Month: July 2022

Parliament’s Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, on July 19 (Tuesday) will examine the working of the Information Technology Act 2020.
The officials from the Ministry of Information and Technology are likely to appear before this Committee.

The notice that has been sent out to the members of the committee reads, “Briefing by the representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on the subject ‘Review of functioning of Information Technology Act, 2000.”

Officials from the Ministry who are likely to appear before the committee include the MEITY Secretary among other senior officials.

The committee will be discussing this crucial issue at a time when Twitter has moved court against the government, and it is once again reiterated demands to remove insufficient IT laws and clearance of new IT Rules. There has been increasing demand for bringing stringent rules to ensure net neutrality, data privacy, and algorithmic accountability of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

As per sources Twitter went to court questioning the arbitrary request by the Ministry for information and technology to remove certain posts from the microblogging site.

“Twitter Inc., being an ‘Intermediary’ as defined under section 2(1)(w) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 is expected to follow the laws of India while operating in India and the repeated violations, and non-compliance of Directions issued by the designated officer appointed under section 69A of the IT Act has necessitated initiating appropriate proceedings under the IT Act, 2000,” the Ministry had said in its notice to the social media giant.

The Indian government in the notice further reiterated that it was essential for Twitter to comply with the intermediary rules.

“MeitY grants Twitter Inc. one last opportunity to comply with all directions issued under section 69A of the IT Act, by 4th July, 2022. If Twitter Inc. continues to be in violation of these Directions and therefore the IT Act, significant consequences under the IT Act shall prevail, including loss of immunity as available to you being an intermediary under sub-section (1) of section 79 of the IT Act AND liable to punishment to offences as prescribed in the IT Act 2000,” Indian government’s notice to Twitter Further stated.

“All government policies, laws and rules are focussed on ensuring that every Indian Digital Nagrik always has an open, safe and trusted, accountable internet. These policy objectives and obligation to comply always with Indian law form the boundary conditions for all intermediaries operating in India,” according to government sources.

“Indian Internet and the Digital Nagrik welcome every Global and Indian intermediary/platform to offer their service/product in India but with clear expectations of their conduct to be in compliance with the aforementioned boundary conditions,” the sources further added.

Twitter, an intermediary under the IT act has been repeatedly in violation of directions issued under the IT act and today they were issued a notice after several efforts of seeking compliance. (ANI)

Customs officials at Jaipur International Airport intercepted a passenger on Saturday and seized gold worth 769.5 grams of gold. The recovery could be done only after a medical examination.

The passenger had arrived by Air Arabia Flight No. G9435 from Sharjah and was intercepted on the basis of suspicion at early morning hours.
The accused was asked numerous questions but remained evasive and couldn’t provide any satisfactory explanation as he denied any type of concealment. The officials moved on to personal searches on the basis of his gestures.

During the personal search of the passenger, the officials found nothing but remained suspicious.

It was only during the medical examination that the doctors recovered 3 capsules from the passenger’s rectum.

“The pax was medically examined at Jaipuriya Hospital today where doctors recovered 3 capsules from the rectum after CT scan. All these three capsules contain yellowish granules paste packed in transparent polyethene Capsules duly wrapped by black polythene tape with a total weight of 851 grams,” read an official statement.

After processing, Gold of 99.50 per cent purity weighing 769.50 grams valued at Rs.41,62,995 was extracted from the paste and was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. The accused has been arrested.

Further investigations are underway. (ANI)

Domestic slump, combined with the decline in exports, as well as the US ban has put China’s once booming textile industry in trouble.

China’s textile manufacturing industry, which is the largest in the world and accounts for 7 per cent of the country’s GDP, is in a downward spiral, reported Financial Post.
The COVID-19 pandemic proved the major reason for decline in demand besides the increase in raw material prices. There are gloomy days ahead as China is losing its space in textile exports to other Asian countries like Vietnam and India.

However, things are going to get much worse as the UK and US banned cotton imports amid allegations of forced labour in China’s Xinjiang even as the European Union is mulling a similar move, reported Financial Post.

There has been a massive loss to the textile industry in China since 2020 while the demand in 2022 has lowered by 40 per cent from the last year.

After the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA) came into force, US companies stopped buying cotton from China. This has come as a big blow to the Chinese economy which is already facing multiple headwinds.

The US ban has choked the supply chain of China’s textile industry as over 3 million tonnes of cotton remained unsold in Xinjiang despite the new harvest season a couple of weeks away.

“Xinjiang cotton used to be the most expensive cotton in the world. Now it has become the cheapest, and still, no one buys it,” said a Chinese cotton-ginning mill owner.

Further, human rights activists are urging Canada, European Union and other major countries to ban products manufactured by forced labour in China, reported Financial Post.

Laura Murphy, a human rights professor at UK’s Sheffield Hallam University, said “The EU also needs to be a leader in passing mandatory human rights due diligence. Both these tools are necessary to ensure that companies address the forced labor and other abuses in their supply chains.”

The ban on such products especially cotton is going to hurt China seriously since the textile industry’s contribution to China’s total exports is over 11 per cent.

The impact of all these factors is quite visible. According to China National Cotton Information Centre, the rate of machines actually turned on at textile factories was 79.7 per cent, which showed a decline of 13.3 percentage points year-on-year, reported Financial Post.

Also, China’s loss is other Asian countries’ gain. India, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia are getting new clothing orders, which include USD 6 billion worth of textile orders that were originally meant for China.

The Chinese loss of orders is around 90 per cent within a year, said the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles.

Vietnam has set a record in exports of clothing material. In the first half of 2022, it exported textile products worth 22 billion, which is 23 per cent higher than the corresponding period last year. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will inaugurate the Bundelkhand Expressway in Uttar Pradesh tomorrow, said on Friday that the project will boost the local economy and connectivity.

“Tomorrow, July 16 is a special day for my sisters and brothers of the Bundelkhand region. At a programme in Jalaun district, the Bundelkhand Expressway will be inaugurated. This project will boost the local economy and connectivity,” said PM Modi in a Twitter post.

With an aim to boost connectivity in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the Bundelkhand Expressway at Kaitheri village in Orai tehsil of Jalaun district on Saturday.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the government has been committed to enhancing connectivity across the country, a key feature of which has been the work towards improvement in road infrastructure.

“A significant endeavour towards this was the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of Bundelkhand Expressway by the Prime Minister on February 29, 2020. The work on the Expressway has been completed within 28 months and it will now be inaugurated by the Prime Minister,” said the PMO statement.

The 296 km four-lane expressway has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 14,850 crore, under the aegis of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), and can later be expanded upto six lanes as well.

It extends from NH-35 at Gonda village near Bharatkoop in Chitrakoot district to near Kudrail village in Etawah district, where it merges with the Agra-Lucknow expressway. It passes through seven districts, including Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah.

Along with improving connectivity in the region, the Bundelkhand Expressway will also give a major boost to economic development, resulting in the creation of thousands of jobs for the local people. Work on the creation of an industrial corridor in Banda and Jalaun districts, next to the Expressway, has already been started, said the PMO. (ANI)

Vendors and telemarketing companies making unsolicited calls to consumers may soon be required to pay heavy penalties to the victim consumers.

According to reliable sources, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has initiated a consultation on imposing fines on those engaging in unsolicited commercial communication.
Ministry source told ANI that it is mooted that caller engaging in unsolicited calls will have to pay heavy penalties which can go up to Rs 100 per call. The money will not go into the government coffers but will be credited to consumers who received unsolicited calls.

Despite clear norms laid by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on unsolicited communication, consumers are still facing unwanted calls from vendors and telemarketers.

Although the TRAI has somehow controlled the problem of pesky calls and unwanted SMS with the DND (Do Not Disturb) registry.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs recently put a lid on service charges levied by hotels and restaurants. It recently also cracked the whip on fake reviews driven and promoted by some ed-tech companies. (ANI)

Former Vice President Hamid Ansari has again asserted that he “never knew or invited Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza to any conference” amid fresh claims that they had attended an event against terrorism organised by Jama Masjid United Forum in 2009.

A statement issued by the office of the former Vice President of India said that he stands by his earlier statement.
“Former Vice President of India stands by his earlier statement that he never knew or invited Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza to any conference including 2010 conference mentioned by Nusrat Mirza or the 2009 conference on terrorism or on any other occasion,” the statement said.

Adish C Aggarwala, Chairman, All India Bar Association, alleged on Thursday that Hamid Ansari and his friends “were fraternizing with Mirza at the Jama Masjid United Forum’s Conference”.

The BJP had on Wednesday asked Ansari and the Congress to come clean on media reports about claims Nusrat Mirza that Ansari had invited him to India. Mirza claimed that he had shared the information collected during the visits with Pakistan’s ISI.

Ansari had said that a litany of falsehood had been unleashed on him personally in sections of media and by the official spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party.

Aggarwala said in his statement on Thursday that Ansari wanted to invite the Pakistan journalist to a conference on international terrorism and human rights in 2010 and conveyed his “displeasure” when it was not done so.

Aggarwala, who was an organiser of the conference, said the then Director of Vice President Secretariat had informed him that the Vice-President has desired that Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza “be invited to the conference”.

Aggarwala said they could not accede to the request and the official called him up a day before the conference and “expressed displeasure of the Vice-President”.

“He (the official) also informed me that Mr Hamid Ansari has felt offended and will now attend the inaugural ceremony for only twenty minutes although he had initially agreed to participate in the event for an hour. On the next day, Mr Ansari left the ceremony after twenty minutes,” Aggarwala said in his statement.

Amit Malviya, in-charge of BJP’s national Information and Technology Department also referred to Aggarwala’s statement and said Ansari has to explain.

Malviya said in a tweet that the statement talks of former Vice President “putting up spurious defence to conceal ties with Pak Spy Nusrat and to malign the PM”.

“Hamid Ansari and Nusrat Mirza attended an event against terrorism organised by Jama Masjid United Forum in Oberoi Hotel Delhi in Oct 2009… Ansari has to explain,” Malviya said.

Aggarwala said on Friday that some incorrect remarks have been made about him.

“Former VP Hamid Ansari and Congress leaders said that we invited Pakistani journalist (Nusrat Mirza), it’s factually incorrect. We neither invited him nor he attended conference. It was other conference organised by another organistaion,” he said.

“It was another international conference on terrorism organised by Jama Masjid United Forum on 27 Oct. He (Nusrat Mirza) was on the dais and the VP Hamid Ansari was also there on the dais,” he added. (ANI)

Former Uttar Pradesh BJP president Laxmikant Bajpai has been appointed as the party’s chief whip in the Rajya Sabha.

Bajpai was elected to the Rajya Sabha from the state of Uttar Pradesh in the recently concluded Rajya Sabha elections.
Bajpai replaced Shiv Pratap Shukla who retired as a Member of Parliament from the Rajya Sabha and was the chief whip of the party.

A communication to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat has been sent by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.

Joshi told ANI, “Dr Bajpai has been appointed as the chief whip of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha.”

Bajpai has been elected to the legislative assembly of Uttar Pradesh four times from Meerut.

The former Uttar Pradesh state BJP chief who was till recently not given any prominent responsibility in the state was recently brought to the Rajya Sabha by the saffron party and has been entrusted with the responsibility in the Rajya Sabha. (ANI)

Sushmita Sen has finally put to rest all rumours surrounding her wedding with former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. She, however, did say that she is “unconditionally surrounded by love”.

A day after Lalit Modi announced he was dating her on social media, the ‘Aarya’ actor took to Instagram to dismiss the wedding rumours. She posted a picture with her daughters on Instagram and wrote, “I am in a happy place!! NOT MARRIED…NO RINGS…Unconditionally surrounded by love.”
She continued, “Enough clarifications given…now back to life & work!! Thank you for sharing in my happiness always…and for those who don’t…its #NYOB Anyway!!! I love you Guys #duggadugga #yourstruly”.

Lalit Modi made their relationship Instagram and Twitter official on Thursday night. After the announcement, social media was flooded with reactions and trolls. People were waiting for Sushmita to give a confirmation.

Lalit Modi first uploaded a bunch of pictures with her on Twitter and wrote, “Just back in London after a whirling global tour #maldives # sardinia with the families – not to mention my #betterhalf @sushmitasen47 – a new beginning a new life finally. Over the moon,” he wrote on Twitter and accompanied it with a bunch of lovestruck and heart emoticons.

After Lalit tweeted pictures with Sushmita, people started speculating if the couple is now married. However, Lalit cleared the air by putting another tweet clarifying that they are just dating. He wrote, “Just for clarity. Not married – just dating each other. That too will happen one day.”

Lalit then changed his Instagram display picture to a cosy picture with Sushmita. He even changed his Instagram bio and wrote, “Finally starting a new life with my partner in crime. My love @sushmitasen47”.

Lalit was previously married to Minal Sagrani, whom he married in October of 1991. They had two children together – son Ruchir and daughter Aliya. He is also a stepfather to Karima Sagrani, from Minal’s first marriage. Unfortunately, Minal died of cancer in 2018.

On the other hand, Sushmita was in a relationship with model Rohman Shawl, whom she met through Instagram in 2018, but broke up with him last year. She is a mother of two adopted daughters Renee and Alisah. (ANI)

As a part of the export consignment, about 600 kg of lemons have been exported to London, UK from Assam on Friday.

Taking to Twitter, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed happiness about the first consignment of the export plan.
“Happy to share that the first consignment of Assam lemon for export to UK has been dispatched from Baksa. About 600 kg of lemons have been sent as part of an export commitment by the producer at the rate of Rs 30 per kg for about 80 tonnes over the next 2 months from Gati, Salbari”, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted”.

Earlier in July 2021, a consignment of “Kazi Nemu” (Assam lemon) was exported from Guwahati to London.

In June last year, a consignment of ‘Leteku’ (Burmese grapes), grow in Assam’s Darrang district was exported to Dubai. (ANI)

The 16th round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China will be held on the Indian side at Chushul-Moldo Meeting Point on July 17, sources said on Friday.

The talks are in continuation with the discussion on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, the sources added.
India will be represented by Fire and Fury Corps Commander Lt Gen A Sengupta in the talks.

The 15th round China-India Corps Commander-Level Meeting was held on March 11 this year.

During the meeting, the two sides carried forward their discussions from the previous round held on January 12 this year for the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector.

They had a detailed exchange of views in keeping with the guidance provided by the State Leaders to work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

They reaffirmed that such a resolution would help restore peace and tranquility along the LAC in the Western Sector and facilitate progress in bilateral relations.

The two sides also agreed to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector in the interim. They agreed to maintain dialogue via military and diplomatic channels to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

India and China have been engaged in a standoff since April-May 2020 over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger area, Galwan Valley, Hot springs, and Kongrung Nala. The situation worsened after violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020.

The talks have led to disengagement from some areas including the North and South Banks of Pangong Tso and Galwan but some friction points remain. (ANI)