Month: January 2023

Rahul Writes To Speaker, Seeking Permission To Respond To Allegations

No BJP Leader Can Walk In J-K: Rahul In Srinagar

By LokMarg

A day after daring Union Home Minister Amit Shah to walk from Jammu to Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday claimed that no BJP leader can take a walk on the streets of Kashmir not because the people would not allow them to do so, but because they are scared.

Rahul Gandhi had on Sunday dared Amit Shah and other BJP leaders to take a walk from Jammu to Lal Chowk if the situation is so good in the Union Territory.
“Target killing and bomb blasts are happening in Jammu and Kashmir and if the security situation has improved then the conversation the security personnel is having with me should not have been required. If the situation is so good why don’t the BJP people walk from Jammu to Lal Chowk? Why doesn’t Amit Shah walk from Jammu to Kashmir if the situation is so secure? I don’t think that argument holds,” Congress MP had said.

Reiterating his remark during the closing ceremony of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar where the party hoisted the Tricolour at its office, Rahul Gandhi alleged that leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah cannot understand pain.

“PM Modi, Amit Shah, and RSS have not seen violence. We walked here for four days. I can guarantee you that no BJP leader can walk like this here, not because the people of J-K will not let them walk, but because they are scared,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“Those who do violence like PM Modi, Amit Shah, Ajit Doval, and RSS, cannot understand pain, but we can. We should stand against the ideology which tries to demolish the base of India,” he said.

He also claimed that the security personnel suggested he to go to Kashmir in a vehicle and not on foot during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and said that Mahatma Gandhi taught him to live fearlessly and hence walked on foot.

“Security people had told me to go to Kashmir in a vehicle and not on foot. 3-4 days back, the administration told me that if I go on foot, a grenade would be hurled at me. I thought to give an opportunity to those who hate me, to change the color of my white t-shirt to red,” Gandhi said.

“My family taught me, and Gandhi ji taught me to live fearlessly, otherwise, that is not living. But it happened just as I expected, the people of J&K didn’t give me a grenade but only love,” he said.

Congress had earlier claimed a security lapse in the Bharat Jodo Yatra which had entered Kashmir last week.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that the police personnel who were supposed to manage the crowd during the Yatra were nowhere to be seen. (ANI)

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Arunachal in China Map

Some Matters Concern Security: Centre Over Chinese Intrusion

By LokMarg

The government on Monday said that matters regarding Chinese intrusion can’t be discussed in Parliament as it concerns the security of the country.

According to the sources, in the all-party meeting held on Monday, the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party raised the issue of the Chinese intrusion and asked for a discussion in the Parliament.

“To this, the Government responded by saying that some matters can’t be discussed on the floor of the house as it concerns security,” the source said.

However, while talking to reporters, the Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Prahlad Joshi said that the government is ready to discuss all the issues.

“37 leaders from 27 parties participated in the all-party meeting today. Today’s meeting went well. I seek the cooperation of the opposition to run the House well. We are ready to discuss all issues,” he added.

Sasmit Patra, BJD MP after the meeting, said, “Women’s Reservation Bill is going to be a priority for BJD in this session. We’ve been pushing for the passage of the Bill. We’ll also build consensus with like-minded parties to put pressure on the Government to ensure that the Bill is passed.”

Several opposition parties raised critical issues, including the recent stock market matter concerning industrialist Gautam Adani. MPs asked the government to hold a discussion on the matter as it concerns the economy of the country.

Deputy Leader of the House, Rajnath Singh, Parliament Affairs minister, Pralhad Joshi, Leader of the House, Piyush Goyal, MoS, Parliamentary Affairs, Arjuna, Ram Meghwal, and V Muraleedharan was among those present for the meeting held at the Parliament House Complex.

All top leaders from the opposition parties including DMK leader, TR, Balu, TMC leaders, Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, TRS leaders K Keshava Rao and Nama Nageswara Rao were in attendance.

Other party leaders include Vijayasai Reddy from YSR Congress, Farooq Abdullah from the National Conference, Professor Manoj Jha from the RJD, and Ram Nath Thakur of JDU. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) was represented by Priyanka Chaturvedi.

Congress leaders were absent from the meeting, however, according to government sources both Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury held up due to the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra that culminated in Srinagar today.

The all-party meeting is a customary meeting that takes place ahead, of the start of every session of Parliament. During the meeting, the Government will seek cooperation from all political parties to ensure the smooth functioning of both Houses of Parliament during the Session.

The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on January 31 with the address by the President of India to a Joint sitting of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the Central Hall of Parliament.

The Economic Survey will also be tabled in both Houses on the first day of the Session.

The Union Budget 2023-24 will be presented on February 1 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha. Later the Budget will be tabled in Rajya Sabha.

From Thursday onwards, both Houses will have a discussion on the “Motion Of Thanks to the President Address” after which PM Narendra Modi will reply in both Lok and Rajya Sabha.

This part of the Budget Session will continue till February 13.

The second part of the Budget Session will after a recess commence on March 13 and go on till April 6. A discussion will take place on the Demand For Grants for various ministries and the Union Budget will be passed. Other legislative businesses will also be taken up by the government during this period. (ANI)

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Jyotiraditya

Hindon-Ludhiana Flight To Be Launched In Summer: Scindia

By LokMarg

Union Civil Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday said that a regular flight between Hindon and Ludhiana will be launched in the summer.

Scindia’s announcement came after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora wrote a letter to him, requesting him not to disconnect Ludhiana from metro cities.
“The UDAN route ‘Hindon-Ludhiana-Hindon’ has been awarded to M/s Big Charters with a nineteen-seater type of aircraft under UDAN 4.2 bidding round, which may commence operation in Summer Schedule, 2023,” Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said while responding to AAP leader’s letter.

Earlier, Alliance Air operated a regular flight between Hindon and Ludhiana. Hindon airport in Ghaziabad is 24 km away from the New Delhi railway station. Alliance Air operated the flight for three years and discontinued it in August 2020.

Meanwhile, air services have been barred at Ludhiana airport due to the bidding process and regulator schedule.

The ministry is in the process to rope in another private airline to operate a flight to and from Ludhiana.

“UDAN route “Ludhiana-Delhi-Ludhiana” was awarded to M/s Alliance Air in the first round of bidding that commenced on September 1, 2017. The Airline discontinued the operations to the route on August 31, 2020, after completion of three years tenure,” Scindia’s letter read.

“At present, there are no scheduled flight operations at Ludhiana airport,” he added.

With the vision of ‘Let the common citizen of the country fly’ was launched by the Government of India with the aim of Ude-Desh-Ka-Aam-Nagrik (UDAN), but some airports and UDAN operations in Punjab have not been reopened even after Covid-19 pandemic. (ANI)

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Salimgarh flyover

Multiple Vehicles Collide Near Delhi’s IGI, 29 Injured

By LokMarg

At least 29 people including students were injured when multiple vehicles collided near the Indira Gandhi Stadium (IGI) on Monday morning, the police informed.

The injured include 25 students, three school staff, and one public person, officials said.
They said that 216 school students were onboard in all four buses.

The incident took place at the Salimgarh flyover in the IP Estate area on Monday morning.

Following information, a team of police immediately reached the spot where they found four school buses, one auto, one car, and one motorcycle in an accidental condition.

All injured have been rushed to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP) where they are undergoing treatment.

According to the police, legal action is also being taken in the matter, officials said. (ANI)

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Kedarnath Temple Wrapped Under Heavy Snow Blanket

By LokMarg

Kedarnath Dham got wrapped in a blanket of snow after receiving snowfall, officials informed on Monday.

Snow has accumulated up to 4 feet. There has been continuous snowfall in the Kedarnath region since Sunday night. Heavy snow can be witnessed on the premises of the Dham and on the surrounding hills, they said.
Meanwhile, the Uttarkashi Police in the state issued an advisory for the citizens, alerting them to travel with caution through the various highways.

The Uttarkashi Police in a tweet said, “Due to rain and snowfall, the Gangotri National Highway is obstructed above Sukki Top due to debris coming near Dharasu band and Bandarkot. The Yamunotri National Highway is blocked above Jankichatti and Radi Top. Roads are blocked in other places as well. Please travel with caution.”

Notably, the doors of Kedarnath Dham will open on April 26 and those of Gangotri and Yamunotri will open on April 22, after winter break, informed the temple committee on January 27.

The doors of Shri Badrinath Dham will open the following day, on April 27.

Preparations for the ‘Char Dham Yatra’ also started as soon as the date of opening of the doors of Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri was fixed.

The shrine is one of the four ancient pilgrimage sites referred to as ‘Char Dham’ which also includes Yamunotri, Gangotri and Badrinath. (ANI)

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Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture on Monday will take up the issue of recent instances of unruly behavior reported on flights

Parliamentary Panel To Discuss Unruly Air Passenger Today

By LokMarg

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture on Monday will take up the issue of recent instances of unruly behaviour reported on flights and the steps that the airlines need to put in place to avoid them

Several officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry are scheduled to depose before the committee.
The development comes in the wake of recent incidents of passengers misbehaving in flights, including the New York-New Delhi Air india flight in which a man allegedly urniated on his senior citizen co-passenger.

As was reported by ANI earlier, the committee chairman, Vijaysai Reddy had written a letter to the Ministry of Civil aviation on the steps taken by the ministry after the December 20 incident last year in which Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya accidentally attempted to open the emergency door of an aircraft.

Surya along with Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai were travelling from Chennai to Tiruchirapalli on Dec 10, 2022, on an Indigo flight when the incident happened.

Meanwhile, sources aware of the development told ANI that the parliamentary committee will propose for several policy changes to ensure that the safety of passengers on board is not compromised.

They said that the committee will ask the government of any proposal to ensure the presence of security personnel on board to control unruly passengers and to respond to any security issues.

Sources told ANI that apart from officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, officials from the Law Ministry would also depose before the committee. (ANI)

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

All-Party Meet In Parliament Begins, Cong Leaders Absent

By LokMarg

An all-party meeting called by the government ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament commenced on Monday morning.
Deputy Leader of the House, Rajnath Singh, Parliament Affairs minister, Pralhad Joshi, Leader of the House, Piyush Goyal, MoS, Parliamentary Affairs, Arjuna, Ram Meghwal, and V Muraleedharan was among those present for the meeting held at the Parliament House Complex.

All top leaders from the opposition parties including DMK leader, TR, Balu, TMC leaders, Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, TRS leaders K Keshava Rao and Nama Nageswara Rao were in attendance.

Other party leaders who were present include Vijayasai Reddy from the YSR Congress, Farooq Abdullah from the National Conference, Professor Manoj Jha from the RJD, and Ram Nath Thakur of JDU. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) was represented by Priyanka Chaturvedi.

Congress leaders were absent from the meeting, however, according to government sources both Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury held up due to the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra that culminated in Srinagar today.

The all-party meeting is a customary meeting that takes place ahead, of the start of every session of Parliament. During the meeting, the Government will seek cooperation from all political parties to ensure the smooth functioning of both Houses of Parliament during the Session.

The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on January 31 with the address by the President of India to a Joint sitting of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the Central Hall of Parliament.

The Economic Survey will also be tabled in both Houses on the first day of the Session.

The Union Budget 2023-24 will be presented on February 1 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha. Later the Budget will be tabled in Rajya Sabha.

From Thursday onwards, both Houses will have a discussion on the “Motion Of Thanks to the President Address” after which PM Narendra Modi will reply in both Lok and Rajya Sabha.

This part of the Budget Session will continue till February 13.

The second part of the Budget Session will after a recess commence on March 13 and go on till April 6. A discussion will take place on the Demand For Grants for various ministries and the Union Budget will be passed. Other legislative businesses will also be taken up by the government during this period. (ANI)

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Adani Group Hindenburg

India’s Future Is Being Held Back By Adani Group: Hindenburg

By LokMarg

The Adani Group has attempted to conflate its meteoric rise and the wealth of its Chairman, Gautam Adani, with the success of India itself, Hindenburg Research said on Monday hours after the Indian conglomerate in its rebuttal said that allegations of stock manipulation leveled by the US-based short seller amounted to a “calculated attack on India.”

Stating that “Fraud cannot be obfuscated by nationalism” the Hindenburg Research hit out at the Adani Group claiming that the latter’s “Bloated Response” ignored “every key allegation we raised.”
The response comes in the wake of an extensive 413-page report released by Adani Group that dismissed all allegations against it and termed the Hindenburg report as an “attack on India and its independent institutions”.

Hindenburg Research had on January 24 published a report accusing the Adani Group of accounting fraud and stock manipulation over decades that had led to a nearly USD 51 billion sell-off in shares of the port- to-energy Indian conglomerate.

The Adani Group said the report was driven by “an ulterior motive” to “create a false market” to allow the US firm to make financial gains. It accused the Hindenburg Research report of a “malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless, and discredited allegations”.

Hindenburg Research in its rebuttal early today said “Hours ago, Adani released a ‘413-page response’. It opened with the sensationalistic claim that we are the “Madoffs of Manhattan”. “

“It also predictably tried to lead the focus away from substantive issues and instead stoked a nationalist narrative, claiming our report amounted to a “calculated attack on India.” In short, the Adani Group has attempted to conflate its meteoric rise and the wealth of its Chairman, Gautam Adani, with the success of India itself,” the Hindenburg group said.

The short seller said it disagreed. “To be clear, we believe India is a vibrant democracy and an emerging superpower with an exciting future. We also believe India’s future is being held back by the Adani Group, which has draped itself in the Indian flag while systematically looting the nation,” it said

“We also believe that fraud is a fraud, even when it’s perpetrated by one of the wealthiest individuals in the world,” it said.

The Hindenburg group stated that of Adani’s 413-page response only “about 30 pages focused on issues related to our report.”

“The remainder of the response consisted of 330 pages of court records, along with 53 pages of high-level financials, general information, and details on irrelevant corporate initiatives, such as how it encourages female entrepreneurship and the production of safe vegetables,” it said.

The group said its report asked 88 specific questions of the Adani Group and in its response, Adani failed to specifically answer 62 of them. “Instead, it mainly grouped questions together in categories and provided generalized deflections”

“In other instances, Adani simply pointed to its own filings and declared the questions or relevant matters settled, again failing to substantively address the issues raised,” the Hindenburg group said.

The US-based short seller noted that the core allegations of its report – “focused on numerous suspect transactions with offshore entities – were left completely unaddressed.”

Hindenburg said, “We asked about the source of the billions of US dollars that have flowed from Vinod Adani-Associated Offshore shell entities through the Adani Group. Adani’s defense: “We are neither aware nor required to be aware of their ‘source of funds”

For example, it said, “Example #1: A U.S. ~$253 Million Loan From a Mauritius Entity Where Vinod Adani Serves As a Director” and added, “Example #2: An Investment Of U.S. $692.5 Million From A Mauritius Entity Controlled By The Head Of The Adani Group’s Private Family Investment Office”

Hindenburg said, “Our report outlined numerous irregularities and connections between suspected offshore stock parking entities and Adani promoters, raising key questions about whether promoter holdings were fully disclosed. Adani’s response claimed it simply doesn’t know who its largest public holders are.”

The US firm also said, “On Adani’s legal technicality defense: It strikes us as obvious that Vinod Adani is a related party to The Adani Group.”

Hindenburg concluded that “Adani’s response largely confirmed our findings and Ignored Our Key Questions. Disclosure: We Are Short Adani Group Through US-Traded Bonds And Non-Indian-Traded Derivative Instruments”

In a disclaimer, the Hindenburg group claimed that it held short positions in Adani Group Companies through US-traded bonds and non-Indian-traded derivatives, along with other non-Indian-traded reference securities and the report relates solely to the valuation of securities traded outside of India. (ANI)

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Shilpa's Message On Yoga Day

Shilpa Turns Fitness Guru

By LokMarg

Struggling to find the motivation to work out? Worry not. Actress Shilpa Shetty’s latest Instagram post will provide you with valuable strategies on how to find the motivation to lead a healthy and fit life.

Shilpa took to the social media application on Monday and shared a workout compilation video of herself.

In the clip, she is seen doing several exercise routines, including weight training, cardio, yoga, and pilates.

She also revealed a mantra to have a healthy lifestyle. According to Shilpa, “consistency, dedication, discipline, and effort are the four pillars upholding one’s goal of achieving all their dreams.”

Shilpa wrote, “Consistency, dedication, discipline, and effort are the four pillars upholding one’s goal of achieving all their dreams… including the dream of a healthy and fit body. Modifying your daily habits and switching over to a healthy & regulated lifestyle is a must. Put in the hard work regularly and you WILL eventually see the difference. But, achieving your dream physique isn’t the end of the road. You have to be consistent to maintain it.”

She added, “Remember that this mantra won’t give you instant or quick results, but it’ll be absolutely worth the effort you put in over a period of time. Happy Monday!”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Shilpa will soon be making her grand OTT debut with Rohit Shetty’s upcoming web series ‘Indian Police Force’ alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Vivek Oberoi, which will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. The show aims to pay an ode to the “selfless service, unconditional commitment, and fierce patriotism” of police personnel across the country. (ANI)

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Richa Learning Kathak For Her Role In Bhansali’s ‘Heeramandi’

By LokMarg

Actress Richa Chadha has reunited with her old love, and it’s not a person.

Richa formally trained in the classical dance form of Kathak as a child but was forced to stop it due to her board exams. As now her role in maestro Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi demands Kathak training, the actress started preparing for the same.

“I trained in Kathak as a kid under Pt Abhay Shankar Mishra for ten years as a child. Then life happened and my love for dance got left behind. I was afraid I lost my touch as like any art form, it depends on practice. But it kind of felt like swimming and I think I can float without a lifejacket. I think dance has the potential to make a person more connected, grounded, confident, and definitely happier. Movement is medicine. This year I hope to complete my degree in the dance form, under the aegis of my guru Pt. Rajendra Chaturvedi,” Richa shared.

Speaking of ‘Heeramandi’, it will explore stories of courtesans and the hidden cultural reality of Heeramandi, a dazzling district, during pre-independent India. Basically, it is a series about love, betrayal, succession, and politics in the koshas which promises SLB’s trademark larger-than-life sets, multi-faceted characters, and soulful compositions.

“‘Heeramandi’ is an important milestone in my journey as a filmmaker. This is an epic, first-of-its-kind series based on the courtesans of Lahore. It is an ambitious, grand, and all-encompassing series; therefore I am nervous yet excited about making it. I am looking forward to my partnership with Netflix and bringing Heeramandi to audiences all over the world,” Bhansali, who has entertained us with his films ‘Devdas’, ‘Black’, ‘Bajirao Mastani’, ‘Guzaarish’ and ‘Ram Leela’ among others, said.

More details regarding the project are awaited. (ANI)

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