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93% of 22,644 stubble burning events from September 15 to November 7 took place in Punjab, Haryana’s share was 7%

ANI
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93% of 22,644 stubble burning events from September 15 to November 7 took place in Punjab, Haryana’s share was 7%

For the period from September 15 to November 7, a total of 22,644 stubble-burning events have been recorded, out of which 93 per cent were in Punjab and 7 per cent in Haryana, a source said on Thursday.

The Cabinet Secretary called an urgent meeting on Wednesday with stakeholder ministries and state governments to discuss the steps needed for implementation of the directions issued by the Supreme Court this week on the air emergency in Delhi-NCR.

The meeting was held with Chief Secretaries and other senior officers of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and NCT of Delhi.

The meeting was also attended by the Chairman, of the Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) and Secretaries of the Ministries of Environment and Forests, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Affairs and Power.

“Based on the data provided by CAQM and the inputs provided by the State Governments, it emerged that the current crisis situation is majorly on account of stubble burning. 38 per cent of air pollution level was contributed by stubble burning on 8th November. For the period from September 5t to November 7, a total of 22,644 stubble-burning events have been recorded, out of which 20978 (93 pc) were in Punjab and 1605 (7 pc) in Haryana,” the sources said on Thursday.

It also emerged during discussions that harvesting is more than 90 per cent complete in Haryana whereas it is 60 per cent complete in Punjab.

“Immediate steps are, therefore, needed to check further stubble burning during the remaining harvesting season, particularly in Punjab,” it added.

The source further said that after detailed discussions, the Cabinet Secretary directed the Punjab Government to take effective actions to stop further stubble burning in the remaining days of this harvest season.

“Responsibility should be fixed on DCs/DMs, SSPs and SHOs for ensuring that there is no further stubble burning,” it added.

It also said that the CAQM was advised to send out flying squads to Punjab and Haryana and submit daily reports on the incidents of farm fires and the status of enforcement of directions of the Supreme Court by the DCs and SSPs.

“CPCB should make necessary manpower available to CAQM,” it said.

The source further said that the Union Secretary has further said that the follow-up actions are to be taken by all state governments in respect of cases instituted during the last two years for violation of the ban on stubble burning.

Rs 3,333 Crore has been released by the Ministry of Agriculture under the Crop Residue Management (CRM) scheme so far.

“Of this, Rs. 1531 Crore was released to Punjab and Rs. 1006 Crore to Haryana,” he said.

Nearly 1.20 lakh seeder machines are available under the CRM Scheme in Punjab and 76,000 in Haryana.

“The secretary also asked for the optimum utilization of these machines could have prevented stubble burning to such a large extent. State Governments of Punjab and Haryana were directed to make full use of available Seeder machines to prevent further stubble burning,” the source added.

As per the source, the secretary further said that the government of Haryana has been implementing their own incentive scheme for ex-situ management, that is, for procurement of straw from farmers and its transportation, etc.

“The government of Haryana also informed about an incentive scheme being implemented by them for crop diversification for encouraging farmers to shift from paddy to other crops,” he said, directing the Punjab government to launch similar schemes and announce them immediately so that stubble burning can be prevented in the remaining part of this year and next year.

“Haryana government should also make efforts to expand and enlarge the scope of their scheme for ex-situ management to ensure that there is no stubble burning next year,” he added.

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in the National Capital continues to be in the ‘severe’ category, as per the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Toxic smog continued to persist over several parts of the city on Thursday morning.

According to the data issued by the System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR-India), AQI in Anand Vihar was recorded at 432 (severe category), while RK Puram area the AQI stood at 453 (severe category).

The air quality at Punjab Bagh was recorded at 444 (severe category), while ITO stands at 441 (severe category).

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the hazardous air quality in the national capital and directed that farmers should stop stubble burning forthwith in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, saying it was one of the major contributors to air pollution.

It also observed that schemes like odd-even for vehicles to tackle pollution issues mere optics.

Delhi government on Monday decided to reintroduce the odd-even rule from November 13 to 20 in view of the concerns of deterioration in air quality. A decision on further extending the odd-even rule would be taken later.

According to the 8-point action plan, there will be a ban on entry of truck traffic into Delhi (except for trucks carrying essential commodities/ providing essential services and all LNG/ CNG/ electric trucks).

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Who’s the bigger ‘Pappu’: Priyanka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi continue to outdo each other by coming up with worse gaffes everyday

Shraddha Pandey
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Who’s the bigger ‘Pappu’: Priyanka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi continue to outdo each other by coming up with worse gaffes everyday

Congress party’s prince and owner-operator of imaginary Mohabbat ki Dukaan, Rahul Gandhi although claims to spread ‘Mohabbat’ everywhere seems to be high on “nafrat” for businessman Gautam Adani. In the latest addition to the list of his countless gaffes, Rahul Gandhi on November 9 said that “every time people get petrol filled in their scooters or motorbikes, the money directly goes to Adani.”

Addressing a public gathering in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh’s Nai-Sarai, Rahul Gandhi said, “The money goes from your pocket to Adani’s through the GST. You pay the taxes, you don’t even know…you purchased something, and immediately GST will be deducted…GST should be called Dalit, OBC, Adivasi tax. You are paying tax to the government, the government is investing that money in public sector banks and then these banks give loans to Adani Ji. An Adivasi, Dalit, or OBC cannot get loans because they don’t have an Adani surname. BJP runs the government like this only, they will make people fight over caste, Hindu-Muslim and then you will put your money in GST. The moment you get your scooter or motorcycle’s fuel tank filled with petrol, the money goes to Adani…direct…,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The Congress scion, however, did not care to explain how exactly people put their money in GST after fighting over caste or religion. The unabated absurdity exhibited by Rahul Gandhi also raises the question if Rahul Gandhi is also ‘directly’ transferring money to Adani’s pocket since the vehicles he uses also require fuel refills.

This is, however, not the first time that the Congress leader embarrassed himself by making bizarre assertions about Gautam Adani.

Last month, Rahul Gandhi in a press conference blamed Adani for rising electricity prices saying that money was going to Adani’s pockets when people pressed the button for a switch. “This time the theft is happening from the pockets of the public. When you push the button for a switch, Adani gets money in his pocket…” Gandhi said.

Rahul Gandhi’s assertions that getting fuel refills, and pressing a button to turn on electricity somehow directly sends money directly to Adani’s pocket tomorrow he would claim that even breathing sends money to Adani or maybe the self-proclaimed Tapasvi would suggest not breathing to prevent people’s money from going to Adani.

This is, however, not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has made ridiculous and self-embarrassing statements. On October 29, Rahul Gandhi while addressing a public rally in Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh claimed that his own party leader and CM Bhupesh Baghel works to benefit Gautam Adani. “You (Modi govt) work for Adani Group 24 X 7. And your Chief Minister in this State (referring to Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel) also works for Adani,” Rahul Gandhi said.

Rahul Gandhi’s attacks on allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers special benefits to Gautam Adani when the truth is that it was the Congress governments that patronised Adani, makes as much sense as his gimmick as a ‘coolie’ carrying a blue-coloured ‘wheeled’ trolley suitcase on his head.

Although the Congress party has been targeting and demonising Gautam Adani for political reasons, it has a long history of backing the Adani Group. Under the leadership of Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the Indian conglomerate has secured major projects in Rajasthan. Over the next 5-7 years, the company intends to invest Rs. 65,000 crores in Rajasthan.

The Adani Group was able to obtain the Dighi port project in Maharashtra during the duration of the Maha Vikas Agadhi administration, in which Congress was an alliance partner. Moreover, Adani Ports was awarded the contract for building a new port in Vizhinjam by the Kerala government, led by Congress, in 2015. The contract was awarded using Viability Gap Funding.

Irony drowned in the Arabian Sea as one hand Rahul Gandhi claimed “Adani bad”, “Adani is Modi’s friend” and whatnot and on the other, his party fought with CPM to claim credit for the Adani Ports-built Vizhinjam seaport.

Even under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule, the Union government awarded the Adani Group ten projects totalling Rs 21,000 crore.

Rahul Gandhi has time and again proven that he remains the undisputed master of gaffes in Indian politics.

In December last year, Rahul Gandhi said that people who wear sweaters are terrified of cold. His reply came in response to a media question about why he was wearing a T-shirt at the controversial Bharat Jodo Yatra while a cold wave swept across northern India.

“I do not wear a sweater because I am not scared of cold. I will wear a sweater once I start feeling cold,” Rahul Gandhi said, alluding that people who wear sweaters are afraid of facing the cold and not because sweaters keep people warm in winter and help them protect against the cold, fevers and diseases.

During a media interaction in January this year, Rahul Gandhi claimed that he had killed ‘Rahul Gandhi’ and the person we see is not ‘Rahul Gandhi’. During the QA session at the press conference, TV journalist Pradeep asked him if he believed that BJY helped in changing his image. In reply to his query, Gandhi said he had “killed” Rahul Gandhi. “Rahul Gandhi is in your head. I have killed him. He does not exist anymore. He is not in my mind. He is gone. Gone. The person you are seeing is not Rahul Gandhi,” the Congress scion said.

The ‘Tapasvi’ in January this year ‘enlightened’ the people of Bharat with his unparalleled knowledge of the Hindu epic Mahabharat as he drew bizarre analogies between his ambitious ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and the Swayamvar of Princess Draupadi. “When Arjuna was focusing on the eye of the fish, did he announce his future course of action to everyone?”

Rahul Gandhi made the remarks upon being asked about his plans, following the conclusion of his political foot pilgrimage. He had compared himself to Arjuna and erroneously claimed that the warrior did not know about the fruits of his actions.

When Congress calls Rahul Gandhi, the “JanNayak” it does not mean that the Gandhi prince is the messiah of human beings only rather he is the saviour of even dogs, pigs cows and buffaloes. In a public rally in Delhi last year, Rahul Gandhi said, “I don’t know if you have noticed it or not, but in this campaign(BJY), dogs participated, but no one killed them. Cows, buffaloes, and pigs also joined in, I saw them. All animals came. This Yatra is like our India. There is no hatred or violence here.”

From “this morning I woke up at night” to claiming that Gujarat is bigger than the United Kingdom and India as a country is bigger than Europe and USA put together, to confusing between Indira canteen and Amma canteen, “bhrashtachar and “balatkaar”, claiming that Lord Shiva swallowed the entire universe, copying condolence notes from mobile phone, claiming that there is not fisheries ministry, the list of Rahul Gandhi’s goof-ups is endless.

Undisputed till now, Rahul Gandhi is now facing tough competition from none other than his own sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Gems of Priyanka Gandhi

Priyanka Gandhi has also continued the Gandhi family’s tradition of gaffes proving that she is no lesser ‘Pappu’ than her brother.

During a public rally in Indore on November 6, Priyanka Gandhi while speaking Minimum Support Price (MSP) provided by the government to farmers, forgot the full form of MSP. While the Congress party projects the Gandhis as the messiah of farmers, Priyanka Gandhi’s gaffe raised questions over the seriousness of the Congress leader regarding farmers’ issues given the significance of MSP in Indian agricultural policy.

On November 7, Priyanka Gandhi while addressing an election rally in Kurud, Chhattisgarh claimed that nobody knows what Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani make. “Who is this Adani? What does Adani make for you? Can anyone tell me how many jobs Adani generates? We knew Tata made trucks, and also the things Birla makes. What does Adani and Ambani make? Can anyone tell how many labourers work for them? How many employment opportunities do they give? They don’t make anything for you,” Priyanka said.

In July this year, Priyanka Gandhi claimed to ‘expose’ the Modi government’s scams. After claiming that the Modi government did scam after scam and was about to show a long list of scams by the BJP-led government she failed to show even a single list and embarrassed herself by saying that she couldn’t find the list.

Much like her brother, Priyanka Gandhi also once struggled to write a condolence message. In 2021, when the left leader Sitaram Yechury’s son Ashish Yechury died of COVID-19 Priyanka Gandhi made repeated mistakes in her X posts condoling the demise of Sitaram Yechury’s son.

Back in 2017, at a rally in Rae Bareli, Priyanka Gandhi asked that “PM Modi claimed that UP has adopted him, but does UP need to adopt an outsider for development? However, she forgot that her own family had many outsiders, whom the people of Uttar Pradesh not only accepted but also voted to power. She forgot that the Nehrus came from Kashmir, Feroze Gandhi came from Gujarat, and Sonia came from Italy to Uttar Pradesh.

The delusional Gandhis think that the people of Bharat will believe, accept and approve anything gibberish they utter and vote for them. However, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi’s gaffes simply serve as an embarrassment for the Congress party while entertaining the public.

Footage of October 7 Hamas terror attack screened by Israeli consulate in Mumbai shows they were well prepared, reminded of the Mumbai terror attack

Guest Author
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Footage of October 7 Hamas terror attack screened by Israeli consulate in Mumbai shows they were well prepared, reminded of the Mumbai terror attack

For someone who had witnessed the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack, in front of his own eyes, I had prayed to Prabhu Ram, that I hope I never see a sight like this again. 

It has to be nothing but my sheer misfortune that I saw similar visuals again. On Thursday the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai held a screening of the raw footage it had collected from various sources including the body cam of Hamas terrorists who killed Jews in cold blood on October 7, in Israel. The footage included those shot on dashcams of the Hamas Terrorists’ vehicles and their bodies. It also had CCTV footage of streets, homes, kindergartens, hospitals, and social media posts by victims. 

The video starts with the one that was shot on the body cam of the Hamas Terrorists entering Israel through the border fencing, the first audio of the video is the Islamic Chant Allahu Akbar, throughout the video this chant is the most one gets to hear.

One of the first bullets fired as seen in the video is towards an ambulance. The terrorists deflated the tyres of the ambulances, they then killed a dog and then started shooting at anyone and everyone who came in their way. 

One of the videos that moved many in the small gathering watching the footage of these gruesome terrorist attacks was where a father was trying to protect his two sons, and he was killed by the Hamas terrorists, who threw a grenade towards him while he was escaping. The youngest son had lost his vision in one of the eyes, blood oozing out of various parts of the bodies of both siblings.

After that, the terrorists enter their home, open the fridge and ask them whether the transparent-looking liquid is wine. One of them then drops it and takes a soda bottle from the fridge and drinks it. All this while the siblings are crying out loud saying Daddy is Dead, the eldest brother cursing himself for being alive and for not being able to save his father and his brother and the terrorists were enjoying this sight. 

The IDF managed to trace a call recording of a Hamas terrorist who used the victim’s phone, to call his parents. The terrorist was boasting that he killed 10 Jews bare hand, and was making a call from his victim woman’s phone moments after killing her and her partner. On the other side of the call, his parents were heard praising him and his cowardly act of killing innocent civilians. 

One of the radio communications that was intercepted by IDF shows handlers telling terrorists to send them videos of them playing with the heads of the victims, and carrying bodies to the square and hanging them. They wanted bodies to be paraded. Women were paraded, faces of dead Israeli soldiers were stomped by plain-clothed civilians. Videos, and pictures of hacked bodies were shared by terrorists with their own family members including women.

The dead and mutilated bodies shown in the footage reminded me of the scenes at GT Hospital in Mumbai, and Nariman House in Mumbai where Kasab and his fellow terrorists sponsored by Pakistan had carried out a similar attack.

The bodies of the babies, the selective targeting of women, the killings and the burning of homes, all of these were caught on camera. In many videos retrieved from the Bodycams of Hamas terrorists, it was clear that these terrorists knew every minute detail of the homes of their victims. They were carrying every piece of equipment needed to get in the house, including small knives that can easily cut the protective nets on the windows giving them an easy pass inside.

The terrorists who attacked a kindergarten walked in as they had a map in their head which told them which side to go. They were all well-fed, well-trained and well aware-of what they were doing. The terrorists didn’t spare any Jew and an Israeli whom they saw, they killed dogs, burnt vehicles and chased men and women, actually, they hunted innocent Jews. The attack at the Music festival, the video showing the aftermath was a real horror, bodies strewn all over, between fridges, between stalls and piled bodies, it was nothing but a nightmare. 

I am sure many who signed up to see these videos were praying it ended soon, it made me feel that I had witnessed at least a thousand killings but when it ended, the message read that the videos showed only 138 deaths, not even 10% of the total killings that took place on October 7 in Israel.

When it ended, everyone had lost their voice, we all had gone numb including the Consul General of Israel, who had only tears to offer to us.

One of the security officers at the consulate after the video told me he belonged to one of the places that was attacked on October 7. I told him I could totally relate to what he was going through because in 2008 it was my home Mumbai which was attacked and I stood a witness. The Israeli officer told me that he hopes this is never repeated again. I told him, I had hoped the same in 2008, and now when I saw this footage, I cannot assure anyone whether we will see an end to this terrorism. 

Author: Varun Singh

The author is a Mumbai-based journalist covering the city and the state’s politics for close to two decades. He tweets from @singhvarun

Airbus signs MoU with HAL for establishing Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul facility for A-320 family aircraft in Nashik

OpIndia Staff
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Airbus signs MoU with HAL for establishing Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul facility for A-320 family aircraft in Nashik

In a significant development, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Airbus, the largest European aircraft manufacturing company, have inked a contract for the establishment of Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facilities dedicated to the A-320 family of aircraft.

The formal signing took place on November 9 during a function in New Delhi, marking a milestone in India’s aerospace industry. The facility will be established in Nashik, Maharashtra, as per a stock exchange filing by HAL.

Under the collaboration, Airbus will supply the A320 family tool package and offer specialised consulting services to HAL to establish an MRO facility for the A-320 aircraft in India. The partnership between HAL and Airbus will support the growing demand for MRO services for aircraft in India and help expand the commercial fleet, especially that of the A-320 aircraft, HAL said in the statement filed with Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange.

“HAL intends to establish an integrated MRD services in India and seeks to provide the commercial airlines a one stop MRO solution,” said the regulatory filing by HAL.

“HAL wants to establish an integrated MRO hub in the country and provide Airlines with an effective MRO solution. This step by HAL is also aligned to civil-military convergence and the ‘Make-in-India’ mission of the Government of India,” said Saket Chaturvedi, CEO (MiG Complex), HAL.

Remi Maillard, President & Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia, said that Airbus is committed to helping with the growth of the aviation ecosystem in India and aiding in developing a strong MRO infrastructure, which is a key element of this ecosystem.

HAL further added, “The facility once established will be one of its kind in India. HAL and Airbus collaboration envisages substantial reduction in lead-time, improved turnaround time and reduction in MRO costs, thereby increasing availability of the fleet for flight operations. The MRO facility for the A-320 aircraft family would be established and ready for aircraft induction by November 2024 with required DGCA approval. In future. this Nashik facility will also be available for the entire Asian region after obtaining EASA approval in partnership with Airbus.”

This collaboration between HAL, a premier aerospace and defence company in India, and Airbus, a global aerospace giant, exemplifies a joint commitment to furthering India’s ‘Make-in-India’ mission. The establishment of MRO facilities for the A-320 family of aircraft on Indian soil is set to enhance self-reliance and indigenous manufacturing capabilities in the country.

DMK supporter uses casteist slurs to attack singer Sivasri Skandaprasad over her old video where she promotes Indian clothing

OpIndia Staff
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DMK supporter uses casteist slurs to attack singer Sivasri Skandaprasad over her old video where she promotes Indian clothing

It’s common knowledge that the Dravidian movement is based on hate and anti-Brahmin rhetoric. This racial hatred towards Brahmins was on display once again on Thursday, November 9 when Dr Aravind Raja, a Dravidianist and a die-hard supporter of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party in Tamil Nadu, took to X to target singer Sivasri Skandaprasad, the daughter of well-known Mridangam artist Skandaprasad.

Dr Aravind Raja, who describes himself as a CEO and brain specialist, shared pictures of Sivasri in Western clothing along with one of her old videos where she is heard advocating Indian traditional clothing and attacked her by captioning his post, “That Paapaara (casteist slur for Brahmins)… Sorry Sorry.. Bharathiya Traditional Maami (a sexist and derogatory reference to Tamil Brahmin women)“. Along with that, he shared a one-year-old clip of a speech of the Carnatic singer in which she emphasized the importance of wearing Indian clothes over Western clothes.

Notably, the video clip that Raja shared was of Sivasri Skandaprasad’s old speech clip in which the Carnatic singer emphasized the importance of wearing Indian clothes over Western clothes and advocated Bharatiyas to wear traditional clothing because it will be a symbol of decoloniality, a symbol of freedom from the colonial mindset.

This clip was first shared by a Dravidianist ‘social media influencer’ named Kovai Harish on November 7. He had also mocked the singer-dancer for advocating traditional Indian clothes while she herself likes to wear Western clothes.

Sivasri Skandaprasad is a Tamil Nadu-based artist who is a Carnatic musician, Bharatanatyam artiste, painter, and Bhagavatha. She is the granddaughter of Kalaimamani late Seerkazhi R. Jayaraman, who was an established musician. Sivasri, who identifies herself as a proud Hindu, had last year ripped into an anti-Hindu Dravidianist who had said that singing bhajans at Tamil festivals is akin to indirectly proselytising people into Brahminism.

Calling herself a devout Hindu, the singer wrote, “How did people just assume everybody who sings god’s name in #Margazhi are Brahmins? We all are Hindus. And the group consists of all Hindus, we don’t care about their caste. No Caste business happening here, please. Don’t Caste-ise Music.”

Meanwhile, following Raja’s post where he was caught spewing venom against the Hindu dancer and singer, many internet users including Tamil actor Kasturi voiced their support for Sivasri. Kasturi, however, received similar casteist abuses and was named “prostitute” by Dr Aravind Raja.

Dravidianists and several DMK leaders and supporters have time and again targeted Tamil Brahmin women and spewed casteist and sexist venom against them. They have, in fact, openly called for the genocide of Tamil Brahmins.

In June last year, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party in Tamil Nadu courted controversy after its official spokesperson R. Rajiv Gandhi claimed that Tamil Brahmins should have been killed as per the directions of Dravidian icon Periyar.

Dravidian icon Periyar and his hatred towards Hindus and Hinduism

In 1953, the Dravidian icon Periyar organized agitations for the desecration of Ganesha idols. He elaborated extensively on the motivations behind the breaking of the idols. Thousands of idols were broken on the chosen day of the agitation, which also happened to be Gautama Buddha’s birthday. A case was filed against him which was later dismissed by the Courts.

In August 1956, he was poised to lead his followers to the Marina in burning pictures of Shri Rama. In his mind, the Ramayana was a tale of war between Aryans and Dravidians where the less worthy Aryans prevailed over the righteous Dravidians. Quite obviously, Periyar’s interpretation of events had no real basis in reality.

On the day of the protest, Periyar was arrested by the Police but his followers proceeded with the madness at the Marina. Most people went home after the Police brandished their lathis.

Approximately 890 people were arrested either before or during the event. Periyar was released after two and a half hours but he declined to continue the protest following his release.

Despite relentless bombings and firings, war zones in Ukraine and Israel-Gaza have better air quality than Delhi – An analysis

Anurag
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Despite relentless bombings and firings, war zones in Ukraine and Israel-Gaza have better air quality than Delhi – An analysis

Delhi is choking, and the people, especially children, the elderly and patients, are dying a slow death. The air of Delhi is polluted to the level that even a non-smoker inhales smoke worth at least 50 cigarettes daily. With this pace, Delhi is not far from making a record of the highest number of chronic patients per 1,000 residents.

OpIndia decided to compare the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi to locations that should have the worst AQI, such as war zones. Virtually, Delhi is, in fact, a war zone in terms of health crisis.

As has been the trend for several years, the courts and several governments have already imposed restrictions on firecrackers during Diwali in the name of curbing pollution. However, data show that the air quality in Delhi is much worse than in actual war zones, where real bombs go off in rapid succession.

We analysed three war zones that fall in the Russia-Ukraine War and the Israel-Hamar War. Furthermore, We looked for the air quality of the three most recent wildfires and three most recent volcanic eruptions to see how AQI stands in such locations. We used IQAIR for the data.

Effect of wars on AQI

First of all, let’s talk about the Russia-Ukraine war. Throughout 2022, the majority of the cities in war-hit Ukraine remained within the limits prescribed by the World Health Organisation. There was a marginal increase in several cities during February and March 2022 when the Russian attack hit those cities. However, the current situation in Ukraine is fairly normal.

Source: iqair

In the case of the Israel-Hamas war, The AQI went beyond 100 several times in the last month in Tel Aviv, Israel, but it still hasn’t crossed the 150 mark. It is interesting to see most of the stations recording AQI in Israel showed a minimal spike in the AQI index.

Source: iqair

Effect of volcano eruption on AQI

In December 2022, Sumeru Volcano erupted in East Java, Indonesia. The country already has one of the worst AQIs in the world, but surprisingly, December 2022 was less polluted than January, February, April, June, September and November 2022.

Source: iqair

Effect of wildfire on AQI

There is an ongoing wildfire in Waynesville, North Carolina, USA, but that, too, hasn’t drastically changed the AQI of the region. Currently, it is close to 100.

Source: iqair

Delhi is worse than a war zone, with volcano eruptions and wildfires

If we look at the one-month graph of Delhi, From 10th October, the AQI started at 168, which is unhealthy. For the last five days, the AQI average of Delhi is 483 on 459 on 5th November, 335 on 6th November, 380 on 7th November, 351 on 8th November and 459 on 9th November. Speaking about the worst AQI, Sonia Vihar today has 615 AQI as of 9th November.

Source: IQAir

Wars, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires could not create the gas chamber that the stubble burning and other factors have created in Delhi NCR. Interestingly, courts, intellectuals, activists, celebrities and governments blame the Hindu festival Diwali for the pollution every year. However, Diwali is yet to be celebrated this year, and all the regions have already become gas chambers. While Delhi’s ruling party, Aam Aadmi Party, is busy finding faults in neighbouring states except for Punjab, the farmers of Punjab have caused 2,000 new fire incidents in the state, adding more to the pollution for the coming days. AAP rules both Delhi and Punjab. Before gaining power in Punjab, AAP kept blaming the Congress government in Punjab for the pollution in Delhi.

Now, they have entirely whitewashed Punjab’s role and started blaming Haryana and the central government for the pollution. Even after the directions of the Supreme Court, Punjab has failed to stop the farmers from burning stubble. Last year, CM Bhagwant Mann promised his government would completely stop stubble burning by 2023, but he failed miserably, and the people of Delhi are paying the price.

Maybe the people of Delhi should consider moving to someplace which is in a war zone, or faces wildfires and volcanic eruptions. At least they will breathe fresher air…

India files appeal against the death penalty for 8 former navy officers in Qatar, MEA says the court verdict is confidential

OpIndia Staff
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India files appeal against the death penalty for 8 former navy officers in Qatar, MEA says the court verdict is confidential

On 9 November, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed that India an appeal had been filed against the death penalty imposed on eight former personnel of the Indian Navy in Qatar and provided a copy of the ruling from the Qatari court to the legal team. India has also been able to gain second consular access to the convicts. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated that the judgement sentencing the death penalty on the eight Indian nationals is confidential, and appealed to not make speculations over the issue.

Arindam Bagchi stated, “As we had informed earlier, the court of first instance of Qatar passed a judgment on October 26 in the case involving 8 Indian employees, the judgment is confidential and has only been shared with the legal team. They are now pursuing further legal steps. An appeal has already been filed. ”

He added, “We will also remain engaged with the Qatari authorities in this matter. On November 7, our embassy in Doha received another consular access to the detainees. We are in touch with their family members too. We will continue to extend all legal and consular support, and I would urge everyone not to engage in speculation considering the sensitive nature of the case.”

Indian authorities have communicated with the family members of the convicted Indians and Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar also met with their families. According to the EAM, the government is going to work closely with the families in this regard and accords the case with the “highest importance.”

On 26 October, the court sentenced the Indian citizens to death on unspecified charges. They were all employees of the Dahra Global company, situated in Doha, and were apprehended in August 2022 on charges of espionage. India expressed its disbelief at the verdict and used all available diplomatic avenues to reach out to Qatar about the matter.

A report revealed that the eight former officers were taken into custody when the Qatari authorities became suspicious of their amicable exchange with an Indian diplomat stationed in Doha in August of last year. They were suspected by the Qatari authorities of sharing “secret” information with the Indian diplomat. It read, “The ex-Navy men had interacted with a diplomat who they were acquainted with because of a previous professional relationship. It was purely friendly banter and nothing more. But it got the Qatar authorities suspicious.”

The arrested Indians were identified as Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh. India was granted consular access to the eight Navy veterans in Qatar last year, two months after their incarceration.

“We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options. We attach high importance to this case and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities. Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” the ministry proclaimed in its initial response after the verdict.

‘Henry is back home’: Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai shares video of his beloved dog, had alleged ‘Mahua Moitra kidnapped him’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Henry is back home’: Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai shares video of his beloved dog, had alleged ‘Mahua Moitra kidnapped him’

On Thursday (9th November), Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai announced that his beloved dog named ‘Henry’ who was supposedly stolen by TMC MP Mahua Moitra has returned to him. Dehadrai shared a video on Twitter (X) and expressed his happiness over welcoming ‘Henry’, a Rottweiler.

“Welcome back Henry! Thank you for all the support, prayers, and wishes. Henry is thrilled to be back home,” the advocate captioned the video. He could be seen in the video loving the pet and fondly talking to him.

The feud between TMC MP Mahua Moitra and her ‘jilted ex’ advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai had gotten murkier with the duo fighting over the custody of a dog. Earlier, Dehadrai had written to the Delhi police commissioner accusing Mahua Moitra of stealing and hiding his pet dog Henry.

In an emotional letter penned to the Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on October 19th (Thursday), Jai Anant Dehadrai alleged that Moitra deliberately kidnapped and hid his Rottweiler dog, Henry, with the intention to harass and blackmail him to avenge the complaint he had filed against her with the CBI, accusing Moitra of taking cash and gifts to ask specific questions in the Parliament.

In his written complaint, the emotional dog parent Jai Dehadrai provided documents to prove his legal ownership of Henry, which he purchased in January 2021 from a private shop in Delhi’s Janakpuri area. Dehadrai also included proof of purchase documentation for the Rottweiler breed dog. These documents comprised a payment receipt, a litter’s registration certificate, and details on the litter’s microchip.

His letter to Delhi CP read, “This is with reference to the theft and illegal retention of my three-year-old pet dog named Henry (Rottweiler breed) by Ms. Mahua Moitra, M.P., Lok Sabha, Resident of 9-B, Telegraph Lane, New Delhi – 110001,” under the subject line — “Complaint against Ms. Mahua Moitra, M.P., for Theft and Illegal Retention of my pet dog named Henry.”

Dehadrai also wrote, “My bond with my dog Henry is that of a parent and a child. I have looked after him since he was 40 days old, and I understand his every need and concern.”

Accusing Moitra of hiding his pet in retribution for his CBI complaint, Dehadrai added “Ms. Moitra has deliberately kidnapped and hidden Henry away from me since 10.10.2023, with the intent to harass, and blackmail me in response to the CBI Complaint dated 14.10.2023, which I have filed against her,” he wrote.

He then asked the police to safeguard his life and freedom as well as reunite him and his dog, Henry.

On October 16, OpIndia reported that the TMC MP had sent a legal notice to the BJP Lok Sabha MP and advocate and her formal personal friend Jai Anant Dehadrai and a host of media organisations for allegedly ‘defaming’ her.

The notice to the advocate and her former personal friend Jai Anant Dehadrai stated that they were once close friends but after a falling out, Dehadrai allegedly repeatedly threatened Moitra with several vile, malicious and vulgar messages, trespassed on her official residence, and stole personal belongings, including Moitra’s dog.

Immature and does not reflect good taste in public life: Gujarat HC rejects Kejriwal’s review plea seeking PM Modi’s degree, says he tried to ‘abuse RTI machinery’

OpIndia Staff
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Immature and does not reflect good taste in public life: Gujarat HC rejects Kejriwal’s review plea seeking PM Modi’s degree, says he tried to ‘abuse RTI machinery’

On 9th November, the Gujarat High Court rejected Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s review petition seeking information on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree. Kejriwal had sought reconsideration of the High Court’s earlier decision to quash a Central Information Commission (CIC) order. Notably, CIC had directed the Gujarat University to provide information regarding PM Modi’s degree. In his judgment, Justice Biren Viashnav agreed with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s assertion that Kejriwal continued to pursue the matter to keep the “pot boiling”.

The court also said that Arvind Kejriwal contemptuously and irresponsibly continued his false narration doubting the validity of the degree conferred on PM Modi by Gujarat University.

While representing Gujarat University, SG Mehta said that Kejriwal had lost his legal remedy when the court allowed the University’s petition in March. He added that Kejriwal “continues to harp upon his pursuit in following a cause by proceeding in this review application in a manner which does not reflect good taste in public life”.

The court maintained that though seeking a review was Kejriwal’s legal remedy, he failed to suggest a genuine pursuit of the matter. In March 2023, the court allowed Gujarat University’s petition against Kejriwal and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 against Delhi’s Chief Minister. The recent dismissal means he has to pay the earlier penalty. However, no new cost has been imposed by the court.

Justice Vaishnav said, “The court is conscious that seeking a review is and could be a remedy available in law, but looking to the grounds and the arguments raised before this court in the review application, it cannot be said that the applicant (Kejriwal) has sought to invoke this remedy purely with a view to seeking legal recourse.” The court justified the cost, stating Kejriwal attempted to politicise the matter.

In the judgement, the court said, “Even after disposal of the writ petition by this Hon’ble Court vide judgement and order dated 31.03.2023 (after hearing extensive arguments on behalf of the review – applicant) the review applicant and contemptuously and irresponsibly continued his false narration doubting the degree validly conferred by the answering respondent. Apart from the utterances being immature and does not reflect good taste in public life which talking about the highest functionary in the executive wing under the Constitution, the review applicant has not even bothered to inform anyone (while making such irresponsible utterances) that his legal remedy in which the very degree was the subject matter is rejected against him by the highest constitutional court of India.”

Justifying the imposition of the cost, the court stated that “the applicant tried to deflect the entire proceedings to politicise the issue as is evident from the letter. This clearly was an abuse of the process of the RTI machinery. Costs, therefore, are justified.”

The judgment also cleated the path for the Gujarat University to proceed with the criminal defamation case against Kejriwal and AAP MP Sanjay Singh. The university said the defamatory statements made against the educational institute after the verdict passed by the court in March. In his review petition, Kejriwal challenged the imposed cost and claimed that Modi’s degree was unavailable on the University’s website. He contended that the judgment suffered from an apparent error, leading to a failure of justice.

Opposing the review, Kejriwal argued that his remedy should not have been a review but an appeal. He further insisted on imposing costs for review filing, but the court denied the request in the judgment.

Kejriwal’s 66 MLAs in Delhi and Punjab are not graduates

Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party have been accusing PM Modi of being uneducated, though he has an MA degree. Interestingly, 66 out of 154 AAP MLAs in Delhi and Punjab are not even graduates, including former education minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia. Detailed information on the education qualifications of AAP’s MLAs in Delhi and Punjab can be checked here and here.

Nitish Kumar insults former Bihar CM and Dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi in Bihar Assembly, says this guy knows nothing

OpIndia Staff
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Nitish Kumar insults former Bihar CM and Dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi in Bihar Assembly, says this guy knows nothing

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who has been facing severe criticism for his vulgar remark on population control, has yet again courted controversy after he openly humiliated former Bihar CM and Dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi in the Bihar assembly. In a video that went viral on Thursday (November 9) Nitish Kumar, in a fit of rage, hit out at Jitan Ram Manjhi saying that he became the CM due to his stupidity otherwise he knows nothing.

According to reports, while delivering his address on the Reservation Amendment Bill Majhi raised apprehensions on the caste census done in Bihar. This is when Nitish Kumar lost his cool and interrupted him mid-way and said, “He keeps saying he too has been a chief minister. He became a chief minister because of my stupidity. Does he have any sense (ye bolta hai ki hum Mukhyamantri the. Meri moorkhta ki vajah se mukhyamantri bana. Isko koi sense hai)”, Nitish Kumar yelled, causing a commotion in the House.

At this point, Nitish Kumar’s cabinet colleagues tried to calm him down and get him to sit down by pulling at his kurta, however, the Bihar CM did not relent. He continued saying, “journalists should also know the complete facts. They keep giving a lot of publicity to this man”.

Kumar further went on to scream at the BJP leaders who stood up to protest against the Bihar CM’s unparliamentary behaviour. “This man has always been wanting to remain in your company. When I dumped you a year ago, I had asked him to stay put, but he insisted that he wanted to come with me. Now he has run away. He wants to become a governor. Please oblige him,” he was heard yelling at the BJP leaders.

The chief minister who kept fuming, only took his seat after Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary told him, “After all, he had become the chief minister only because of your benediction (kripa)”.

For the uninitiated, Jitan Ram Majhi served as minister for scheduled castes and scheduled tribe’s welfare in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet. Between 2014 and 2015, he was the Bihar CM for around 10 months. However, less than a year later, Manjhi stepped down, faced with accusations of trying to engineer a split in the JD(U), which led to Kumar’s return as the chief minister. He broke ties with the JD(U) and formed his party Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and is now with the opposition BJP-led NDA.

Soon after the video went viral, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed Kumar and accused him of insulting the Dalits. Sharing the video on X, the Bihar unit of BJP wrote, “Did the deranged Paltu Kumar today in the House toss the Dalit community’s turban into the air? The elderly Jitan Ram Manjhi, a distinguished former Bihar Chief Minister and prominent Dalit leader received a reprimand from Nitish Kumar. The dignity of the entire Dalit community has been tarnished. When Paltu ji made a comeback in 2013, it was apparent that he used trickery to become the CM. His hatred towards the Dalit community came out openly, Bihar BJP wrote on X in Hindi.

Notably, Nitish Kumar has changed political allegiance so many times that opponents call him a ‘turncoat’ or ‘Paltu’ in Hindi

He has lost his mental stability: Manjhi reacts to the remark made by Nitish Kumar

Meanwhile, talking to reporters outside the House later, Manjhi retorted strongly to the open humiliation he faced at the hands of Nitish Kumar in the state Assembly. He asserted that the CM has lost his mental stability and is not fit to remain in the post.

“I will complain against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to the governor and Union home minister. I will demand his dismissal and clamping of the President’s Rule in the state. Only a couple of days ago he had brought shame to the state through his remarks about women. His repeated misconduct shows he is no more in a sound state of mind and cannot be entrusted to hold such an important post,” Manjhi told the media.

Later, he also took to X to express his dismay. “Nitish Kumar, if you think that you made me the Chief Minister, it is your misconception. When JDU MLAs started kicking, you left your chair and ran away out of fear. To hide your powerlessness, you can attack only a Dalit. If you have the courage, show it by speaking against Lalan Singh who has launched an operation against you,” read the roughly translated post of Manjhi on ‘X’.

In the aftermath of the ruckus that ensued due to Niash Kumar’s remarks, the House was adjourned for the day. However, before the adjournment, the Bihar Assembly passed the ‘Reservation Amendment Bill’ to raise reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes in state jobs and educational institutions to 65%. The bill that raises the reservation quota beyond the 50% limit set by the Supreme Court was unanimously passed by the Bihar Assembly.

It has to now be signed off by Governor Rajendra Arlekar before it can become a law. The proposed reservation would increase to 75% when coupled with the Center’s 10% quota for the Economically Weaker Sections.

Nitish Kumar’s comments on population control in Bihar assembly stir a row

On 7th November (Tuesday), Bihar CM Nitish Kumar courted a new controversy while speaking on population control in the state legislative assembly. While underscoring the importance of women’s education in controlling the population, Nitish Kumar’s descriptive remarks created an uproar in the assembly. The comments drew smiles, including from Nitish Kumar’s deputy Tejashwi Yadav, seated behind him, while several women MLAs appeared uncomfortable.

During the discussion, CM Nitish said that the literacy of women has increased in Bihar. He said that if the girl child remains educated then the population will be controlled.

To lay emphasis on this, Nitish Kumar said, “Agar ladki padh legi… aur jab shaadi hoga ladka-ladki mein… aur woh jo purush hai, roz raat mein jab shaadiya hota hai, uske saath karta hai na… to usi mein aur paida ho jata hai… aur ladki padh leti hai… ki humko maloom tha ki woh karega theek hai… lekin ant mein usko bheetar mat ghusao… usko bahar kar do… aur karta to hai… to usi mein… aap samajh lijiye ki sankhya ghat rahi hai”, as reported by Jansatta Hindi.(If a girl receives an education… and when the marriage happens between a boy and a girl… and the man, every night after marriage, engages in that activity with her, right? So, in that, further births occur… and if the girl gets an education… she will know that he would do it, alright… but in the end, don’t let it inside… pull it out… and if it happens… in that… you understand that the numbers are decreasing).”

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