December 2022 - Page 4 of 51 - Lokmarg

M’rashtra: MVA Moves No Confidence Motion Against Speaker Narvekar

By LokMarg 29th December 2022

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the erstwhile ruling alliance in Maharashtra between the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), on Thursday, moved a ‘No Confidence Motion’ against Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar.

The MLAs tabled the motion alleging that the Opposition members were not allowed to speak in the House by the Speaker.
The MVA members claimed that the motion was signed by 39 MLAs.

In this regard, a letter was also handed over to Legislative Secretary Rajendra Bhagwat by MLAs Sunil Kedar, Sunil Prabhu, Suresh Varpudkar, and Anil Patil. (ANI)

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EC Develops Prototype To Enable Domestic Migrants Vote Remotely

By LokMarg 29th December 2022

To encourage domestic migrants to exercise their franchise, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday informed about a prototype Multi-Constituency Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM), which would enable migrant voters to vote from remote polling stations.

“Migration-based disenfranchisement is indeed not an option in the age of technological advancement. The voter turnout in General Elections 2019 was 67.4 % and the Election Commission of India is concerned about the issue of over 30 Crore electors not exercising their franchise and also differential voter turnout in various States/UTs,” the ECI said in a statement.
It said the inability to vote due to internal migration (domestic migrants) is one of the prominent reasons behind low voter turnout.

With the objective of finding a technological solution that is credible, accessible, and acceptable to all stakeholders, the Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with election commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, explored the option of using a modified version of the time-tested model of M3 EVMs to enable voting at remote polling stations i.e. polling stations outside the home constituency, for domestic migrants, the statement further read.

The migrant voter wouldn’t be required to travel to his/her home district to exercise his/her franchise.

The Commission has also circulated a concept note amongst the political parties highlighting the challenges of defining domestic migrants, implementation of Model Code of Conduct, ensuring secrecy of voting, facility of polling agents for identification of voters, process and method of remote voting, and counting of votes, among other issues.

A Multi Constituency Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM) is being piloted by the Commission for facilitating the participation of domestic migrants from their remote locations itself.

The modified form of EVM can handle up to 72 multiple constituencies from a single remote polling booth. The initiative, if implemented, can lead to a social transformation for the migrants and connect with their roots, as many times they are reluctant to get themselves enrolled at their place of work for various reasons such as frequently changing residences, not enough social and emotional connect with the issues of an area of migration, unwillingness to get their name deleted in the electoral roll of their home/native constituencies as they have permanent residence/property, the ECI further informed.

The Commission has also invited all recognized eight national and 57 regional political parties on January 16, 2023, to demonstrate the functioning of the multi-constituency prototype Remote EVM. Members of the EC’s Technical Expert Committee will also be present during the demonstration.

The Commission has also solicited written views of recognized political parties by January 31, 2023, on various related issues including changes required in legislation, changes in administrative procedures, and voting method/RVM/technology, if any other, for the domestic migrants, the release further stated. (ANI)

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Extended-Range Of BrahMos Successfully Tested

By LokMarg 29th December 2022

The Indian Air Force on Thursday successfully test-fired the extended-range version of the BrahMos air-launched missile, which can hit targets at a range of about 400 kms, said defence officials.

“After being launched from a Su-30 fighter aircraft, the missile hit the target ship in the centre. It was a test of the anti-ship version of the air-launched version of the missile,” said Defence officials.
The missile achieved the desired mission objectives in the Bay of Bengal region. With this, IAF has achieved a significant capability boost to carry out precision strikes from SU-30MKI aircraft against land/sea targets over very long ranges.

“The extended range capability of the missile coupled with the high performance of the SU-30MKI aircraft gives the IAF a strategic reach and allows it to dominate future battlefields. The dedicated and synergetic efforts of the IAF, Indian Navy, DRDO, BAPL and HAL have been instrumental in achieving this feat,” read an official statement from the Ministry of Defence.

Earlier in May, India successfully test-fired the extended-range version of BrahMos air-launched missile from Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the launch from the aircraft was as planned and the missile achieved a direct hit on the designated target in the Bay of Bengal region.

It was the first launch of the extended-range version of the BrahMos missile from the Su-30MKI aircraft.

The Ministry said the dedicated and synergetic efforts of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Indian Navy, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Bengal Aerotropolis Projects (BAPL) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have proven the capability of the nation to achieve this feat. (ANI)

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Chinese Threat To Dalai Lama Averted

By LokMarg 29th December 2022

The Bihar police have detained a suspected Chinese woman in Bodh Gaya in connection with an alleged threat to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and are interrogating her, JS Gangwar, ADG (headquarters) confirmed to ANI.

The ADG (headquarters) said that she had been detained in connection with the alleged threat to Dalai Lama.
“Police detained the suspected (Chinese) woman in Bodh Gaya in connection with an alleged threat to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama. She is being interrogated,” he said.

Earlier in the morning, a security alert was sounded in Bodh Gaya district where the Dalai Lama is scheduled to participate in public discourses after intelligence agencies alerted local police about a Chinese woman’s presence and suspected activities.

The security agencies released the sketch of the suspected woman and started searching for the Chinese woman in Gaya, suspected of spying on the Dalai Lama.

Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Harpreet Kaur said, “Local police have received inputs about a Chinese woman who has been living in Gaya. We were getting inputs on her for the last two years. In view of this, an alert has been given and searches are underway.”

“There is no information at present about the location of the Chinese woman. We cannot rule out suspicion of her being a Chinese spy,” SSP Kaur said.

According to inputs, the suspected Chinese spy had been living in different parts of the country including Bodh Gaya for more than one year. However, there is no record in the foreign section about the stay of the Chinese woman.

The Dalai Lama has this year resumed his annual tour to Bodh Gaya, which had been suspended for the last two years due to the Covid pandemic. (ANI)

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Ambani’s Son Anant, Radhika Merchant ‘Rokafied’!

By LokMarg 29th December 2022

It’s official! Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s youngest son Anant Ambani pre-wedding festivities with Radhika Merchant have begun.

The couple had a traditional Roka ceremony on Thursday at the Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan.
The good news was confirmed by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Group President Parimal Nathwani.

Taking to Twitter, Parimal Nathwani wrote, “Heartiest congratulations to dearest Anant and Radhika for their Roka ceremony at the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara. May Lord Shrinath ji’s blessings be with you always.#AnantAmbani.”

Several images from the ceremony have circulated online. In one of the pictures, Anant and Radhika are seen looking into each other’s eyes.

Rajasthan | Anant Ambani visited Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara, Rajasmand district. pic.twitter.com/ZWKGYn1ON0
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) December 29, 2022

For the special occasion, Anant opted for a blue kurta that he paired with embroidered jacket, while Radhika chose to wear a beautiful saree.

Radhika is the daughter of Viren Merchant, the CEO of Encore Healthcare. She hails from Kutch, Gujarat. She has trained in Bharatnatyam for eight years and is the disciple of Guru Bhavana Thakar of Shree Nibha Arts. In June 2022, Radhika made headlines after the Ambani family hosted a grand Arangetram ceremony at Jio World Centre. ‘Arangetram’ is a Tamil word that means ascending the stage by a dancer on the completion of formal training. It is the debut on-stage performance of a student of Indian classical dance and music following years of training. (ANI)

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‘Cannot Blame Him For Tunisha’s Death’ Says Uorfi

By LokMarg 29th December 2022

Bigg Boss OTT fame actor Uorfi Javed, on Thursday came out in support of Sheezan Khan who is the accused in the death case of Tunisha Sharma.

Taking to Instagram, Uorfi shared a note on her stories and wrote, “My 2 cents on Tunisha’s case yes he might be wrong, he might have cheated on her but we cannot blame him for her death. You absolutely cannot make someone stay with you who doesn’t want to stay. Girls no one I REPEAT NO ONE, is worth giving up your precious life for. Sometimes it might just seem like the end of the world but trust me it’s not. Think about the people who love you or just try loving yourself a bit harder. Be your own hero. Please give time some time. Even after the suicide the suffering doesn’t end, the ones that are left behind suffer even more.”

Tunisha was found dead on the sets of her ongoing TV show ‘Alibaba – Dastaan-e-Kabul’ on December 24. A day later, her ex-boyfriend and co-star from the show, Sheehan Khan was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide.

On Tuesday, Waliv Police said that Khan repeatedly keeps changing his statements and has not yet given any clear reason why he broke up with his ‘Ali Baba Dastaan-E-Kabul’ co-star.

The deceased actor’s mother has claimed that Sheezan was cheating on Tunisha. On the basis of the statement of Tunisha’s mother, an FIR was registered and the actor was arrested.

According to the police, Sheezan broke down during interrogation in front of a woman officer.

“When the woman police officer of Waliv police station reached to interrogate the accused, he started crying. For two consecutive days, he kept on narrating different theories for breaking up with Tunisha but when a woman officer questioned him, he started crying,” an official said.

According to the officer, the actor did not open up and it was difficult to guess his emotions by looking at his body language till yesterday, but last night he started crying during interrogation.

No suicide note was recovered at the spot by police.

On Tuesday, fans, family, and members of the television and film industry bid a teary farewell to 20-year-old Tunisha at the Mira Road crematorium ground in Mumbai. Celebrities including Vishal Jethwa, Ashnoor Kaur, Avneet Kaur, and Shivin Narang among others attended Tunisha’s funeral. (ANI)

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US Approves USD 180 MN Anti-Tank Weapon Sale To Taiwan

By LokMarg 29th December 2022

The US State Department has approved a USD 180 million anti-tank weapon sale to Taiwan, an island that China regards as its own territory.

“State Department authorizes a proposed Foreign Military Sales #FMS case for @TECRO_US #Taiwan to purchase Volcano Anti-Tank systems valued at up to USD 180 million,” State Department’s Political-Military Affairs said in a tweet.
The State Department has made a determination to approve a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US of Volcano anti-tank munition-laying systems and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD 180 million.

This military support comes two days after President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday announced that compulsory military service on the island will be extended from four months to one year, effective January 1, 2024, to strengthen Taiwan’s combat readiness against potential Chinese attacks.

The announcement was made after a round of meetings in the Presidential Office held to discuss Taiwan’s economic and national security, following months-long talks in the wake of the Ukraine conflict, Taiwan Focus reported.

In a statement, the US Defence and Cooperation Agency today said this proposed sale serves US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.

“The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region,” it added.

The US government said the proposed sale will improve Taiwan’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible force capable of deterring adversaries and participating in regional operations.

“The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” the statement added. (ANI)

Delhi L-G Approves Engagement Of 64 Law Researchers In Commercial Courts

By LokMarg 29th December 2022

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Thursday approved the recommendation of the Delhi High Court Committee on ‘Ease of Doing Business’ that proposes the engagement of 64 law researchers in commercial courts on a contract basis.

“The 64 commercial courts (at District Judge Level), in Delhi will soon have 64 law researchers attached to them,” an official statement said.
VK Saxena has approved the recommendation of the Ease of Doing Business Committee of the Delhi High Court, further approved by the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court to this effect.

The proposal for the engagement of 64 Law Researchers in Commercial Courts on a contract basis was submitted by the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) in pursuance of the recommendations of the above-mentioned committee of the High Court following the approval of the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court.

There are 22 Commercial Courts operational in the City as of now and 42 more are in the process of getting operationalized. While these 22 Commercial Courts, which are headed by a District Judge (Commercial), first came into existence in 2019-2020 and the process of operationalizing the remaining 42, started in 2021-2022.

Notably, the need for staffing these Commercial Courts with adequately qualified and experienced researchers, apart from the traditional ancillary staff, was highlighted even by the Niti Aayog and is in line with the overall thrust of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enhance ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in the Country. (ANI)

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Indian Pharma Reliable Supplier: MEA On Death of 18 Uzbek Kids

By LokMarg 29th December 2022

Indian pharmaceutical industry has been a reliable supplier to countries across the world, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday in the wake of reports of deaths in Uzbekistan allegedly due to contaminated cough syrup Dok1 Max made by Indian company Marion Biotech based in Noida.

“Indian pharmaceutical industry has been a reliable supplier to countries across the world. It continues to be in various forms of medicine and other forms of pharmaceutical products,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing in response to a question of whether such cases are denting India’s image as the pharmacy of the world.
“We take these incidents very seriously when they come up. Let’s not jump the process,” he added.

Bagchi said MEA is extending consular assistance to individuals facing legal action from the Uzbek government following the death of 18 children after allegedly consuming the cough syrup manufactured by a Noida-based company.

“We understand that legal action has been initiated by the Uzbek authorities against some people including the local representatives of the company there. In that context, we are extending consular assistance to those individual or individuals,” the MEA spokesperson said.

Bagchi said that MEA has seen media reports in this regard of the unfortunate deaths of 18 children. Citing the Uzbek authorities, he said the deaths appeared to have occurred over a period of two months.

“We also understand that Uzbek authorities are investigating this case, including whether there is a possible link with the cough syrup manufactured in India. We saw a press release issued by the Ministry of Health,” the MEA spokesperson added.

“The Uzbek authorities have not formally taken up the matter with us. Nevertheless, our embassy has taken up the case with the Uzbek side and is seeking further details of their own investigation,” he added.

This comes as India is in contact with the national drug regulator of Uzbekistan regarding reports of India-made cough syrups allegedly linked to the deaths of 18 children in Uzbekistan.

“Under directions of the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has been in regular contact with the national drug regulator of Uzbekistan regarding the matter since December 27, 2022,” the statement read.

Immediately upon receipt of the information, a joint inspection of the NOIDA facility of the manufacturer, Marion Biotech, was carried out by UP Drug Control and CDSCO team and further action as appropriate would be initiated based on the inspection report.

According to the health ministry, Marion Biotech is a licensed manufacturer and holds the license for manufacturing Dok1 Max syrup and tablets for export purposes granted by Drugs Controller, UP.

The samples of the cough syrup have been taken from the manufacturing premises and sent to the Regional Drugs Testing Laboratory (RDTL), Chandigarh for testing. (ANI)

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Badri-Kedar Temple Body Offers Prayers For Heeraben’s Speedy Recovery

By LokMarg 29th December 2022

Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee on Thursday offered prayers for the speedy recovery of Heeraben, mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the holy shrine in Uttarakhand, on Thursday.

Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee President Ajendra Ajay said that prayers were offered after Abhishek Puja at Shri Omkareshwar Temple Ukhimath, Winter Abode of Lord Kedarnath.

The priests of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee also performed prayers for the good health of Heeraben Modi (99) at Shri Narasimha Temple Joshimath and Yog Badri Pandukeshwar.

“Apart from this, prayers were also offered in temples subordinate to the temple committee including Vishwanath Temple Guptkashi, famous Shaktipeeth Kalimath, Shri Triyuginarayan Temple, Shri Markateshwar Temple Makkumath,” Ajendra Ajay said.

Prime Minister Modi’s mother Heeraben Modi was on Wednesday admitted to hospital and her condition is reported to be stable.

PM Modi visited his mother at the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre.

Several leaders, ministers and world leaders wished a speedy recovery to PM Modi’s mother after she was admitted to a hospital.

Taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said, “The love between a mother and a son is eternal and priceless. Modi ji, my love, and support are with you in this difficult time. I hope your mother gets well soon.”

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also wished for PM Modi’s mother’s speedy recovery and said, “We all are with him (PM Modi) in this hour.”

Sri Lanka’s former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today wished speedy recovery to Heeraben.

“I wish my good friend PM @narendramodi’s mother Smt Heeraben Modi ji a speedy recovery from her recent ailment. Our prayers are with her for healing and good health,” Mahinda Rajapaksa said in a tweet.

Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon extended his ‘good wishes’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother Heeraben Modi after she was admitted to a hospital in Ahmedabad.

“Praying for the good health & speedy recovery of PM @narendramodi’s mother Smt #HeerabenModi ji,” Naor Gilon said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Later on, the hospital said that Heeraben Modi’s health condition is recovering.

The Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in a statement said that Heeraben, who was admitted on Wednesday at the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre in Ahmedabad, will be discharged soon.

“Heeraba’s health is very good. Her health is recovering rapidly. She is likely to be discharged in a day or so,” the CMO said in a statement on Thursday. (ANI)