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Uddhav Thackeray opposes gauge conversion of railway line that goes through reserve forest, proposes alternate route that require more virgin forest land

OpIndia Staff
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Uddhav Thackeray opposes gauge conversion of railway line that goes through reserve forest, proposes alternate route that require more virgin forest land

Recently, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray wrote to Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal objecting to gauge conversion of an old railway line that goes through Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. After doing his best to stall the metro project in Mumbai, this is his next attempt at stalling an infrastructure project.

In the letter, the CM has said that the project to convert 176 km of meter gauge tracks to broad gauge will involve cutting and blasting of rocks using heavy machinery and explosives. He also claims that the project will involve realignment of the existing track to avoid sharp curves on 23.48 km ot total 38 km that passes through the core area of the Tiger Reserve. He also says that gauge conversion will increase the frequency and speed of the trains passing through the forest, which will also increase pollution in the area.

Therefore, Uddhav Thackeray has proposed that the railway line in the region should be realigned to avoid the Tiger Reserve completely.

While the Shiv Sena leader has once again used the excuse of conservation of wildlife to obstruct a Railway project, the facts are actually different. The CM’s claim that the track’s alignment will be changed in the forest to avoid curves is not correct, as Railway Ministry has confirmed that they are not going to acquire any land in the Reserved Forest and Melghat Tiger Reserve. The Railway had indeed wanted to ease the curvature of existing alignment, but Forest Department of Maharashtra had rejected the proposal, and it was dropped from the project.

The Maharashtra CM has suggested an alternate route for the railway track to avoid the forest, but actually this alignment will actually need acquisition of more forest land, apart from large areas of residential and other areas. According to a study done with the help of Regional Remote Sensing Center Nagpur, the railway line will be 30 km longer due to the diversion. Moreover, 152 hectares of virgin forest land will need to acquired, apart from revenue land and residential areas. The alternative alignment will also need a 7 km long tunnel.

All these means that the project cost will go up significantly due to need to acquire lands, and it will also be delayed as a lot of approvals will be needed for a railway line in a new area. Apart from requiring large areas of virgin forest & revenue land, the project will be delayed by 6-7 years, and the cost will go up significantly.

The experts have already studied this alternate route, and suggested that it will be best to follow the existing meter gauge line to build the broad-gauge line. Accordingly, the Railways has decided to upgrade the existing line within the existing Railway land boundary without acquisition of any land specially in the Reserved Forest area & Melghat Tiger Reserve.

Moreover, the Railway had already informed the Maharashtra govt back in 2014 that Railway will bear the cost of any Mitigation measures required by the Forest department like avoiding the blasting, quarrying and mining in forest areas etc. The Railways has also ensured that underpass and overpass etc. will be provided for animal movement on locations identified by the forest department. Around Rs 200 crore has been kept in the project for such mitigation measures. The department has also said that the speed of the trains will be limited to 60 km per hour in the forest area for safety of the animals.

The Railways has also pointed out that the existing meter gauge line was built in 1959-60, and before train operations on it were stopped from 2017 for the gauge conversation work, the Railway track, trains & wild animals were co-existing without any problem for several decades. While Uddhav Thackeray alleges that the broad-gauge line will increase pollution in the forest area, he missed a very important detail in the project. The conversion project has been planned with electrification of the railway line. Therefore, after 100% electrification of the track is completed, there would be no fuel pollution at all from train operations.

The railway line being converted to broad-gauge in the Melghat Tiger Reserve is part of 473 Km long Gauge Conversion project from Akola to Ratlam. 299 km length of the project falls in Madhya Pradesh, out of which, 198 Km length has already been converted into Broad Gauge and commissioned for train services. The work of Gauge Conversion in balance 101 Km length is in progress. 174 Km of the project falls in Maharashtra State, out of which work on 43 km has already been completed. The Gauge Conversion work in 53 Km from Amlakhurd-Khandwa is also in progress. The Work of Gauge Conversion in sandwiched portion of 78 Km length from Akot to Amlakhurd is pending on account of pending Wildlife clearance.

About 17 Km length of existing Meter Gauge section between Adgaon Buzurg & Tukaithad Railway stations passes through Amba Barwa/Wan Reserve Forest. This was declared as “Sanctuary” in 1998 and had become part of Melghat Tiger Reserve.

Earlier, Uddhav Thackeray had stopped the work on Aarey Car shed for Mumbai metro after becoming CM of Maharashtra, following huge protest against from left-wing activists despite courts and green bodies giving go ahead for the project. On the other hand, the same government led by Uddhav Thackeray had allowed to cut more than 700 trees in Navi Mumbai for a golf course and a residential project in January this year. Again in March, the government had decided to cut and transplant more than 300 for the elevated Metro-2A corridor.

It is our duty, our dharma, our seva to the nation: Nita Ambani speaks about Reliance Foundation’s contribution to help tackle the COVID crisis

OpIndia Staff
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It is our duty, our dharma, our seva to the nation: Nita Ambani speaks about Reliance Foundation’s contribution to help tackle the COVID crisis

Mukesh Ambani’s wife and Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani addressed Reliance AGM for the first time ever. In her address, she spoke about Reliance Foundation’s contributions to the fight against COVID-19.

Nita Ambani said that as the world is witnessing the unprecedented pain, suffering and uncertainty that the COVID pandemic has thrown at us, she and her husband decided to step forward and do all that they could do to perform their humanitarian, patriotic and collective duty in this hour of national need.

In our culture, Anna daan is Maha daan: Nita Ambani as she spoke about Reliance Foundation’s Mission Anna Seva

She went on to cite before the stakeholders, all the contributions made by Reliance Foundation at this hour of need. “In our culture, Anna daan is Maha daan”, Nita Ambani said that Reliance Foundation has made food available to more than 5 crore poor, labourers and frontline workers and the marginalised across the country through Mission Anna Seva, now the world’s largest food distribution program.

“It is our duty, our dharma, our seva to the nation”, Nita Ambani said, furthering that Reliance has also been providing free fuel to Emergency Service vehicles across the country, enabling students and work from home with internet facilities.

When the pandemic broke out, Nita Ambani said, Reliance Foundation recognised one of the earliest challenges which was the shortage of PPEs and it turned around its manufacturing facility in a record time to produce over 1 lakh PPEs and N95 masks every day.

Nita Ambani said that Reliance Industries Limited has prepared an action plan against COVID-19 based on the combined strength of 6 lakh members of Reliance Foundation, Reliance Retail, Jio, Reliance Life Sciences, Reliance Industries and Reliance Family. The role of every subsidiary of the company has been fixed in this plan.

Speaking of India’s first dedicated COVID hospital built by the Reliance Foundation in Mumbai, Nita furthered that this facility which is fully funded by Reliance Foundation was built in collaboration with BMC in a record time of 2 weeks. All beds in this 100 bedded dedicated COVID-19 hospital are equipped with the required infrastructure, bio-medical equipment such as ventilators, pacemakers, dialysis machine and patient monitoring devices.

“This first-of-its-kind-in-India centre is fully funded by Reliance Foundation and includes a negative pressure room that helps in preventing cross-contamination and helps control infection. All beds are equipped with the required infrastructure, biomedical equipment such as ventilators, pacemakers, dialysis machines, and patient monitoring devices,” she added.

Reliance Foundation would ensure that the corona vaccine reaches every nook and corner of our country

“The war against coronavirus is far from over. Reliance Foundation is gearing up to partner with the government and local municipalities for rapid, mega-scale COVID testing across India with the help of Jio’s digital infrastructure, saying so, Nita Ambani assured that the day corona vaccines are available, Reliance Foundation would volunteer by using the same digital distribution and supply chain, to ensure that the vaccine reaches every nook and corner of our country.

Nita Ambani thanked over two lakh employees of Reliance who have gone beyond their call of duty to serve the fellow citizens.

Besides undertaking a slew of measures to shore up India’s battle against the COVID-19, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance had also announced initial support of Rs 5 crores to Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to combat coronavirus spread. The Reliance Industries Limited had also donated a sum of Rs 500 crores to the PMCARES fund.

Men’s grooming product brand Qraa Men removes ad campaign after social media outrage for objectifying women

OpIndia Staff
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Men’s grooming product brand Qraa Men removes ad campaign after social media outrage for objectifying women

Men grooming product brand Qraa Men has attracted sharp criticism for a recent ad campaign that was allegedly objectifying women. The brand recently used sexually explicit images in an ad campaign to promote its grooming products. The photos had text strips strategically placed on nude female models with messages like, “oh, hero! Sirf dekhte renhe se kuch nahi milna. Dikhane layak bana, beard ko aur khud ko, Qraa beard oil ke saath.”

As soon as the ads were posted, it attracted sharp criticism not only on their Instagram profile but also on Twitter and other social media platforms. One user Ravleen Sabharwal posted screenshots of the now-deleted posts on Twitter and said, “Is this some kind of a cheap joke or an advertisement spreading like bushfire on social media platforms… They marketing is directly targeting women.” She tagged NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma in the post as well.

At one point, the brand started to delete the comments from the ad campaign that further irked people.

Though the Qraa Men has removed the recent ad campaign, their whole persona is based on objectifying women. Many popular influencers, both men and women, have campaigned for this company in the past, including FlyingBeast, who lost his job at Air Asia after raising questions over safety concerns.

The brand chose to use the attitude of a few men who believe women are objects of lust to sell their product, and it seems like the idea worked pretty well for them so far. However, they went too far with the latest campaign and had to remove the images after receiving many hate comments from the netizens.

Rahul Gandhi tells NSUI workers that leaders leaving Congress opens door for more young leaders

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi tells NSUI workers that leaders leaving Congress opens door for more young leaders

Rahul Gandhi today while addressing student leaders associated with Congress’ students wing said that those young leaders who are quitting the party are actually in a way opening doors for the newer young leaders.

Citing sources, news agency ANI reported that while addressing NSUI meeting today, the former Congress President said, “If anybody wants to leave the party they will. It opens the door for young leaders like you.” It is speculated that Rahul Gandhi took a dig on Sachin Pilot who has been rebelling against Congress and has been very vocal about his disappointment with the party leadership.

Randeep Surjewala says story is incorrect

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala has, however, stated that the ANI story about Rahul Gandhi’s remarks are incorrect.

Congress party disintegrating

Earlier this year, Jyotiraditya Scindia quit Congress and joined the BJP. Sachin Pilot, another Congress leader and Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister was also sacked. Sanjay Jha, former Congress spokesperson was also unceremoniously removed from the party yesterday after he spoke in favour of Pilot.

He had brought other women to the house when I was in hospital: Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife Anjana Pandey accuses him of infidelity

OpIndia Staff
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He had brought other women to the house when I was in hospital: Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife Anjana Pandey accuses him of infidelity

Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has lately been in news for all the wrong reasons. Days after the actor’s wife sent him a legal notice seeking divorce, and his niece made shocking allegations against the actor and his brother, Alia Siddiqui alias Anjana Kishore Pandey has once again opened up about the deceptions she faced in her 10 years of marriage and Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s mendacity. Speaking to Pinkvilla, has accused the actor of infidelity.

In her interview with the online Bollywood website, Anjana Kishore Pandey alleged that Nawaz used to bring other women over when she was expecting their first child. She also revealed that he did the same even while the two were dating each other.

When I was in pain, my husband was not with me. He was talking to his girlfriend on phone: Aaliya on Nawazuddin Siddiqui

“I remember it very clearly that even when we were dating and were about to get married, he was already in a relationship with someone else. We used to fight a lot before and after marriage as well. When I was pregnant, I had to drive all by myself for check-ups. My doctor used to tell me that I’m the first lady who’s come alone for check-ups. When my labour pain started, Nawaz and his parents were there. But when I was in pain, my husband was not with me. He was talking to his girlfriend on the phone. I knew everything because there used to be an itemised statement of phone bills.”

Aaliya said that Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s brother Shamas was the one who passed on the information to her. She said that Shamas would often come to her with complaints against his brother and he was the one who shared Nawaz’s phone statements with her.

Aaliya furthered that when she came back home with their first child she learnt that there were girls who stayed at her place in her absence. “These were the small reasons why I decided to leave him. I couldn’t tell Nawaz that Shamas told me all this. But we would keep fighting”, said Aaliya.

“Nawaz has two or three brothers who are completely insane. They do not have brains, they have grown up in a similar environment, so they have become monsters. Women in his family are not respected at all. When they feel like, they kill the women in their house”.

Raising serious allegations against Nawaz’s brother, Aaliya said: “His brother Ayaz is abusive and he hits his wife, and also the wives of other brothers. He also wanted to beat me up. He slapped me once. At that time something very big had happened, which was related to my daughter’s dignity and I had taken a stand. I have never talked about it before, but I will talk about it later. I opposed him so he slapped me.”

She furthered that the family has always supported the wrong side: “When anything wrong happened to me or Shashi, his niece, he (Nawazuddin) kept quiet. They supported those who were doing wrong.” Alia says that due to the similar attitude of Nawaz’s brothers, their personal relationships have broken up too.

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has not yet responded to the serious allegations made by his wife.

Aaliya had sent Nawazuddin Siddiqui a legal notice seeking divorce and maintenance

Aaliya had filed for divorce on May 6, while the notice was sent to Nawaz on 7th May. Then too, Aaliya had made serious allegations against him, alleging that she had faced mental and physical torture by her in-laws. Aaliya also mentioned that she changed her name back to Anjana Kishor Pandey and did not want to be reminded that she is using someone’s identity for her benefit.

Shocking allegation made by the actor’s niece

Soon after this news surfaced, Nawazuddin Siddiqui was caught in another quandary, when his niece alleged that her father and her uncles have been harassing her in-laws. She alleged that her father and Nawazuddin have filed false cases to harass her in-laws and that they never believed her when she talked about the childhood sexual assault by her uncle. While filing a case against Nawazuddin’s brother Minaz for sexual harassment and physical assault, his niece had revealed that Nawaz and his brothers had dismissed her allegations telling her that she is the child of a Hindu mother and they cannot trust her.

Fact Check: Fake message circulating on social media alleges hidden agenda behind Amitabh Bachchan’s hospitalisation at Nanavati Hospital

OpIndia Staff
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Fact Check: Fake message circulating on social media alleges hidden agenda behind Amitabh Bachchan’s hospitalisation at Nanavati Hospital

Last week brought with it a rude awakening of the rampant and insidious extent of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, especially its financial capital Mumbai, when one of the biggest Bollywood stars, Amitabh Bachchan and three members of his family tested positive for the novel contagion.

While the confirmation of infection to Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aaradhya Bachchan dampened the spirits of millions of their admirers across the country and world, the hatred of liberals for the Bachchan family was on full display after the news of their infection was . Several well known left-liberal activists had slammed the 77-year-old actor for getting admitted at the hospital despite having ‘mild’ symptoms. Such people had even objected to sanitisation of the resident of Bachchans by the BMC, which is done for all coronavirus positive patients as a protocol.

Now, to further the claim that there was no need for Amitabh Bachchan to be admitted at Nanavati Hospital, some perverse individuals have started to spread fake news concerning his ailment, and ascribing motive behind his hospitalisation. It may be noted that Amitabh Bachchan and his son has been shifted to the hospital for treatment, while Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aaradhya Bachchan have been quarantined at home.

Rumours behind Amitabh Bachchan’s hospitalisation

A vicious campaign was run against the iconic actor, and social media was rife with fake news, out of context videos, to smear the septuagenarian actor with known comorbidities even as he battles the scourge of coronavirus. One such malicious post that is doing the rounds on Whatsapp, Twitter and other social media platforms cast aspersions on the the actor’s affliction, alleging that Amitabh and his son have both gotten admitted themselves to Nanavati hospital so as to salvage its reputation that has recently taken the beating for its exorbitant and overcharging of bills.

fake message being circulated on Internet

The fake message that is being circulated on the Internet claims that the father-son duo, despite being asymptomatic, has been hospitalised through a pre-decided script to uplift the image of Nanavati Hospital. The message also claims that Big B, as Amitabh Bachchan is popularly known, owns 3 bungalows in Juhu which has 18 rooms, along with a “mini ICU” and 2 doctors for 24 hours. It alleges that Amitabh Bachchan got admitted to the Nanavati Hospital because he is an investor and board member of the Radiant Group which owns the Nanavati Hospital and which had recently been in the news for fleecing their patients.

Lets analyse the fake claims made by the viral message:

Is Amitabh Bachchan asymptomatic?

The viral Whatsapp message claims that Amitabh Bachchan is asymptomatic. However, this claim is patently false as the actor has himself declared in his tweet that he has mild symptoms of the infection. Besides, Amitabh is ailing from medical comorbidities, meaning he has several underlying medical complications because of which he has decided to hospitalized himself instead of home quarantine. The coronavirus is particularly lethal against the elderly and those suffering from chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, cardiovascular conditions, chronic kidney disease and other such maladies as the virus increases the risk of severe illness. Therefore, Amitabh Bachchan belongs to the high-risk group, and he has been admitted at the hospital as per protocol for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

A mini ICU at the residence of Mr Bachchan?

Another outrageous claim made in the viral message is that despite having a “mini ICU” and 2 doctors for 24 hours at his residence, Amitabh chose to get hospitalised. It is pertinent to note here that this is not the first time that Amitabh Bachchan has been hospitalised for his illness. In the past too, Mr Bachchan has been admitted to hospitals. In October 2019 last year, the legendary actor was admitted to the Nanavati Hospital for a routine checkup. If Amitabh Bachchan had to be hospitalised for a routine check-up despite apparently having a “mini ICU” at his residence, how potent that ICU actually could be to battle the coronavirus?

Amitabh Bachchan is a mega star, and every aspect of his life is well documented in media, including the houses that his family owns. But such reports never mentioned about any ‘mini-ICU’ present in any house, therefore, it can be concluded that it is a fake claim.

Amitabh Bachchan on the board of Nanavati Hospital?

The viral message also claimed that Amitabh Bachchan is an investor and on the board of the Radiant group that owns the Nanavati Hospital. However, the hospital has already put paid to the rumours asserting that the actor is not on the board of the hospital.

The hospital sources said, “The Board of Directors of Radiant Life Care or Nanavati Hospital does not have Mr Bachchan as one of its members. Someone, who is in the vulnerable age group of 65 and above, with underlying health issues showing mild symptoms can decide to admit himself based on medical advice. Let’s respect the fact that someone is unwell and is hospitalised and not make unnecessary comments. COVID can affect anyone. Better to stay safe.”

The website of Radiant mentions five board of directors, and the veteran actor is not among them.

Video of Amitabh Bachchan not from Nanavati Hospital

Besides the above-mentioned message, a video of Mr Bachchan thanking the Nanavati hospital authorities has been circulating on social media platforms with the claim that it is from the actor’s recent visit to the facility after he tested positive for the coronavirus.

Mr Bachchan can be heard in the now viral-video expressing his gratitude for the staff members of the Nanavati Hospital. “I thank the doctors, nurses and staff of Nanavati Hospital for the tremendous work that they are doing in these trying times,” he says.

The viral video was also shared by popular news organisations such as Aaj Tak and Outlook.

The video was initially shared on YouTube, from where other news organisations picked it up.

However, the video is an old one from Amitabh’s previous visit to the hospital in April. It was uploaded by the Amitabh Bachchan Fan Club on 23 April on Facebook.

Therefore, the claim that Bachchan posted the video recently after he tested positive for Coronavirus is incorrect. Moreover, even if he decides to thank the hospital, and the doctors and other staff of the hospital, it will be extremely wrong to ascribe any motive behind that. It is natural for people to thank their healthcare workers after they are cured of diseases, and one does not have to an investor in the hospital to that.

Amitabh Bachchan admitted to hospital for COVID-19

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan was infected with the Coronavirus Saturday evening on July 11. The veteran actor took to Twitter to inform about this development about his health. He said that he has tested positive for Covid-19, and has been shifted to hospital.

His family and staff also have undergone a test, and the result for the same is awaited. Amitabh Bachchan also asked everyone who came into close proximity with him in the last ten days to get themselves tested. He has been admitted at the Nanavati hospital in Mumbai.

‘Cows are our sisters and deserve protection’: PETA India says after netizens outrage over its Raksha Bandhan campaign

OpIndia Staff
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‘Cows are our sisters and deserve protection’: PETA India says after netizens outrage over its Raksha Bandhan campaign

Animal rights advocacy group PETA has clarified that their Raksha Bandhan campaign in Ahmedabad featuring a cow urging people to give up leather for Rakhi drew ire that cows, too, deserve protection. On Wednesday, netizens shared an image of PETA campaign from Gujarat which had an image of a cow with a caption that urged people to give up leather to protect the cows.

Speaking to OpIndia, Radhika Suryavanshi, Campaigns Coordinator, PETA India said that “Raksha Bandhan is a time for protecting our sisters, and cows are our sisters under the skin. Like us, they are made of blood, flesh and bone and want to live. The idea is to protect cows everyday and Raksha Bandhan is a great day to pledge to be lifelong leather-free.”

On the social media outrage directed towards the campaign, Suryavanshi said that more than the campaign, what is offensive is that cows and buffaloes are crammed onto vehicles in such high numbers that their bones snap or they suffocate. “Those who survive have their throats slit with dull knives in front of their companions. We need to direct our outrage towards this violence instead of directing it towards PETA when we are trying to save cows only supports the abusers,” she said.

PETA’s goat slaughter billboard removed in Lucknow

Earlier this month, an image of goat on a billboard urging people to turn vegan and stop goat slaughter reportedly offended the Islamic clerics in Lucknow. They claimed such an appeal hurt their religious sentiments as Bakri Eid, wherein goat slaughter is a part of the ritual, is just around the corner. Later PETA had claimed that the the hoardings were removed by the authorities and they did not agree with removal of hoardings. However, speaking to OpIndia, the Lucknow Police had said that PETA had removed the hoardings itself. Later, Lucknow Police claimed to Bhakar that PETA was not informed before removal of hoarding.

Tech-giant Google to invest 4.5 billion USD in Reliance Jio, to jointly develop operating system for affordable, entry-level 4G/5G smartphones

OpIndia Staff
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Tech-giant Google to invest 4.5 billion USD in Reliance Jio, to jointly develop operating system for affordable, entry-level 4G/5G smartphones

Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc has become the latest high-profile organisation to invest in India’s telecom giant Reliance Jio Platforms.

Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman of Reliance India chairman on Wednesday confirmed that Google will invest over Rs 33,737, or USD 4.5 billion for a 7.7 per cent stake in Jio Platforms taking the string of investments well over Rs 1,52,000 crore.

Reportedly, Mukesh Ambani confirming Google’s investment during the 43rd AGM, said that Google and Jio are partnering to launch a new Android-based operating system which will be used to build affordable smartphones.

Mukesh Ambani announced that the new operating system is aimed at developing new smartphones that will be accessible to the massive Indian population that still uses 2G. The chairman claimed that Jio plans to make India ‘2G mukt’ by using this new operating system.

“Google has empowered millions of Indians to access helpful information and, like Jio, is a force for change and innovation. We welcome Google onboard and are excited about our partnership for what it can deliver to Indians, from universalising Internet usage to deepening the new digital economy and providing a prime mover to India’s economic growth. Together, we hope to play a strong facilitative role in the transformative journey of building a new, Digital India,” said Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

It is pertinent to note that Jio Platforms, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries has raised over $20.6 billion in the past four months from 13 investors by selling about 33% stake in the firm.

Google to invest to expand AI footprint, create internet awareness

Google CEO Sundar Pichai also spoke at the Reliance AGM, confirming the company’s strategic partnership in India with Jio Platforms. The CEO of Google and Alphabet said that Reliance Industries, and Jio Platforms, in particular, deserve a good deal of credit for India’s digital transformation.

“The pace and scale of digital transformation in India is hugely inspiring for us and reinforces our view that building products for India first helps us build better products for users everywhere. Google is proud to invest Rs 33,737 crore into Jio. I am excited that our joint collaboration will focus on increasing access for hundreds of millions of Indians who don’t currently own a smartphone while improving the mobile experience for all,” Pichai added.

Earlier, Google had announced a $10 billion digital fund for India a few days back dedicated to investing in existing companies and also the expansion of AI footprint and spreading internet awareness in rural areas.

In the press release, Sundar Pichai had thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his push for digitisation in India. He had applauded how PM Modi laid the ‘strong foundation of digital connectivity’ in the country.

Mumbai police deny reports that they will question Salman Khan in connection with Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide case

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai police deny reports that they will question Salman Khan in connection with Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide case

The Mumbai Police will not be interrogating Bollywood star Salman Khan in connection with the suicide case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Earlier, there were reports that the Mumbai police who are investigating the actor’s suicide case, had questioned Salman Khan’s former manager Reshma Shetty. Following that, it was reported that Salman Khan will also be summoned for questioning regarding the same.

However, the DCP has denied the reports and issued a statement saying that Salman Khan would not be called in for questioning in Sushant’s suicide investigation.

There were expectations that the Mumbai Police would summon Salman Khan for interrogation after a man from Bihar had filed a case against Salman and seven other people from the industry, for abetment in suicide in Sushant’s ex-manager Disha Salian’s case. 

Petition was filed against Bollywood stars

A petition demanding the filing of cases against Bollywood personalities like Salman Khan, Ekta Kapoor, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Karan Johar was filed alleging that they had abetted the 34-year-old actor Sushant Singh Rajput to commit suicide. These celebrities were accused of encouraging nepotism and favouritism in the film industry.

However, the court had dismissed the petition filed by local advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha, pointing out that the matter lay outside the court’s jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai police have recorded statements of various people in connection with the suicide case of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who ended his life in his Bandra apartment on June 14.

So far, the Mumbai Police have recorded statements of over 35 people which include the actor’s family members, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, actor-friend Rhea Chakraborty, casting director Mukesh Chhabra, Sanjana Sanghi and Yash Raj Films’ casting director Shanoo Sharma among others.

Nepal in damage control mode after PM Oli’s controversial statement on Ram and Ayodhya

OpIndia Staff
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Nepal in damage control mode after PM Oli’s controversial statement on Ram and Ayodhya

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal, has issued a statement as an attempt to do damage control over PM Oli’s controversial statement on Ram and Ayodhya. On 13th July, Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli had said that Shri Ram was Nepali and India has engaged in ‘cultural encroachment’ by creating ‘fake Ayodhya.’ Now, the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Nepal has issued an official statement as clarification.

“Although the real Ayodhya lies at Thori in the west of Birgunj, India have claimed the Indian site as the birthplace of Lord Ram,” PM KP Sharma Oli had said.

Alleged wrong interpretations of the statement

The ministry said that the statement made by PM Oli during the 207th birth anniversary celebration of Adikavi Bhanu Bhakta Acharya had been misinterpreted. PM’s speech had no political link and he had no intentions to hurt anyone’s sentiments or feelings.

“The Prime Minister was simply highlighting the importance of further studies and research of the vast cultural geography the Ramayana represents to obtain facts about Shri Ram, Ramayana and the various places linked to this rich civilization,” the ministry added. They said that there are several myths and references about Shri Ram and places associated with him.

The PM did not mean to debase the significance and cultural values of Ayodhya. The festival “Bibaha Panchami” is celebrated in Nepal and India in which a marriage possession comes from Ayodhya, India, to Janakpur, Nepal, every year. In May 2018, the Prime Ministers of Nepal and India launched the Ramayana Circuit. Janakpur-Ayodhya bus service is an integral part of the initiative, the statement added.

Increasing problems in India-Nepal relationships

In the past few months, several steps taken by Nepal have damaged the relationship between the two nations. The new map approved by the Nepalese Parliament in which it included parts of India drew sharp objections from Indian side. There have been reports that Nepalese Radio stations have been playing anti-India songs across India-Nepal border. Nepal also removed a Nepalese lawmaker Sarita Giri from the House of Representatives for taking a pro-India stand.

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