Month: September 2022

Covid cases in last 24 hours

India Issues Advisory For Students Planning To Study In China

By LokMarg

India has issued a detailed advisory related to studying at Chinese medical schools as thousands of enrolled students continue to remain stuck at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 23,000 Indian students enrolled in various Chinese universities have been affected by the Chinese visa ban.
“Embassy of India in Beijing has been receiving several queries from prospective Indian students and their parents with respect to seeking admission for undergraduate clinical medicine programme in China,” the embassy said in a statement on September 8.

China in July said that the country has made progress on facilitating the return of Indian students and is working in tandem with relevant departments to see that the first batch of Indian students can come back to study in China at the earliest.

The Indian Embassy also shared the link to a study conducted by the National Board of Examination to highlight that only 6387 out of 40,417 students, who appeared in the FMG Examination from 2015 to 2021 have cleared it.

“The study shows that only 6387 out of 40,417 students, who appeared in FMG Examination from 2015 to 2021 have cleared it. Here, the pass percentage of Indian students who have studied clinical medicine programme in China in that period in these 45 universities was only 16 per cent,” it statement further added.

Indian students pursuing medicine from Chinese Universities are unable to return to China to attend classes due to COVID-19-induced restrictions.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting also stressed the need for expediting the process of return of Indian students to China to attend classes at an early date.

In order to facilitate the return of Indian students, Jaishankar met with Wang Yi on March 25.

Earlier in April, the Chinese side had expressed its willingness to consider facilitating the return of Indian students to China on a need-assessed basis, said the Indian Embassy in China. (ANI)

Pak: Pregnant Woman Dies In Flood, Due To Lack Of Medical Aid

By LokMarg

Due to a lack of timely medical assistance and relief supplies, a mother and her unborn child died in the Khair district of flood-hit Pakistan on Saturday.

The incident took place in Akari village of Khairpur district as the woman was not transported to the hospital due to floodwaters on roads, according to ARY News.
Recently, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) also raised concerns for providing healthcare facilities to almost 650,000 pregnant women in flood-affected areas in Pakistan.

“Almost 650,000 pregnant women in the flood-affected areas require maternal health services to ensure a safe pregnancy and childbirth,” UNFPA said in an official statement.

“Up to 73,000 women expected to deliver next month will need skilled birth attendants, newborn care, and support,” the UN agency added, reported ARY News.

Amid devastating floods in Pakistan, women and their needs have taken a backseat as many of them are forced to live under an open sky and feminine hygiene products and toilets are not a part of the conversation about relief items.

Menstruating and pregnant women are in a miserable state as they have no access to menstrual products or any place to defecate.

The flash floods have badly impacted 80 districts of the country and the death toll from floods in Pakistan has reached near 1,200 as 19 more people lost their lives in the last 24 hours.

According to medical experts, the most common disease amongst the women flood survivors is Urinary tract infection followed by other infections.

Since mid-June, 937 people have died from severe rain and flooding across the South Asian country, according to the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The southern province of Sindh, which has been badly hit by the flooding, has asked for 1 million tents, while nearby Balochistan province has requested 100,000 tents. Since mid-June, when the monsoon began, more than 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) of road, 130 bridges and 495,000 homes have been damaged, according to NDMA’s last situation report.

As districts in Pakistan continue to be affected by massive monsoon rainfall and unprecedented levels of flooding, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of significant public health threats facing affected populations, including the risk of further spread of water and vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.

Around 888 health facilities have been damaged in the country, of which 180 are completely damaged, leaving millions of people lacking access to health care and medical treatment, as reported in many affected districts. (ANI)

Production Of Cervical Cancer

Scamsters Posing As Poonawala Dupe SII Of Over Rs 1Cr

By LokMarg

An FIR was launched against some unidentified persons for cheating the Serum Institute of India for more than Rs. 1 crore, said the officials on Sunday.

The fraudsters duped the SII in the name of the institute’s CEO Adar Poonawala. The incident came to light only after a hefty amount of Rs. 1.1 crore was transferred by one of the directors, Satish Deshpande.
As per official records, the scamsters posed as Poonawala and sent WhatsApp messages to Deshpande and asked to transfer money to various bank accounts immediately.

Believing that messages are from Adar Poonawala more than Rs. 1,01, 01,554 crore was transferred to those accounts by the finance department in different transactions, only to belatedly realise that the SII was duped.

“After realising that Adar Poonawala had never asked for such transfers or sent messages to the Finance Manager of SII made a written complaint in Bundgarden police station and later, police registered an FIR under the section of IPC 419, 420,34 and IT Act for probing the case further,” said Pune Police.

The transactions were made on September 7 and 8 this year.

Further investigations are underway. (ANI)

Mumbai: Warship Taragiri To Be Launched Today

By LokMarg

A Project 17A Frigate, Taragiri, will be launched in Mumbai on September 11, said the officials on Saturday.

The launching event will take place at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai.
Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, FOC-IN-C, Western Naval Command, will be the chief guest at the event.

‘Taragiri’, named after a hill range in the Himalayas located at Garhwal, is the fifth ship of Project 17A Frigates. These ships are the advanced versions of the P17 Frigates (Shivalik Class) with improved stealth features, state-of-the-art weapons and sensors and platform management systems.

“‘Taragiri’ is the reincarnation of erstwhile ‘Taragiri’, the Leander Class ASW Frigate, which saw numerous challenging operations in its illustrious service to the nation spanning over three decades from 16 May 1980 to June 27, 2013,” read a statement by Ministry of Defence.

Under the P17A programme, a total of seven ships, with 04 at MDL and 03 at GRSE are under construction. Four P17A Project ships (two each at MDL and GRSE) have been launched so far between 2019 and 2022.

P17A ships have been designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau which is the pioneer organization for all warship design activities of the Nation.

Toeing the line of the country’s unwavering efforts towards ‘AatmaNirbharata’, 75 per cent of the orders for equipment and system for Project 17A ships are being placed on indigenous firms including MSMEs. (ANI)

Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral To Take Place On Sept 19

By LokMarg

The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will take place at Westminster Abbey on September 19, a statement by the UK Royal Family said.

“The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19th September at 1100 hrs BST. Prior to the State Funeral, The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall for four days, to allow the public to pay their respects,” it read.
Prior to the funeral, The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall for four days, to allow the public to pay their respects.

The Queen’s Coffin currently rests in the Ballroom at Balmoral Castle. Her coffin will travel to Edinburgh on Sunday by road, to arrive at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where it will rest in the Throne Room until the afternoon of Monday.

On the afternoon of Monday, a Procession will be formed on the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse to convey the Coffin to St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh. The King and Members of the Royal Family will take part in the Procession and attend a Service in St Giles’ Cathedral to receive the coffin.

Queen Elizabeth’s coffin will then lie at rest in St Giles’ Cathedral, guarded by Vigils from The Royal Company of Archers, to allow the people of Scotland to pay their respects.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Queen’s Coffin will travel from Scotland by Royal Air Force aircraft from Edinburgh Airport, arriving at RAF Northolt later that evening. The coffin will be accompanied on the journey by the Princess Royal.

The Queen’s coffin will then be conveyed to Buckingham Palace by road, to rest in the Bow Room. On the afternoon of Wednesday, the Coffin will be borne in Procession on a Gun Carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, where The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall until the morning of the State Funeral.

The Procession will travel via Queen’s Gardens, The Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square and New Palace Yard. After the coffin arrives at Westminster Hall, The Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct a short service assisted by The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, and attended by The King and Members of the Royal Family, after which the Lying-in-State will begin.

During the Lying-in-State, members of the public will have the opportunity to visit Westminster Hall to pay their respects to The Queen. On the morning of Monday 19th September, the Lying-in-State will end and the Coffin will be taken in procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey, where the State Funeral Service will take place.

Following the state funeral, the coffin will travel in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. From Wellington Arch, the coffin will travel to Windsor and once there, the State Hearse will travel in procession to St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle via the Long Walk. A Committal Service will then take place in St George’s Chapel. (ANI)

Moose Wala Case: Deepak Mundi With 2 Associates Taken To Mansa

By LokMarg

The main shooter of the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, Deepak Mundi, along with his two associates, was taken to Mansa, Punjab, said officials on Sunday.

The chief accused, Deepak Mundi, along with his two associates Kapil Pandit and Rajinder, was arrested by Nepal Police on Saturday.

The arrests were made near the West Bengal-Nepal border.

“All three will be kept in the CIA police station in Mansa,” said police.

According to Gaurav Yadav, DGP Punjab Police, Deepak who was the shooter in the incident, was provided logistical support by the remaining two persons who were arrested along with him.

“Deepak, Kapil Pandit and Rajinder were arrested today by the Anti-Gangster Task Force team at the WB-Nepal border in the culmination of an intelligence-based operation. Deepak was the shooter in the Bolero module, Kapil Pandit & Rajinder provided logistical support including weapons and hideouts,” the DGP said.

Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead by assailants in Jawaharke village of Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29. The incident took place a day after his security was withdrawn by the Punjab police among 424 others.

Earlier this month, India confirmed that two suspects, one from Kenya and one from Azerbaijan, have been arrested in connection with the murder of Punjabi singer, Sidhu Moose Wala and the country is in close touch with the local authorities.

Police in Mansa district of Punjab have filed a charge sheet against 34 people in the Sidhu Moose Wala murder case, of which eight are yet to be arrested, an official had earlier said.

Punjab police, earlier, claimed in their filed petition that Lawrence Bishnoi is a key conspirator of singer Sidhu Moose Wala. Punjab Police further submitted that during the investigation of the Sidhu Moose Wala murder case, the confessional statements of the arrested accused were recorded wherein it was clearly pointed out that Lawrence Bishnoi had tasked the co-accused to carry out the planned killing of Sidhu Moose Wala.

Last month, Haryana Police arrested four persons associated with thec gang and recovered a large number of arms and ammunition from their possession in the Mahesh Nagar police station area of the district, said Ambala Superintendent of Police.

According to the petition filed by Punjab Police in the city court that Lawrence Bishnoi is a key conspirator of singer Sidhu Moose Wala. While a Punjab government release said that gangster Goldy Brar had claimed responsibility for Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. (ANI)

17Cr Cash, 8 Counting Machines: ED Raid’s Kolkata Businessman

By LokMarg

It took over 16 hours and eight counting machines for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials to count the heap of cash that was recovered from the residence of a businessman in Kolkata on Saturday.

ED officials recovered over Rs 17 crore from the Garden Reach residence of businessman Aamir Khan. The central agency found 10 trunks on the spot. However, the cash was found in 5 trunks at Khan’s residence.

The probing agency started the search on Saturday morning and the counting of cash continued till late at night. The ED search team was accompanied by Bank officials and central forces.

Sources said the stacks of notes were mostly in the denomination of Rs 500. However, currency notes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 200 were also there.

The raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The case was registered on the basis of the First Information Report (FIR) on February 15 last year at Park Street Police Station in Kolkata against Aamir Khan and others based on a complaint filed by Federal Bank authorities, in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta.

Aamir Khan launched a mobile gaming application namely E-Nuggets, which was designed for the purpose of defrauding the public, the ED said.

During the initial period, the agency said, the users were rewarded with the commission and the balance in the wallet could be withdrawn hassle-free.

“This provided initial confidence among users and they started investing bigger amounts for a greater percentage of commission and a greater number of purchase orders,” the probe agency said.

It said after collecting a handsome amount from the public, all of a sudden, the withdrawal from the App, was stopped, at one or the other pretext such as system upgradation, an investigation by law enforcement agencies.

“Thereafter, all data including profile information was wiped off from the App servers and only then the users understood the ploy.”

Earlier on Saturday, the central agency had carried out search operations at six locations in Kolkata with respect to an investigation relating to the mobile gaming application.

During the search operation, the ED said, it was noticed that the entities linked to the case were using dummy accounts. (ANI)

Targeting China, EU Seeks To Ban Products Made With Forced Labour

By LokMarg

In a move to target China, concerned about human rights violations in the province of Xinjiang, the 27-member country European Union (EU) seeks to ban products made with forced labour.

Products made with forced labour or those imported into the EU will be banned under draft EU rules, according to an EU document, reported Business Recorder.
The move was prompted by pressure from EU lawmakers who raised profound concerns over systematic human rights violations and their widespread effect on individuals and minorities in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

“Such prohibition should apply to products for which forced labour has been used at any stage of their production, manufacture, harvest and extraction, including working or processing related to the products,” the document said.

However, the European Commission’s draft rules are less far-reaching than what EU lawmakers have proposed due in part to legal constraints. The EU executive will need to discuss details with them and EU countries before the rules become law, reported Business Recorder.

“The prohibition should apply to all products, including their components, and should apply to products regardless of the sector, the origin, whether they are domestic or imported, or placed or made available on the Union market or exported.”

The paper said that the rules target larger economic operators such as importers, manufacturers, producers and product suppliers because the risks of forced labour are most prevalent and the impact likely to be the largest.

The onus however is on national authorities to prove that forced labour was involved in making and processing the products, reported Business Recorder.

Meanwhile, a UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Modern Slavery’s report has found it “reasonable to conclude” that forced labour has been taking place in China’s Xinjiang province.

The report found that Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Turkic groups have been subjected to repressive and abusive practices as part of Chinese state-mandated forced labour systems.

“New UN Special Rapporteur’s Report on Contemporary Forms of Slavery concludes that forced labour is taking place in Xinjiang,” Adrian Zenz, a China researcher tweeted, along with a copy of the report.

The Special Rapporteur, Tomoya Obokata, further found that “the nature and extent of powers exercised” meant that “some instances may amount to enslavement as a crime against humanity.”

UN human rights experts have raised serious concerns about the alleged detention and forced labour of Muslim Uyghurs in China, calling for unhindered access to the country to conduct fact-finding missions and urging global and domestic companies to closely scrutinize their supply chains.

Uyghur workers have reportedly been subjected to exploitative working and abusive living conditions that may constitute arbitrary detention, human trafficking, forced labour and enslavement by use of forced labour. (ANI)

British Monarch

UP: One-Day Mourning On Sunday In Honour Of Queen Elizabeth II

By LokMarg

Following a letter from the Centre, the UP government has issued directions to all departments to observe one-day state mourning on Sunday as a mark of respect after the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

As per the UP government’s instructions issued in the letter of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government of India the national flag will be flown at half-mast in a state of mourning.
No official work will be done during state mourning.

Queen Elizabeth II had passed away on Thursday.

“As a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, the Government of India has decided that there will be one day of State Mourning on September 11th throughout India,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Queen Elizabeth II breathed her last in Scotland. Condolences poured in from around the world following the demise of the 96-year-old monarch.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered her as a “stalwart of our times”, saying she “provided inspiring leadership to her nation and people” and “personified dignity and decency in public life”.

The Queen was not keeping well of late and was under medical supervision as doctors were “concerned for Her Majesty’s health”.

Buckingham palace announced she died at Balmoral Castle where members of the royal family had rushed to her side after her health took a turn for the worse.

The Queen had been suffering from what Buckingham Palace called “episodic mobility problems” since the end of last year. After her coffin is brought back to London, the Queen will lie in state in Westminster Hall for about four days before her funeral. (ANI)

Amit At IB Meeting

Bharat Jodo Yatra Wearing Foreign T-Shirt: Shah Takes Jibe At Rahul

By LokMarg

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying that the Congress leader is leading a campaign to unite the nation- the Bharat Jodo Yatra “wearing a foreign t-shirt”.

The BJP on Friday attacked the Congress on social media, claiming that Rahul Gandhi, who has been raising the issue of inflation during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, was himself wearing a T-shirt worth Rs 41,257 and that too of a foreign brand when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been leading the mission of ‘make-in India’.
Reminding Gandhi of his speech in the Parliament where he said that “India is not a nation”, Shah said that lakhs of people have sacrificed their lives for this country, and asked the Congress leader to “study India’s history”.

“Rahul Gandhi has set out with Bharat Jodo Yatra wearing foreign t-shirt. I am reminding a speech by Rahul Gandhi and Congressmen in his Parliament. Rahul Baba had said that India is not a nation. Rahul Gandhi, in which book have you read this? This is the nation for which lakhs and lakhs of people have sacrificed their lives. Rahul Gandhi needs to study India’s history,” Shah said while addressing the Booth President Sankalp Mahasammelan in Jodhpur.

The Home Minister further hit out at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot over the “highest prices” of fuel in the state and said that his government did not reduce the taxes on petrol and diesel despite the Centre slashing the tax rates on them.

“The prime Minister reduced the tax on petrol recently, all the BJP-ruled states reduced it too, but Ashok Gehlot did not do it. The most expensive petrol and diesel in the country is sold in Rajasthan today. The most expensive electricity is available in Rajasthan. Who is responsible?” he said.

Shah urged the people to “uproot the Gehlot government” and said that the BJP government will reduce the taxes as well as the price of electricity.

“Congress government cannot do development work. Cannot build roads, cannot provide electricity, cannot provide employment. The Gehlot government can only do the vote-bank and appeasement politics,” he added.

Shah also targeted the law and order situation in the state and recalled the brutal murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal who was hacked to death in Udaipur earlier this year.

“Tailor Kanhaiya Lal was brutally killed, would you bear it? Would you tolerate the Karauli violence? Would you tolerate the demolishing of the 300-year-old temple in Alwar?” he said.

“The Congress had done the pre-planned riots of, Jodhpur, Chittoor, Nohar, Malpura and Jaipur. I want to tell Ashok Gehlot that if you can’t handle, then step down, people of Rajasthan are ready to bring the BJP. The cases against women have increased by 56 per cent. A woman teacher was set ablaze alive in Jaipur. Gau Mata is also not safe here. PM Modi approved 23 medical colleges in Rajasthan,” the Home Minister added launching a scathing attack on Gehlot.

Shah urged the people to vote the BJP to power in the 2023 Assembly elections which would pave the way to the party’s victory on all the seats in the state in the 2024 general elections in the state.

“We have to win all the seats in Rajasthan in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 2023 elections come before the 2024 polls. If the government is not formed in 2023, then winning all the seats won’t happen. If you have to make us win all the seats in 2024, then you have to form the BJP government in 2023 with two-thirds majority,” said Shah.

Earlier today, Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for border tourism development work at Tanot temple complex adjacent to India-Pakistan international border, which lies around 120 km from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.

The Home Minister laid the foundation stone of the project as part of his two-day visit to Rajasthan. He reached Jaisalmer on Friday evening. (ANI)