Earthquake Of Magnitude 4.1 Strikes Arunachal

255 Dead, 500 Injured In 6.1 Magnitude earthquake In Eastern Afghanistan

An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday leaving at least 255 people dead and over 500 injured in the provinces of Paktika and Khost.

The quake, with a magnitude of 6.1, jolted 44 km southwest of Khost, Afghanistan, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), reported Xinhua.
The casualties occurred in four districts of Paktika province, the most-hit eastern province, according to the report, citing the latest local sources.

The quake has damaged dozens of houses in the region and also caused land sliding in Paktika, local sources said.

“According to preliminary information … 100 people have been killed in Paktika, Gayan district, and in Afghan Dubai village, in Spera district of Khost province, 20 people have been exhumed,” Naseri said, reported Sputnik.

Meanwhile, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said that the jolt was felt over a range of some 500 km by about 119 million people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.

Pakistan media reported a mild intensity earthquake struck Islamabad and other parts of the country.

“Massive EARTHQUAKE in Islamabad! Allah khair! I hope you’re all safe! Allah Taala protect us all. Amen,” said one of the Twitter users from Pakistan

Tremors were also felt in Lahore, Multan, Quetta and several other areas of Pakistan.

The Namal reported that the earthquake was felt for a few seconds and sent people scurrying into the streets.

Last Friday, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake jolted several Pakistani cities including Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Multan.

The shocks were also recorded in Faisalabad, Abbottabad, Swat, Buner, Kohat and Malakand, according to Geo News reported. (ANI)

Australian Defence Minister Lays Wreath At National War Memorial

Australian Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles received a Guard of Honour in the presence of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and laid a wreath at National War Memorial in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Rajnath Singh will hold bilateral talks with Marles in New Delhi today to review the defence cooperation between the two countries and explore new initiatives to further strengthen bilateral engagements.
Marles, who is on a four-day visit to India, met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday and discussed the complete range of comprehensive strategic partnerships, including a shared commitment to building a stronger and resilient Indo-Pacific.

“Wonderful to meet India’s External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar- a great friend of Australia. A productive discussion across the gamut of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including shared commitment to build together a stronger & resilient #IndoPacific,” the Australian Defence Minister tweeted.

Marles arrived in India on Monday, which marks the first high-level visit from Australia after newly-elected prime minister Anthony Albanese took office on May 23.

“Australia and India are Comprehensive Strategic Partners. I am committed to strengthening Australia’s defence and security cooperation with India,” said Marles. “I am looking forward to meeting with my counterpart, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and holding our first bilateral Defence Ministers’ Meeting,” Marles said in a statement.

Marles stated that Rajnath Singh has been instrumental in advancing India-Australia defence ties and he looks forward to working with him to enhance the defence pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

The minister also noted that India is one of Australia’s closest security partners and the Government is focused on revitalising Australia’s historically deep engagement with our partners across the Indo-Pacific.

“The rules-based international order that has brought peace and prosperity to the Indo-Pacific for decades is experiencing pressure, as we face shifts in the geostrategic order,” he said said. “Australia stands ready to work closely with India in support of an open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific”.

During the visit, Deputy Prime Minister Marles will also meet External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and engage national security and defence policymakers and personnel.

Earlier, the Australian PM Albanese had said that the relationship with India is very important and ties between the two countries have never been closer.

“Our relationship with India is a very important one and it was a great honour to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

PM Modi congratulated Prime Minister Albanese on his election victory. Both leaders reviewed the multi-faceted cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including trade and investment, defence manufacturing, renewable energy, green hydrogen, education, science and technology, agricultural research, sports, and people-to-people ties.

Both Prime Ministers affirmed their desire to continue the positive momentum in the bilateral relationship. Bilateral discussions with PM Modi focused on Australia and India’s full strategic and economic agenda, including clean energy technology. (ANI)

Kamal Nath about BJP Netas

Maharashtra Crisis: Cong Legislature Party Meet Today

A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party is scheduled to be held in the presence of All India Congress Committees (AICC) observer Kamal Nath amid the deepening political crisis in Maharashtra.

Kamal Nath arrived at the residence of CLP leader and minister Balasaheb Thorat.43 MLAs will be present at the meeting, Maharashtra Congress sources claimed on Wednesday.
Congress deputed its senior leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath as an All India Congress Committee (AICC) observer in the state.

Kamal Nath reached Mumbai late at night and today he will hold an important meeting with the MLAs of the Maharashtra Congress.

According to Maharashtra Congress sources, the meeting with Kamal Nath will be attended by General Secretary in-charge of Maharashtra Congress HK Patil, State party President Nana Patole, State Cabinet Ministers Balasaheb Thorat, Ashok Chavan and other senior leaders.

This meeting is to be held at the official bungalow of Balasaheb Thorat at 11:00 am.

According to the information, out of a total of 44 Congress MLAs of Maharashtra, 43 MLAs will be present in this meeting. 42 MLAs were present in the Congress Legislature Party meeting held last evening.

According to party sources, Minister Vijay Wadettiwar was not in the meeting held last evening as he was out of the country, and another MLA could not reach Mumbai from Chandrapur.

But in today’s meeting, Chandrapur MLA Subhash Dhote will also be present.

It is likely that after meeting with the Congress MLAs, Kamal Nath and other senior Congress leaders will also meet Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Earlier on Tuesday, Maharashtra Congress MLAs held a meeting at Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat’s residence in Mumbai.

The meeting was presided over by Maharashtra Congress-incharge HK Patil. In the meeting, 42 out of 44 Congress MLAs were present, along with party leaders Nana Patole, Ashok Chavan and others.

Meanwhile, 33 Shiv Sena and seven independent MLAs, led by rebel party leader and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Eknath Shinde arrived at a luxury hotel in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam on Wednesday. The revolt in the Shiv Sena has given rise to speculations that Shinde along with other MLAs might join the BJP in a bid to topple the MVA government.

The MLAs are now staying at Radisson Blu Hotel in the city.” A total of 40 MLAs are present here. We will carry Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva,” said Shinde after arriving in Guwahati.

The Shiv Sena MLAs were received by BJP MLA Sushanta Borgohain and BJP MP Pallab Lochan Das at Guwahati airport.

The developments came up after suspected cross-voting in Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged five seats, in a major blow to the MVA alliance government. NCP and Shiv Sena won two each while Congress was able to clinch one seat out of the total 10 seats in Legislative Council that went to the polls on Monday.

After the MLC elections, Shinde along with some other Shiv Sena MLAs was staying at Le Meridien hotel in Surat. A Shiv Sena delegation comprising Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s close aides Milind Narvekar and Ravindra Phatak had also met Shinde and other party legislators in Surat.

Alleging that efforts are being made to topple the MVA government, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday had confirmed that some Shiv Sena MLAs and Eknath Shinde were currently “not reachable”. He said that Shiv Sena MLAs were in Surat and they were not being allowed to leave.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, however, said that his party would “definitely consider” a proposal if it comes from Shinde to form an alternative government.

Amid the drama, Shinde took a veiled dig at Shiv Sena for joining hands with Congress and NCP to form the government in the state and tweeted, “We are Balasaheb’s staunch Shiv Sainiks … Balasaheb has taught us Hindutva. We have never and will never cheat for power regarding Balasaheb’s thoughts and Dharmaveer Anand Dighe Saheb’s teachings.”

Shinde has also dropped “Shiv Sena” from his Twitter bio. He has been instrumental in strengthening the organisation in the Thane region and was made the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2014 after the Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP. Shinde was appointed as a cabinet minister in the MVA government.

However, sources said Shinde has been feeling sidelined since the formation of the MVA government. His son Shrikant Shinde represents the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat.

Amid these developments, Shiv Sena leaders met Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly Narhari Zirwal and handed over him a letter requesting to remove Eknath Shinde from the Legislative party leader’s post and replace him with Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena Legislative party leader.

Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut has claimed the rebellion has been engineered by the BJP to topple the ruling MVA alliance a claim denied by the BJP.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil claimed that “technically” the state government is in “minority” as Eknath Shinde and other Shiv Sena MLAs have gone.

He said that the BJP was presently in a “wait and watch” mode and added that there has not been any proposal regarding government formation neither from the BJP nor from Shinde.

“BJP got support from independents and small political parties for Rajya Sabha and MLC elections. As per our information, Eknath Shinde and 35 MLAs have gone. This means technically state government is in minority but practically it will take some time for the government to be in minority,” he said.

“It’s too early to say anything, we are currently waiting and keeping an eye on the situation. So far, there has not been any proposal regarding government formation neither from the BJP nor from Eknath Shinde but anything can happen in politics at any time,” the BJP leader added.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena used to be allies until 2019 when after contesting the Maharashtra Assembly elections together both parted ways over the issue of the chief ministerial’s post. Following days of the political impasse and high-voltage drama, the Shiv Sena finally formed the government along with the Congress and the NCP, with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray heading the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance government. (ANI)

M'rashtra Polls

Maharashtra: 40 Rebel Sena MLAs Led By Eknath Shinde Arrive At Guwahati Hotel

Thirty-three Shiv Sena and seven independent MLAs, led by rebel party leader and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Eknath Shinde arrived at a luxury hotel in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam on Wednesday. The revolt in the Shiv Sena has given rise to speculations that Shinde along with other MLAs might join the BJP in a bid to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

The Shiv Sena MLAs are now staying at Radisson Blu Hotel in the city.
“A total of 40 MLAs are present here. We will carry Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva,” said Shinde after arriving in Guwahati.

The Shiv Sena MLAs were received by BJP MLA Sushanta Borgohain and BJP MP Pallab Lochan Das at Guwahati airport.

“I came to receive them (Shiv Sena MLAs from Surat, Gujarat). I have not counted how many MLAs have arrived. I came here for personal relations. They have not disclosed any program,” Borgohain said.

When Nationalist Congress chief Sharad Pawar was asked about the crisis in MVA, he termed the turmoil “an internal matter of the Sena”. Pawar also said he remains fully committed to the three-party government. He also ruled out any tie-up with the opposition BJP.

Even the Congress also deputed its senior leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath as All India Congress Committee (AICC) observer in the state on Tuesday to end the crisis.

Shinde along with other Shiv Sena legislatures were staying in a hotel in Gujarat’s Surat following the cross-voting in Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) polls and took flight earlier today to reach Guwahati.

Speaking to media persons at the Surat airport here before leaving for Guwahati, Shinde said that they have not left Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena.

“We have not left Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and will not leave it. We have been following Balasaheb’s Hindutva and will carry it further,” he said.

Balasaheb Thackeray, who founded Shiv Sena on June 19, 1966, to advocate for the interest of Marathis or the people of Maharashtra, passed away on November 17, 2012.

This comes after suspected cross-voting in Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged five seats, in a major blow to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance government. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena won two each while Congress was able to clinch one seat out of the total 10 seats in Legislative Council that went to the polls on Monday.

After the MLC elections, Shinde along with some other Shiv Sena MLAs who were staying at Le Meridien hotel in Surat. A Shiv Sena delegation comprising Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s close aides Milind Narvekar and Ravindra Phatak also met Shinde and other party legislators in Surat.

Alleging that efforts are being made to topple the MVA government, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday confirmed that some Shiv Sena MLAs and Eknath Shinde were currently “not reachable”. He said that Shiv Sena MLAs were in Surat and they were not being allowed to leave.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, however, said that his party would “definitely consider” a proposal if it comes from Shinde to form an alternative government.

Amid the drama, Shinde took a veiled dig at Shiv Sena for joining hands with Congress and NCP to form the government in the state and tweeted, “We are Balasaheb’s staunch Shiv Sainiks … Balasaheb has taught us Hindutva. We have never and will never cheat for power regarding Balasaheb’s thoughts and Dharmaveer Anand Dighe Saheb’s teachings.”

Shinde has also dropped “Shiv Sena” from his Twitter bio. He has been instrumental in strengthening the organisation in the Thane region and was made the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2014 after the Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP. Shinde was appointed as a cabinet minister in the MVA government.

However, sources said Shinde has been feeling sidelined since the formation of the MVA government. His son Shrikant Shinde represents the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat.

Amid these developments, Shiv Sena leaders met Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly Narhari Zirwal and handed over him a letter requesting to remove Eknath Shinde from the Legislative party leader’s post and replace him with Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena Legislative party leader.

Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut has claimed the rebellion has been engineered by the BJP to topple the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance a claim denied by the BJP.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil claimed that “technically” the state government is in “minority” as Eknath Shinde and other Shiv Sena MLAs have gone.

He said that the BJP was presently in a “wait and watch” mode and added that there has not been any proposal regarding government formation neither from the BJP nor from Shinde.

“BJP got support from independents and small political parties for Rajya Sabha and MLC elections. As per our information, Eknath Shinde and 35 MLAs have gone. This means technically state government is in minority but practically it will take some time for the government to be in minority,” he said.

“It’s too early to say anything, we are currently waiting and keeping an eye on the situation. So far, there has not been any proposal regarding government formation neither from the BJP nor from Eknath Shinde but anything can happen in politics at any time,” the BJP leader added.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena used to be allies until 2019 when after contesting the Maharashtra Assembly elections together both parted ways over the issue of the chief ministerial’s post. Following days of the political impasse and high-voltage drama, the Shiv Sena finally formed the government along with the Congress and the NCP, with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray heading the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance government. (ANI)

Rebel Sena MLAs Sign Letter Of Support To Eknath Shinde

Forty Maharashtra MLAs including 33 Shiv Sena and seven independent MLAs exhorted their support to rebel Shiv Sena leader and state Cabinet Minister Eknath Shinde by signing a letter, said sources.

Sources further said the rebel legislators may write to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari seeking for floor test in the state Legislative Assembly.
The 40 MLAs led by Shinde arrived at a luxury hotel in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam on Wednesday. The revolt in the Shiv Sena has given rise to speculations that Shinde along with other MLAs might join the BJP in a bid to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

“A total of 40 MLAs are present here. We will carry Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva,” said Shinde after arriving in Guwahati.

The Shiv Sena MLAs were received by BJP MLA Sushanta Borgohain and BJP MP Pallab Lochan Das at Guwahati airport.

Shinde along with Shiv Sena and independent legislatures was staying in a hotel in Gujarat’s Surat following the cross-voting in Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) polls and took flight earlier today to reach Guwahati.

Before leaving for Guwahati, a video was released in which all the rebel MLAs are seen sitting together in a surat hotel. In another video, all the MLAs are seen putting their signatures on paper.

It is believed that by releasing the video, the Eknath Shinde faction demonstrated its strength with the number of MLAs.

Shiv Sena throughout Tuesday continued to say that only 10 to 15 MLAs are with Shinde however, after the video Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s claim stood false.

Notably, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has called a State Cabinet meeting at 1 pm on Wednesday. In the wake of recent political developments in Maharashtra, Congress deputed its senior leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath as All India Congress Committee (AICC) observer in the state.

“The Congress president has deputed Kamal Nath AICC observer in the wake of recent political developments in the state, with immediate effect,” Congress said in an official statement.

On the other hand, when Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was asked about the crisis in MVA, he termed the turmoil “an internal matter of the Sena”. Pawar also said he remains fully committed to the three-party government. He also ruled out any tie-up with the opposition BJP.

The developments came up after suspected cross-voting in Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged five seats, in a major blow to the MVA alliance government. NCP and Shiv Sena won two each while Congress was able to clinch one seat out of the total 10 seats in Legislative Council that went to the polls on Monday.

After the MLC elections, Shinde along with some other Shiv Sena MLAs was staying at Le Meridien hotel in Surat. A Shiv Sena delegation comprising Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s close aides Milind Narvekar and Ravindra Phatak had also met Shinde and other party legislators in Surat.

Alleging that efforts are being made to topple the MVA government, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday had confirmed that some Shiv Sena MLAs and Eknath Shinde were currently “not reachable”. He said that Shiv Sena MLAs were in Surat and they were not being allowed to leave.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, however, said that his party would “definitely consider” a proposal if it comes from Shinde to form an alternative government.

Amid the drama, Shinde took a veiled dig at Shiv Sena for joining hands with Congress and NCP to form the government in the state and tweeted, “We are Balasaheb’s staunch Shiv Sainiks … Balasaheb has taught us Hindutva. We have never and will never cheat for power regarding Balasaheb’s thoughts and Dharmaveer Anand Dighe Saheb’s teachings.”

Shinde has also dropped “Shiv Sena” from his Twitter bio. He has been instrumental in strengthening the organisation in the Thane region and was made the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2014 after the Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP. Shinde was appointed as a cabinet minister in the MVA government.

However, sources said Shinde has been feeling sidelined since the formation of the MVA government. His son Shrikant Shinde represents the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat.

Amid these developments, Shiv Sena leaders met Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly Narhari Zirwal and handed over him a letter requesting to remove Eknath Shinde from the Legislative party leader’s post and replace him with Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena Legislative party leader.

Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut has claimed the rebellion has been engineered by the BJP to topple the ruling MVA alliance a claim denied by the BJP.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil claimed that “technically” the state government is in “minority” as Eknath Shinde and other Shiv Sena MLAs have gone.

He said that the BJP was presently in a “wait and watch” mode and added that there has not been any proposal regarding government formation neither from the BJP nor from Shinde.

“BJP got support from independents and small political parties for Rajya Sabha and MLC elections. As per our information, Eknath Shinde and 35 MLAs have gone. This means technically state government is in minority but practically it will take some time for the government to be in minority,” he said.

“It’s too early to say anything, we are currently waiting and keeping an eye on the situation. So far, there has not been any proposal regarding government formation neither from the BJP nor from Eknath Shinde but anything can happen in politics at any time,” the BJP leader added.

There are a total of 288 members in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. So the halfway mark is 145 to form the government. With 106 MLAs, BJP is the largest party in the House. Shiv Sena has 55 MLAs, NCP 53, Congress 44 and Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) has three MLAs in the assembly.

After the death of a Shiv Sena MLA, currently, 287 MLAs are there in the Assembly and 144 MLAs are now needed to form the government.

Before the rebellion, the Shivsena-led MVA government enjoyed the support of 169 MLAs, while the BJP-led Opposition camp had 113 MLAs besides, five other MLAs.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena used to be allies until 2019 when after contesting the Maharashtra Assembly elections together both parted ways over the issue of the chief ministerial’s post. Following days of the political impasse and high-voltage drama, the Shiv Sena finally formed the government along with the Congress and the NCP, with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray heading the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance government. (ANI)

Murmu In Assam

BJP-Led NDA Announced Draupadi Murmu As Presidential Candidate

Soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA announced former Governor of Jharkhand Draupadi Murmu as its presidential candidate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is confident that she will be a great President.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi wrote, “Draupadi Murmu has devoted her life to serving society and empowering the poor, the downtrodden as well as the marginalised. She has rich administrative experience and had an outstanding gubernatorial tenure. I am confident she will be a great President of our nation.”
“Millions of people, especially those who have experienced poverty and faced hardships, derive great strength from the life of Draupadi Murmu. Her understanding of policy matters and compassionate nature will greatly benefit our country,” PM Modi said.

BJP-led NDA on Tuesday announced former Governor of Jharkhand Draupadi Murmu’s name as a Presidential candidate for the upcoming elections.

On the other hand, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh today announced that former Minister of Finance and External Affairs Yashwant Sinha will be the common candidate of the Opposition parties for the Presidential election, which will take place on July 18, 2022, said a statement.

Murmu is the first major tribal female Presidential candidate in India’s history. Once elected, she will be the first tribal President of India and the second-ever female President.

She is the first major Presidential candidate from Odisha and once elected will become first President of the country from the state of Odisha.

The late date for filing nominations for the Presidential election is June 29, the polling will take place on July 18 and the votes will be counted on July 21. (ANI)

One Nation One Ration Card Scheme Implemented In All 36 States, UTs

Assam too has implemented the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme. With this, the ONORC plan is successfully implemented in all 36 states and Union Territories, making food security portable throughout the country.

During the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ONORC plan has significantly contributed to ensuring subsidized foodgrains for National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries, especially migrant beneficiaries. This is a one-of-its-kind citizen-centric initiative in the country, which is swiftly implemented in a short span of time covering about 80 Crore beneficiaries, after being initiated in August 2019, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said in a statement today.
The objective of this beneficiary centric high-impact program is to empower all NFSA beneficiaries to become AtmaNirbhar for their food security anywhere in the country, through the portability of their existing ration cards enabling them to seamlessly lift their entitled subsidized foodgrains (in part or full) from any Fair Price Shop of their choice. This also enables their family members to lift balance/required amount of foodgrains on the same ration card at their native/ any place from the FPS of their choice.

Since its inception in August 2019, about 71 Crore portable transactions (43.6 crores NFSA and 27.8 crore PM-GKAY transactions) have taken place under ONORC, delivering foodgrains equivalent to about Rs 40,000 crore in food subsidy through portability.

About 64 crore portable transactions have been recorded during the COVID-19 period itself (from April 2020 till date) delivering foodgrains equivalent to about Rs 36,000 crore in food subsidy through portability. Out of these, 64 crore portable transactions, and 27.8 crore portability transactions were recorded under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), which was announced in March 2020 for the distribution of additional free-of-cost foodgrains (rice/wheat) to NFSA beneficiaries to mitigate the Covid induced hardships.

Additionally, as a key indicator, presently a monthly average of about three crores portable transactions are being recorded, delivering the subsidised NFSA and free PMGKAY foodgrains with anywhere flexibility to the beneficiaries.

Another dimension under the ONORC plan is the ‘Mera Ration’ mobile application which has been rolled out to take maximum advantage of the ONORC plan. The mobile app is providing a host of useful real time information to the beneficiaries and is available in 13 languages.

One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) is a scheme that will nationalise a beneficiary’s ration card by a process called Aadhaar Seeding. Aadhaar seeding ensures that the beneficiary can pick up her or his entitled foodgrain from any fair price shop in the country. So, if the family migrants from one part of the country to another, their claim to food security remains assured. (ANI)

Agniveers Will Be Eligible For Gallantry Awards: Dept Of Military Affairs

Agniveers will be eligible for gallantry awards, the Department of Military Affairs said on Tuesday in the backdrop of protests against the Agnipath scheme in different parts of the country.

“Agniveers will be eligible for gallantry awards. Patriotism or working in the army is a passion… it is not a provision for a job,” Lieutenant General Anil Puri, Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs said today at a presser.
“Today, 50 to 60 people come for every vacancy to be recruited and only one is selected, so we need to take the best candidate for the country. The selection process will be transparent, fair, objective and centrally maintained,” he said.

The DMA official highlighted that the department undergoes 80 to 100 bilateral exercises with many countries and from such engagements, it got the idea that the average age of soldiers is 26-27 years.

“We are in a profession which is the profession of soldiering, this is the biggest asset of the country and whatever solution we make will be for the defense of the country,” he said.

Lieutenant General General Bansi Ponappa, Adjutant General, Indian Army also addressed the press conference today along with Lieutenant General Anil Puri.

Lieutenant General Bansi Ponappa said, “The entire recruitment schedule is ready and the recruitment notification for the Agnipath scheme has been uploaded on the ‘Join Indian Army website’.”

On June 17, the three chiefs of Indian Defence services hailed the decision of the Central government to approve the Agnipath Scheme, a recruitment process for Indian youth to serve in the Armed Forces.

“The Government has announced Agnipath scheme under which youth will be able to join armed forces. The age criteria will be 17.5 to 21 years. Happy to announce that for the first recruitment, the upper age limit has been revised to 23 years. It will benefit the youth. Air Force recruitment will begin on June 24,” the Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said in a virtual address on Friday.

Agnipath Scheme, which was approved by the cabinet on June 14, was launched in an effort to bring a change in the recruitment process of the Armed Forces. With the new military recruitment scheme facing criticism, the Centre has decided to bring a change in the upper age limit for recruiting Agniveers.

Granting a one-time waiver, the Centre on June 16, 2022, announced that the Agniveer upper age limit for recruitments via Agnipath Scheme has been extended to 23 years from 21 years.

Indian Air Force also appreciated the government for increasing the upper age limit to 23 from 21 for recruitment under the Agnipath scheme for the year 2022.

COVID-19 halted the Army’s recruitment for over two years. In 2019-2020, the Army recruited jawans and there has been no entry since then. On the other hand, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force had both recruited in the last two years respectively.

The Ministry of Defence, in its statement on last Tuesday, said that the Agnipath scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces. It will provide an opportunity to the youth who may be keen to don the uniform by attracting young talent from the society who are more in tune with contemporary technological trends and plough back skilled, disciplined and motivated manpower into the society. (ANI)

Weekly Update: Modi Upsets Sikhs Again; Rahul Wants Constitutional Rights

Prime Minister Narendra Modi simply can’t win with the Diaspora Sikhs, especially those whose lives rotate on Indian Prime Ministers being perpetual enemies. Despite hundreds of social media, WhattsApp groups, websites run by many Sikh individuals and organisations, one news seems to have been missing in all of them. That is the latest news on the MSP, the subsidy for wheat and rice, hot off the press but not in their press.

The threat of withdrawing MSP or Minimum Support Price, was one of the main reasons that the global Sikh community went into an overdrive, literally overdriving trucks, tractors and in more urban places, cars, to express their anger at the notorious Modi Farm Laws. They were declaring their support for the hundreds of thousands of Punjabi farmers who were protesting, braving rain, sun, cold, and sun in Delhi.

Now Modiji has gone and done something that has put many of them in a state of utter disbelief. So dreadful is this situation, that the ‘diaspora Sikh activists’ are lost both for words and actions! They don’t want to believe Modi ji can be so irresponsible! Normally they can dig news from the deepest inner sanctum of Indian establishment. This time they have adopted the approach, see no good, hear no good, speak no good, of the enemy! What has Modi done?

Modiji has supported MSP! SUPPORTED MSP! And what’s more Modiji has taken a warrior like stand at the World Trade Organisation, WTO, in support of protecting the farmers of India, including Punjab. He is not supposed to do that! Modi is meant to be the permanent ‘enemy’ of these protesting Sikh groups. Modi has taken their side. WHAT WILL THEY PROTEST ABOUT NOW?

But it gets more tricky. Facts are challenging sensitivities and loyalties!

At the 12th Ministerial Conference of the WTO, the USA leading G-7 group (which includes the favourite new homeland of Sikhs, Canada) have criticised India for refusing to bring its MSP in line with WTO rules. They accuse India of ‘distorting the market’ by giving MSP of 50% above production costs. This breached WTO rules that restrict it to only 10% above production costs. USA et all went as far as saying that India’s policy is making the grain crises from Ukraine worse.

Now the West has been quite hysterical and emotional about the Ukraine and has sunk ‘logic’ to an abyss of irrationality. It has been shrieking that Moscow wants to occupy all of Europe and even London and Buckingham Palace (King Putin) and must be stopped. Most of the non-western world has been wondering if the West has gone bonkers and wants to stay out of the conflict, much to the insomniac frustration of the G-7 + rest of west.

But to accuse India’s MSP for the world grain crises is taking even irrational statements to a new standard of creationist paranoia.

PM Modi’s Government wants WTO rules to change and permit ‘developing’ countries to give more than 10% MSP above production cost and not be charged at WTO of breaking rules. The US, Canada, Australia and a few others want India to reduce MSP so they can sell their own grain in Indian market and rest of world without competition from India.

The diasporic Sikhs are quiet, perhaps in shock or turning a blind eye to these pesky facts. No word of praise for Modi has been uttered even in whispers. But their biggest dilemma now is, will they drive their trucks, tractors and cars to the White House, or Trudeau’s front door and demand ‘take your grubby hands off our MSP’. It’s a double whammy. First Modi comes to their side, and then their ‘new homelands’ are in fact destroying their relatives in Punjab.

But God is kind, June has come to the rescue. It’s the month when annual rallies by followers of Gandhian Ahimsa, are held to vent anger about the 1984 attack on Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) by India. Around the world, 360⁰. As Modi is the current Prime Minister of India, he is the target of ‘Modi, Hai Hai, Khalistan Zindabad’. His role in the narrative is to be the bad guy. He has broken that contract! God save the Sikhs, never short of a Schtick.

Citizen Rahul Seeks Equality

Rahul Bhai Gandhi wants to be a citizen and wants his rights under the Constitution! A Constitution that his family in history has treated as ‘house rules’, changed and interpreted as their majesty’s wished. Millions have suffered from the Gandhi family interpretations. Now the Constitution has turned on him. It hurts.

Like courtiers at the Palace, Congress leaders have been protesting at Jantar Mantar for the Prince. They are protesting that the ‘family’ is being victimised and that Enforcement Directorate (ED) has no power to question the Shahebzada of India, Rahul Bhai Gandhi. Even Kapil Sibal has got into the act.

This is the Constitution that Great Grand Daddy made after plagiarising the 1935 British India Act. It is committed to secularism. When minority religions asked for their culture to be given statutory protection, Great Grand Daddy Nehru, said ‘Nahi ho sakta’ we are now secular. But when Hindus asked for cow protection, Nehru seeing votes sliding, quickly enacted ‘cow protection law’, treating cow as a minority. Although they say there are more cows in India than people. When asked, he said it is ‘Indian secularism’, really meaning Nehru secularism dependent on vote banks. Minorities then reverted to non-voting methods to get their version of Indian secularism in law.

Then Grandmother Gandhi decided Indian Constitution only requires one vote to win. So she disenfranchised all Indians of a vote and by her single vote, she brought in the Emergency in 1975. She called it Indian-type democracy. Or Gandhi interpretation of the Constitution. The Sikhs and the international community chased her out after two years, 80,000 in jails, many tortured and the hapless Dr Subramaniam Swamy having to run from the country, seeking refuge in a Harvard teaching post. Modi ji escaped by tying on a turban and pretended to be a Sikh sewadar at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi.

Then family interpretation of the Constitution led to attack on Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) to ‘arrest’ Bhindrawallah and 24 others. Twelve were already dead and others were not present there. There was no charge sheet against Bhindrawallah. No court case. But who cared about such literal interpretation of constitution! It was the Gandhi family interpretation. She decided he was a terrorist and one morning decided she needs to send in the Army to arrest him. Didn’t end well for her.

Then Daddy Gandhi, suspended State and the Constitution’s primary duty of protection of life and liberty through the 59th amendment in 1989. Rajiv Gandhi, treating the Constitution as house rules, decided that as Sovereign family, he can behead people at will (or under his will) and not be bound by silly European ideas of the State’s purpose to protect life and liberty. The trigger-happy Punjab Police was over the moon and went on a shooting spree, termed ‘encounters’ and ‘eliminated’ over 20,000 young men. UN and many Governments reminded Rajiv that life and liberty is the basic purpose of the Constitution.

Then he brought in a number of laws for detention without charges, without trials and you name it. The Constitution was what the Gandhis wanted it to be, albeit with the help of a flock sheep in Parliament shepherded to agree with King Gandhi. Under TADA, 78,000 Gujratis ended in detention without charges in Gujrat where there was no known terrorism. About 75,000 Punjabi Sikhs were detained in Punjab. Only a 160 or so were finally convicted of any ‘terrorist’ threat and that also without much evidence.

Then puppeteer Mummy Gandhi put gold star servant Manmohan Singh to do her bidding. Sikh political prisoners languished in prisons although no constitutional provision permits life sentence for political prisoners. However, the Constitution is what the Gandhis wanted it. Police excesses continued. Bribes apparently broke world records.

The list is endless. Detention without charges or even proper procedures. In Bhuller case, there was no evidence and no witnesses

Now Rahul Bhai wants Constitutional rights! Dr Swamy, the nemesis of Gandhis, has never forgotten his exile from the one woman democratic decision of ‘Emergency’. He wants to exile the Gandhi family to an Island that might sink under climate change.

He brought a charge in court of money laundering against prince and mummy Gandhi who are major shareholders in a company called Young India, even though they are geriatrics. Apparently Congress handed them ₹2,000 crore of property which should really be owned by the country as the original company, Associated Journals, was started by 5,000 freedom fighters and Great Grand Daddy to run a newspaper National herald. It has passed on to the ‘Family’.

The Enforcement Directorate is simply doing its jobs as would be required by court, since charges are at court. Unlike during the Gandhi years, Rahul is free to go home and come back and not in some dingy detention centre being kicked around by a drunken Punjab cop saying ‘oyee’.

The comical group of once very terrifying and powerful entity known as the Congress high command have been reduced by Modi to gather at Jantar Manter shouting and asking for rights that they used to trample on when in power. How things come around! He is only receiving what the family established. Still, if jailed, authorities might oblige and station female jailers wearing shorts, one of Rahul’s visions for modern India.

Sri Lankan PM Celebrates International Yoga Day

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe celebrated the 8th International Yoga Day on Tuesday along with his Ministers and Parliamentarians.

The Sri Lankan PM termed yoga as an invaluable Indian tradition to attain physical, mental and social well-being.
The High Commission of India in Colombo in a tweet said, “8th #InternationalDayofYoga celebrations in #Colombo were held today morning in the gracious presence of H.E PM @RW_UNP, Hon’ble Ministers and Parliamentarians. Introducing the crowd to basic asanas, breathing exercises and meditation, the rejuvenating session gave an experience of uniting the body with the mind. The Day marks the culmination of a series of #yoga events across #SriLanka over the past few days.”

The event organized by the High Commission of India was held at the iconic Independence Square in Colombo.

It was during his speech at the UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi first floated the idea of International Yoga Day. The draft resolution passed by India was supported by 177 nations.

With universal recognition and growing popularity of Yoga, the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga on December 11, 2014. The first International Yoga Day was celebrated on June 21, 2015.

Meanwhile, the yoga event in Colombo held in the presence of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe saw participation by Susil Prema Jayantha, Minister of Education, Vidura Wickramanayaka, Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Kanchana Wijesekera, Minister of Power and Energy, Roshan Ranasinghe, Minister of Irrigation and Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs and Members of Parliament Mano Ganesan, M.A. Sumanthiran, Palani Digambaram, M. Udayakumar and other senior dignitaries.

Acting High Commissioner of India Vinod K. Jacob, officials and staff of the High Commission also participated in the event. (ANI)