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‘Everybody does it, what is the big deal?’ Is Bollywood drug probe really worth prime time? Short answer is yes. Read why

Nirwa Mehta
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‘Everybody does it, what is the big deal?’ Is Bollywood drug probe really worth prime time? Short answer is yes. Read why

Soon after Rhea Chakraborty was arrested by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) over her alleged involvement in Bollywood drug trafficking and consumption probe, many from the film industry came out in her support. People in the film industry. Her arrest was referred to as ‘witch hunt’ by the all and mighty in the media industry.

Allegations of drug abuse against her were questioned because she is daughter of a former army surgeon. Because, how can those who like to refer to themselves as ‘army brats’ ever be wrong.

From the who’s who in the industry to who the hell is she, everyone came together to ‘smash the patriarchy’ for Rhea.

‘Stoner community’ came together to extend support to Chakraborty and trended ‘blaze it up for Rhea’ on Twitter.

Many, especially those who like to identify themselves as ‘liberals’ wondered since Bollywood and drug abuse is not a new phenomenon, is it really necessary to give so much importance to this drug probe.

But doesn’t the drug abuse by Bollywood stars or the youth in states like Punjab not affect our lives? It does.

Drugs fund terror activities

According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, while it is difficult to establish how widely terror organisations are involved in drug trafficking, the magnitude of the numbers involved in the unholy union is worrisome.

As per a 2007 report, the total potential value of Afghanistan’s 2006 opium harvest accruiing to farmers, laboratory owners and Afghan traffickers was approximately USD 3.1 billion. Further, in 2004, 400 tonnes of cocaine valued at USD 2 billion domestically was exported from one Latin American country. While estimates of how much of this money is used for terrorism vary, it would suffice to say that even a small amount is good enough to carry out terror attacks.

A 2017 New York Times article states that in April 2013, Italian Navy warships intercepted a huge freighter, The Adam, bound for Libya. 15 metric tonnes of hashish (form of cannabis) was seized. The quantity was so enormous that the officials had to rent a warehouse to store it. Drugs on this route were almost always bound for Libya where various armed and terror groups, including ISIS are fighting and competing with each other.

Over the course of next 32 months, the officials intercepted 20 such ships. Total hashish seized was over 280 tonnes valued at over 2.8 billion Euros (or USD 3.2 billion).

In 2014, it was reported that Syria was manufacturing and trafficking large amounts of amphetamines. Amphetamines is primarily a drug called Captagon, which generates hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. Captagon is smuggled to Lebanon which traffics it to the rest of the Gulf region. Several media outlets reported that in August 2014, ISIS was receiving huge chunks of money by manufacturing and trafficking methamphetamine (known in popular culture as meth) at pharmaceutical manufacturing labs they seized in Aleppo. The Aleppo pharmaceutical plants were equipped with the chemicals and necessary apparatus to manufacture high grade drugs.

Further, the drugs make the ISIS terrorists hallucinate and go on barbaric savagery in the name of Islam. As per reports, in Syria, reports of barbaric acts of violence emerged around same time as meth was manufactured in high quantity.

Pakistan-sponsored narco-terrorism

Closer home, Pakistan has been consistently pushing drugs in India in a bid to fuel terrorism. One of the most notable uses of drug money and drug trafficking routes in terror operations in India were the 1993 bomb blasts in Mumbai. It was found that the explosives used in the terror attack were brought to India using the same routes that the Dawood gang used to smuggle people, arms, and contraband.

It is no secret that Pakistan’s government in collaboration with the ISI is using narcotics to fund terrorism in India. In 1994, during an interview, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that Pakistan’s army chief and the head of its intelligence agency (ISI) proposed a detailed plan to use the heroin trade to fund terrorism in 1991. Sharif added that though he disapproved of the “plan,” he had no source to verify if the ISI obeyed his orders or not. 

In fact, BJP MP Ravi Kishan in the recently concluded Monsoon Session of the Parliament had said how Pakistan and China have been conspiring to destroy the youth of India by trafficking drugs via Nepal and other routes.

To claim that the Bollywood drug abuse has nothing to do with common man’s life is like living in a fool’s paradise, to put it mildly.

NCB seizes mobile phones of Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Rakul Preet, Karishma Prakash to search for evidence in the Bollywood drug case

OpIndia Staff
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NCB seizes mobile phones of Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Rakul Preet, Karishma Prakash to search for evidence in the Bollywood drug case

In the latest development in the Bollywood drug case, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials have seized the mobile phones of Bollywood actresses Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Rakul Preet Singh.

The NCB officials have also asked designer Simone Khambatta, Deepika Padukone’s manager Karishma Prakash and ‘Talent manager’ Jaya Saha to surrender their phones for further interrogation in the Bollywood drug case.

Reportedly, the NCB officials have impounded the mobile phones of these actresses to search for clues and more digital evidence for their involvement in the drug trade in the film industry. The NCB officials have asked Sara Ali Khan to deposit the phone she had used in 2017-2018, however, the actress claimed that she did not know where her phone is.

“The phones of Deepika, Karishma, Rakul and Khambatta have been seized by the NCB under the Indian Evidence Act,” said an NCB officer according to Times Now.

Bollywood drug case

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has unearthed a massive drug case in Bollywood. The names of many influential actors, producers, filmmakers have appeared in the drug link case leading a summons from the Narcotics Control Bureau.

Earlier on Saturday, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, along with her manager Karishma Prakash, Shraddha Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan appeared before the NCB officials for questioning in connection with the drug case.

During the interrogation, the NCB officials had confronted Deepika Padukone with the digital evidence gathered from Jaya Saha’s phone that showed the actor’s chats about procuring ‘maal’ for her.

On Friday, actor Rakul Preet Singh and celebrity fashion designer Simone Khambatta were also grilled by the NCB, that led to further disclosures in the drug racket in the film industry.

The confessions made by Rakul Preet’s led to the arrest of Dharma Productions-associated executive producer Kshitij Ravi Prasad on Saturday. However, phones of both Rakul and Simone have also been seized by the NCB for further probe into their connections.

Despite rising Coronavirus cases, West Bengal government set to reopen cinema halls from October 1

OpIndia Staff
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Despite rising Coronavirus cases, West Bengal government set to reopen cinema halls from October 1

In an unprecedented move, the West Bengal government has decided to resume operations of cinema halls, music and dance shows from next month. The development comes at a time when the state is reeling under rising cases of Coronavirus.

As of September 27, West Bengal has 25,374 recorded active cases and 4,665 fatalities. The total cases in West Bengal has surpassed the 2 lakh mark.

On Saturday, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that the move is meant to restore normalcy in the state. She tweeted, “To return to normalcy, Jatras, Plays, OATs, Cinemas & all musical, dance, recital & magic shows shall be allowed to function with 50 participants or less from 1 Oct, subject to adherence to physical distancing norms, wearing of masks & compliance to precautionary protocols.”

Cinema halls were shut nationwide in the wake of the pandemic in late March this year. But the West Bengal government had earlier allowed for film shoots, web series and Tv serial production from June 1. The government had permitted the presence of not more than 35 people on the film set.

With this move, West Bengal becomes the first state in India to restart film theatres.

TMC MPs demand for reopening of cinema halls

The Multiplex Association of India (MAI) and the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) had earlier requested the Mamata Banerjee-led government to reopen cinema halls in June. Similar demands were made by several actors in the Bengali film industry, including TMC MPs Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan. They had claimed that the owners and employees were reeling under financial constraints, amidst the pandemic.

Chhattisgarh: Journalist Kamal Shukla dragged on street, beaten up by Congress goons

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: Journalist Kamal Shukla dragged on street, beaten up by Congress goons

Kamal Shukla, editor Bhoomkal Samachar, a regional newspaper, was dragged on the street by Congress goons, beaten and attacked with a sharp weapon in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh. The incident took place around 100 meters from Kanker police station in Bastar division, Chattisgarh, on Saturday morning. Other journalists came to his rescue and took him to a hospital.

As per the police statement, it was a fight between two groups of journalists. They have registered a case under 294, 506, and 323 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). However, Hindustan Times quoted him, saying, “Police are falsely saying that the incident was the result of a fight between two groups of journalists. The accused, who they are calling a journalist, is the leader of a workers’ union and runs a newspaper. The other accused are a Congress leader and his supporters,” Sukhla said.

Shukla was covering an assault on a young journalist

Shukla was covering an assault on a young journalist Satish Yadav who has been filing RTIs on illegal sand miners. He was beaten up by a group of people and dragged to Kanker Police Station. A few journalists, including Shukla, arrived at the scene to cover the incident. In his statement, Shukla said that a group of men circled him and waved a pistol at him. When he came out of the Police Station, they beat him and attacked with a sharp weapon.

“I have been writing against sand mafia and raising my voice against the district administration and collector. Journalists of Kanker plan to go on a ‘jail bharo aandolan’ on October 2. This attack was meant to foil our campaign and oppress our voice against the administration,” he added. In his complaint, Shukla named three people, history-sheeter Ganesh Tiwari, Gaffar Menon and former municipal council chairperson Jitender Singh Thakur. He alleged that all three are close to a Congress MLA.

Menon filed a counter-complaint

Gaffar Menon has filed a counter-complaint. He alleged that Shukla threatened him to pay for newspaper ads else he will face dire consequences. IG P Sundarraj, Bastar Range, said both FIRs had been registered and Shukla’s statement has been recorded. As video evidence has surfaced, clearly indicating who the offenders were, I assure action at the soonest,” he added.

Congress distances itself

Vinod Verma, the advisor to CM Bhupesh Baghel, said that a committee had been formed headed by a retired judge to introduce a protection law for the journalists as soon as possible. Times of India quoted him saying, “It’s all under process and has been slowed down because of the pandemic. We have to rope in Editors’ Guild of India, Press Council of India and journalists’ union for their opinion.” Congress spokesperson Sushil Trivedi has claimed that the Congress leader named as accused who beat up the journalist has been removed from party long back.

BJP dubbed the incident ‘gundaraj’

Sachidanand Upasane, the BJP spokesperson, alleged that the government of Chattisgarh is supporting mafia raj and goons. “This is gundaraj of Congress workers in the state. The people of the state are victims of this and now journalists are also being beaten up by them,” he said.

Former union minister and BJP leader Jaswant Singh passed away, PM Modi tweets condolences

OpIndia Staff
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Former union minister and BJP leader Jaswant Singh passed away, PM Modi tweets condolences

Known for his charisma and straightforwardness, former Union Minister Jaswant Singh passed away at 82 on 27th September 2020. He was hospitalised in Army Hospital since 2014 after he fell in his bathroom and suffered a head injury.

Several leaders, including PM Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and others, posted messages remembering the leader.

A close confidante of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Singh played an important role in strengthening BJP’s position in Rajasthan. Singh served as External Affairs Minister and Defence minister during the Vajpayee-led NDA government. He is often remembered for his role in handling relationships with the United States after the 1998 nuclear tests.

In 2009, under fire on Singh’s book eulogising Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the BJP had expelled him and disassociated from the content of the book. In 2014, he was again expelled for a period of six years after he refused to withdraw his nomination as an independent candidate against BJP’s official nominee in Rajasthan’s Barmer Lok Sabha constituency.

Madhya Pradesh: Daughter registers a complaint against father for ‘cheating’ her in Ludo game

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Daughter registers a complaint against father for ‘cheating’ her in Ludo game

A game of Ludo has has now caused distress to a family in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh after the 24-year-old daughter reached a family court to file a complaint against her own father for cheating in Ludo, reports ANI.

The young woman approached a family court after she was defeated several times in Ludo games by her father in Bhopal. It all began when the young woman, her two siblings and their father started playing the board game during the coronavirus lockdown.

After losing a game, the young woman developed bitterness against her father. The resentment increased over time after the father defeated her in subsequent games. The family had to undergo counselling sessions to resolve the issue.

“A 24-year-old young woman had come to us and said that when she was playing Ludo with her siblings and father, her father killed her tokens (goti) and she felt it was a breach of trust. She said she had trusted her father a lot and didn’t expect to be defeated by him,” said Sarita Rajani, family court counsellor.

Rajani added, “Nowadays, children are unable to endure defeat which is why such cases come up. They need to learn to accept defeat which is as important as winning”.

The family counsellor added that the 24-year-old girl was counselled four times till now and the situation is improving. We will find a positive solution, she added.

However, Rajani said the girl, who is currently pursuing her studies, did not share her feelings with her family and decided to seek counselling about the matter.

Sarita Rajani revealed that the girl did have a mother and she is the youngest of three siblings.

Here is how senators and Joe Biden reacted to Donald Trump announcing Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee

OpIndia Staff
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Here is how senators and Joe Biden reacted to Donald Trump announcing Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee

Donald Trump announced Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee for the Supreme Court seat vacated by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The US Circuit Judge became Trump’s third Supreme Court pick following the nomination of Justice Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh who were subsequently confirmed as Justices of the apex federal court by the Republican Senate.

“Today it is my honor to nominate one of our nation’s most brilliant and gifted legal minds to the Supreme Court,” Trump said. “She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution — Judge Amy Coney Barrett.”

Donald Trump also noted that if confirmed, Amy Coney Barrett will become the first mother of school-age children to serve as a Justice in the Supreme Court.

During his speech confirming Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee, Donald Trump urged Democrats to not resort to personal attacks during the nomination process. “I urge all members of the other side of the aisle to provide Judge Barrett with the respect and dignified hearing that she deserves,” he said. The President was probably referring to the partisan mudslinging that arose after Justice Brett Kavanaugh was nominated where the the latter was accused of being a gang rapist and a sexual predator without any credible evidence.

Amy Coney Barrett said that she realises that “this is a momentous decision for a president and if the Senate does me the honor of confirming me, I pledge to discharge the responsibilities of this job to the very best of my ability.” “I love the United States and I love the United States constitution. I am truly humbled by the prospect of serving on the Supreme Court,” she added. Barrett also said that she believes Justices are not lawmakers and she will deliver judgements based on the existing word of the law.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement on the nomination in which he said, “Judge Amy Coney Barrett is an exceptionally impressive jurist and an exceedingly well-qualified nominee to the Supreme Court. A brilliant scholar. An exemplary judge. President Trump could not have made a better decision.”

Statement issued by Mitch McConnell on Amy Coney Barrett nomination

Rand Paul, Republican Senator from Kentucky, said, “Congratulations to Judge Amy Coney Barrett on her nomination to the Supreme Court. I believe she will make an excellent justice that will serve our country and Constitution well, and I look forward to seeing her confirmed soon.” Senator Ted Cruz also confirmed that he intends to confirm her nomination to the Supreme Court.

Senator Mike Rounds from South Dakota, Senator Mike Braun from Indiana and few other Republican senators have already hinted sufficiently that they intend to vote to confirm her as the next Supreme Court Justice. Most significantly, however, Senator Mitt Romney, who has had his differences with Donald Trump, commended Amy Coney Barrett as a “highly-respected jurist with distinguished legal and academic credentials”.

Mitt Romney on Amy Coney Barrett nomination

Democrat Presidential nominee Joe Biden, meanwhile, as expected, opposed the nomination. He said in a statement, “The Senate should not act on this vacancy until after the American people select their next president and the next Congress.” His pick for Vice President, Senator Kamala Harris, too voiced similar sentiments. She said, “Trump’s hand-picked successor to Justice Ginsburg’s seat makes it clear: they intend to destroy the Affordable Care Act & overturn Roe. This selection would move the court further right for a generation & harm millions of Americans.”

Along expected lines, Democrat senators are coming out in vocal condemnation of Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. The confirmation process is expected to be toughly contested with the votes divided largely along partisan lines. There are a few Republican Senators who could flip and thereby deny Amy Coney Barrett a position in the Supreme Court. While the process is expected to be a pitched battle, Mitch McConnell insists that he has the votes necessary to confirm her to the US Supreme Court. Things will become clear only after the votes are settled in the days to come.

Donald Trump formally announces Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat

OpIndia Staff
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Donald Trump formally announces Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat

Putting all speculations to rest, US President Donald Trump has finally announced Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court seat vacated by the demise of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Barrett. who is a circuit judge in the Court of Appeals, will now have to undergo the confirmation process at the Senate to be finally appointed as a justice of the Supreme Court.

Earlier, the US Circuit Judge was spotted leaving for the White House with her family.

Barrett is said to be the favourite of the legal conservatives. After the death of Ginsburg, Trump had said that he would announce his nominee to the Supreme Court much against the wishes of the Democrats and liberals. Amy Coney Barrett was nominated to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017 by Trump. She had also made it to the list of finalists who were considered by Trump for fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court left by Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Amy Coney Barrett is a conservative Catholic and has been at the target of Democrats and liberals for her views on a number of issues dear to them including abortion, gun-ownership, gay marriage and precedent. The speculations of her nomination to the Supreme Court had created so much stir among the liberals that they had openly called for riots and burning down the country if Trump made a nomination contrary to what they claimed was the dying wish of Ginsburg.

Republicans are believed to have the numbers in the Senate to confirm Amy Coney Barrett as the third Supreme Court justice Donald Trump has picked in his first term as President. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had made it very clear soon after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death that the US President’s nominee will receive a vote at the floor of the Senate. With only weeks remaining for the November presidential elections, the confirmation process is expected to witness a lot of fireworks.

Shiromani Akali Dal quits NDA over farm bills and ‘insensitivity of govt to Punjabi and Sikh issues’

OpIndia Staff
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Shiromani Akali Dal quits NDA over farm bills and ‘insensitivity of govt to Punjabi and Sikh issues’

Long term NDA member Shiromani Akali Dal has announced that it is leaving the BJP led alliance over the farm bill issue. The Akali Dal has been protesting against the three bills reforming the farm sector which were passed by the parliament in the just concluded monsoon session.

After the bills were passed, Akali leader and union food processing minister had resigned from the government in protest against the bills, hinting at possible split in the alliance.

The party said that it is breaking the alliance due to refusal of the govt to “give statutory legislative guarantees to protect assured marketing of crops on MSP and its continued insensitivity to Punjabi and Sikh issues.”

Although despite misinformation spread by opposition, the system of govt procuring of food grains at MSP continues even after the amendment of laws, now the opposition, and the Akalis, are demanding that MSP should be guaranteed even for procurement by private parties. They are also demanding that the amount of MSP should be determined in the relevant act itself.

The three bills passed by the govt are, The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020. These bills end the monopoly of APMCs allowing farmers to sell their produce anywhere the best the price they can get, allows contact farming.

Apart from the farm bills, the Akali Dal is also objecting over the recent amendment of the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, as Punjabi was not included as an official language of the union territory. The amendment had included Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi to the list official languages of the Jammu and Kashmir. Before this, only Urdu and English were official languages of the former state. SAD was demanding that Punjabi also should be included, considering large Punjabi speaking population in the UT.

Despite the departure of SAD, the Narendra Modi govt faces no danger as BJP alone enjoys majority in the Lok Sabha, while SAD has only two MPs in the house. Akali Dal is the second major NDA to leave the alliance after Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

PM Modi calls for an expanded role of India in the United Nations: Here are the 7 key highlights of his speech at the 75th session of UNGA

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi calls for an expanded role of India in the United Nations: Here are the 7 key highlights of his speech at the 75th session of UNGA

During his virtual address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday evening, PM Modi congratulated the member countries on the 75th anniversary of the forum. He also said that India is proud of being one of the founding members of the United Nations. PM Modi’s speech touched upon India’s enduring commitment to Vasudev Kutambakam(the world is one family), its contribution towards global peace and tranquillity, and called for a bigger role for India in the working of the United Nations.

Here are the key highlights from PM Modi’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly:

India proud to be among the founding members of the United Nations

India is proud of the fact that India is one of the fouding members of United Nations. On this historic occassion, I have come to share the sentiments of 130 crores on this Global platform. Your excellency, the world of 1945 was definitely different from today’s world. Problems, their solutions, everything is distinctly different.

Reforms in responses, processes, and character of the United Nations is the need of the hour: PM Modi

PM Modi raised questions over the United Nations’ handling of the coronavirus crisis. He noted that the world has changed since 1945, and the United Nations will also have to adapt to the changes to arrive at better solutions for the problems affecting the world. He asked for a thorough introspection of the work of the United Nations.

Referring to the dithering ongoing process of the reforms, PM Modi said that the expeditious changes in the responses, processes and character of the United Nations are the need of the hour.

“If we were to make an objective assessment of the performance of the UN over the last 75 years, we see several stellar achievements. But at the same time, there are also several instances that point to the need for a serious introspection of the work of the United Nations: PM Modi

India aspires for an expanded role in the United Nations

PM Modi stressed on the need for an overhaul in the working of the United Nations. He raised the anxiety of 1.3 billion Indians, approximately 18 per cent of the world population, aspiring for a meaningful role in the intergovernmental organisation.

Highlighting India’s commitment to maintaining peace, PM Modi said that India has participated in 50 peacekeeping missions and has lost the maximum number of its brave soldiers in these missions. He also brought to attention India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and Act East Policy, as well as the idea of security & growth for all in the region, or its views towards the Indo Pacific region, which have always been for the welfare of humankind and not driven by vested interests.

“Indians have been waiting for a long time for the reform of the United Nations. People are worried that if the process could ever reach a logical end. For how long Indians will be kept out of the decision-making structure of the United Nations? A country that is the world’s biggest democracy and inhabits 18 per cent of the world’s population. A country which was a leading global economy for hundreds of years and also one which had endured hundreds of years of foreign rule,” PM Modi emphatically added while making a case for an expanded role of India in the United Nations.

PM Modi assures India will provide coronavirus vaccines for the entire humankind

Amidst growing concerns among poorer nations that vaccines produced to fight coronavirus pandemic might not be available to them, PM Modi assured the world that India will use its production and delivery capacity to help the entire world in fighting the coronavirus crisis.

He added that even during a difficult times such as the ongoing pandemic, India’s pharmaceutical industry has sent essential medicines to more than 150 countries.

“As the largest vaccine producing country in the world, I want to give one more assurance to the global community today. India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting this crisis,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi reiterates India’s commitment to fighting terrorism, smuggling of illegal weapons, drugs and money-laundering

Speaking on the menace of terrorism, smuggling of illegal weapons, drugs, money-laundering and other such transnational crimes, PM Modi said that India will not hesitate in raising issues regarding the matter on the relevant platforms to bring an end to these enemies of humanity, the human race and human values.

India moving towards the aim of “self-reliance”: PM Modi

PM Modi at the 75th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly outlined the nation’s vision of “self-reliance”. He spoke how India being a self-reliant country would provide a boost to the global economy.

“In the changed circumstances of the post-pandemic era, we are moving forward with the vision of a “Self-reliant India”. A Self-reliant India will also be a force multiplier for the Global Economy. Today, it is also being ensured that there is no discrimination in extending the benefits of all the schemes and initiatives to every citizen of the country,” Prime Minister Modi said.

India is a country where women are provided maternity leaves of 26 weeks: PM Modi

Speaking about the importance of paying more importance to the health of women, PM Modi said that India is the country that grants a maternity leave of 26 weeks to its women workforce. PM Modi also said that India is a country where rights of transgenders have been secured through necessary legal reforms.

Addressing the general debate of 75th United Nations General Assembly, he added, “India is one of those countries where women are provided Paid Maternity Leave of 26 weeks,” further highlighting the progress made in regard to the rights of members belonging to the transgender community. “In India, the rights of transgenders are also being secured through necessary legal reforms.”

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