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Six suspended BSP MLAs and one disgruntled BJP MLA join Samajwadi Party in Lucknow

OpIndia Staff
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Six suspended BSP MLAs and one disgruntled BJP MLA join Samajwadi Party in Lucknow

Ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, six suspended MLAs of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and one BJP MLA joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) led by Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday in Lucknow.

The BSP MLAs who joined Akhilesh’s party are Aslam Raini (Bhigna), Mujtaba Siddiqui (Pratapur), Aslam Ali Chaudhary (Dhalauna), Hakim Lal Bind (Handia), Sushma Patel (Mungra Badshapur) and Hargovind Bhargava (Sidhauli). Rakesh Rathore is the BJP MLA from Sitapur Sadar assembly constituency who has switched to SP. BSP had suspended these MLAs after they opposed the nomination of BSP’s official candidate for Rajya Sabha polls in October last year.

Their joining has no element of surprise since these MLAs had earlier hinted that they will join the SP. In October last year, BSP chief Mayawati had suspended seven of her party’s MLAs who had opposed the nomination of BSP’s official candidate Ramji Gautam for the Rajya Sabha election. Six of them were in regular touch with the SP, and had met Akhilesh Yadav in June. That time they had made their intention known to join the SP. Two other expelled BSP MLAs Ramachal Rajbhar (Akbarpur) and Lalji Verma (Katehari) are also set to join the SP on November 7. Both were considered close to Mayawati who had delegated them key responsibilities like the leader of the opposition and BSP national general secretary respectively. They had also served in Mayawati-led cabinet in Uttar Pradesh. Both were expelled from the BSP in June this year for their alleged anti-party activates during the panchayat election earlier this year.

The BJP MLA Raakesh Rathore has a known history of anti-party and activities. Rathore, a businessman by profession, had started his political career from the BSP. He unsuccessfully contested the Sitapur assembly seat as the BSP nominee in 2007. He had joined the BJP ahead 0f the last assembly election and got the BJP ticket. But right after he won the election, he became critical of the party and the Yogi Adityanath government. When the Uttar Pradesh government had thrown its might to control the Covid-19 pandemic he was mocking and criticizing the Yogi government. He had said that MLAs had no status in Uttar Pradesh adding that he might have to face sedition charges if spoke too much.

He had also mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Tali thali, diya jalao’ appeal. Rathore had met Akhilesh Yadav last month, confirming that he will be joining Samajwadi Party soon. At that time, BJP leaders had said that non-performers who are sure that they will not get tickets in 2022 are looking for greener pastures, and Rathore is one of them.

The number of suicides surged by 10% in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic: NCRB report

OpIndia Staff
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The number of suicides surged by 10% in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic: NCRB report

The number of suicides reported in the country during the year 2020 increase by 10% compared to 2019 data, as per the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report on accidental deaths and suicides. According to the report, 1,53,052 suicides were reported during 2020 in the country. The number of suicides increased by 10% compared to 2019, as it went up from 1,39,123 in that year.

Source: NCRB

Maharashtra reported the highest number of suicides with 19,909, comprising 13% of the total suicides, while Tamil Nadu followed Maharashtra with 16,883 suicides and 11 % of the total number. Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka marked 9.5%,8.6% and 8.0% of the total suicides in 2020 respectively. The total of these five states accounts for 50.1% of the total number of suicidal deaths reported in the country.

Source: NCRB

Delhi reported the highest number of suicidal cases among the Union Territories (UTs) according to the report with 3142 suicides. Uttarakhand (82.8%), Mizoram (54.3%), Himachal Pradesh (46.7%), Arunachal Pradesh (42.9%), Assam (36.8%) and Jharkhand (30.5%) reported significant increases in the suicidal deaths in 2020 as compared to 2019.

Manipur (24.1%), Puducherry (17.2%), Uttar Pradesh (12.1%), Haryana (4.5%) and Chandigarh (2.3%) showed the highest percentage decrease in suicides from 2019 to 2020.

Source: NCRB

According to the report, during 2020, ‘Family Problems’ and ‘Illness’ were the major causes of suicides comprising 33.6% and 18.0% of total suicides respectively. Other causes of suicides listed in the report include ‘Drug Abuse/ Addiction’ (6.0%), ‘Marriage Related Issues’ (5.0%), ‘Love Affairs’ (4.4%), ‘Bankruptcy or Indebtedness’ (3.4%), ‘Unemployment’ (2.3%) ,‘Failure in Examination’ (1.4%), ‘Professional/Career Problem’ (1.2%) and ‘Poverty’ (1.2%).

Source: NCRB

The report further noted, “…A total of 10,677 persons involved in farming sector (consisting of 5,579 farmers/cultivators and 5,098 agricultural labourers) have committed suicides during 2020, accounting for 7.0% of total suicides victims (1,53,052) in the country. Out of 5,579 farmer/cultivator suicides, a total of 5,335 were male and 244 were female.Out of 5,098 suicides committed by agricultural labourers during 2020, 4,621 were male and 477 were female…”

The report also added, “Majority of victims engaged in farming sector were reported in Maharashtra (37.5%), Karnataka (18.9%), Andhra Pradesh (8.3%), Madhya Pradesh (6.9%) and Chhattisgarh (5.0%).”

Rajiv Bajaj says legacy companies eat ‘OATS’ for breakfast, gets a witty response by Ather Energy: Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Rajiv Bajaj says legacy companies eat ‘OATS’ for breakfast, gets a witty response by Ather Energy: Here is what happened

A day after Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj took a dig at electric-vehicle manufacturers, saying legacy automobile companies are champions and they eat OATS (Ola, Ather, Tork and SmartE) in breakfast, the electric two-wheeler maker Ather Energy made a witty riposte by announcing that it was launching a new line of products—OATs for champions. 

“Launching our new line of products for a quicker and smarter start to the day — OATs for champions. Recommended by experts,” the official Twitter account of Ather Energy tweeted. 

Taking a swipe at the legacy automobile companies, the post shared by Ather Energy shared a picture of a packet of OATS that mentions – ‘for when you need that instant pick-up’, which refers to instant acceleration offered by electric two-wheelers as against their gasoline counterparts.

Rajiv Bajaj targets fledgling EVs, says legacy companies would eat them in breakfast

The post was uploaded, presumably in jest, after Rajiv Bajaj targeted EV startups like Ola, Ather, Torks and SmartE(OATS) on the launch of new Pulsar 250 CC this week. Bajaj said he would bet on BET(Bajaj, Enfield, TVS), for they have a proven track record.

Bajaj’s primary assertion was that EV startups are chiefly cash-burning businesses while the legacy behemoths were cash-flow businesses. He said champions like Bajaj, Enfield and TVS have always adapted to evolving market dynamics. They have successfully adapted on various fronts, be it cost, competition or new regulations. And they have capabilities to adapt again in the emerging EV ecosystem. He said that EV startups should not take established players lightly. 

“I’m going to bet on BET. BET means Bajaj, Enfield and TVS. They are champions and they have a proved track record…We are champions and we eat OATS(Ola, Ather, Torks and SmartE) for breakfast,” Bajaj said. 

Besides the biting remarks against EV startups, Bajaj also slammed Ola for not delivering even a single piece till date. Railing against the new startup companies, Bajaj said making customers wait for deliveries and creating unnecessary hype is what the new companies have mastered in.

By contrast, established players like Bajaj thrive on a cash flow model, Bajaj cited. He said his company is 75 years old and know how to tackle numerous hurdles in its way.

After saying there is no plan to deport illegal Rohingya immigrants, Karnataka govt takes U-turn, files revised affidavit at SC

OpIndia Staff
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After saying there is no plan to deport illegal Rohingya immigrants, Karnataka govt takes U-turn, files revised affidavit at SC

The Karnataka government which on October 25 had told the Supreme Court that it has no immediate plans to deport Rohingya people living in the state capital Bengaluru, has now retracted from its previous stand. In the new affidavit filed by KN Vanaja, Under-secretary in the state Department of Home, it has been informed that 126 Rohingyas have been identified living in Karnataka, but they are not living in any camp or detention centre.

“This Respondent undertakes that whatever the order that would be passed by this court will be scrupulously adhered to and followed in its letter and spirit,” the affidavit reads.

The fresh petition is a complete change of the position of government from the position made in the first affidavit. In the first affidavit, the Karnataka government headed by chief minister Basavaraj S Bommai had told the apex court it had no plan to take any coercive action against Rohingyas. “72 Rohingyas identified in Bengaluru City are working in various fields and Bengaluru City police have not taken any coercive action against them as of now and there is no immediate plan of deporting them,” the affidavit had said which was filed by YS Chandrashekhara, a police inspector in the office of the director-general and inspector general of police.

The Karnataka government had said this while responding to a PIL filed by an advocate and former spokesperson of Delhi BJP Ashwini Upadhyay. In the PIL filed in 2017, the petitioner had urged the court to pass suitable directions to the Centre and state governments to identify, detain and deport all illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants within a year. Upadhyay had also demanded proper legislation to make illegal immigration and infiltration a cognizable non-bailable offence and declaring the making of fabricated identity cards a non-bailable offence. While stating no coercive action will be taken, the Karnataka government had even sought dismissal of the PIL stating that it had no merit and hence not maintainable.

A part of an affidavit filed by the Karnataka government displaying the list of 72 Rohingyas

It is not known that what forced the state government to change its mind. But the possibility can’t be denied that such a blatant defence to illegal immigrants might have upset the Centre and the BJP leadership.

Centre has a clear stand on illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants

It had surprised many when the BJP government in Karnataka had denied any deportation plan of these illegal immigrants since it was in sharp contrast to what the BJP and the BJP led Central government have been maintaining on this issue.

In August 2017, the then Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiu had informed the Parliament that states had been directed to detect and deport illegal immigrants, including Rohingya people.

A number of cases related to the deportation of Rohingyas are pending before the Supreme Court. In all these cases the Centre took a clear stand that Rohingyas are ‘absolutely illegal immigrants’ who posed ‘serious threats to the national security.

When lawyer Prashant Bhushan was arguing the case of one such illegal Rohingya Mohammad Salimullah before the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told the court that Rohingyas will have to be deported. This case was related to the deportation of at least 150 Rohingyas detained in a Jammu prison and their deportation to Myanmar.

The Centre in its affidavit had said that illegal immigrants can’t claim fundamental rights to stay in India. The Centre’s stand was quite clear that it has to first secure the interests of its own citizens before those of illegal immigrants. The Centre had said that illegal immigrants were casting a burden on the already depleting natural resources of the country in addition to posing a security threat. The Supreme Court had rejected the petition of Prashant Bhushan.

In 2018 also when the issue of detention and deportation of some Rohingyas from Assam had cropped up the Union ministry of Home & Affairs had taken a similar stand that illegal immigrants had to be suspended out of Indian territory in the national interest.

As Aryan Khan gets bail, the drama begins: Here is why he didn’t get bail earlier and how others arrested were treated differently

OpIndia Staff
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As Aryan Khan gets bail, the drama begins: Here is why he didn’t get bail earlier and how others arrested were treated differently

Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, arrested in the Mumbai drug bust case, walked out of Arthur Road jail after nearly a month. A battery of India’s top lawyers including former attorney general for India Mukul Rohatgi, Karanjawala & Co. team and eminent lawyer Satish Maneshinde and his team had steered the bail proceedings in the Bombay HC on October 28. Finally, Bombay HC granted bail, however, imposing 14 stringent bail conditions on him.

Aryan Khan’s bail was delayed as Mumbai’s Special NDPS Court had on Wednesday, October 20 rejected his bail plea in connection with the high-profile Mumbai Cruise drug bust case.

We had reported earlier on how Anil Singh, representing NCB, referred to a sensitive Whatsapp chat of Aryan Khan and hinted at the involvement of foreign nationals regarding bulk procurement of hard drugs.

On the same day NDPS Court rejected Aryan Khan’s bail plea, his lawyers moved Bombay High Court seeking an urgent hearing in the case. The court, in turn, had agreed to hear the case on October 26.

Lawyers question Bombay HC’s preferential treatment to Aryan Khan

A section of lawyers had then questioned the Bombay High Court’s decision to give Aryan Khan preferential treatment. The lawyers expressed disbelief ahead of the hearing at the preferential treatment accorded to celebrities, despite the fact that their clients’ bail applications had been waiting in various matters for several months since the High Court has not set a date to hear them.

“We have no problem with the early hearing of Aryan Khan’s case but why is the High Court treating different cases differently so far as giving dates to hear bail application is concerned,” said Anand S. Jondhale, a Supreme Court advocate who also practices in the Bombay High Court.

Jondhale claimed that one of his clients has been detained for several months and that the Bombay High Court has yet to schedule a hearing on the bail application. “The law in the country doesn’t say that a Bollywood star’s son case will be heard on priority whereas other accused will languish in jail for an indefinite period,” he added.

Circus outside Shah Rukh Khan’s house in full swing as Aryan Khan comes back home on bail

In the midst of all of this, junior Khan, who is accused of a serious crime, was released from the Arthur Road jail and arrived at his Bandra home, ‘Mannat,’ where the circus was in full swing. A sea of crazed fans and media personnel were seen falling over each other to catch a glimpse of him. Fans are celebrating the fact that ‘Prince Aryan Khan’ has walked out of jail, even if out on bail.

Social media is awash with visuals where people are seen playing dhols, dancing, cheering, bursting of fire-crackers and holding banners and placards welcoming the privileged starkid.

Interestingly, only two days earlier, the Maharashtra government, led by Uddhav Thackeray, issued orders advising citizens to refrain from bursting firecrackers during Diwali in order to reduce air pollution. These directives are obviously for the Hindu festival. The abundant use of firecrackers on the release of ‘Prince Aryan Khan’ is unquestionably an exception, as there has been no check or resistance from the authorities.

Besides, a large gathering of media personnel has also huddled outside Shah Rukh Khan’s residence which reportedly delayed the car’s entry into the residential premises.

‘As if a war hero’: Social media users flummoxed at the euphoria around the release of an accused in a drug case

Many netizens have been perplexed as to why these fans, Bollywood celebrities and especially the media are ecstatic as if Aryan Khan had accomplished something significant or noteworthy.

“Media showing as if he fought a battle for India and returning home a hero”, rued a piqued user.

Aryan Khan is out on bail, that too in a serious drug case and more importantly, the case is not even closed yet, exclaimed a social media flummoxed at the hysteria around Aryan Khan’s release.

Prior to this, fans celebrated outside the actor’s residence ‘Mannat’ after news of Aryan Khan being granted bail came in on October 28. ‘Welcome home Prince Aryan’ posters were seen outside ‘Mannat’. The banner had attracted severe mockery from people on social media. Users didn’t seem to be too pleased with the celebrations that ensued over the bail, and moreover, with the banner.

Liberals go berserk after Aryan Khan’s arrest

Similar delirium was also witnessed amongst the ‘liberals’ after Aryan Khan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on October 3, 2021. No sooner did the NCB arrest Khan’s son, the left-leaning liberal rushed to his defence, declaring him to be the victim of Centre’s alleged bias against Muslims. Completely ignoring the fact that other Hindus (Munmun Dhamecha) were also arrested, countless opinion pieces were penned hypothesising that Khan was arrested because his father, SRK, had made some obscure remarks over rising intolerance 5-6 years ago. 

The usual gang of leftists- the self-proclaimed journalist Swati Chaturvedi, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, who works for the far-left propaganda website The Wire, controversial journalist Rana Ayyub, to name a few, fell over themselves to assert that Aryan Khan’s arrest was a vindictive move by the central government, a warning to Muslims around the country to fall in line or endure the consequences.

Ayan Khan arrested in drug case 

Aryan Khan, Arbaz and Dhamecha were arrested by NCB on October 3, following a raid on the cruise ship Cordelia in Mumbai by the bureau on October 2. The NCB had found many incriminating pieces of evidence and some that indicated his international links of drugs procurement. Additional Solicitor General of India, Anil C. Singh, has told the Special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court in Mumbai that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has sought the help of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to probe the alleged international connection of Aryan Khan with foreign drug peddlers.

Band Baaja without Baarat: 10 mobile phones stolen outside Arthur Road jail as SRK fans celebrate bail for Aryan Khan

OpIndia Staff
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Band Baaja without Baarat: 10 mobile phones stolen outside Arthur Road jail as SRK fans celebrate bail for Aryan Khan

As many as 10 mobile phones have been stolen near the Arthur Road jail since yesterday as Shah Rukh Khan fans waited with baited breath for the release of Aryan Khan on bail.

There was chaos outside Arthur Road jail ahead of Aryan’s release. There were massive crowds waiting for him to come out after spending weeks in prison. While reports claimed that 10 mobile phones were lost in the crowd, senior Police inspector Pratap Bhosle denied receiving complaints related to mobile thefts or phones going missing.

Meanwhile, fans also gathered outside SRK’s residence ‘Mannat’ with banners that read “Welcome Home Aryan Khan” and “Stay Strong Prince Aryan”.

Aryan was released on bail on Saturday. The Bombay High Court had imposed 14 conditions on his bail. The court specified that even if one condition is violated, NCB would be entitled to apply to the special court for cancellation of bail.

PM Narendra Modi invites Pope Francis to India, to be first papal visit since 1999

OpIndia Staff
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PM Narendra Modi invites Pope Francis to India, to be first papal visit since 1999

Pope Francis has been invited to India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The news of the invitation broke out after the Prime Minister’s meeting with Pope Francis on Saturday. It will be the first papal visit to India since 1999 when Pope John Paul II visited India during the Prime Ministerial tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Earlier, Narendra Modi had a meeting with the Pope that went on for a hour. The fight against climate change and poverty were issues that were discussed. Narendra Modi is on a 2-Day visit to Rome to attend the 16th G-20 summit.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said yesterday, “The Prime Minister will have a separate call. He will be meeting his Holiness on a one-on-one basis. And that could, after a certain period of time, be followed up by delegation-level talks.”

He had added, “I believe tradition is not to have an agenda when you discuss issues with His Holiness. And I think we respect that. I’m sure the issues that will be covered will cover a range of areas of interests in terms of the general global perspectives and issues that are important to all of us.”

Tripura High Court takes cognisance of violence in the state, directs to remove fake news from social media designed to incite violence

OpIndia Staff
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Tripura High Court takes cognisance of violence in the state, directs to remove fake news from social media designed to incite violence

Following the violence during protests in Tripura against the attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh, the Tripura High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.

The Court has directed the State government to file a reply before November 10 on the preventive steps taken to stop communal disturbances in the state. A 2-Judge Bench of Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice S Talapatra appreciated the role played by the print media and the political parties in restoring peace in the State. The Court emphasised that it was concerned about the liberty, life, livelihood and property of all citizens living in the State.

“The State may consider loaning peace committees not only at district levels but also at sub-divisional levels and if necessary at panchayet levels as well and we call upon all political parties to participate fully in such peace process so that confidence of the people of the state can be restored and the underlying strife that exists can be suitably dealt with,” the Court added. It had directed the State to file an affidavit, informing about the various stages of investigation with respect to cases registered in the aftermath of violence on October 26.

The Tripura High Court also asked the State government to take immediate action against the perpetrators of violence and restore the livelihood of those affected by the communal disturbances. The Judges noted the concern raised by the Advocate General of the State about the dissemination of morphed video footage and stoking of communal passion among the residents.

The Court directed the State to take necessary action against social media platforms for failing to remove fabricated and manipulated articles, pictures and video footage. “This Court calls upon the social media platforms to also act responsibly since today. Media has every right, as a part of their activities to publish the truth. It should not be allowed to be used to spread untruth and spread communal passion,” it concluded.

Protests in Tripura against targetting of Hindus in Bangladesh

Tripura witnessed communal disturbances following clashes in Dharmanagar of North Tripura. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had organized a march demanding the protection of minority Hindus in Bangladesh. The march was led by VHP leader Purna Chandra Mandal. According to some media reports, violence took place when the procession reached Rowa village of Dharmanagar. The situation turned worse following stone-pelting.

Some of the media reports claimed that protesters targeted a mosque and vandalized the properties of the minority community, however, the police had clarified that there was no attack on any mosque. Earlier, OpIndia had reported that although some shops belonging to Muslims were vandalised during the protests against attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, there was no attack on any mosque in Tripura.

Legal notice sent to designer Sabyasachi for using ‘semi-naked models’ to market Mangalsutra: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Legal notice sent to designer Sabyasachi for using ‘semi-naked models’ to market Mangalsutra: Details

Ashutosh Dubey, the legal advisor to BJP Maharashtra, has issued a legal notice to ace designer Sabyasachi for “using semi-naked models for a Mangalsutra collection advertisement.” Dubey took to Twitter to share the notice he has sent to Sabyasachi over its latest ad campaigns that shows models with mangalsutra posing in intimate positions. 

“I have issued a Legal notice to Sabyasachi Mukherjee Indian fashion designer regarding using “semi-naked models for a Mangalsutra collection advertisement as Mangalsutra is part of Holy Hindu Marriage. He outraged the holy Hindu Marriage (Mangalsutra).”

Dubey said using “semi-naked models” for an advertisement on Mangalsutra is outrageous and have hurt the sentiments of Hindus. Explaining what the term ‘Mangalsutra’ means, the advocate said the portrayal of the auspicious thread that marks the wedding between two individuals in an obscene way is outrageous and baseless. 

Alleging that Sabyasachi outraged the holy Hindu marriage, Dubey said in his notice: “I say that a mangalsutra is a symbol of marriage and the wife is meant to wear it all her life indicating the love and commitment the husband and wife have towards each other and in your ad campaign you have displayed semi-naked couple for a Mangalsutra ad which is outraging Hindu Marriage.”

In his notice, he stated that there is a scientific justification behind wearing a Mangalsutra. He wrote: “I say that in India majority of people associate Mangalsutra with a religious custom. There is also a sound scientific justification behind it. Hindu culture emphasises on wearing a Mangalsutra made of pure gold and it is advised that the Mangalsutra should be hidden behind the inners and your promotional advertisement features heterosexual and same-sex couples posing for pictures wearing the Royal Bengal Mangalsutra…” 

Sabyasachi’s new ad campaign for mangalsutra triggers social media outrage as netizens

Sabyasachi recently found himself at the receiving end of the social media ire after it came up with a new ad campaign for the latest Royal Bengal Mangalsutra 1.2. The promotional photoshoot features models wearing the mangalsutra while posing solo or in intimate positions with others. 

Source: Instagram

In one of the photos uploaded by the designer’s social media websites as a part of its campaign for ‘Intimate Fine Jewellery’, there is a female model wearing a black brassiere along with the mangalsutra, resting her head on a shirtless male model. 

The ad campaign did not sit well with the social media users, who slammed the designer for being creatively bankrupt to use obscenity to market mangalsutra, a mark of a holy union as per Hindu traditions.

While the Indian firecracker industry endures massive loss, China suffers bigger losses in other Diwali products: Details

OpIndia Staff
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While the Indian firecracker industry endures massive loss, China suffers bigger losses in other Diwali products: Details

Even as the Indian firecrackers industry is staring at potentially cataclysmic losses after the Supreme Court of the country upheld the ban on firecrackers earlier this week, the Chinese firecrackers industry is all set to endure starker losses ahead of Diwali and other festivals. 

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has informed that Chinese exporters may suffer losses to the tune of Rs 50,000 crores on account of Indians boycotting the ‘Made in China’ products. A survey conducted by the trade body’s research arm in 20 distribution cities across the country showed that thus Indian traders or importers have placed no orders for Diwali goods, firecrackers, or other items with their Chinese exporters. 

“Like previous year, this year too CAIT has given a call of ‘boycott Chinese goods’ and it is certain that China is going to suffer a business loss of about ₹50,000 crores in terms of stoppage of import of Chinese goods by Indian traders,” CAIT stated in the statement on Friday.

CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal spoke about the changes the trade body has seen among the Indian customers. He says Indians across major cities in the country do not seem interested in buying Chinese products. This is evident from the losses Chinese exporters suffered during the Rakhi festival. 

Normally, Indian traders import goods worth Rs 70,000 crores from China during the festive season starting from Rakshabandhan to New Year Eve. However, this year, Chinese exporters have endured losses of close to Rs 5,000 crores during the Rakhi festival itself. Then, during the Ganesh Chaturthi, they suffered additional losses to the tune of Rs 500 crores. 

The boycott of Chinese products, which took place in greater earnest following the Galwan Valley clashes between the PLA forces and the Indian Army last year, meant that the Indian homegrown industries that usually suffer at the hands of the Chinese exporters are set to gain more profits as consumers turn to them to fulfil their demand. 

CAIT says domestic sales are expected to witness a major upsurge during the Diwali season owing to the increase in the number of consumers in the market across the country. The trade body forecasts Rs 2 lakh crores of inflow in the Indian economy through consumer spending during Diwali sales. 

Even as CAIT has an optimistic outlook towards the overall growth of the Indian economy during the Diwali season, the domestic firecrackers industry may not be a potent contributor to this expected growth. The negative sentiments against Chinese products might have proved a boon for the struggling domestic firecrackers manufacturers. But the ban on firecrackers by several states, along with the Supreme Court’s imprimatur, has cast a pall over the possibility of increased sales in absence of Chinese goods.

The firecracker manufacturers are staring an abyss of uncertainty as states, including Odisha, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, have ordered partial or complete ban on bursting firecrackers during the Diwali season. 

SC defends banning of firecrackers, says only crackers with Barium salts are banned 

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the ban on firecrackers with a caveat that only those with Barium salts are prohibited. A bench of Justices M R Shah and A S Bopanna said however that no authority can be permitted the violation of the directions issued by it and allow banned firecrackers under the guise of celebration.

“Under the guise of enjoyment, you [manufacturers] cannot play with the lives of citizens. We are not against a particular community. We want to send a strong message that we are here for the protection of fundamental rights of citizens,” the Bench said.

Indian firecrackers industry staring at potential losses amidst ban imposed by various states

The judgment has the potential of adversely affecting the firecracker industry in the country, especially the manufacturers based out of the Sivakasi town of Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu, which produce over 90 per cent of firecrackers in the country. It is estimated that manufacturers in Sivakasi may be bracing for losses of more than Rs 500 crore this year due to the ban on bursting firecrackers.

As per a report, the production of firecrackers had been 50 per cent as compared to the last year’s production. Firecrackers worth Rs 3,000 crores were manufactured in 2020 while this year, the value of manufactured firecrackers has been close to Rs 1,500 crores only. After the ban, the impact would be around Rs 500 crore losses. Even the pandemic has had negatively impacted the firecrackers industry. The fear of the third Covid-19 wave and cracker ban last year has left many traders hesitating to buy the products. 

Sivakasi, the hub of firecracker manufacturers in India has close to 6.5 lakh families, directly or indirectly, dependent on this industry for their livelihood. Once a booming industry, the firecrackers manufacturers are girding for a gloomy Diwali with uncertainty looming large as several states have announced a ban on crackers. 

The pandemic and the economic difficulties induced by it had caused many factories to shut down. The ban on crackers has further exacerbated the lives of people in Sivakasi where working in firecrackers factories is the primary source of employment, given that land is not sufficiently arable for agriculture to flourish. 

“If the ban continues for the coming years, we wouldn’t have any definite policy to manufacture. We were not prepared for the ban from these states. Firecrackers create pollution in the mind of people and not much in reality,” T Kannan was quoted as saying by the Financial Express. Kannan is the Director at Sree Balaji Fireworks told Financial Express Online, and is also the General Secretary of The Indian Fireworks Manufacturers Association.

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