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‘Met old friend George Soros’: As Shashi Tharoor fear mongers about Hathras, old tweet hailing man who now wants to destroy nationalists goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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‘Met old friend George Soros’: As Shashi Tharoor fear mongers about Hathras, old tweet hailing man who now wants to destroy nationalists goes viral

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday expressed concerns over the Hathras incident where justice for the victim took a back seat as politicians rushed to score brownie points.

Mouthing platitudes, Tharoor claimed that the UP government is trying to suppress facts instead of solving the face. Which is strange considering the UP government filed an affidavit in Supreme Court last week requesting for court monitored CBI inquiry. The CBI on Saturday took over the investigation and has filed an FIR and investigation is currently underway.

A 19-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly strangled by four men in Hathras on 14th September, 2020. She succumbed to her injuries on 29th September 2020. She had alleged gang-rape by four men before they tried to strangulate her. Her death led to a nation-wide outrage and soon politicians flocked to score some political brownie points under the garb of getting her justice. The case is currently taken over by the CBI for investigation.

Interestingly, Tharoor’s tweet came just hours after his decade-old tweet of him meeting George Soros went viral.

On 26 May 2009, Tharoor had tweeted how he met his ‘old friend’ George Soros who was ‘upbeat about India’. Tharoor swore in as Minister of State for External Affairs on 28th May 2009 after Congress-led UPA won 2009 elections.

George Soros and Congress nexus

At OpIndia we have reported extensively on the links between the Congress party and American billionaire George Soros. The links revealed that George Soros, through his complex network of NGOs, had a disproportionate influence over the Congress party. Shiv Shankar Menon, the National Security Adviser of India during the UPA regime, sits on the Board of one NGO along with George Soros. Furthermore, Harsh Mander, who was on the National Advisory Council formed by Sonia Gandhi, is also the Chairman of George Soros’s Open Society Foundation’s Human Rights Initiative Advisory Board.

George Soros is an America-based philanthropist who declared war on nationalism and nationalists.

China occupying Nepal land in Humla district, has heavy military presence: Says Nepalese Lawmaker

OpIndia Staff
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China occupying Nepal land in Humla district, has heavy military presence: Says Nepalese Lawmaker

Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, Nepali Congress lawmaker of Karnali Province, had reportedly led a team to investigate the encroachment of Nepal’s land by China on the Nepal-China border in Humla. In his report, he has accused China of encroaching the territory of Nepal in the said district.

In his statement, he said that eight pillars on Humla’s northern border were damaged, namely Pillars No 9, 10, 11, 12, 5 (1), 6 (1), 7 (1) and 8 (1), and 12. He confirmed that the Chinese side had replaced Pillar 12 so that a large chunk of Nepal’s land is now under the control of China.

He said, “Our watches showed Chinese time deep into Nepali territory — up to one-and-half kilometres from Pillar No 12.” Shahi said Pillar 6 was once a Nepali pillar, but now it was on the Chinese side. As these pillars are in a remote area, the Nepali administration does not visit the location very often.

Shahi asserted that a team of experts should be sent to Nepal-China border to confirm and estimate what China had done.

Chinese security personnel pelted stones on Nepal’s armed forces and fired tear gas

According to Shahi, when the Armed Police Force of Nepal went to inspect Pillars 6(1) and 5(1) a few days ago, the Chinese security personnel pelted stones on them. He further added, “Chinese security forces have a heavy presence on the northern border, but our security forces are nowhere to be seen in those remote areas.”

He alleged that they fired tear gas canisters at his team members when they were inspecting pillars at the border. He was not affected by the tear gas as he was at some distance. “However, the Vice-chair of Namkha Rural Municipality who was in our team said he felt a burning sensation in his eyes and suspected that it might have been caused by tear gas canisters, “ Shahi added.

China and Nepal’s government denies encroachment

Luan Xiutan, a media liaison officer at the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, said that the two countries do not have any land dispute and have friendly relationships. He added, “China has always respected Nepal’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he further added.

Shahi said while Nepal’s government claims China has not encroached land, “We had constructed our road some kilometres beyond where China has built these structures. I am not sure why the government says China has not intruded our territory.” He alleged that China had manipulated GPS so that the 2-3 KM land that they have intruded shows as China’s territory on the map.

Encroachment was reported in September

Chinese encroachment of Nepalese territory was reported in September 2020. In September, it was reported that China had constructed structures in Nepal’s territories. Humla’s Assistant Chief District Officer Dalbanhadu Hamal informed the central administration about the encroachment. Local Nepali people have also complained about the harassment they have to face in the hands of the Chinese military.

‘Few people on higher level dictating terms’: Congress spokesperson Khushbu Sundar resigns from party

OpIndia Staff
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‘Few people on higher level dictating terms’: Congress spokesperson Khushbu Sundar resigns from party

Congress spokesperson Khushbu Sundar on Monday resigned from Congress citing highhandedness of higher ups in the party.

In her letter addressed to party president Sonia Gandhi, she claimed that she did not join the party for monetary gains as she joined it in 2014 after Congress had lost the general elections. However, she said that few elements within the party, especially the higher-ups, with no ground-level connectivity were dictating terms to people like her. After a long deliberation, she has decided to quit the party.

Earlier, Khushbhu Sundar had supported the BJP government led National Education Policy against the party stand. There are speculations that she may join the BJP but there is no official statement on the same yet.

Fact Check: Randeep Surjewala lies about the death of a temple priest in Uttar Pradesh, gets exposed by police

OpIndia Staff
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Fact Check: Randeep Surjewala lies about the death of a temple priest in Uttar Pradesh, gets exposed by police

A day after a temple priest named Samrat Das was shot by miscreants in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress party resorted to the politicisation of the case by peddling fake news. The unfortunate incident took place on Saturday in Tirre Manorama village in Gonda in Uttar Pradesh where the priest of Ram Janki Temple was shot over land ownership dispute with the local land mafia.

On Sunday, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala took to Twitter to claim that the injured priest was dead. While casting aspersions on the ‘integrity’ of the Hindi media, he lamented how the journalists were not holding the Uttar Pradesh government accountable for the ‘death’ of Samrat Das. He further claimed that it was not ‘permissible’ for the media to question the BJP’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his government.

Surjewala tweeted, “Now, a temple priest named Samrat Das was killed in public view in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh. I wish Hindi media channels and reporters would have questioned the UP government in a similar manner as they did in Rajasthan. Ah! I forgot. It is not allowed to seek answers from Yogi Adityanath and the BJP.”

Surjewala’s Tweet on October 11

His tweet comes at the backdrop of a social media backlash over the ‘inaction’ of Rajasthan government against the killers of a temple priest named Babulal Vaishnav in the Bokna village, Sapotra division of Karauli district of Rajasthan. The said priest was burnt to death by 6 people, who were allegedly eyeing to encroach upon the temple land.

UP govt, police busts fake claims of Randeep Surjewala

Hours after Congress leader Randeep Surjewala falsely claimed the ‘death’ of the injured temple priest in Uttar Pradesh, in a bid to draw parallels with the Rajasthan case, the Uttar Pradesh police exposed his lies. While responding to his tweet, Gonda police informed, “We would like to inform you that two people have already been arrested. The accused are being interrogated in connection to the case.”

Gonda police further emphasised, “The temple priest is currently undergoing treatment at the KGMU (King George’s Medical College). His condition is stable now. Police teams have been constituted the nab the other accused in the case. “

Taking to Twitter, Shalabh Mani Tripathi, the media advisor to the UP Chief Minister, posted a video clip of the temple priest Samrat Das and lambasted Randeep Surjewala for spreading misinformation. He stated, “Congress is the factory of fake news. The priest, who is being claimed to be dead, is in fact in a stable condition. He has minor injuries and is satisfied with police action in the case. The miscreants who attacked Das over land dispute have been arrested. But, you will peddle fake news nevertheless to hide your misdeeds.”

In the video clip posted by Tripathi, Samrat Das was asked about his health condition. “I am little unwell and has little pain. But, I am told that two people have been arrested. I have full faith in Yogi government.”

The background of the Gonda case

On the night of October 10, Samrat Das, the priest of Ram Janaki temple, was attacked over a land dispute with the local land mafia. The dispute between the two parties is over 25 acres of land (100 bighas) that belong to the temple. The miscreants attacked him on Saturday night and escaped. Police have registered FIR against four miscreants and started an investigation. Reportedly, the temple priest was attacked last year as well.

The priest was rushed to a local hospital after the incident. He was then referred to Lucknow Trauma Center as he was in critical condition. However, he is out of danger now. Superintendent of Police Shailesh Kumar Pandey said in a statement that the police had arrested two people, and the other two are still absconding.

Interestingly, even after his lies got exposed, Surjewala was yet to delete his misleading tweet at the time of this report’s publication.

Donald Trump claims he is ‘immune’ to coronavirus now, Twitter says ‘fake news’

OpIndia Staff
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Donald Trump claims he is ‘immune’ to coronavirus now, Twitter says ‘fake news’

United States President Donald Trump has tweeted on 11th October claiming that as he has got complete sign off from the White House Doctor, not only is he free from the coronavirus infection, he is also ‘immune’ to it now. As per his tweet, he cannot get it or give it to anyone.

The tweet was marked as ‘misleading and harmful information’ by Twitter, and they wrote, “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.” As per Twitter regulations (and other social media platforms), anyone found spreading misinformation about Covid-19 may get suspended.

This is not the first time the social media giant has subjected the US President’s tweets to scrutiny. Twitter has been actively involved in ‘fact-checking’ Trump’s tweets, even to the point of supporting the Democrats’ campaign that mail-in ballots are safe and reliable.

The ‘Trump Ad’

The Trump Campaign had released a new advertisement on 10th October in which Dr Fauci, the infectious diseases specialist leading the response to the coronavirus pandemic in the USA was seen saying, “I cannot imagine that anybody could be doing more.” The ad shows him praising Donald Trump for his efforts to control the spread of the virus. The ad starts with narration, “President Trump is recovering from the coronavirus, and so is America. Together we rose to meet the challenge, protecting our seniors, getting them life-saving drugs in record time, sparing no expense,” followed by Dr Fauci’s quote.

Trump campaigners used my words out of context, alleged Dr Anthony Fauci

Top infectious disease specialist of the US, Dr. Anthony Fauci, claimed that his words were taken out of context by the Trump Campaign. He said he did not give permission to use his interview in a political ad. He added, “In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate. The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement I made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials,” while talking to CNN.

Reply from the Trump Campaign

Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said as a response to the allegations that these are Dr Fauci’s own words. The quote was taken from the video of a nationally broadcast television interview. “The words spoken are accurate, and directly from Dr Fauci’s mouth,” he added. Donald Trump quoted him and said, “We have done a “phenomenal” job, according to certain governors. Many people agree…And now come the Vaccines & Cures, long ahead of projections!.”

Interestingly, on Friday, Dr. Fauci had said that the White House had hosted a “super spreader” event. He said, “We had a super-spreader event in the White House and it was in a situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks. So the data speak for themselves.”

Amid reports of Turkey radicalising Indian Muslim youth with help of Pakistan, video of Robert Vadra holidaying there goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Amid reports of Turkey radicalising Indian Muslim youth with help of Pakistan, video of Robert Vadra holidaying there goes viral

A video of Congress President’s son-in-law Robert Vadra holidaying in Istanbul, Turkey, has gone viral on social media. In the undated video, Vadra, who is dressed in white v-neck t-shirt and black pants can be seen skating on along the river. He is not wearing any mask.

If one sees closely, the Hagia Sophia, the former church-converted to mosque-turned museum-converted to mosque, can also be seen in the background.

The most famous son-in-law in India, who has recently admitted of having political ambitions appears to be in Turkey currently. Recently, there were reports of Turkey radicalising Indian Muslim youth with help of Pakistan.

The expansionist Turkish government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is seeking to establish its dominance in the Islamic world through its conservatism and ‘Ottoman traditions’. It plans to achieve this by exerting its influence on South Asian Muslims. According to officials familiar with the security assessment, an extensive review was carried out to unearth the escalated anti-India activities that are perpetrated by Turkey in coordination with the deep state in Pakistan.

Congress opened office in Turkey

In November 2019, the Turkish media had reported that Congress’ Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) has issued a press statement about opening an office in Istanbul. One Muhammad Yusuf Khan was reported to be heading this office in Turkey. The reports of Congress opening an office there had come just days after Erdogan mirrored Pakistan’s stand over Kashmir in open defiance to India’s interests in the UN.

‘Unfortunate decision just to satisfy ego’: Devendra Fadnavis slams Udhhav Thackery for shifting Metro Car Shed from Aarey colony

OpIndia Staff
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‘Unfortunate decision just to satisfy ego’: Devendra Fadnavis slams Udhhav Thackery for shifting Metro Car Shed from Aarey colony

After the Uddhav Thackeray govt in Maharashtra decided to shift the metro car shed from Aarey milk colony to Kanjurmarg, BJP leader and former Devendra Fadnavis sharply criticised the move, saying the decision was taken just to satisfy ego. He also said that this decision will increase the cost of the project by at least Rs 4000 crore, which was estimated by a committee appointed by the current government, and the project will also be delayed by several years due to ongoing litigation and the condition of the new site.

Uddhav Thackeray claims new site will cost Rs 0

Earlier in the day, the Maharashtra government had declared the area where the metro car shed was planed as forest land, and said that now the facility will come up at a government land in Kanjurmarg. “The Aarey car shed will be moved to Kanjurmarg. We have allotted government land for the car shed for Rs 0. We won’t spend a single rupee for acquiring this land,” he said.

Along with this, the state govt also dropped all the charges against the protesters who had tried to stop the car shed project. Almost 808 acres of land in the area has been proposed to be declared as a reserve forest. Aaditya Thackeray informed that the land at Kanjurmarg has already been handed over to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority last week. He said that it will cost Rs 0, and not more than Rs 10,000 core as it was told.

Last year before the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, the car shed at Aarey milk colony had become a major political issue, with left wing activists and Shiv Sena vehemently opposing it, saying that it is a forest area and the project will destroy the ecology. Even though the metro project will result in substantial improvement in environment by removing lakhs of fossil fuel guzzling vehicles from the roads, the project was opposed due to political reasons. Both Bombay High Court and Supreme Court of India had given go ahead to the project, rejecting multiple petitions against it. Accordingly, the Mumbai Metro Corporation had cut 2141 trees in the area, out of designated 2185, in October last year to clear the site.

After that the work on the shed had started, but after the assembly elections Shiv Sena broke the alliance with BJP and joined hands with Congress and NCP to form the govt, after which the new govt had immediately stopped the work, announcing that the facility will be built at some other place.

Devendra Fadnavis refutes the claims of CM Uddhav Thackeray

Devendra Fadnavis refuted the claim of CM Uddhav Thackeray that the new site will cost Rs 0, saying that actually it will cost at least Rs 4000. This is because, the site is under litigation, with a private party claiming its ownership. The former CM informed that the Kanjurmarg site was considered during his govt before finalising Aarey. The site was rejected because of the litigation.

The private parties had obtained a stay order from Bombay High Court on govt acquiring the land in 1996 itself. When the govt requested the court to lift the stay, the court also said that the govt has to deposit the amount before that, so that the amount can be paid to the private parties in the case the govt loses the case. Devendra Fadnavis said that the amount was Rs 2400 crore in 2015, which have increased now.

In addition to the litigation, the entire process will have to be restarted. Earlier tenders will have to be cancelled and a new process started. Moreover, DPR was also not prepared for the proposed new site, which will add significant time to the project.

The former CM also added that the Kanjurmarg site is marshy land, and it will take least two years to stabilise it. He also asked who will be responsible for the delay of the project if someone moves the Supreme Court against it.

“This means that the Metro project, which would have been in the service of Mumbaikars just next year, has now been postponed indefinitely. ₹400 crore was already spent for Aarey Car Shed, ₹1300 crore wasted due to staying of project & additional cost escalation of ₹4000 crore”, he added.

Fadnavis said that due to these reasons, the Metro project will be delayed indefinity. “What exactly does the state Govt want to achieve by blocking the seamless journey of Mumbaikars?” he asked.

Committee set up by Uddhav Thackeray govt had said shifting car shed from Aarey would not viable

It may be noted that a committee set up by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in December had said that shifting the car shed site from Aarey would not be viable. The committee has cited issues such as increased costs, logistical issues and delays in the completion to rule out the option of shifting the project to another location. It had recommended lifting the stay on construction of the Mumbai Metro Line 3 car shed at Aarey Milk Colony. The high-level committee had also recommended that the state government should notify the unbuilt green areas inside the colony as a no-construction belt, preserving it like a protected forest.

The four-man committee was set up on December 11 headed by the Additional Finance Secretary of Maharashtra. The other members were Principal Secretary (Environment) Anil Diggikar, Managing Director (Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation) RS Khurana and Chief Conservator of Forest (Sanjay Gandhi National Park) Anwar Ahmed.

The committee had considered two alternative locations to build the metro car shed. One was the marsh at Kanjurmarg where the Line 6 (Jogeshwari-Kanjurmag) car shed was being built. The second site that was looked at was a State Reserve Police camp just outside Aarey at Jogeshwari. However, both were found to be not feasible.

The panel after conducting site visits ruled that the shifting of the car shed would involve logistical and legal challenges, bringing further delays in the commissioning of the Metro corridor. The committee also argued that shifting the car shed at this stage would lead to a further delay in the project’s commissioning and cause cost escalations. In 2015, the project was worth Rs 23,000 crore with the MMRCL, which was supposed to be funded by off-budget borrowings. As per MMRCL, delay of each day in the project’s commissioning increases the cost by Rs 4.2 crore.

French Open: Rafael Nadal defeats Novak Djokovic in straight sets to win 20th Grand Slam title, equals Federer’s tally

OpIndia Staff
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French Open: Rafael Nadal defeats Novak Djokovic in straight sets to win 20th Grand Slam title, equals Federer’s tally

Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic at the final of the French Open on Sunday to win his 20th Grand Slam and 13th French Open Title. In a dominating performance, Rafael Nadal defeated the Serbian in straight sets with a score line of 6-0 6-2 7-5. The Spaniard has now equalled Roger Federer’s record of the highest number of Grand Slam titles.

Going into the match, Rafael Nadal had 19 Grand Slams while Novak Djokovic had 17. The Serbian was competing to become the first player to defeat the ‘King of Clay’ in the final of the French Open. Djokovic failed to win a single game in the first set and there was never really a moment during the entire match where it looked Nadal may fail to win.

There was a phase in the third set where Djokovic looked like mounting a challenge when he broke Nadal for the first and only time in the match. However, that faded quickly as Nadal broke Djokovic’s serve at 5-5 to serve out the match in his next service game. The match lasted only 2 hour 41 minutes.

TRP Scam: Republic TV top officials questioned for 20 hours in total by Mumbai police, asked how they acquired the Hansa report implicating India Today

OpIndia Staff
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TRP Scam: Republic TV top officials questioned for 20 hours in total by Mumbai police, asked how they acquired the Hansa report implicating India Today

Continuing its vendetta against Republic TV, today Mumbai police questioned the CEO, COO and a senior officer of the distribution team of the channel for 20 hours in total. But shockingly, Mumbai police was more interested in know how Republic TV accessed the Hansa Research complaint that blew the lid off the lies peddled by Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

The police official had named Republic TV as the accused in the TRP scam case, accusing the channel of making payments to BARC panels homes to watch the channel. But the FIR filed in the case, and the complaint filed by Hansa Research, based on which the FIR was registered, had revealed that it was India Today which was named in both the documents, not Republic TV. But the Mumbai Police under the Shiv Sena led Maharashtra govt chose to shield India Today, and tried to Republic TV instead in the case, despite having no evidence.

Republic TV has issued a news release following the questioning of its officials by Mumbai police. The statement is reproduced below:

REPUBLIC NEWS RELEASE

Today our CEO, COO and senior member of our Distribution team were questioned by the Mumbai Police for 20 hours in all. *We are shocked to learn that in the course of questioning the Republic Media Network’s CEO Vikas Khanchandani, the Mumbai Police made multiple attempts to probe in detail as to how the Network accessed the Hansa Research Group Pvt Ltd. (‘Hansa’)  complaint. Specific, repeated and detailed questioning went on about how Republic accessed the Hansa complaint report which blew the lid off the lies peddled against Republic Media Network.*

As everyone is aware, the Hansa Complaint report made *multiple mentions of India Today without a single reference to Republic TV, Republic Bharat or any affiliate of the Republic Media Network. The report which was bereft of any mention of Republic was the very basis of the FIR, and was put into the public domain by Republic on 10 October, 2020.*

*We believe that the very fact that the Mumbai Police was continually probing for Republic Media Network’s editorial sources stands in complete breach of the freedom of the press in India. We believe that it is inappropriate to probe any media organisation for its sources.* The Mumbai Police repeatedly asked our CEO how, when and from where the Network accessed the Hansa Complaint report. Our CEO informed the Mumbai Police that it is an editorial matter.

*Republic stands against any strongarm tactics to try and access the sources of an independent media. We consider the attempt to probe for Republic’s sources a SERIOUS INFRINGEMENT and UTTER VIOLATION to the right to report in a country with a free media.* If there is an attempt to use state machinery to scrutinise the sources of an independent media network and bring back an Emergency-style editorial control into the Media, we will stand strongly against it.

*Republic Media Network officially reiterates that, at any cost, we will not disclose our sources to the Mumbai Police, or anyone thereof, and will protect our democratic right as journalists. Republic will go through endless hours of questioning, but will not reveal its sources in order to uphold our journalistic rights.*

*If the Mumbai Police is uncomfortable with the fact that the Hansa complaint report is now in the public domain and, with it, crumbles the false narrative that was built against Republic, that does not give them the right to infringe upon the freedom of the press. We will protect our sources based on principle and editorial integrity, no matter what.*

*What is happening in Maharashtra and in Mumbai specifically today is a shocking case, before the world, of the state trying to muzzle a free press.*  It is in complete contravention of the Constitutional right of a free press under Article 19 (1)(a) and serves as a terrible blot on the tenets of our great democracy. The Mumbai Police seems to be turning the freedom of the press in this great democracy upside down and we stand firmly against any such attempts.

The Republic Media Network will not give in to any endeavours to curtail editorial freedom, no matter who and how hard the attempt is on the other side.

Days after Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, in an explosive statement, accused Republic TV of ‘TRP manipulation’, Republic TV had accessed the 7-page Hansa research Group complaint, on the basis of which an FIR was registered in the TRP scam case. Contrary to the narrative put forth by the Mumbai Police, the complaint categorically mentions India Today on two occasions but does not make any reference to Republic TV or other channels.

The Hansa Research Group Pvt Ltd, the company that manages the Bar-o-meters of BARC that measures TV viewership, had filed the complaint against unknown persons and two of its employees, namely, Vishal Bhandari and Dinesh Vishwakarma. They were accused of making payments to households where the devices are installed to watch India Today for at least 2 hours a day.

The report matches with the FIR registered by the Mumbai Police on the complaint of Hans Research into TRP manipulation. The FIR, which came to hours after Mumbai Police Commissioner had named Republic TV, also mentions the name of India Today, accusing that money was paid to panel homes to watch the channel for 2 hours a day. Neither the complaint nor the FIR mentions the name of Republic TV, contrary to the claims of the commissioner.

But despite this revelation, Mumbai Police had continued to take action against Republic TV, while taking no action against India Today at all. Republic TV owner and editor Arnab Goswami had said that the channel will file a defamation case against Param Bir Singh for naming the channel in the case. The Chief Financial Officer of Republic TV, S Sundaram has also moved the Supreme Court challenging the summons issued to the network by the Mumbai Police in connection with the ‘Fake TRP’ case.

All eight Indian beaches recommended by Ministry of Environment and Forests awarded the prestigious International Blue Flag Certification

OpIndia Staff
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All eight Indian beaches recommended by Ministry of Environment and Forests awarded the prestigious International Blue Flag Certification

Weeks after Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests recommended the names of 8 beaches for International Blue Flag certification, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar informed on Sunday that all of them have been awarded the coveted certification. It is the first time that Indian beaches have been recognised for International Blueflag certification.

As per reports, the coveted certification is an ‘eco-label’ awarded to clean and hygienic beaches by the ‘Foundation for Environment Education, Denmark’. The agency takes into account 33 criteria, ranging from safety and services in beaches to conservation and bathing water quality. The Blue Flag certification helps promote tourism and provide information to beachgoers and tourists about the safety and water quality of a beach.

India had launched its own eco-label titled ‘Beach Environment and Aesthetics Management Services’ (BEAMS), which recommended a total of 8 beaches, for the Blue Flag certification. The beaches included Radhanagar beach (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Golden beach (Odisha), Rushikonda beach (Andhra Pradesh), Kappad beach (Kerala), Shivrajpur beach (Gujarat), Ghoghla beach (Daman and Diu), Kasarkod and Padubidri beach (Karnataka).

An international jury from Foundation of Environment Education, FEE Denmark upheld a recommendation made last month by a national jury composed of scientists, environmentalists that had recommended India’s eight beaches for consideration for the coveted International eco-label.

India has also been awarded a 3rd Prize by the International Jury under the “International Best Practices” for pollution control in coastal regions.

India’s efforts praised by World Bank country director

India’s efforts to clean up its beaches found praise from World Bank’s country director Zunaid Khan. He said that the country’s efforts can work as a lighthouse for other countries to ensure sustainable coastal zone management.

“We, today, are taking a vow to clean up our beaches and I am very proud that we have started our highly acclaimed programme BEAMS. So we are cleaning the beaches and today our beaches are much cleaner and many are among the best in the world. Therefore, we all must vow to clean up our beaches,” Union Environment Minister Javadekar said in a video message on International Coastal Clean-Up Day.

India is also the first country in the Asia-Pacific region which has achieved this feat in just about 2 years’ time. Japan, South Korea and UAE are the only other Asian nations who have been conferred with a couple of Blue Flag beaches, however, they received it in a time frame of about 5 to 6 years.

Odisha’s Chandrabhaga beach was the first beach in Asia to get the Blue Flag Certification in 2018. 12 more beaches were being developed by Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) under the Environment Ministry for getting the certification.

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