Month: July 2022

President Droupadi Murmu paid tributes to the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in the 1999 Kargil War against Pakistan on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas on Tuesday.

President Murmu, who assumed the office a day ago, termed the day as a “symbol of extraordinary valour.”
“Kargil Vijay Diwas is a symbol of extraordinary valour, valour and determination of our armed forces. I bow to all the brave soldiers who laid down their lives to protect Mother India. All the countrymen will always be indebted to them and their family members. Jai Hind!,” President Murmu wrote on Twitter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter to salute all brave sons of the country.

“Kargil Vijay Diwas is a symbol of pride and glory of Maa Bharati. On this occasion, my salute to all the brave sons of the country who have accomplished their valor in the defense of the motherland. Jai Hind!,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter.

Each year, Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on July 26 to honour the valour and sacrifice of the soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of duty during the Kargil War.

A wreath-laying ceremony was held at Kargil War Memorial in Drass, to pay tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives.

The Indian Armed Forces defeated Pakistan on July 26, 1999. Since then, the day is celebrated as ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ to rekindle the pride and valour of the soldiers who took part in Operation Vijay. The day marks the victory of Indian soldiers in recapturing the mountain heights that were occupied by the Pakistani Army on July 26, 1999, known as the Kargil War.

The Kargil War was fought between May 8, 1999, to July 26, 1999, against Pakistan intruders, who in the winters of 1998 transgressed into the Indian territory across the Line of Control and occupied fortified defences overlooking the NH 1A in Kargil’s Drass and Batalik Sectors of the Ladakh region with a nefarious aim of dominating all military and civil movements on the highway.

Braving unprecedented hardships, overcoming the hazards of near impossible terrain and severe climatic conditions, brave gallant soldiers launched valiant attacks on well-fortified defended localities with relentless valour and enthusiasm, thus attaining an astounding victory.

On July 24, several bands performed at a musical show titled “Ek Sham Shahidon ke Naam” in Drass town to pay tribute to Kargil war heroes.Locals and Indian army personnel took part in the music event.

Earlier on Sunday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the abrogation of Article 370 has brought a new dawn of hope to the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“India has become a strong and confident nation which is well-equipped to protect its people from anyone who tries to cast an evil eye,” said Rajnath Singh during an event organised to commemorate ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ in Jammu on Sunday. (ANI)

The much-awaited auction for the 5G telecom spectrum commenced on Tuesday. Reliance Jio, Adani group, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are the four major participants in the auction.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently approved the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)’s 5G spectrum auction through which spectrum will be assigned to bidders to provide 5G services to the public as well as enterprises.
India is expected to get full-fledged 5G services by March 2023, said Union Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at an event recently.

Vaishnaw said that the auction of the 5G spectrum will be completed by July end, adding, “Telecom is the primary source of digital consumption and it is very important to bring trusted solution in telecom. India has its own stack of 4G like radio, equipment, and handset. 4G is ready to deploy in the field and 5G is ready in the lab, and 5G will be ready to deploy in March 2023.”

“The technology, core network behind 5G services should be built up by India, that would be an achievement for the country,” said Vaishnaw.

Coming to the speed, capacities of 5G services would be about 10 times higher than what is possible through the current 4G services.

Gautam Adani-led Adani group participating in the bidding process of the 5G telecom spectrum auction is something special as it has forayed into the telecom sector. However, the group has no intention to enter the consumer mobility space.

Adani group is participating in the 5G auction to provide private network solutions along with enhanced cyber security at airports, ports and logistics, power generation, transmission, distribution, and various manufacturing operations. (ANI)

Bhubaneswar branch of the Economic Offences Wing has arrested a Delhi-based chartered accountant for his alleged involvement in a case related to the Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case.

The accused identified as Neeraj Kumar, a resident of Bindapur in Uttam Nagar was produced before the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in the national capital
Kumar was on Monday brought on a transit remand to Bhubaneswar and will be produced before the Court of Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Bhubaneswar, EOW said in a statement.

The case has been registered based on a written report by a senior PNB official, Bhubaneswar against the accused Kali Prasad Mishra, Proprietor of KP Solutions, and others.

The allegation was that the accused person availed Cash Credit (CC) loan as working capital to the tune of Rs 250 lakh in 2017 from Punjab National Bank, Bapuji Nagar Branch, Bhubaneswar by using fake/forged documents and mortgaging landed properties as collateral security those stand recorded in the names of someone else without the knowledge of the land owners.

“Investigation also revealed that Neeraj Kumar, a qualified Chartered Accountant was working in Punjab National Bank during the year 2013 to 2016 as Manager, Credit, in Saheed Nagar Branch Bhubaneswar along with accused Birendra Kumar Pattanaik who was also working as Chief Manager in the same branch,” a statement said.

It also revealed that Neeraj Kumar resigned from PNB during the year 2016 and after his resignation he used to sit in PNB, Bapuji Nagar Branch posing as a Bank official in which accused Birendra Kumar Pattanaik was the Chief Manager and was actively engaged in facilitating and arranging loans to the tune of crores from PNB, Bapuji Nagar Branch.

“Out of his earlier relationship with Birendra Kumar Pattnaik, accused Neeraj Kumar had free access to PNB, Bapuji Nagar Branch and was sitting inside the staff seating area of PNB, Bapuji Nagar Branch, posing himself as serving Bank staff/CA. He along with accused Prakash Kumar Behera (Still in Judicial Custody) and other Bank officials has arranged/facilitated the sanction of loans on the basis of forged documents and impersonation, and thereby caused wrongful loss to the bank to the tunes of crores and corresponding wrongful gain to themselves,” the statement added.

During the investigation, it came to light that one Srikant Prusty, Senior Manager, who verified the genuineness of the identity and addresses of the three guarantors/loanees has neither visited the residence of the guarantors nor interacted with them prior to the sanction of loan during pre-sanction visits.

“It revealed during investigation that Neeraj Kumar and Prakash Behera had identified the impersonators to the bank officer Srikant Prusty as genuine loanees and visited their fake addresses at Cuttack,” it added.

It has also come to light that on the day of sanction of loan and subsequent to it, lakhs of rupees have been diverted/transferred of M/s K. P Solutions, Prop- Kali Prasad Mishra to the bank accounts of M/s Neeraj Kumar & Associates, Prop- Neeraj and to some others.

Earlier, accused persons namely Kali Prasad Mishra, Prop of M/s K P Solutions, Srikant Prasad Prusty, the then Senior Manager, Credit, PNB Bapuji Nagar, Birendra Kumar Pattnaik, the then Chief Manager, Narendra Nayak, the then Manager, both of Bapuji Nagar Branch, PNB, Bhubaneswar and Prakash Kumar Behera MD/Directors of M/s Ubique Multitech Private Limited, M/s Aziel Trading, And Marketing have been arrested in this case.

The accused persons have also adopted a similar modus operandi in sanctioning a loan of Rs 3.5 crores in favor of one M/s Lingaraj Enterprises against the mortgage of residential duplexes of the complainant – Prasant Kumar Mohaptra without his knowledge. The said property documents were actually deposited by the complainant in the bank for availing a loan of Rs 10 lakh for him. (ANI)

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Heaping praise on the successful running of Indian democracy, Penpa Tsering, President of the Tibetan government-in-exile on Tuesday lauded the elevation of Droupadi Murmu for becoming the first tribal woman President of India.

“Having come from an ordinary background and served Indian people in various capacities under difficult circumstances… Droupadi Murmu becoming the first tribal woman to be India’s President is a forward step for Indian democracy,” said Tsering.
He said that as a Tibetan, somebody born in India, every Prime Minister and every President is respected and revered by the Tibetans.

“They are like our own President and Prime Minister. I definitely have a lot of regard for the election of Droupadi Murmu as the new President of India. Having come from an ordinary background and served Indian people in various capacities under difficult circumstances for her own family,” he said.

The Tibetan exiled leader further hailed Indian democracy and said that a tribal lady assuming the post of President is real development, a forward step for Indian democracy.

“She is the second lady President of India (Pratibha Devisingh Patil served as the 12th president of India from 25 July 2007 to 25 July 2012. She was the first female president of India) and I really wish her the best and hope she will play a very active role in promoting democracy and bringing harmony amongst religions, despite all the diversity in India. With her background, I am sure, she will work for the upliftment of the downtrodden and the people who are suffering or are at the lowest level of society. That will be a big push,” said Tsering.

Talking about China, Tsering underscored that there are a lot of things that China can learn from India.

“There is a lot of things that China can learn from democracy. It always talks about democracy with Chinese characteristics. But, democracy is a concept that is practised by majority of the countries – who value freedom, human dignity,” he added.

Tsering said that two systems are completely different – Communism and Democracy.

“India is going to be the most populated nation in the world, China will become second. So, if democracy can be practiced with such vigour and vibrancy in a country like India, why can it not be practiced in China?” asked Tsering. (ANI)

West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, who was taken to AIIMS Bhubaneswar by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday as per the direction given by the Calcutta High Court, has now reached Bhubaneswar airport, after being discharged from AIIMS there.

He is being taken to the CGO complex in Kolkata as ED custody was ordered for him till August 3.

Notably, Partha Chatterjee and his aide, Arpita Mukherjee, have been sent to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till August 3. The Calcutta court also gave orders to conduct medical check-ups of both the arrested accused after every 48 hours.

The Court also gave orders to the ED to not interrogate Arpita between 9 pm to 6 am.

Partha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged School Service Commission (SSC) scam in West Bengal on Saturday.

The ED unearthed many disproportionate assets of Partha Chatterjee since his arrest, of which were three flats in West Bengal’s Diamond City.

The arrest of Partha Chatterjee followed Rs 21 crore in cash and jewellery worth above Rs 1 crore being recovered from the Kolkata residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of the former education minister.

On Monday, the Director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar said though Chatterjee is suffering from several chronic illnesses, hospitalisation is not required at this moment. After the check-up, the reports were handed over to the Investigating Officer (IO) of the Enforcement Directorate, Chatterjee’s lawyer and the concerned doctor from SSKM Hospital as directed by the Calcutta High Court.

On Monday morning, the former Education minister was taken to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport in an ambulance. A green corridor was arranged for obstruction-free movement of the convoy.

The ED officials along with Chatterjee’s lawyer, Anindya Kishor Raut, and a doctor from SSKM had also accompanied the former Education minister as directed by Justice Bibek Chaudhuri. Chatterjee reached the airport at around 8 am. There Airports Authority of India (AAI), Kolkata, had arranged another ambulance to take Chatterjee to the air ambulance as no outside vehicle is allowed on the runway and its adjacent areas.

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday (July 23) recovered Rs 20 crore in cash from the house of an associate of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee. The ED raided Arpita Mukerjee’s house in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal. “The said amount is suspected to be proceeds of crime of the said SSC scam,” the probe agency had said in a statement.

The search teams are taking the assistance of bank officials for the counting of cash through counting machines. Photos of the house taken during the raid show Rs 2000 and Rs 500 notes that were recovered.

Partha Chatterjee, who is presently the minister for industries and commerce, was the education minister when the alleged illegal appointments were made in government-run and aided schools by West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).

The ruling Trinamool Congress described the raids as a “ploy” by the BJP government at the Centre to “harass” its political opponents. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the Opposition parties must keep the country and society above their political interests, alleging “opposition parties put obstacles in the work of the government.”

The Prime Minister said, “In recent times, there has been a trend to put ideological or political interests above the interests of the society and the country. Many times, some opposition parties put obstacles in the work of the government because when they were in power, they could not implement the decisions themselves.”

The Prime Minister said that the people of the country do not like this.

According to him, it is the responsibility of every political party to make sure that they don’t turn against the country while opposing another party.

“It is the responsibility of every political party that the opposition to a party or an individual should not turn into opposition to the country. Ideologies and political ambition have their place, and they should have. But, country, society and nation come first,” said PM Modi.

PM Modi said this while addressing a programme marking the 10th death anniversary of the late Harmohan Singh Yadav.

Emphasising on social justice, he said, “Social justice means that every section of society should get equal opportunities, and no one should be deprived of the basic necessities of life.”

“It is also necessary that we accept the spirit of social justice and adopt it. Today, when the country is celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav on 75 years of its independence, it is very important to understand this and move in this direction,” he said.

The Prime Minister noted that social justice means that every section of society should get equal opportunities, and no one should be deprived of the basic necessities of life. When Dalits, Backwards, Adivasis, women, Divyang progress, only then will the country go ahead.

The proceedings in Lok Sabha were adjourned on Monday amid ruckus and sloganeering by Opposition members over various issues.

Following that four Congress MPs including Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, Jothimani and TN Prathapan were suspended from the Lok Sabha for the entire Monsoon session for their ‘unruly behaviour and disrupting proceedings.’

The MPs were suspended according to Rule 374 on ‘unruly and disrespectful behaviour towards the Chair.’

Earlier on Friday, the proceedings in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned several times amid a ruckus by Opposition members over issues of inflation, price rise and GST hike on daily essentials. (ANI)

As the Amarnath Yatra is in progress in Jammu and Kashmir, religious harmony was seen in the valley where Amarnath Yatris were welcomed by local Muslims on their way to the shrine.

From the men who put up temporary shops offering fruits and vegetables to those running the pony rides and palanquin service and arranging shelters and tents for pilgrims, all are Muslims.

As per the officials, more than 35,000 local Muslims are associated with different arrangements and services of the pilgrimage from the traditional bases camps of Nunwan in Pahalgam and Baltal in Sonmarg.

Among these, around 20,000 are estimated to be service providers that include pony owners from Anantnag, Kulgam and Kishtwar districts, palanquin operators, authorised vendors and shopkeepers, hoteliers and many more.

They eagerly wait for the Amaranth Yatra as it boosts their business as well as provides them with a chance to bond with their Hindu brothers.

Speaking to ANI, one of the pony owners, Firdous said, “This year as ‘Amarnath Yatra’ is taking place, we are very happy. We start from Baltal and move to Domial and finally leave the pilgrims near the cave.”

“There are around 5,000 to 6,000 ponywallahs involved in this activity excluding the Palakiwalas and Pithuwalas,” he added.

Expressing happiness with the start of Amarnath Yatra, another pony owner, Mohammad Amin said, “We serve the pilgrims very well and take them carefully to the cave. It is a matter of joy that the yatra has started as it also helps us to earn our livelihood.”

As the yatra takes place during the ushering of monsoon season so raincoats and warm clothing are always in demand among the pilgrims.

The makeshift shops opened along the route by Muslims provide a wide range of warm clothing which are available at affordable rates.

The tents pitched on small flat surfaces in mountains are another popular business among the locals. For pilgrims who like to retire for a while and recuperate, these tents give them a good space to stretch and rest before they resume the trek to Amarnath.

Talking about the arrangements done by both the authorities as well as the local service providers, a pilgrim Vibhal said, “There are all kinds of facilities here, be it in form of Poniwalas or Palkiwalas. No matter which age group you belong to, everyone is well taken care of. The Army is also supporting a lot and the stay arrangements have been done in such a manner that it seems as if we are in our own house.”

“The Poniwalas and Palkiwalas are playing the main role and they are the ones who carefully take us to pay our obeisance to Lord Shiva,” she added.

Another pilgrim Anil Kumar said, “Everything is very good and Poniwalas and Palkiwalas are really providing a lot of support. With God’s grace, they are also earning their livelihood through this yatra.”

Covered by snow almost all year round, the Amarnath cave contains an ice stalagmite that is considered a physical manifestation of Lord Shiva.

According to legend, Lord Shiva decided to tell Parvati the secret to his immortality in this cave, which was later discovered by a shepherd named Buta Malik in 1850.

The pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine is not only the most sacred among Hindu devotees but also stands as a symbol of peaceful co-existence among different faiths.

Every year, Muslims eagerly wait for its start and throughout the Yatra, they stay on their toes to serve the Hindu devotees. (ANI)

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker and DMK leader M Appavu’s month-old statement attributing the development of the state to Christians and that Tamil Nadu would have been Bihar if Catholic Christians were not there has sparked a controversy.

Last month on June 28, Appavu and DMK LMA Inigo Irudayaraj participated in the centenary celebrations of St Paul seminary in Tiruchirappalli.

Speaking at the event, Appavu had said, “If Christian Fathers and Sisters were not there, Tamil Nadu would have been like Bihar. Catholic Fathers and Sisters only helped me to grow to this position today. Tamil Nadu Government is your government. You created this government. Your prayers and fasting formed this government. Catholic Christian and Christian fathers are the main reason for social justice and Dravidian model government.”

“You (Catholic Christians) do not need to depend on anyone. You list out your all problems and give it directly to Chief Minister. He will not deny anything and will sort out everything. Because Chief Minister knows you are the reason for this government. It is your government and your chief minister. I am with you in this. If Christians are removed from Tamil Nadu, there will be no development. Catholic Christians are the main reason for Tamil Nadu’s development. Today’s Tamil Nadu is built on you,” he had stated.

Now the month-old speech of Appavu’s has gone viral on social media. The BJP attacked the DMK and condemned the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker over the issue.

Tamil Nadu BJP state vice president and Spokesperson Narayanan took to social media and slammed Appavu for his speech.

“Is this DMK’s Secularism? They have lost their claim to call themselves a secular party. Now this proves that DMK is an anti-Hindu party,” he added.

Meanwhile, Appavu criticized BJP for allegedly politicizing the issue.

“If BJP is publicising my speech then that is a good thing. I will not say I did not say that. Yes, I said that. But only trimmed versions are being spread on social media. Whatever I spoke is just history, there should be no politics on that,” Appavu told ANI. (ANI)

After Tokyo Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain said on Monday that she was facing harassment due to her coach not getting entry into CWG village, the Union Sports minister Anurag Thakur has asked officials to be in touch with Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and resolve the issue as soon as possible.

“Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur is looking into the matter of Lovlina Borgohain and has directed the ministry officials to be in touch with Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and resolve the issue as soon as possible,” a source told ANI.

The Boxing Federation of India also issued a statement and said the IOA understood BFI’s point of view and therefore, extended help with maximum possible additional support staff.

“Only 33 per cent of the playing contingent is allowed as Support Staff which in BFI’s case for the 12 boxers (8 men and 4 women) stands to be 4 support staff, (including coaches) who were to travel with the team to Birmingham,” the statement said.

“The IOA understood BFI’s point of view and therefore, extended help with maximum possible additional support staff. With IOA’s help, the number of support staff went up from 4 to 8 for the entire contingent of 12 boxers. Boxing Federation of India ensured that Sandhya Gurung was at the training camp in Ireland. BFI is closely working with IOA so that Sandhya Gurung could be a part of the team in Birmingham. In the meanwhile, delegate transport and accommodation at ETO’s hotel have been already provided to her,” it added.

Lovlina took to social media and said she was facing a lot of problems in her training as coaches who helped her secure a medal in the Olympics are being removed again and again.

She will be representing India in the 70kg category at the Commonwealth Games 2022, which will start from July 28.

“Today with great sorrow I want to confess that I am facing a lot of harassment. The coaches who helped me secure a medal in the Olympics are being removed again and again, affecting my training and competition preparation. One of the coaches is Sandhya Gurungji and she is a Dronacharya awardee. Both of my coaches have to plead to be included in the training camp and they are added quite late,” she said in a tweet.

“This has caused me a lot of problems in my training and this causes mental harassment as well. Right now, my coach Sandhya Gurungji is not getting entry into the Commonwealth Village and she is outside. Due to this, my training has stopped eight days ahead of the competition. My second coach has also been sent back to India,” she added.

Lovlina said she is keen to earn laurels for the country.

“I do not know how to focus on the Games in this situation. Due to this, my last world championships were also ruined. But I do not want to ruin my CWG campaign because of this politics. I hope that I can break this politics and win a medal for my country,” she said.

Last year at Tokyo Olympics 2020, Lovlina had won a bronze medal in the women’s welterweight category (64-69 kg).

The Birmingham Commonwealth Games are being held from July 28 to August 8. (ANI)

Merged with a debt trap, the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative has jolted the financial stability of many other countries including Pakistan which faces a severe deficit in trade balance with Beijing.

Notably many developing BRI countries are facing a debt trap-like situation and financial hardships. However, Beijing rejected the allegations of debt trap on BRI as “senseless and baseless”.

Countries which borrowed heavily under the BRI to construct trade and transportation infrastructure are now reeling under the burden of debt servicing as their newly built infrastructure failed to generate enough trade and revenue to service their debt, reported a Canada-based think tank, International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS).

Pakistan is continuously recording an unsustainably high trade deficit with China.

According to a recent study conducted by the American think-tank, Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Felix K. Chang, titled ‘Deficit Trap: Trade Balances and China’s Belt and Road Initiative’.

The study revealed that Islamabad’s trade balance with China deteriorated by 164 per cent in 2021 compared to 2013. It is not different in African and Central Asian BRI countries, but in their case the worsening of trade deficit has been less acute. The report noted that Pakistan’s trade imbalance was the worst in comparison with some of other BRI beneficiaries like Angola (34 per cent), Kenya (106 per cent), Kyrgyzstan (47per cent) and Sri Lanka (41 per cent), IFFRAS reported.

As per reports, there are two reasons for Pakistan’s alarming trade deficit. The reasons included that Pakistan’s export basket is small as compared to China and that BRI projects consisted of input buying clauses by Chinese firms implementing them in Pakistan by Chinese companies only. Another, Islamabad’s small export basket is attributed to lack of industrialization and diversification of the Pak economy.

China has many comparative advantages which other BRI countries do not enjoy due to development asymmetries with China.

Study involving impact assessment of BRI infrastructure on Pakistan found that agricultural exports to China decreased over the years. Islamabad failed to fully capitalize on potential of Chinese agriculture market, mainly due to lack of productivity and quality issues, despite concessions offered by Beijing. Also other BRI countries like Kyrgistan took advantage of Beijing’s tariff concessions and flooded the Chinese markets with their cheap agricultural exports, IFFRAS reported.

Pak structural deficiencies are adding to the trade deficit burden. It’s ‘boom and bust’ cycles are marked by increasing and accelerating growth of imports, with successive governments supporting the overvalued national currency. The manufacturing sector has been shrinking over the past two decades. Islamabad is now slowly moving into Chinese ‘trade deficit’ trap, as per the report. (ANI)