Foreign Correspondents’ Club and Indian Women Press Corps asked to vacate bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi, asked to look for other accommodation

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Foreign Correspondents’ Club and Indian Women Press Corps asked to vacate bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi, asked to look for other accommodation

Notices have been issued to Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) and Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) by the Directorate of Estates under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to vacate the bungalows allocated to them as the tenure ends on 31st July 2022. As per a report in the Indian Express, the notice was sent to FCC on May 4 to vacate the bungalow no AB 19, Mathura Road, New Delhi and IWPC which is allotted bungalow no 5, Windsor Place.

The notice sent to FCC reads that they had in principal approval of retaining the bungalow till 31 July 2022. Hence, they are requested to vacate the bungalow by then and find themselves another suitable accommodation. A copy of the notice was also sent to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Similar notice was sent to IWPC.

Citing a senior Ministry official, Indian Express said that the tenure of both the clubs was for over a decade and the same is now coming to an end in two months’ time. IWPC President Shobhana Jain, however, said that this is a routine procedure and that they get such periodic notices following which the tenure is renewed. Last time, the lease was renewed in 2018 and IWPC is confident the same will be renewed this time as well. Munish Gupta of FCC, however, claimed that they have not received any such notice to vacate.

Earlier, the Directorate of Estates had asked various former ministers to vacate their bungalows. Congress was also asked to vacate its Sevadal office located at 26, Akbar Road

Need to revive India’s ancient culture, restore principles of ‘Sanatan Dharma’: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Need to revive India’s ancient culture, restore principles of ‘Sanatan Dharma’: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan

On Saturday, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan stressed the need to revive India’s ancient culture and restore the principles of ‘Sanatan dharma’ through proper education in the country.

Inaugurating a school in Kalan block in Shahjahanpur District of Uttar Pradesh, the Kerala Governor said that there is a need to work towards reviving the ancient culture of the country.

“Everyone has to work towards reviving the ancient culture of the country, not because we have to go back but because we have to bring back the ‘Sanatan’ principles, and this is not possible without education,” the Governor said.

The Kerala Governor also quoted Indian philosopher Swami Vivekananda saying that the purpose of human life is to attain knowledge, and humility is the result of knowledge. Anyone who has humility cannot be looked down upon.

Interestingly, this is not the first time that Arif Mohammad Khan has rooted for the revival of the Indic culture. Earlier, during the hijab controversy, Arif Mohammad Khan had opposed the Islamisation of secular educational institutions by supporting the hijab ban in schools and colleges. Arif Mohammad Khan had also stressed that the hijab was not an integral part of Islam.

‘Come Make in India’, Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla advises Tesla chief Elon Musk

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Come Make in India’, Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla advises Tesla chief Elon Musk

Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of Serum Institute of India, has advised Tesla chief and the world’s richest man Elon Musk to invest in India for high-quality, large-scale manufacturing of Tesla cars. Poonawala suggested that in case Musk’s deal to buy micro-blogging app Twitter doesn’t go through, he can use that freed up capital towards manufacturing Tesla in India.

Taking to Twitter, Adar Poonawalla asked Elon Musk to invest in India if he ended up not buying Twitter. He assured Musk that it would be the best investment the richest person in the world would ever make.

“Hey @elonmusk just in case you don’t end up buying @Twitter, do look at investing some of that capital in INDIA for high-quality large-scale manufacturing of @Tesla cars. I assure you this will be the best investment you’ll ever make,” Adar Poonawalla tweeted.

Poonawalla’s advice to Musk comes after the Tesla chief offered to buy Twitter for $44 billion, and had his offer accepted by the Twitter board. The richest person in the world, Elon Musk, has been eyeing the Indian market for a while, however, the automaker has stated that they have no plans to produce their premium electric cars in India but to import from China and sell it directly to customers.

Tesla has been demanding a reduction in import duties in India so that its cars produced elsewhere can be more affordable for Indian consumers. Musk had also publicly stated that his plans to bring Electric Vehicles to India were hampered by high import duties charged in the country.

“We want to do so, but import duties are the highest in the world by far of any large country!” Musk had tweeted in July.

However, the Indian government has categorically told Tesla any tax concession can be considered once the company starts manufacturing electric vehicles in India.

Recently, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari said that he has told US-based electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Tesla not to sell China-manufactured cars in India.

“I have asked Tesla not to sell electric cars in India which the company has manufactured in China. I have told the company to manufacture electric cars in India and also export cars from India,” the minister had said on Friday while addressing an event.

Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the Narendra Modi government would extend all necessary support to Tesla to set up its unit in India. He said that the negotiation is going on with Tesla regarding the company’s demand related to tax concessions.                

The Indian government imposes a 100 per cent import duty on cars as completely built units (CBUs) attract customs duty ranging from 60 to 100 per cent. This depends on engine size and cost, insurance, and freight value less or above $40,000. Such high duties are meant to protect domestic manufacturers.

Tamil Nadu: Church blocks access to public road for Hindus, denies education to children for refusing to convert

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Tamil Nadu: Church blocks access to public road for Hindus, denies education to children for refusing to convert

The residents of Maruthuvampadi village in Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu have requested the district collector to take against a Roman Catholic church in their village after they constructed a wall to block the pathway of the villagers.

According to the reports, the villagers have alleged that the church constructed a pathway as they refused to convert. They have also accused the church of declining to provide education to their kids who refused to convert to Christianity.

More than 3000 Hindu residents of the village have allegedly been denied access to the public road because they refused to convert to Christianity.

The Hindu residents of the village have submitted a petition to the Tiruvannamalai district collector accusing Father Yesupadam, the administrative officer of the school run by the Catholic church, of forcing them to convert to Christianity.

Taking out a protest against the Roman Catholic church, the villagers also alleged that the Christian cleric built a compound wall to block the public road around the church. The villagers alleged that there is differential treatment for Hindu and Christian children in the church-run school.

The village residents said that the road had been there for more than 100 years and people have been using it for a long time. However, as it is now blocked, people are forced to travel a long distance to access public transportation facilities. The residents have also complained that they were happy once the school re-opened almost two years of the Covid-19 forced lockdown, but the Church authorities asked them to convert to Christianity first.

“Hindu students don’t get any concessions. We pay the full tuition fee and other fees the school demands. Yet our children were asked to not come during exam time. Moreover, the residents said that only Christian children are allowed inside the school now.

However, the Christian cleric claimed that the land in question belonged to the church and that they have a right to build a wall around it.

OpIndia tried reaching Tiruvannamalai district authorities, however, they did not respond. The report will be updated when they respond.

First trainset for Delhi – Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System handed over by Alstom from its Gujarat factory

OpIndia Staff
-
0
First trainset for Delhi – Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System handed over by Alstom from its Gujarat factory

The first trainset for the India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project was handed over to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) by Alstom at its plant in Savli in Gujarat. The made-in-India trainset will be transported to Ghaziabad and will be deployed at the upcoming Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System.

The NCRTC is establishing India’s first rail-based, high-speed, high-frequency regional commuter transit system connecting Delhi NCR with the neighbouring cities. At present three corridors are being developed in the project, Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut, Delhi – Panipat and Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar.

The Delhi Meerut corridor is coming up first, and the first trainset was delivered to the NCRTC in Savli in presence of Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Chairman of NCRTC. Vinay Kumar Singh, managing director of NCRTC, and other senior officials of the corporation and Alstom were present at the occasion.

Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs, sent a video message for this occasion. He said, “It is a proud moment for all of us as this project is a true manifestation of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

“This is just the beginning of India’s journey of Regional Rails with two more RRTS corridors planned in the 1st phase itself. Work on them will also be taken up shortly and once completed it will create a network of networks connecting all the major hubs of NCR,” Puri added.

NCRTC MD Vinay Kumar Singh said that along with the bundled contract for supply and comprehensive maintenance of trainsets awarded to Alstom, they have finalised the selection process of a private O&M Partner for a long-term operation and maintenance contract of the Delhi–Meerut RRTS corridor. 

Alstom India MD Alain SPOHR said that the RRTS project is one of the most ambitious ventures in India’s mobility sector and will prove to be a game-changer in India’s regional rail segment.

Alstom has been awarded the contract to manufacture trainsets for the Regional Rapid Transit System, under which the company will 40 trainsets. This includes 10 three-coach trainsets for Meerut Metro. It is notable that Meerut metro will use the RRTS infrastructure, with the addition of some metro-only stations.

The Delhi – Meerut RRTS will mostly consist of elevated tracks and tunnels, will total 82 kms, which will be covered in less than one hour. The trains will run at the speed of 160 km/hour, with the maximum capacity of 180 km/hour. The RRTS will start operations by March 2023. Initially the trains will run on a 17-km long priority section, between Sahibabad and Duhai.

The RRTS trains will have ergonomically designed 2×2 transverse cushioned seating, wide standing space, luggage racks, CCTV cameras, laptop/mobile charging facility, dynamic route maps, auto control ambient lighting system, Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning System (HVAC), and other amenities.

The lightweight coaches are equipped with a regenerative braking system and are compatible with Automatic Train Protection (ATP), Automatic Train Control (ATC), and Automatic Train Operations (ATO). The AC trains will have standard and premium coaches.

The RRTS is a first-of-its-kind train system where semi-high-speed inter-city train will travel with high frequency.

‘Comedian’ Munawar Faruqui wins ‘Lock Upp’ hosted by Kangana Ranaut, goes home with Rs 20 lakh prize money

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Comedian’ Munawar Faruqui wins ‘Lock Upp’ hosted by Kangana Ranaut, goes home with Rs 20 lakh prize money

On Saturday (May 7) night, ‘comedian’ Munawar Faruqui was declared the winner of the reality show ‘Lock Upp’, which is hosted by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut.

As per reports, Faruqui received 18 lakh votes and also the vote of Kangana Ranaut to emerge as the winner. The ‘comedian’ also won a car, cash of ₹20 lakhs and an all-expense-paid trip to Italy. The runner-up was actress Payal Rohtagi, followed by TikToker Anjali Arora.

“This is a very symbolic trophy. Munawar Faruqui is the one who deserves the trophy of Lock Upp Season 1, ” remarked Ranaut while handing out the trophy to Faruqui. A short video clip of the winning moment was posted on Instagram by show producer Ekta Kapoor.

“Mirror mirror on d wall who is d ‘fair’est of them all !!! Meet Munawar Faruqui who got 18 lac votes and Kangana Ranaut’s vote too!!! THE very first winner OF Lock Upp. JAI MATA DI,” she wrote.

Munawar Faruqui revealed his mother died of suicide after consuming acid

Earlier on April 17 this year, Munawar Faruqui revealed on the show that his mother died of suicide. He was given a chance to reveal a secret and save himself from elimination. Though initially, he hesitated to talk about the matter, he later requested the host of the show Kangana Ranaut to let him reveal the secret irrespective of whether he got saved or not.

Munawar said it was his mother who ran the household. She would make papad and other snacks to sell so that she could earn enough money to manage the expenses. His father and grandparents did not support them financially. He said, “I saw my mother getting abused day and night for 22 years. If that day I had slept next to her, she might not have taken the extreme step.”

Faruqi’s estranged wife and son’s photos go viral 

On April 9, 2022, it was revealed during the reality show Lock Upp that controversial comedian Munawar Faruqui was married from a young age and had a son too. However, the couple was not living together, and the case was in court.

Faruqui’s onscreen romance with fellow contestant Anjali Arora had been the highlight of the show. Before the revelation, Arora had confessed that she had fallen in love with Faruqui.

West Bengal: Son of BJP worker found dead, body hung from a tree in East Medinipur district

OpIndia Staff
-
0
West Bengal: Son of BJP worker found dead, body hung from a tree in East Medinipur district

Two days after a BJP member named Arjun Chowrasiya was found hanging in West Bengal’s Cossipore, son of a BJP worker has suffered the same fate in East Medinipur district.

According to the reports, the 22-year-old Debashish Manna was found hanging from a tree in Khejuri, East Medinipur. Debashish is the son of a BJP booth worker Muktipada Manna.

The local BJP leadership has accused Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress of the death of Debashish Manna. However, the West Bengal police claim that Manna might have committed suicide.

“The family has not lodged a complaint yet. We will investigate if we receive a formal complaint,” police said.

Shockingly, Debashish Manna was found dead on the same day as Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to West Bengal. Union Home Minister Amit Mishra had visited the state amidst the ongoing political killings in the state. During his visit, Amit Shah had accused Mamata Banerjee-led government of promoting a culture of political violence and political murder.

Amit Shah also visited the residence of Arjun Chowrasia, who was found hanging in the Ghosh Bagan area inside an abandoned building in Cossipore.

On Saturday morning, the 26-year-old Chowrasiya, who had made all the arrangements for a bike rally to welcome Home Minister Shah to the state, was found hanging in an abandoned rail quarter in the Cossipore area. He was supposed to lead more than 200 bikes in the rally.

Tajinder Bagga gets relief from arrest by Punjab and Haryana HC in midnight hearing: Here are the events leading up to the court verdict

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Tajinder Bagga gets relief from arrest by Punjab and Haryana HC in midnight hearing: Here are the events leading up to the court verdict

On Saturday (May 7) late night, the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted protection to BJP Delhi spokesperson Tajinder Bagga from arrest till May 10 in connection to the case registered against him by the Punjab police.

An urgent hearing of the case was held at the residence of Justice Anoop Chitkara in Chandigarh. The BJP leader was represented by advocates Mayank Aggarwal and Anil Mehta.

Tajinder Bagga informed the court that the case against him was the result of a political vendetta. His counsel stated that the custody of the BJP leader was not required for investigation, given that the evidence (which formed the basis of the case) was electronic in nature.

Bagga added that he has deep roots in the society and was not a ‘flight risk.’ On hearing the counsel for the BJP leader, Justice Chitkara provided interim relief to him.

While speaking about the matter, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa tweeted, “High Court has stayed the arrest of Tajinder Bagga. This is again a victory of good over evil. Once again, the nefarious agenda of vengeful Kejriwal and his stooges in the police department have failed.”

Mohali Court issued warrant against Tajinder Bagga

The BJP spokesperson had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court after the Judicial Magistrate of SAS Nagar in Mohali, Ravtesh Inderjit Singh, issued an arrest warrant against him.

The court had directed the police to arrest Bagga and produce him before it.

The Mohali court stated in its order, “Keeping in view the contents of the application & the fact that sufficient opportunities have already been granted to the accused to join the investigation and despite that accused has failed to join the investigation.”

“It is necessary in the interest of justice, to issue nonbailable warrants for accused Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, who is evading arrest, in order to facilitate the investigation,” the order emphasised.

Earlier, in a high voltage drama on Friday, Tajinder Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police from his home without due process, which led to a case of kidnapping against Punjab Police.

Bagga immediately through his counsel moved to the Dwarka Court. His plea mentioned that he was being taken by some unknown persons. The Delhi Police, therefore, swung into action after the Court ordered his production. The Delhi Police informed the Haryana Police who stopped the Punjab police from taking Bagga to Punjab.

Earlier, Punjab Police had registered an FIR against Tajinder Bagga for his criticism of Arvind Kejriwal after the Delhi CM mocked ‘The Kashmir Files’ movie during the budget session of the Delhi assembly calling it a jhoothi film. The film depicts the sufferings of the Kashmiri Hindus during the genocide they suffered in Kashmir in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Khalistan flags placed by suspected ‘Punjab tourists’ appear on Himachal Pradesh Assembly gates

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Khalistan flags placed by suspected ‘Punjab tourists’ appear on Himachal Pradesh Assembly gates

On Sunday morning, Khalistan flags were found tied to the main gate and boundary wall of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in Dharamshala.

As reported by news agency ANI, SP Kangra, Khushal Sharma said that the placement of flags might have happened late night on Saturday or early morning on Sunday. The flags have since been removed. “It could be an act of some tourists from Punjab,” he said and added that a case will be registered today.

Khalistani elements in Himachal Pradesh

Last week, Aam Aadmi Party leader and Himachal Pradesh social media president Harpreet Singh Bedi had deleted his Twitter account after his pro-Khalistan and secessionist tweets hailing Bhindranwale had gone viral on social media. Prior to that, in March 2022, Himachal Pradesh had banned entry of vehicles carrying flags of Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Many cars coming from Punjab were spotted with flags and images of Bhindranwale.

In July 2021, during the so-called farmer protest around Delhi border, as many as 20 journalists from Himachal Pradesh got a threatening pre-recorded calls from pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). The caller identifying himself as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun from the US, the general counsel for SFJ, warned that Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur should not be allowed to hoist the tricolour on Independence Day. 

Khalistani elements claim parts of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, which formed part of Greater Punjab till 1966, as part of ‘Khalistan’, an idea supported by ISI backed separatists. They want to ‘liberate’ Himachal Pradesh and Haryana and ‘merge’ into ‘Khalistan’.

‘Which party wants to ally with Congress?’ TRS leader KT Rama Rao ridicules Rahul Gandhi’s comment that Congress won’t ally with TRS in Telangana

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Which party wants to ally with Congress?’ TRS leader KT Rama Rao ridicules Rahul Gandhi’s comment that Congress won’t ally with TRS in Telangana

After Rahul Gandhi said that Congress will not an alliance with TRS in Telangana, Telangana Rashtra Samiti’s working president KT Rama Rao ridiculed Rahul Gandhi’s remarks and gave him a befitting reply. KT Rama Rao said that no political party in India wants to ally with Congress now, listing the scams done during Congress regime.

He said on Saturday 7th May 2022, “Congress is actually ‘Scamgress’. It has been involved in scams starting from the skies and ending deeper as ‘Paataal’. Augusta Westland, a helicopter flying in the sky, in which they did a scam. Spectrum waves in the air, there was also a scam by Congress. This is a hapless party caught up in the scams of coals which are found underground.” KT Rama Rao has made this statement while addressing farmers and his party workers in Warangal.

KT Rama Rao further said, “Congress has a list of scams from A to Z. A for Adarsh Scam (in Maharashtra, 2010), B for Bofors Scam (when Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister in 1987), C for Commonwealth Scam (in 2010) and so on.”

Rahul Gandhi is on his Telangana tour where while addressing his party workers he threw heavy criticism on the Telangana Rashtra Samiti which is the ruling party in Telangana state. Rahul Gandhi shared the stage with the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee head Revanth Reddy. Taking a jibe at this, KT Rama Rao said, “They are speaking of making a prosperous country while sitting beside the Pradesh Congress Committee person who is accused of the note-for-vote case. They buy MLAs at a rate of rupees 50 lakhs each. Rahul Gandhi should be aware of what he is talking about, and where and in front of whom, he is talking. When Dr. Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister, who had the remote control? Rahul Gandhi’s mother had the remote control. The UPA chairperson had more powers than the Prime Minister. The AICC is not the All India Congress Committee; it is rather the All India Crisis Committee. It is the same Rahul Gandhi who had dared to discard an ordinance in a press conference.”

Rahul Gandhi had denied any possibility of going into an alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti. Slamming the remarks of Rahul Gandhi, KT Rama Rao said, “Today, which party in the country is interested to be in alliance with Congress. There is none. Congress says that it is a pro-farmer party. If it is really one, then why did they lose in Punjab? TRS has performed better for farmers in the state. So much so that the parliament has been a witness to the report by the National Crime Records Bureau which says that Telangana is one of the states having the least percentage of farmer suicides. What Rahul Gandhi is promising now, we have already delivered better than his promises. Congress did not give us a separate state. We have fought and earned it. Congress is an incapable party. They cannot deliver what we have already had.”

Earlier Rahul Gandhi had criticized TRS while speaking in Hyderabad. He said, “Telangana is ruled not by a CM, but by a Raja who doesn’t listen to the voice of the people. When Congress forms government, we guarantee farmers: – ₹15,000 per acre direct transfer – ₹2 lakh loan waiver – Fair and accurate MSP.”

Rahul Gandhi also tweeted, “KCR has single-handedly destroyed the dream the people of Telangana and Sonia Ji had when statehood was granted. I welcome the youth, who believe in the ideology of the Congress, to join us in our mission to defeat TRS and build a glorious Telangana.”

1...3,3003,3013,302...7,677Page 3,301 of 7,677