The service charges per transaction for Automated Teller Machines (ATM) across banks have increased to Rs 21 from Rs 20 starting Saturday after the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) issued an order stating that customers will have to pay Rs 1 more beyond the permissible free transactions for cash as well non-cash purposes.
The RBI, in its order dated June 10, 2021, had said that from January 1, 2022, banks are allowed to levy Rs 21, Re 1 more than the previous charge of Rs 20, with applicable taxes, if any, shall be additionally payable.
“Customers are eligible for five free transactions (inclusive of financial and non-financial transactions) every month from their own bank ATMs. They are also eligible for free transactions (inclusive of financial and non-financial transactions) from other bank ATMs viz. three transactions in metro centres and five transactions in non-metro centres. Beyond the free transactions, the ceiling/cap on customer charges is Rs 20 per transaction, as prescribed vide circular DPSS.CO.PD.No.316/02.10.002/2014-2015 dated August 14, 2014. To compensate the banks for the higher interchange fee and given the general escalation in costs, they are allowed to increase the customer charges to Rs 21 per transaction. This increase shall be effective from January 1, 2022. Applicable taxes, if any, shall be additionally payable,” stated the notification.
All banks provide their customers with five free transactions, including financial and non-financial transactions, provided they are done from their own bank ATMs.
Besides, customers also get free transactions from ATMs of other banks depending on their place of residence. For instance, people living in metro centres get three free transactions from other bank ATMs while those residing in non-metro centres get 5 free transactions.
In a nutshell, customers who transact at other banks’ ATMs after exhausting their free ATM transactions will have to pay Rs 21 and additional GST charges for using the services.
ATM service charges revised after over 7 years
The change in service fee from Rs 20 to Rs 21 has come after over 7 years. The last revision in service charges on ATM transactions was made in August 2014 while a change in interchange fee structure for ATM transactions was made over 9 years ago, in August 2012.
Last year, the RBI issued a circular, notifying about the changes made in the ATM service charges starting January 1, 2022. The central bank had cited the increasing cost of ATM deployment and expenses towards ATM maintenance incurred by banks or white-label ATM operators to justify the hike.
As per Ashwani Rana, the founder of Voice of Banking, who spoke to ANI, said the hike is very nominal as compared to ATM charges the banks have to bear. “The increase of service charges per ATMtransaction will be charged from the customers beyond a number of transactions permitted by the respective banks. This increase is only Rs 1 plus Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is very nominal to customers against the maintenance charges paid by banks as earlier they were charging Rs 20,” Rana said.
The CEO of RapiPay Fintech, Nipun Jain, clarified that customers withdrawing cash using Micro ATMs and Aadhaar Enabled Payment System(AEPS) won’t be affected by RBI’s latest guideline to increase ATM service charges.
“We believe this will boost the already growing demand for cash withdrawal through AEPS and Micro ATMs at our direct business outlets and help us in achieving our goal of growing financial inclusion in deeper geographies and far-flung areas like North East, Kashmir, Ladakh, and Uttrakhand. We have sold over one lakh Micro ATMs since we began operations last year. Our average ticket size of withdrawal has climbed from Rs 3500 to Rs 3800, with a CAGR growth of 25 per cent in Micro ATMs in the last one year,” Jain said.
A 52-year-old Delhi Police sub-inspector Sanjeev Lochan, who was part of the Special Cell team that killed two terrorists of Indian Mujahideen at Batla House in September 2008 in Delhi, died in a road accident on Thursday.
Notably, the Congress party had claimed that the party president Sonia Gandhi had cried bitterly after seeing the images of the slain terrorists.
Delhi police said that the officer was crossing the road at Dwarka’s Baba Haridas Nagar on the afternoon of December 28 in Southwest Delhi when three men on a bike ran over him. The incident took place in front of Baba Haridas Nagar police station where Lochan was posted.
Lochan with severe head injuries was rushed to Venkateshwar Hospital in critical condition. On Thursday morning (December 30), he succumbed to injuries. Lochan is survived by his wife and two children who live in Janakpuri.
The accused were not wearing helmets and were arrested from the spot. But they were released on bail since the offences they were booked for, namely rash driving, causing death by negligence, and sections of the Motor Vehicles Act are bailable.
Lochan was a meritorious officer with medals and out of promotions
Lochan had joined the police force in 1988 as a constable. Considered a meritorious officer, he received several medals and two out-of-turn promotions.
His elder brother Arun Kumar Sharma, who is a retired CISF officer, said that Lochan was set to be promoted as inspector. But his sad demies left the family and police shocked.
Batla House encounter
During the Batla House encounter on September 19, 2008, Delhi Police had neutralised terrorists namely Atif Amin and Mohammad Sajid. Terrorists were hiding in a locality in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, after killing about 30 people in Delhi serial blasts. Lochan was part of the 20 members Special Cell Team of Delhi Police headed by Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma.
Mohammad Saif was arrested and Shahzad and Junaid managed to escape who were arrested later on.
Although brave Delhi Police cop Mohan Chand Sharma was martyred, several politicians began peddling conspiracy theories to suggest that the encounter was a false-flag operation.
Sonia Gandhi cried
Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, in one of his rallies during the 2012 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections had claimed that party president Sonia Gandhi cried bitterly after seeing the images of the slain terrorists.
Khurshid had said, “When we showed Sonia Gandhi the images of the ‘incident’, she started crying bitterly and with folded hands, she said please do not show me these pictures. Immediately go and speak to the Wazir-e-Azam (Dr. Manmohan Singh) and discuss the matter. I talked to the PM and it was decided that the matter will be further investigated.”
BJP member and well-known author Tuhin A. Sinha has written a letter to PM Narendra Modi requesting for the Bharat Ratna to be conferred upon tribal revolutionary icon Birsa Munda. He also has demanded the creation of India’s biggest war memorial at Dombari Hills in Jharkhand, where Birsa Munda’s resolute warriors had put up an incredible fight against the British soldiers in January 1900.
Sinha who recently released his book ‘The Legend of Birsa Munda’, co-authored with Ankita Verma, has researched extensively on Birsa Munda’s life. In his letter to the PM, the author has rooted for the need to weave in a strong cultural narrative around Birsa Munda in Jharkhand’s development plans. He has also appealed for the creation of a Birsa tourism corridor that would generate immense local employment opportunities, besides an extension of the term ‘Scheduled Tribe’ to mean Vanvasi, instead of Adivasi in Hindi.
What the letter to the PM said
“The state of Jharkhand, which came into existence on 15 November 2000, is yet to realize its true potential. As we get ready to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda in 2024, there is a growing sentiment among the people of Jharkhand that a lot more needs to be done to ensure justice to the magnificent yet largely unexplored legacy of Birsa Munda. The state with its rich reservoir of mineral resources, vast forest cover and concentrated industrialist belts deserves more”
“The thing about subaltern historical heroes is that during their lifetime, there was hardly any documentation of their life or their movements. We took cognizance of their greatness only in hindsight, long after they were gone. But when looking at the extraordinary life of Birsa Munda, and his efforts in raising a private army to take on the Britishers, it is quite likely that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose too may have drawn inspiration from him. Netaji raised a private army on a much grander, international scale in the early 1940s… something that Birsa too did, but on a much smaller scale four decades before Netaji,” said the author.
The Revolutionary Hero Birsa Munda's contribution towards India's freedom struggle is undeniably epochal. He was veryvclose to his tribe, his nation and his jungles. He deserves to be celebrated in the true spirit of nationalism. #BirsaMunda#BharatRatnaForBirsaMundapic.twitter.com/PchmBkEreM
What drew Tuhin Sinha to Birsa Munda’s character in particular
According to Sinha, like Kashi has become the confluence of Hindu culture, Birsa Munda should form the confluence of all tribal cultures and tribal freedom movements across the country. “Our subaltern freedom movements date back to the 1770s—Tilka Majhi, a Santhal from the Bhagalpur region being one of the oldest and well-known names. From the nineteenth century, these subaltern movements were active right from the North East of India to the South and formed important precursors to the 1857 war for Independence. While it may not be possible to give each of these subaltern tribal warriors their due, honouring Birsa Munda with the nation’s highest civilian award, will be an honour to the entire community”, he writes.
Tuhin Sinha’s book ‘The Legend of Birsa Munda’ has been published by Amaryllis, an imprint of Manjul Publishing House and will soon be available in multiple Indian languages. Among other initiatives, the author, in collaboration will Indic Academy, plans to travel to Birsa Munda’s village Ulihatu, near Ranchi, and distribute 50 free copies to the descendants of Birsa Munda and the clan.
“It is tragic that the descendants of Birsa Munda are living a life of abject penury and have very little idea of the greatness of their ancestry. I want the demand for the Bharat Ratna for Birsa Munda to emanate from his village and ricochet across the country,” says the author.
The situation in Afjalpur town of Kalburgi district, Karnataka has become tense after a number of miscreants pelted stones on the building of a religious mutt, after the seer of the mutt had spoken against love jihad recently. According to the Police, the miscreants attacked the Mashala Siddalingeshwara Samsthan mutt’s building on Thursday night when the seer, Kedar Sree Swamiji was sleeping inside.
On December 28, Kedar Sree Swamiji had participated in a programme organised by Hindu Jagruthi Sene in Kalburgi and had openly spoken against love jihad and cow slaughtering. It is suspected that the miscreants who were angered by his comments resorted to stone-pelting. Police have increased security around the mutt and in other sensitive areas of the Afjalpur town after the stone-pelting incident.
OpIndia has accessed visuals of the mutt after the attack, and it shows that the glass of several windows were broken by the stone-pelting. There is no report of any injury caused by the attack.
Inauguration of Hindu Jagruthi Samiti branch office-
The Hindu Jagruthi Samithi spokesperson Mohan Gowda while explaining the whole incident said that they had invited local Hindu Karyakartas and local seers for the inauguration ceremony of a new branch office. Mashala Siddalingeshwara Samsthan mutt’s Kedar Sree Swamiji was the Chief Guest for the event. Kedar Sree Swamiji took the stage to speak against the atrocities happening to Hindus in that area. He spoke against love jihad, forced and planned conversion of Hindus, cow slaughtering etc.
Condemning the attack on Swamiji, Gowda said that the Hindu Jagruthi Sene leaders have submitted a memorandum to the Superintendent of Police of Kalburgi to initiate action against the culprits for trying to attack the Hindu religious seer. According to the information provided by the Hindu Jagruthi Samiti, the Hindu activists met the Superintendent of Police of Kalburgi to take strict action against the suspects. While the police department has tightened security in the mutt as well as in the sensitive areas of the Afjalpur town, nobody has been yet arrested in the case.
“The Afjalpur area is Muslim dominated and Hindus staying here face a lot of problems”, Mohan Gowda added. “It is three months ago that a Hindu boy was trapped in a relationship by a Muslim girl who was recieving required help from a group of Muslims in Afjalpur. The boy was then killed and thrown in the banks of Bhima river”, he informed.
Moving ahead with the vision of the Make in India programme, the Modi government has urged tech giant Apple Inc to generate annual production output worth around $50 billion in India over the next 5-6 years. The move comes after a high-level meeting top government officials held with senior representatives from Apple. The govt of India has urged the company to start manufacturing other products like MacBooks, iPads, Air Pods, Apple Watch etc in India so that production can reach $50 billion in the next 5-6 years. Currently, the company only makes older generation iPhones in India.
Government sources informed that senior officials of the union government and a top minister were present at the meeting with Apple executives. The govt told the company that India is setting up an enabling environment to give a massive push to electronics manufacturing in the country, with a big eye on exports. Several initiatives, including the production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes, have been taken by the govt to encourage companies to invest in India and expand their operations in the country. Also, capital subsidy schemes also have been announced for several sectors including semiconductor manufacturing. The govt officials asked Apple to utilise these benefits to grow their presence in the country.
Government officials are reported to have asked the company to expand operations in India and utilise the Indian potential to develop a global production base to manufacture and export finished gadgets to all parts of the world. Currently, Apple manufactures only iPhones in India through its production partners and a major chunk of its products are manufactured in China and exported to the rest of the world for consumption.
Taiwanese manufacturers that make Apple products, Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron, have set up bases in India, and Foxconn and Wistron are already making iPhones, but volume-wise it is very little on a global scale. Moreover, only earlier models of the iPhone were being manufactured in India. Production of the iPhone 13 was set to start at the Foxconn plant at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, but now that plant has been put on suspension after worker protests over various issues.
The government is putting massive efforts into creating a conducive environment to give a push to the electronics industry to manufacture in India and export for consumption. After the government announced the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme last year after the first wave of the Covid19 pandemic, there has been some major shifts in the tech-manufacturing sector.
For example, the market share of the Made in India units of iPhones increased from 17% in 2018 to above 75% in 2021 and its share of the exported smartphones from the country is now at 5% which was zero in 2017-18. All the suppliers of iPhone – Foxconn, Pegatron and Wistron – have been approved under the Centre’s PLI scheme, under which foreign companies are needed to invest Rs 250 crore and produce an incremental output of Rs 4,000 crore in the first year to get a 6% direct incentive as cashback.
The government is actively exploring all possibilities to ensure rising up in the global technology supply chain. According to certain reports, the electronics manufacturing industry is expected to see 30% growth in the next fiscal to be worth Rs 7 lakh crores. The current valuation of the industry is around Rs 5.3 lakh crores.
The journey of two Hindu sisters from Pakistan Sangita and Anita, to get Indian citizenship, has been a tough one. Sangita and Anita were minors when the family fled to India 33-years back due to religious persecution as their Muslim neighbours wanted to convert them to Islam and marry them. While their father Sewakram (now deceased) and mother Sakhi Bai got Indian citizenship eight years after they came to India, but the ordeal of sisters for citizenship continues, reported Bhaskar.
Sangita and Anita, married to Indian citizens, are aged around 45 years and 41 years respectively, but they are not Indian citizens. They are still referred to as Pakistan nationals in the government records and have to undergo a tedious process to extend their visa every two years to stay in India. Their citizenship application is pending as the inquiry in Pakistan has not concluded and India has not received a report from Pakistan to confirm their original citizenship.
Family settled at Bilaspur after migrating from Pakistan
They are Sindhi Hindus who lived in Larkana district of Punjab. Leaving properties behind, they fled to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. They settled at Hemu Nagar locality of Bilaspur after one of their relatives sheltered them. Sisters were married in Bilaspur. Sangita’s husband works at a medical complex whereas Anita runs the garment shop of her deceased husband in Ahmadabad.
An unending wait for Indian citizenshipforSangita and Anita
There is no clarity on the technical issues that prevent Indian authorities from granting citizenship. From Delhi to Bilaspur, they knocked on all possible doors visited offices to get citizenship. They said that their parents got citizenship based on a receipt they had received from the Pakistan High Commission which mentions their names as minors. They said that Pakistan High Commission now denies authenticity/validity of the said document.
33 years down, who will recognise and remember them in Pakistan to confirm their Pakistani nationality, said Sangita.
They are neither eligible to enjoy constitutional rights meant for Indian citizens nor any government scheme. It pains them that their children are Indian nationals but they are still Pakistanis.
Any cheer for people like Sangita and Anita out of CAA
The Narendra Modi government brought the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 to grant Indian nationality to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians, who come to India because of religious persecution in Islamic countries of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Even if they do not possess proper documents their case will be considered and they not be treated as illegal immigrants.
American virologist and immunologist, Dr Robert Malone, recently courted controversy after he claimed that the Uttar Pradesh government in India refused to divulge information about its Covid-19 treatment procedure with the United States government.
During the December episode of the ‘Joe Rogan Experience‘ podcast, Dr Malone said that Uttar Pradesh was able to take control of the pandemic by prescribing Ivermectin (an anti-parasitic medication) to Coronavirus patients. The virologist, known for his work in mRNA technology, alleged, “They deployed early treatment as packages. It included a number of agents. The composition has not been formally disclosed.”
“It was done in coordination with the WHO (World Health Organisation). In those packages, it was rumoured to include Ivermectin. But there was a specific visit by Biden to Modi and a decision was made by the Indian government not to disclose the contents of the packages that were being deployed in Uttar Pradesh,” he claimed.
Dr. Robert Malone explains to Joe Rogan how Uttar Pradesh has crushed COVID with early treatment.
Joe Biden met with Narendra Modi and a decision was made to not disclose the contents of the treatment. Why? pic.twitter.com/PG9AkhIHvG
On being asked by show host Joe Rogan about the possibility of an official, from the Biden administration, meeting the Indian government, Dr Malone said, “There was a meeting between Joe Biden and Modi. I don’t know what they said. I was not invited. Immediately afterwards, there was a decision to not disclose the content of what was being deployed in Uttar Pradesh.”
On hearing this, Joe Rogan took potshots at the Indian government for withholding information, about its success story in Uttar Pradesh, from the rest of the world amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. Dr Malone insinuated that the Government of India somehow hid the use of Ivermectin, which had proved successful in containing Covid-19 cases in UP, from the United States government despite the ant-helminthic drug being a part of national guidelines.
Debunking the claims made in the Joe Rogan show
As per a report published in The Indian Express on May 12, 2021, the Uttar Pradesh government itself had conceded that the large-scale therapeutic use of Ivermectin helped to maintain a low Covid-19 positivity rate and a low fatality rate as compared to the other Indian States. Following the development of the first Covid-19 cluster in Agra, the State Health Department introduced Ivermectin and Doxycycline in August 2020 for both prophylaxis and treatment of the Wuhan Coronavirus.
While speaking to The Indian Express, State Surveillance Officer Vikasendu Agrawal had said, “Uttar Pradesh was the first state in the country to introduce large-scale prophylactic and therapeutic use of Ivermectin. In May-June 2020, a team at Agra, led by Dr Anshul Pareek, administered Ivermectin to all RRT team members in the district on an experimental basis. It was observed that none of them developed Covid-19 despite being in daily contact with patients who had tested positive for the virus.”
Screengrab of the Indian Express report
He further added, “Despite being the state with the largest population base and a high population density, we have maintained a relatively low positivity rate and cases per million of population.” While witnessing the success in Agra, the UP government sanctioned the Statewide use of Ivermectin for all contacts of Covid-19 patients initially as a prophylactic measure. Later, it was sanctioned for the treatment of infected patients.
According to Agra Magistrate Prabhu N Singh, 12 mg of Ivermectin was prescribed for a period of 3 days in accordance with the national guidelines in August 2020. It was followed by testing on the 4th or 5th day. “We introduced it in the jail as well and the results helped us reduce positivity to a great extent, following which Additional Chief Secretary Health Amit Mohan formed a committee to access its usage and it was finally introduced in the state’s Covid management protocol in 2020 itself,” he informed.
Doctor and patient testimonies puncture holes in claims made in the Joe Rogan show
Popular Twitter user (@Ateendriyo), who is a doctor by profession, informed, “Well, UP did not hide. We all received these packages and with Ivermectin clearly marked. In the earlier iteration of the guidelines, HCQ too was clearly marked.” While reacting to the claims made by Dr Rober Malone, he added, “This seems palpably fake.”
Screengrab of the tweet by Ateendriyo
Another Twitter user narrated how medical workers were sent to his residence after he contracted the Wuhan Coronavirus infection in March last year. He said that packets of Ivermectin and Azithromycin were home-delivered by the Uttar Pradesh government. He had uploaded the list of medicines that were prescribed to him.
When the Uttar Pradesh government sent out health kits and medicines to infected Covid-19 patients, who were either isolated at home or at hospitals, all prescribed medicines including Ivermectin was clearly marked. To suggest that none knew about the contents of the medicine kits is a far-fetched claim, which is not grounded in reality. And for Dr Rober Malone to even insinuate that the Indian government withheld such a piece of information, already existing in the public domain, from the US government has no semblance of truth in it.
Former Shia Waqf Board chief Wasim Rizvi, who reverted to Hinduism by renouncing Islam in December 2021, has been making headlines for quite some time on various issues, be it his support to the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya or his claim that madarsas breed terrorists or his conversion to Hinduism or more recently his book- Muhammad. Speaking to Kumkum Chadha in an interview with Hindustan Times, Wasim Rizvi alias Jitendra Narayan Swami spoke about his stand on several issues pertaining to him.
Muslim bodies are aware that many more mosques have been built over Hindu temples
When he was questioned as to why, after practising Islam for 46 years of his life, he denounced the religion and reverted to Hinduism, Rizvi said that that the Ram Mandir issue had first prompted him to take the decision. He said that when he came to know that even he had been made a party in the Ram Mandir case, he attended a meeting of Muslim bodies to discuss the Ayodhya hearing.
“I asked them that in case you win the case, will you remove the idol from the disputed area. They answered in the negative. So I asked them then why are you creating an atmosphere of animosity and hatred. To this, they said that if today we give up one mosque, then we will have to give away many more in the future”, said Rizvi adding that the Muslim bodies were aware that many more mosques have been built over Hindu temples. He further said that he proposed in the meeting that a committee be formed to hand over those mosques to the Hindus which were built on temples. The Muslim bodies, irked with the proposal, called Rizvi a BJP, RSS stooge.
This is when he separated himself from the Sunni Waqf Board and submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court, calling for the construction of the Ram Mandir. This is when for the first time Rizvi was expelled from Islam.
Here the journalist confirms whether the expulsion was the reason for him to denounce Islam. Rizvi declined, saying that after he was expelled he started studying Islam and Quran and issues like Islamic Jihad and extremism. “This is when I started speaking out against the Quran because I realised it encourages terrorism. The Quran is responsible for all the carnage and violence inflicted by jihadists.”
“Quran specifically mentions that Allah requires Muslims to kill Kaafirs who do not believe in Islam or the Prophet. It explicitly commands them to wage jihad against Kaafirs.”
I have not read the Quran but understood it…it mandates Muslims to kill Kaafirs: Wasim Rizvi
Kumkum Chadha, the journalist with the Hindustan Times, discreetly criticises Rizvi for attacking the Quran, which “he read for 46 years.” Wasim Rizvi interrupts her and reminds her sternly that he hasn’t read the Quran but understood it.
Speaking about the Supreme Courts decision’s to dismiss his plea to remove 26 verses of the Quran for promoting terrorism, Rizvi maintains that he respects the Supreme Court’s verdict but he is dissatisfied. “I accepted the ruling and paid the Rs 50,000 fine, but I was dissatisfied with the outcome. I continued my debate over the Quran’s 26 verses. No decision can change my feelings about it. I showed them the mirror that the terrorist’s jihad is influenced by the Quran” said Rizvi.
The interviewer, constantly attempting to prove Rizvi’s decision to denounce Islam as a mistake and an impulsive decision tells the former Shia Waqf Board chief that he might have misinterpreted or misunderstood the Quran. It might have been a lack of understanding, said Kumkum Chadda adding that even if Rizvi disagrees with the Quran, how far is it fair to dismiss the religious text?
Wasim Rizvi retorted strongly to the journalist, claiming that he had not gone astray and had spoken only after thoroughly studying the Quran. “Allah has mandated Muslims to fight the infidels”, reiterated Rizvi.
The interviewer, who tries her utmost to defend Islam at every turn, questioned Rizvi why he had to publicly slander the sacred text even if he did not agree with it. Wasim Rizvi lashed back, claiming that he is only raising awareness about Islam and not defaming it.
“They are openly doing Jihad and we are expected to keep quiet, why? This concerns our security and humanity, how can I remain silent? You are saying I am defaming Islam…no I am not, I am merely showing them the mirror,” retaliated Rizvi vociferously.
The Hindustan Times journalist demanded to know why Rizvi did not speak against Islamic terrorism and jihad earlier? “The terrorist activities are not new, have been happening for several years… where were you during the twin tower blast…why didn’t you raise your voice then”, asked Chadda to which Rizvi replied that he began his study of Islam only four and a half years ago.
Chadda asked Rizvi if his personal grudge had led him to criticise Islam, inferring that he had done so selectively. The former Shia Waqf Board chief hit back saying “It’s not about personal animosity but humanity. If no one has spoken up against the Islamic atrocities for the last 1400 years why can’t you criticise it now,” blasted Rizvi.
“This is what Islam preaches. If you speak against Islam you will be killed”, said Rizvi.
Would have accepted even the lowest class to revert to Hinduism: Wasim Razvi
The journalist further questioned Rizvi about his conversion to Hinduism, asking why he accepted the downgrading from Syed- which is equivalent to a Brahmin in Hinduism to Tyagi. Rizvi explained that he became Tyagi as he was adopted by Yati Narasinghanand Giri’s father. Wasim Rizvi further told the journalist that he does not believe in caste and he was more than willing to accept even the lowest class to revert to Hinduism.
Responding to allegations that he reverted to Hinduism and joined BJP to save himself from the several cases that had been filed against him and from accusations of siphoning off funds as the chairman of the Waqf Board, Wasim Rizvi sternly retorted demanding an enquiry against him. “I myself demanded a CBI probe”.
Further explaining why he had been targeted, Rizvi said that his disagreement has always been with the “Mullas”. “I never became their rubber stamp… and how do you presume that conversion to Hinduism would save me from the charges levelled against me. Converting to Hinduism doesn’t;t mean the cases against me will be dismissed”.
‘Y’all are the secular people and do not want to understand the Muslim conspiracy’: Wasim Rizvi to the Hindustan Times journalist
The journalist here launched a veiled attack on the ruling dispensation claiming that it’s an established fact that BJP goes soft on the people who join the party and take a back seat against those who adopt their ideologies. She insinuated that Rizvi joined BJP to clear himself from the accusations levelled against him. To this, Rizvi strongly retaliated by saying that there is no proof of any wrongdoing against him.
“What is your political agenda?” was the next question posed at Wasim Rizvi to which he replied unequivocally that his political agenda is to weaken the strength of the Muslims because ISIS training is being imparted in every mosque and madarsa in India. “A huge conspiracy is being hatched which you will not understand or should I say people like you do not want to understand since y’all are the secular people and do not want to understand the Muslim conspiracy,” Rizvi riposted explicitly, further elucidating to the journalist the secularism is the biggest poison for people of her likes.
The journalist, looking a little flustered by Wasim Rizvi’s quick responses, told him at this point that he is speaking the language of the BJP. Rizvi retorted by saying that he only speaks for the interest of the nation. “I applaud the BJP people who speak in this language as it is in the interest of the country and the Sanatanis”.
Wasim Rizvi went on to slam the journalist for accusing the BJP and RSS of Hindu appeasement, saying that at least Hindu organisations such as the RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, and others are working for the welfare and upliftment of Hindus rather than nurturing terrorism. “What is wrong in preaching your religion?” Rizvi asked the journalist, who then quickly shifted to asking him the next question.
“It’s only been a month since I have reverted to Hinduism and in this small span of time I have at least understood this much that Sanatan Dharam is a religion of humanity”, said Rizvi, responding to the journalist who asked him how much has he read about Hinduism.
To understand Sanatan Dharma you only need to learn two words- Love and Humanity
Continuing her efforts to defend Islam and denigrate Rizvi for denouncing it, the journalist asked Wasim Rizvi how a person who needed 48 years to understand Islam could fully understand the Sanatan Dharam in a matter of months. Here, Wasim Rizvi astutely told the Hindustan Times journalist that to understand Sanatan Dharma you only need to learn two words- Love and Humanity. “This is the definition of the Sanatan Dharam.”
The journalist reiterated that Rizvi himself confessed that he has not read the Sanatan Dharam properly as it has been a month since he has reverted to Hinduism. Rizvi quips saying that who can be a better example of a Sanatani than the journalist herself. “One can understand from your face what Sanatan Dharam is all about…that’s why you are so secular…you do not want to believe that people (in an obvious reference to Muslims) out there are conspiring to kill you… you keep harping that they are good human beings…they are our brothers…we should remain secular”.
The journalist asked Rizvi whether he was trying to be sarcastic…to which he laughed and said that his intention was not to mock her but use the opportunity to explain to the Muslims that, “you believe in Allah and we are fine with that, but you need to bring some reforms within yourself, you need to change a little”, opined Rizvi.
The Hindustan Times journalist, continuously trying to persuade Wasim Rizvi that rejecting Islam and converting to Hinduism was a wrong move, argued that it would have been preferable to stay inside the community and faith and correct your own people rather than stepping out and hitting at them. The former Waqf Board chief retorted saying that how is it fair that only because he was born into Islam he compulsorily had to remain associated with radicals and terrorist organisations spawned by Islamists.
Hindus and Muslims have the same blood but the difference lies in their thinking and ideologies, opined Rizvi.
Madarsas will spread Jihad and Muslim revolution and you will have to give away another piece of land
The journalist further questioned Wasim Rizvi as to what was his logic or basis behind asking PM Narendra Modi in 2018, to shut down all Madarsas claiming they breed terrorists. Rizvi responded by stating that if the decision to close all Madarsas is not made today, a revolution will emerge from these Madarsas in the coming 15-20 years. “These Madarsas will spread Jihad and Muslim revolution and you will have to give away another piece of land”.
Rizvi further questioned the deliberation of the Muslim clerics to open Madarsas instead of schools. He stated that small children are trained in these Madarsas. Each and every Madarsa is imparting ISIS terror training to children. The only purpose of primary Madarsas is to teach young children the Quran. They are brainwashed and radicalised as they start understanding the Quran. This is why I urged the government to close primary Madarsas and stop funding them, said Rizvi.
If children are sent to school at that age and given the opportunity to interact with children of other religions, such as Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, and others, they will not grow as fanatical and bloodthirsty as Muslims are now, opined Rizvi strongly backing his demand to shut primary Madarsas.
The journalist, at this point, told Wasim Rizvi that she would not allow him to degrade the Prophet on her show and that they should be talking about logic and facts. Coming to Rizvi’s book, Muhammad, she contended that the book contained remarks against Islam, the Quran and Prophet Muhammad. She reminded him that a complaint had also been filed against him for the same. Here she asked: “It is ok to disagree with a religion but how correct is it to insult the Prophet?”
Rizvi retorted by saying “How are you considering him (the character in his book) the Prophet? You are insulting my imagination by calling him the Prophet”, said Rizvi matter-of-factly.
Evoking Rizvi’s remark that he wants to be cremated rather than buried, the Hindustan Times journalist questioned him whether this statement was driven by his admiration for the religion or fear that the Muslims will not give him a place in their burial grounds.
Rizvi painfully retorts by saying that the Muslims had denied him a burial space that he had reserved beside his father’s tomb. They had broken it. “If I wanted to be buried I had the option to surrender my views and beliefs but I have stuck to them. So, I told them to cremate me when I die instead of letting my body rot on the streets.
Again, in a futile attempt to persuade others that Rizvi’s conversion to Hinduism was forced rather than voluntary, the journalist told him that there are two points that convince her that he converted out of compulsion. Firstly when he said that he was abandoned from his community so he converted and secondly when he said that since he would not get a place in burial grounds he should be cremated. This is suggestive of some sought of compulsion rather than will. “Because I am not getting what I should, I will take what is available”, stated Kumkum Chadha, suggesting that Rizvi’s conversion was a mere compromise.
Wasim Rizvi lambasted the journalist for presuming that his conversion to Hinduism was a compromise. “My conversion to Hinduism is not a compromise. If at all I wanted to compromise I would have struck a deal with the Mullas only. When I reserved a burial space 12-15 years ago, it was obvious that I wanted to be buried as per the Muslim customs. But I was constantly attacked by the Muslim brethren. Yet I never surrendered before them. I kept paving a path for myself. This is not a compromise. The more I read about Islam in the last four and a half years the more aversed I got towards it and the community as a whole.
The journalist opined that after conversion Wasim Rizvi is neither here nor there. Neither would the Muslim recognise him nor would the Hindus give me space in their community. Wasim Rizvi slams the journalist saying that “No Hindu will disown me. They have accepted and embraced me with a lot of love and respect. Yes, you might not accept me as you appear more of a secular to me”, lambasted the former Shia Waqf Board chief.
Nearly 6,000 non-governmental organisations(NGOs) have their license ceased or expired as of January 1, 2022, after they had failed to apply for renewal of their Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act(FCRA) license.
The total NGOs registered under FCRA that are active or alive as of today, January 1, 2022, have come down to 16,829 from 22,762 a day ago. As per the official website, 12,580 NGOs are deemed to have ceased or expired on account of the expiry of the validity of their certificate. As per the source cited by Times Of India’s Bharti Jain, the NGOs lost their FCRA registration because they failed to apply for renewal.
Among those who have had their FCRA license expired include Oxfam India Trust, Indian Youth Centres Trust, Jamia Millia Islamia, Tuberculosis Association of India, among others.
Earlier this year, the validity of FCRA registration of those NGOs that were expiring between September 29, 2020, and September 30, 2021, was extended till December 31, 2021. The government had then asked organisations nearing expiring for their FCRA license to apply for renewal in order to continue to remain active. However, close to 6,000 organisations out of 22,762 nearing expiry failed to apply for renewal of their FCRA license.
Then on December 31, 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued another public notice, informing about the extension of the validity of FCRA registration certificates expiring between the period September 29, 2021, and March 22, 2022, of those organisations who have applied for renewal on FCRA portal in accordance with rule 12 of the Foreign Contribution(Regulation) Rules, 2011 before the expiry of the validity of their certificates of registration.
“All FCRA registered associations are therefore advised to take note of the fact that in case of refusal of the application for renewal of the certificate of registration, the validity of the certificate shall be deemed to have expired on the date of the refusal of the application or renewal and the association shall not be eligible either to receive the foreign contribution or utilise the foreign contribution received,” the notice read.
Hitting out at the Secretary of Mar Thoma Syrian Church over his letter charging the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members with hooliganism against Christian institutions, VHP has said that India can do, and do better without funds of missionaries and evangelistic services.
In the strongly-worded riposte, the VHP Central Secretary Sudhanshu Mohan Patnayak told the church that people are aware of missionaries run educational and service organizations with the sole objective to convert the Hindu population to Christianity.
VHP replied to a letter of Syrian Church containing false and laughable allegations labeled on our youth wing Bajrangdal. pic.twitter.com/59Qprz427v
The letter war started after the Northern India Zonal Assembly of the Mar Thoma Church at its general body meeting on December 10, passed a resolution against the VHP. Syrian Church accused the Bajrang Dal and VHP of hooliganism and targeting missionaries’ run educational institutions across the country.
The Church did not stop here as Toms Niman, secretary of North India Zonal Assembly shot a provocative letter to VHP and demanded an apology.
The secretary bragged about the services offered by missionaries’ run institutions. He further claimed missionaries’ schools and colleges ‘are providing the international level of education’ contrary to the pathetic situation of government-run educational institutions.
He said that the next time, VHP before attacking any Christian organisation, should keep the fact in mind that none of the Christian institutions depended on the government for donations and the VHP should not imagine blackmailing missionaries by using the government machinery.
Conversion is only goal of services of Church: VHP
VHP snubbed the Church for a scurrilous attack on VHP’s youth wing to gain some cheap publicity.
“You have made such serious allegations irresponsibly, without any specifics or particulars. They are unfounded and have been made only to gain some cheap publicity,” the VHP said.
The VHP said that Church runs educational and service organisations only to convert the Hindu population to Christianity and further accused missionaries of converting people through deceit and allurements.
VHP reminds Church about the observation of Mahatma Gandhi on conversion
VHP said that even Mahatma Gandhi had raised serious concerns over missionaries converting people in the name of the service to humanity.
“It is impossible for me to reconcile myself to the idea of conversion after the style that goes on in India and elsewhere today. It is an error which is perhaps the greatest impediment to the world’s progress toward peace. Why should a Christian want to convert a Hindu to Christianity? Why should he not be satisfied if the Hindu is a good or godly man?”
The VHP Central Secretary quoted the observation of Mahatma Gandhi about conversion published in January 30, 1937 edition of ‘Harijan’.
Leave India to God: may Church like to heed Mahatma’s advice
Calling the letter of the Church arrogant and condescending when claims about the quality of services and funds obtained from abroad, the VHP said India can do better without their funds and evangelistic services.
“We may respond that India can do, and do better without your funds and evangelistic services,” the VHP said.
“In any case, we may remind you of the call given by Mahatma Gandhi to the British rulers, “Leave India to God. If this is too much then leave her to anarchy.” You may like to consider the Mahatma’s advice,” the letter reads.
VHP to continue campaigns against conversion
VHP Central Secretary reminded the organisation is not affected by such baseless allegations and it will continue its campaigns against the conversion of Hindus. The VHP will bring the converted Christians back to the faith of their ancestors in all lawful and constitutional manners.
Nationwide Hindu awakening a threat to conversion agenda of Church
In the past couple of years, Christian missionaries have been facing problems in running the conversion agendas due to awakening among Hindus. This has strengthened nationalistic outfits like VHP to speak against conversion.
In October, VHP kicked a national debate over conversion by demanding a national inquiry commission to investigate religious conversions by church and missionaries.
The VHP has also raised its voice against the Church attempting mass conversion in Punjab and gave a call to free Punjab from the curse of conversion.
In November, last year, VHP members staged a protest against pastor Bajinder Singh’s Healing Crusade programme in Moga, Punjab which was set to be attended by Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi.
