June 2023 - Page 14 of 52 - Lokmarg

Modi Conferred With Egypt’s Highest State Honour ‘Order of the Nile’ Award

By LokMarg 25th June 2023

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday conferred Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Egypt’s highest state honour, the ‘Order of the Nile’ award, in Cairo.

This is the 13th such highest state honour that various countries across the world have conferred upon PM Modi and is a moment of pride for India.
In the past nine years of his tenure, PM Modi has received many international awards including Companion of the Order of Logohu, Companion of the Order of Fiji and Ebakl Award by the Republic of Palau among others.

Meanwhile, PM Modi, Egyptian President El-Sisi on Sunday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Egypt’s Cairo.

The Prime Minister on Sunday visited the Heliopolis War Cemetery in Egypt’s Cairo and paid tribute to the Indian soldiers who made supreme sacrifices during the First World War.

PM Modi on Sunday also visited the Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo.

The Al-Hakim Mosque is an 11th Century significant historical and cultural site in Egypt’s Cairo. The mosque stands as a testament to the rich cultural heritage shared by India and Egypt.

What adds even greater significance to the PM’s visit is the remarkable restoration of the Al-Hakim mosque, made possible through the unwavering dedication and support of the Dawoodi Bohra community.

The Al-Hakim mosque, with its centuries-old legacy, serves as a beacon of religious and historical importance showcasing the intermingling of Indian and Egyptian cultures.

PM Modi is on a State visit to Egypt from June 24-25.

PM Modi’s Egypt visit comes as a reciprocal gesture following President El-Sisi’s presence as the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations earlier this year. The visit of President El-Sisi to India proved to be highly successful, culminating in both nations mutually agreeing to elevate their relations to the status of a strategic partnership.

PM Modi on Saturday held a roundtable meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly in Cairo on Saturday.

After landing in Egypt, the prime minister arrived at a hotel in Cairo amid a rousing welcome and chants of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Modi Modi’.

Several members of the Indian community were present at the Ritz Carlton Hotel to welcome PM Modi.

The Indian diaspora displayed their enthusiasm by waving the Tricolour and chanting “Modi Modi” and “Vande Mataram” slogans. Many children were also present in the diaspora. Many people also sang Indian songs and presented cultural programmes to welcome PM Modi. (ANI)

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Behind the Bravado, India May be Worrying About the State of its Democracy

By Sanjoy Narayan 25th June 2023

India worrying about the its democracy

Last week after watching the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the US Congress for a rare second time, an Indian friend based in the US could not stop gushing about how clever and good the speech was. And how impressed the US senators and representatives were by what he said. I caught a video recording of Modi’s speech and was suitably impressed too. His speech, in English, was holistic—it described India’s achievements; it highlighted his government’s achievements by underscoring the massive numbers of people that have benefited from various policies and schemes—numbers, which, in a country with a population of 1.4 billion, can in some instances rival the entire population of South America, North America, or Europe.

Modi received standing ovations on multiple occasions, particularly when he spoke about the strong ties between India and the US, the world’s largest and oldest democracies, respectively. But away from the arc lights in the House; or in Modi’s meetings with President Joe Biden; or the interactions he has had with the euphoric diaspora of Indians, including top executives such as the CEOs of Google and Microsoft, India’s democracy has come under scrutiny.

On this state visit of his, there have been protests about what is seen as India’s backsliding on democratic values, on the treatment of minority communities, and on freedom of speech and the media. Many Congressmen, particularly those subscribing to liberal mores, stayed away from Modi’s address to the House. Both Modi and Biden, however, skirted questions at a press interaction (according to media reports, it was limited to two questions!) where Modi declared that there was not discrimination in India.

Both India and the US need each other and in the context of the new world order that is emerging with the role of China and its alignment with Russia those needs are fast approaching a degree of urgency. It is not hard to see why the US administration would prefer to gloss over the democracy and discrimination issues in its dialogue with India. Yet India cannot ignore the simmering concern about how the current regime is perceived by the world—a not-so-pretty picture that is portrayed persistently in the Western media.

Stories and reports, usually in the foreign media, have consistently described growing insecurity among India’s minority communities, including Muslims; and an increasing atmosphere of religious and communal intolerance. India has slipped in successive surveys such as the Global Democracy Index, prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit, on which it is classified as a flawed democracy, and its ranking on the indices of press freedom have slid to abysmally low levels.

The fact is that even as there is limited public outcry on these issues within India (remember, the Indian media have limited freedom), the Indian government is concerned by these. According to UK’s Guardian newspaper, the Indian government has been holding confidential meetings of its key ministries to address these worrying issues. According to the Guardian report, the newspaper has seen minutes of at least four meetings of Indian officials that have focused on how to raise India’s rankings on various indices that measure democratic values and rankings as well as other parameters of freedom.

In public, India may brush off observations about the nature of its democracy (India’s foreign minister has remarked that the country is in no need of “sermons”); and its quite subservient media may choose to all but ignore it, but the Modi regime is worried about the consistent reports and views about the state of its democracy. And that could be a good thing for India.

Manipur hurtles towards a civil war

For two months, Manipur, the northeastern Indian state, has been burning. After violence erupted between two of its prominent tribes—the majority Hindu-dominated Meitei and the Christian hill tribe of Kukis, the situation is fast moving towards a civil war-like situation.

Ethnic violence has already led to more than 100 deaths and several hundred injured. As many as 60,000 people have been displaced from their homes and have had to take refuge in 350 camps. Mobs have looted weapons from police armouries and although the government has deployed 40,000 troops—army soldiers, police, and security forces—the violence continues. The Union home minister Amit Shah visited Manipur some time ago and promised that things would be resolved but that has not helped.

The level of mistrust between the warring communities has sharpened, with both accusing security forces of being partisan. More than 200 churches and 17 temples have been destroyed or damaged by mobs. Homes of local ministers and legislators have been attacked and set on fire.

India’s eight north-east states have a population of 45 million spread among more than 400 communities and ethnic groups. Violence and lashes have been a common feature of the regions and despite many peace talks, the schisms between different tribes and communities continue. Manipur borders Myanmar. The state has 33 tribes that are hugely diversified. There are an estimated number of 40 insurgent groups in the state and the Meitei, Naga, and Kukis have been at war with each other for a long time.

Sometimes the conflict is between the ethnic groups. For instance, the trigger for the current conflict is about whether the Meitei should have the status of a scheduled tribe as the Kukis do. At other times the conflicts have been between insurgents and Indian security forces. For the Indian government, resolving the northeastern issues, particularly the ongoing violence in Manipur, should be of high priority before things get even worse.

Can India’s Opposition take on Modi?

Last week, at a conclave initiated by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, 15 Indian opposition parties met to forge out an alliance for next year’s parliamentary elections. The idea, mooted by Kumar, involves burying ideological and political differences and fielding one candidate backed by all the opposition parties to take on the candidate from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in each of India’s parliamentary constituencies. Last week’s meeting was preliminary and mostly symbolic. The parties will meet again in July.

But will such a united front work? India’s experience with coialitions and fronts such as the one proposed by Kumar has usually been mixed. In most cases they end in messy breakups, sometimes quite acrimoniously too because of conflicting ambitions of leaders of different parties and squabbles over things such as who gets what ministry and official position.

Also, it will be interesting to see whether the Congress, once India’s most powerful national party but one that is now reduced to a shadow of its former self, will agree to play second or even third fiddle in a united front. The BJP, on its part, is watching the attempts at a united opposition to its regime with interest…. and amusement. The party’s minister and leader, Smriti Irani, thanked the opposition, particularly the Congress, for conceding that it could not take on Modi by itself.

The tragedy of the Titan

The Titan submersible, a crewed submersible operated by OceanGate, an American tourism company, is believed to have imploded while on a dive several hundred meters below the sea level, killing all five crew members. The Titan was the only crewed submersible in the world that could take five people as deep as 4,000 meters (more than 13,100 feet) below the surface of the ocean. The submersible was part of a tourist expedition to observe the wreck of Titanic.

On June 18th, the Titan submersible imploded during its descent in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 400 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The submersible was carrying five people and was part of a tourist expedition to observe the wreck of Titanic. Experts say that the Titan submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion that killed its pilot and four passengers instantly amid the intense water pressure in the deep North Atlantic.

The Titan submersible is about 9 feet high, 8 feet wide, 22 feet long and weighs 25,000 pounds. It left from St. John’s, Newfoundland on June 16th and lost contact with the ship that was monitoring it about an hour and 45 minutes later. The five people killed were Five people were killed in the **Titanic submersible** when it imploded. They were: British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, 58; Pakistani-born industrialist Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son, Suleman, 19; French oceanographer and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nageolet, 77; and the chief executive of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, 61.

Fracas over Adipurush

In India, controversies over films, particularly anything to do with history, Hinduism or mythology, are common. Adipurush, a Ramayana-inspired film starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan, has led to another. The teaser of the film, released on October 2, 2022, faced backlash from various groups for the portrayal of Lord Ram, Lakshman and Ravana. The Vishva Hindu Parishad, some BJP members, the chief priest of Ayodhya’s Ram Temple and Madhya Pradesh’s Home Minister raised objections and demanded a ban on the film. They claimed that the film ridiculed Hindu society and mocked Hinduism.

Last Friday, a huge protest was held against Om Raut’s Adipurush by advocates at a Police Station in New Agra. They filed a complaint opposing the movie which has “hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu society”.

The movie has also stirred controversy over Sita’s birthplace. Kathmandu has banned the screening of all Indian movies after objecting to dialogue in ‘Adipurush, which claims ‘Sita is the daughter of India. According to the mayor of Kathmandu, the goddess was born in Janakpur, located in modern-day Nepal. Another film; another controversy.

US Is Closely Watching Russian Crisis With Allies

By LokMarg 24th June 2023

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the Foreign Ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the EU, saying they will stay ‘in close coordination’ amid the Russia crisis.

In a statement, a State Department spokesperson on Saturday said, “Secretary Blinken spoke today with Foreign Ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia.”

“Secretary Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop,” she added.

This statement came after the Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a Telegram post, announced that his men had crossed the border from Ukraine into southern Russia and were ready to go “all the way” against the Russian military.

He said he and his men would destroy anyone who stood in their way. “But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way,” he said, adding, “We are moving forward and will go until the end.”

As the Wagner troops were said to be driving into the Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin said that border guards greeted his mercenaries, reported ABC News.

He said young conscripts at checkpoints stood back and offered no resistance, adding that his forces “aren’t fighting against children.”

After Prigozhin’s statement, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in a televised address to the nation said that the “armed mutiny” by the Wagner Group is a “stab in the back” and vowed to punish those who were on the “path of treason” or anyone who takes up arms against the Russian military.

In the latest development of the case, Prigozhin said that the Russian President is “deeply mistaken” and the group is a patriot, the Washington Post reported.

In an audio message posted by his press service, Prigozhin said on Saturday, “Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president is deeply mistaken”.

Calling Russia, a country of “corruption, deceit and bureaucracy”, he said that the group will continue to fight.”

We are patriots of our motherland, we have been fighting and continue to fight, all Wagner fighters and no one plans to go and confess at the request of the president, the FSB [Federal Security Service] or anyone else, because we do not want the country to continue to live in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy,” the Post quoted Prigozhin. (ANI)

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‘Your Brother Leaked Info’: Vinesh Slams Yogeshwar Dutt

By LokMarg 24th June 2023

Commonwealth Games medalist Vinesh Phogat on Saturday accused former wrestler and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogeshwar Dutt’s brother being involved in leaking of confidential statements of women on alleged sexual harassment by Wrestling Federation (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh and of betraying the wrestling fraternity to protect the president of governing body of the sport in India.

Olympians Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat along with other wrestlers had been on a protest in the national capital since the beginning of this year in order to press for the arrest of the Brij Bhushan over allegations of sexual harassment.

Vinesh Phogat, along with Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik came live on social media.

“Our khaaps and other seniors have experience, they have seen this world. They know the difference between truth and a lie. You accuse of them being wrong and standing with the wrong people?. They saw something genuine in our emotions and that is why they came to support us,” said Vinesh in the video.

“Your brother called the husband of one of the girls who was there to give her statements before the committee, informing him that she was giving a statement. But inside, you had got a confidential letter signed saying nothing would be leaked or if it happens, proper action will be taken. We mailed the committee that Yogeshwar’s leaking all statements of women, but no action was taken. When we told you the same you talked rudely to us. You turned the camera off. You should have spoken to us with the camera on so that the whole country could have seen how civilised you were to us,” she added.

Vinesh said that the wrestlers supported his political career with a hope that he would do something great for wrestlers and wrestling.

“But here we are, fighting for justice on roads since six months. Our families are on the verge of ruin, but we will still keep fighting no matter what happens to us, no matter if we die. You are trying to protect Brij Bhushan Singh, but he will go to jail and we will make sure it happens. We are still fighting despite all of your conspiracies against us.”

“Brij Bhushan has been found guilty in the chargesheet filed by Delhi Police. He used to touch women wrestlers the wrong way, used to take photos with them, and hug them forcefully. He was proven guilty on basis of all audio/video proof that showed him doing all this. When you were in the oversight committee, you secretly met him. He must have given you the assurance that you would get the seat of chief of WFI. Out of greed, you protected him. Are you not ashamed of being such a traitor to wrestling? You are breaking the wrestling community so that you can rise to the top and run things according to your wishes,” she added.

Vinesh accused Yogeshwar of ignoring a coach’s request for trials while he was a part of the oversight committee.

“A coach came to you for trials of some wrestlers. But you switched your phone off. A court case was done, only then they played and got selected,” she said.

The wrestler further said that Yogeshwar was unfit and injured during the time of Rio Olympics 2016 but yet went to the event over other players and accused him of denying opportunities to players.

“We do not snatch anything from anyone. We have done our wrestling with honesty. I have played eight nationals and won gold medals in all of them. Now I do not play anymore because I feel my absence from nationals would benefit someone else, someone younger than me who wants to win medals and get a job. And young wrestlers have got the benefit,” said Vinesh.

In Rio Olympics, you could not warm up your knees, but you went over Amit Dhankad, Rajnish etc. We do not take others’ share. We fought with honesty. I have played eight nationals, and won gold in all of them. I told them I wanted to do good for others. They won medals and jobs,. We are not afraid of nationals and trials.,

On accusations by Yogeshwar that she gave prize money won for an event given by the Haryana government to Om Prakash Dahiya (who he said was maternal uncle of her husband) instead of her actual coach and uncle Mahabir Phogat, Vinesh clarified, “My husband has contributed to my wrestling as much as my own family. And it was Rs 35 lakhs given by your own government. He is not even related to us by blood. He has trained so many wrestlers and he is a Dronacharya awardee.”

On a concluding note, wrestlers said that they are yet to receive the chargesheets filed by Delhi Police against Brij Bhushan and they will continue their fight till they get justice.

Dutt on Friday expressed his disappointment over reports that the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) ad hoc committee has decided to exempt protesting wrestlers from the initial trials.

The reports claimed that six wrestlers — Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Sangeeta Phogat, Satywart Kadian and Jitender Kinha — have not just been exempted from appearing in the initial trials, but have also been promised that they will compete directly against the winners of the trials.

Yogeshwar took to Twitter and posted a video, questioning the criteria and parameters on which the protesting grapplers were exempted from the trials.

“I came to know from a newspaper report that the ad hoc committee of IOA has decided to give (the wrestling protesting against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh) an exemption from the trials. They will take part in a final trial. I don’t know what parameters or criteria were taken into consideration by the committee to let all six wrestlers take a direct final trial,” Yogeshwar said in the video.

Also questioning the wrestlers’ protest, he said he had doubts if the protest had more to do with exemption from the trials than allegations of sexual harassment against the WFI chief.

The BJP leader said he had information that the wrestlers wrote to the ad hoc committee of the IOA, seeking an exemption from trials.

“Was this protest against sexual harassment or getting an exemption from trials? I also came to know the protesters wrote to the ad hoc committee seeking an exemption from trials,” Yogeshwar added.

He reasoned that there are other grapplers, who have a stronger and more claim to exemption from trials, than those who have been away from the mat for more than a year.

“If you want to give such exemptions, give it to Ravi Dhaiya, an Olympic gold medallist, or Deepak Punia (secured 4th place in Olympics), Anshu Malik (World Wrestling Championships silver medallist), and Sonam Malik. Giving these six athletes an exemption from trials is beyond my understanding and this is clearly not the right thing to do. This wasn’t done even by the previous federation. You took the decision without going over the rules or setting any criteria. All wrestlers should raise their voices against this. I am not saying they should protest but they raise their voices through the media, write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, IOA, and (Union Sports Minister) Anurag Thakur,” Yogeshwar added.

Notably, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections have been postponed from July 6 to July 11, as per the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

In the election, the members of the executive committee of WFI will be decided. The occupants of the post of president, one post of senior vice-president, four posts of vice president, one each position of secretary general and treasurer, two posts of joint secretary and five posts of an executive member will be decided, as per a letter from IOA.

The last date for receiving names for the electoral collage will be June 25 by 5:00 PM. Two nominations from each State/Union Territory will be made. All state/UT wrestling federations will nominate two persons each of their respective associations, who are part of the executive body to form the electoral collage for the election to elect the WFI’s executive committee, added the letter.

Preparation and display of the electoral college, circulation to affiliates and publishing the same on websites of IOA/WFI will be done on June 28.

Submissions of nominations for election will be from June 29 to July 1 from 11 AM to 5 PM. The preparation and display of nominations received by returning officer will be done on July 3 by 1 PM.

The scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on July 4 by 11 AM. The submission of the notice of withdrawal of candidates will be done between July 4 to July 7, till 5 PM. On July 8, a final list of candidates will be made by 11 AM, added the letter.

Polling will be done on July 11 from 11 AM to 1:20 PM. The counting of votes will start from 1:30 PM and results will be declared on the same day.

Earlier on June 13, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections were announced to be held on July 6 amid the ongoing protest by wrestlers against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, by the newly-appointed returning officer for WFI elections Mahesh Mittal Kumar in a statement.

The process of filing nominations was also announced to start from on June 19.

“Whereas, the undersigned has been appointed as the Returning Officer by the Indian Olympic Association vide its letter No. IOA/I-28/2023/1350 dated 12th June 2023 for the purpose of conducting the election of the Executive Committee of the Wrestling Federation of India(WFI), which is an affiliate member of the Indian Olympic Association(IOA),” the statement by the office of the returning officer read.

The Indian Olympics Association (IOA) organised a three-member ad hoc committee in April as mandated by the Sports Ministry, and two members were named to oversee WFI’s day-to-day activities and pick wrestlers for international events in the interim term.

After a meeting with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, star Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia on Wednesday said the government assured that the ongoing probe by Delhi Police against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will be completed before June 15.

Earlier in June, former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Mahesh Mittal Kumar was appointed as the returning officer for the Wrestling Federation of India elections by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Joint Secretary and Acting CEO Kalyan Chaubey on Monday confirmed the appointment of Justice MM Kumar through an official letter, also authorising him (Kumar) to appoint an Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) and other staff to assist him in conducting the elections.

The elections will be critical in moulding the future of wrestling in India and deciding the federation’s leadership. (ANI)

Audi To Enter Formula 1 From 2026, Signs Swiss Racer Neel

By LokMarg 24th June 2023

Audi will be entering the Formula 1 sport in the year 2026. They will be taking over Alfa Romeo for their entry into the sport. Audi also signs Swiss racing professional driver Neel Jani as a simulator driver.

According to the official website of Formula 1, “German brand Audi announced that they would enter F1 from 2026, when new regulations come in, and would be building their own power unit. They soon struck a deal to take over the Sauber works team – currently Alfa Romeo – for their entry.”

Audi has started new projects in the build-up to their entry into the sport. They have signed Swiss racing professional driver Neel Jani as their new simulator driver as they take the next step in developing a power unit for their Formula 1 project.

Neel Jani, 39, is a former test and reserve driver for Red Bull Racing and, as a member of the Porsche factory team, he won the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2016 as well as the famous 24-hour race at Le Mans.

As per the official website of Formula 1, “Jani, who has also driven in GP2 and Formula E, will now have his own important role to play for Audi as he supports the development of the power unit with his vast experience. An update of the dynamic driving simulator for the work on the F1 hybrid powertrain is also being run at Audi’s Neuberg site in parallel.”

On joining Audi, Neel Jani expressed his feelings. He said, “I am delighted to accompany Audi on their way into Formula 1. It is both an honour and a great responsibility to be involved in a project of this magnitude at an early stage,” according to the official website of Formula 1.

He further added, “I am sure that with my experience from Formula 1 and sportscar projects, I can forge good links between theory and practice.”

Oliver Hoffman, a Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development of Audi, added: “Just like in product development, simulation plays a major role in our Formula 1 project.”

As per the official website of Formula 1, Oliver Hoffman said, “Our simulator is an important tool for the power unit development. It requires a development driver who, in addition to a grasp of technology, brings versatile experience to the project, especially in terms of energy management in racing conditions.” (ANI)

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Banarasi Langda Mangoes To Reach UAE With GI Tag Soon

By LokMarg 24th June 2023

Banarasi Langda mango with new GI tag, a product of Purvanchal soil, will fly directly from Kashi to UAE’s Sharjah for which the Uttar Pradesh government has built a pack house in Varanasi.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will flag off a perishable food product prepared according to international standards and send it abroad for the first time.

“The government is working to remove middlemen from among farmer entrepreneurs and make them exporters. Due to this, the income of the farmers will be doubled. For this, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is making continuous efforts,” an official statement said on Saturday.

There will be single window clearance for export from the pack house.

Perishable food products will be prepared here according to international standards and the equipment engaged in integrated pack house for food and vegetable export are indigenous.

“The pack house is accredited by APEDA for export as per international standards,” it added.

Vegetables and fruits of Purvanchal will now be exported directly from the pack house of Varanasi.

The integrated pack house is well-equipped to handle exports by sea, land and air. Pack house has been completed in about 4461 square feet area at a cost of 15.78 crores.

Here farmer entrepreneurs will also be given training to prepare products according to the demand of the international market.

This will be the third integrated pack house in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi after Saharanpur in Lucknow.

APEDA’s Deputy General Manager Dr CB Singh said that for the first time flagged off by the Chief Minister from the pack house, 4 to 5 metric tonnes of Banarasi Langra mangoes will go to Sharjah from Varanasi Airport.

“30 to 35 metric tonnes of green chillies will be sent to Dubai and Doha via Mumbai via a 40 feet reefer container by a water vessel. Apart from this, preparations are on to send other products including okra,” he added.

Notably, the most important work of the pack house is to prepare the product according to international standards and as the different countries have different demands, the pack house works to meet their demand.

APEDA is active for export to double the income of farmers in Purvanchal.

“Fruits and vegetables have to go through many processes in the Integrated Pack House to prepare the product of international standard. Due to this, their freshness, taste and other properties remain intact. Special care is taken that these products do not contain pests or any kind of disease. The equipment engaged in Integrated Pack House for Food and Vegetable Export is indigenous. Especially, Banarasi Langda mangoes have to go through vapour heat and hot water treatment process, only then the Langda mangoes will be able to be sent abroad,” CB Singh said. (ANI)

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Modi Holds Roundtable With His Counterpart Mostafa in Egypt

By LokMarg 24th June 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roundtable meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly in Cairo on Saturday.

The Prime Minister, who arrived in Egypt on Saturday (local time), is scheduled to address the Indian community.
Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte on Friday said for the first time, a roundtable meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Egyptian Prime Minister is taking place.

On Sunday, Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque– a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. The mosque of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo.

During his first Egypt tour, the PM will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War.

The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India’s most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).

India was Egypt’s fifth largest trading partner in the period April 2022-Dec 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time.

The two countries share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues.

India and Egypt share close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. The joint announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level was made on August 18, 1947.

Since the 1980s, there have been four Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt.

Rajiv Gandhi visited the country in 1985, PV Narasimha Rao in 1995, IK Gujral in 1997, and Manmohan Singh in 2009. From the Egyptian side, President Hosni Mubarak visited India in 1982, in 1983 (NAM Summit), and again in 2008.

High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and then President Mohamed Morsi visited India in March 2013. External Affairs Minister (EAM) visited Cairo in March 2012 and the Egyptian Foreign Minister visited India in December 2013.

On April 14, 2022, Egyptian Cabinet announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier.

India cleared a shipment of 61,500 metric tons of wheat to Egypt on May 17, 2022. (ANI)

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Russian Mercenary Rebel Chief Says ‘We Are Patriots, Putin Mistaken’

By LokMarg 24th June 2023

Hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the Wagner group for their “armed rebellion” and vowed to punish those who were on the “path of treason”, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary group, said that the Russian President is “deeply mistaken” and the group is a patriot, the Washington Post reported.

He was referring to Putin’s remarks alleging that the Wagner group betrayed Russia by “staging hostilities” inside the country.

In an audio message posted by his press service, Prigozhin said on Saturday, “Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president is deeply mistaken”.

Calling Russia, a country of “corruption, deceit and bureaucracy”, he said that the group will continue to fight.

“We are patriots of our motherland, we have been fighting and continue to fight, all Wagner fighters, and no one plans to go and confess at the request of the president, the FSB [Federal Security Service] or anyone else, because we do not want the country to continue to live in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy,” the Post quoted Prigozhin.

Earlier in the day, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in a televised address to the nation said that the “armed mutiny” by the Wagner Group is a “stab in the back” and vowed to punish those who were on the “path of treason” or anyone who takes up arms against the Russian military.

He said in a televised address, “Renegade actions against those fighting in the front is a stab in the back of our country,” CNN reported. Putin also pledged a harsh response and punishment to those who plan “an armed rebellion”.

“We will defend both our people and our statehood from any threats, including internal treachery. What we have been confronted with can be precisely called treachery. The unbounded ambitions and personal interests have led to treason and a betrayal of the country and its people,” Putin was cited by TASS.

This comes after, Prigozhin, the alleged head of the Wagner mercenary group, in a series of recordings released on social media on Saturday, announced that his troops had taken control of military facilities in two Russian cities.

Wagner on Saturday claimed to have taken control of Russian military facilities in Voronezh, including the airfield in Rostov-on-Don.

Prigozhin noted that planes that leave for combat work have no problems and the medical flights were also leaving, according to CNN. He further said, “All we did was to take control so that the attack aviation would not strike us but strike in the Ukrainian direction.” (ANI)

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Punia To Yogeshwar: You Are A Politician, No Longer A Wrestler

By LokMarg 24th June 2023

Olympian wrestler Bajrang Punia lashed out at Olympics medallist Yogeshwar Dutt and said that he is no longer an “athlete” but a “politician” spreading hatred.

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik came on Facebook Live after they “observed that some misleading things were being spread against the wrestlers”.

Bajrang Punia denied that the wrestlers had demanded one trial as they did not get the time to practice.

“He (Yogeshwar Dutt) is a member of the Olympic Association committee. I do not know if he has read the letter. We don’t know whether he has said all the things after reading the letter or without reading it, as his job is to spread hatred. In the letter, we have not written that we will give one trial. We demanded time as we were not able to practice. We can show the letter and what was written in that,” Bajrang said during Facebook Live.

Bajrang also accused Yogeshwar of asking for favours from the Wrestling Federation of India.

“Yogeshwar Dutt and one more athlete daily used to sit with the federation to ask for direct selection without taking trials. I want to ask him what he had achieved after the 2013 Olympics that you asked for direct entry,” he said.

“In 2012, one incident took place in the junior camp. Did you raise your voice against it? In 2014 also you did not raise your voice. Earlier you were an athlete, now you are a politician,” Bajrang said.

Yogeshwar took to Twitter and posted a video, questioning the criteria and parameters on which the protesting grapplers were exempted from the trials.

Olympians Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat along with other wrestlers had been on a protest in the national capital since the beginning of this year in order to press for the arrest of the Brij Bhushan over allegations of sexual harassment.

Vinesh Phogat on Friday accused BJP leader Yogeshwar Dutt of leaking the names of the women wrestlers to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and the media after the committee meeting.

Earlier that day, Yogeshwar posted a video on Twitter questioning the exemption that the protesting wrestlers are reportedly getting from trials. Out of six wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat was a part of that list.

She took to Twitter and posted a tweet pointing out how Yogeshwar used to suppress the voices of the female wrestlers and leaked the names of the women wrestlers to the media as well as Brij Bhushan Singh. (ANI)

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Manipur Returning To Normalcy, Not One Life Lost Since June 13: Shah

By LokMarg 24th June 2023

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that Manipur is returning to normalcy as no life was lost since June 13.

“The situation in Manipur is slowly returning to normal. Since the late night of June 13, not a single person has died in violence in the state. So far 1,800 looted weapons have been surrendered,” Shah said after chairing an all-party meet in New Delhi to discuss the prevailing situations in Manipur.
Talking about the measures taken regarding the situation in Manipur, he further said that 36,000 security personnel are deployed in the state, 40 IPS officers and 20 medical teams have been sent to the state and the supply of all essential items including medicines is being ensured.

“Fencing work of 10 km of Myanmar-Manipur border has been completed, tendering work for 80 km of border fencing has been completed and survey of remaining border is underway,” he added.

The meeting was called by Amit Shah to take stock of the situation in the violence-wracked state. BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and CPI(M) MP John Brittas among other leaders were present in the meeting.

Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list.

Union Home Minister also said that all political parties sensitively and apolitically gave their suggestions for restoration of peace in Manipur and the government will consider these suggestions with an open mind.

Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been constantly monitoring the situation in Manipur since day one and guiding us with full sensitivity to find a solution to this problem.

“Modi government is committed to solve the Manipur problem by taking everyone together. The priority of the Modi government is that no more lives should be lost due to violence in the state,” the minister added.

The Home Minister solicited the cooperation of all the political parties to help defuse the situation and restore peace and trust among various communities in Manipur at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President JP Nadda said that all possible steps are being taken by the central government for a quick solution to the Manipur problem.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been keeping an eye on this whole incident since day one. Manipur issue is very sensitive and needs to be handled with sensitivity. We discussed with an open mind the useful suggestions given by all political parties and assured the government will take all possible steps to solve the Manipur problem,” Nadda said.

The BJP chief also said that the issues of Manipur are rooted in many old factors which have also led to the flare-up of the present violence.

“Home Minister Amit Shah himself discussed in detail with all the different groups in Manipur for 4 days. The Home Minister also visited the relief camps there, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai stayed there for more than 20 days. The Modi government is making every possible effort to normalize the situation. We are confident that peace will return to Manipur very soon,” he added. (ANI)

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