Month: August 2022

On the auspicious occasion of Krishna Janmashtami 2022, many Bollywood celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Kangana Ranaut extended heartfelt wishes on social media.

Taking to Twitter, Amitabh Bachchan shared a video from one of his films where he can be seen breaking the Dahi Handi, which he captioned in Hindi, “Ala re Ala Govinda Ala.”

Sharing another post, he wrote in Hindi, “Janmashtami mangalmai ho.”

Ajay Devgn shared a post on Twitter in Hindi, which reads, “Jab Krishna Bhagwan aapke saarthi ho, tab zindagi ki har mushkil asaan ho jaati hai. Janmashtami ki hardik shubhkamnayein.”

Veteran actor Hema Malini shared a post, and captioned it, “It is that festival tonite which we all look fwd to with joy & enthusiasm. Yes! It is Shri Krishna Janmashtami, which celebrates the birth of the Lord who came to earth to annihilate all evil. His Bhagvat Gita is acknowledged as the best treatise on how to live an honorable life.”

‘Dhaakad’ actor Kangana Ranaut shared a picture on Instagram stories and wrote, “Last year I went to Vrindavan for Baanke Bihari darshan…Radhe Radhe. Janmashtami ki shubhkamnaen.”

Sidharth Malhotra also shared a story on Instagram to wish his fans on Janmashtami.

Comedian Bharti Singh shared an adorable video of her newborn baby Laksh, dressed as Lord Krishna, which she captioned, “thankyou god for everything #krishnajanmashtami #love #golla.” https://www.instagram.com/p/ChZXUoVoWoS/embed

Taking to Instagram, Abhishek Bachchan shared a video and captioned it, “Radhe Radhe bolo Jai Kanhaiya Laal ki #KrishnaJanmashtami.”

Shilpa Shetty Kundra shared a video from the pooja ceremony and captioned it, “Jai Kanhaiya lal ki. Janmashtami ki shubhkaamnayein aap sabhi ko.” https://www.instagram.com/p/ChZibpXFceY/embed

Janmashtami is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. As per the Hindu calendar, Lord Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, was born on the eighth day of the month of Bhadra.

The day mostly falls in the months of August or September as per the Western calendar.

The festival is celebrated by offering prayers to Lord Krishna, with beautifully decorated swings, dance and music performances, and the Dahi Handi competition. (ANI)

As the investigation in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) paper leak case deepens, the state police informed that twenty people have been arrested in the case.

Ajay Singh, SSP of Special Task Force Uttarakhand, said that on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday another arrest was made. So far, twenty people have been arrested in this case, he said.

The Police official said that after a long intensive interrogation by STF Uttarakhand, Junior Engineer Lalit Raj Sharma, resident of Dhampur, was arrested and will be produced in the court today.

He further said that the STF got success in breaking the important link between the copying mafia of Uttar Pradesh with the mastermind Hakam.

He added that more than two dozen students had solved the questions of the leaked paper the night before the examination at the flat located in Dhampur of Lalit Raj Sharma.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) may soon begin a probe in to the UKSSSC paper leak case, according to a senior official.

This comes after the Uttarakhand STF sent a report of all the accused to the ED, following the disclosure of the unaccounted assets believed to be held by them.

SSP Ajay Singh, SSP, Uttarakhand STF earlier said that during the investigation, it had come to the fore that the question papers were sold to the candidates for amounts ranging from Rs 15 to 20 lakhs. So, there is a possibility of crores of rupees having been illegally collected. So far, Rs 83 lakh has even been recovered.

The case pertains to a written exam conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSC) in December 2021. This was one of the major examinations conducted by the commission for 854 posts across 13 departments.

However, there were widespread allegations that there were irregularities in the conduct of the test. Following these allegations, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami called for a probe and a strict action against those guilty. Following this, the secretary of the commission was removed from the post. A Special Task Force (STF) was also constituted to investigate the alleged irregularities.

Initially, the Dehradun police registered a case against the unidentified accused. After that, the Police Headquarters (PHQ) handed over the investigation to the STF.

Since then, 20 people have been arrested in the case. These include some prominent names like district panchayat member Hakam Singh. Singh was arrested near the Mori area near the Himachal Pradesh border after he returned to the country from a trip abroad on August 7.

Gaurav Chauhan, an Additional Private Secretary working in Public Works and Forest Department of State Secretariat, was also arrested in connection with the case. Also, several officials and directors of a Lucknow-based printing press were called for questioning. This came after a staffer of the company was named a prime accused in the case post-arrest. (ANI)

The zero-Covid policy imposed in Xinjiang and Tibet by Chinese President Xi Jinping has created widespread unrest, who are anxious about their livelihoods, as both regions are underdeveloped economically.

The lockdown of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, has been extended until August 18, following an initial three-day lockdown announcement on August 8 amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, reported Tibet Press.
Additionally, the Ngari Prefecture of Tibet has been locked down since August 11, and transportation between Shigatse, Lhasa, and Ngari Prefecture has been suspended.

Famous tourist attractions across Tibet such as Potala Palace, Norbulingka, Tsaparang, and the Tibetan Museu have also been closed to the public.

According to the media reports, people in the area have been anxious about their livelihoods as mass COVID tests are taking place. They have been sealed off inside the neighbourhood doing COVID-19 tests every day or night. Sometimes they had to undergo these tests in the rain, and people got sick from being wet in the rain while waiting in line, reported Tibet Press.

As economically underdeveloped regions, Xinjiang and Tibet lack decent manufacturing businesses. And now everyone’s income has become unstable, and everyone is anxious as the streets go silent.

To combat fresh outbreaks of the pandemic in areas like Xinjiang and Tibet, Chinese authorities are drawing on a security apparatus previously used to quell dissent against authorities in Beijing, reported Tibet Press.

Broad surveillance measures used over the years against Tibetan Buddhists and mainly Muslim Uyghurs, both minority groups in China, are helping enforce lockdown rules among people long at risk of arbitrary detention.

That has helped ensure there are no public displays of anger like those seen earlier this year during the months-long lockdown in the financial hub of Shanghai, reported Tibet Press.

President Xi Jinping has maintained strict “COVID-Zero” measures long after other governments abandoned the approach, dealing a blow to the economy and leaving China more isolated on the global stage.

His administration has hailed the policy as helping to prevent deaths on a scale seen in the US and Europe, which he aims to portray as a major success during a once-in-five-year party meeting later this year at which he has expected to extend his rule.

China has faced accusations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang as part of a campaign to assimilate Uyghurs and other groups into a society dominated by ethnic Han Chinese, who make up more than 90 per cent of the national population. China has consistently rejected allegations of genocide and other abuses, saying it’s fighting separatism and religious extremism.

At least five cities and two counties in Xinjiang imposed restrictions as of August 14, with most of the capital Urumqi keeping residents locked in their homes, reported Tibet Press.

During a previous lockdown, users on the social media platform Weibo found that posts published with Xinjiang hashtags were quickly censored. Many tagged Beijing and Shanghai instead to evade the controls. (ANI)

During Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) interior minister meeting in Uzbekistan, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai called for stern action against terrorism and drug trafficking.

The minister also presented an account of India’s robust Covid response globally.

In a Tweet, India Embassy in Tashkent wrote, “At SCO interior ministers meet in Tashkent, MoS Nityanand Rai called for stringent action against terrorism & drug trafficking and cooperation in cyber security. Presented India’s robust covid response globally.”

MoS Rai and Tajik Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda met in Tashkent to discuss bilateral security cooperation, training and capacity building. Furthermore, regional situations and issues of mutual interest were emphasised.

Rai also called on Uzbek Interior Minister Pulat Bobojonov in Tashkent where both the leaders discussed strengthening security cooperation including tackling challenges of terrorism and drug trafficking in the region.

Deputy Secretary General, International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) commonly known as Interpol, James Stephen also called on MoS Rai in Tashkent.

“Preparations for upcoming Interpol General Assembly in Oct in India were discussed. Expansion of India’s cooperation with Interpol to include new and emerging areas was emphasised,” the Embassy said.

Uzbekistan, the current chair of the organization, will host the annual summit in the city of Samarkand on September 15-16. Earlier, a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the SCO member states was also held in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent.

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar met with his Shanghai Cooperation Organization counterparts and insisted on the success of the Samarkand Summit.

He also highlighted that the world faces an energy and food crisis due to disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and Ukraine conflict.

“Participated in the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at Tashkent. Highlighted that the world faces an energy and food crisis due to disruptions from the Covid pandemic and Ukraine conflict. This needs to be urgently addressed,” tweeted Jaishankar.

Apart from India, the Foreign Ministers of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also participated. The meeting discussed the preparations for the forthcoming SCO Summit of Heads of State scheduled to be held in Samarkand on 15-16 September 2022 and witnessed a dialogue on international and regional issues, read the Ministry of External Affairs press release.

EAM also held bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO FMM with counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and with the Secretary General of the SCO.

“A useful conversation on the evolving regional situation with FM Sirojiddin Muhriddin of Tajikistan. Our long-standing cooperation encourages us to have open exchange of views,” tweeted Jaishankar.

He also met Secretary-General of the SCO Zhang Ming and said that India continues to bring more ideas and initiatives to strengthen cooperation amongst SCO countries. He added that the Indian Presidency next year will give a renewed thrust to these efforts.

The SCO is an international organization founded in 2001 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia and Uzbekistan.

The SCO’s observer countries include Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia, while partner countries are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey.

At the summit in Dushanbe in September 2021, the SCO launched the procedure for admitting Iran to the organization and granting dialogue partner status to Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this month, Belarus submitted its application to join the SCO. SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming confirmed the receipt of Belarus’ application and said that the organization stands ready to begin all necessary legal procedures. (ANI)

The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, met Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan in Mumbai on Thursday.

Gadkari met the veteran star to seek his support for the cause of the National Road Safety Mission in India.

According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway, in India itself about eighty thousand people are killed in road crashes annually which is thirteen per cent of the total fatality all over the world.

In most cases, crashes occur either due to carelessness or due to a lack of road safety awareness of the road user. Hence, road safety education is as essential as any other basic skill of survival.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highway’s aim is to provide road safety information for road users to encourage safer road user behaviour among current and prospective road users and reduce the number of people killed and injured on roads every year.

Our aim is to provide road safety information for road users to encourage safer road user behaviour among current and prospective road users and reduce the number of people killed and injured on our roads every year.

Amitabh, himself over the years has been involved with a number of social causes, including being the goodwill ambassador for the Polio UNICEF campaign, UN Ambassador for Girl Child, and the Swachh Bharat Mission campaign, among others.

Meanwhile. On the work front, Amitabh will next be seen in Ayan Mukherji’s ‘Brahmastra: Part One Shiva’ alongside Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor. The film is all set to release on September 9.

After ‘Brahmastra’, Amitabh Bachchan will be seen in Vikas Bahl’s ‘Good Bye’ alongside Rashmika Mandanna, Neena Gupta, and Pavail Gulati. The makers of the film recently announced the release date – October 7, 2022.

Apart from these two films, Big B has also wrapped up his shoot for his upcoming project ‘Uunchai’ starring Parineeti Chopra, Anupam Kher, and Boman Irani. The release date of the film is still awaited. (ANI)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday dismissed the prediction of his former party colleague RCP Singh who alleged that the JD(U) will merge with the RJD in the near future.

“Arrey chhodiye (Let it go),” said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, reacting to RCP Singh’s claim.
Earlier today, RCP Singh had slammed Nitish Kumar for repeatedly changing alliances and claimed that Janata Dal (United) will merge with Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal in the near future, adding that the youth of Bihar needs to come together to free the State from the mismatched alliance of both the parties.

Comedian and actor Raju Srivastava, who is currently on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at AIIMS Delhi, has been showing no improvement and continues to be in critical condition.
According to a source, Raju Srivastava is still unconscious and showing very little signs of improvement.

The comedian had been admitted to the hospital on August 10 after he suffered a heart attack. He was experiencing chest pain and collapsed while working out at the gym. Post this his trainer took him to the hospital.

Reportedly, the 58-year-old was running on the treadmill when he complained about chest pain. He underwent an angioplasty the same day.

Earlier, Raju Srivastava’s family issued a statement about his health, they asked everyone to pray for his health and not believe in rumours, “Raju Srivastava Ji’s health is stable and doctors are treating him. Please ignore any kind of rumours. Kindly pray for him,” tweeted Raju Srivastava’s family.

At the time of the heart attack, Raju Srivastava was in Delhi to meet some leaders of the state.

Speaking about the comedian’s career, he is best known for featuring in several films, including ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, ‘Baazigar’, ‘Bombay to Goa’, and ‘Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya’. Raju Srivastava has also appeared in the third season of the reality show ‘Bigg Boss’.

He came into the limelight for his great comic timing after performing as a stand-up comedian on the show ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’. (ANI)

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Gautam Gambhir on Thursday lashed out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said that he is “playing politics” in the name of Rohingyas.

Speaking to ANI, Gambhir, who is an MP from East Delhi, said, “It is very shameful that they (AAP) play this kind of politics.”
Gambhir asserted that BJP’s stand to deport Rohingyas from the country has been “very clear” and rather questioned Kejriwal to clarify his stand why he mentioned of providing every facility to Rohingyas.

“Our stand, which is made by Home Minister Amit Shah on the floor of the house, has been very clear that all the Rohingyas will be deported,” he said adding that it is Kejriwal’s responsibility to “come out openly and clarify his stand that what made him write that letter where he stated that Rohingyas should be given all kinds of facilities.”

Gambhir further alleged that the AAP supremo has no concern for the nation’s security or emotions for the Delhiites.

“All he (Arvind Kejriwal) wants is the chair and I am sure he will get exposed in the upcoming years,” he added.

Reacting to the allegations of the BJP, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleged that the Centre is engaged in a “conspiracy” to hide the decision to resettle the Rohingyas from the Delhi government.

Sisodia claimed that neither Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, nor he himself had any knowledge of the move by the Centre.

“Neither the CM nor HM of Delhi had knowledge of it, we got to know through newspapers that a scheme to provide flats to Rohingyas is going on. I asked the officers and got to know some meetings did take place where Central government officers were present,” he said.

“When I asked for details of the meeting, I saw that it was mentioned in the files that for the approval by the Central government, it was being directly sent through Chief Secretary to the LG. It was completely hidden from the elected government of Delhi, why this conspiracy? Sisodia added.

The row over Rohingyas broke out yesterday after Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted that the Rohingyas will be shifted to EWS flats equipped with basic facilities and round-the-clock security.

“India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a landmark decision all #Rohingya #Refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs and round-the-clock @DelhiPolice protection,” Puri had tweeted on Wednesday.

Earlier, reports were circulating which stated that around 1,100 Rohingyas staying in tents will be soon shifted into flats equipped with basic facilities and round-the-clock security.

This report followed the decision taken after a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary of Delhi, which was held during the last week of July, over the accommodation of Rohingya in the national capital.

In the meeting, it was emphasised that the Delhi government was bearing around Rs 7 lakh per month rent for the tents where Rohingyas were shifted in the Madanpur Khadar area after a fire incident happened in the camp where they were living.

Following the reports, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday clarified that it had not given any directions to provide EWS flats to Rohingya (illegal migrants) at Bakkarwala in New Delhi.

In the series of tweets, the HMO said the “government of Delhi proposed to shift the Rohingyas to a new location”.

“MHA has directed the GNCTD to ensure that the Rohingya who are illegal foreigners will continue at the present location as MHA has already taken up the matter of their deportation with the concerned country through MEA,” said the HMO.

It further said that “illegal foreigners are to be kept in Detention Centre till their deportation as per law”.

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, “Centre’s policy is clear that there will be no compromise with national security and the country’s resources are for its citizens and not for illegal migrants.” (ANI)

Private airliner SpiceJet Limited and Swiss company Credit Suisse on Thursday told the Supreme Court that they have reached a settlement of their financial dispute.

A bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Hima Kohli and CT Ravikumar allowed SpiceJet to withdraw its appeal challenging the winding order passed by the Madras High Court.
“There is a settlement which has taken place on May 23, 2022, as per the consent terms. In view of it, both parties are satisfied with the settlement and want to withdraw the SLP (special leave petition) filed by the petitioner (SpiceJet). Accordingly, the application is allowed,” the bench said in the order and directed the parties to abide by the consent terms.

At the outset, SpiceJet told the apex court that both the parties have settled their dispute and said there was a bank guarantee given to the Madras High Court Registrar according to the high court order.

Now, according to the terms of the settlement, the bank guarantee has to be released and returned to the bank, the counsel appearing for the airline told the bench.

Noting the submissions, the bench said the parties concerned were at liberty to move the high court for release of the bank guarantee.

In January, the Supreme Court had stayed for three weeks the order of the High Court directing winding up proceedings against SpiceJet after the airline claimed that it is looking to settle the dispute over its outstanding dues with the Swiss company Credit Suisse.

It had stayed the winding up order of SpiceJet to await the measures taken by the airline’s management to resolve the dispute.

The airline had said that it will attempt to resolve the issues with Credit Suisse.

SpiceJet Limited had earlier approached the apex court against the Madras High Court order of the winding up of the company.

As per Switzerland-based company Credit Suisse AG, SpiceJet had failed to honour its commitment to pay the bills for over USD 24 million raised by the Swiss company for maintenance, repairing and overhauling of the aircraft engines and components.

The division bench of the Madras High Court had upheld the December 6 verdict of a single judge ordering the winding up of SpiceJet Limited and directing the official liquidator attached to the High Court to take over the assets of the company.

The single judge had suspended the operation of his order for a limited period with a direction to the company to remit USD 5 million, as a condition precedent to avail of the interim relief.

The division bench by its order on January 11, however, extended the operation of the interim stay granted by the single judge, till January 28 to enable the airliner to prefer an appeal before the Supreme Court. SpiceJet had moved the division bench against single judge order.

The winding up petition before High Court’s single judge was moved by Credit Suisse AG claiming that SpiceJet was indebted to it for more than USD 24 million and alleged that the private carrier is unable to pay the debts owed to the firm.

According to the Credit Suisse AG, a stock corporation registered under the laws of Switzerland, SpiceJet had availed services of SR Technics, Switzerland, for maintenance, repair and overhauling of aircraft engines, modules, components, assemblies and parts which are mandatory for its operations.

On November 24, 2011, the 10-year contract was signed between SR Technica and SpiceJet. Meanwhile, SR Technics entered into a financing agreement with Credit Suisse AG on September 26, 2012, and assigned all its present and future rights to receive payments to Credit Swiss.

Credit Swiss said it made repeated requests to SpiceJet to make payments under the various invoices and since SpiceJet did not honour its commitment, the Swiss company issued a statutory notice under the Companies Act.

As the notice did not evoke any response, Credit Swiss said it moved the plea for liquidation and winding up of SpiceJet.

The company had prayed before the single judge for winding up SpiceJet under the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 and appointed the Official Liquidator of the High Court as the Liquidator of SpiceJet with all powers under Section 448 of the Companies Act to take charge of its assets, properties, stock in trade and books of accounts. (ANI)

A woman succumbed to her injuries after she was set ablaze by a group of people over a monetary dispute in Jamwa Ramgarh in Jaipur district on August 16. The victim was a teacher in a private school in Ramgarh.

A case has been registered under section 307. The victim had lent a sum of around Rs 2.5 lakh to her fellow villagers. The relationship between the victim and the villagers had gone sour after the former demanded the money back.
The deceased’s husband informed that the culprits set his wife on fire whren she was on her way to school on August 10.

Dharmendra Yadav, ASP (Assistant Superintendent of Police) rural Jaipur said, ” A woman was set ablaze on Aug 10 in Jamwa Ramgarh area of Jaipur. We registered a case under section 307. She succumbed during treatment on the night of August 16. The victim teacher had prima facie lent some money to others.”

Abuses would be hurled at her every time she demanded the money, and she was being treated with utter disrespect and molested by the miscreants. The deceased had filed two cases against them of assault and molestation in the Raisar police station.

The police official confirmed she had reported 2 cases against them of assault and molestation. “We conducted an investigation & arrested the accused. Both parties had recently filed cases against each other. Victim woman for Aug 10 incident identified 5-6 accused, the accused are to be arrested.”

Family members of the victim have raised questions over the police about their failure to take action against the accused after the incident was first reported to them. (ANI)