December 2022 - Page 10 of 51 - Lokmarg

K’taka: Masks Compulsory In Restaurants, Pubs, Theatre, Schools

By LokMarg 26th December 2022

In the wake of a surge in Covid cases in several countries, wearing masks has been made compulsory inside restaurants, pubs, theatre halls, schools, and colleges in Karnataka.

Health Minister of Karnataka K. Sudhakar said to ANI, “There’s no need to panic. But we have to take precautions from now on.”
Ahead of New Year celebrations, there will be a huge crowd in pubs and restaurants. Therefore the Covid protocols have to be followed strictly, said the minister.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a virtual meeting with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) at 4 pm today on Covid-19 preparedness, situation, and awareness, IMA informed ANI.

Recently, IMA also issued an advisory and appealed to the public to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour with immediate effect.

“As per the available reports, nearly 5.37 lakh new cases have been reported in last 24 hours from major countries like USA, Japan, South Korea, France, and Brazil,” read the statement of IMA. (ANI)

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Two Covid Positive Detected At Kolkata Airport

By LokMarg 26th December 2022

Two persons returning from abroad have tested positive for the Coronavirus infection at the Kolkata Aiport, airport sources said on Monday.

Both samples have been sent for genome sequencing.
According to sources, one of the positive passengers came from Dubai on Saturday while another came from Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur.

Patients are kept in quarantine in Beliaghata ID Hospital.

Following the advisory ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’, issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has commenced random post-arrival testing for International arrivals at Delhi Airport, said Dr. Gauri Agarwal, Founder of Genestrings Diagnostic Center on Sunday.

According to the new instructions by the government, 2 percent of all passengers arriving at international airports have to undertake random post-arrival testing at the Delhi Airport from December 24. This is being done to reduce the risk of ingress of the new COVID-19 variant BF.7 in India.

Earlier in the day, four international travellers from Myanmar tested positive for the Coronavirus infection at the Delhi airport.

It is pertinent to mention that Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a virtual meeting with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) at 4 pm today for the Covid-19 preparedness, situation.

Recently, the IMA also issued an advisory and appealed to the public to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour with immediate effect.

“In view of the sudden surge of COVID cases in different countries, the Indian Medical Association alerts and appeals to the public to follow COVID appropriate behaviour with immediate effect.”

“As per available reports, nearly 5.37 lakhs new cases have been reported in last 24 hours from major countries like USA, Japan, South as per the available reports, nearly 5.37 lakhs new cases have been reported in last 24 hours from major countries like USA, Japan, South Korea, France, and Brazil,” read the statement of IMA.

The entire country is gearing up for a possible fourth wave of Covid-19, with the new Omicron sub-variant BF.7, which is said to be the reason behind the surge in Covid cases in China, being detected in India. (ANI)

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Mother Dairy Hike In Milk Price By Rs 2

By LokMarg 26th December 2022

Mother Dairy will raise the price of its full cream milk offerings from Rs 64 per litre to Rs 66 per litre in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

The revised price point, announced on Monday, will come into effect from Tuesday.
However, there would be no revision in the retail price of cow milk and token milk variants.

This is the fifth upward revision in milk prices, an essential food item, in 2022. The earlier revisions were done in March, August, October, and November.

“It is an unprecedented year for the dairy industry. We have been witnessing a significant increase in demand for milk and milk products from both consumers and institutions, even after festivals. On the other hand, procurement of raw milk has also not picked up after Diwali as was anticipated. The procurement prices of raw milk have gone up by about 24 per cent over last year due to higher input costs, heatwave conditions, etc,” read a statement from a Mother Dairy spokesperson.

“This stress on raw milk prices is being felt across the industry, putting pressure on consumer prices. In our commitment to continue paying remunerative prices to farmers to ease the impact, we are severely constrained to revise consumer prices of select variants of milk in Delhi NCR, effective from December 27, 2022. As a responsible organisation, we have always endeavoured to strike the right balance between farmers and consumers. Therefore, we have been passing the increased input cost to our consumers partially on select variants/SKUs and in a phased manner,” the spokesperson said. (ANI)

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Modi Attends ‘Shabad Kirtan’ Organsied To Mark ‘Veer Bal Diwas’

By LokMarg 26th December 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took part in a programme organised to mark the ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in the national capital.

The programme has been organised in remembrance of the last Sikh Guru- Guru Gobind Singh, his four sons (Sahibzade), and Mata Gujri Ji.
PM Modi attended the ‘Shabad Kirtan’ being performed by around 300 Baal Kirtanis.

Later, PM Modi will also flag off a march-past by around 3,000 children in Delhi, an official statement by the Prime Minister’s Office read.

PM Modi on the day of the Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, on January 9, 2022, declared that December 26 will be marked as ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ to pay homage to the courage of the ‘Sahibzades’, the four sons of the last Sikh guru- Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

While all four sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji were martyred, the date is observed as the martyrdom day of the Sahibzadas- Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh who is said to have been martyred at the tender ages of six and nine in Sirhind (Punjab) by Mughal forces on the orders of the then ruler Aurangzeb.

The place where the sons of the last Sikh Guru were buried alive is the present day’s, Fatehgarh Sahib.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi took to Twitter and said, “On Veer Baal Diwas, we recall the courage of the Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji. We also remember the courage of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. At 12:30 PM today will be joining a programme to mark this inspiring day.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that he has been privileged to attend a function devoted to Sahibzadas in the national capital on the occasion of Veer Baal Diwas.

“Tomorrow, on December 26, is the Veer Baal Diwas and I will have the privilege to attend a function in New Delhi devoted to the Sahibzadas,” PM Modi said during his last Mann Ki Baat of the year 2022, which is the 96th edition of the Prime Minister’s radio show telecast. (ANI)

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Fog Engulfs North India, Visibility Dips To Zero

By LokMarg 26th December 2022

As biting cold conditions engulfed the entire North India, fog and poor visibility remained a severe cause of concern on Monday.

According to the India Meteorological Department, visibility across most of the northern states remained poor with Bhatinda in Punjab and Bikaner in Rajasthan recording “zero visibility”.
The visibility in the national capital here at just 50 meters.

Not only in Bhatinda, but visibility also remained low throughout Punjab, with Amritsar recording visibility of 25 metres and Ambala 50.

Haryana too recorded low visibility. While places like Ambala and Hissar recorded a low of 25m and 50m respectively, visibility in Chandigarh was 200 metres.

According to IMD data, places like Sri Ganganagar and Churu in Rajasthan also recorded low visibility of 25 and 50 meters, respectively.

Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal also recorded very low visibility on the day with the number dipping to 50 metres in Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, while North Bengal recorded visibility of 200 meters. (ANI)

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Death Toll Rises To 26 As Winter Storm Sweeps US

By LokMarg 26th December 2022

The death toll of people killed has risen to 26 as frosty winters continue to sweep large parts of the US, The Hill reported on Sunday.

As a consequence of the Arctic blast and the winter storm, numerous people have died as a consequence of weather-related road accidents or the cold.
Buffalo, N.Y. has been the hardest impacted city in the country, with at least seven people confirmed deceased as a result of the storm. As of 7 a.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service reported 43 inches of snow at Buffalo’s airport, The Hill reported.

The storm has sent temperatures well below freezing across the US and has destroyed Christmas eve for many. As it pounded regions, the storm delivered hurricane-force winds and whiteout conditions.

All kinds of transportation – planes, trains, and vehicles – were disrupted due to the storm this holiday weekend, closing hundreds of miles of road and air travel cancellations.

Total flight delays within, into, or out of the US amounted to about 4,000 as of Saturday morning, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, which showed that total US flight cancellations stood at around 2,000, as per CNN.

Plummeting temperatures were predicted to bring the coldest Christmas Eve on record to several cities from Pennsylvania to Georgia.

In New York, flooding along the Long Island Rail Road forced part of the Long Beach branch to temporarily shut down. (ANI)

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Shift Kashmiri Pandits To Safer Jammu Till Situation Improves: Ghulam Nabi Azad

By LokMarg 26th December 2022

Democratic Azad Party Chief and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the Kashmiri Pandit employees of the Jammu and Kashmir government should be temporarily shifted to Jammu till the situation improves in Kashmir.

Questioning the safety of the Kashmiri Pandits, he said that life is more important than employment and that the government should transfer Kashmiri Pandits to Jammu.
“The Government should transfer Kashmiri Pandit employees to Jammu and transfer them back only when the situation improves,” said Azad.

“If our government comes to power, we will transfer the Kashmiri Pandits to Jammu until the situation improves,” he said.

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha had last week said that Kashmiri Pandits serving in the Valley will not be paid their salaries if they do not attend their duties.

Migrant Kashmiri Pandits have been protesting against the decision of the government claiming that they are being threatened by the terrorists and can’t go back to work.

“We are receiving death threats repeatedly, the latest being on Wednesday night. We were told that a policeman would be posted outside the place of our posting. But we do not trust the security policy of the administration,” said a Kashmiri Pandit.

“The main reason behind the protests is an insecure environment prevailing in Kashmir. We have been protesting since the day targeted killings started against the minority community in the Valley. We appeal to the government to post us at safe and secure places,” said Rohit, a Kashmiri Pandit who is participating in the protests.

Kashmir has been witnessing a series of targeted killings since October last year.

Targeted killings in Kashmir Valley were part of a larger conspiracy by terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen and other proscribed terrorist outfits to disturb the peace and democratic process established by the Panchayati Raj System in Kashmir Valley and also to create terror among the politically elected representatives, an NIA charge sheet said earlier.

The revelation came when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in September filed the charge sheet against six accused in the targeted killing of a Sarpanch of Adoora village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam.

The counter-terror agency filed the chargesheet in a special NIA court in Jammu in the case of the targeted killing of Sarpanch Shabir Ahmad Mir by the terrorists of the proscribed terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.

The case was initially registered on March 11 at Kulgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir and re-registered by the NIA on April 8.

Investigations have revealed that the handlers of the proscribed terrorist organization Hizbul Mujahideen operating from Pakistan, hatched a criminal conspiracy in collusion with terrorist associates and Over Ground Workers and terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen active in Kashmir Valley to carry out the targeted killing of Sarpanch Shabir Ahmad Mir, said the NIA. (ANI)

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Videocon Chairman Venugopal Arrested In ICICI Bank Money Laundering Case

By LokMarg 26th December 2022

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested Videocon chairman Venugopal Dhoot, co-accused in the ICICI bank money laundering case.

Dhoot has been arrested in Mumbai. He was also questioned by the CBI, a few days back.
On December 23, CBI arrested Chanda Kochhar and Deepak Kochhar. The couple is scheduled to remain in CBI custody till today (December 26).

CBI has alleged that Deepak Kochhar, husband of former ICICI Bank CEO-MD Chanda Kochhar, was helped by a co-accused to get the ownership of Nupower Renewables Ltd (NRL) and receive ill-gotten money.

CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against Deepak Kochhar and Dhoot in March 2018 to probe alleged irregularities in the Rs 40,000 crore loan made by a consortium of lenders to the Videocon Group.

The agency had registered a case against Chanda, her husband, and Venugopal Dhoot, along with their companies viz NuPower Renewables, Supreme Energy, Videocon International Electronics Ltd, and Videocon Industries Limited.

During its preliminary enquiry, the CBI found six loans worth Rs 1,875 crore were sanctioned to the Videocon Group and companies associated with it between June 2009 and October 2011 in an alleged violation of laid-down policies of ICICI Bank, which are part of the probe.

The agency has said that the loans were declared non-performing assets in 2012, causing a loss of Rs 1,730 crore to the bank.

The agency on Friday arrested former Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the ICICI bank Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar in connection with the alleged ICICI Bank-Videocon money laundering case. (ANI)

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Shraddha Case Forced Break Up With Tunisha: Sheezan

By LokMarg 26th December 2022

In a major reveal by the main accused in TV actor Tunisha Sharma’s death case, her former boyfriend Sheezan Khan reportedly told police that he was “so disturbed by the atmosphere in the country that emerged after the gruesome murder of Shraddha Walkar” allegedly by her live-in partner, that Khan decided to end their relationship, sources said on Monday.

During his first day in police custody, Sheezan told Waliv police that he ended the relationship with Tunisha after seeing repercussions emerging from the Shraddha Walkar case and told his former paramour that belonging to a different community stands in their way as did their age gap.
During interrogation, Sheezan further revealed that Tunisha had earlier also attempted suicide after they broke up. “Tunisha had recently tried to commit suicide a few days before her death, but at that time I saved her and told Tunisha’s mother to take special care of her,” police sources quoted Sheehan as saying.

Tunisha and Sheezan broke up a fortnight before she was found dead inside a toilet in a TV shoot set on December 24.

On Sunday, a court in Vasai, Maharashtra, sent actor Sheezan Khan to police custody for four days in connection with Tunisha Sharma’s alleged suicide case.

Waliv police produced Khan in the court after his arrest in the case for abetment to suicide. The case was registered against him under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code.

Tunisha was found dead on the sets of a TV serial on December 24, according to Waliv Police. They received information that after a tea break, the actress went to the toilet and when she did not come back, the police broke the door open and found her hanging.

No suicide note was recovered at the spot by police.

The police have said the reason behind Tunisha’s alleged extreme step that ended her life could be her breakup with Sheezan over a fortnight back.

The First Information Report, or FIR, of the case, revealed that the two actors were in a relationship, and had broken up 15 days ago. Tunisha Sharma was reportedly under stress, and it is suspected that’s what drove her to the edge, said the Mumbai police.

The police have sent the mobile phones of both Tunisha and Sheezan to the forensic lab so that the calls and chats between the two can be retrieved to understand what happened between the duo and what drove Tunisha to death after 15 days of breakup,” police sources said.

According to the initial probe, Tunisha had left her house happily on Saturday morning to go to the serial set.

After the first shift shoot was over, Sheejan Khan and Tunisha were in the make-up room, and both of them went to lunch, as usual, the police said.

However, Tunisha did not have lunch on the day of her demise and after Sheejan finished lunch, both of them started their work, Sheezan went to shoot on the set and Tunisha went to the makeup room.

When Tunisha Sharma did not come back after her tea break, then people started looking for her.

The police are now probing the reason behind her alleged suicide.

Notably, police have recorded statements from Tunisha’s mother Vanita Sharma and her maternal uncle.

“Family members are in shock after this incident. Tunisha used to live with her mother in the Indraprastha building on Meera Road. She used to bear all the expenses of the family, but now she is no more. Whoever is the accused should be punished,” Tunisha’s uncle said. (ANI)

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China, Pak Are One Now, If There’s War It Will Be Against Both: Rahul

By LokMarg 25th December 2022

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that China and Pakistan are preparing together and if there is a war, then it will be against both countries.

In a YouTube video on Rahul Gandhi’s channel, while interacting with Armed Forces veterans during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress MP said, “China and Pakistan have come together, if there will be any war then it will happen with both, so there will be a major loss for the country. India is now extremely vulnerable. I don’t just have respect for you (Army) but also love and affection for you. You defend this nation. This nation would not exist without you.”

The Congress leader explained, “Earlier we had two enemies China and Pakistan and our policy was to keep them separate. First, it was said that two front war should not happen then people say there is two and a half-front war going on, that is, Pakistan, China, and terrorism. Today there is one front that is China and Pakistan which are together. If the war happens it will happen with both. They are working together not only militarily but also economically.”

Criticizing the Central government over its policies, Rahul Gandhi said, “Our economic system has slowed down after 2014. In our country, there is disturbance, fighting, confusion, and hatred. Our mindset is still that of two and a half-front war. Our mindset is not of joint operability and of cyber warfare. India is now extremely vulnerable. China and Pakistan are both preparing a surprise for us, which is why I keep repeating that the government cannot keep quiet. What happened at the border the government should tell people of the country. What action do we have to take we have to start today? Actually, we had to act five years ago but we did not do it. If we don’t act fast, then there will be a big loss. I am extremely concerned with what is happening at the border in Arunachal and Ladakh,” he added.

On December 13, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed the Rajya Sabha that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops tried to transgress the Line of Actual Control in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo but they went back to their locations due to timely intervention of Indian military commanders.

Giving a statement in the Rajya Sabha, the Defence Minister assured the Upper House that “our forces are committed to protecting our territorial integrity and will continue to thwart any attempt made on it”.

Singh also displayed confidence that “this entire House will stand united in supporting our soldiers in the brave effort.”

Explaining the incident, the Minister said: “I would like to brief this august House about an incident on our border in the Tawang Sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9, 2022.”

“On December 9, 2022, PLA troops tried to transgress the LAC in the Yangtse area of Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo. The Chinese attempt was contested by our troops in a firm and resolute manner. The ensuing face-off led to a physical scuffle in which the Indian Army bravely prevented the PLA from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts,” said Singh.

He further said “the scuffle led to injuries to a few personnel on both sides”, and clarified that “there are no fatalities or serious casualties on our side”.

“Due to the timely intervention of Indian military commanders, PLA soldiers went back to their locations,” Singh said.

As a follow-up of the incident, the Minister further said, the local commander in the area held a “flag meeting with his counterpart on December 11, 2022, to discuss the issue in accordance with established mechanisms”.

“The Chinese side was asked to refrain from such actions and maintain peace and tranquillity along the border. The issue has also been taken up with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels,” Singh said.

The Minister also assured the House that “our forces are committed to protecting our territorial integrity and will continue to thwart any attempt made on it”.

“I am confident that this entire House will stand united in supporting our soldiers in their brave effort,” the Minister added.

The clash near Yangtse along the LAC in the sensitive sector took place last Friday amid the over 30-month border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh. (ANI)

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