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Online store Nykaa advertises condoms for Navratri, insults Hindu sentiments, sparks outrage: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Online store Nykaa advertises condoms for Navratri, insults Hindu sentiments, sparks outrage: Details

An attempt by online store company Nykaa to promote the sale of condoms in the name of Navratri has attracted sharp criticism online. In its recent marketing strategy on the eve of Navratri, Nykaa put the sale of condoms dedicated to the Hindu festival Durga Puja. In the advert, Nykaa put a tag of sale and 40% off in the offer.

The screenshots of the offer was taken by activist Sunaina Holey and was shared on the social media platform. Nykaa was tagged and Sunaina asked what was the logic of Navratri and sex. She said that Hindus celebrate this holy festival and 9 goddesses are worshiped for 9 days. Durga Puja is synonymous with Navratri, where Goddess Durga fights against Mahishasura and wins and restores dharma, she said.

The user also added, “Stop insulating Hindu Gods, Goddesses and festivals. Enough is enough @MyNykaa. You better stop advertising this condom ad under the name of Navratri. @LegalLro Pls look into the matter.” The Legal Rights Observatory was also tagged to look into the matter.

Similar reactions of dissatisfaction from netizens followed after the tweet.

Another user called for a boycott of Nykaa and said, “@MyNykaa you don’t have any right to disrespect our festivals , beliefs and feelings, hoping that you would take down this type of malicious act and gather basic code of conduct and mannerism!”

One user asked, “When will you take action for all these online websites who are making fun of hindus?”

Santosh Kumar said “We need to completely boycott @MyNykaa . This is really ridiculous and highly offensive I mean how can you make such a derogatory add in such a holy week. Really disgusting and a legal action should be taken by Gov. Too much freedom is dangerous”.

It is important to note that this is not a first incident where a company or organization tried to hurt the sentiments of Hindus in the name of selling products. Be it Diwali or Holi or any other festivals, big companies often resort to advertisements bound to hurt any Hindu. The Manyavar ad also did the same thing in the past in the name of giving a new definition to the ‘Kanyadaan’ ritual.

Video game on Israel-Palestine conflict that glorifies Jihad, rewards headshot and killing of Israeli soldiers stirs controversy: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Video game on Israel-Palestine conflict that glorifies Jihad, rewards headshot and killing of Israeli soldiers stirs controversy: Details

A new video game has stirred a controversy with its focus on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The game titled, ‘Fursan al-Aqsa: Knights of al-Aqsa Mosque’, was developed by Nidal Nijm Games and is set to be released in December 2021.

The ‘indie video game’ addressed the Israel-Palestine conflict from the Palestinian perspective. Indie games are those that are generally developed without the financial backing of major game publishers and are published due to the efforts of small teams.

The website describes the game as “a Third Person Action Game on which you play as Ahmad al-Falastini, a young Palestinian Student who was unjustly tortured and jailed by Israeli Soldiers for 5 years, had all his family killed by an Israeli Airstrike and now, after getting out from the prison, seeks revenge against those who wronged him, killed his family and stolen his homeland, by joining a new Palestinian Resistance Movement called Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

The game was inspired by others such as Metal gear Solid and Call of Duty Modern Warfare. According to the website, the game breaks “the cliché of portraying Muslim and Arabs as Terrorists, Bandits, Villains and the Americans/Israelis as the “Good Guys” and “Heroes” of History. This is the first game in the games industry which addresses such a sensitive topic, in a realistic way, showing the other side of history, which is very unknown by people, mostly here on west.”

The game can be played on a computer with a Windows Operating System, a 2.0+ GHz Processor, 2 GB system RAM and a compatible Video Card. It can also be played on Playstation and Xbox 360.

Source: Fursan al-Aqsa

The explicit objective of the game is to present the Palestinian Jihad in good light. It has the tagline, “With bullets and blood we will free Palestine.”

The developer of the game says, “I am a brazilian muslim, son of a Palestinian Resistance Fighter, and I always wanted to tell the history of my father, and the history of my people, the palestinian people and their resistance against oppression. Through this game I want to show to the whole World that Fighting for Freedom is NOT Terrorism, Fighting for Life is NOT Terrorism, Fighting for Protecting the Homeland is NOT Terrorism, Fighting against the Oppressor and its Savagery, which kills innocent children and civilians, is NOT Terrorism, that Palestinian Resistance is NOT Terrorism!”

The videos of the gameplay that has been made available prior to release shows the protagonist chanting Allahu-Akbar and killing enemy soldiers. The gameplay has a great deal of violence, which is par for the course for such games.

The game involves eliminating enemy combatants, rescuing Palestinians, hijacking vehicles and taking down planes among other things. Sabotaging Israeli plots and planting bomb also form a core aspect of the gameplay.

The game will be released by Steam, the world’s largest game distributor. International Legal Forum (ILF), an advocacy group that combats anti-Semitism, has written to Valve, Steam’s parent company, demanding that the game be removed from its store, alleging that it violates US anti-terror laws.

“This game, with its unhinged glorification of violence and incitement to terror, may place Valve in direct violation of United States anti-terror laws and subject to potential civil litigation,” the letter to Valve says, as per a copy of it accessed by Washington Free Beacon.

The group claimed, “In allowing the use of your platform for the glorification and incitement of terror, your company may be in breach of a number of U.S. anti-terrorism laws, including, but not limited to, Section 2339 of the United States Code, which prohibits the providing of ‘material support or resources’ in the ‘preparation for, or in carrying out’ a violation of certain offenses, including terrorism.”

Valve did not respond to a request for comment from Free Beacon. While depiction of violence in video games is not a new phenomenon, there are concerns that it could be used as a recruitment tool by Jihadists.

Source: Fursan al-Aqsa

Arsen Ostrovsky, chairman and CEO of ILF, said that “although for some in the gaming world, this might be mere virtual reality, for Israelis, this is depiction of real life, having sustained decades of Palestinian terror, intifadas, and ongoing sprees of stabbings, vehicular ramming, and shooting attacks.”

He said that Americans “have also been killed during such attacks. In the event further attacks and loss of life arise out of this display in pure barbarism masquerading as a ‘virtual game,’ not only blood, but legal liability, will be on the hands of Valve.”

A disclaimer states that the art and storylines depicted in the game are a work of fiction and that the protagonist does not shoot Israeli civilians, women, children and the elderly. It says that only Israeli soldiers are shot. Nevertheless, a game that rewards “headshot” and “killing streaks” is bound to be seen as problematic.

Craftsmen struggle to sell Ravana effigies after Rajasthan government bans the use of firecrackers, line the streets to protest: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Craftsmen struggle to sell Ravana effigies after Rajasthan government bans the use of firecrackers, line the streets to protest: Details

Months after the second wave of coronavirus outbreak, India is still reeling from the economic and social disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the disruption has disproportionately affected the poorer sections of society. The crisis is also compounded by harebrained decisions made by the government.

The Rajasthan state’s decision to ban crackers ahead of the festival season is one such decision that has spelt doom for the poor craftsmen who were already buckling under the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.

These artisans, who barely survived on subsistence, were into the business of selling effigies of Ravana for Dussehra celebrations. But now, after the state government placed a ban on the crackers, craftsmen are hard-pressed to find customers to sell their creations. The demand for the figurines of Ravana dropped dramatically after the Congress-ruled state government has enforced a strict law to proscribe bursting crackers.

With tears in their eyes and concerns about an uncertain future, the artisans have lined up on prominent streets in Jaipur, in an effort to sell the Ravana effigies created by them. The concerns are also amplified by the fact that last year too, the artisans had a rough season on account of lockdown imposed in the state in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

This year, they had expected to make up for the losses endured during the last year and stabilise their financial condition, but the government’s order to ban firecrackers has served as a body blow to the craftsmen’s efforts to ward off the possibility of slipping into the state of grinding poverty.

With the COVID-19 cases receding, the artisans had anticipated a healthy demand of Ravana effigies to celebrate Dussehra this year. They bought raw materials in advance and started preparing for Ravana effigies. However, little did they know that the meagre savings that they had invested in buying raw materials for Ravana effigies would also be destroyed following the ban on firecrackers by the Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government.

Vinod Gujrati, an artisan who came to Jaipur from Gujarat to make effigies of Ravana, says making profits is now secondary for him. All he is concerned with is recovering the investment he had made for preparing Ravana effigies.

Before the ban was imposed, Vinod had already bought raw materials like wooden bamboo, paper, cloth etc. So far, he has managed to sell only 10-15 effigies of Ravana, a far cry from what he used to sell in the past. According to him, he still needs to sell a lot many Ravana effigies to recover his investment in raw materials.

Another craftsman Kailash Gujrathi says the cost of raw material has increased but the price for which Ravana effigies are sold have come down, owing to weak demand. In 2019, he sold effigies for Rs 1000 per piece but now he says customers want the effigies at a lower cost. He is also consumed by the concern that people would no longer have interest in Ravana effigies if they are stuffed with firecrackers. “Children are interested in watching Ravana-Dahan because firecrackers are used in them. I’m afraid they would no longer be interested in attending Ravana-Dahan now,” he said.

Kerala govt admits Covid-19 deaths in the state were under-reported till mid-June, decides to add 7,000 deaths to total death toll

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala govt admits Covid-19 deaths in the state were under-reported till mid-June, decides to add 7,000 deaths to total death toll

While Kerala remains the state with the highest number of active Covid-19 cases in India, the state’s death tally is set to go up by 7000 due to ‘correction’ of under-reporting done earlier. The Communist government in the state has decided to add 7,000 death to the state’s Covid-19 death tally after allegations of under-reporting of deaths emerged.

Following the revision, the total Covid-19 death tally of Kerala will go up to over 33,000 from the current death toll of over 26,000. Announcing the decision to add more deaths in the state assembly on Friday, Kerala health minister Veena George said that these deaths were not included in official data for Covid-19 deaths due to the absence of relevant records. “If complaints exist about omissions in the list, the Health Department is open to look into them,” the minister added.

Reportedly, 7000 additional deaths will be added to the death toll till the second week of June. Till that time, a state medical board used to review deaths and announce the final list. This practice was criticised by health experts and opposition parties because the board allegedly didn’t include a large number where the patients had tested negative for Covid-19 after being infected, but died later due to complications caused by the Chinese virus infection.

From June second week, the practice of review of deaths by the board was stopped, and the hospitals started directly uploading death numbers.

While the state govt has admitted that the state’s Covid-19 deaths were being under-reported, health minister Veena George denied the opposition’s allegation that it was deliberate. “There was no deliberate attempt to exclude deaths of so many from the tally. We have been following ICMR guideline regarding Covid-19 deaths, but due to some technical glitches these deaths were left out. We will revise the list again,” the minister said in the assembly on Friday.

Uttar Pradesh: Temple priest found brutally murdered, Etah police arrests one Razzak, recovers an axe used for the crime

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Temple priest found brutally murdered, Etah police arrests one Razzak, recovers an axe used for the crime

Etah police in Uttar Pradesh have posted a video byte on its official Twitter handle, informing that on the intervening night of October 8th (Friday) and October 9th (Saturday), a 52-year-old priest was brutally hacked to death in cold blood inside the temple premises, where he reportedly lived. The police confirmed that they have arrested the accused named Razzak and recovered the axe he used to hack the priest to death.

As per a report by Hindi Daily Amar Ujala, the residents of the village discovered the priest’s body lying in cold blood inside the temple premises on Saturday (October 9) morning when they immediately alerted the police.

The temple where the incident happened is located in the Nagla Jagroop village, which falls under the limits of Thana Kotwali Dehat, in Etah Tehsil of Etah district in Uttar Pradesh.

The police said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused Razzak lived with priest Kirpal, popularly referred to as ‘Baba Sadhu’ by the villagers and shared an extremely cordial relationship with him. They use to spend a lot of time together and also ate their meals with each other.

On the night of the incident also, Razzak and the priest were having dinner together, when the two got into an argument. The altercation enraged the youth, who then took an axe and brutally killed the priest.

The Kotwali Dehat police confirmed to OpIndia that Razzak was an addict and use to always be under the influence of Ganja (marijuana). According to the police officer, who did not disclose his identity, Razzak was likely under the influence of the drug on that day too and killed the priest in a fit of rage.

The police said that the matter is being investigated thoroughly and assured that appropriate action will be taken against the accused.

Is the opposition ready to rumble? Here is a blow by blow account of the sparring match between Prashant Kishor, Congress and TMC

OpIndia Staff
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Is the opposition ready to rumble? Here is a blow by blow account of the sparring match between Prashant Kishor, Congress and TMC

Long before it was expected that opposition parties would cobble up an unholy alliance to fight a handicap match against the BJP in the political Wrestlemania of 2024 general elections, all hopes of opposition unity were dashed when Prashant Kishor, Congress and TMC appeared ready to engage in a royal rumble in order to present themselves as a “national” alternative to the BJP government at the centre.

It all started with a tweet posted by poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Friday morning. In his tweet, Kishor shared a message for the Congress party, saying those looking for a quick revival of the grand old party-led coalition following the Lakhimpur Kheri incident are in for a big disappointment.

“Unfortunately, there are no quick-fix solutions to the deep-rooted problems and structural weakness of GOP,” Kishor tweeted.

Source: Twitter

Kishor’s pointed suggestion about the inherent weakness of the GOP seemed to have deeply stung the Congress party, which is struggling to keep itself relevant in the Indian political arena. Scores of Congress leaders and their supporters slammed the poll strategist for sharing his wisdom on the deficiencies that plague the party.

Senior Congress leader and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel also jumped into the fray and launched a thinly-veiled attack against West Bengal CM and the leader of TMC Mamata Banerjee.

“People looking for a ‘national’​ alternative based on poaching INC functionaries who can’t win even their own seats is a big disappointment,” Baghel tweeted.

Though Baghel did not mention Mamata Banerjee, his implicit reference to the TMC chief was hard to miss. ​Banerjee had lost her election against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari during the assembly election polls in West Bengal in May 2021. However, her party managed to rack up a thumping majority to once again form the government in the state.

The assembly election victory gave a boost to Mamata Banerjee-led TMC’s national ambitions. Of late, in their bid to project a pan-India presence and raise itself as a credible alternative to the ruling government, TMC was on a spree to recruit politicians from all other political parties, most notably Congress. Several Congress functionaries had left the Congress party and joined the TMC. Baghel was referring to this phenomenon when he took a sly dig at the TMC for building a “national” alternative based on poaching leaders from the Congress party.

Source: Twitter

“Unfortunately, to become a national alternative deep-rooted and concerted efforts are needed and there are no quick-fix solutions,” Baghel retorted.

But this stinging blow by Baghel raised the hackles of the Trinamool Congress party, which took to Twitter to mock the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi for his monumental defeat in Amethi in the 2019 General elections. The TMC, which has been critical of Congress for its failure to put up a fight against the BJP, also called Baghel’s remarks a “shoddy attempt to please the high command”.

“By the way, is @INCIndia going to try to erase the historical defeat at Amethi through yet another Twitter trend?” the official Twitter account of TMC acidly asked.

Source: Twitter

The ties between the Congress party and the TMC have nosedived recently after the latter’s mouthpiece, “Jago Bangla” asserted that the party supremo Mamata Banerjee and not Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the face of the opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Nevertheless, the Twitter spat is but a trailer of what lies ahead as far as the opposition is concerned in India’s politics. It is expected that this online bickering is just the start to what might turn out to be a political slugfest in staking the claim to India’s “national” alternative. On one side, it is TMC’s hubris and on the other, it is Congress’ sense of entitlement to lead the opposition. It would be fascinating to watch who emerges victorious in this battle royal, and even more interesting would be to see if the winner manages to strike a chord with the people or ends up helping BJP’s ascension to power, yet again.

New Indian Express publishes fake news saying Kalaburagi Doordarshan Kendra is shutting down, gets fact-checked by Prasar Bharti CEO

OpIndia Staff
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New Indian Express publishes fake news saying Kalaburagi Doordarshan Kendra is shutting down, gets fact-checked by Prasar Bharti CEO

On Saturday (October 9), the New Indian Express alleged that Prasar Bharti will stop the transmission of its programmes from the Kalaburagi Regional Centre in Karnataka from October 31 onwards. The claim was made by one Ramkrishna Badseshi, who works as a senior special correspondent for the newspaper.

In a tweet, Badseshi wrote, “Prasar Bharati finally decides to stop transmissions of the programmes from Kalaburagi Regional Center from October 31.” To substantiate his claims, he had also attached a screenshot of an article written by him on the same topic. In the report titled, ‘Doordarshan Kendra to stop transmission’, the journalist cited a press release by the channel on Friday (October 8).

While quoting the press release, it said, “As decided by the Directorate General of Prasara Bharati, the High-Power Transmitter at Kalaburagi (Karnataka State) operating on channel No 07, Frequency: 195.25 MHz Visual, and 189.75 MHz Aural will cease to operate with effect from 31-10-2021.”

Screengrab of the New Indian Express article

The New Indian Express further added, emphasised, “However, there has been no mention of anything about whether the programme production in the Kendra here and whether the existing building will be completely utilised to continue the production unit and on how much staff will continue to work after stopping of transmission from this centre.”

Journalist Ramkrishna Badseshsi also alleged that officials had confirmed the contents of the press release. He also cited Kalaburgi MP Dr Umesh Jadhav to claim that he tried to persuade the Union government against shutting down on Doordarshan Kendra but to ‘no vail.’ Reportedly, Doordarshan Kendra Gulbarga was the first TV station in Karnataka and was commissioned on September 3, 1977.

Kalaburagi MP, Prasad Bharti CEO debunk misleading claims of New Indian Expres

In less than half an hour, Prasad Bharti CEO Shashi S debunked the claims made by the New Indian Express. He pointed out, “Media should conduct itself in a responsible manner verifying all facts. There’s no change in content creation by Doordarshan Kalaburagi. Content from DD Kalaburagi will continue to be aired on DD Chandana in it its designated slot apart from digital platforms and social media.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Shashi S

The Prasad Bharti CEO further blamed certain ‘sections of media’ for misinterpreting the press release and clarified that it was meant for phasing out obsolete rooftop antennas and analogue transmitters. “Phasing out of analog transmitters which were set up decades ago is a necessary reform.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Shashi S

Earlier on September 23 last month, BJP MP Dr Umesh Jadhav had dismissed rumours regarding the shutting down of Doordarshan Kalaburagi Station. “I had met Shri Ramakant, ADG DD Chandanabng where he clarified and added that Kalaburagi station is converting Analog Territorial Transmitter to Digital Transmitter,” he had tweeted.

“Ramakanth clarified that Doordarshan has decided to convert the analog territorial transmitter (ATT) to digital transmitter. Further, they are tying up with universities to produce educational content for Chandana. He also clarified that there are 29 staff working at Kalaburagi, of whom only two have been transferred. Currently, Kalburagi Doordarshan is producing weekly half-an-hour programme for DD Chandana,” the BJP MP had informed in September. However, the New Indian Express nevertheless attributed him to claim that Karnataka’s first channel was going to go off air soon.

It is notable that when Doordarshan had started its operations, it started with analogue terrestrial transmission. People needed to install the analogue antennas, also known as Yagi antennas, on rooftops or tall poles to receive the signal. But with the advent of satellite TV and digital cable TV, and streaming services, terrestrial transmission has become obsolete, and therefore the transmitters and other equipment for the same are being removed from TV stations.

TMC puts up ‘ModiShahsurmardini’ poster near the house of Mamata Banerjee, BJP says it depicts their party ‘culture’

OpIndia Staff
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TMC puts up ‘ModiShahsurmardini’ poster near the house of Mamata Banerjee, BJP says it depicts their party ‘culture’

As the Durga Puja celebrations kick off in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress workers have come up with a hoarding on Harish Mukherjee Street where the Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee lives. The poster has an image of Mamata Banerjee with folded hands and has described her as “ModiShahsurmadini.” 

The caption is a spin on the goddess Durga’s epithet “Mahisasura Mardini,” which means “one who slays the demon Mahishahsur.” Through this poster, Mamata Banerjee’s loyalists have insinuated that like Goddess Durga killed Mahishahsur, their supremo will “slay” PM Narendra Modi and HM Amit Shah.

The poster came up probably after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee won the Bhabanipur assembly after she defeated her nearest rival Priyanka Tibrewal of the BJP by a margin of 58,832 votes after counting was held on Sunday (October 3).

TMC Lok Sabha MP and national spokesperson Mahua Moitra was one of the first to share the picture of the hoarding.

Though the Trinamool Congress said that the poster was put up by “overenthusiastic” supporters and not by the party, a careful look at the poster shows “Ward no. 83 Trinamool Mahila Congress” written on the bottom-right corner of the hoarding, an obvious implication that the hoarding was put up by TMC’s women’s wing.

The poster that has come up near Mamata Banerjee’s residence in the Kalighat area in Kolkata

The BJP has slammed the Trinamool Congress saying that the hoarding reflects the “audacity, taste and culture of the Trinamool Congress”.

This is not the first time that the Trinamool Congress party members have tried to portray their supremo and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee as goddess Durga. On September 2, three committees had collaborated to sculpt a statue resembling West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, with ten arms akin to that of Goddess Durga. The committees had decided that the statue will be placed along with the idol of the Goddess at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata.

Statue resembling Mamata Banerjee, with ten arms akin to that of Goddess Durga being sculpted in Kolkata

Taking a dig at the Trinamool Congress party, BJP leader Amit Malviya had then Tweeted: “This deification of Mamata Banerjee, who has blood of innocent Bengalis on her hand, following the gruesome post-poll violence in Bengal, is nauseating. This is an insult to goddess Durga. Mamata Banerjee must stop this. She is hurting the sensibilities of Hindus of Bengal”.

Cruise ship drugs case: Film producer Imtiaz Khatri’s Mumbai home, office raided by NCB

OpIndia Staff
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Cruise ship drugs case: Film producer Imtiaz Khatri’s Mumbai home, office raided by NCB

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials are raiding the residence and office of film producer Imtiaz Khatri in the Bandra area of Mumbai in connection with the drugs-on-cruise case, in which Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan, is one of the accused.

Khatri’s came under the scanner after his name cropped up during the interrogation of one Achit Kumar, who was arrested earlier this week after a small quantity of “hydroponic weed alias multi-strain cannabis” was seized from his possession.

The tally of the total number of persons arrested in the case now stands at 18.

Meanwhile, a Mumbai court on Friday rejected the bail petition of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha. Khan was arrested after a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) team raided a rave party onboard a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai.

The lawyer for Arbaaz Merchant has said that he will file a fresh bail application before the Session Court. No such confirmation has been made by the counsel for Aryan Khan, Satish Maneshinde. The Mumbai court had on Friday sent Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan to judicial custody for 14 days. 

The NCB, on the other hand, said that the agency would take the prosecution of those involved in the cruise ship raid case to a logical conclusion.

Aryan Khan arrested in cruise ship drug case

On Sunday, October 3, Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and many other people were detained from a luxury cruise liner where a rave party was going on. As per reports, cocaine MD, charas and MDMA pills were found on Khan and others with him.

Khan has been remanded to NCB custody till the 7th of October. Arbaz Seth Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha have also been sent to NCB custody along with Aryan. 

Nitin Gadkari asks Tesla not to sell China manufactured cars in India, reveals his conversation with Elon Musk to set up manufacturing in India

OpIndia Staff
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Nitin Gadkari asks Tesla not to sell China manufactured cars in India, reveals his conversation with Elon Musk to set up manufacturing in India

Amid the report of China freshly creating fresh disturbance at the LAC, Union minister of Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari has said that he has told US-based electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Tesla not to sell China-manufactured cars in India.

Gadkari further disclosed a conversation he had with asked Elon Musk, the head of Tesla manufacture.

“I have asked Tesla not to sell electric cars in India which the company has manufactured in China. I have told the company to manufacture electric cars in India, and also export cars from India,” the minister said on Friday while addressing an event. Minister said that Tesla should price its vehicles at Rs 35 lakh. He said that under the Aatmanirbhar programme the local production of electric batteries is on the rise and in the near future, India will be in a position to export electric batteries. This will be an added advantage for Tesla in setting up its business in India which is the fifth-largest auto market in the world.

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

Tesla has been demanding a reduction in import duties in India. Musk had also stated that his plans to bring Electric Vehicles to India were hampered by high import duties charged in the country. “We want to do so, but import duties are the highest in the world by far of any large country!” Musk had tweeted in July.

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

Last month, the heavy industries ministry had conveyed to Tesla any tax concession can be considered once the company starts manufacturing electric vehicles in India. Musk had said that an effective import tariff of 110 per cent on vehicles with customs value above $40,000 was “prohibitive” to zero-emission vehicles. He had further requested the government to rationalize tariffs on electronic vehicles and withdraw the social welfare surcharge levied on them.

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