शिवराज सरकार की इस योजना ने माधुरी को बनाया 'सुपरहिट', गांव में हर तरफ उनकी चर्चा

बुरहानपुर की माधुरी का अपने पैरों पर खड़ा होने का फायदा परिवार को भी हुआ. परिवार अब आर्थिक रूप से ज्यादा सक्षम है. पाटिल दंपति ने सातवीं में पढ़ने वाली बेटी पायल और पांचवीं में पढ़ रहे बेटे जयेश का अच्छे स्कूल में एडमिशन कराया है. उनका कहना है कि ये सब एमपी सरकार की योजना की वजह से हुआ है.

from Latest News मध्य प्रदेश News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/MEgIDJH

"Have Completed Rehearsal For Launch": ISRO Chief On Aditya-L1 Mission

After the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon, India is gearing up for its Sun mission 'Aditya-L1'. Indian Space Research Organisation chief S Somnath has said that the ISRO team has completed rehearsal for the launch.

Speaking to the media, ISRO Chief said, "We are just getting ready for the launch. The rocket and satellite are ready, we have completed the rehearsal for the launch. Tomorrow we have to start the countdown for the launch, the day after tomorrow."

Aditya-L1 would be the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun.

Earlier on August 14, ISRO informed about mission Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun and said that it is getting ready for the launch.

"PSLV-C57/Aditya-L1 Mission: Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, is getting ready for the launch. The satellite realised at the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru has arrived at SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota," ISRO said in a post on 'X' (formerly Twitter).

According to an ISRO statement, the Aditya L1 spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic particle and magnetic field detectors. Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the Sun and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1, thus providing important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium.

The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide the most crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particles and fields, the statement said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/LZovhFl

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's Suspension From Lok Sabha Revoked

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's suspension from Lok Sabha was revoked on Wednesday, hours after a parliamentary panel made a recommendation to the effect.

"The suspension of Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, MP from the service of the House which was effected on 10.8.2023 till the submission of the Report by the Committee of Privileges, has been revoked with effect from 30.8.2023," a notification by the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.

Earlier in the day, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury appeared before the Privileges Committee of Lok Sabha and expressed regret over his conduct in the House following which the panel unanimously adopted a resolution to revoke his suspension. The report of the committee was immediately communicated to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Appearing before the committee, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also expressed regret over certain remarks made by him in the House which had led to his suspension from the Lok Sabha on the penultimate day of the monsoon session of Parliament on August 10.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is learnt to have told the committee, chaired by BJP member Sunil Kumar Singh, that it was never his intention to hurt anybody's feelings and expressed regret for certain remarks made by him.

"The committee has adopted a resolution to revoke the suspension of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from the Lok Sabha. The resolution will be sent to the Speaker as soon as possible," a committee member said.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was named by Om Birla for "unruly conduct" on August 10 and was suspended from the membership of Lok Sabha pending a report from the Privileges Committee.

At the meeting of the committee on August 18, several members were of the view that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has been punished for his conduct by Lok Sabha and there was no further need to examine his behaviour by a parliamentary panel.

However, as a process of natural justice, the committee had asked Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to appear before it on Wednesday. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/MWQPlVF

MP में यहां फीकी होगी 500 से ज्यादा कर्मचारियों की राखी, 3 महीने से नहीं मिला वेतन

बुरहानपुर नगर निगम में कर्मचारियों ने 3 महीने में चार बार वेतन की मांग को लेकर धरना दिया है, लेकिन आज तक कोई सुनवाई नहीं हुई है. केवल उन्हें आश्वासन दिया जा रहा है, जिससे अब वे परेशान हो गए हैं.

from Latest News मध्य प्रदेश News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/mvtCa32

Accident Compensation Claims Not To Be Proven Like Criminal Cases: Court

In cases related to compensation claims in road accidents, the case is not expected to be proved like a criminal trial, the High Court of Karnataka has said.

"It is well known that in a case relating to motor accident claims, the claimants are not required to prove the case as it is required to be done in a criminal trial. The court must keep this distinction in mind," the court said recently while dismissing an appeal filed by an insurance company challenging the compensation awarded to an accident victim's family.

The Division Bench of Justices K Somashekar and Rajesh Rai K was hearing two appeals -- one filed by Bajaj Allianz Insurance and another filed by Chikka Thayamma and Rame Gowda, the parents of one Divakar M R who died in an accident on August 13, 2019.

Divakar met with an accident near Durgaparameshwari Temple in Nagarabhavi while riding a motorcycle.

A car is said to have caused the accident resulting in his death in a nearby private hospital where he was taken for treatment. Divakar was working in a bar and restaurant and earning Rs 18,000 per month.

The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT) awarded compensation of Rs 15,43,600 to the parents of Divakar. They approached the HC seeking enhancement of compensation. The insurer approached the HC stating that the complaint about the accident did not mention the involvement of the car and it was the negligence of Divakar that had resulted in his death.

The HC, in its judgement, said strict proof of the accident need not be proved by the claimants for compensation.

"A holistic view of the evidence has to be taken into consideration by the tribunal and strict proof of an accident caused by a particular vehicle in a particular manner need not be established by the claimants. The claimants have to establish their case on the touchstone of preponderance of probabilities," the HC said.

Dismissing the appeal filed by the insurer, the HC said: "The standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt cannot be applied while considering the petition seeking compensation on account of death or injury in a road traffic accident. Therefore, the domain it is vested with the tribunal in appreciating evidence in terms of social justice and it should be extended and considered to a greater extent but not in conjectures and surmises but more credentiality must be given to that aspect.

The HC also found the compensation awarded by the MACT to be correct and dismissed the appeal of the victim's parents for enhancement.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/n4Osazh

Interfaith Couples Blackmailed, Videos Shared Online, 3 Arrested In Gujarat

Three persons were arrested in Vadodara in Gujarat for allegedly targeting interfaith couples, harassing them and uploading their videos on social media in order to cause enmity among religious groups, a police official said on Monday.

The matter came to light when the video of one such couple went viral on social media platform X and a probe found that a gang that actively targeted such couples and shared videos on a WhatsApp group called 'Army of Mahdi' was behind it, Zone 2 Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhay Soni said.

Three administrators of the WhatsApp group, identified as Mustakim Sheikh, Burhan Saiyad and Sahil Sheikh, were arrested under Indian Penal Code (IPC) provisions for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc., making statements conducing to public mischief, and disappearance of evidence, the DCP said.

The content they shared could have led to mob lynching and communal clashes, he said, adding that the WhatsApp group in question had a network of members who operated across the city and kept a watch on such interfaith couples.

"As per their modus operandi, they'd keep a WhatsApp group active for three-four months and then delete it before starting a new group with several people being its members. They also used the video to blackmail the family members of the woman," the senior police official said.

The arrested accused said they would first target a woman when she was seen with a man from a different faith and record their video that was then used to blackmail them, he informed.

"We have seized their mobile phones and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). We will try to recover the audio and videos. We will question all the members of the group," he said.

The DCP asked those who have been harassed by the group to come forward and record their statements, adding that the police would keep their identities secret.

"We are trying to find out the motive behind such an act and see whether they were backed by a group operating on a bigger level or whether they were self inspired. From where they got the inspiration to run such a group is being investigated," he said.

The DCP said the accused specifically targeted women from their own religion as a form of moral policing and a probe is underway to find if they extorted money on the basis of such videos.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/7iwAPBm

MP News: यहां आए दिन दिख रहा तेंदुआ, दहशत में लोग,वन विभाग बता रहा अफवाह

बुरहानपुर की इंदिरा कॉलोनी में तेंदुए की आहट सीसीटीवी कैमरे में कैद हुई थी जिसके बाद कॉलोनीवासियों ने इसकी शिकायत वन विभाग को की थी वन विभाग का अमला मौके पर पहुंचा और सर्चिंग शुरू की लेकिन पद मार्क नहीं मिलने पर अफवाह करार दिया था.

from Latest News मध्य प्रदेश News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/MWij1PS

Chhattisgarh Naxal Encounter : धमतरी में जवानों और नक्सली में मुठभेड़, एक नक्सली ढेर | Breaking News

Chhattisgarh Naxal Encounter : धमतरी में जवानों और नक्सली में मुठभेड़, एक नक्सली ढेर | Breaking Newsdhamtari naxalite encounter : Chhattisgarh के Dhamtari में जवानों ने मुठभेड़ में एक नक्सली को मार गिराया। जवानों ने मौके से उसका शव भी बरामद कर लिया है। हालांकि अभी तक मारे गए नक्सली की पहचान नहीं हो सकी है।

from Latest News मध्य प्रदेश News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/OBXVbFy

World Athletics Championship 2023: आज गोल्ड के लिए उतरेंगे Neeraj Chopra | Javelin Throw Final

World Athletics Championship 2023: आज गोल्ड के लिए उतरेंगे Neeraj Chopra | Javelin Throw FinalNeeraj Chopra World Athletics Championships 2023 javelin throw final : ओलंपिक चैंपियन नीरज चोपड़ा हंगरी की राजधानी बुडापेस्ट में जारी वर्ल्ड एथलेटिक्स चैंपियनशिप जैवलीन थ्रो इवेंट के फाइनल में हमवतन मनू डीपी और किशोर जेना के साथ उतरेंगे. फाइनल में 12 जैवलीन थ्रो एथलीट हिस्सा लेंगे जिनमें पाकिस्तान के अरशद नदीम भी शामिल हैं.

from Latest News मध्य प्रदेश News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/5CgUDOS

Top Headlines: एमपी और छत्तीसगढ़ में अपराधी बेलगाम? | MP Chhattisgarh News | Latest News | Breaking

News18 MP Chhattisgarh Live | 26th August 2023 | CM Shivraj | Bhupesh Baghel। Assembly Election 2023 भोपाल में सीएम शिवराज सिंह चौहान ने बुलाया लाड़ली बहनों का सम्मेलन। रक्षा बंधन पर बहनों को मिल सकता है तोहफा। मन की बात, 100 घण्टे, 100 वक्ता स्पीकर नॉट आउट मैराथन सेमिनार, रविंद्र भवन में लगातार 100 घन्टे चलने के बाद 27 अगस्त को होगा समापन, गिनीज बुक ऑफ वर्ल्ड रिकॉर्ड में दर्ज होगा टास्क इंटरनेशनल पब्लिक पॉलिसी रिसर्च सेंटर द्वारा आयोजित किया जा रहा है सेमिनार, उषा ठाकुर करेंगी शुभारंभ, सीएम शिवराज, अनुराग ठाकुर, परमवीर चक्र विजेता योगेंद्र यादव सहित कई बड़ी हस्तियां वक्ता के तौर पर शामिल होंगी।

from Latest News मध्य प्रदेश News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/b2IrX1t

Goa Minister Complains To Cops Over "Derogatory Post" Linking Him To Woman

The office of Goa minister Mauvin Godinho on Sunday lodged a police complaint over a "derogatory" and "false" message being circulated along with photographs on social media linking his name to a woman deputy sarpanch of a village in the state, an official said.

The minister's personal secretary Nehal Damodar Keni lodged the complaint at Vasco police station, he said.

The complaint said that a derogatory and false message was being widely circulated on social media platforms from Saturday along with the photographs of Godinho with a woman deputy sarpanch of a village in Dabolim constituency.

Godinho, who belongs to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), represents the Dabolim assembly segment. He handles Transport and Panchayat ministries.

The complaint further said, "The message is being circulated along with publicly available photographs of Godinho, thereby creating a wrong and erroneous impression to the readers about the attribution of the said message and photographs to Godinho." Keni said in the complaint that based on the message and the photographs, some unidentified persons have also created video.

"Certain politicians have also attempted to capitalise on this grossly wrong and erroneous impression created by the message to create unrest and derive political mileage out of this patently illegal and mischievous message," the complaint said.

When contacted, a senior police official said, "We have received the complaint and it is being investigated."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/7v9dInX

Ye Desh Hai Hamara : 2024 का बेला, गठबंधन का खेला | INDIA ALLIANCE | Rahul Gandhi PM Modi | Shah

Ye Desh Hai Hamara : 2024 का बेला, गठबंधन का खेला | INDIA ALLIANCE | Rahul Gandhi PM Modi | Shah

from Latest News मध्य प्रदेश News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/I5JeUTy

Supreme Court To Hear NGO's Petition Against Lowering Of Age Of Consent

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea by an NGO against lowering the age of consent, saying it jeopardises the interest of a large number of child victims of sexual abuse, especially girls.

A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra issued notice to the Centre and tagged the plea of 'Bachpan Bachao Andolan' with a pending petition filed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

The NCPCR had challenged last year's order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court which said that a Muslim girl can marry a person of her choice.

The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre's response on the issue.

The plea of the NGO, besides seeking a slew of directions and guidelines, has also sought a directive to the courts to refrain from making observations about the girl's casual relationship and promiscuous attitude while dealing with the criminal proceedings under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

It has said that the dissemination of misinterpreted information pertaining to POCSO cases as "elopement and romantic relationships" has undermined the spirit and purpose of the stringent legislation.

It also challenged the circular issued on December 3, 2022 by the office of the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu directing the police officials to not show haste in effecting an arrest of the accused in consensual relationships, alleging that most of them fell in the category of "mutual romantic relationships".

The NGO also highlighted that despite official facts and figures, various NGOs, governments, and/or law enforcement authorities have relied on flawed methodologies and wrongly interpreted that 60 to 70 percent of POCSO cases are pertaining to consenting minors and fall under the category of "consensual romantic relationship" between teenagers that often get criminalised.

It said that the alleged figure of 60-70 per cent is incorrect since the total number of cases between 16-18 years is approximately 30 per cent of the total POCSO cases in the country.

The organisation has further claimed that a survey conducted by support persons reveals that only 13 per cent of the total POCSO cases are alleged to be consensual in nature.

On October 17 of last year, the top court agreed to examine a plea of the NCPCR challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court's June 13, 2022 order that a minor Muslim girl can marry a person of her choice.

The Supreme Court had appointed advocate Rajshekhar Rao as amicus curiae in the matter and said that it was not going to interfere with the order of the High Court but would examine the question of law involved in the issue.

However, on January 13, it ordered that the final judgment of the High Court dated September 30, 2022, shall not be relied on as a precedent in any other case.

Several other petitions have been filed on the same issue of the age of consent, which have been tagged along with the NCPCR's plea.

The single-judge bench of the High Court on June 13, last year passed the order on a plea by a Pathankot-based Muslim couple who had approached the court for protection.

The high court had said the issue for consideration in the case was not with regard to the validity of the marriage but to address the apprehension raised by the petitioners of danger to their life and liberty.

It had directed the Senior Superintendent of Police, Pathankot, to decide the representation of the petitioners and take necessary action as per law.

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/eupA8L6

Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Expansion Today, 4 Ministers Likely To Be Inducted

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will expand his cabinet on Saturday morning with the induction of three to four ministers, the move coming just months ahead of Assembly polls at the end of the year.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place at 8:45am, a Raj Bhavan official told PTI late Friday night.

The names of ex-ministers Rajendra Shukla, a Brahmin leader and MLA from Rewa in the Vindh region, and Gaurishankar Bisen, legislator from Balaghat in the Mahakoshal region and chairman of the MP Backward Class Commission, have almost been finalised for induction in the cabinet, a BJP leader said.

Mr Shukla and Mr Bisen have reached Bhopal.

Deliberations are on between Shivraj Singh Chouhan and senior party functionaries on the names of Rahul Singh Lodhi and Jalam Singh, both from the Other Backward Classes that form 45 per cent of the state's population, he said.

The name of former state minister Lalsingh Arya, who is the president of the BJP SC Morcha, is also doing the rounds for a ministerial berth.

Mr Lodhi, a first-time MLA from Khargapur in Tikamgarh district in the Bundelkhand region, is the nephew of senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Uma Bharti.

Jalam Singh, the MLA from Narsinghpur in the Mahakoshal region, is the younger brother of Union Minister Prahlad Patel.

Currently, the state has 31 ministers, including the Chief Minister, while the figure can go up to 35, or 15 per cent of the strength of the state Assembly, which has 230 members.

The last expansion of the Chouhan cabinet took place in January 2021.

According to party insiders, the expansion is being done on the recommendation of the BJP's central leadership to beat any anti-incumbency, balance caste equations and address regional aspirations.

Manish Gupta, resident editor of a leading Hindi daily, said anti-incumbency is palpable in Mahakoshal, Vindh and Bundelkhand regions of eastern Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP had put up a good show in Vindh and Bundelkhand regions in the 2018 polls, but its performance was below par in Mahakoshal, he said.

Representation of MLAs from Mahakoshal and Vindh was negligible in the cabinet, he said.

"People are feeling their regions have been neglected as far as cabinet representation is concerned. Inclusion of MLAs from Mahakoshal and Bundelkhand in the ministry would prove useful for the BJP in the Assembly polls," Mr Gupta claimed.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan became the Chief Minister in March 2020 after a revolt by MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia brought down the then Congress government under Kamal Nath, which had come to power in December 2018 after the Assembly polls.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/1vACwOg

PM Narendra Modi Greece Visit : पीएम मोदी बोले- 'आतंकवाद के खिलाफ भारत और ग्रीस साथ हैं' | Breaking

PM Narendra Modi Greece Visit : पीएम मोदी बोले- 'आतंकवाद के खिलाफ भारत और ग्रीस साथ हैं' | Breakingबिक्‍स सम्‍मेलन में हिस्‍सा लेने के बाद पीएम नरेंद्र मोदी आज ग्रीस पहुंच गए हैं. ग्रीस की राजधानी एथेंस में पीएम मोदी ने अपने एक दिवसीय दौरे के दौरान आज कदम रखा. एयरपोर्ट पर भारतीय पीएम का भव्‍य स्‍वागत किया गया. 40 सालों के बाद कोई भारतीय प्रधानमंत्री ग्रीस का दौरा कर रहा है. ग्रीस के प्रधानमंत्री किरियाकोस मित्सोटाकिस के विशेष न्योते पर पीएम मोदी वहां पहुंचे हैं. ग्रीस के विदेश मंत्री जॉर्ज गेरापेत्रिटिस ने एथेंस एयरपोर्ट पर प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी का स्वागत किया.

from Latest News मध्य प्रदेश News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/Qp3cUq7

Pestering Son-in-law To Abandon His Parents Amounts To Cruelty: High Court

Pestering a son-in-law to abandon his parents and start living with his in-laws as 'ghar jamai' amounts to cruelty, the Delhi High Court has held while granting a divorce decree in favour of a man.

A bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Neena Bansal Krishna set aside an order of a family court, which had dismissed the husband's divorce petition, and granted divorce to the couple on the ground of cruelty and desertion by the wife.

The man said in his plea that he got married in May 2001 and, within a few months of the marriage, his wife left her matrimonial home and went back to her parents in Delhi during pregnancy.

He said he made sincere efforts to convince her to return to the matrimonial home but she refused, while she and her family members insisted that he shift from Gujarat to Delhi and stay in their house as 'ghar jamai' (resident son-in-law), a proposal to which he did not agree as he had aged parents to take care of.

The woman, however, claimed she was harassed for dowry and that the man was a drunkard and used to beat her up and treat her with cruelty after which she left her matrimonial home in March 2002.

The high court referred to a judgment of the Supreme Court wherein it had observed that asking a son to separate from his family amounts to cruelty. The judgement said for a Hindu son in India, it is not a common practice or desirable culture to get separated from his family after marriage and that he has a moral and legal obligation to take care of his parents when they become old and have negligible or no income.

"Thus, the insistence of the family of respondent (wife) for the appellant (husband) to abandon his parents and become a 'Ghar Jamai' and live in their house amounts to cruelty," the high court held.

The bench said it needs no reiteration that the bedrock of any matrimonial relationship is cohabitation and conjugal relationship, and the gravamen (the most essential part) of any marriage is the succour and peace that the couple derive from the company of each other.

"The very fact that the parties were able to live together barely for six months and since February 2002, they have been living separately proves that the parties were unable to sustain their matrimonial relationship. For a couple to be deprived of each other's company, proves that the marriage cannot survive, and such deprivation of conjugal relationship is an act of extreme cruelty," it said.

The high court noted that the man was acquitted in the criminal case lodged by his wife for allegedly treating her cruelly and breaching her trust.

It said the woman claimed she was beaten and subjected to cruelty but she was not been able to substantiate any of her allegations.

"The making of false complaints in itself is an act of cruelty. Though the acquittal under Section 498A/406 IPC in itself may not be an act of cruelty, the onus was on the respondent to establish that she was subjected to cruelty or had any cogent reason to live separately from the appellant/ husband," it said, adding that the the false complaints filed by the wife against the husband constituted mental cruelty against him.

While the man alleged the woman was in a live-in relationship with someone else, the high court noted she has alleged that her husband had re-married during the subsistence of their marriage in 2015, and also has a child from his second marriage.

The court said the husband admitted to having a child outside marriage from a live-in relationship, while the woman claimed the man she was accused of having an affair with was her "muhbola bhai", a person who she treated as brother though he was not a blood relation.

"Here is the case where long separation has forced both the appellant and respondent to apparently find companionship in a third person. Be that as it may, it is evident that the evidence on record sufficiently proves that the respondent had withdrawn from the company of the appellant for which she has not been able to give any cogent reason," the high court said.

The high court said the woman had withdrawn herself from the company of her husband without any cogent reason.

"Considering the entire evidence, it is proved that the parties had drifted away and that respondent has deserted the petitioner/ appellant without any reasonable cause," it said, and passed the decree for dissolution of the marriage.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/lnLZFTd

SriLankan Airlines Flight From Colombo To Delhi Suffers Hydraulic Glitch

Sri Lankan Airlines on Thursday said its plane flying from Colombo to Delhi encountered a minor issue with one of its hydraulic systems and that there was no emergency landing.

On Wednesday, a source said the aircraft had made an emergency landing at Delhi airport due to a hydraulic issue.

In a statement, the airline said the plane operating the flight UL 195 encountered a minor issue with one of its three hydraulic systems.

"Such things happen from time to time, and the airline's crew are fully trained to handle them. The loss of full functionality of just one hydraulic system neither affects the performance nor calls for an emergency landing of the aircraft.

"As a routine precaution, the operating crew requested use of the longer runway for landing in Delhi. The landing was executed safely and without incident and the aircraft taxied to the parking stand for line maintenance work," the airline said.

The carrier also claimed that news reports of the plane making an emergency landing were false and that no emergency was declared.

"All passengers onboard the flight exited the aircraft safely... SriLankan Airlines always puts the safety of its passengers and employees first and it is in this spirit that the airline's pilots of UL 195 took prompt action following procedures on landing to ensure the safety of the people onboard the flight," the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/sOgMte6

Fresh Cracks In Joshimath Town To Be Surveyed By Building Research Body

Fresh cracks appearing in subsidence-hit Joshimath will be surveyed by scientists from the Central Building Research Institute, the Chamoli district administration said on Thursday.

In January this year, the land subsidence crisis in Joshimath grabbed national attention. Huge cracks had appeared in many houses, fields and roads making the town unsafe to live in, and a large number of people had to be moved to safer places.

Chamoli DM Himanshu Khurana held a meeting with officials of various departments here to discuss steps to be taken to rebuild the damaged parts of the hill town.

He directed them to coordinate with the CBRI scientists and get the fresh cracks in Joshimath surveyed by them.

He also asked the officials to prepare a detailed project report in coordination with CBRI scientists for retrofitting of buildings affected by land subsidence in Joshimath and strengthening of the Narsingh Mandir motorway.

The CBRI scientists had also been roped in earlier to oversee the demolition of two unsafe hotels in the town which were posing a danger to the nearby population.

The officials were asked to take quick action on the selection of land for the prefabricated building of the Community Health Centre, Joshimath and the construction of a damaged college building.

They were also asked to take suggestions from those engaged in the tourism sector while the tourism department was directed to identify land for creating tourist facilities.

Instructions were also given to the education department to identify land for new school buildings to be constructed in Joshimath.

The Jal Sansthan was asked to process a tender for a new drinking water scheme and the Jal Nigam was directed to select a consultant to prepare sewer lines, drainage system action plan, and a DPR in all wards of Joshimath municipality.

In coordination with THDC India Limited, the Irrigation Department was asked to prepare a DPR for the construction of a safety wall on the banks of the Alaknanda River in Joshimath area and take action on the survey of new cracks conducted by the CBRI team.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/qArxyjf

"No Constitutional Fraud In Scrapping Article 370": Centre To Supreme Court

Commencing their arguments in support of abrogation of Article 370 in the Supreme Court, the Centre's top law officers Thursday asserted there was no "constitutional fraud" in annulling the provision that accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which heard their contentions at length, told them they will have to justify the procedure adopted for abrogation as the court cannot postulate a situation "where the ends justify the means".

The petitioners opposing the repeal of Article 370 have been insisting that the provision could not have been abrogated, as the term of the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly, whose concurrence was required before taking such a step, ended in 1957, after it had drafted the erstwhile state's Constitution. With the constituent assembly having become extinct, Article 370 acquired a permanent status, they have said.

"We cannot postulate a situation where ends justify the means. The means have to be consistent with the ends," the CJI observed when Attorney General R Venkataramani said it was necessary to abrogate Article 370 and there were no infirmities in the process adopted.

There was no constitutional fraud, as alleged, in abrogation of the provision, said Venkataramani, who opened arguments on behalf of Centre.

"Due process was followed. There was no wrong-doing and there was no constitutional fraud as alleged by the other side. The step was necessary to be taken. Their argument is flawed and inconceivable," Venkataramani told the bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant.

CJI Chandrachud told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also appearing for the Centre, that eventually he will have to explain as to how the word "constituent assembly" which existed in clause 2 of Article 370 was replaced with the word "legislative assembly" on August 5, 2019, the day the provisions of Article 370 were done away with.

"You will have to argue how it was not a constituent assembly but a legislative assembly in its original form. You will have to answer how it will square up with clause 2 of Article 370 which specifically says the constituent assembly formed for the purpose of framing the constitution of that state....because, there is a textual answer which may militate against your line of approach," CJI Chandrachud told Mehta.

The solicitor general said he will try to satisfy the conscience of the court and explain the procedure adopted and how it was constitutionally permissible.

The relevant provision of Article 370, before its reading down in 2019, said: “Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this article, the President may, by public notification, declare that this article shall cease to be operative or shall be operative only with such exceptions and modifications and from such date as he may specify: Provided that the recommendation of the Constituent Assembly of the State referred to in clause (2) shall be necessary before the President issues such a notification.” On August 5, 2019, the newly inserted Article 367(4)(d) amended Article 370(3) by replacing the expression “Constituent Assembly of the State” with the “Legislative Assembly of the State”.

"I will show how Article 370 worked till 2019. Some of the things are really shocking and I want the court to know about it. Because, practically two constitutional organs-state government and the President- in consultation with each other, can amend any part of the Constitution, whichever way they want and apply it to Jammu and Kashmir," Mehta said.

As an example, Mehta said the preamble of the Indian Constitution was made applicable to Jammu and Kashmir by way of Constitution Order under Article 370(1)(b) in 1954.

"Thereafter 42nd amendment took place in 1976 and the words 'socialist' and 'secular' came to be added in the Indian Constitution but that was not made applicable (to J-K) till August 5, 2019. The Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir was not having either the term 'socialist' or 'secular'," Mehta said, adding he will show the "devastating effect" Article 370 could have had if it were not repealed.

"This court has rightly flagged that end may not justify the means but I will justify the means also. They are constitutionally permissible," Mehta said.

The CJI asked the Centre to furnish a list of states out of the 562 princely states which merged with India without signing any merger agreement besides original papers existing with the Department of State under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The solicitor general countered the argument of the petitioners that Article 370 was a special feature and it was a privilege given to the people of Jammu and Kashmir which could never be taken away, and said there were several similarly situated princely states, which put certain conditions for integration but eventually subsumed themselves with the Union because of Article 1 of the Constitution.

The bench prima facie agreed with the submissions of Mehta and said the only difference was that princely states like Kathiawar, Saurashtra and Baroda did not follow the Article 370 route but still were integrated with India.

"For J-K the Constitution decided to go to Article 370 and for other states there was no provision like Article 370. They merged and they were integrated completely. They accepted List 1, they accepted List 3 and they accepted the ultimate powers of the legislature of dominion of India," the bench said.

The CJI said many of these states came into the Union of their own volition.

"We take it as voluntary but there may have been little bit of persuasion, there may have been politics involved. This is because of genius like Sardar Patel and there is no doubt about it. But the fact, however, remains is that in so far as J-K is concerned, it bucked that trend and went through the Article 370 route," CJI Chandrachud added. Mehta also countered the argument of petitioners that instrument of merger was a necessary attribute for complete integration otherwise there existed a kind of internal sovereignty.

"This court may recall that J-K never signed instrument of merger but then many states did not sign instrument of merger. But, from the date on which Constitution of India came into force and Article 1 came into force, they became integral part of India," he said.

He also questioned the argument of the petitioners that although J-K gave up its external sovereignty, there existed internal sovereignty with the erstwhile state.

"In my view, the petitioners are confusing internal sovereignty with autonomy. External sovereignty nobody can dispute it is with UOI (Union of India) and internal sovereignty in the facts of our case and the constitutional structure which we have accepted, would mean autonomy of a federating unit. This autonomy exists with every state," Mehta submitted. The CJI agreed with the submission and said, "Yes, this is there with every institution. This exists with every autonomous institution. Like we have autonomous authority to decide the constitutional issue, so we can't say that internal sovereignty vests with us. We are an independent autonomous institution under the Constitution." The hearing remained inconclusive and will resume on August 28.

Several petitions challenging abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which split the erstwhile state into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh - were referred to a Constitution bench in 2019.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/F8Dbdne

Probe Agency Files Chargesheet Against Supertech Chairman RK Arora

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against Supertech chairman RK Arora in connection with a money laundering case in Delhi's Patiala House Court.

The chargesheet filed on Thursday was filed before Special Judge Devender Kumar Jangala, stating that there was sufficient evidence to prosecute Arora for laundering money. The court fixed August 28, 2023, for arguments on the cognisance point of the chargesheet.

Arora was arrested on June 27 under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Chargesheet has been filed by ED's counsels, Naveen Kumar Matta and Mohd Faizan Khan.

Earlier, while sending Arora to ED remand, the Court said that "the power to seek remand is essentially a part of the power of arrest and to conduct investigation in respect to the commission of the alleged offence of money laundering, and this power has necessarily to be inferred with the help of the above Section as Section 65 of the PMLA, 2002, does not prohibit remand of an accused under the said act to ED custody".

The court also said that when it comes to the power of the ED officers to seek ED custody of the accused, it has been observed that though Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) does not confer any specific power in this regard, but this power has to be inferred with the help of provisions contained in Section 65 of the PMLA, 2002, and Section 167 of the CrPC, as Section 65 of the PMLA provides that the provisions of the CrPC shall apply, in so far as they are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, to arrest, search and seizure, attachment, confiscation, investigation, prosecution, and all other proceedings.

"It is contended on behalf of the accused that the present ECIR was registered in the year 2021, and the applicant has been repeatedly examined by the investigating agency. After completion of the investigation, a provisional attachment order dated April 11, 2023, has been issued, and hence there is no requirement for arrest. The issuance of a provisional attachment order by the competent authority does not mean that the investigation into the offences defined under Section 3 punishable under Section 4 of PMLA has been completed," the court noted.

It has been specifically stated by the ED that the investigation for the commission of an offence punishable under Section 3/4 of PMLA is not yet complete; therefore, the Enforcement Directorate is justified in seeking custody of the applicant/accused, the court said.

However, the court had earlier directed that his interrogation be conducted at some place with CCTV coverage in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court and also in accordance with all the other applicable rules, directions, and guidelines on the subject, and the said CCTV footage shall be preserved.

Earlier, ED apprised the court that 26 FIRS were registered by EOW, Delhi Police, Haryana Police, and UP Police against Supertech Limited and its group companies under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), read with Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust)/420 (cheating)/467/471 IPC, with allegations of cheating at least 670 home buyers for an amount of Rs. 164 crore.

ED also alleged that the amount collected by Supertech Ltd. was diverted to their group companies for the purchase of properties, with the company with land having a much lesser value. ED alleged that the accused persons have acquired properties and made illegal/wrongful gains arising out of the said proceeds of crime by involving, indulging in, and commissioning criminal activities related to scheduled offences. It is stated that the prima facie case for the commission of an offence punishable under Section 3 and punishable under Section 4 of the PML Act has been made out.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/AVp2RBt

Lesbian Woman's Family Directed To Take Counselling By Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has directed the parents and maternal uncle of a 22-year-old lesbian woman to undergo counselling in order to prepare themselves to accept her "as per her wishes".

The court's order came on a habeas corpus petition by the woman's friend who claimed that she was "missing".

After interacting with the parties involved, a bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait directed the police to take the woman to a shelter home and make necessary arrangements for her boarding and lodging there.

While asking the director of the shelter home to provide "counselling session" to the woman, the court observed that her family members should also be counselled on alternate days.

The bench, also comprising Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, further directed the "parents and all other concerned" to "not to extend any kind of threat or undue pressure upon" their daughter and the petitioner.

"It is further directed that parents of (the woman) shall also be counselled at least on an alternative day to prepare them to accept (her) as per her wishes. The parents and maternal uncle are directed to approach the aforesaid shelter home for counselling, who shall be counselled by the Director and if they wish for further counselling, they shall be counselled accordingly, on the alternate days, thereafter," said the court in a recent order.

The parents of the woman "agreed" before the court that she should be sent to the shelter home in order to "reflect and introspect about her future".

The woman told the court that she was not willing to accompany her parents or any of the relatives and would either go with the petitioner or to the shelter home.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/OjVAksw

Article 370 Has "Self-Limiting Character": Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Wednesday said there is "intrinsic evidence" that Article 370 has a "self-limiting character" and it seems to have worked itself out after the term of the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly ended in 1957.

A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 that accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Really speaking, though the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir framed its relationship with Union of India, unless that relationship was embodied in the Indian Constitution, how will it bind the dominion of India or Parliament for successive years after 1957," the bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant, said.

The bench posed questions to senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for one of the petitioners Soayib Qureshi, who has challenged the Centre's August 5, 2019 decision to abrogate the provision.

CJI Chandrachud said in his view, Article 370 has two terminal points--first in clause 2 where it has been said that all decisions taken prior to the existence of the constituent assembly shall be placed for its approval and second, in proviso to clause 3, where it was said that the President can issue a notification declaring that Article 370 shall cease to exist or shall be operative with exceptions and modifications only on the recommendation of the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir. "Interestingly, Article 370 is silent on what the regime should be once the constituent assembly is formed and has taken a decision. There is a complete silence. If there is complete silence in Article 370, then Article 370 possibly has worked itself out…," the CJI said.

CJI Chandrachud asked Sankaranarayanan that if this reasoning is to be accepted, then it means that once Article 370 worked itself out, the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir will fill the void and that it will be the supreme document.

"Now the question will be, can the Constitution of federating unit rise above the source of federating unit," the CJI said.

He added then the point is does the court say that Indian Constitution must be read in a manner to treat the Constitution of J-K as an overriding document over the Indian constitution.

Sankaranaraynan said it is their argument that Article 370 has worked itself out once the constituent assembly ceased to exist and, therefore, it should not have been touched.

"But, if the terminal point of Article 370 is the constituent assembly, then is it not necessary that the work of constituent assembly of the state of J-K has to be embodied in this (Indian) Constitution to make it operational," the bench said.

CJI Chandrachud said that Article 370, which continued to exist in the Indian Constitution, itself points to its self-limiting character.

"It's there in the Constitution but the provision itself points to its self-limiting character. So it is not obliterated but the text itself shows it is a self-limiting character. The operation of Article 370 has to come to an end once the constituent assembly of the state was formed….There is enough intrinsic evidence that Article 370 has itself a self-limiting character," he said.

The bench, however, clarified it is not saying that all constitution amendment orders issued for the application of the provisions of the Indian Constitution with respect to Jammu and Kashmir are unconstitutional.

"We are not saying that all these constitutional orders (COs) may have been unconstitutional. It would be improper to say that after all these (COs) were issued by statesmen who have operated this nation for the last 70 years, and we should not say that what they did was unconstitutional. It was to further the course of governance in the nation," the CJI said.

Sankaranarayanan contended the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir has almost all the provisions that Indian Constitution has with nominal changes.

"Does that mean that anything said by the Constituent Assembly of the state of Jammu and Kashmir would bind the nation or bind Parliament or the Executive here? It had to be embodied subsequent to 1957 in a binding arrangement reflected in our Constitution which was never done," the bench said.

The top court also heard the arguments advanced by senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, Nitya Ramakrishnan, Sanjay Parikh and PC Sen on behalf of the petitioners.

The hearing remained inconclusive and will continue on Thursday with Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta presenting their arguments on behalf of the Centre. CJI Chandrachud said in order to maintain the continuity of the hearing, the constitution bench will sit on August 28 (Monday), which is otherwise reserved for hearing miscellaneous and fresh matters.

Several petitions challenging abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which split the erstwhile state into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh - were referred to a Constitution bench in 2019. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/sQwTzio

Moon Landing Done, ISRO Now Sets Eyes On Mars

ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Wednesday toasted the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, crediting it to the “pain and agony” of all the scientists who persevered on it and expressed confidence that the space agency would similarly land a spacecraft on Mars in the coming years.

Acknowledging the contribution of a generation of leadership by the scientists of the country's space agency for the Chandrayaan-3 mission's success, he said this is an "incremental progress" and "definitely a huge one”.

The journey to the Moon is tough and soft-landing is difficult for any nation to achieve today even with the advancement of technology, he said, pointing out that India achieved it in just two missions. Chandrayaan-2, the first mission with the objective of soft landing on the Moon had a narrow miss, while the Chandrayaan-3 mission was perfectly executed.

Chandrayaan-1's objective was only to place an unmanned spacecraft in an orbit around the Moon.

"It (success of Chandrayaan-3 mission) gives the confidence to configure missions to not only go to the Moon, but also to go to Mars, sometimes (perhaps) land on Mars, maybe in future go to Venus and other planets...", he said.

Undertaking the Chandrayaan-3 mission was difficult, he said. "We went through a lot of pain and agony".

Key scientists behind Chandrayaan-2 were also part of the Chandrayaan-3 team, he said. "Most of the people who were with Chandrayaan-2 are with us helping us to do Chandrayaan-3. They are a part of this, they have gone through such an agony..." "...the technology that we have in Chandrayaan-3 is no less complex or inferior to any other technology that goes to the Moon. So, we have the best of the sensors of the world, best in class (equipment) in Chandrayaan-3", he said, explaining that it was a completely ‘Made-in-India' mission using world-class components.

Conveying the greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the ISRO team, he said, "The Honourable PM called me and conveyed his greetings to each one of you and your family for the wonderful work you did in ISRO.” Speaking about the support from the government to pursue further space missions, both scientific as well as commercial, he said, “Thanks to him (PM) for the support he is giving to us for missions like Chandrayaan-3 and missions that are in the offing. That's the great word of comfort that we are receiving for pursuing the inspirational work that we are doing for the nation.” The ISRO chief said the Prime Minister is “very, very clear about the long-term vision, and wants to make sure that we remain very, very dominant in the area of space exploration and science”.

Addressing the ISRO team at the Mission Operations Complex, he thanked all those who prayed for the mission's success, and in particular named ISRO veterans like A S Kiran Kumar (former ISRO chief).

"They have been helping so much, they were part of the team to help them (team) to get the confidence and get the reviews done, and to ensure that nothing goes with any mistakes," he said.

India on Wednesday scripted history as ISRO's ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3's Lander Module (LM) touched down on the lunar surface, making it only the fourth country to accomplish the feat, and the first to reach the uncharted south pole of Earth's only natural satellite.

The LM comprising the lander (Vikram) and the 26 kg rover (Pragyan) made the soft landing near the south polar region of the Moon this evening.

Noting that this is the work of a generation of ISRO's leadership and scientists, Somanath said, "This is the journey we started with Chandrayaan-1, continued in Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-2 craft is still working and doing a lot of communication work with us. All the team that contributed to building Chandrayaan-1 and 2 should be remembered and thanked, while we celebrate (the success of) Chandrayaan-3." "This is an incremental progress and definitely a huge one," he added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/biJqdXp

Criminals : क्या है Sana Khan Death Case का Honey Trap कनेक्शन | Crime News | LATEST News | MP News

Criminals : क्या है Sana Khan Death Case का Honey Trap कनेक्शन | Crime News | LATEST News | MP NewsCriminals के आज के एपिसोड में देखें कि कहां फंस गई सना खान की मौत की गुत्थी. इस मामले में कहा जा रहा कि सना खान का ...

from Latest News मध्य प्रदेश News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/mjfErZe

27% Quota For Other Backward Classes In Gujarat Local Bodies: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday demanded a 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in local bodies in Gujarat and asked the government to make public the Justice Jhaveri Commission report.

The opposition party also made a strong pitch for a caste-based census.

These demands were made during a sit-in protest organised under the "Jan Adhikar Samiti" banner by Congress legislature party leader Amit Chavda, state unit president Shaktisinh Gohil, Jagdish Thakor, and others, at the Satyagrah Chhavni ground here.

Chavda said OBC leaders belonging to the ruling BJP were also invited to join the dharna but none came. In a dig, he said it seems "the BJP leaders are following the directions of their party high command".

He said the Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste and OBC communities will organise a Mahapanchayat for their rights and protest "discriminatory policies of the government".

"We had invited leaders of the OBC community sitting in the government to come to this dharna but no one joined us. They ignored their community and decided not to participate as per the order of their party. If the community has voted you to power, then you should come forward and support them," said Chavda.

He demanded the government conduct a caste-based census, publish Justice Jhaveri Commission's report, and allot 27 per cent reservation to the OBC community in all local self-government institutions.

Chavda also demanded a 27 per cent allocation to the OBC community in the annual state budget, and implementation of reservation to the ST, SC, OBC, and minority communities in cooperatives.

The main contention of the opposition party is the "delay" in making public a report submitted by the Justice Jhaveri Commission formed last year by the BJP government to ascertain the nature and implications of backwardness in local bodies to decide on reservation for OBCs in them.

The report was submitted to the government in April this year.

The Congress has been alleging that since this report has not been made public, elections to several local bodies have been put on hold in Gujarat.

The BJP government set up the commission, headed by Gujarat High Court Judge KS Jhaveri (retired) last July to collect and analyse data about the nature and implications of backwardness in local bodies, an exercise necessary for fixing the OBC quota in elections for institutes of local self-governance in the state.

As directed by the Supreme Court, seats to be reserved for OBC candidates in each local body will be decided as per the recommendations of the commission following a detailed study.

Chavda also demanded that sub-plan committees be formed to oversee the budget spending on OBCs and sought the reservation for them, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in cooperative bodies of the state.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/oSBzvem

Why KCR Announced Candidates In Telangana Before Poll Dates

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's move to announce a majority of his party candidates for the state elections that are yet to be announced, is a mark of confidence, leaders of his party said. Its full measure is repeating all the sitting members barring seven, they said.  

The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi has announced candidates for 115 of the 119 seats in the state assembly.  So far, only seven sitting MLAs appears to have been dropped.  

"Our estimate is we will win 95-105 seats. Not just MLA, even MP seats. We want to win 17 (Lok Sabha) seats. We and MIM are friendly parties," Mr Rao told reporters today.  

His party leaders say this will also bring in the first mover advantage -- which the party accrued in 2018 when it won its second term in power. "Even if there is some anti-incumbency against any individual MLA, people will vote for KCR and the BRS template of development and welfare," said senior party leader B Vinod.

The party claims its development template has led to a per capita income rise. Its welfare schemes cover every critical sector -- Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima for farmers, Dalit Bandhu for Scheduled Castes, BC Bandhu for Backward Classes and pensions for the elderly, widows, disabled and other disadvantaged sections.

The Chief Minister has brushed off the possibility of any real competition, not just from the BJP, but also the ascendant Congress which won a massive mandate in neighbouring Karnataka.  

Telangana is not Karnataka, Mr Rao has said, and suggested that Siddaramaiah government is already floundering. The Congress, he said, has been unable to fulfill its pre-poll promises in Karnataka.

The statements of the Chief Minister and his party leaders, though, are at variance with Mr Rao's move to contest elections from two seats -- Kamareddy in addition to his Gajwel assembly seat. In ordinary circumstances, it indicates a nervousness. The party leaders, though, laughed off the possibility.

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/ne0dNil

"She Never Spoke To Me About Her Anger Issues": Shraddha Walkar's Father

The father of Sharddha Walkar told a Delhi court on Monday that his daughter never spoke to him about her "serious anger issues" or getting "abusive first" with Aaftab Amin Poonawala, her live-in partner, accused of killing her and chopping the body into pieces.

He also denied having been told by her daughter that she felt guilty about not defending her mother properly against her father's aggressive or abusive behaviour.

Vikas Madan Walkar was being cross-examined as a prosecution witness by Poonawala's counsel before Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar.

Poonawala is accused of killing Shraddha Walkar on May 18 last year.

Defence counsel Akshay Bhandari posed several questions to Vikas Madan Walkar after playing some video clips where the victim was speaking to a psychologist or counsellor.

"Is it correct that in the said videos your daughter is telling the counsellor that you used to beat your wife? Is it correct that your daughter is also saying that she feels guilty that she did not defend her mother properly against your aggressive, abusive behaviour? Is it correct what your daughter is saying that (when) she tried to defend her mother once you scared her off?" Bhandari asked.

"It is correct that she has stated so in the videos. However, she never said the same to me," Walkar responded.

After a few other clips were played in the open court, Bhandari resumed the cross-examination.

"Is it correct that in the video your daughter is stating she has anger issues and she gets abusive first (with Poonawala)?" the defence counsel asked Walkar.

"Is it correct that your daughter is stating that the accused used to be very supportive of her and never stopped her from doing anything? Is it correct that the counsellor is heard saying that the victim has very serious anger issues…?" Bhandari continued with a flurry of questions.

Walkar's response to every question was his daughter never told him about any of these issues.

Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad objected to the questions on the ground that the video clips did not pertain to Walkar's examination-in-chief and that the alleged victim's father was not present when the videos were made. Examination-in-chief is the first questioning of a witness by the party which has called that witness to give evidence in support of the case being made.

"Further, the questions are intended to annoy and insult the witness, therefore the questions should be disallowed," he said.

Walkar's cross-examination got over on Monday, following which the court has posted the matter for examining further prosecution witnesses on Tuesday.

After allegedly strangling Sharddha Walkar, Poonawala was claimed to have sawed her body into pieces and kept them in a fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in south Delhi's Mehrauli. He later threw the pieces at different places in the national capital to avoid getting caught.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/0qscgwV

Barwani : छात्रों से भरी School Bus को Truck ने मारी टक्कर | MP News | ACCIDENT NEWS | Latest news

Barwani : छात्रों से भरी School Bus को Truck ने मारी टक्कर | MP News | ACCIDENT NEWS | Latest news00:00 Intro00:10 छात्रों से भरी School Bus को Truck ने मारी टक्कर 01:00 CM Shivraj का सौगात

from Latest News मध्य प्रदेश News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/8ldftAK

ISRO Recruitment Test Cancelled After 2 From Haryana Caught Cheating

The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) on Monday cancelled the test held a day ago to hire technical staff, after two men from Haryana were arrested for allegedly impersonating and cheating in the exam.

The VSSC, in a notification, said that the written tests to the posts of technician-B, draughtsman-B and radiographer-A held on August 20 at various centres in Thiruvananthapuram now stand cancelled.

"The revised schedule for the test will be informed to all the candidates through the VSSC website in due course. Inconvenience caused is regretted," the statement said.

The move comes after the Kerala Police caught two people red-handed at separate test centres as they cheated and arrested them.

On checking their identities, the police realised they were proxying for the actual candidates when their names did not match with those appearing for the exam.

Besides these two, four others from Haryana are in police custody for cheating.

The police launched a full-fledged investigation into the incident, had also urged VSSC to cancel the test.

As more than 400 candidates from Haryana had taken the test, there are suspicions over whether coaching centres may be involved. An investigating team will be sent to the state to collaborate with the state's police for the probe, the police had said earlier.

A case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and various other provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act has been lodged against those arrested, the police said.

"The two arrested accused will also be charged for impersonating the actual candidates," they said.

The national-level recruitment test was held only in Kerala at 10 exam centres, the police added.

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/31YVf0h

Ayodhya To Have State-Of-The-Art Urban Facilities, Says Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday directed officials to beautify Ayodhya and ensure state-of-the-art urban facilities there in view of the proposed inauguration of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple next year.

Yogi Adityanath, who visited Ayodhya a day ago, held a high-level meeting in Lucknow on Sunday to review the ongoing development projects and discuss the action plan for the temple's security management.

He said the whole world is looking forward to the much-anticipated temple inauguration event.

"Every devotee is eager to visit Ayodhya. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ayodhya is being developed in accordance with the glory of Treta Yug," the chief minister said.

Besides preserving the ancient culture and civilization in Ayodhya, the government is committed to providing state-of-the-art urban facilities in view of the needs of the future, he said.

"Every project for the overall development of Ayodhya, prepared in line with the prime minister's vision, is a priority of the government," Yogi Adityanath said.

At the meeting, he directed officials that Ayodhya be bedecked grandly on the occasion of the inauguration of the Ram temple.

"Muts and temples should be painted. Facade lighting in the entire city should follow a theme. There should be no water-logging anywhere in the city and the drains should be covered," the chief minister said.

He said the number of devotees and tourists in Ayodhya these days is 100 times more than its residents.

"Therefore, the Urban Development Department will have to make special arrangements for cleanliness. Additional sanitation workers should be deployed in Ayodhya," he said and instructed officials to complete the construction work of the Janmabhoomi Path, Bhakti Path and Ram Path at the earliest.

The chief minister said street vendors should not set up shops haphazardly along the main roads and they must be registered.

Reviewing the action plan for the security arrangements of the temple in the meeting, Mr Adityanath said the safety of the temple, devotees and tourists is of topmost priority.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/mkw2oh1

Sana Khan Murder Case: हनी ट्रैप में लोगों को फंसाने के लिए सना खान का इस्तेमाल कर रहा था पति अमित साहू- पुलिस

पुलिस अधिकारी ने कहा, 'हमारी जांच से पता चला कि अमित साहू एक गिरोह चलाता था, जो सना का इस्तेमाल लोगों को हनी ट्रैप में फंसाने के लिए करता था. यह गिरोह पुरुषों को निशाना बनाता और उनके पास सना को भेजता. फिर उनका अश्लील वीडियो और तस्वीरें निकालकर उन्हें ब्लैकमेल किया करता था.

from Latest News मध्य प्रदेश News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/H8X0zbc

Rajinikanth Offers Prayers At Ram Mandir, Hanuman Temple In Ayodhya

Superstar Rajinikanth offered prayers at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Sunday and saw the construction work. He also visited the Hanuman Garhi temple and paid obeisance.

"I wished to come here for a long time and I am fortunate that the wish has been fulfilled. If Lord wishes, I will come again after the construction of the temple is completed," Rajinikanth told reporters.

At the Ram Janmabhoomi, he was welcomed by senior officials, including the Ayodhya Commissioner Gaurav Dayal, the Inspector-General of Police Praveen Kumar and the Municipal Commissioner Vishal Singh.

The chief priest of the Ram temple Acharya Satyendra Das presented Rajinikanth a model of the Ram temple and a stole with the name of Lord Ram woven on it.

Mahant Raju Das of the Hanuman Garhi temple told news agency PTI that the actor spent around 10 minutes at the temple.

"I express my thanks to Rajinikanth ji. Today, people from different parts of the country, of different professions and Bollywood are being attracted towards Ayodhya," he said.

Earlier in the day, Rajinikanth met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav at his residence in Lucknow.

The Tamil superstar reached Lucknow on Friday to promote his film "Jailer", which hit the screens on August 10. On Saturday, he met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The actor said his meeting with the UP Chief Minister was "very good".

On Saturday afternoon, Rajinikanth along with UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya watched "Jailer" in Lucknow.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/cGktdU2

Unacademy Tutor Fired Over Remark Says Firm Acted "Under Pressure"

Unacademy sacked teacher Karan Sangwan on Saturday alleged that the firm terminated his service under pressure from trolls on social media who misinterpreted his generic remark to vote for educated candidates.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Karan Sangwan said he made the generic remark on his YouTube channel and not during his lecture at Unacademy.

"Why did termination happen? There is a pressure which gets built and you burst under its load. You (Unacademy) could not deal with the pressure. Therefore, under pressure you had to take an action which you may have not desired to or you desired to...I don't know. I can't say anything about what your intentions were?" Mr Sangwan said.

Mr Sangwan said that Unacademy acted against him without hearing him out.

"You directly sent me a termination notice," Karan Sangwan said, adding that to hide the pressure, Unacademy used the term "code of conduct" without defining a political statement.

He said that Unacademy cited views expressed by a Twitter account as an example in the termination notice. "Someone else's views were imposed on me," Mr Sangwan said.

Mr Sangwan said that he was hurled abuses, called anti-national and death threats were issued to him by trollers "who appeared to be illiterate" after his video was spread on August 13.

Unacademy co-founder Roman Saini said that Karan Sangwan was in breach of contract and therefore the company had to part ways with him.

Mr Saini in a tweet on the matter said Unacademy is an education platform that is deeply committed to imparting quality education.

"To do this we have in place a strict Code of Conduct for all our educators with the intention of ensuring that our learners have access to unbiased knowledge. Our learners are at the centre of everything we do. The classroom is not a place to share personal opinions and views as they can wrongly influence them. In the current situation, we were forced to part ways with Karan Sangwan as he was in breach of the Code of Conduct," the co-founder said on August 17.

Mr Sangwan said the situation changed in his favour after he shared information about his termination on August 17 in a messaging group that was leaked on social media and this time lakhs of people supported him. Several politicians questioned the action of Unacademy and if his appeal to vote for an educated candidate was wrong.

Karan Sangwan said that he made a generic statement without naming anyone on his YouTube channel which was not mentioned by Unacademy.

He said that people supported him after information about his termination went out but still no one from Unacademy contacted him.

"I made a statement. You are taking it on yourself when I have not taken any name. Why are you taking it on yourself? I have not said it," he said.

He also criticised the conduct of a news channel, without naming the entity, that his interview was edited to further fan the controversy.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/D2RUg8P

Jagan Reddy To Raise Andhra Students' Deportation From US With Centre

In wake of some students from Andhra Pradesh being deported from US, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has decided to take up the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to resolve it, said an official on Saturday.

An unspecified number of students from the southern state were deported by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) federal law enforcement agency officials recently from the American airports on landing, reports said.

"Reddy is looking into this matter and will address it to the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India for resolving this at the earliest as all students have a valid USA visa for higher studies…and also keeping in view of the careers of these students of AP," said an official of the state-government body Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) in a statement without divulging details.

Though the students possessed valid visas, the Andhra Pradesh government has said that CBP officials should consider granting entry to the students.

Issuing an advisory, the state government appealed to the students to be prepared to answer any question from the American officials and also carry all proofs on financials and other relevant documents, including understanding non-immigrant visa laws and gaining knowledge about the varsity and course.

Calling the deported students to reach out to it, APNRTS, which also functions as a specialised body for overseas education admission and counselling process has shared its helpline numbers.

The helpline numbers are 91 863 2340678 and 91 85000 27678, and email addresses, "mailto:info@apnrts.com"info@apnrts.com and "mailto:helpline@apnrts.com"helpline@apnrts.com Moreover, APNRTS cautioned students to be wary of misleading private education consultancies. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/M6y3Bb9

Taking Drum To Field, Man Leaves It On Tracks After Spotting Train

A man was arrested in Jalna in Maharashtra for allegedly leaving a drum filled with stones on the railway tracks after spotting an incoming train, a police official said on Saturday.

Balu Makhmale (25) was arrested by the Railway Protection Force on Friday in connection with the incident that took place a month ago, he said.

"The drum was spotted by the driver of the Devgiri Express on the Satona-Osmanabad route. He applied emergency brakes and averted an accident. A probe found Makhmale was taking the drum to his field nearby but abandoned it on the tracks after the Devgiri Express reached close by," he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/9dKYGJL

Jan Dhan Accounts Cross 50 Crore-Mark In Less Than 9 Years: Centre

The total number of Jan Dhan accounts in the country has crossed 50 crore-mark, with 56 per cent of the accounts belonging to women, the finance ministry said on Friday.

About 67 per cent of these accounts have been opened in rural and semi-urban areas, it said in a statement.

The total deposits in these accounts are above Rs 2.03 lakh crore while around 34 crore RuPay cards have been issued with these accounts free of cost.

The average balance in Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts is Rs 4,076 and more than 5.5 crore of these are receiving Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), it said.

The National Mission on Financial Inclusion -- popularly known as PMJDY -- which was launched on August 28, 2014, has been successful in changing the financial landscape of the country, it added.

PMJDY offers multiple advantages to account holders such as a bank account without the requirement of a minimum balance, free of cost RuPay debit cards with in-built accident insurance of Rs 2 lakh, and an overdraft facility of up to Rs 10,000.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/zSRtWeQ

"Ridiculous, Shame": Sourav Ganguly On Jadavpur University Student's Death

A week after the death of an undergraduate student in West Bengal's Jadavpur University, Former cricketer Sourav Ganguly on Friday called the incident "ridiculous" and urged for strict laws to be implemented in the universities.

"These are institutions where children come to study that should be the main focus. This is ridiculous and a shame. The law has to be very strict," Sourav Ganguly said.

The student was died after allegedly falling from the balcony of the university's hostel on the night of August 9. He was allegedly subjected to ragging before his death.

However, on Friday, three more persons were arrested in connection with the case.

The total number of arrests in the case stands at 12 at present.

Jadavpur University (JU) authorities has rolled out various measures, including making identity cards mandatory for visitors to enter the campus at night and installing CCTVs at strategic points.

According to the circular issued on Thursday, identity cards issued by the university will be mandatory for entering the campus from 8 pm to 7 am.

As per the authorities, this would help curb the entry of outsiders to the campus.

"All individuals who want to enter the University campus between 8.00 PM to 7:00 AM will have to carry valid Identity Card(s) issued by

Jadavpur University. It will have to be produced on demand," it said, adding that if a person does not have an ID card issued by the university, he or she will have to produce some other valid proof of identity and enter the details of the person, where he or she is going to meet in a register kept at the gate of the university.

It also said that vehicles, including two-wheelers entering the campus, will have to now bear stickers issued by the university.

"Two-wheelers or four-wheelers must have a JU sticker issued by the University. The Vehicles without JU stickers must provide their registration number at the gate of the University before entering. The security persons should keep the noting of all such vehicles. A valid ID card of the vehicle's driver or the passengers will have to be produced on demand," the circular added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/IojyZ4C

Arvind Kejriwal's "Styles Of Democracy" Jibe At BJP Over Services Law

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday attacked the BJP-led Centre, saying the ordinance on services matter was brought as money power and the threat of the ED and the CBI failed in Delhi.

In a speech in the Assembly, he also claimed that the BJP has brought the "Sanghi" model of democracy through the Services Bill while asserting that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be fought on the issue of full statehood for the national capital.

Mr Kejriwal alleged that the "democratic rights of the people of Delhi were trampled through the ordinance and the bill".

"There are several styles of democratic systems like the Westminister style and parliamentary style. These people (BJP) have brought the Sanghi style of democracy through this bill," he said.

"The ordinance on services matter was brought because money power and the threat of the ED and the CBI had failed in Delhi," he added.

Mr Kejriwal also claimed that recently, someone from BJP had threatened him, saying, "We will make you bow down".

"But I want to tell them that no power can make Mr Kejriwal and the two crore people of Delhi bow down," he said.

The AAP national convener said that the BJP will lose all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi in the 2024 polls.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/ICNox6w

Rajasthan Announces Rs 15 Crore Financial-Aid To Rain-Hit Himachal

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday announced a financial assistance of Rs 15 crore to Himachal Pradesh where heavy rains and landslides have caused massive damage.

"An assistance of Rs 15 crore will be given by the Rajasthan government to help the people suffering from the difficult situation created by heavy rains and landslides in Himachal Pradesh," Mr Gehlot said in a post on X, formerly called Twitter.

Mr Gehlot said the people of Rajasthan are standing with the people of Himachal Pradesh in these difficult circumstances.

This comes after Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced a financial assistance of Rs 11 crore to the flood-hit state earlier in the day.

Officials in Himachal Pradesh have said the total number of deaths in rain-related incidents in the state since Sunday night has increased to 75 with Shimla alone accounting for 22 fatalities. 

Heavy rains have hit the hill state since Sunday, triggering landslides in Shimla and several other districts.

Since the onset of the monsoon on June 24, 217 persons have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh and 11,301 houses have been partially or completely damaged, according to the state emergency operation centre.

A total of 506 roads are still closed in the state and 408 transformers and 149 water supply schemes have been disrupted.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/BIROvup

Amid Paper Row, Ashoka Faculty Presses For Academic Freedom Committee

A group of faculty members of Ashoka University has written to its vice chancellor claiming that free thought within universities in India is in crisis today and demanded that all decisions on matters related to academic freedom should be put on hold till the promised committee for academic freedom is in place.

The letter comes following the resignation of assistant professor Sabyasachi Das after a controversy over his research paper which argued that the BJP won a disproportionate share of closely contested parliamentary seats in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, especially in states where it was the ruling party at the time.

While another professor Pulapre Balakrishnan has put in his papers in support of Das, the faculty members from Economics, Political Science, English and creative writing departments have have written to the governing body threatening a faculty exodus if Das is not offered reinstatement. The faculty members have also warned of stopping teaching till their demands are met.

"Free thought within universities in India is in crisis today, largely because of the near-absolute intolerance of critique. What is critique! It is legitimate disagreement, and comprises the raising of questions that are inextricable, at any given point, from the fabric of a free and healthy society. It is to be distinguished, firmly, from defamation or incitement to hatred or all categories of expression that will not stand up in a court of law or which do not abide by the Constitution.

"To stifle critique is to poison the life-blood of pedagogy, consequently, it is to dam age whatever future our students might have as serious thinkers. Recent events around a paper published by Professor Sabyasachi Das are a reminder that the crisis is an ongoing and deep one, with implications for every academic working at Ashoka University and, for that matter, in India," the joint letter signed by nearly 100 faculty members said.

The letter noted that it is not a crisis that will go away by wishing that papers like the one by Das will not be written in the future, because that is not a realistic possibility in a working institution.

"It will not be solved by apologies and resignations. It has to be addressed with academic freedom constituting the core of our position with regard to the crisis. Ashoka University drafted and adopted a document for academic freedom in 2021. It has been bewildering to witness events unfold in the last two weeks that are directly related to academic freedom in a way that makes no reference to this document and behaves, to all purposes, as if it does not exist.

"We ask that all responses to the matter of what may or may not be admissible in research and academic practice at Ashoka University proceed from now on according to the guidelines set out in this document, which, rather than any tweet or individual opinion, expresses the university's position on this all-important subject," it said.

The faculty has demanded that the committee for academic freedom, which the document had proposed be set up soon, be created immediately.

"It will bring much-needed transparency and procedural fairness whenever such issues arise. The absence of both are being felt acutely at this moment. It would also prevent, on such occasions, public pronouncements that claim to speak on behalf of Ashoka University of whose provenance almost no one at the university is aware.

"All such pronouncements and decisions about actions to be taken in such circumstances should emanate, after deliberation, from the committee for academic freedom. Decisions on matters related to academic freedom should be put on hold until the committee is in place," the letter said.

The university had earlier distanced itself from the paper, "Democratic Backsliding in the World's Largest Democracy" which was published on the Social Science Research Network on July 25 saying social media activity or public activism by Ashoka faculty, students or staff in their "individual capacity" does not reflect its stand.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/Rn6yOI2

Latest Round Of Border Talks With India Held In "Candid Atmosphere": China

China on Wednesday said the latest round of the border talks with India was held in a "candid and pragmatic atmosphere" and the two sides had a "positive, constructive and in-depth discussion" on the resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector.

The 19th round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side from August 13 to 14.

A joint press release issued after the two-day talks did not indicate any immediate breakthrough in the disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points.

"China commends the progress made through the meeting. In a candid and pragmatic atmosphere, the two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday in response to a question by the official media here.

"In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner," Wang said.

The two sides agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels. In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas, the spokesperson said.

The talks were held days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Johannesburg next week to attend a summit of BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) where he is set to come face-to-face with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

In the 18th round of the military dialogue that was held on April 23, the Indian side had pitched for resolving the lingering issues at Depsang and Demchok at the earliest.

On July 24, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on the sidelines of a meeting of the five-nation grouping BRICS in Johannesburg.

India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/hVovXfR

Will Take A Year To Rebuild, Says Himachal Chief Minister On Rain Damage

At least 71 people have died in the past three days and 13 are still missing in Himachal Pradesh after devastating rains pounded the state, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu terming the work of rebuilding infrastructure a "mountain-like challenge".

The death count from landslides and flashfloods jumped on Wednesday as rescuers pulled out more bodies from the rubble of collapsed buildings, officials said.

Heavy rains have battered the hill state since Sunday, triggering landslides in several districts including Shimla where three areas -- Summer Hill, Fagli and Krishna Nagar -- are badly hit by landslips.

"At least 71 people have died in the past three days and 13 are still missing. As many as 57 bodies have been recovered since Sunday night," Principal Secretary (Revenue) Onkar Chand Sharma said.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sukhu said that about 60 people have died since Sunday night.

In an interview with PTI, Mr Sukhu said his state will take a year to rebuild the infrastructure wrecked by the heavy rains this monsoon and claimed that the estimated loss in the two devastating spells of heavy rains - this week and in July - is about Rs 10,000 crore.

The chief minister said it takes time to rebuild roads and water projects. But the government is speeding up the process. "We have to get the infrastructure fully restored within a year. I am working with this in mind." "It's a big challenge, a mountain-like challenge," he said.

According to the state emergency operation centre, in total 214 people have died in the rain-related incidents in the state since the onset of monsoon on June 24 while 38 are still missing.

"Rescue operations are going on in Summer Hill and Krishna Nagar areas...one body was recovered from Summer Hill site," Shimla Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi told PTI.

He said so far 13 bodies have been recovered from Summer Hill, five from Fagli and two from Krishna Nagar. Some bodies are still feared buried in the debris of the Shiva temple at Summer Hill that collapsed on Monday.

About 15 houses in Krishna Nagar have been vacated and the families shifted to safer places. Several others have vacated their homes themselves fearing slides due to incessant rains.

The Education department had ordered closure of all schools and colleges in the state on Wednesday due to inclement weather and the Himachal Pradesh University has suspended teaching activities till August 19.

About 800 roads are blocked in the state and the losses suffered by the state since the onset of monsoon on June 24 have crossed Rs 7,480 crore, officials said, adding as many as 10,714 houses have been completely or partially damaged so far.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has urged the Centre to declare national calamity in Himachal Pradesh and release Rs 2,000 crore for restoration works.

Meanwhile, 1,731 people have been rescued from flood-affected areas of Indora and Fatehpur sub-divisions of Kangra district in the last 24 hours, said Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal on Wednesday.

Specifically, 1,344 people were rescued from Indora and 387 from Fatehpur.

The operation to evacuate people from flood-affected areas is going on with the assistance of Air Force helicopters, Army personnel, and NDRF, Mr Jindal said.

Chief Minister Sukhu conducted an aerial survey of Indora and Fatehpur and took stock of evacuation operations in the areas flooded downstream of Pong reservoir.

Himachal Pradesh has already received 742 mm of rainfall in 54 days of monsoon this year against a season's average of 730 mm it records between June 1 and September 30, a weather official here said.

The rainfall recorded in the state this July broke all records for the month in the last 50 years, Shimla Meteorological Centre Director Surinder Paul told PTI.

The Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force are engaged in the evacuation of people from the flood-affected areas, Chief Minister Sukhu said, adding police and Home Guard personnel have also been roped in for the process.

He said that this was the most devastating natural calamity the state has gone through in the last 50 years.

Meanwhile, Himachal Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla visited the landslide-hit Krishna Nagar locality in Shimla and interacted with the residents there, a statement issued here said.

Around 250 to 300 families have been affected in Krishna Nagar, it added.

In July, heavy rains in the state, including in Mandi, Kullu and Shimla, claimed several lives and destroyed property worth crores of rupees.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/VKoTdBj

Pregnant Wife Killed In Accident, Man Gets "Loss Of Foetus" Compensation

The Delhi High Court has awarded Rs 5 lakh as compensation to a man who lost his 27-year-old pregnant wife, a police constable, in a road accident, saying he is entitled to the amount for the "loss of the foetus" carried by the woman.

Justice Navin Chawla said a foetus is another life in a woman and its loss is actually a loss of a child in the offing and the husband of the deceased "lost his entire family in the accident, including the child whom he could never see".

The Uttar Pradesh Police constable died in July 2013 as a result of injuries she suffered after a truck at high speed hit a motorcycle on which she was riding with her colleague from behind. The constable was riding pillion.

The court opined that the husband was entitled to a "just" compensation.

Stating that the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal's decision to give a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh for loss of the eight-month-old foetus was not adequate, the judge directed that an enhanced compensation of Rs 5 lakh be given by the insurer.

"There can be no doubt that the appellant herein is entitled to compensation that may be found 'just' for the loss of the foetus carried by the deceased at the time of the accident/her death," the court said in a recent order.

"Keeping in view the facts of the present case, I find the compensation of Rs 2,50,000 awarded by the learned tribunal to be inadequate. The same shall stand enhanced to Rs 5,00,000," the judge ordered.

The court's order came on an appeal by the husband against the amount of compensation granted by the tribunal.

The tribunal had held that the constable died due to the negligent driving and awarded compensation to the husband on the basis of the "loss of estate at 1/3rd of the income of the deceased".

It had further also awarded a sum of Rs 2.50 lakh towards the death of the foetus.

The appellant argued before the high court that the tribunal erred in restricting the compensation towards the death of the foetus only to Rs 2.50 lakh as he was expecting his first child with his deceased wife and his entire family "wiped-out" in the accident.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/EdQ4jGK

Delhi Minister Atishi Gives New Order On Transfer-Posting, Vigilance

Delhi Services Minister Atishi Wednesday issued a fresh order asking Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to ensure files on transfer-posting of officers and vigilance matters be presented to the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA) only after her approval.

She said the three-member NCCSA will meet regularly until any new order is issued by the Supreme Court. "Despite challenging this legislation (GNCTD ordinance) in the Supreme Court, we will comply with it as long as it remains prevalent as a law passed by Parliament," she said.

The NCCSA was formed after the Centre issued an ordinance in May. The ordinance has now been replaced by the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2023.

The AAP has been alleging the Centre was trying to take control of Delhi's services matter through the ordinance which was promulgated a week after the Supreme Court ruled that the transfer and posting of official working in Delhi was under the city government's domain.

Under the NCCSA envisaged in the new law, the three-member body is headed by the chief minister with the chief secretary and the principal secretary (home) of Delhi as members. All decisions will be taken by majority, effectively meaning decisions taken by the two bureaucrats would prevail.

Kejriwal had earlier said the authority was created as part of a "conspiracy" to control the capital by stealth.

Atishi, who was recently allocated the Services and Vigilance portfolios, issued fresh directions on Wednesday to the chief secretary which means no file related to transfer-posting of grade A officers would be put to NCCSA unless approved by her.

Atishi asked the chief secretary to follow the provisions of Sections 45H(1) and 45H(2) of GNCTD (Amendment) Act 2023 for "better functioning of the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA)".

"All proposals for transfers and postings under Section 45H(1) will be put up to NCCSA with the approval of Minister Services. After obtaining the approval of Minister Services, Secretary Services shall send the proposals to the Member Secretary of the NCCSA for putting up before the NCCSA," she said in the order.

"All proposals for vigilance and non-vigilance related matters under Section 45H(2) will be put up to NCCSA with the approval of Minister Vigilance. After obtaining the approval of Minister Vigilance, Secretary Vigilance shall send the proposals to the Member Secretary of the NCCSA for putting up before the NCCSA," she said.

She said that under Section 45H(1) of the GNCTD (Amendment) Act 2023, the NCCSA will be responsible for the transfer and posting of all Group-A and DANICS officers in Delhi, she has said in the order.

And as per Section 45H(2), she said, it will be the responsibility of the NCCSA to recommend initiating disciplinary action for all Group-A and DANICS officers associated with vigilance and non-vigilance cases in Delhi, with the aim of starting disciplinary proceedings and recommending sanctions for the same.

"We have issued an order outlining procedures that facilitate coordination between the Delhi Govt's departments and NCCSA with regular meetings planned. This comprehensive order includes all the necessary steps and procedures for said coordination to ensure the smooth functioning of the authority and the NCT, " Atishi told reporters outside the Delhi Assembly.

Atishi also said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will now participate in all its meetings as the chairperson.

The AAP had vehemently opposed the GNCTD Act, 2023 and the ordinance that preceded it, saying it gives control to the LG, appointed by the Centre, over the transfer of posting of officials working under the Delhi government.

However, Atishi told reporters on Wednesday now regular meetings will be held.

"Meetings of the authority have not been held in the past few months due to some reasons, resulting from a deadlock between officers and the government. But now, the Kejriwal Government has issued orders to conduct these meetings on a regular basis, because the Kejriwal government firmly believes in and abides by the authority of India's Constitution." She added the decision was made to ensure effective coordination between departments of the Delhi government and the National Capital Civil Services Authority, preventing any disruption of work for the people of Delhi.

"Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will participate in all NCCSA meetings as the chairperson because he is concerned for the citizens of Delhi and he respects the Constitution.

The minister said they have challenged the Bill in the Supreme Court and key question raised still remain unanswered.

Atishi was also questioned about the clocking of Delhi Jal Board funds, she said, "Due to the ordinance brought by the Centre, the officers are working as per their whims because they know they are answerable to the Lieutenant Governor and not the elected government in Delhi."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/oFGfMBQ