Month: April 2022

Delhi police seized a counterfeit Indian coins manufacturing and supply unit with the arrest of one counterfeit coins peddler and with four of his associates, said police on Sunday.

The arrested accused have been identified as Naresh Kumar and Santosh Mandal, who is the main accused and three other workers Dharmender Kumar Sharma, Dharmender Mahto and Shravan Kumar Sharma.
Police recovered counterfeit Indian coins in the denomination of Rs 10 amounting to the total worth of Rs 1,01,612 including 20 packets each containing 4000 coins and around 11,500 coins in loose, four operational complete assemblies of the pressure machines with an electric motor, die used to engrave the emblem and other features on the coins, half finish coins and raw materials, from the possession of the accused.

The police said, “Acting on secret information about manufacturing and supplying of the counterfeit Indian coins at large scale by the syndicate run by noted illegal counterfeit coins peddler Naresh Kumar, a team of Special Cell, South-WesternRange, conducted a raid on April 22. The team raided at Tikri Border to Village Jharoda Kalan, Near PVC Market, Mundka, New Delhi.”

The police said, “Initially the accused was evasive and tried to misguide the investigation. He was put to sustained interrogation and confronted with the material recovered; ultimately he gave in and confessed about the illegal counterfeit coins factory at Village Imlota in Dadri district of Haryana. Acting on his tip, a raid was conducted and the complete four units of the counterfeit Indian coin manufacturing set-up in working condition were recovered along with huge finished and half finished coins, raw material and tools.”

The police further said, “A total of 20 packed cartons each containing 4000 coins of Rs 10, Total 212 kgs of discs ‘tikki’ made of steel like material used to make inner part of the coins and total five kgs of waste discs-‘tikki’, total 315 kgs of disc-rings, washer, ‘chhalla’ made of brass used to make outer part of the coins and total 15 Kgs of waste discs, ‘tikki’ disc-rings, ‘washer’ were seized from the manufacturing unit.

Besides a total of 70 kgs unfinished, semi-finished (un-pressed coins) were also recovered. A total of 100 die used to engrave in manufacturing of the counterfeit coins, 35 strip of steel used to extract disc, ‘tikki’ for making inner part of the coins, six used strips out of which disc, ‘tikki’ is extracted and stickers with printing of Indian Government Mint NOIDA were also found in the manufacturing unit.”

A case was registered in the Special cell police station under sections 232 ,243 of the Indian Penal Code.(ANI)

In what could be a lesson learnt from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war where anti-tank missiles have played a big role, the Indian Air Force is arming its Russian-origin helicopters with the Israeli ‘Non-Line of Sight (NLOS) ATGMs’ which can hit ground targets from distances up to 30 km.
The Israeli Spike NLOS anti-tank guided missile is being integrated into the Russian-origin fleet of Mi-17V5 helicopters which can take out targets from long ranges and can prove to be very effective against enemy armoured columns in times of conflict, government sources told ANI.

During the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the reports suggest that the Ukrainian forces have used the anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles supplied by the Western European nations and America effectively against the Russian armoured columns.

The Indian Air Force had started showing interest in these missiles almost two years ago when the Chinese Army deployed a large number of tanks and infantry combat vehicles close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) opposite the Eastern Ladakh sector.

Earlier, only the western theatre was considered to be conducive for tank warfare but now the tanks would come to play in a big way on both the western and northern borders.

Sources said the Spike NLOS ATGMs have been ordered in limited numbers at the moment and the force would look for getting the missiles in larger numbers through “Make in India” solutions.

The air-launched NLOS ATGMs can carry out strikes at its ground targets from standoff distances and can cause considerable damage to the enemy tank regiments and prevent their advances, the sources said.

Both the Indian Army and the Air Force have strengthened their arsenal significantly through both Indian and foreign weapons in view of the threat faced by the country due to aggression shown by the Chinese two years ago.

The Army and the IAF have been mainly involved directly in the ongoing military standoff with the Chinese while the Navy has been keeping a watch on the high seas against any possible misadventure in the seas. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached Palli village in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir to participate in the Panchayati Raj Day event.

He will address a gathering, including more than 30,000 Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members of Jammu and Kashmir, while PRIs from across the country will be connected virtually for the Prime Minister’s address.

PM Modi started his Jammu and Kashmir tour by visiting INTACH photo gallery set up at Palli village in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir. UT Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha accompanied PM Modi to the gallery.

He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development initiatives worth over Rs 20,000 crore.

With a view to ensuring the rejuvenation of water bodies, during the visit to Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister will also launch a new initiative named Amrit Sarovar. It is aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country.

“I am eager to inaugurate the Amrit Sarovar initiative which marks a special moment in the collective endeavors to rejuvenate our water bodies and conserve every drop of water. Under this initiative, 75 water bodies will be developed and rejuvenated in each district,” PM Modi tweeted.

Prime Minister will inaugurate the Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel, built at a cost of over Rs 3,100 crore.

According to Prime Miniter’s Office, the 8.45 Km long tunnel would reduce the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 km, and reduce journey time by around one and a half hour. It is a twin-tube tunnel – one for each direction of travel – with the twin tubes being interconnected by a cross passage every 500m, for maintenance and emergency evacuation.

The tunnel would help establish an all-weather connection between Jammu and Kashmir and bring the two regions closer.

Further, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of three road packages of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, being built at a cost of over Rs 7,500 crore. They are for the construction of 4/6 lane access controlled Delhi-Katra-Amritsar Expressway from: Balsua on NH-44 to Gurha Baildaran, Hiranagar; Gurha Baildaran, Hiranagar to Jakh, Vijaypur; and Jakh, Vijaypur to Kunjwani, Jammu with spur connectivity to Jammu Airport.

Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of Ratle and Kwar Hydroelectric projects. The 850 MW Ratle Hydroelectric Project will be constructed on the Chenab River in Kishtwar District at a cost of around Rs 5,300 crore. The 540 MW Kwar Hydroelectric Project will also be built on the Chenab river in Kishtwar District at a cost of over Rs 4,500 crore.

In order to further expand the network of Jan Aushadi Kendras in Jammu and Kashmir and to make good quality generic medicines at affordable prices available, 100 Kendras have been made functional and will be dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister.

These Kendras are located in the remote corners of the UT. He will also inaugurate a 500 KW solar power plant at Palli, which will make it the country’s first panchayat to become carbon neutral.

Prime Minister will hand over SVAMITVA cards to beneficiaries under the scheme. He will also transfer award money to Panchayats which are winners of awards given across different categories on National Panchayati Raj Day for their achievements.

Prime Minister will also visit the INTACH photo gallery which depicts the rural heritage of the region, and Nokia Smartpur, a rural entrepreneurship-based model designed to create ideal smart villages in India. (ANI)

April 24 can be considered a historic day in the world of cricket, as it marks the birthday of cricketing legend, Sachin Tendulkar.

The Maharashtra-born player, who turned 49 on Sunday, made his Test debut on November 15, 1989, at the age of 16. In the same year on December 18, he played his first ODI match.
The legendary batter has the most number of runs in the longest format of the game, amassing 15,921 runs. Along the way, Tendulkar scored 51 Test centuries, the most by any player.

Apart from Test cricket, Sachin has created numerous records in the ODI format as well. He stands at the top of the list of most runs in ODI, with a total of 18,426 runs, including 49 tons and 96 half-centuries.

During his long career, the former batter represented India in six World Cups. He was also a part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad.

He has also achieved a historic milestone of scoring 100 international tons and holds the record for registering the most centuries in Test and ODIs. He was also the first batsman to score a double ton in the 50-over format.

Sachin was last seen playing in Road Safety World Series in 2021, where he led India Legends to the title win. Currently, he is the mentor of the Indian Premier League franchise, Mumbai Indians. (ANI)

Witnessing a steady rise in the number of new COVID-19 infections, India recorded 2,593 new cases in the last 24 hours, with a daily positivity rate of 0.59 per cent.

Earlier country had reported 2,527 new COVID-19 infections with a daily positivity rate of 0.56 per cent on Saturday and 2,451 new cases with a daily positivity rate of 0.55 per cent on Friday.
As per today’s government data, India’s active caseload currently stands at 15,873. They now constitute 0.04 per cent of the country’s total positive cases.

A total of 4,36,532 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. The weekly positivity rate is 0.54 per cent.

With 1,755 recoveries reported in the last 24 hours, the cumulative recoveries rose to 4,25,19,479. The recovery rate is at 98.75 per cent.

In the last 24 hours, 44 people succumbed to the virus. The death toll in the country is currently at 5,22,193. The case fatality rate is 1.21 per cent.

In the nationwide vaccination drive against COVID-19, which commenced on January 16 last year, more than 187.67 crore doses have been administered to eligible beneficiaries. (ANI)

Hailing the Amrit Sarovar scheme of the Central government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday while quoting from ancient scriptures said water conservation is a social and spiritual duty of every person.

The PM on Sunday in his 88th monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann ki Baat’ emphasised on water conservation in the country while stating that it’s key to the progress of the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced the construction of 75 Amrit Sarovar (ponds) in every district of the country.

“This rising heat equally increases our responsibility to save water. During the (Azadi ka) Amrit Mahotsav, 75 Amrit Sarovars will be built in every district of the country. You can imagine how big the campaign is. The day is not far when there will be 75 Amrit Sarovars, one in your own city,” said PM Modi.

Emphasising efforts for water conservation, PM Modi said, “Vedas and Puranas have termed water conservation as the social and spiritual duty of every person.”

“In Valmiki Ramayana, special emphasis has been laid on water conservation, on connecting water sources. Similarly, students of history would know, how much engineering was developed in India regarding water even during the Indus-Saraswati and Harappan civilizations,” he added.

PM Modi also said that “the availability of water determines the progress and speed of any country”.

PM Modi hailed the efforts made by a Panchayat in Uttar Pradesh by rejuvenating a pond that used to be filled with garbage.

“I have come to know about Gram Panchayat Patwai of Rampur in UP. There was a pond on the land of the Gram Sabha, but it was full of filth and heaps of garbage. With a lot of hard work, with the help of local people, with the help of local school children, that dirty pond has been transformed in the last few weeks,” he said.

“Now, many arrangements have been made on the banks of that lake like retaining wall, boundary wall, food court, fountains and lighting. I congratulate the Patwai Gram Panchayat of Rampur, the people of the village, the children there for this effort,” he added.

“I am eager to inaugurate the Amrit Sarovar initiative which marks a special moment in the collective endeavours to rejuvenate our water bodies and conserve every drop of water. Under this initiative, 75 water bodies will be developed and rejuvenated in each district,” PM Modi tweeted. (ANI)

Days after the Centre reduced the areas under AFSPA in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the armed forces are in favour of the withdrawal of the Act from Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking at the felicitation ceremony of 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War veterans here, Rajnath Singh said it is no small thing that for the last three-four years the work of removing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was being done in northeastern states.

“The three wings of our defence forces want Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to be removed from Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible. The circumstances are responsible for the imposition of AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir, not the Army,” Rajnath Singh said.

He said AFSPA was removed from 15 police stations each in Manipur and Nagaland.

“That in itself means a lot. This is the result of durable peace and stability in this area,” Rajnath Singh said.

He said AFSPA was recently completely removed from 23 districts of Assam.

The minister said that people from all parts of the country had taken part in the 1971 war.

“We should take inspiration from the 1971 war, there were commanders from different castes, they belonged to different religions and all unitedly protected India. This social harmony of Assam should not be broken at any cost,” he said.

The minister said that the Narendra Modi government is “working to wipe out terrorism from the country” and the North East Region (NER) is moving fast on the path of development due to synergy between the Centre and the states.

Speaking about the eastern border, Rajnath Singh said that it is more peaceful and stable compared to the western frontier and noted that Bangladesh was a friendly neighbour.

The Centre had last month removed AFPSA from 15 police station areas in seven districts of Nagaland, 15 police station areas in six districts of Manipur and 23 districts entirely and one district partially in Assam.

The AFSPA Act empowers the governor of the state or administrator of Union territory or Centre to issue an official notification concerning disturbed areas after which the central government has the authority to send in armed forces for civilian aid. (ANI)

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday announced the hike in the ex gratia given to the soldiers who die on the line of duty and a job to one person in the family to “recognise and compensate their sacrifices”.

Addressing an honour ceremony for the veterans of the 1971 India-Pakistan war, Sarma said, “The soldiers who lose their lives for the country will now be given Rs 50 lakh instead of 20 lakh and a government job will also be given to one person in their family.”

“We understand that while our bravehearts keep us secure, we also at the same time have a responsibility to stand by them and their families,” the Chief Minister added.

Taking to Twitter, Sarma said, “Our government has made efforts to recognise and compensate the sacrifices made by our soldiers by way of offering Rs 50 lakh as ex gratia, jobs for next of kin, 2 per cent job reservation in government jobs, and reservation of seats for their wards in medical studies.”

Defence Minister Rajanth Singh was also present on the occasion and felicitated the veterans of the 1971 Indo-Pak war at the function.

Over 300 war veterans, Veer Naris and their families attended the felicitation ceremony organised by the government of Assam to honour the valour, dedication and sacrifice of the bravehearts who fought the enemy and ensured victory in the 1971 war. Lt Col Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahir (Retd), a Bangladeshi veteran of the 1971 war who was awarded a Padma Shri was among those present. Some of the veterans of the 1965 war were also in attendance.

Addressing the event, Singh expressed his happiness at meeting the war heroes and ‘Veer Naris’ and paid tributes to those who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the Nation. He described the veterans as important assets of the nation who are an inspiration to every Indian. “An in-service soldier is India’s strength and a veteran is an everlasting inspiration to stand by that strength,” he said.

Rajnath Singh further said that India would not hesitate to act against terrorists who target the country from across borders and to take bold decisions to protect the unity and integrity of the country.

The Defence Minister also released a book ‘The Bravehearts of 1971’ at the programme. (ANI)

Amid speculations of a leadership change in Rajasthan Congress, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said that his resignation is ‘permanently present’ with Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi.

“My resignation is permanently present with Sonia Gandhi, so there is no point in repeatedly asking if the Chief Minister is going to change. The Chief Minister will change when it has to be changed and no one will get to know anything about it,” said Gehlot in Jaipur in Rajasthan.

He further added that there have been talks of changing the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for the last two and three days.

The talks of leadership change came up after former deputy CM Sachin Pilot met with Congress President Sonia Gandhi recently.

Earlier on Friday, Gehlot’s remarks came after Congress leader Sachin Pilot met party president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday. The pilot’s meeting with the Congress’ High Command sparked speculation about a change of guard in Rajasthan Congress leadership.

Earlier this month, Sachin Pilot had met Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party leader Rahul Gandhi. As per the reports, he is continuously in touch with the party high commands.

As Sachin held deliberations with the Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, there is enough indication that Congress will make changes in the leadership of its Rajasthan unit ahead of the state Assembly elections in a bid to retain the power in the state and break the 30-year-old trend of alternative governments in Rajasthan.

In view of the Rajasthan Assembly elections 2023, according to the top sources, timely intervention is important in Rajasthan to win the upcoming polls.

“Leadership change in Rajasthan Congress is expected soon. The final decision is likely to be taken soon in view of Assembly elections in 2023. Timely intervention is important in the state of Rajasthan. If any decision of changes has to take place it should be taken immediately. It is important to take a decision timely. So that leaders can get the time to perform better and there could be no issues at the end moment,” sources had said.

After facing a major debacle in the five states, the Congress working committee (CWC) had decided to make changes in organisation for at least one year ahead of the upcoming elections in various states.

Congress convened a three-day key meeting at the residence of Sonia Gandhi, 10 Janpath to discuss the party’s preparations for the upcoming state elections and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including organizational reforms in the party. (ANI)