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Three senior BJP leaders
have turned rebel and
joined Chirag Paswan’s politi-
cal crusade against Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar, much
to the discomfiture of the saf-
fron outfit. Several other BJP
leaders are in the queue to join
the Lok Janashakti Party and
contest against Janata Dal(U)
despite strong warning from
the BJP.
A day after former BJP vice
president Rajendra Singh,
joined the LJP, two more senior
BJP leaders — Usha Vidyarthi
and Rameshwar Chaurasia —
joined the LJP even as the State
saffron leadership fretted and
fumed and the JD(U) tried to
calculate the loss it may have to
face due to Chirag Paswan’s
decision to put contest against
the party’s nominees.
Usha Vidyarthi joined the
LJP after meeting its president
Chirag Paswan here, and is
likely to be fielded from the
Paliganj Assembly seat where
the JD(U) will contest as well.
Sitting BJP MLA Ravindra
Yadav from Jhajha also joined
the LJP along with several
other party rebels who have
been denied tickets and see the
LJP a perfect platform to take
a plunge in the polls.
Rajendra Singh, who has
more than three decades of
association with the RSS, want-
ed to contest from Dinara but
the seat has been allotted to the
JD(U) as part of its seat-shar-
ing arrangement with the ally.
“I have no bitterness with
anyone. I have remained a
small worker of the RSS. I will
still talk of Ram Mandir,
Kashmir, CAA-NRC, etc. I
have respect for Ram Vilas
Paswan also. My conscience is
clear that I have to work for
Dinara. The farmers still don’t
get the right price for their
paddy here,” Singh has been
quoted as saying.
Singh narrowly lost the
2015 Assembly polls from
Dinara.
Several other BJP rebels are
in the queue to join the LJP,
hoping the party could get
them ticket to contest the polls.
This has given serious
headache to the JD(U), which
fears that these rebels can sway
the BJP cadre and win their
votes at the cost of the JD(U).
“This could come in the
way of transfer of the BJP
votes to the JD(U),” said a
JD(U) leader, adding, “If that
happens our voters could do
the same. That would harm the
interest of the NDA.”
Realising the seriousness of
the situation, State BJP leaders
have repeatedly warned both
Chirag and the rebels. While
they have advised Chirag not to
invoke the name of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in
campaigning, they have asked
the rebels to come back to the
party fold.
Chirag may have compul-
sion to fall in line — he could
face action from the EC if he
continued to seek votes in the
name of Modi — but the BJP
rebels have turned deaf ears to
the warning.
Chirag has come out
strongly against JD(U) presi-
dent and Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar, and claimed
that the next Government in
the State will be headed by the
BJP with his party’s support.
Meanwhile, the BJP on
Wednesday allocated 11 seats
to associate partner Vikassheel
Insaan Party (VIP) from its
quota of 121 seats in Bihar
Assembly polls.
Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar had announced at a
joint press conference on
Tuesday that while the JD(U)
will spare some seats to
Hindustani Awam Morcha
(HAM) of former Chief
Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi
from its share of 122 seats and
the BJP will accommodate the
VIP from its quota of 121
seats in the 243-member
Assembly. The JD(U) has pro-
vided seven seats to the HAM.
The seat distribution to
the VIP was announced at a
press conference addressed by
Deputy Chief Minister Sushil
Kumar Modi, Bihar unit pres-
ident Sanjay Jaiswal and VIP
chief Mukesh Sahni.
Jaiswal told reporters that
the VIP will also be provided
one seat in Bihar legislative
council in future.
The VIP floated a couple of
years ago by former Bollywood
set designer Mukesh Sahni,
was with the Opposition Grand
Alliance till last week.
Sahni had on Friday last
announced an abrupt exit from
the Opposition coalition in
protest against “back-stabbing”
by the RJD, which helms the
anti-NDA grouping, and its de
facto leader Tejashwi Yadav.
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Former CBI director and
Nagaland Governor
Ashwani Kumar was found
hanging at his residence in
Shimla on Wednesday, officials
said.
It is learnt that Kumar,
also the former Director
General of Himachal Pradesh
Police, was under depression
for sometime now. Shimla
Superintendent of Police Mohit
Chawla confirmed the incident.
Kumar became CBI direc-
tor in 2008, succeeding Vijay
Shanker, in the midst of the
agency’s probe into the Aarushi
Talwar murder case that
hogged the headlines.
Kumar later became
Governor of Nagaland, they
said. He was presently Vice
Chancellor of a private uni-
versity in Shimla, they said. The
university is currently facing
charges of issuing fake degrees.
The body of Kumar, a
1973-batch IPS officer, was
found hanging at his residence
in Shimla on Wednesday
evening, they said.
A senior police officer told
IANS that a suicide note was
found from the crime spot.
He along with his wife was
seen strolling in the evening in
the city, a neighbour told the
police.
The lover of cartoons,
Kumar had said in an interview
to PTI in 2008 after taking over
as the CBI Director, “I like Tom
and Jerry cartoon show. Police
is like the cat while the crimi-
nals are like mice. So Tom
never leaves Jerry.”
“I am in the game of Tom
and Jerry and I have to do my
job,” he had said.
Kumar had expressed his
displeasure over the probe into
the Aarushi murder case and
had taken upon himself to
take it to a logical conclusion.
“This case is a litmus test for
me. I need to know who killed
Aarushi — parents or someone
else. I feel agitated within over
this case,” he had commented.
During his stint as the CBI
Director, Kumar laid a special
focus on the growing econom-
ic offences and roped in the
Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India (ICAI) to
help the agency in probing
white collar crimes.
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Public spaces cannot be
occupied indefinitely and
demonstrations expressing dis-
sent have to be in designated
places alone, the Supreme
Court said on Wednesday
while concluding that occupa-
tion of public ways in the anti-
CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh
here was “not acceptable”.
Observing that democracy
and dissent “go hand in hand”,
the apex court said constitu-
tional scheme comes with the
right to protest and express dis-
sent, but with an obligation
towards certain duties.
A bench headed by Justice
SK Kaul said erstwhile mode
and manner of dissent against
colonial rule cannot be equat-
ed with dissent in a self-ruled
democracy.
“However, while appreci-
ating the existence of the right
to peaceful protest against a leg-
islation...We have to make it
unequivocally clear that public
ways and public spaces cannot
be occupied in such a manner
and that too indefinitely,” said
the bench, also comprising
Justices Aniruddha Bose and
Krishna Murari.
The bench delivered its
verdict on a plea by lawyer
Amit Sahni against blockade of
a road in Shaheen Bagh area by
those protesting against
Citizenship Amendment Act
(CAA), which aimed to provide
Indian citizenship to perse-
cuted minorities of Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
It said protest at Shaheen
Bagh was a blockage of a pub-
lic way which caused grave
inconvenience to commuters.
“We have, thus, no hesita-
tion in concluding that such
kind of occupation of public
ways, whether at the site in
question or anywhere else for
protests is not acceptable and
the administration ought to
take action to keep the areas
clear of encroachments or
obstructions,” it
said.
“Democracy and dissent go
hand in hand, but then the
demonstrations expressing dis-
sent have to be in designated
places alone,” it said, adding,
“We cannot accept the plea of
the applicants that an indeter-
minable number of people can
assemble whenever they choose
to protest”.
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The Hathras police, investi-
gating the rape and murder
of a Dalit girl, has initiated the
process to transfer the papers
to the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) who will
now register a case and proceed
with further legal action.
In the meantime, the
Government has extended the
terms of the Special
Investigation Team (SIT) for
ten more days as the probe by
them is still inconclusive.
Sources said all the FIRs
related to Hathras case have
been transferred to the CBI.
The UP Government had rec-
ommended a CBI probe on
Saturday last and the letter to
the Union Home Ministry was
sent immediately
thereafter.
However, the CBI agreed to
take over the case on Tuesday
after the matter came for hear-
ing before the Supreme Court
and the UP Government sug-
gested that the apex court
could monitor the investigation
of the CBI.
However, the family of the
victim has opposed the CBI
probe and have demanded a
judicial investigation. They
have also opposed the UP
Government’s suggestion for a
Narco test on the family of the
victim, accused and even of the
policemen.
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Amid farmers’protests across
India against the farm Bills
and their apprehensions over
the minimum support price
(MSP), the Centre on
Wednesday said since
September 26 it has procured
15.26 lakh metric tonnes
(LMT) of paddy at the MSP
value of around C2,882 crore
from 1,27,832 farmers.
This is 23 per cent more
than last year’s procurement of
12.38 LMT. Similarly, the num-
ber of purchase centers has
increased from 30549 to 39130,
an increase of 28 per cent
amid coronavirus
pandemic.
Addressing a Press confer-
ence, Sudhanshu Pandey, sec-
retary, Food and Public
Distribution Department, said
so far 23 per cent more paddy
has been procured than last
year. The paddy procurement
of 4,82,656 MT in Haryana,
10,08,028 MT in Punjab, 6,945
MT in Chandigarh, 1545 MT
in Uttar Pradesh and 1809 MT
in Kerala and 25,551 MT in
Tamil Nadu totaling 15,26,534
MT having MSP value of
around C2,882 core has been
done from 1,27,832 farmers of
Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh,
Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and
Tamil Nadu.
Pandey said up to October
6, the nodal agencies procured
201.15 MT of moong having
MSP value of C1.45 crore ben-
efitting 161 farmers in Tamil
Nadu and Haryana. Similarly,
5089 MT of copra having MSP
value of C52.40 crore has been
procured benefitting 3961
farmers in Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu against the sanc-
tioned quantity of 1.23 LMT for
the Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and
Kerala.
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The Trump administration
has announced new restric-
tions on H-1B non-immigrant
visa programme which it said
is aimed at protecting
American workers, restoring
integrity and to better guaran-
tee that H-1B petitions are
approved only for qualified
beneficiaries and petitioners, a
move which will affect thou-
sands of Indian IT profession-
als.
The interim final rule
announced by the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS)
on Tuesday, ahead of the US
presidential election on
November 3, will narrow the
definition of “specialty occu-
pation” as Congress intended
by closing the overbroad defi-
nition that allowed companies
to game the system.
It will also require compa-
nies to make “real” offers to
“real employees,” by closing
loopholes and preventing the
displacement of the American
workers. And finally, the new
rules would enhance the
department’s ability to enforce
compliance through worksite
inspections and monitor com-
pliance before, during and after
an H1-B petition is approved.
The H-1B visa is a non-
immigrant visa that allows US
companies to employ foreign
workers in speciality occupa-
tions that require theoretical or
technical expertise.
The technology compa-
nies depend on it to hire tens
of thousands of employees
each year from countries like
India and China.
Such a decision by the
Trump administration will
have an adverse impact on
thousands of Indian IT profes-
sionals. Already a large num-
ber of Indians on the H-1B
visas have lost their jobs and are
headed back home during the
coronavirus pandemic that has
severely hit the US
economy.
According to the DHS, the
interim final rule to be pub-
lished in Federal Register will
be effective in 60 days.
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The Bombay High Court on
Wednesday granted a con-
ditional bail to accused actress
Rhea Chakraborty in the
Sushant Singh Rajput death-
related drug case, after holding
that there were no grounds to
believe that she committed any
offence involving commercial
quantity of contraband and
dismissing the special court’s
observation that if released on
bail she might alert others and
have the evidence destroyed by
them.
Hours after the High Court
granted her bail, Rhea walked
out from the Byaculla women’s
jail on Wednesday and drove
back to her Juhu residence in
the full media glare and amid
tight police security.
Nearly a month after she
was arrested in the Sushant
death-related drug case, Justice
SV Kotwal of the High Court
granted bail to Rhea on a per-
sonal bond for C1 lakh with
“one or two sureties” for the
same amount and conditions
like she would deposit her
passport with the Narcotics
Control Bureau (NCB) and
not leave the country without
permission from the special
court and she would present
herself for an attendance once
in a month for the next six
months.
The High Court also grant-
ed bail to the actor’s house-
keeper Dipesh Sawant and
house manager Samuel
Miranda on a surety of C50,000
each in cash. Justice Kotwal,
however, rejected the bail plea
of Rhea’s brother Showik
Chakraborty after noting he is
part of a chain of drug
dealers.
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TV journalists in Mumbai
will no more be able to
enjoy the thrill of chasing
celebrities on the streets and
shriek at them question from
speeding vehicles.
After Bombay HC grant-
ed bail to Rhea Chakraborty,
the police warned journalists
of strict action if they chased
the vehicle of any celebrity,
advocate or a person they
wanted to
interview.
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Agitating farmers in Punjab
on Wednesday turned
down the Centre’s request for
a meeting on October 8 to
address their concerns regard-
ing the farm laws, saying the
Government is not serious.
The rail roko agitation by
farmers under the banner of
Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh
Committee (KMSC) has
entered in 14th days in Punjab.
Farmers have been blocking the
railway tracks by putting up a
tent on the railway lines since
September 24.
In Haryana, farmers in
Sirsa are squatting on a road
leading to Deputy Chief
Minister Dushyant Chautala’s
residence, demanding his res-
ignation from the post against
Centre’s agriculture sector
laws.
The Kisan Mazdoor
Sangharsh Committee, the
farmers’ body which is spear-
heading the agitation in Punjab
against the Central
Government’s three farm laws,
on Wednesday said Union
Agriculture Minister Narendra
Singh Tomar had invited it
for a meeting in Delhi on
October 8.
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Pioneer Dehradun-english-edition-2020-10-08
- 1. 20?BD;4 E8ADA78C00?;044CB 70C7A0B508;H1:43 7PcWaPb) 3T[WX00?;0 :d[STT_:dPafPb^] FTS]TbSPhQ^^ZTSU^aTTcX]V 7PcWaPbeXRcX³bUPX[hTeT] PUcTaQTX]VcTbcTS_^bXcXeTU^a R^a^]PeXadbX]eX^[PcX^]^UcWT 2^eXS (_a^c^R^[_^[XRT bPXS ?=B Q =4F34;78 Three senior BJP leaders have turned rebel and joined Chirag Paswan’s politi- cal crusade against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, much to the discomfiture of the saf- fron outfit. Several other BJP leaders are in the queue to join the Lok Janashakti Party and contest against Janata Dal(U) despite strong warning from the BJP. A day after former BJP vice president Rajendra Singh, joined the LJP, two more senior BJP leaders — Usha Vidyarthi and Rameshwar Chaurasia — joined the LJP even as the State saffron leadership fretted and fumed and the JD(U) tried to calculate the loss it may have to face due to Chirag Paswan’s decision to put contest against the party’s nominees. Usha Vidyarthi joined the LJP after meeting its president Chirag Paswan here, and is likely to be fielded from the Paliganj Assembly seat where the JD(U) will contest as well. Sitting BJP MLA Ravindra Yadav from Jhajha also joined the LJP along with several other party rebels who have been denied tickets and see the LJP a perfect platform to take a plunge in the polls. Rajendra Singh, who has more than three decades of association with the RSS, want- ed to contest from Dinara but the seat has been allotted to the JD(U) as part of its seat-shar- ing arrangement with the ally. “I have no bitterness with anyone. I have remained a small worker of the RSS. I will still talk of Ram Mandir, Kashmir, CAA-NRC, etc. I have respect for Ram Vilas Paswan also. My conscience is clear that I have to work for Dinara. The farmers still don’t get the right price for their paddy here,” Singh has been quoted as saying. Singh narrowly lost the 2015 Assembly polls from Dinara. Several other BJP rebels are in the queue to join the LJP, hoping the party could get them ticket to contest the polls. This has given serious headache to the JD(U), which fears that these rebels can sway the BJP cadre and win their votes at the cost of the JD(U). “This could come in the way of transfer of the BJP votes to the JD(U),” said a JD(U) leader, adding, “If that happens our voters could do the same. That would harm the interest of the NDA.” Realising the seriousness of the situation, State BJP leaders have repeatedly warned both Chirag and the rebels. While they have advised Chirag not to invoke the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in campaigning, they have asked the rebels to come back to the party fold. Chirag may have compul- sion to fall in line — he could face action from the EC if he continued to seek votes in the name of Modi — but the BJP rebels have turned deaf ears to the warning. Chirag has come out strongly against JD(U) presi- dent and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and claimed that the next Government in the State will be headed by the BJP with his party’s support. Meanwhile, the BJP on Wednesday allocated 11 seats to associate partner Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) from its quota of 121 seats in Bihar Assembly polls. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had announced at a joint press conference on Tuesday that while the JD(U) will spare some seats to Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) of former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi from its share of 122 seats and the BJP will accommodate the VIP from its quota of 121 seats in the 243-member Assembly. The JD(U) has pro- vided seven seats to the HAM. The seat distribution to the VIP was announced at a press conference addressed by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Bihar unit pres- ident Sanjay Jaiswal and VIP chief Mukesh Sahni. Jaiswal told reporters that the VIP will also be provided one seat in Bihar legislative council in future. The VIP floated a couple of years ago by former Bollywood set designer Mukesh Sahni, was with the Opposition Grand Alliance till last week. Sahni had on Friday last announced an abrupt exit from the Opposition coalition in protest against “back-stabbing” by the RJD, which helms the anti-NDA grouping, and its de facto leader Tejashwi Yadav. $3;A]VRUVcd[`Z_4YZcRX¶dTcfdRUV ?C880=B Q B78;0=4F34;78 Former CBI director and Nagaland Governor Ashwani Kumar was found hanging at his residence in Shimla on Wednesday, officials said. It is learnt that Kumar, also the former Director General of Himachal Pradesh Police, was under depression for sometime now. Shimla Superintendent of Police Mohit Chawla confirmed the incident. Kumar became CBI direc- tor in 2008, succeeding Vijay Shanker, in the midst of the agency’s probe into the Aarushi Talwar murder case that hogged the headlines. Kumar later became Governor of Nagaland, they said. He was presently Vice Chancellor of a private uni- versity in Shimla, they said. The university is currently facing charges of issuing fake degrees. The body of Kumar, a 1973-batch IPS officer, was found hanging at his residence in Shimla on Wednesday evening, they said. A senior police officer told IANS that a suicide note was found from the crime spot. He along with his wife was seen strolling in the evening in the city, a neighbour told the police. The lover of cartoons, Kumar had said in an interview to PTI in 2008 after taking over as the CBI Director, “I like Tom and Jerry cartoon show. Police is like the cat while the crimi- nals are like mice. So Tom never leaves Jerry.” “I am in the game of Tom and Jerry and I have to do my job,” he had said. Kumar had expressed his displeasure over the probe into the Aarushi murder case and had taken upon himself to take it to a logical conclusion. “This case is a litmus test for me. I need to know who killed Aarushi — parents or someone else. I feel agitated within over this case,” he had commented. During his stint as the CBI Director, Kumar laid a special focus on the growing econom- ic offences and roped in the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to help the agency in probing white collar crimes. ([%, FKLHI $VKZDQL .XPDU IRXQG KDQJLQJ ?C8 Q =4F34;78 Public spaces cannot be occupied indefinitely and demonstrations expressing dis- sent have to be in designated places alone, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday while concluding that occupa- tion of public ways in the anti- CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh here was “not acceptable”. Observing that democracy and dissent “go hand in hand”, the apex court said constitu- tional scheme comes with the right to protest and express dis- sent, but with an obligation towards certain duties. A bench headed by Justice SK Kaul said erstwhile mode and manner of dissent against colonial rule cannot be equat- ed with dissent in a self-ruled democracy. “However, while appreci- ating the existence of the right to peaceful protest against a leg- islation...We have to make it unequivocally clear that public ways and public spaces cannot be occupied in such a manner and that too indefinitely,” said the bench, also comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and Krishna Murari. The bench delivered its verdict on a plea by lawyer Amit Sahni against blockade of a road in Shaheen Bagh area by those protesting against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which aimed to provide Indian citizenship to perse- cuted minorities of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It said protest at Shaheen Bagh was a blockage of a pub- lic way which caused grave inconvenience to commuters. “We have, thus, no hesita- tion in concluding that such kind of occupation of public ways, whether at the site in question or anywhere else for protests is not acceptable and the administration ought to take action to keep the areas clear of encroachments or obstructions,” it said. “Democracy and dissent go hand in hand, but then the demonstrations expressing dis- sent have to be in designated places alone,” it said, adding, “We cannot accept the plea of the applicants that an indeter- minable number of people can assemble whenever they choose to protest”. 3URWHVWHUV FDQ¶W EORFN URDGV VDV 6 LQ 6KDKHHQ YHUGLFW ?A44C0Q ?=B;D2:=F The Hathras police, investi- gating the rape and murder of a Dalit girl, has initiated the process to transfer the papers to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who will now register a case and proceed with further legal action. In the meantime, the Government has extended the terms of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for ten more days as the probe by them is still inconclusive. Sources said all the FIRs related to Hathras case have been transferred to the CBI. The UP Government had rec- ommended a CBI probe on Saturday last and the letter to the Union Home Ministry was sent immediately thereafter. However, the CBI agreed to take over the case on Tuesday after the matter came for hear- ing before the Supreme Court and the UP Government sug- gested that the apex court could monitor the investigation of the CBI. However, the family of the victim has opposed the CBI probe and have demanded a judicial investigation. They have also opposed the UP Government’s suggestion for a Narco test on the family of the victim, accused and even of the policemen. ?^[XRTVXeT7PcWaPb_P_Tabc^218*B8CVTcb ^aTSPhb ?=BQ =4F34;78 Amid farmers’protests across India against the farm Bills and their apprehensions over the minimum support price (MSP), the Centre on Wednesday said since September 26 it has procured 15.26 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy at the MSP value of around C2,882 crore from 1,27,832 farmers. This is 23 per cent more than last year’s procurement of 12.38 LMT. Similarly, the num- ber of purchase centers has increased from 30549 to 39130, an increase of 28 per cent amid coronavirus pandemic. Addressing a Press confer- ence, Sudhanshu Pandey, sec- retary, Food and Public Distribution Department, said so far 23 per cent more paddy has been procured than last year. The paddy procurement of 4,82,656 MT in Haryana, 10,08,028 MT in Punjab, 6,945 MT in Chandigarh, 1545 MT in Uttar Pradesh and 1809 MT in Kerala and 25,551 MT in Tamil Nadu totaling 15,26,534 MT having MSP value of around C2,882 core has been done from 1,27,832 farmers of Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Pandey said up to October 6, the nodal agencies procured 201.15 MT of moong having MSP value of C1.45 crore ben- efitting 161 farmers in Tamil Nadu and Haryana. Similarly, 5089 MT of copra having MSP value of C52.40 crore has been procured benefitting 3961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu against the sanc- tioned quantity of 1.23 LMT for the Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. 4V_ecVac`TfcVd#$ ^`cVaRUUj`_DA ?C8 Q F0B78=6C= The Trump administration has announced new restric- tions on H-1B non-immigrant visa programme which it said is aimed at protecting American workers, restoring integrity and to better guaran- tee that H-1B petitions are approved only for qualified beneficiaries and petitioners, a move which will affect thou- sands of Indian IT profession- als. The interim final rule announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday, ahead of the US presidential election on November 3, will narrow the definition of “specialty occu- pation” as Congress intended by closing the overbroad defi- nition that allowed companies to game the system. It will also require compa- nies to make “real” offers to “real employees,” by closing loopholes and preventing the displacement of the American workers. And finally, the new rules would enhance the department’s ability to enforce compliance through worksite inspections and monitor com- pliance before, during and after an H1-B petition is approved. The H-1B visa is a non- immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupa- tions that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology compa- nies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. Such a decision by the Trump administration will have an adverse impact on thousands of Indian IT profes- sionals. Already a large num- ber of Indians on the H-1B visas have lost their jobs and are headed back home during the coronavirus pandemic that has severely hit the US economy. According to the DHS, the interim final rule to be pub- lished in Federal Register will be effective in 60 days. Ecf^a¶d_VhTfcSd`_93gZdRd e`YZe:_UZR_:Eac`WVddZ`_R]d 0DQ RWKHU %-3 OHDGHUV WR MRLQ /-3 FRQWHVW DJDLQVW -'8
- 2. GHVSLWH ZDUQLQJ IURP %-3 3URWHVW GHPRFUDWLF ULJKW EXW PXVW EH GRQH RQ GHVLJQDWHG SODFHV UXOHV FRXUW C=A067D=0C70Q D108 The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted a con- ditional bail to accused actress Rhea Chakraborty in the Sushant Singh Rajput death- related drug case, after holding that there were no grounds to believe that she committed any offence involving commercial quantity of contraband and dismissing the special court’s observation that if released on bail she might alert others and have the evidence destroyed by them. Hours after the High Court granted her bail, Rhea walked out from the Byaculla women’s jail on Wednesday and drove back to her Juhu residence in the full media glare and amid tight police security. Nearly a month after she was arrested in the Sushant death-related drug case, Justice SV Kotwal of the High Court granted bail to Rhea on a per- sonal bond for C1 lakh with “one or two sureties” for the same amount and conditions like she would deposit her passport with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and not leave the country without permission from the special court and she would present herself for an attendance once in a month for the next six months. The High Court also grant- ed bail to the actor’s house- keeper Dipesh Sawant and house manager Samuel Miranda on a surety of C50,000 each in cash. Justice Kotwal, however, rejected the bail plea of Rhea’s brother Showik Chakraborty after noting he is part of a chain of drug dealers. 5KHD JUDQWHG EDLO EURWKHU¶V SHWLWLRQ UHMHFWHG E + ?=BQ =4F34;78 TV journalists in Mumbai will no more be able to enjoy the thrill of chasing celebrities on the streets and shriek at them question from speeding vehicles. After Bombay HC grant- ed bail to Rhea Chakraborty, the police warned journalists of strict action if they chased the vehicle of any celebrity, advocate or a person they wanted to interview. DTcZSVdTR_¶e TYRdVR_j`_V W`cZ_eVcgZVh Z_f^SRZ 5^aTaPWPaPbWcaP2WXTUX]XbcTaP]S1XWPa19?T[TRcX^]X]RWPaVT3TeT]SaP5PS]PeXb1XWPa3T_dch2WXTUX]XbcTaBdbWX[:dPa^SX19?BcPcT_aTbXST]cBP]YPh 9PbWfP[fXcWEXZPbbWTT[8]bPP]?PachE8?[TPSTadZTbWBPWP]XPUcTacWTXaP[[XP]RTU^acWTd_R^X]V1XWPa0bbTQ[hT[TRcX^]bX]?Pc]P^]FTS]TbSPh ?C8 ?d]YPQUPaTab aTYTRc2T]caT´b aT`dTbcU^aTTc ^]UPa[Pfb ?=BQ =4F34;78 Agitating farmers in Punjab on Wednesday turned down the Centre’s request for a meeting on October 8 to address their concerns regard- ing the farm laws, saying the Government is not serious. The rail roko agitation by farmers under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) has entered in 14th days in Punjab. Farmers have been blocking the railway tracks by putting up a tent on the railway lines since September 24. In Haryana, farmers in Sirsa are squatting on a road leading to Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala’s residence, demanding his res- ignation from the post against Centre’s agriculture sector laws. The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, the farmers’ body which is spear- heading the agitation in Punjab against the Central Government’s three farm laws, on Wednesday said Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had invited it for a meeting in Delhi on October 8. BC0C4B CC0;20B4B340C7BA42E4A43 PWPaPbWcaP #'#'( (! (%## 0]SWaP?aPSTbW ##! %'%%''!' :Pa]PcPZP %%'%$!($#$#!(% CPX[=PSd %$'$$ (('# $'% DccPa?aPSTbW #!#!% %!#(! 3T[WX !(' $% %!$ FTbc1T]VP[ !'$# $%!#%% :TaP[P !$#% ( %!$ SXbWP !#((' ! ! CT[P]VP]P !##' '( ' 1XWPa ( #! (! ($ 0bbP (!( '$ $$# APYPbcWP] $#% $( !$!% 6dYPaPc #%%! $ !%$ PSWhP?aPSTbW # !$ ' !!% 7PahP]P (' $!' !#'# 20B4B) %'!(%' 340C7B) $$ ( A42E4A43) $' ' 02C8E4)($(! 4`gZU* :?:?5:2 CC0; /CWT3PX[h?X^]TTa UPRTQ^^ZR^SPX[h_X^]TTa7`]]`hfd`_+ fffSPX[h_X^]TTaR^ X]bcPVaPR^SPX[h_X^]TTa ;PcT2Xch E^[ #8bbdT !' 0XaBdaRWPaVT4gcaPXU0__[XRPQ[T ?dQ[XbWTS5a^ 34;78;D2:=F 17?0;17D10=4BF0A A0=278A08?DA 270=3860A7 347A03D= 7H34A0103E890HF030 4bcPQ[XbWTS '%# 51, 1R 5HJQ 877(1* 5(*' 1R 8$'2''1 347A03D=C7DAB30H2C14A '!!*?064B !C! m @A:?:@?' 0A4F4;8E8=6 8=03HBC?80. H@C=5) =40A;H#=0C8=B2A8C828B4 278=0³B7D0=A867CB?;8284B 13D9?9C9;5 38?B5?7B1@8I* C8G5D1DB9@1D89 ! F9F139DI m DA@CE# :E8CE0:4=8=4=C4A 5A4=27?4=B48B
- 3. RP_XcP[!347A03D=kC7DAB30H k2C14A'!! $OWKRXJK HYHU SRVVLEOH FDUH DQG FDXWLRQ KDV EHHQ WDNHQ WR DYRLG HUURUV RU RPLVVLRQV WKLV SXEOLFDWLRQ LV EHLQJ VROG RQ WKH FRQGLWLRQ DQG XQGHUVWDQGLQJ WKDW LQIRUPDWLRQ JLYHQ LQ WKLV SXEOLFDWLRQ LV PHUHO IRU UHIHUHQFH DQG PXVW QRW EH WDNHQ DV KDYLQJ DXWKRULW RI RU ELQGLQJ LQ DQ ZD RQ WKH ZULWHUV HGLWRUV SXEOLVKHUV DQG SULQWHUV DQG VHOOHUV ZKR GR QRW RZH DQ UHVSRQVLELOLW IRU DQ GDPDJH RU ORVV WR DQ SHUVRQ D SXUFKDVHU RI WKLV SXEOLFDWLRQ RU QRW IRU WKH UHVXOW RI DQ DFWLRQ WDNHQ RQ WKH EDVLV RI WKLV ZRUN $OO GLVSXWHV DUH VXEMHFW WR WKH H[FOXVLYH MXULVGLFWLRQ RI FRPSHWHQW FRXUW DQG IRUXPV LQ 'HOKL1HZ 'HOKL RQO 5HDGHUV DUH DGYLVHG DQG UHTXHVWHG WR YHULI DQG VHHN DSSURSULDWH DGYLFH WR VDWLVI WKHPVHOYHV DERXW WKH YHUDFLW RI DQ NLQG RI DGYHUWLVHPHQW EHIRUH UHVSRQGLQJ WR DQ FRQWHQWV SXEOLVKHG LQ WKLV QHZVSDSHU 7KH SULQWHU SXEOLVKHU HGLWRU DQG DQ HPSORHH RI WKH 3LRQHHU *URXS·V ZLOO QRW EH KHOG UHVSRQVLEOH IRU DQ NLQG RI FODLP PDGH E WKH DGYHUWLVHUV RI WKH SURGXFWV VHUYLFHV DQG VKDOO QRW EH PDGH UHVSRQVLEOH IRU DQ NLQG RI ORVV FRQVHTXHQFHV DQG IXUWKHU SURGXFWUHODWHG GDPDJHV RQ VXFK DGYHUWLVHPHQWV ?=BQ 347A03D= The ICICI Bank announced that it has introduced a debit card facility for customers availing the Loan Against Securities (LAS) from the bank. The card is available on the Visa platform. It can be used by customers across all domestic merchant estab- lishments to make seamless POS and online transactions like pay- ments on e-commerce portals among others, using their sanc- tioned LAS amount. ICICI Bank is the first bank in the coun- try to launch the facility after the RBI allowing banks to issue electronic cards to customers who avail an OD facility, which is of the nature of a personal loan with no specific end-use restric- tion. The debit card will be issued to new customers who avail LAS and will be automatically renewed upon renewal of the LAS account. ?=BQ 347A03D= The UPES has inducted ‘Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) Student Chapter’ to its list of official student chapters of the uni- versity. The vice chairman, IGBC Gurmit Singh Arora attended the online inaugural ceremony for launching of the chapter under the aegis of the department of Health, Safety, Environment and Civil engi- neering, School of Engineering of the university. The director, Public Affairs of UPES, Arun Dhand said, “The objective of launching the student chapter is to spread awareness on green buildings amongst the student commu- nity and ignite the idea of green in young minds, there- by facilitating India to become one of the global leaders in embracing green building con- cepts.’’ Inaugurating the event, the chief guest, Arora, expressed his delight on the launch of the IGBC Student Chapter at the uni- versity. “The launch of the chapter reflects the universi- ty’s concern towards spreading awareness in the field of green buildings. We need to treat mother earth with due respect and conserve it for our future generations. The urban built envi- ronment is encroaching on the natural built environment and green buildings are the need of the hour for ensuring minimal energy and water consumption and disposal of sewage” The vice chancellor of UPES, Sunil Rai said that the chapter would help in creating opportunities for the students to gain industry relevant expo- sure and knowledge. BC055A4?AC4AQ =4F 34;78 To bring the hospitality industry on track for the economical revival of Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday gave green sig- nals to operate 24X7 as requirement of tourism licences for running restau- rants will be removed. Importantly, the Excise depart- ment agreed to review the existing policy of a 10 percent automatic increase in the license fees every year. Delhi government will also constitute a technical com- mittee which in ten days will examine ways to enhance fire safety and simplifying norms in Connaught Place and her- itage sites like - Khan market , without the need to make structural changes to the exist- ing restaurants. Based on the recommendations of the com- mittee, the CM will decide on the application of uniform fire safety norms in Delhi. Kejriwal met with indus- trials and said the process has initiated to abolish police licenses and health trade licenses from local bodies for restaurants. With this decision, now as per the major amendments planned under Excise policy and rules to restaurants, restau- rants to be allowed to pay their license fee by 31st March and they can make interest-free quarterly payments instead of half-yearly payments. Interacting with National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI),Kejriwal said, Delhi's restaurants are the pride of Delhi and provide employ- ment to lakhs of people. I have directed all the respective departments to remove unnec- essary hassles in the smooth running of restaurants in Delhi.” After reviewing the letter written by the FSSAI address- ing the Municipal Corporations to cease the fur- ther issuing of licenses and directed the officials to do the same, Kejriwal instructed that the health trade licenses, which are issued by the Municipal Corporations to the restaurant industries should be abolished within 10 days. The NRAI body also requested the abolishment of the police licenses since restau- rants are a part of the retail sec- tor and no other retail estab- lishment is required to obtain a police license. Kejriwal ensures a decision to provide relief to the restau- rants from police licenses will soon be taken after discussing concerned stakeholders. Riyaaz Amlani, a restau- rateur and an NRAI member, said, Restaurants are one of the key sectors for employment generation in the city with lakhs of people employed in this industry in Delhi. It is cur- rently one of the most over- regulated industries, that requires multiple NOCs and duplication of licenses. The restaurant industry is one of the most impacted industries in Delhi. These measures will provide the necessary mea- sures and the boost that we need, and unleash the employ- ment potential. By deregulat- ing the industry, more restau- rants will open up which will generate more employment and help the tourism industry. A lot of the most visited cities in the world are known for their nightlife and restaurants. Deputy CM and Finance Minister, Manish Sisodia, directed the restaurants to be able to pay their excise by March 31from the existing deadline of February 28 and for them to make quarterly license fee payments without any interest. It was decided that other relevant suggestions related to amendments in Excise regula- tions will be considered to be included in a new policy cur- rently under preparation, per- mitting the extension of the operating timings of the restaurants on the weekends till 3 AM. Decisions were also taken in meeting to immediately amend archaic Excise rules so as to permit service in open areas, balconies, verandahs, without any additional fee, to permit additional dispensing counters in the licensed premises without any addi- tional fees, to permit branding within the licensed premises, to permit licenses for all types of music, including DJs, Live Bands, and Karaoke, to abol- ish the requirement of a des- ignated liquor store and to allow the stock to be kept anywhere in the licensed premises. Earlier , the Delhi Pollution Control Committe ( DPCC ) had exempted restau- rants with less than 100 seats from the need to mandatorily install Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs). The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had however issued recent guide- lines requiring the installa- tion of ETP for restaurants consisting more than 36 seats. Given the extreme space constraints in and around many small restaurants, it was agreed at the meeting that DPCC will write to the CPCB with a request to revert back to the earlier decision by DPCC exempting the requirement for a dedicated Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) for restaurants below 100 seating capacity. “DPCC will issue a clarifi- cation to the MCDs on per- missibility of Wood charcoal in the grills and tandoors of the restaurants and to ensure that harassment of the restaurants be stopped on this front,” a government official said. B0?=0B8=67Q =4F34;78 With winters knocking on the doors, Delhi will face double threats — dust, farm fire pollutionandcoronamakingthe lungs weak. The Delhi Governmenthassetastrategyto deal with perineal winter pollu- tion identifying 39 hotspots/ red zones deploying anti-smog gun and joined hands with PUSA agriculture institute to deter farm fire issue. As Air Quality Index ( AQI ) in the national Capital marked 183 micro cubic per gram on Wednesday, DelhiEnvironment Minister Gopal Rai assured to reduce dust pollution with anti- smog guns. AnandVihar,Rohiniaretop areas where dust pollution is major threat for people, sur- prisingly, the AQI of both zones was marked above 250 Micro Gram Per Cubic. Rai said “Our first target is to reduce pollution due to dust and around 39 sites have been identifiedwhereanti-smogguns willbeused,”adding,”Anti-smog guns have been deployed at large construction sites in the national capital as part of the measuresbeingtakentocontrol pollution.” Amid rising concerns regarding air pollution in the national capital and neighbour- ing states, farmers in Haryana and Punjab continued to burn stubble in their fields. Raising pollution issues, Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP ) MLA, Raghav Chadha said first weekofOctoberwitnessedstub- bleburningincreaseofninefold in Punjab and three fold in Haryana in comparison to last year. He also said that states of PunjabandHaryanaareguiltyof criminalnegligencetowardsthe matter of air pollution and have not taken any serious compre- hensive steps to stop stubble burning. Citing the Centre's launchoftheambitiousNational Clean Air Plan (NCAP), and how Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman had announced a budget of Rs 4,400 Crore for the NCAP. Chadha said, Finance Minister of India Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the central government will spend Rs 4,400 Crore for a clean air plan. I want to ask the central government where is this money? The Aam Aadmi Party wants to know why the central Government has not given this money to the farmers. We also want to know why the central government can’t come up with a suitable plan to stop stubble burning. He also said, Today I want totellyouthatthisyearthestub- ble burning started one month before October 15. In the first week of October in Punjab, the stubble burning has increased nine-foldandinHaryanathree- fold.”InthefirstweekofOctober 606casesofstubbleburningwere reported from Punjab and 137 cases in Haryana. We want to request the Supreme Court- appointedwatchdogtotakenote of the matter and to take stern action against these states. The estimation is that nearly 35 mil- liontonnesstubblewillbeburnt this year combining Punjab and Haryana. Chadha also said that one hand, Prime Minister Narendra Moditalkedaboutcombatingair pollution, but on the hand the BJPgovernmentofHaryanahas disregarded the PM's advice. He said that the Aam Aadmi PartydemandsthattheSupreme Court-appointedEPCAoughtto take stringent action against PunjabandHaryanaforneglect- ing the stubble burning issue. He said, According to a source apportionment study published by TERI, it was noted that 70% of Delhi's pollution is caused by neighbouring states- -stubble burning being one key reasonofthispollution.Lastyear, the Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB)datashowedthat stubble burning causes 45% of Delhi’s air pollution. Stubble burning generally happens in Punjab, Haryana and in some parts of Uttar Pradesh. Every year, this criminal act makes Delhi a gas chamber. Starting fromtheSupremeCourt,EPCA, the Central Government and various state governments have repeatedly requested the guilty states to take some serious actionsagainstthestubbleburn- ing, but to no avail. Last year in Punjab, 20 mil- liontonnespaddywasgenerated, and 9.8 million tonnes of paddy wasburnt.InHaryana,60million tonnes of paddy were generated, and 1.23 million tonnes were burnt.Asperthedata,11million tonnesofpaddywereburntcom- bining both the states. “One on hand, Kejriwal is working relentlessly to combat theairpollutionofDelhi.Hehas already announced a seven- point action plan to combat air pollution. With the help of PUSAInstitute,Kejriwalistrying to build up Bio-decomposer technique by which stubble burning can be avoided. On the otherhand,youhavePunjaband Haryana,whoareshowingcrim- inalnegligenceandderelictionof duty over this issue. University of Chicago’s Energy Policy InstitutehasnotedthatifDelhi’s air pollution improves then the citizens’lifespanwillincrease9.4 years. This is following the WHOstandard;butifwefollow the Indian national standard, even then the life span will increase for 6.5 years,” AAP tar- geted the neighboring states. BC055A4?AC4AQ =4F34;78 The national capital recorded 2,871 fresh Covid-19 cases and the num- ber of containment zones in the nation- al capital fell to 2,702 on (Wednesday). Thirty five Covid-19 fatalities reported in Delhi on Wednesday. According to health bulletin, there has been an upward trend in the number of containment zones since last week of August till October 5 when the count stood at 2,707. However, on Tuesday, it slipped to 2,697, the fall being reg- istered after a gap of more than 40 days. At least 39 COVID-19 fatalities on Tuesday in Delhi, as the death toll mounted to 5,581 while 2,676 fresh cases took the tally to over 2.95 lakh, authorities said. Both the number of fresh cases and containment zones recorded a gradual rise in September, with September 16 reporting 4,473 cases, the highest sin- gle-day spike till date. On that day, the containment zone figure had climbed to 1,637. Except September 14, the number of cases from September 9-19 was reported in excess of 4,000 per day, while the con- tainment zones count and home isola- tion cases steadily increased The home isolation cases on September 5had jumped to 9,822 while the containment zones count stood at 946. On September 6, the total num- ber of containment zones had crossed the 1,000-mark. Prior to that, Delhi had seen a big surge in cases in the month of June, but the spike had come down in July. The home isolation figures on July 1 stood at 16,703 with 437 con- tainment zones marked in the city. On July 31, while the home isola- tion cases count had come down to 5,763, the containment zones had risen to 692, according to official data. On August 3, the number of COVID-19 patients under home isolation, and con- tainment zones count, both came down to 5,577 and 496, respectively. On August 25, however, there were 5,949 home isolation cases and 654 containment zones or localised areas from where infections were reported. It rose to 6,850 with 763 zones on August 28; and then to 7876 home isolation cases with 833 containment zones on August 31; and 8,407 home quarantined cases with 894 zones on September 2. The positivity rate on Tuesday stood at 4.99 per cent while the recov- ery rate was crossed 90 per cent, the Tuesday health department bulletin said. DecReVXjRW``ee`UVR]hZeYhZ_eVca`]]feZ`_ 1R QHHG RI WRXULVP OLFHQFHV IRU UXQQLQJ UHVWDXUDQWV 0 DSLWDO UHFRUGV IUHVK FRURQDYLUXV FDVHV AP]YP]3XaX ,,, ODXQFKHV GHELW FDUG IRU /$6 FXVWRPHUV BC055A4?AC4AQ =4F34;78 Resident doctors and staff members of the North Corporation run Hindu Rao Hospital on Wednesday protested over non-payment of their due salaries for the last three months and went on a symbolic indefinite strike. Hundreds of doctors and nurses of the hospital held placards and raised slogans demanding their due salaries, at the main gate of the facility. Doctors claimed that they have not been paid since June. Last week, the staffers were on a 'Pen Down Strike' from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to display their ordeal. However, the civic body officials said that the matter is being looked into. Hindu Rao Hospital is the largest municipal hospital in Delhi with 900 beds, and is cur- rently a dedicated COVID-19 facility. Many of its healthcare workers had contracted the infection earlier. Since, it is a dedicated coronavirus facility, the services will not be essen- tially affected. Abhimanyu Sardana, pres- ident of the Resident Doctors Association said We are on a symbolic indefinite strike to make our voices heard to authorities, who have not responded to our appeal so far. We have been doing the sym- bolic pen down from 9 am to 12 noon, for the last several 8Y^TeBQ_T_ScW__^´ci]R_YSY^TUVY^YdUcdbY[Uµ ==?0H4=C5B0;0AH =TTSc^caTPc ^cWTaTPacW fXcWSdT aTb_TRcP]S R^]bTaeTXcU^a ^daUdcdaT VT]TaPcX^]) 0a^aP D?4BX]ca^SdRTb VaTT]QdX[SX]VRWP_cTa days, as well as online protests, but no one listened to us. So, the protest took place and doctors who are not on COVID-19 rotational duty joined, he said. We are humans too and have a family to run. We are risking our lives for humanity in this pandemic. 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- 4. dccPaPZWP]S347A03D=kC7DAB30H k2C14A'!! ?=BQ 347A03D= The tally of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) patients in Uttarakhand jumped to 52959 on Wednesday with the state health department reporting 630 new cases of the disease. The department also reported deaths of 11 patients of the Covid-19 on Wednesday. The death toll from the dis- ease in the state has now increased to 688. On the day 663 patients of the disease were declared cured by the authorities. A total of 46631 patients have so far recovered from the disease and the per- centage recovery for the Covid- 19 in Uttarakhand is at 82.39 percent. The infection rate (IF) of the disease is at 7.09 percent and the doubling rate for the state in the last seven days is 57.25 days. Four patients of the Covid- 19 were reported dead at Himalayan hospital Dehradun on Wednesday. Three patients of the disease each succumbed at Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) hospital and Sushila Tiwari government hospital, Haldwani. One person was reported dead at HNB base hospital Srinagar. The authorities reported 224 patients of Covid-19 in Dehradun on Wednesday. Similarly 82 patients were reported in Udham Singh Nagar, 73 in Haridwar, 61 in Nainital, 43 in Pauri Garhwal, 32 in Uttarkashi, 28 in Champawat, 27 in Pithoragarh, 25 in Tehri, 19 in Bageshwar, nine in Champawat and seven in Rudraprayag district on Wednesday. Out of 663 patients dis- charged on Wednesday, 205 belonged to Udham Singh Nagar, 195 to Dehradun, 60 from Pithoragarh and 56 from Nainital. The state now has 8367 active patients of the disease. Dehradun district with 2633 active cases is at top of table while Haridwar with 1528 active cases is on second spot. Nainital has 737, Tehri 605, Uttarkashi 612, Pauri 545, Udham Singh Nagar 513, Chamoli 272, Champawat 243, Pithoragarh 220, Rudraprayag 158 and Almora 143 active patients of the disease. With 128 active patients of Covid-19 Bageshwar district is at bottom of the table. The state administration has set up 229 containment zones in different parts of the state to control the spread of the disease. ?=BQ 347A03D= Agitated by what they termed sudden orders by the hospital administration to leave the hotels in which they are staying from the last few months, some of the nursing staff held a demonstration out- side the hotel on Wednesday. During the lockdown period the district administration of Dehradun had made arrange- ments for stay in hotels for the doctors, nurses and other staff members of the Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) hospital. On Wednesday some of the nursing staff members took offence when the hotel author- ities asked them to vacate the rooms. They later went to the administrative block of the medical college and expressed their resentment on the order. One member said, “We are not enjoying our stay in the hotel. This arrangement was done by the administration so that our family members are safe. Today without giving any prior information we were asked to vacate the hotel.’’ The Principal of GDMC Dr Ashutosh Sayana put up the issue before the district magis- trate who ordered that the staff members of the hospital would continue to avail the benefit of hotel stay and they would be served prior notice for vacating the rooms. ?=BQ 347A03D= Following the order of the Uttarakhand High Court (HC) to complete the process of verification of the teachers working on the basis of forged documents, the edu- cation department has come into action mode. The depart- ment has directed all the primary and junior teachers to sub- mit their documents relating to their edu- cational qualifications in their respective offices of block education offi- cers (BEO) till October 20. The department order means that more than 40000 teachers working in the pri- mary and upper primary schools of the state would have to submit their documents. The records of the teachers would be submitted in the education directorate by BEOs on October 22. The education director R K Kunwar said that the teachers would have to submit all the documents on the basis of which they were appointed in the department. The teachers would have to self attest these documents. Kunwar warned that the action would be initiated against the teachers who fail to submit their documents till the stipu- lated date. ?DA=8018B7CQ 347A03D= In the recent past, the practice of cycling has become more popular in Dehradun. Though most of the locals use cycle as a way to exercise, very few actually use a cycle as a means of transport. According to those locals who use bicycles in the morning to burn calories but not as a routine transport, the roads and traffic on the main roads of the city are not suitable for riding bicycles daily. I cycle for one hour every morning but I cannot think about doing it during the day to travel to my office. The traffic is so intense every day that it seems impossible to reach the office on time cycling through the vehicular rush on the city roads. It is risky as well as not worth putting much effort if there are no proper facilities for cyclists, said local resident, Raj Adhikari. Talking about cycling and issues con- cerned, independent director of Dehradun Smart City Limited, Lokesh Ohri said that most of the people riding bicycles in the city do it for fitness purposes and not on the busy roads. One of the main reasons for this is that people prefer to travel by cars and bikes even for a short distance to represent their status and standard in society. People associate cars with status. Such beliefs have stigmatised the regular use of cycling as a mode of trans- portation as it was done about 10 years to 15 years ago, said Ohri. He also added that besides this, safety concerns are also a major issue in the mind of a cyclist. There are no prop- er spaces on the roads for a cyclist to ride with ease besides the other vehicles, said Ohri. He stated, I have proposed the idea of making cycling tracks on the roads under smart city project multiple times but there is still some uncertainty on this matter. In Dehradun, a con- siderable proportion of the population either walks or cycles and if some improve- ment can be made on the roads, people will be encour- aged to use bicycles. Moreover, the administration can also commence campaigns in asso- ciation with schools and edu- cational institutions to pro- mote cycling in order to attract the attention of the younger generation. He said that if maximum people cycle, it will benefit the city in many ways including less traffic, less air and noise pollution besides better health and a great option to maintain physical distance while travelling on main roads amid the Covid-19 pandemic. ?=BQ 347A03D= In a novel initiative the Uttarakhand government has decided to train thousands of representatives of three tier Panchayati raj system with the help of Television (TV). The Panchayati Raj department has prepared audio visual modules on different aspects of local self governance. The department has entered into an agreement with the Doordarshan to tele- cast these modules and they can be watched on DD free dish, Dish TV, UCN, BSN and DEN cable networks from October 7 to 21 from 3 PM to 4.30 PM. The secretary Panchayati Raj H C Semwal told The Pioneer that the modules would help in capacity building of the Panchayat representa- tives. He said that by watching these programmes the repre- sentatives can get inputs and increase their knowledge about different subjects of the Panchayati Raj system. Semwal said that training of Panchayat representatives needed to be done immediately after their election. He said that the department had done all the preparation for imparting training to the Panchayat rep- resentatives but the process was suspended due to the pan- demic of Covid-19. Semwal said under the revised plan online training modules have been prepared. He added that the soon a help desk would be set up in the Panchayati Raj directorate in which the problems and quires of the panchayat repre- sentatives on subjects like laws and regulations in Panchayati raj act, financial provisions, ‘e gram Swaraj portal’ would be solved and information about technical aspects of different applications and schemes of the department would be given. Set up under the digital India campaign, the help desk would prove beneficial for more than 67000 representatives of three tier Panchayati Raj system The department is also planning to set up Common Service Centres (CSC) in 622 Nyay Panchayats of the state. ?=BQ 347A03D= The woman who had accused the Dwarahat MLA Mahesh Negi of sexual exploitation has refused to pro- ceed with the hearings in the Uttarakhand State Commission for Women (USCW). A few weeks ago, the woman herself sent a complaint letter to the chairperson of the commission, Vijay Barthwal stating that she wants justice for her alleged sexual exploitation by Negi. Taking cognisance of the letter, Barthwal summoned the alleged victim and the accused twice but the woman did not arrive even once citing health issues of her child. Informing about the issue, the member secretary of USCW, Kamini Gupta said that the hearing in the commission was being arranged as per the complaint letter of the alleged victim which she never attended but the accused did. Last month, we sent a summon to the said woman stating that she must appear in the commission on October 5 or we would dismiss her complaint on the grounds that the plaintiff does not wish to pro- ceed with hearings in USCW. However, she contacted the commission a few days back and informed that she does not want to take this hearing any further because she prefers to fight her case in court only, stated Gupta. She added that the accused has communicat- ed her decision verbally but the commission has told her to submit it in writing so that USCW can officially dismiss the case. If the accused does not want to proceed with us, we cannot force it. We called her twice but she never arrived. We have told her to submit her written rejection of further hearings in the commission. Once she does that, the com- mission will proceed further, added Gupta. This corre- spondent tried to contact the alleged victim to know about her views on the matter but she was not available. ?=BQ 347A03D= Amemorandum of under- standing was signed between the Swami Rama Himalayan University (SRHU) and the Global Health Alliance, United Kingdom during a vir- tual programme in the pres- ence of chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and Union minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey here on Wednesday. With the sign- ing of this MoU, Global Health Alliance will provide quality training through various cours- es to medical staff especially the paramedical and nursing staff along with motorbike para- medic training. Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that Uttarakhand will benefit considerably in the health sector with the sign- ing of this MoU between the two institutions. Motorbike paramedics will be particular- ly useful in mountainous regions where they will be able to reach the spot and provide timely treatment to the patients. The skills of the med- ical and paramedical students here will also be enhanced through the courses designed by the Global Health Alliance. This in turn will also benefit the youth from the perspective of employment. Rawat further said that Dehradun is now emerging as a medical hub. He also stressed on the need for laying special focus on facilities for the treatment of cardiac dis- ease and diabetes. The SRHU vice chancellor Vijay Dhasmana informed about the activities of the uni- versity, stressing that top pri- ority is being accorded to enhancing medical health facil- ities in Uttarakhand. This MoU will also help in enhancing the skills of the paramedical staff, he added. British high commissioner in New Delhi, Jane Thompson, Dr Raje Narayan of Global Health Alliance, UNDP prin- cipal advisor in India, Rakesh Kumar, Uttarakhand’s health secretary Amit Singh Negi and SRHU registrar Dr Vinit Mehrotra were also among those present on the occasion. ?=BQ 347A03D= The State’s Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj met the Union Health and Family Welfare minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to discuss the scope for medical tourism in Uttarakhand. Meeting the Union minis- ter in the national capital, Maharaj also thanked for the cooperation being provided to the state during the Covid-19 pandemic. Referring to the scope for medical tourism in Uttarakhand, he said that among Asian nations, India is at the top when it comes to medical tourism. Nations like Thailand, Singapore, China and Japan are now also trying to attract such tourists. However, India receives the maximum number of such tourists due to the considerably low cost of treatment, latest medical technologies and equipment along with absence of language problem for for- eigners. The cost of treatment is one fourth in India compared to foreign nations while the visit is also interesting. Stating that Uttarakhand is suitable for medical tourism, Maharaj stressed on the need for devel- oping this aspect along with mainstream tourism. The envi- ronment in Uttarakhand is naturally suited to all types of treatments. There are many medicinal herbs found in the state which are medicines for serious ailments, he added. ?=BQ 347A03D= Considering the careless attitude of several people in marketplaces in Dehradun who wander around without using face masks and main- taining physical distancing, the shopkeepers of Doon Valley Mahanagar Udyog Vyapar Mandal (DVMUVM) have decided not to sell prod- ucts to such people. Moreover, in order to spread awareness among the people about Covid-19 contagion and to encourage them to always use face masks, sani- tiser and maintain physical distance in public places, the members of the association will also paste posters in the shops of the market. According to the presi- dent of DVMUVM, Pankaj Masson, every person is vul- nerable to this disease now which makes it more impor- tant for everyone to observe precautionary measures not just for our own safety but for others too. We recently had a meeting with sub-division- al magistrate (SDM), Gopal Ram Binwal and some other officials of the district admin- istration. We discussed taking steps to minimise the risk of con- tagion in marketplaces. We have decided not to sell any- thing to those who shop with- out masks. This rule was fol- lowed by some shopkeepers earlier too but in order to avoid offending customers, many did not follow it strict- ly. But now we have instruct- ed every shopkeeper to decline such customers so that customers would not leave the shops in the hope that they will get the same product from other shop- keepers without any hassle, said Masson. He added that the associ- ation will also paste posters in shops to constantly remind people how important it is to follow Covid-19 safety pro- tocols in the current pan- demic. We have initially ordered to print 10,000 posters which will be available in the next two to three days. Besides, we have also request- ed the police to play the audio message of Covid-19 from loudspeakers installed in the marketplaces to remind people to follow the rules. Sometimes people tend to forget about masks and phys- ical distancing in public places but the audio message will constantly remind them to do the needful. Hopefully, the police will consider it in the next few days, informed Masson. 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- 5. ]PcX^]#347A03D=kC7DAB30H k2C14A'!! A07D;30CC0Q =4F34;78 Even though both the sides have agreed not to send more troops to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, India is not willing to take any chances and will wait for the Chinese to first begin the withdrawal from the stand-off sites before thinning out its own troops. This even as India has carried out a suc- cession of tests of missiles in the last few weeks and minced no words in its posturing against China, which is a new assertive trait. The real intent of the Chinese will come to the fore in the seventh round of Corps Commander level talks sched- uled for October 12. In the sixth round on September 21, both the commanders agreed not to send more troops to the LAC as a confidence building measures. While relative calm pre- vails at the LAC since exter- nal affairs minister S Jaishankar’s bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on September 10 and the Corps Commander level parleys, the Indian security establishment is watching the situation close- ly, sources said here on Wednesday. There is no question of pulling out additional troops now deployed in the depth areas since the stand-offs began in mid May till the Chinese take the first step and pull back, officials said. Making it clear that there is a big trust deficit, they also said the forces are geared to meet any challenge. Not letting its guard down, at least four missile tests were conducted in the past few weeks including the 700-km-range Shaurya mis- sile. Capable of carrying 200 to 1,000 kg nuclear payload, it is the land version of subma- rine launched K-15 missile. Both the missiles are devel- oped by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The important break- through in a test off Balasore in Odisha comes as India has already deployed its Brahmos supersonic cruise missile besides Nirbhay and Akash missiles at strategic locations close to the LAC. The pre- ventive move came after China positioned its strategic missiles in the Tibet region in the last few weeks besides enhancing its troop strength and fighter jet fleet in the volatile region. Officials rate Shaurya as one of the top 10 missiles in the world in its class with its high performance navigation and guidance systems, effi- cient propulsion systems, sophisticated control tech- nologies and canisterised launch. The missile can be launched from silos and can- isters mounted on a truck and fixed on the ground, they said adding that it can be eas- ily moved around. A truck itself can become a launching platform. Moreover, these missiles are difficult to be tracked by enemy satellites. Keeping up the tempo of tests, scientists some weeks back successfully tested Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator(HSTDV). The capability has now placed India the elite category of nations having this capability. The US, Russia and China are other countries having these capabilities. The HSTDV gives India the flexibility of devel- op missile travelling at speed three to four times more than sound. The indigenously designed and manufactured Brahmos supersonic cruise missile got a major boost after the successful test of its extended range system. Now, these missiles with most of its components man- ufactured within the country can hit a target at more than 400 kms. The other important test included the supersonic missile assisted release of tor- pedo that targets submarines. Sources said some more tests are in the offing like Nirbhay cruise missile with a range of nearly 800 km. A lim- ited number of them are already deployed along with Akash and Brahmos at criti- cal sites near the LAC. ?=BQ =4F34;78 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said it is the endeavour of the Government to make India one of the top five countries in the world in aerospace and defence industries. Backing this intent with facts, he said India is one of the few coun- tries in the world which pro- duces 4th generation fighter aircraft, nuclear submarines, main battle tanks and inter- continental ballistic missiles (ICBM). “India has one of the largest defence industrial ecosystems in Asia and we aspire to build further on our strengths… We want to make India one of the top five countries of the world in aerospace and defence indus- tries from design to produc- tion with active participation of public and private indus- tries fulfilling the objective of self reliance as well as demand of friendly coun- tries,” he said addressing a virtual round table with for- eign Ambassadors in India on the upcoming Aero India 2021. The 13th edition of the biennial air show, Aero India, is scheduled to be held from February 03-07, 2021 in Bengaluru. Rajnath said India can prove to be an excellent base for the defence and aerospace industry with respect to repair, overhaul, maintenance and servicing facilities. “It can also become a centre for regional distrib- ution and services,” he added. H`_¶eSVWZcdee`hZeYUcRhW`cTVdWc`^=24RddVced:_UZR ?=BQ =4F34;78 While the SARS-CoV-2 causing Covid-19 is being blamed to have spilled over from animals to humans, a new study has flagged con- cerns that there’s considerable risk that infected humans too can transmit the virus to wildlife, thus creating a new reservoir of pathogen besides endangering the already threat- ened species. The researchers have urged people to take sanitary pre- cautions when in direct or indirect contact with wild or feral mammal species to pre- vent human-to-wildlife SARS- CoV-2 transmission. The study is published in the journal Mammal Review. It noted that if SARS-CoV-2 was to infect and spread among wild mammals, it could poten- tially cause disease in some populations, in turn further endangering already threat- ened species. “We really should avoid turning our pandemic into a multi-species problem,” said study lead author Sophie Gryseels from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. For the findings, the research team regularly searched the studies with dif- ferent combinations of the key- words: SARS-CoV-2, infection experiment, animal model, mammal, susceptibility, ACE2, cell line, coronavirus, wildlife. They particularly checked ProMED, a community-dri- ven platform that scans infec- tious disease news and reports every instance of non-human animals naturally infected by SARS-CoV-2. Though most people very rarely come into close contact with live wild animals, trans- mission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans could readily occur during (field) activities. Also, if SARS-CoV-2 could be sustainably transmitted among some mammalian pop- ulations or communities, this would create new animal reser- voirs that could repeatedly source new outbreaks in humans and other animals. “It’s difficult enough to control the SARS-CoV-2 in human populations-imagine what it will be like if it spreads among wild mammals,” said study researcher KU Leuven from the University of Arizona in the US. “They (animals) could also get sick and form a reservoir from which they can then again infect humans, but we can’t ask animals to wear face masks and keep physical distance,” Leuven noted. ?aTeX^dbR^a^]PeXadbR^[SX]UTRcX^] Ph[TbbT]bTeTaXch^U2^eXS ( ?=BQ =4F34;78 In an observation that could have significant implications on the Covid-19 vaccine devel- opment, a study has said that being previously infected with coronavirus that cause the ‘common cold’ may decrease the severity of Covid-19. Led by researchers at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, the study Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, however, also demonstrated that the immu- nity built up from previous non-SARS-CoV-2 coron- avirus infections does not prevent individuals from get- ting Covid-19. The researchers looked at electronic medical record data from individuals who had a respiratory panel test (CRP-PCR) result between May 18, 2015 and March 11, 2020. The CRP-PCR detects diverse respiratory pathogens including the endemic “com- mon cold” coronaviruses. They also examined data from individuals who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 between March 12, 2020 and June 12, 2020. After adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, and diabetes mellitus diagnosis, COVID-19 hospi- talized patients who had a previous positive CRP-PCR test result for a coronoavirus had significantly lower odds of being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and lower trending odds of requiring mechanical venti- lation during Covid. The probability of sur- vival was also significantly higher in Covid-19 hospital- ized patients with a previous positive test result for a “com- mon cold” coronoavirus. However, a previous positive test result for a coronavirus did not prevent someone from getting infected with SARS-CoV-2. “Our results show that people with evidence of a pre- vious infection from a “com- mon cold” coronavirus have less severe Covid-19 symp- toms,” said Manish Sagar, MD, an infectious diseases physician and researcher at Boston Medical Center, asso- ciate professor of medicine and microbiology at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the study’s co- corresponding author. Another interesting find- ing, the authors note, is that immunity may prevent dis- ease (COVID-19) in ways that are different from pre- venting infection by SARS- CoV-2. This is demonstrated by the fact that the patient groups had similar likeli- hoods of infection but differ- ing likelihoods of ending up in the ICU or dying. ?=BQ =4F34;78 Ahead of the winter season, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has asked the Delhi Government to take action to curb the pollu- tion emanating from con- struction and demolition activ- ities and open garbage dump- ing . “It is observed that con- struction and demolition activ- ities and open dumping of waste/garbage continue to be the major concern in most of the areas and therefore, special efforts are needed to curb these activities. Some tasks to curb air pollution in Delhi have been accomplished but more needs to be done,” the CPCB said in a letter to the State Government. ?=BQ =4F34;78 The Election Commission (EC) has revised down- wards the number of star cam- paigners whom recognised national and State political parties can use during the upcoming and future polls in the country during the coron- avirus pandemic. As per the revised norms for star cam- paigners, a maximum limit of the number of star campaign- ers is fixed to 30 for recognised national/State political parties. For unrecognised registered political parties, the maximum limit is fixed 15. Earlier, 40 star campaign- ers were allowed for recognised national/state political parties, while 20 were permitted for unrecognised registered polit- ical parties. Accordingly, the period of submission of the list of star campaigners is extended from 7 days to 10 days from the date of notification. The battle lines are drawn for the Bihar assem- bly elections, with both major alliances announcing their seat sharing equations. The EC further said that political parties, which have already submitted a list of star campaigners shall resubmit a revised list within the stipulat- ed period. According to the EC, requests for permission for the campaigning by star cam- paigners shall be submitted to the district election authorities at least 48 hours before the start of campaign so that all neces- sary safety measures are put in place by all concerned stake- holders well in time. “Commission was also informed during the visit of Bihar about the matter of large gatherings during the visit of Star campaigners. The clarifications were sought about the potential health concerns during such visits, especially huge crowd gathering during the landing of helicopters etc. The matter was further deliberated in the poll body at Wednesday’s meeting. After considering all facts and circumstances emerging due to pandemic and keeping a balance between the require- ment of campaign by the polit- ical parties, the Commission has decided to revise the norms of Star Campaigners,” the EC said in a statement. 42caXbbcPaRP_PXV]Tab´ ]dQTac^U^aaTR^V]XbTS ]PcX^]P[BcPcT_^[XcXRP[_PacXTb ?=BQ =4F34;78 The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved C8,575 crore for the Kolkata East West Metro Corridor Project covering 16.6 kilome- ters with 12 stations in the city. The Cabinet also decided to conduct a nationwide aware- ness in public places about pre- ventive measures for Covid-19 and introduce e-marketing in the natural gas sector to move towards a gas-based economy. The Cabinet further nod- ded the ratification of seven persistent organic pollutants listed under the Stockholm Convention. Addressing the media fol- lowing the Cabinet meeting, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said the new metro corridor in Kolkata will ease traffic congestion, enhance urban connectivity and provide a cleaner mobility solution to lakhs of daily commuters. The project is being imple- mented by the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited, a CPSE under Ministry of Railways. “Estimated comple- tion cost of the project is - Rs. 8575 crore with Ministry of Railway’s share as C3268.27 crore, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ share as Rs.1148.31 crore and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan of Rs.4158.40 crore,” said the Government in a statement. Goyal said that the target date for completion of the entire project is December 2021. For his part, Union IB Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the Government will start a mass awareness cam- paign on preventive measures on Covid-19 from Thursday. “Mask, social distancing and washing hands are the only weapons to remain safe in the absence of vaccine to prevent Covid-19. Public camping to raise awareness about appro- priate behavior in all public places will start from tomor- row,” he said. Javadekar also said that the Cabinet approved ratification of seven persistent organic pollu- tants listed under the Stockholm Convention. “The regulation prohibited the man- ufacture, trade, use, import and export seven chemicals namely (i) Chlordecone, (ii) Hexabromobiphenyl, (iii) Hexabromodiphenyl ether and Heptabromodiphenylether (Commercial octa-BDE), (iv) Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and Pentabromodiphenyl ether (Commercial penta-BDE), (v) Pentachlorobenzene, (vi) Hexabromocyclododecane, and (vii) Hexachlorobutadiene, which were already listed as POPs under Stockholm Convention,” said the state- ment. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the ‘Natural Gas Marketing Reforms’, taking another significant step to move towards gas-based economy. “The objective of the policy is to prescribe standard procedure to discover market price of gas to be sold in the market by gas producers, through a trans- parent and competitive process, permit Affiliates to participate in bidding process for sale of gas and allow marketing freedom to certain Field Development Plans (FDPs) where Production Sharing Contracts already pro- vide pricing freedom,” said Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, adding that bidding will be online to provide transparency. 2PQX]TcR[TPabC'$$Ra^aTU^a :^[ZPcP4PbcFTbcTca^2^aaXS^a ?=BQ =4F34;78 The Income Tax Department on Wednesday froze assets worth C2,000 crore owned by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s close aide VK Sasikala under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act. The frozen assets include two properties worth C300 crore located in Siruthavur and Kodanadu, both registered in the name of Jaya’s aide Sasikala, her sister-in-law Ilavarasi and VN Sudhakaran. The Benami Prohibition wing of the I-T department also pasted notices outside the attached properties. “Income Tax Department today attached assets belonging to former CM J Jayalalithaa’s aide Sasikala in Kodanad and Siruthavur areas of Tamil Nadu. Assets worth C2,000 crore frozen,” the Income Tax Department said in a state- ment. VK Sasikala and her two relatives - Illavarasi and Sudhakaran - are currently serv- ing a four-year sentence in a dis- proportionate assets case. Siruthavur is on the out- skirts of Chennai and Kodanad is in the Nilgiris. The move comes in the wake of the Benami Prohibition wing in Chennai earlier provi- sionally attaching properties in and around Chennai worth C300 crore. 8CST_cUaTTiTb9PhP³b R[^bTPXSTBPbXZP[P³b C!Ra^aTPbbTcb 2DA1?;;DC8=)2?21C34;786EC ?=BQ =4F34;78 Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai on Wednesday said the riots in Delhi this year were a “big con- spiracy” to disturb the country but security forces like the Rapid Action Force (RAF) played an important role in “suppressing the elements that spread anarchy” during the time. Rai was addressing RAF troops on the occasion of the force’s 28th anniversary, or raising day, at a Central Reserve Police Force camp in Gurugram. The RAF is a special anti- riot wing of the CRPF and was raised in 1992. “A big conspiracy was deployed to disturb the coun- try through the Delhi riots that took place this year,” Rai said in his address to the troops. But RAF personnel “complete- ly defeated” the nefarious designs of the rioters, he added. “You suffer damage and injury during riots and protests. But you use force only when violent groups start trou- bling the peace of society,” he added. The RAF was deployed for law and order role during the communal violence that broke out in northeast Delhi in February, killing 53 people and injuring about 200 others. The RAF has 15 battalions (over 15,000 personnel) based in various parts of the country. Delhi Police has filed mul- tiple chargesheets before a Delhi court in the riot cases. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also greeted RAF personnel on the occasion. “Greetings to RAF per- sonnel and their families on their 28th anniversary. RAF has distinguished itself in deal- ing with the challenges relat- ing to law and order,” Shah said on Twitter. X]XbcTa[PdSbA05´ba^[TX] RdaQX]VaX^cbPRa^bbR^d]cah ?=BQ =4F34;78 The Congress on Wednesday dubbed the Uttar Pradesh Government’srecommendation foraCBIinquiryintoallaspects of the Hathras gang-rape case a “charade”anddemandedaprobe by a “sitting judge of the high court,ifnottheSupremeCourt” instead. What is this charade that you (the UP Government) are playing by offering a CBI inquiry? Please don’t take the people of this country to be eat- ing grass. Everyone knows that forsuchcases,thepoliticalcolour of the UP Government and the Central Government washes upon and suffuses agencies like the CBI… if you have the guts andcourageofconviction;askfor an inquiry by a sitting high court judge or a Supreme Court judge,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at a Press conference. 2^]VcTabD?6^ec³aTR^T]SPcX^]U^a 218_a^QTX]c^7PcWaPbVP]VaP_T²RWPaPST³ 9^TYQSQ^RUS_]UXeRV_b TUVU^SUY^Tecdbi*BQZ^QdX 2^eXS_^bXcXeTWdP]bc^^RP]caP]bXceXadbc^fX[S[XUT)BcdSh
- 6. ]PcX^]$347A03D=kC7DAB30H k2C14A'!! 78C:0=370A8Q 90D Three terrorists, one belong- ing to the pro Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen and two others to Al Badr terrorist out- fit, were killed by the joint team of security forces during a night long operation in the Sugan area of South Kashmir's Shopian district on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the line of con- trol along the Uri sector in Baramulla also witnessed fresh exchange of firing with Pakistan resorting to use of mortar shelling and use of other weapons to hit the for- ward posts of the Indian army. In response, Indian army retal- iated strongly. Defence spokesman in Srinagar, Col Rajesh Kalia said, Pakistan initiated an unpro- voked Ceasefire Violation along LoC in Uri Sector, Baramulla District wednesday morning by firing mortars other weapons. A Befitting response was given, he added. In Shopian, the operation was launched in the area on receipt of information about the movement of a group of terrorists late Tuesday evening. Soon after the initial con- tact was made with the terror- ists hiding inside a home, appeals were made by the secu- rity forces to lay down their arms but they refused. According to ground reports, two terrorists were neutralised late night and the third terror- ist was neutralised after the operations resumed with the first light early Wednesday morning. Jawans of 44RR, Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir police and 178BN CRPF participated in the oper- ation. The security forces recovered three dead bodies from the site of encounter Wednesday morning. According to a police spokesman, the killed terror- ists have been identified as Sajad Ahmad Malla resident of Maldera Shopian affiliated with proscribed terror outfit HM, Junaid Rashid Wani resident of Tumalhaal Pulwama and Waseem Ahmad Magray resi- dent of Chakoora affiliated with proscribed terror outfit Al-Badar. As per police records, the killed terrorists were part of groups involved in planning executing several terror attacks including civilian atrocities and attacks on security estab- lishments. Hathras: On Tuesday, there was a political gathering at the victim's house in Boolgadhi village similarly, in the next vil- lage Baghna, there was a gath- ering for the panchayat in favor of the accused. Officials became active on this information of gathering outside Pradhan's house.Therewasan uproar over the removal of the crowd and the slogans were raised against the MP. The police drove the people away. Police gave strict instructions to the son of Pradhan and patrolled the sur- rounding village. Boolgadhi village comes under the gram panchayat of Baghna ka Nagla where the death case of the woman is still hot. In this case, the police have sent four accused to jail. People from dozens of nearby villages along Boolgarhi have stood in favour of the accused. When information about a panchayat in village Baghna was received, people from electronic media reached the village. The crowd started gathering outside the vil- lage Pradhan Rupwati's house. On this information, a large number of policemen and administrative officers also reached. First Sikandrarao Inspector Pravesh Rana came with the force and tried to explain the villagers that they should not conduct panchayat in this manner as Section 144 imposed in the area. On the other hand, the electronics media were live with people from the accused side. On the intervention of the police, the youths of the village started cre- ating ruckus and started raising slogans against BJP MP Rajvir Singh. Many village elders had also come for the panchayat. By then, Joint Magistrate Prem Prakash Meena also came with the force and reprimanded the youths trying to conduct pan- chayats. During this time, the police manhandled an elderly person and the son of Pradhan was strictly instructed by the Joint Magistrate. Seeing the police, the youth of the gather- ing village started running towards the village followed by the vehicles of Joint Magistrate and police. Police also visited the nearby villages to ensure that there is no Panchayat gathering. PNS Panaji: Goa will not compro- mise on the ongoing Mhadei river water sharing row with Karnataka and the State is on the right track, especially with the filing of a contempt petition against the neighbouring State for violation of apex court's orders, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday. There is no compromise. We are strong in that regard. We have taken a stand. We are very much clear. We have filed a contempt petition. We are strong on that and we will fol- low the matter in the Supreme Court. We are on the right track, Sawant said. The Chief Minister was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function organ- ised by a government corpo- ration in Panaji. The Goa government on Tuesday filed the contempt petition against Karnataka in the apex court alleging that the southern state is illegally divert- ing water from the Mhadei river basin via the newly con- structed Kalasa-Banduri canal, despite a special leave petition filed by the Goa government in the apex court vis a vis the con- tentious issue. The SLP, which was filed in July last year, also challenged the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal award in 2018, which allowed Karnataka to divert 13.42 TMC water from the river basin. The SLP had also said that Karnataka was diverting more water than what was awarded. Meanwhile, members of a civil society group Progressive Front of Goa were arrested after they staged a protest outside the Chief Minister's official resi- dence in Panaji, demanding justice to Goa over the Mhadei dispute. The Goa government is compromising with Karnataka on the issue. We demand that the Chief Minister face the peo- ple of the state and explain the state's position and why it has lagged when it comes to defending the interests of the state and its people when it comes to the Mhadei river, Hridaynath Shriodkar of the Front said. Goa Bharatiya Janata Party president Sadanand Shet Tanavade however told reporters, that allegations that the central National Democratic Alliance govern- ment was backing Karnataka over the Mhadei issue was wrong. I can tell you, it not true that the central government is supporting Karnataka. The Goa government is doing all it can to protect the state's inter- ests, Tanavade said. Mhadei also known as the Mandovi river in Goa and Mahadayi in Karnataka, is con- sidered as a lifeline in the northern parts of Goa. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through Maharashtra. While the river runs 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is over 50 km in length in the state Goa. Goa and Karnataka are battling out a two decade-long dispute over the sharing of the Mhadei waters. IANS ?A0344?B0G4=0Q 0;860A7 Aligarh SSP suspended inspector Praveen Kumar Maan of Iglas police station on negligence in connection with the rape of a 4-year-old girl from Sadabad, living in her aunt’s home in a village in the Iglas area of Aligarh. Police filed a case 4 days later. The girl was raped by her aunt's son, after which the girl was undergoing treatment and on Monday, she died in the hospital. Angry girl's family members and villagers blocked the Baldev Khandauli road by placing the body on the road at 8 o'clock in the night. They sat on the road overnight demand- ing the suspension of the inspector and the jam opened on Tuesday when officials assured them of action. DM Aligarh Chandra Bhushan Singh announced financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the victim's family. Negligence on the part of the police, in this case, came into light. At first, the police were not accepting this as rape. The wife of a village-based person, resident of the Sadabad police station area died in January. He has 2 sons and 2 daughters. Three months ago, his sister-in-law, a resident of Iglas police station, took his children with her but after 15 days the sister-in-law left both of his sons but kept both daughters with her on the excuse of her son’s marriage. Last month, the person got the information about the cruelty to his 4-year-old girl at which he filed a complaint against his sister-in-law. He came to know that his daughter was raped and locked in the toilet which caused worms in her private part. After getting this infor- mation on the child helpline, they admitted the girl for treat- ment at JN Medical College from where she was referred to Delhi where she died on Monday. Iglas police had arrested the accused 12 days ago and sent him to the Juvenile home of Mathura. SSP Aligarh Muniraj said that the Iglas inspector has been suspended for his negli- gence in this case. The accused boy was arrested on 24th September and he admitted his crime. A team has also been made to search and arrest the aunt. $eVcc`cZdedZ]]VUZ_ DY`aZR_V_T`f_eVc _S_]`b_]YcU_^=XQTUY YcceU7_Q_^bYWXddbQS[*3= 3ROLFH UDS SDQFKDDW IRU EDFNLQJ %DJKQD DFFXVHG 3_`cec`U^TUTV_b^UWYWU^SU Y^]Y^_bbQ`USQcUY^1YWQbX Panaji: Goa's influential Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday urged the State's Catholics to conduct beach cleaning and garbage cleaning drives in order to celebrate the integral relationship between the earth and ecological, eco- nomic, social and political ways of living. The initiative stems from a call by Pope Francis to observe the 'Season of Global Creation', an official statement issued by the Church's communication wing said. ...all the members of the Archdiocese are invited to con- sider the integral relationship between the Earth and ecolog- ical, economic, social and polit- ical ways of living. Therefore beach cleaning drives are being encouraged, and community clean up activities which include market place and vil- lage garbage clearance initia- tives, the statement said. The 'Season of Global Creation' is being celebrated in the state October 4-10. There is also a trekking initiative to be held at a later stage, in conducive situation, by inviting people in limited num- bers who have participated in different initiatives of the cel- ebration week of the 'Season of Global Creation, the statement also said, adding that all Covid-19 guidelines of the state government, including social distancing, should be maintained during the events organised on the occasion. Catholics account for near- ly 26 per cent of the state's pop- ulation of 1.5 million. IANS Kochi: The ED on Wednesday filed a chargesheet in a PMLA court in Ernakulam in its probe into the money trail in the gold smuggling case, triggering another slugfest in Kerala pol- itics after it allegedly revealed that prime accused Swapna Suresh had met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan six times. The charge sheet was filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 against PS Sarith, Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair in the District and Sessions Court (PMLA) in Ernakulam in the gold smuggling case. All three accused are in judicial custody since July. The ED charge sheet quot- ed Swapna as saying that she had met Vijayan on six occa- sions in the presence of now- suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar and that the CM knew about her appointment in the Space Park on a salary of over Rs 1.50 lakh per month. The Congress and the BJP leadership in the southern state were up in arms and demand- ed the resignation of Vijayan. Vijayan had said he had no clue of how she got a job in the Space Park, but the ED charge sheet says he was aware. Vijayan then said his office is not a haven for such people. That statement has since fallen flat and the onus is now on him to come clean, state Congress President Mullapally Ramachandran said. The over 300-page charge sheet includes Swapna's state- ment that following her resig- nation from the UAE Consulate, she approached Sivasankar, then Principal Secretary to Vijayan and also IT Secretary, for a job. She was quoted as saying that he asked her to put in her CV with his reference to PriceWaterhouse Coopers and thereafter she went and met a top official of Space Park and soon got the job. Swapna also allegedly said that Sivasankar had helped her financially and they were good friends and it was he who intro- duced her to chartered accoun- tant Venugopal, who was asked to help her in financial dealings by opening fixed deposit accounts to the tune of Rs 20 lakh. After the ED charge-sheet- ed Swapna Suresh and two oth- ers in a PMLA court in a money laundering case, state Congress President Mullapally Ramachandran on Wednesday demanded that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan come clean on gold smuggling case prime accused Swapna. Referring to the charge sheet, Ramachandran alleged that Vijayan was aware of her new job in the state-owned Space Park, which directly comes under the CM's charge. Vijayan had said he had no clue of how she got a job in the Space Park, but the ED charge sheet says he was aware. Vijayan then said his office is not a haven for such people. That statement has since fallen flat and the onus is now on him to come clean, said Ramachandran. The charge sheet also claimed that she had met Vijayan along with his now-sus- pended Principal Secretary M Sivasankar six times. It is very serious. Vijayan's credibility has taken a hit. So, one has to doubt if the so-called probe on how she got the job is in limbo due to such relations, the Congress leader remarked. Swapna Suresh was arrest- ed by the National Investigation Agency from Bengaluru in the gold smuggling case that sur- faced in July. (' FKDUJHVKHHW LQ 30/$ FRXUW 6ZDSQD PHW .HUDOD 0 WLPHV 6^P2WdaRWdaVTb2PcW^[XRb c^R^]SdRcR[TP]X]VSaXeT Chennai: The Income Tax (IT) Department has provisionally attached about 11 acres of land owned by VN Sudhakaran, the nephew of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's close aide VK Sasikala, in Siruthavoor village near here under the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act. The department also reportedly attached the prop- erties of Sasikala and her rela- tives in Kodanad near Ooty. However, IT officials declined to comment when contacted for confirming the development. In the order provisionally attaching the 11 acre 53 cents land owned by Sudhakaran, the IT Department has said the action is being taken to prevent him from transferring the property to another person. As per the provisional attachment order, Sudhakaran is restrained from transferring or charging the properties until further orders. Sasikala, Sudhakaran and another of her relatives Illavarasi are in a Bengaluru jail after being convicted in a cor- ruption case. A copy of the provisional order attaching Sudhakaran's property in Siruthavoor has been sent to J. Deepak and J. Deepa, Jayalalihtaa's nephew and niece, respectively. In August this year, the IT Department is said to have attached 65 properties of Sasikala and her associates. In 2017, the IT Department had raided 187 properties said to be linked to Sasikala and her relatives and unearthed alleged tax evasion of about Rs 1,430 crore. IANS :EReeRTYVd ac`aVceZVd`W DRdZR]R DfUYRRcR_ Hyderabad: South Central Railway has taken up upgrad- ing maximum permissible speed in the sections of Golden Quadrilateral/Golden Diagonal (GQ/GD) routes. Strengthening of track and infrastructure and removing bottlenecks in these sections are on fast pace to enhance maximum speed up to 130 kmph. According to South Central Railway (SCR), speed trials are in progress for upgra- dation of speed in these routes. Balharshah - Kazipet - Vijayawada - G u d u r , V i j a y a w a d a - Visakhapatnam and Wadi - Gooty - Renigunta sections come under GQ/GD routes over SCR jurisdiction. The existing maximum permissible speed between Balharshah - Kazipet - Vijayawada and Kazipet - Secunderabad is 120 kmph, while it is 110 kmph between Vijayawada - Gudur and Wadi - Gooty - Renigunta sections. These routes are under the process of speed upgradation up to 130 kmph as per the directives of Railway Board, SCR said. As an initial step to mea- sure the track parameters, RDSO/Lucknow is conducting oscillation trials through Confirmatory Oscillograph Car Run (COCR) consisting of 24 coaches of all classes. During this check, in addi- tion to track parameters, other areas like signalling aspect, traction distribution equip- ment, locomotive and coach fitness will also be checked and recorded. These trials have been con- ducted in July between Balharshah - Kazipet - Secunderabad and Gooty - Renigunta sections. The works pertaining to upgradation of these routes to required standards from track point of view like heavier rails, improvement of curves, gradi- ents and other components in these routes are under fast pace as these double line sec- tions are already having double distant signal and are electri- fied, and 260 meters long weld- ed rail panels are laid to improve track structure. Oscillation trials were car- ried out from October 4 to October 7 in Kazipet - Vijayawada - Gudur and Wadi - Gooty sections. Track strengthening and infrastructure enhancement are already in progress in these sections to meet the specified standards. On completion of the speed trials and its related works, a detailed report will be submitted to Commissioner Railway Safety, Secunderabad circle for obtaining necessary permissions to enhance the maximum permissible speed of all these routes to 130 km per hour. Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, SCR said that the enhancement of speed in these important sections of Golden Quadrilateral/Golden Diagonal routes will definitely boost the operation of passenger and freight trains. He also stated that the running time of the passenger services can be drastically reduced and this will pave the way for running more trains. IANS B0D60AB4=6D?C0Q :;:0C0 With Bengal Assembly elections barely seven months away Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has set about declaring sops in Jangalmahal districts of the State where her party Trinamool Congress received a drubbing at the hands of BJP in the last year’s parliamentary elections. The Chief Minister who is currently traveling the western districts of the State announced free ration till the month of June next year. Apart from free ration Banerjee also announced old age pension for the members of the scheduled tribes. “This pension should be sanctioned and start immediately after the recipients become sixty” Banerjee said also announcing a government job each for those who get killed in ele- phant attacks. Till date the kin of those killed in elephant attacks would get a one-time Rs 2.5 lakh but the Chief Minister announced a scheme according to which they would get a government job in the Special Home Guard section, sources said. Apart from this Banerjee also warned the officials that no slackness would be toler- ated in the pre-declared con- struction of 12,000 km ofroads in the State. The Chief Minister had during her North Bengal trip announced that the State Government would undertake the con- struction of 12,000 km of road under Patha Sree scheme. Banerjee who attended an administrative meeting at Jhargram on Wednesday fur- ther said that her Government would not allow the Maoists to return in the State. “There are attempts by some people to reinstate the Maoists who have been driven out of Bengal after great sacrifices… so the people will have to remain alert about their regrouping with the help of some political groups,” Banerjee said. On the central health scheme of Ayushman Bharat Banerjee said she had no objection in letting the scheme enter Bengal but “the central Government will have to fund the scheme entirely … other- wise we will not let half of the scheme being funded by the State Government and let the Centre claim credit for that … in any case we are already run- ning a more efficient scheme in the shape of Swasthya Saathi.” =Q]QdQQ^^_e^SUcc_`c V_b:Q^WQ]QXQbUcYTU^dc 6RXWK HQWUDO 5OV XSJUDGLQJ VSHHG LQ *4*' URXWHV ?=BQ :;:0C0 With the BJP all set to host its grand march to the Bengal secretariat expect some ‘fireworks’ on Thursday. With an apparent eye on the next year’s Assembly elections the Bengal BJP has planned a mega march to Nabanna (State sec- retariat) on Thursday. Meanwhile, in view of Thursday’s rally heavy police bandobast has been made all around Kolkata, particularly around Nabanna. Prohibitoryorders have been enforced in the area around the Secretariat and barricades put up to ensure the crowds do reach the area. The Nabanna Abhiyan as the programme has been christened is being orga- nized by the party’s youth wing the Yuva Morcha and is likely to witness four groups comprising thousands of people marching to the State secretariat across the Hooghly. One of the main attractions of the march would be the saf- fron outfit’s youngest National Secretary Tejasvi Surya who is likely to reach Kolkata on Wednesday night. Apart from Surya the four- pronged march to Nabanna, the office of the Chief Minister would be led by senior party leaders like Mukul Roy, Kailash Vijaybargiya who would lead one rally from Southern part of Kolkata. A second rally would be led by State party president Dilip Ghosh from the BJP State party office in North Kolkata. A third rally would be led by BJP youth wing state president and party MP Soumitra Khan and Tejasvi Surya and others. Another rally would be led by fire- brand leader Sayantan Basu from Satragachi, west of Nabanna, party sources said. “Though the people are being stopped from coming to Kolkata by police already several thousand of them have landed in Kolkata,” said Khan adding about 50,000 people would march from the State party office itself. Te State Government on Wednesday declared a 2-day holiday at Nabanna in order to carry out sanitization work in the 15- storey building. When asked to comment on the Government’s decision Dilip Ghosh said, “It is good that the TMC starts tak- ing holidays because from next year they will go into a perma- nent holiday.” =QccYfURQ^T_RQcd QXUQT_V2:@]UWQ ]QbSXd_QRQ^^QSrinagar: A further 621 people on Wednesday tested Covid-19 positive in Jammu and Kashmir, taking the total num- ber of people infected with the novel coronavirus in the Union Territory beyond 81,000. A statement issued by the Information and Public Relations Department said of the 621 people who tested pos- itive on Wednesday, 260 are from Jammu division while 361 are from Kashmir division. The total number of peo- ple infected with the coron- avirus in Jammu and Kashmir is 81,097 out of which 67,684 have recovered completely. Besides, 1,282 patients have been killed by the dreaded virus so far, including 14 on Wednesday. The number of active cases is 12,131 out of which 5,976 are from Jammu division and 6,155 are from Kashmir division. IANS ;+'#^`cV eVde4`gZUgV eR]]jTc`ddVd) C=A067D=0C70Q D108 Within a week after a team of forensic doctors All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMMS) ruled out any murder in the Sushant Singh Rajput murder case, the lawyer of the late actor’s fami- ly on Wednesday urged the CBI to have forensic test conducted in the case by another forensic team of doctors comprising “best names” from different hospitals. Alluding to reports in the media and statements made by some of doctors concerned about the AIIMS’ forensic report that had ruled out mur- der in the Sushant death case and said it was a clear case of “suicide”, the late actor’s family lawyer Varun Singh stated in a letter written to the CBI that there was need for another forensic test, since “I personal- ly feel that the forensic team of AIIMS for whatever reason has not given a categorical opinion on the flaws of the post-mortem done at the Cooper Hospital”. “ I am accordingly of the firm opinion that the matter needs to be referred to anoth- er forensic team to be consti- tuted by the CBI by picking up some of the best names in the field from different hospitals so that a fair and proper assess- ment takes place with regard to the comments of the post- mortem done by the Cooper Hospital and also whether the cause of death can be specified on the basis of the material available with the CBI,” Varun Singh wrote in his letter to the CBI. “The AIIMS report, if at all, could have specified the cause of death i.e, by hanging and could not have gone to say it is a case of suicide because that is something which the CBI can decide after a complete inves- tigation in the matter,” the late actor’s family lawyer stated. “CBI may also inquire into the circumstances that have led Dr Sudhir Gupta indulge in such unprofessional conduct that threatens to jeopardise the course of investigations and help wrong-doers escape the clutches of law,” lawyer Varun Singh added. The letter written by the late actor’s family lawyer comes a day after key accused actress Rhea Chakraborty’s family lawyers alleged that Sushant’s family and their lawyers were “interfering and tampering” with the investigations, by rais- ing doubts about the probe car- ried out by the CBI and the forensic report submitted to it by the AIIMS which has ruled out murder in the Sushant death and said it was a clear case of “suicide”. “The CBI is independent- ly and impartially investigating both the cases and the agency is supposed to be insulated and free from any interfer- ence,” Maneshinde said. “The SSR family lawyer (Vikas Singh) is supposed to have said that he is going to meet the CBI Director to get the family’s pre-determined path of investigations in SSR death. It is very disturbing to read such information in the media as attempts are being made to get a pre-determined result in the case,” Maneshinde said. “Any further attempts to interfere and tamper with the investigations would be brought to the notice of the appropriate courts, Maneshinde added. BdbWP]cBX]VWbUPX[hfaXcTbc^218bTTZbUaTbWU^aT]bXRcTP