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Pakistan rants, issues statement ‘condemning’ the commencement of construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan rants, issues statement ‘condemning’ the commencement of construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya

Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan took to Twitter to interfere in India’s internal affairs yet again and fear-monger about India’s religious minorities even as Hindus, Sikhs and Christians continue to get persecuted in the Islamic Nation of Pakistan. In the statement issued by the Pakistan spokesperson, the commencement of the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya was ‘condemned’, calling the Supreme Court verdict in the matter ‘controversial’.

In the statement, it is alleged that the RSS-BJP are busy advancing their “Hindutva” agenda even as the world is grappling with the Coronavirus pandemic. While alleging this, Pakistan, a country which is based on the tenets of religious hatred and the premise that Muslims cannot live alongside Hindus, forgets that India is indeed a Hindu majority country and just because historic wrongs perpetuated by Islamic invaders are being rectified now, it does not qualify to be called ‘Hindutva agenda’.

The Statement then says that the “controversial” Supreme Court judgement in the Ram Mandir case “shredded the veneer of so-called secularism of India by making clear that the minorities are not safe in India and they have to feat for their lives, beliefs and places of worship”. In this segment, Pakistan obviously forgets to mention that the Babri Masjid was actually built after a grand temple was razed to the ground and desecrated by Muslim invaders. That the structure is now being razed to the ground and a temple is being built is only righting a historic wrong committed by Muslim invaders.

Then, as usual, the statement issued by Pakistan calls upon the world community to hold India to account for perceived injustices to Muslims, when there clearly exists none.

It is pertinent to note, that only recently, the Maldives, which is an Islamic country, had called out Pakistan’s agenda against India and asserted that Islamophobia allegations against India are untrue.

Maldives has come out in defence of India at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meet and called out Pakistan’s ‘rising Islamophobia’ propaganda against India. As per reports, Pakistan tried to push the narrative of ‘rising Islamophobia’ in India. The Maldives, however, called it out and said that isolated statements by motivated individuals along with the misinformation campaign on social media cannot be taken as the feelings of 1.3 billion Indians. 

Maldives Permanent Representative to the UN Thilmeeza Hussain said that alleging Islamophobia in the context of India would be factually incorrect. “Let me state that singling out India, the largest democracy in the world and multicultural society and home to over 200 million Muslims, alleging Islamophobia would be factually incorrect. It would be detrimental to the religious harmony in the South Asian region. Islam has existed in India for centuries and it is the second-largest religion in India with 14.2% of India’s population,” she said. 

The Maldives, which is also an Islamic country, said that India, in recent years, has developed stronger ties with Islamic nations such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan and Palestine. Prime Minister Modi has been given high civilian awards in these countries.

SC asks central govt to identify private hospitals which were given free land, directs those hospitals to treat Coronavirus patients for free

OpIndia Staff
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SC asks central govt to identify private hospitals which were given free land, directs those hospitals to treat Coronavirus patients for free

The supreme court on Wednesday asked the Central government to identify private hospitals which are given free land by the government. SC ruled that those hospitals will be treating Coronavirus patients for free or at a nominal cost.

The Bench headed by CJI SA Bobde observed that the hospitals that were given free lands should treat COVID-19 patients for free. The Bench comprising Justices AS Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, “You identify all those hospitals and find out.” The Bench ruled, “They have been given land either free of cost or at a very nominal rate. These charitable hospitals should treat patients for free.”

The petitioner alleged that many hospitals are indulging in financial exploitation

Advocate Sachin Jain had filed a petition in court seeking relaxation in the cost of corona treatment in the private hospitals. He alleged that many hospitals are indulged in the financial exploitation of coronavirus patients even in times of crisis. Jain said that the private hospitals which are built on government land or fall under the category of charitable institutions, the government should ask them to at least test the coronavirus patients for free in the interest of the public.

The apex court had issued a notice to the central government on April 30 in the matter and sought a response. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared on behalf of the government and said that this is a policy issue required to be discussed by the government. He said that he will file a response to this issue.

The petitioner has appealed to the court to direct the government that if someone from poor section gets infected by coronavirus and undergoing treatment at a private hospital, the government should bear their expenses. The poor who do not have any insurance cover neither have coverage under Ayushman Bharat should also be treated for free, he said. Also, the poor who have insurance cover but the cost of treatment is more than reimbursement, then the government should also compensate for that.

The petition also said that in the exercise of powers under the Disaster management act the Centre has regulated the costs of COVID-19 tests in the private sector and on the same analogy the government can regulate the cost of treatment in the private hospitals.

Maharashtra forest department mulls sterilizing tigers in Chandrapur district to control population: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra forest department mulls sterilizing tigers in Chandrapur district to control population: Report

While governments and conservationists across the globe are trying their best to increase the population of tigers, the Shiv Sena led Maharashtra govt has proposed a shocking plan to decrease the tiger population by sterilising the. The Maharashtra forest department has proposed to sterilize 20 male tigers to control the growing population of the wild animal, according to a report by Times of India. The department plans to sterilise 20 tigers in the Chandrapur district, apart from its plan to translocate 50 tigers from the district.

This will be the first-ever plan to sterilize tigers in a country where a massive effort is going on to increase the tiger population under the Project Tiger. The plan is to sterilise 20 male tigers while sterilizing tigresses is not discussed yet.

The measure in an effort to end the man-animal conflict in the district that was submitted to the state government on March 19. Wildlife officials told TOI, “These are suggestions and not decisions. It is up to the government and state wildlife board to take a final call. It is a long-drawn process for which we have to think now.”

As per the TOI report, since 2014, 116 people have been killed in attacks by the tigers in the Chandrapur district alone. Of these 81 have been killed in the attacks by the tigers. 16 have been dead in other wild animal attacks and 15 of them by the big cats.

Officials said, “There are 200 tigers in the district and these do not include cubs. As per Wildlife Institute of India (WII), there are 63 breeding tigresses and next year number of tigers is expected to increase by 60. In the 5 km radius of Chandrapur city, there are 21 tigers. In such a situation we will have to think about solutions to curb man-animal conflict and hence we have submitted proposal for the same.”

Male tigers are an easier choice for sterilization

Deputy Director of research and veterinary surgeon, Dr. Shirish Upadhye said that the male tigers would be an easier choice for sterilization. Dr. Upadhye said, “The procedure would involve keeping tigers in captivity for about seven days post-surgery. The surgery needs to be done under general anesthesia and care like post-operative dressings, medications would be required.”

He further added, “The Gorewada Rescue Centre has good facilities. Wildlife Research & Training Centre (WRTC) of Maharashtra Animal & Fishery Sciences University (MAFSU) has expertise. However, there are no enclosures for any new additions, that may be required during this entire procedure for treatment of injured tigers or surgeries.”

Chandrapur district is spread across 11,443 square kilometres including 1800 villages. It includes the territorial area of about 2,726 square kilometres, under Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra limited-755 square kilometre, Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve has 1,320 square kilometres & non-forest area is 6,642 square kilometre. There are 63 breeding tigresses in the district. 21 tigers can be witnessed in the 5 km radius of Chandrapur.

Tiger is a protected species

It may be noted that the tiger is listed as an endangered species, and it is protected under Indian wildlife laws. In 1973, the govt of India had launched the Project Tiger to protect the largest existing cat species from extinction. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats, protecting them from extinction, and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage forever represented as close as possible the diversity of ecosystems across the distribution of tigers in the country. There are 50 tiger reserves in the country under the project. There are 6 such tiger reserves in Maharashtra, including the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in the Chandrapur district.

At a time when such massive efforts are ongoing to protect the endangered species, the proposal of the Maharashtra forest department to sterilize tigers has shocked environmentalists. If the state govt led by Shiv Sena, which uses tiger as its unofficial symbol, agrees to sterilise tigers, it will surely lead to a legal and public battle to protect the population of the big cats.

Visakhapatnam doctor who was suspended for demanding PPE kits writes to medical superintendent, claims he is being given antipsychotics at the mental hospital

OpIndia Staff
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Visakhapatnam doctor who was suspended for demanding PPE kits writes to medical superintendent, claims he is being given antipsychotics at the mental hospital

The suspended Visakhapatnam doctor, whom the Andhra Pradesh police had recently assaulted for allegedly creating nuisance in public and abusing the YSR Congress-led state government, has written a letter to the medical superintendent of the mental hospital he was admitted to. In his letter, he has alleged that he is being given antipsychotics even though he’s perfectly “normal”.

Dr Sudhakar Rao, the government doctor in question, who was suspended by the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government last month on disciplinary grounds after the doctor had demanded protective gears to treat coronavirus patients, has written a letter to the superintendent of the Government Hospital for Mental Care (GHMC), requesting that he be referred to another hospital. Dr Sudhakar has claimed that antipsychotics being given to him is making him suffer side-effects and has demanded he be moved to a better hospital.

In his letter, the doctor has alleged that he is being given medicines which are generally prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia. He alleged that he was being treated in an unpleasant manner. The hospital atmosphere was disturbing and the drugs which were being administered on him would turn him into a psycho, alleged the doctor.

Letter written by Dr Sudhakar to the superintendent of the Government Hospital for Mental Care
Letter written by Dr Sudhakar to the superintendent of the Government Hospital for Mental Care
Letter written by Dr Sudhakar to the superintendent of the Government Hospital for Mental Care

Andhra Pradesh HC directed CBI to probe the arrest

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on May 22 (Friday) ordered CBI to probe the controversial arrest of the suspended government doctor.

With multiple PILs filed in the High Court seeking a probe into the doctor’s manhandling, detainment, and subsequent admission to a mental institute, the court had directed the Visakhapatnam sessions judge to record Dr Sudhakar’s statement after visiting him in person at the Government Hospital for Mental Care. 

The High Court also took cognizance of a report filed by the Visakhapatnam District Magistrate that stated there were six injury marks on Dr Sudhakar, which was missing in the government report.

Visakhapatnam doctor thrashed by cops for ‘creating nuisance’ on road

On May 16, 2020, the Visakhapatnam police brutally assaulted Dr Sudhankar, tied his hands and dragged him on the road for allegedly creating nuisance in public and abusing the YSR Congress-led state government in an intoxicated condition.

According to the reports, the videos of a police constable kicking and flooring a bare-chested Dr K Sudhakar had gone viral on social media, drawing ire, not just from the opposition parties but also civil society.

A series of videos showed that the suspended doctor was walking in the middle of the road shirtless. The cops tied his hands up, even as another constable hit him with a stick. The doctor was seen lying down on the road, with his hands tied. Later, the police put him in an auto and took him to the police station.

The doctor was later taken to the police station and from there to KGH for alcohol test. A case under section 353 of IPC was filed against the doctor.

There were reports which alleged that Dr Sudhakar was under the influence of alcohol and then caused public nuisance near the Paalem Port Hospital Junction. The police claimed that Dr Sudhakar tore off his shirt, attacked and damaged a constable’s phone. However, Dr Sudhakar has denied that he was drunk.

Cop suspended

Visakhapatnam police commissioner RK Meena said that the constable who behaved rudely with the doctor was placed under suspension, pending an inquiry.  

The doctor was earlier suspended for requesting PPE kits

Reportedly, Sudhakar, an anesthesiologist at Narsipatnam government hospital was suspended by the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government last month on disciplinary grounds after the doctor had demanded protective gears to treat coronavirus patients. The doctor had alleged that the government was not providing an adequate number of PPE kits and N-95 masks to the doctors.

“We are asked to use the same mask for 15 days before asking for a fresh mask. How can we treat patients risking our lives?” he asked.

A month after his suspension, the police brutality against the doctor has been reported after a police constable was seen attacking Dr Sudhakar in a public road. The doctor’s hand were tied behind his back by the policeman and beat him up before bundling him into an auto-rickshaw.

The opposition parties, especially Telugu Desam Party condemned the attack against the doctor incident, alleging that the incident reflecting the poor state of law and order situation in the state.

US President Donald Trump threatens “big action” against Twitter after his tweets were labelled as ‘misleading’

OpIndia Staff
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US President Donald Trump threatens “big action” against Twitter after his tweets were labelled as ‘misleading’

An irate Donald Trump has warned that a “big action” can soon follow against the popular microblogging website Twitter after it labelled the American President’s tweets with a fact-checking label.

Ironically, Trump took to Twitter to threaten retribution against the social media behemoth. “Twitter has now shown that everything we have been saying about them (and their other compatriots) is correct. Big action to follow!” Trump tweeted.

A few hours before that, Trump had gone after the social media giant, accusing it of exhibiting “clear political bias”. Trump said that the Republicans believe that the social media platforms are stifling the conservative voices. He issued a stern warning claiming that all the social media organisations who engage in muzzling their voices will be “strongly regulated” or perhaps “closed down”.

“We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We can’t let a more sophisticated version of that….…happen again. Just like we can’t let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!!” Trump tweeted alleging that the social media platforms in 2016 had resorted to cheating and forgery against him and that they are now employing even more sophisticated tools to defeat him in the forthcoming elections after having failed in 2016.

Twitter labels US President Donald Trump’s tweets as misleading

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump’s tweets on mail-in ballots were flagged as ‘misleading’ by Twitter. Trump had said that mail-in ballot box could lead to voter fraud and rigged elections. He had raised concerns that the mailboxes could be robbed and ballots may even be rigged.

Twitter highlighted the two tweets by Trumps and put out an alert below them which read “Get the facts about mail-in ballots”.

However, Twitter’s action triggered a strong reaction from the US President Donald Trump who slammed the San Francisco based social media company for stifling free speech and interfering in the upcoming presidential elections. Trump accused that Twitter has taken CNN, which he has labelled as ‘Fake News’, and Washington Post articles to claim that Trump’s statement is incorrect. “Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen!” he tweeted.

Twitter, on the other hand, defended itself, claiming that the move was aimed at providing ‘context’ around Trump’s claims.

Old photos of wildfires all over the world used to falsely claim severe wildfire in Uttarakhand, police to file FIR against fake news peddlers

OpIndia Staff
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Old photos of wildfires all over the world used to falsely claim severe wildfire in Uttarakhand, police to file FIR against fake news peddlers

Some horrific photos and videos of wildfires claiming to be that of Uttarakhand flooded Twitter on Wednesday. Netizens took to Twitter to share some gut-wrenching photos of the devastating effects of the wildfires that are taking over the region.

These pictures were also shared by many tourism adventure groups on social media.

These images shared on social media sites soon drew traction and many media houses reported that Uttarakhand has been burning in a forest fire for the last four days. According to these reports, as many as 46 such forest fires which have affected over 51.34 hectares of forest land have been raging in the hill state of Uttarakhand over the last four days.

A few left-liberal websites like Scoopwhoop and The Logical Indian, quickly used it and attributed misleading, ‘clickbait’ headline to these old pictures to sensationalize the news.

Uttarakhand CM and police rebut these claims

But how far are these claims true? Are the forests in Uttarakhand really burning? Uttarakhand police today took to Twitter to rebut these claims. Calling it completely false and mischievous, Uttarakhand police urged the public not to fall prey to such rumours. They said that the police will look into the matter and an FIR against concerned persons involved in spreading the false news will be lodged soon.

Parag Madhukar Dhakate, Chief Conservator of Forests of Western Circle (Uttarakhand) also said that there is a lot of misinformation, old photos and fake news being circulated on social media. He said that in fact, there has been a reduction in the fire as compared to the past years as it has been raining every few days so there is moisture and lesser incidents of wildfire.

The IFS Association Uttarakhand has also given a comparison of the actual facts of the fire in the forests of Uttarakhand in the year 2020 through a graph. It is clear from the comparison of forest fires in 2019 and 2020 that the fire of 2020 is less as comapred to the previous year.

Moreover, sharing the above information, the CM of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat also called out the propaganda machinery, who tried to pass off old 2016 and 2019 images, that too of forest fires in Chilean and Chinese forests as recent ones in Uttarakhand, to instil fear amongst people.

The fact is that the forest fires in Uttarakhand aren’t remotely as severe as these social media posts claim. Uttarakhand had lost more than 1,200 hectares in the massive forest fires in May last year. Compared to that, it has not even crossed the 100-hectare mark this year.  Jai Raj, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests said in a statement that this May the weather was considerably favourable, which kept the fires under control. However, the rapidly rising temperatures over the last few days triggered the forest fire incidents.

Almost all of the photos being shared on social media does not belong to the current fires in Uttarakhand. Most of them are from various places in the world outside India, and although some are from Uttarakhand, they are from previous years. For example, a photograph of fire in 2016 in the state, as seen in this report, has been widely circulated as a current photo.

“We are doing our best to control them. Our teams are there, it will take some time to douse these fires,” he said. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also predicted that the region will receive rainfall Wednesday, which will help further control the fires, Raj added.

Christian group files complaint against Bharat Mata statue in Kanyakumari, advocate counters, sends notice to DC warning legal action if statue removed

OpIndia Staff
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Christian group files complaint against Bharat Mata statue in Kanyakumari, advocate counters, sends notice to DC warning legal action if statue removed

Days after the District Collector passed an order reinstating the Bharat Mata statue at the Issaki Amman Temple in Kanyakumari, overturning the Kanyakumari police’s decision to cover the statue, another complaint has been filed against the reinstallation of the idol by a Christian Group All India Christian Development Army (AICDA).

The President of AICDA, Theodore Sam, has argued in his complaint that the issue of Bharat Mata statue coming up during the period of lockdown has a potential of disrupting communal harmony and creating discord in the society. Furthermore, the petition asks the District Collector to remove the Bharat Mata statue citing it to be a cause of future communal flare-up in the region.

The move to file another complaint against the reinstallation of Bharat Mata statue under the pretext of inciting communal disharmony appears as a ploy by the Christian missionaries to attack the symbols of nationalistic manifestation and besmirch them as triggers of communal flash-points.

In response to the complaint filed by the AICDA, advocate Ashutosh Dubey issued a legal notice to the District Collector. The lawyer describes Bharat Mata as a personification of India that came first into existence during the nineteenth century, after the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857. The notice calls the complaint filed by AICDA “absolutely baseless” and alleges that the complaint was filed with the intention of “inciting fear and hatred”.

“The statue not at all disrupts the communal harmony because Bharat belongs to the mother-land, India is a secular country and in secular countries, no one holds the authorisation to harm any statue which is related to public sentiments,” the notice reads.

The advocate warned that the notice should be considered as a statutory demand notice and the idol of Bharat Mata should not be tampered with again and again, failing which harsh action will be initiated. The failure to act on the notice will invite legal action under various sections of the Indian Penal Code 1860, Prevention to Insults to National Honours Act, 1971, the notice read.

Bharat Mata statue controversy

A controversy had erupted after a Christian missionary organisation Christians of the Church of South India (CSI), filed an objection over the statue of Bharat Mata with Kanyakumari police claiming that the statue was hurting their “religious sentiments”. After their complaint, the Kanyakumari Police had covered the statue, causing outrage amongst the villagers.

The incident sparked off protests as members of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Hindu Munnani, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and other villagers staged demonstrations and later removed the cover. The protest was spearheaded by BJP leader Tarun Vijay and local RSS Swayamsevaks who later secured an order from the District Collector to reinstate the Bharat Mata statue to her original position.

Afte District Collector overturned the police’s decision to cover the Bharat Mata statue, elated villagers had organised a ‘Bharat Mata Pujan’ programme and worshipped the statue of Bharat Mata with great enthusiasm.

The Bharat Mata statue was situated on the premises of Issaki Amman temple, which is reportedly 200 years old. The site is private property. The owner had installed a statue of Bharat Mata and had embellished it with a tri-colour saree.

Uttar Pradesh: Mob pelt stone at police and free cow slaughter accused Afzal who was arrested, three policemen injured

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Mob pelt stone at police and free cow slaughter accused Afzal who was arrested, three policemen injured

A violent mob has attacked a team of policemen in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district after they had visited the village to arrest an accused in an illegal cow slaughter case.

According to the reports, the Uttar Pradesh police had gone to a village in Shamli district to nab one individual identified as Afzal, who is an accused in the illegal cow slaughter case.

As police officials arrested the accused, a frenzied mob attacked the police and pelted stones at them. The mob also managed to free the accused Afzal. The incident took place on Tuesday night in Taprana village under the Jhinjhana police station in Shamli.

During the attack, three policemen, including a sub-inspector, have been injured.

Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal said that a case has been registered against 100 people under various sections of IPC and 30 of them have been arrested so far.

Later, more force was deployed and 30 people, including Afzal, were arrested. The SP said that security has been tightened in the village.

Karnataka govt decides to name newly built Yelahanka flyover after Veer Savarkar, opposition parties oppose the decision

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka govt decides to name newly built Yelahanka flyover after Veer Savarkar, opposition parties oppose the decision

The Karnataka government has decided to name the newly built flyover at Yelahanka in Bengaluru after nationalist icon – Veer Savarkar. 

According to the reports, the decision to name the flyover at Yelahanka after Veer Savarkar was decided at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Bengaluru’s civic body. The BBMP had passed a resolution in its council meeting on February 29.

The 400-metre long flyover, which was constructed under the Nagarotthana scheme at a cost of Rs 34 core, will be inaugurated by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday, on the day of Savarkar’s birthday.

Opposition parties oppose naming the flyover after nationalist icon

Meanwhile, the opposition parties in the state – Congress and JD(S) are opposing the BSY-government’s decision to name a flyover after the freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar, terming it as an insult to freedom fighters of the state.

Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy has attacked the BJP saying that there are many leaders hailing from the state who have contributed to the development of Karnataka and naming Yelahanka flyover after Savarkar is an attempt to humiliate them.

Taking to Twitter, HD Kumaraswamy said, “The state government’s decision to nominate Savarkar for the Yelahanka bridge is a disgrace to those who have struggled for the state’s development and prosperity. This will not do good to those who have struggled for the state’s development and prosperity. This will not do good to the state government”.

Echoing similar sentiments, former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah also said the naming of the flyover was an insult to freedom fighters of the land.

“Naming the flyover after Savarkar is testament to the fact that the administration is not being run by an elected government, but those working behind the curtains,” Siddaramaiah said.

BJP responds to opposition’s attack

Defending the decision, Yelahanka MLA SR Vishwanath said, there was nothing wrong in naming the flyover after a freedom fighter who has contributed to the national movement. He said Veer Savarkar was a national icon, who was jailed and suffered punishment for the sake of the country.

He also said the naming has done by following all legality and BBMP council has approved. He added that all formalities have been completed and only after that, the naming has been planned. No objection was filed by any opposition leaders in the council meeting, said MLA Vishwanath while speaking to TV9.

Rejecting the opposition’s claim that the naming of flyover after Savarkar was an insult to local leaders, the BJP MLA said that the government has named various parks, flyovers after Basavanna, Valmiki, Kempegowda, Kuvempu, etc and also asserted that Veer Savarkar is not just a state leader but is a respectful national leader…

“The construction of the flyover started three years ago and for the last two months, we have been trying to procure permission to name the flyover after Veer Savarkar. After suggestions from people, our corporator filed a proposal with the BBMP. The palike has granted us permission to name the flyover after Savarkar,” said Vishwanath.

He also said people who are opposing the naming of flyover after Veer Savarkar should not be using it, instead should use the service road.

Union government amends Companies Act, PM CARES Fund now eligible to receive funds through CSR

OpIndia Staff
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Union government amends Companies Act, PM CARES Fund now eligible to receive funds through CSR

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has brought in a Gazetted notification that will allow PM CARES fund to receive Corporate Social Responsibility fund from the Companies.

The notification was issued on May 26 by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, it states that Sub-section (1) of section 467 of the companies act 2013 has been amended to make PM CARES fund eligible to receive CSR funding from corporates.

Before this, only the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund was eligible to get CSR funding. The donations made by the Corporates to PM CARES in the last couple of months will now be considered as CSR contributions.

The notification states, “In Schedule VII, item (viii), after the words ‘Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund’, the words ‘or Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund)’ shall be inserted.”

The notification stated that it will be implemented with a retrospective effect and shall deem to have come into force on March 28. The MCA had issued a notification on the same date saying that contribution towards PM CARES Fund is eligible as a CSR activity, but the relevant section of the Companies Act was not amended.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility aims to contribute to the societal goals of a philanthropic, activist, or charitable nature by engaging in or supporting volunteering or ethically-oriented practices. CSR is mandatory for the companies with net worth with 500 crores and more, or companies with a turnover of more than 1,000 crores or greater, or companies with a net profit of 5 crores or more.

According to section 135 of the Companies Act, companies have to spend 2% of its average net profit in the last three years towards fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities.

The PM CARES fund

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had constituted Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations on 27 March and appealed the citizens of the country to monetarily contribute towards this effort by making donations.

The public charitable trust with the name ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund)’ is a dedicated national fund with the objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like the current Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister is the Chairman of this trust, and its members include Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister.

The fund consists entirely of voluntary contributions from individuals/organizations and does not get any budgetary support.

The donations made to PM CARES Fund will be exempted from Income Tax under section 80(G) of the Income Tax act. PM CARES fund also got exemption under FCRA and a separate account for receiving foreign donations has been opened and will be made operational soon.

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