Home Blog Page 3674

Villagers around Ayodhya slam Indian Express for fake report on land deals, accuse their journalists of using abusive language

राहुल पाण्डेय
-
0
Villagers around Ayodhya slam Indian Express for fake report on land deals, accuse their journalists of using abusive language

The Indian Express had published a news report on 24 December 2021 with the title: “Ayodhya: Kin of officials bought land from the trust under probe for illegal transfer of Dalit land”. This report by Shyamlal Yadav and Sandeep Singh claimed that some officers, politicians and their relatives have purchased land in Ayodhya close to less than five kilometres from the Ram Mandir site after the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya case, thereby hinting a conflict of interest. However, locals are debunking the so-called Ayodhya land deal controversy. It may be noted that an OpIndia ground report shows that the concerned plots not within 5 km of Ram Mandir site, but are located in villages much farther than that.

To besiege the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya into controversies, the Indian Express has concocted stories about land deals in the nearby villages. OpIndia has reported the details of the news report with fact checks and explained how the local people are astounded by such news reports by the Indian Express. They believe that all this exercise of concocted news reports is done with the sole purpose of defaming the sacred city Ayodhya. According to the local people, the alleged reporters roaming in Ayodhya to report about the land deals are more of some abusers than journalists.

On 27th and 28th December of 2021, OpIndia reporters visited the places which were reported in the Indian Express with dubious intentions. A brief talk with local people has revealed that the whole reporting by the Indian Express is false and deceptive.

The Indian Express report pubilshed on 24 December

‘They defamed the holy city by baseless controversy’

Birauli is situated almost twelve kilometres from the Ram Mandir site. Allegedly, a relative of SDM Ayush Chaudhari is said to have bought some land here. In the local farms, our team could meet Sanjay Kumar Varma who hails from the family of local land dealers. He said, “Our area is unfamed due to the baseless controversies created by such news reports. We are a blameless community, and our lands are having a clear title. Despite all this, we are being made controversial. The land deal was done in perfect accordance with all the necessary laws and regulations. We received the whole amount that we were supposed to. Nobody forced us in any way. But the blot of this defamation is such that anybody will hesitate to buy a piece of land here.”

OpIndia reporter Rahul Pandey in conversation with Sanjay Kumar Varma

‘It is all flooded here during rainy season’

We also met Sandeep Varma in Birauli who said, “I had gone through the Indian Express news. It is nothing more than a rumour. I too possess some land here. I was never pressurised by any leader or bureaucrat. After this news report, none of the land buyers visited the area. Our properties are seen with prejudice. Ram Mandir is more than ten kilometres away from here, while the report claims that we are located just next to the site. In rainy seasons, it is all flooded in here. No new project or hotel etc is seen around. Despite that, the area is being defamed for reasons unknown.”

OpIndia reporter Rahul Pandey in conversation with Sandeep Varma

‘Conspiracy to impede the development’

Itora Chauraha (Hanumat Nagar) is situated on the way to Ayodhya city. Here we met Ravi Tiwari who said, “I live in this locality. Hardly had the area started to develop than some of the opponents have started to kick up a row. Ram Mandir is not less than twelve kilometres away, and yet the rumour is being mongered that it is within five kilometres. This is a rural area. Everyone here would want to find a better buyer for his possessions. Reported rumours will intercept the development of this area. Behind such reports, there lies a conspiracy to impede the development of this area.”

OpIndia reporter Rahul Pandey talking to Ravi Tiwari

Journalists? Or abusing goons?

Land deals in Barhata Manjha area were accused to be the most controversial ones in the Indian Express report. Most of the local land here is related to Maharshi Ramayana Vidyapeeth Trust that is MRVT. It is purported that relatives of Commissioner M. P. Agrawal, DIG Deepak Agrawal, Mayor and BJP MLA have purchased some land here. OpIndia visited the very spot where the claimed land purchase had taken place. A local lady said, “About four to five days ago, a few journalists had visited here whom we were seeing for the very first time. They were heard having a talk with each other in which they were abusing the district magistrate. There was a shorty journalist among them, who was saying that we are here to f*ck the DM’s aunt.”

Locals complaining about the abusive talks by the reporters

Not all the land of MRVT is controversial

OpIndia talked to Indraraj Nishad who lives in Khalik Purwa of Barhata Manjha. He told, “I too had bought land from MRVT. Not all the places in MRVT are controversial. Not all the officers are wrong. If at all anyone has committed something wrong, he will be probed. This fake news has defamed our area everywhere. Now nobody is coming here to buy the land. I was about to sell one small plot of mine, but this news has ensured that no buyer is interested anymore. That is why we insist that media run true news reports.”

OpIndia reporter Rahul Pandey with Indraraj Nishad in Barhat Manjhi

Plan to defame the BJP government

Baburam Gupta of Vasudev Ghat near Ram Mandir is into land deal business. While talking to OpIndia, he said, “I have read the complete news report. This is a sheer lie. The lands at a distance of fifteen to twenty kilometres are reported to be within five kilometres. On the pretext of bureaucrats, it is a plan to defame the BJP government. All these misconceptions are spread by the opposition.”

Baburam Gupta of Vasudev Ghat in Ayodhya said that the reports were false.

Saints of Ayodhya getting angry over this

In a telephonic conversation with OpIndia, Sant Raju Das of Hanumangadhi told that this is nothing but a conspiracy aimed to ensure that no outsider invests his money in Ayodhya. He further said, “Conspirers are none other than the ones who had once claimed Bhagwan Ram to be just a myth. Today, disputes are being raised over the purchase of some land. But have the buyers earned their money by killing someone or doing some criminal act? This is a conspiracy by perverted minded and left-wingers aimed to defame the holy city.

Mahant Ajay Das with other sadhus

Mahant of the Nayak Mandir in Pramod Van of Ayodhya said, “Maybe some people made mistakes. But the way this matter is portrayed is not fair at all.” In a conversation with OpIndia, Mahant Ajay Das of Raghunandan Kunj Mandir in Ayodhya has said, “This is nothing but an illusion spread by the media. Relatives of the officers have purchased the land due to their religious sentiments about the holy city. They were needlessly defamed. But eventually, everything will be crystal clear.”

Pakistani man claims QR code on 7UP bottle bears Prophet Muhammad’s name, asks Pepsi to remove it or face dire consequences

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pakistani man claims QR code on 7UP bottle bears Prophet Muhammad’s name, asks Pepsi to remove it or face dire consequences

A Twitter user going by the handle @ImranNoshad has posted a video on his Twitter account on December 31 about a Pakistani man threatening American carbonated behemoth Pepsi for printing a QR code with the name of Prophet Muhammad on its 7UP bottles.

In the 1.17-minute long video a man, who identifies himself as Mulla, is heard threatening a Pepsi company’s truck driver with dire consequences if the QR Code on a 7 UP bottle is not removed by the company. On enquiring, Mulla, insisted that the QR code is actually the name of Prophet Muhammad and if the company does not remove the logo he will burn the truck.

The social media user tried to convince him that it is the Quick Response code (QR code), a machine-readable optical label that contains information about the item to which it is attached, but the man seemed to be not convinced. The man was heard saying: “Yeh 7 UP ke bottle par dekhe…aap sidha kar ke dekhe..is par Muhammad ka Naam hain” (See the 7UP bottle, keep it straight and see..you can see the name of Prophet Muhammad).

The social media user recording the entire incident explained to Mulla that the logo he is talking about is actually the QR code, but Mulla maintained the QR code is the name of Prophet.

He then went on to tell the truck driver that he should ask the company authorities to remove the logo or else they will be courting a massive war…we will fight and burn the vehicle.

On enquiring, the driver who stood calmly beside the protestor informed that the truck belonged to PepsiCo. He informed me that he is the driver and the salesman of the company.

Mulla reiterated that he has asked him to appeal to the company to either remove the logo or else be ready to bear the consequences. “Do Teen din baad mein truck jala sakta hoon”, (I can burn the truck after two to three days) warned Mulla, adding: “Mein Allah ke liye kuch bhi kar sakta hoon, jaan bhi de sakta hoon” (I can do anything for Allah, give away my life too).

In his subsequent Tweet, Imran Noshad Khan (@ImranNoshad) wrote: “but later I realized that is a mob and the guy was very aggressive, they can do anything. With difficulty, I seated the driver and made him leave safely.”

He added in another Tweet “When the truck driver left and I was also about to leave, he screamed and said to me that I belong to Jamat-ud-Dawa, and I have also fought in Kashmir, my reach is to upper level.”

Jamaat-ud-Dawah is a banned terrorist organisation founded by Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and Mumbai blast mastermind Hafiz Saeed. The LeT, led by JuD chief Saeed, is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans. Saeed, an UN-designated terrorist whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty on, was arrested on July 17 last year in the terror financing cases. The 70-year-old JuD chief is lodged at Lahore’s high-security Kot Lakhpat jail.

Pakistan has suffered widespread communal violence and riots over perceived blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad. An unfavourable reference to Prophet Muhammad, or what is referred to as ‘Blasphemy,’ is frequently used by Islamists as a rallying cry to release their primal impulse of committing heinous acts of violence and communal rioting against ‘non-believers.’ There have been myriad reports of violence and barbarity committed against non-Muslims in the name of blasphemy and desecration of Prophet Muhammad.

After WazirX, offices of several cryptocurrency service providers raided by DGGI for GST evasion

OpIndia Staff
-
0
After WazirX, offices of several cryptocurrency service providers raided by DGGI for GST evasion

The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has conducted searches at the offices of major cryptocurrency providers in the country, reported ANI. The development comes a day after the GST Mumbai East Commissionerate recovered ₹49.20 crore cash of evaded Good and Service Tax (GST) from renowned cryptocurrency provider WazirX.

While speaking to ANI, sources informed, “Around half dozen offices of Cryptocurrency Service providers have been searched and massive Goods and Service Tax (GST) evasion has been detected by DGGI. The DGGI is investigating Coinswitch Kuber by M/s Bitcipher Labs LLP, CoinDCX by M/s Neblio Technologies PVT. LTD., BuyUCoin by M/S I Block Technologies Pvt. LTD. and Unocoin by M/s Unocoin Technologies Pvt. LTD.”

Furthermore, they emphasised, “They are providing facilitation intermediary services for buying and selling of crypto coins. These services attract GST rate of duty of 18% which all of them have been evading.” ANI reported that although the cryptocurrency providers were charging a commission for bitcoin exchange, they were not paying GST.

Reportedly, the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) investigated the transactions and confronted the service providers with evidence of tax evasion. ANI reported that the Mumbai CGST and DGGI had detected GST evasion to the tune of ₹70 crores.

GST recovered from WazirX, tax evasion detected

On Friday (December 31), Mumbai GST Commissionerate detected tax evasion to the tune of ₹40.5 crores by WazirX. The DGGI recovered ₹49.20 in cash as penalty, and interest for the evaded tax.

Moreover, cryptocurrency managed by WazirX i.e WRX is owned by a Seychelles-based firm named M/s Binance Investment Co. Ltd. During the probe, it came to light that WazirX charged both buyers and sellers for each transaction, including trading, deposit, and withdrawal fees. WazirX used to charge 0.2% commission on rupee transactions but 0.1% commission on WRX transactions.

It was found that the cryptocurrency service provider paid GST only on commission earned through rupees and not through WRX. “The case is a part of the special anti-tax evasion drive, which relies on intensive data mining and data analytics, initiated by the CGST Mumbai Zone,” it said in a press release. GST Mumbai Commissionerate will now probe tax evasion in emerging economic hubs such as online gaming and e-commerce.

Congress left with only two options ‘repeat or delete’: All we know about the protest going on against Rajasthan govt over REET seats

Jhankar Mohta
-
0
Congress left with only two options ‘repeat or delete’: All we know about the protest going on against Rajasthan govt over REET seats

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot took to the microblogging site on December 30 to announce the conducting of the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination of Teachers (REET) in May next year to recruit about 20,000 teachers in the state. This has triggered a protest from youths in the state, demanding that 50,000 teachers should be recruited, not 20,000.

“In the year 2022, it has been decided to conduct the REET exam on May 14-15, so that the state will be able to get about 20,000 new teachers. Provision will also be made for special teachers in this recruitment. This will provide new employment opportunities to the youth,” Congress leader and the Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot had posted on Twitter.

He also directed state officers to prepare an action plan to solve the problems of para-teachers, madarsa para-teachers and panchayat assistants keeping in mind the decisions of the Supreme Court. The decision for the next year examination was taken in a meeting following which Gehlot took to Twitter to announce the same.

Following the announcement, a social media campaign with #REET_50000_नहीं_तो_वोट_नही started trending on Twitter on December 30 and December 31 as many users used the hashtag to protest against the Ashok Gehlot government for being insensitive towards the ongoing demand of the REET candidates in the state to increase the seats from 31,000 to 50,000.

In 2021, the Rajasthan Eligibility Entrance for Teachers (REET) had gotten embroiled in a major controversy. Protests have been carried out by hundreds of candidates levelling allegations ranging from widespread cheating, paper leakage and irregularities in Rajasthan during the holding of the REET examinations to the total number of seats. The latest issue for which the candidates have been agitation at the Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur for the last two months is to increase the number of seats in the REET exam from 31 thousand to 50 thousand.

REET-2021 was held in September to fill around 31,000 teaching positions in which more than 15 lakh candidates had participated. The candidates have been demanding from the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan to increase 31 thousand posts to 50 thousand for the longest time but their demands have gone unheard.

Candidates protest against the Rajasthan govt over demands of increasing the REET post

On December 30, several para-teachers (hired on contract), who had been staging a dharna at Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur demanding regularisation, attempted to march to Delhi to push their demands. The state police used force to stop the protestors from moving forward.

Rolling on the road dharna

A senior police officer privy to the issue said that the agitators wanted to go to the national capital rolling on the road, but were deterred from doing so. “The agitators said they will move to Delhi from Shaheed smarak by rolling. We did not allow this,” the officer said.

According to the officer, the protestors were pushed back toward the dharna site, and more force was deployed in the vicinity to ensure peace and order.

Fast unto death protest against the Congress government in Rajasthan

Candidates also sat on a fast unto death on December 23 to convince the Rajasthan government to pay heed to their demands.

Mukesh Chaudhary, a candidate sitting on fast unto death, said that a large number of posts are vacant in the education department, but even after this, the government is not paying any attention to it. It has been 8 days since the fast unto death protest was initiated, but our demands have gone unheard. We will give our lives at the dharna site itself but will not end the agitation, said Chaudhary.

The health of the candidates sitting on the protest has been deteriorating as a result of the severe winter. During talks held with the state government, we were assured that the REET posts would be increased but no action has been taken yet. The protest will go on until the demand is met, added Mukesh Chaudhary.

According to reports, on the third day of the fast unto death protest, Rajasthan Berozgar Ekirit Mahasangh’s Upen Yadav was admitted to the ICU of Sawai Man Singh (SMS) hospital with a low sugar level. He has been demanding a CBI investigation into the REET examination paper leakage incident and fulfilment of 20 other demands.

Semi-naked dharna

Simultaneously, the candidates have begun a semi-naked protest in which they are sitting in the open in the freezing cold with their bear bodies to press the Rajasthan Congress government to fulfil their demands of increasing the number of available REET seats from 31000 to 50000.

On December 30, one of the protesters told Since Independence that “76 days have passed since we have been protesting at the Shaheed Samarak, but, till now, no MLA or government minister has taken care of us. Our demonstration will continue until the number of REET positions is increased, else, we will stage a dharna here and the protest banners will become our shrouds.”

The candidates protesting at the Shaheed Samarak slammed the Congress government in the state for turning a blind eye towards their demands. A protestor named Mahendra told the media present there: “We are the youth of Rajasthan. The Congress government here has only two options now- repeat or delete”.

“Why should we allow Rahul Gandhi to run for Prime Minister? He goes to all BJP-ruled states to make big promises, but in the state where his own party is at the helm of affairs, he remains nonchalant. Rajasthan’s youth are being ignored by the Chief Minister of his party. The young of Rajasthan were disregarded even when Rahul Gandhi came here for an anti-inflation protest. We are giving the Congress govt only two options. This Congress administration should decide whether it wants to be ‘repeated’ (re-elected) in the state or be ‘deleted’ (removed) for power after the next five years,” the protester said .

The REET seat controversy rocks Congress govt in Rajasthan

The controversy began after the Rajasthan government announced the hiring of 31 thousand third-grade teachers in the education department two years ago. However, the recruitment process is still yet to begin. In such a situation, the unemployed have pushed for an increase in the number of positions available. Unemployed people are calling for the hiring of 50,000 third-grade teachers. They claim that the number of open positions has risen in the last two years. In this case, the government should boost the number of available positions to 50,000. However, the unemployed continued to protest as the administration failed to meet their demands.

On December 24, 2019, the Rajasthan government issued a notification for the recruitment of 31 thousand people and announced that the REET would be held on August 2, 2020. Corona prevented the examination from taking place, and the date was postponed six times. REET was conducted by the government on September 26th of this year, and the results were also revealed. As a result, 11,04,216 individuals qualified as teachers. Level one eligibility was granted to 3,30,604 candidates, while level two eligibility was granted to 7,73,612 candidates. Following the outcome, there was a surge in demand for the post to be increased.

Instances of REET paper leak

Several instances of REET paper being leaked to applicants hours before the exam, and students being spotted wearing slippers with Bluetooth sets have purportedly surfaced, prompting questions being raised over the way the exam was conducted. As many as 20 government officials and employees have so far been suspended for allegedly being involved in the leaking of paper. The BJP has sought the resignation of state Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra, stating that if he does not resign on his own, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot should fire him.

REET cheating issue in Rajasthan

Satish Poonia, State BJP Chief, Rajasthan, was quoted as saying that the BJP demands CBI inquiry in the REET cheating matter. According to reports, for nearly 12 hours, the state’s internet was unavailable. To get to their allocated centres, several students candidates had to travel for hours. However, the inconsistencies and claims of cheating have sparked considerable dissatisfaction and calls to hold the teacher recruitment exam again.

ATM service charges increase from Rs 20 to Rs 21 starting today: All you need to know

OpIndia Staff
-
0
ATM service charges increase from Rs 20 to Rs 21 starting today: All you need to know

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 ATM transaction 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.

Delhi Police sub-inspector, who had made Sonia Gandhi cry after Batla house encounter, dies in road accident

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Delhi Police sub-inspector, who had made Sonia Gandhi cry after Batla house encounter, dies in road accident

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.

He had received the President’s Gallantry award in 2007 for gunning down two Bangladeshi terrorists in Delhi. He was also awarded two ‘Asadharan Karya Puraskar’ by the city police chief.

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.”

Author and BJP member Tuhin Sinha writes to PM, demands Bharat Ratna for freedom fighter Birsa Munda: What the letter said

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Author and BJP member Tuhin Sinha writes to PM, demands Bharat Ratna for freedom fighter Birsa Munda: What the letter said

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.

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.

Karnataka: Stone pelted at mutt in Afjalpur after the seer of the mutt spoke against love jihad, Hindu group protests demanding action

Siddhi Somani
-
0
Karnataka: Stone pelted at mutt in Afjalpur after the seer of the mutt spoke against love jihad, Hindu group protests demanding action

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.

Government urges tech giant Apple to expand manufacturing in India to make products worth $50 billion in a year

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Government urges tech giant Apple to expand manufacturing in India to make products worth $50 billion in a year

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.

2 Hindu sisters from Pakistan await their Indian citizenship 33 years after taking shelter in India because Pakistan govt is withholding a report: Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
2 Hindu sisters from Pakistan await their Indian citizenship 33 years after taking shelter in India because Pakistan govt is withholding a report: Details

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 citizenship for Sangita 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.

1...3,6733,6743,675...7,678Page 3,674 of 7,678