Month: July 2022

The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government on Monday passed a bill to increase the salaries of MLAs, ministers, Speaker and Leader of Opposition (LoPs) in the Delhi Assembly.

In Delhi, an MLA presently gets a sum of Rs 54,000 per month as salary and allowances, which is likely to increase to Rs 90,000 after the hike.
“A bill to increase the salaries of MLAs, ministers, Speaker and LoPs has been passed in the Delhi Assembly today. For the last 11 years, MLAs were getting a salary of Rs 12,000, which has now been increased to Rs 30,000…. total salary will be Rs 90,000,” Sisodia told media persons after the assembly session today.

Sisodia said that the Delhi government had already passed the bill, but the Centre had few objections seven years ago.

He added, “A lot of discussions on this have been done in the last seven years. The central government had a few objections seven years ago; after incorporating their suggestions, Delhi Assembly has once again passed this bill and hopes for the Centre to pass it.”

In May this year, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel informed that the salary was increased in 2011, so the government presented the proposed hike to the Centre in 2015 but it was turned down.

“Last time, the salary was increased in 2011, and we presented the proposed hike to the Centre in 2015 but it was turned down. We projected Rs 1,80,000 in 2015. In 2021, the Centre gave a proposal that if the cabinet accepts the proposal then the Delhi cabinet has to give approval,” Goel told ANI.

He had requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to compare the salaries with other state MLAs as he claimed many states like Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh are getting around Rs 2 lakh as the total amount.

The two-day monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly commenced today. In view of the prevailing COVID-19 cases, the MLAs will be required to wear face masks compulsorily. (ANI)

Days after the Ministry of Home Affairs directed National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the probe of the brutal killings in Rajasthan’s Udaipur and Maharashtra’s Amravati, NIA chief Dinkar Gupta on Monday held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his office in the national capital.

On June 28, a tailor Kanhaiyalal Kumar was beheaded by two men inside his shop in Udaipur in the broad daylight, while a chemist shop owner Umesh Kolhe was killed by several men in Amravati on June 21.
In Amravati killing case, a district court in Amravati sent the key accused and Irfan Sheikh, the mastermind in the murder case to police custody till July 7. The accused, identified as Irfan Sheikh, was arrested by Amravati police in Nagpur on Sunday. The six accused have been identified as Mudassir Ahmad (22); Shah Rukh Pathan (25); Abdul Thoufique (24); Shoaib Khan (22); Atib Rashid (22) and Yusufkan Bahadur Khan (44).

Investigators so far believe that the chemist was killed allegedly in retaliation for a social media post supporting BJP’s Nupur Sharma who had made controversial comments on the Prophet in a television debate.

In the Udaipur case, the assailants identified themselves in the video as Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad. In the video, Riyaz was seen attacking 47-year-old Kanhaiya Lal with a sharp-edged weapon while the other, Ghouse, recorded the crime on his mobile phone.

The victim reportedly had recently shared a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma– former BJP leader who had made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad.

NIA on Thursday said it suspects the role of a “terror gang and not a terror outfit”.The anti-terror agency, however, made it clear that there is a role of a bigger gang behind the brutal killing and that it was not just an act done by only two persons, who were arrested by state police after the incident. (ANI)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday hailed the victory of his faction in the floor test of the Maharashtra Assembly.

Speaking in the Assembly today, Shinde said, “I thank Devendra Fadnavis ji for giving me a chance to work as a minister in the previous government… I could work on Samruddhi Mahamarg project. He was to give the Deputy CM post to Shiv Sena also in 2019.”
“We are Shivsainiks and we will always be Shivsainiks of Balasaheb and Anand Dighe. I want to remind you who was there and who got Balasaheb’s voting banned for six years,” the Maharashtra Chief Minister said.

“Initially, I was supposed to be made the Chief Minister in the MVA government… But later Ajit Dada (Ajit Pawar) or someone said that I should not be made the Chief Minister. I had no problem and I told Uddhav ji to go ahead, and that I was with him. I never eyed that post,” Shinde said.

Shinde referred to two of his children who had died and got emotional.

“They attacked my family…My father is alive, my mother died. I could not give much time to my parents. They would be asleep when I came and would go to work when I slept. I could not give much time to my son Shrikant. My two children died – at the time, Anand Dighe consoled me. I used to think, what is there to live for? I will stay with my family,” the Chief Minister said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday won the crucial floor test in the state Assembly on the last day of the two-day special session of the House. In the 288-member House, 164 MLAs voted for the motion of confidence, while 99 voted against it. Three legislators abstained from voting, while 21 legislators, including Congress’s Ashok Chavan and Vijay Wadettiwar, were absent.

Sanjay Raut on Monday questioned the legitimacy of the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and said the Shinde group cannot claim to be the original Sena.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Raut said these MLAs (of the Shinde group) should ask themselves some questions. They used the party symbol and all benefits that come along with it to win elections and then broke the same party.

Raut’s statement comes after Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar reinstated Shinde as the Shiv Sena legislature party leader, removing Ajay Chaudhary, just ahead of the Eknath Shinde-led government’s floor test today. (ANI)

The new Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtara won the floor test on Monday by a 164-99 margin, proving his government’s majority and cementing his position as chief minister of the state and the leader of the Shiv Sena.

164 votes were polled in favour of Shinde, while 99 votes were polled against the newly formed BJP-Shinde camp coalition.
The trust vote comes a day after BJP’s Rahul Narwekar was elected the Assembly Speaker. On Sunday Narwekar reinstated Shinde as the Shiv Sena’s legislative party leader and also recognised the appointment of Gogawale as the chief whip of the Shiv Sena.

Today’s floor test was held during the special two-day session of the Legislative Assembly that began on Sunday.

A total of three members abstained from voting.

Soon after the Trust Vote ended, Shiv Sena leader and earlier whip Sunil Prabhu raised the issue of whip but Speaker interrupted him and asked him to sit and said he has already everything on record.

Shiv Sena’s Aaditya Thackeray arrived in the House just minutes before the doors were locked for a head count.

Former ministers Ashok Chavan and Vijay Wadettiwar of Congress were out of the House, so they will not be able to vote. Nawab Malik amd Anil Deshmukh also didn’t come to House for voting.

Earlier, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar allowed the demand of the Opposition and began the division of votes in the trust vote.

The trust vote was proposed by BJP’s Sudhir Mungantiwar and Shiv Sena’s Bharat Gogawale. After a voice vote, on proposal of trust vote, opposition members demanded a division of vote.

Meanwhile, two MLA of the Uddhav Thackeray faction, Santosh Bangar and Shyamsundar Shinde, joined the Eknath Shinde camp just before the trust vote.

Eknath Shinde, who led a revolt against Shiv Sena leading to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on June 30.

Fadnavis, who was Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2014-19, announced at a joint press conference in Mumbai on Thursday that Eknath Shinde will be the new CM. Fadnavis also announced at the press conference that he will not be part of the government. (ANI)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday extended greetings to the United States on the occasion of the country’s Independence Day and said that India will continue to work together with the US to boost the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

Notably, the India-US relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership during the State visit of former President Donald Trump to India in February 2020.
Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar wrote, “Warm greetings to US State Secretary Antony Blinken and Government and the people of the United States of America on their Independence Day. Will continue to work together to strengthen our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.”

The US Independence Day is celebrated on the Fourth of July. This is the 246th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress, two days after a vote on whether to separate from the United Kingdom. The Declaration, drafted by Thomas Jefferson (who eventually became President and who died on the Fourth), is basically America’s birth certificate, declaring the US separate from British power, reported CNN.

India’s ties with the United States were strengthened by regular contact at the highest levels. The 3rd Annual 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held in New Delhi on October 27, 2020 enabled a comprehensive review of the bilateral ties from the strategic perspective and provided political direction to advancing these further.

Five Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs)/ Agreements, including the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, were signed during this occasion.

Moreover, to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, India and the US stepped up bilateral collaboration particularly in the field of health, medical research, therapeutics, and vaccine development. India and the US have witnessed a sustained increase in their bilateral trade over the last few years. The US is India’s largest trading partner (goods and services combined).

In 2019, bilateral trade increased by 4.3 per cent to reach USD 148.8 billion. In 2020, bilateral trade in goods reached USD 26.55 billion during April-August 2020.

Several important consultations were conducted during the year, including the India-U.S. Strategic Energy Partnership Ministerial Meeting, India-U.S. CEO Forum, India-U.S. Counter Terrorism Joint Working Group, India-U.S. Cyber Security Dialogue, India-U.S. Information and Communication Technology Working Group meeting and consultations on the United Nations Security Council.

The inaugural meeting between the Indian Defence Innovation Organization (DIOiDEX) and US Defence Innovation Unit as well as the India-U.S. Defence Technology and Trade Initiative were held in 2020.

Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin welcomed Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh and Jaishankar to Washington, D.C., on April 11, 2022, for the fourth India-U.S. 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The Dialogue was preceded by a virtual meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joseph Biden.

As natural and trusted partners celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and independent India, with a shared commitment to democracy and pluralism, a multifaceted bilateral agenda, and growing convergence of strategic interests, both countries seek to continue to promote a resilient, rules-based international order that safeguards sovereignty and territorial integrity, upholds democratic values, and promotes peace and prosperity for all. (ANI)

A road rage incident on the NH24 curve near Samaspur village left one dead after he got into an altercation with an unidentified accused.

“On Sunday at 8:42 pm, information was received in PS Pandav Nagar from LBS Hospital, Khichripur regarding admission of one Nikhil Sharma (20), resident of Patparganj Village. His friend admitted him to the hospital after sustaining an injury in a quarrel, and he was declared brought dead,” said the police.
Initial enquiry revealed that the deceased along with his friend had an altercation with one unknown scooty rider near the wine shop, Samaspur Village. While they were going back to their place after purchasing liquor, this unknown person came along with his associate and soon a scuffle broke out between them outside the gate of the liquor shop.

“Both got into a scuffle and the accused stabbed the victim in the chest,” said Delhi Police.

A case under appropriate sections is being registered and efforts are on to nab the culprits.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the case is on. (ANI)

Actor Ajay Devgn is all set to don the director’s hat once again with ‘Bholaa’, which will be released on March 30, 2023.

On Monday, Ajay took to Instagram and shared the update with his fans and followers.
“It’s time to say ACTION again! Bholaa releasing on March 30th, 2023,” he posted, adding a picture of him handling a professional cinema camera.

‘Bholaa’, which was earlier supposed to be directed by Dharmendra Sharma, is the Hindi remake of 2019’s Tamil hit ‘Kaithi’. The original movie revolved around an ex-convict who decides to meet his daughter for the first time after being released from prison but gets caught in a face-off between police and the drug mafia.

Excited to return to the director’s chair after ‘Runway 34’, Ajay added, “Well the preparation was done earlier on. It was just a question of getting behind the camera again and saying the three magic words- Lights, camera, action!”

For those unaware, Ajay made his directorial debut with ‘U Me Aur Hum’ in 2008 and later expanded his directorial stint in ‘Shivaay’ and ‘Runway 34’.

Apart from ‘Bholaa’, Ajay will also be seen in ‘Drishyam 2’, which will be out in theatres on November 18. Helmed by Abhishek Pathak, the film also stars Akshaye Khanna, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kapoor, and Ishita Dutta. Ajay is all set to reprise one of his most intriguing characters on-screen and continue in Vijay’s shoes in the sequel. The story unveils a journey that leaves the audience thinking about what might be his way out this time. (ANI)

India reported 16,135 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours with a daily case positivity rate of 4.85 per cent, as per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday.

Active cases now constitute 0.26 per cent of the country’s total positive cases and stand at 1,13,864.
On Sunday, as many as 16,103 new COVID infections were reported in India.

According to Health Ministry, a total of 13,958 people recovered from COVID, taking the recovery rate currently at 98.53 per cent taking to total COVID recoveries to 4,28,79,477.

As many as 24 patients succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,25,223.

A total of 3,32,978 COVID samples were tested during this period. 86.39 crore tests have been conducted in the country so far.

Meanwhile, 197.98 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive.

In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.

Amid the recent surge reported in COVID-19 cases across the country, the Health Ministry of India on June 9 urged States and Union Territories to not lower their guards and strictly maintain COVID-appropriate behaviour.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has written a letter to States/UTs and directed them to ramp up RT-PCR testing, surveillance, clinical management, vaccination, COVID-19 protocols and take timely pre-emptive actions. (ANI)

At least 10 people, including school children, were killed and several injured after a private bus rolled off a cliff in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on Monday morning, an official said.

The incident happened around 8 a.m at the Jangla area of Sainj valley on Neoli-Shansher road.
Several school children were travelling on the bus.

“The school bus was en-route from Kullu-to Sainj on Neoli-Shansher road in Sainj valley. Death numbers may rise. The rescue operation is underway,” said Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg.

Meanwhile, the injured are being shifted to local hospitals in Kullu.

Medical and rescue teams from Kullu have moved to the site of the mishap. (ANI)