Month: March 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a 12 km stretch of the Pune Metro Rail Project, taking a ride of the inaugural run while also interacting with onboard schoolchildren.

“It is part of a total 32.2 km Pune Metro rail project. The entire project is being built at a total cost of more than Rs 11,400 crore,” stated the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in an official statement.

PM Modi also travelled from Garware station to Anand Nagar station by purchasing a ticket.

He interacted with School students onboard the Metro train, said the PMO in the statement.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra Assembly Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol were also present at the inauguration of the Metro line.

Earlier, PM Modi unveiled the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj situated on the premises of Pune Municipal Corporation.

“The Statue is made up of 1,850 kg of gunmetal and is about 9.5 feet tall,” added the PMO.

PM Modi is on a one-day visit to Pune where he will take part in various functions, including the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Symbiosis University.

At around 12 noon, he will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple developmental projects. He will also lay the foundation stone of rejuvenation and pollution abatement of the Mula-Mutha River projects.

Rejuvenation works will be done on a 9-Km stretch of the river at a project cost of more than Rs. 1,080 crore. It will involve works such as river edge protection, interceptor sewage network, public amenities, boating activity among others. Mula-Mutha River pollution abatement project will be implemented on the concept of “One City One Operator” at a cost of over Rs 1,470 crore. A total of 11 sewage treatment plants will be constructed under the project, with a combined capacity of around 400 MLD. Prime Minister will also launch 140 e-buses and e-bus depot constructed at Baner.

Prime Minister will also inaugurate the R. K Laxman Art Gallery-Museum constructed at Balewadi, Pune. The main attraction of the Museum is a miniature model based on the village of Malgudi equipped with audio-visual effects. Cartoons drawn by cartoonist R K Laxman will be showcased in the Museum.

At around 1:45 pm, PM Modi will kick-start the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Symbiosis University. (ANI)

Around 13,300 people returned to India from Ukraine so far by 63 flights under Operation Ganga, Ministery of External Affairs said on Saturday, adding that 15 flights have landed in the last 24 hours carrying around 2,900 onboard.

In a daily briefing, the MEA official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: “15 flights have landed in the last 24 hours with around 2,900 onboard. Approximately 13,300 people returned to India so far by 63 flights under Operation Ganga. 13 flights scheduled for the next 24 hours.”

He noted that over 21,000 people have left Ukraine.

Bagchi also said that almost all Indians have left Kharkiv city of Ukraine and the main focus of the government is to evacuate citizens from Sumy where Indian students are stuck right now.

Speaking at the special briefing on Operation Ganga, to evacuate all Indian nationals from Ukraine, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “From Pisochyn and Kharkiv, we should be able to clear out everyone in the next few hours, so far I know almost all Indians have left Kharkiv. The main focus is on Sumy now, the challenge remains ongoing violence and lack of transportation and the best option would be a ceasefire.”

Bagchi further said that so far 298 students have been evacuated from Pisochyn.

“We will now be looking at how many are still in Ukraine. The embassy will contact those who happen to be there but haven’t registered… In nearby Pisochyn…we have moved (evacuated) 298 students, hoping to complete it by today,” he said.

He also said that three buses arranged by the Government of India have reached Pisochyn and will shortly be making their way westwards.

Bagchi added that probably one Nepali citizen will be coming today (onboard Indian flight), and Bangladeshi national is also expected later.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, yesterday chaired a meeting to discuss the ongoing evacuation drive of Indian nationals and the situation in conflict-hit Ukraine.

The government has also deployed “special envoys” to four neighbouring countries bordering Ukraine to coordinate and oversee the evacuation process of Indian nationals.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities. (ANI)

Taliban has arrested two local singers from a wedding ceremony in Kunar province and humiliated them by hanging their musical instruments around their necks and punishing them.

Taking to Twitter, Payk Media, an Afghanistan-based media outlet said, “Taliban arrested two local singers from a wedding ceremony in Kunar province and hung their musical instruments around their necks and punished them.”

In the mid of January, in a similar incident, the Taliban burned a musical instrument in front of a musician in Afghanistan’s Paktia province. A video was posted by an Afghan journalist showing this cruelty in which the musician was seen crying after his instrument was set on fire.

A viral video posted by Abdulhaq Omeri, a senior journalist of Afghanistan also shows that a man with a gun was laughing at him, while another was making a video of his “miserable condition.”

“Taliban burn musician’s musical instrument as local musician weeps. This incident happened in #ZazaiArub District #Paktia Province #Afghanistan,” Omeri said in a tweet.

Apart from it, the group had banned live music at weddings and ordered men and women to celebrate in different halls, an owner of a hotel in Afghanistan in October told Sputnik.

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice had also issued “religious guidelines” calling on Afghanistan’s TV channels to stop showing women in dramas and soap operas.

Although the group had said that these new guidelines might not be implemented but history has shown that the group is committed to implementing their version of hardline Sharia law into the country, Dawn news reported.

As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan once again after 20 years, experts also believe that Afghan women are most likely to face an uncertain future under the terrorist group regime. (ANI)

The Chinar Corps unit of the Indian Army on Saturday informed that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a record footfall of tourists this year, adding that there has been a significant reduction in incidents of stone-pelting, protests or bandhs in the UT.

Haling the progress of development in the Union Territory, Chinar Corps’ Lieutenant General DP Pandey said today, “A record number of tourists came here last year. There has been a reduction in stone-pelting, protests or bandhs. Terrorist recruitment has come down. Youth have realised that they make them fools by providing them guns.”

Previously, on December 30, 2021, Pandey said that the infiltration attempts from the other side of the border into Jammu and Kashmir have gone down this year, adding that terror groups are trying to recruit young children aged 15-16 years.

“The infiltration attempts are not serious as of now. The numbers have gone down this year. We are vigilant and totally prepared to ensure that no one is able to sneak in,” said Pandey while talking to ANI. (ANI)

The cultivation of poppy for opium production has surged in Afghanistan’s Helmand and Kandahar provinces in 2022 as compared to last year, local media reported citing farmers.

“There is nothing else to cultivate. We were growing wheat before. This year–we want to cultivate poppy. Previously they were asking for bribes every day but we don’t have that problem this year,” a farmer said, according to Tolo News. As per the media outlet, opium and other drugs are being sold in open markets in the southern provinces.

The two provinces of Kandahar and Helmand have been recognized as one of the top poppy producers, Tolo News reported.

Mohammad Kareem is a farmer who has been growing poppy for the past 15 years. Kareem is expecting his harvest to be ready within the next month.

“If we don’t cultivate poppy, we don’t get a good return, the wheat doesn’t provide a good income,” he said. “There are no restrictions this year. If the Taliban want to ban it, they must let us grow it this year at least,” said Peer Mohammad, a farmer.

Multiple reports indicate that poppy cultivation and drug trafficking provide a big income source for the Taliban, mainly in the southern and northern parts of the country. Most of the drug smuggling goes through Iran and the Taliban make a big money from it.

Afghanistan has been among the world’s top illicit drug-producing countries. There are scores of drug addicts currently on the streets.

Taliban so far have a crackdown on small drug dealers but big dealers have been largely given a free pass. (ANI)

Martyrs of the End of Prophethood (Khatm e Nabuwat) Conference has demanded Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to ensure the establishment of the state of Madinah as promised in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

Taking a blunt stand regarding the end of prophethood, speakers and participants in the conference said that there can be no compromise on the Khatm-e-Nabuwat.

Maulana Zahid Al-Rashidi, Secretary-General of Pakistan Shariat Council warned that the rulers, political parties, and the opposition should expel secular elements and pro-Qadiani lobbies from their ranks, as per media reports.

Defending the Islamic provisions of the constitution is dearer to us than life itself and the government should abandon its support for the perpetrators of blasphemy, according to the Maulana Zahid Al-Rashidi.

He added that political, social, and economic stability could not be established in the country unless the agenda of anti-Islamic forces was rejected.

Further, the resolutions of the conference demanded that the PTI ensure the establishment of the state of Madinah as promised.

The conference also demanded that the sharia punishment for apostasy be imposed in light of the recommendations of the Islamic Ideological Council.

Another speaker, Dr Mohammad Omar Farooq Ahrar has said that the process of paying homage to the martyrs of the end of prophethood will continue throughout the month of March in the form of conferences.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had promised to deliver to his citizens a Naya Pakistan based on Medina, a city founded by Prophet Muhammad. (ANI)

Russia on Saturday declared a ceasefire in Ukraine for opening up humanitarian corridors for civilians to be evacuated.

A seven-hour ceasefire began in Mariupol and Volnovakha cities of Ukraine for the evacuation and delivery of food and medicines, said a media report.

“Temporary ceasefire begins in Mariupol and Volnovakha to set up humanitarian corridors. The corridors will serve to evacuate civilians and deliver food and medicine to the cities that have been cut off from the world by Russian attackers,” tweeted The Kyiv Independent, a Ukraine media outlet.

The media outlet informed that the ceasefire will aid the evacuation of 440,000 people of Mariupol and 21,000 people of Volnovakha.

“The ceasefire is declared for 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. today. The evacuation of civilians is set to start at 11 a.m. Mariupol, of 440,000 people, and Volnovakha, of 21,000 people, have been largely cut off water, heat, and electricity,” it tweeted.

Earlier, Mykhailo Podoliyak, the advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, informed that humanitarian evacuation corridors are being prepared for opening in Mariupol and Volnovakha.

“In Mariupol and Volnovakha, humanitarian evacuation corridors are being prepared for opening, columns are being formed from those who are subject to evacuation. The parties temporarily ceased fire in the area of the corridors…,” he tweeted.

This comes as the Russian defence ministry declared a ceasefire for the evacuation of civilians in Mariupol and Volnovakha, adding that the corridors and the evacuation routes had been agreed upon with Ukraine.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities.

Amid the Ukraine-Russia crisis raging for over a week now, Ukraine plans to hold the third round of talks with Russian officials to try to end the fighting triggered by Moscow’s invasion this weekend, said one of Kyiv’s negotiators. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Pune on March 6 to inaugurate the Pune Metro Rail Project worth more than ₹11,400 crore.

He will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development projects, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

At around 11 am, Prime Minister will unveil the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the premises of Pune Municipal Corporation. The statue is made up of 1,850 kg gunmetal and is about 9.5 feet tall.

Prime Minister will inaugurate Pune Metro Rail Project at around 11:30 am. This project is an endeavour to provide world-class infrastructure for urban mobility in Pune. The Foundation Stone of the project had been laid by the Prime Minister on December 24, 2016.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate a 12 km stretch of the total 32.2 km Pune Metro Rail Project. The entire project is being built at a total cost of more than Rs 11,400 crore. He will also inaugurate and inspect the Exhibition at Garware Metro Station and will undertake a metro ride from there to Anandnagar Metro Station.

At around 12 noon, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple developmental projects. He will also lay the foundation stone of rejuvenation and pollution abatement of the Mula-Mutha River projects.

Rejuvenation will be done in a 9 km stretch of the river at a project cost of more than Rs 1,080 crores. It will involve works such as river edge protection, interceptor sewage network, public amenities, boating activity etc.

Mula-Mutha River pollution abatement project will be implemented on the concept of “One City One Operator” at a cost of over Rs 1,470 crore. A total of 11 sewage treatment plants will be constructed under the project, with a combined capacity of around 400 MLD. Prime Minister will also launch 100 e-buses and e-bus depot constructed at Baner.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate the R.K Laxman Art Gallery-Museum constructed at Balewadi, Pune. The main attraction of the Museum is a miniature model based on the village of Malgudi which will be made alive through the audio-visual effects. Cartoons drawn by cartoonist R K Laxman will be showcased in the Museum. After this, at around 1:45 pm, the Prime Minister will kickstart the Golden Jubilee celebration of Symbiosis University. (ANI)

South Korean tech giant Samsung announced, on Friday, that it has suspended shipments of all of its products to Russia.

According to The Verge, a statement from an unnamed Samsung representative read, “Due to the current geopolitical developments, shipments to Russia have been suspended. We continue to actively monitor this complex situation to determine our next steps.”

This suspension from Samsung won’t just include smartphones but also products ranging from “chips to smartphones and consumer electronics,” a source revealed.

This will lead Russia to be cut off from a huge range of products from one of the largest electronics vendors in the world. Along with this move, the company will also be making humanitarian efforts.

“Our thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted and our priority is to ensure the safety of all our employees and their families. We plan to actively support humanitarian efforts around the region, including aid for refugees. To this end, we are donating USD 6 million, including USD 1 million in consumer electronics products, as well as voluntary donations from our employees,” the company said.

With this decision of suspension, Samsung has now become the latest company to prevent new sales of its products in Russia following its military operation in Ukraine.

As per The Verge, Apple, FIFA developer EA, and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red have all halted sales in Russia. Microsoft also announced that is suspending “all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia” in the country. (ANI)