June 2023 - Page 37 of 52 - Lokmarg

Mumbai: Woman Chopped Into Pieces; Live-In-Partner Detained

By LokMarg 8th June 2023

A 56-year-old man was detained on Wednesday evening for allegedly murdering his live-in partner and dismembering her body, the police officials said.

The suspect, identified as Manoj Sahani, had been staying with Saraswati Vaidya in the rental flat in the Akashganga building in the Mira Road area over the past three years.
On Wednesday, Nayanagar police station received a call from residents of the building, complaining about a foul odour emanating from the couple’s flat.

As per the police, a preliminary investigation revealed that the woman had been brutally killed.

“Police have found a body of a woman who had been cut into pieces, from a society in the Mira Road area. Here a couple was living in a live-in relationship. A preliminary investigation revealed that the woman was hacked to death. Further Investigation underway,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Mumbai Jayant Bajbale said.

The DCP further said that further investigation into the case is underway. (ANI)

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RBI Keeps Policy Repo Rate Unchanged

By LokMarg 8th June 2023

The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) monetary policy committee unanimously decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent.

The repo rate is the rate of interest at which RBI lends to other banks.
A consistent decline in inflation (currently at an 18-month low) and its potential for further decline may have prompted the central bank to put the brake on the key interest rate again.

Most analysts had expected the RBI to continue to keep the repo rate unchanged.

Inflation has been a concern for many countries, including advanced economies, but India has managed to steer its inflation trajectory quite well.

The RBI in its April meeting, the first in 2023-24, had paused the repo rate.

Barring the April pause, the RBI raised the repo rate by 250 basis points cumulatively to 6.5 per cent since May 2022 in the fight against inflation.

Raising interest rates is a monetary policy instrument that typically helps suppress demand in the economy, thereby helping the inflation rate decline.

India’s retail inflation was above RBI’s 6 per cent target for three consecutive quarters and had managed to fall back to the RBI’s comfort zone only in November 2022. Under the flexible inflation targeting framework, the RBI is deemed to have failed in managing price rises if the CPI-based inflation is outside the 2-6 per cent range for three quarters in a row.

Coming to the GDP outlook, the RBI expects India’s 2023-24 GDP growth at 6.5 per cent, with quarter Q1 at 8.0 per cent, Q2 at 6.5 per cent, Q3 at 6.0 per cent, and 5.7 per cent. The RBI governor Shaktikanta Das, while reading the monetary policy statement on Thursday, said the central bank sees risks to these GDP figures as evenly balanced.

As per the provisional estimates released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) recently, real GDP growth for 2022-23 stood at 7.2 per cent, higher than the 7 per cent projected. The government expects an upward revision in the 2022-23 GDP numbers going ahead.

Despite global headwinds and tighter domestic monetary policy tightening, various international agencies have forecasted India to be one of the fastest-growing economies in 2023-24, supported by robust growth in private consumption and sustained pick-up in private investment. (ANI)

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Nitish To Convene Oppn Leaders Meeting In Patna on Jun 23

By LokMarg 7th June 2023

Janta Dal (United) President Lalan Singh on Wednesday confirmed that the meeting of top Opposition leaders, convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, will be held in Patna on June 23.

The meeting, which is aimed at laying the groundwork for the coming together of like-minded Opposition parties against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government at the Centre, was originally scheduled to be held on June 12.

However, the meeting was pushed back after several Opposition leaders, including Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, expressed their inability to attend the meeting on June 12, citing prior engagements and preoccupations.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Lalan Singh said, “The meeting will be attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin.”

“Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, CPI General Secretary D Raja, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Dipankar Bhattacharya will also attend the meeting,” he added.

After JDU had announced the meeting of Opposition parties on June 12, earlier, DMK chief Stalin said he had sought a postponement of the June 12 meeting, as he would be busy attending an inaugural ceremony on the same date.

“I will be attending the inaugural ceremony of Mettur Dam on the same date (as the Opposition meeting). It is an important event. Even the Congress president (Mallikarjun Kharge) will be held up at a different event and won’t be able to attend the meeting on that day. So, I have asked for the meeting of Opposition parties to be pushed back. However, the DMK will surely participate in the meeting,” Tamil Nadu CM Stalin said.

The Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has been spearheading efforts to bring all Opposition parties together against the BJP government at the Centre, with an eye on next year’s Lok Sabha polls.

As part of the effort to galvanise the Opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, he has already met the likes of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar. (ANI)

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Coromandel Express Back on Tracks, Reaches Balasore Station

By LokMarg 7th June 2023

The Coromandel Express, which was one of the three trains involved in the horrific crash and derailment in Odisha, arrived at the Balasore railway station on Wednesday.

Earlier, on Wednesday, the Coromandel Express resumed its services and left Shalimar station in West Bengal’s Howrah for its journey to Chennai.

The accident, which claimed the lives of 275 passengers and left over 1,000 injured, involved Yeshwantpur-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and a goods train.

The Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express collided with a stationary freight train, resulting in the derailment of several coaches.

A few of the derailed coaches fell on another track and were hit by another passenger train — Howrah Express, which was coming from Yesvantpur.

On Monday, the Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express train crossed the restored railway track in Balasore after the passenger train services resumed in the district. (ANI)

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India-Russia Strategic Ties Growing Stronger: Envoy Alipov

By LokMarg 7th June 2023

Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov said that the ‘special Russia-India strategic partnership’ has shown strength and is ‘growing stronger as ever”.

“There have been lies about Russia on a daily basis and on a global scale. Efforts are being made to disrupt Russia – India relations,” Envoy Alipov said during the state reception hosted in the national capital that was dedicated to the National Day of the Russian Federation.

Lauding the ‘special Russia – India strategic partnership’, the envoy said, “The indispensable truth however is- the special Russia-India strategic partnership has shown strength and we keep growing stronger than ever”.

From the Indian side, Minister of State for Ministry of External Affairs and Education Rajkumar Ranjan Singh attended the event along with other senior officials of the government of India.

Ambassadors and military attaches of other countries were also present on the occasion. During the celebrations, Ratheesh Nair, Honorary Consul of Russia in Trivandrum was awarded the ‘Order of Friendship’ in recognition of his exceptional work in the promotion of Russia-India bilateral ties.

Ambassador Alipov also underscored the commitment to “enriching achievements of the Russian-Indian special and privileged strategic partnership” while also highlighting Nair’s considerable contribution to the promotion of bilateral ties.

The Moscow Cossack Choir’s performance with Russian folk songs and rousing dances, supported by the Government of Moscow, became a bright decoration of the evening that ended with festive fireworks. (ANI)

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Drunk Men Try To Kidnap JNU Girl Student, One Arrested

By LokMarg 7th June 2023

Hours after the recent instance of alleged harassment of a female student on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, the Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested one of the four accused.

The Delhi Police officials said that the other three accused have been identified and the search is underway.

“One of the accused in the JNU molestation case has been arrested. The other three accused have been identified. Although those three accused are being searched. The arrested accused is an engineering student, although he is not a student of JNU,” said Delhi Police officials.

Earlier today, DCP South West Manoj C. said that two complaints, one regarding physical assault and another regarding molestation, and attempt to kidnapping have been received from JNU students.

“Two complaints, one regarding physical assault and another regarding molestation, and attempt to kidnapping have been received from JNU Students. Cases have been registered. In both cases accused and the vehicle are the same and have been identified,” said DCP South West Manoj C.

Meanwhile, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) issued an advisory strongly denouncing the occurrence.

According to an advisory, issued by JNU stated that it has taken serious note of the incident and a police complaint has been lodged.

“JNU Administration has been closely coordinating with the police in the process of investigation. It has recommended the strictest punishment for perpetrators of the crime,” read the advisory.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) alleged that some men in a car entered the campus and attempted to assault and tried to kidnap students.

The incident happened Tuesday night and the JNUSU demanded the Delhi Police arrest the perpetrators immediately.

Meanwhile, the JNU urged the residents to intimate the security branch or the police in case of any information.

“In case of any information related to this incident, residents are advised to immediately intimate the security branch (011-26742878, 011-26704742) or the police,” it read.

It said that various steps to improve the security of the campus residents are being taken up by the administration.

“Various steps to improve the security of the Campus residents are being taken up by the WU administration. It reiterates its resolve to make the Campus zero tolerance towards any form of violence and remains committed to providing a safe and secure environment to all residents, While the investigation is going on, it is requested that all stakeholders remain vigilant,” it read.

The advisory read that the safety of women on the campus is our top priority and the JNU administration is committed to stringent enforcement of the law dealing with sexual harassment in any form or by anyone.

“Strict action will be taken against the culprits who are found to have indulged in such misconducts. All the stakeholders are requested to cooperate with the JNU administration to ensure a safe and secure campus. This issue with the approval of the Competent Authority,” the advisory read. (ANI)

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868 Arms, 11,518 Ammunition Recovered In Manipur

By LokMarg 7th June 2023

A total of 868 arms and 11,518 ammunition have been recovered to date from different areas in violence-hit Manipur, Kuldeep Singh, advisor (Security) to the Manipur government, said on Wednesday.

He also said a total of 57 arms, 318 ammunition, and 5 bombs were also seized by the authorities in the last 24 hours.
The recoveries of arms and ammunition were made from Porompat Police Station in Imphal East and Sugnu police station in the Kakching districts of Manipur.

Singh said curfew has been relaxed for 12 hours in five valley districts and for 10 hours and 8 hours in neighbouring hill districts of Manipur.

“There is no curfew in six other hill districts. Movement of essential items along NH-37 is ensured. 244 empty vehicles have left Imphal for Jiribam today. A total of 212 loaded vehicles have left Noney and 212 loaded tankers and trucks left Jiribam today,” said Singh, who was appointed the security advisor to the Manipur government in the beginning of May in view of the spiralling violence in Manipur.

“The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2023 for entrance to MBBS/BDS Course was conducted yesterday (June 6, 2023) at 22 centres (12 in Imphal West and 10 in Imphal East),” former Central Reserve Police Force chief said, adding, the examination was conducted in a peaceful manner and the attendance was normal.”

He further mentioned that ministers and MLAs of the state are visiting different areas in Manipur and appealing for peace.

“Ministers and MLAs of the state are visiting different areas of the state and appealing for peace and normalcy by meeting the public at large and CSOs. Security forces are also organizing meetings with CSOs, village heads of different villages and making an appeal for peace and normalcy, besides doing their duties of area domination, patrol,” the retired Indian Police Service officer from the 1986 batch said.

After Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s appeal on June 1, a total of 140 weapons were surrendered at different places in Manipur. The weapons then surrendered included SLR 29, Carbine, AK, INSAS Rifle, INSAS LMG, .303 Rifle, 9mm pistol, .32 pistol, M16 rifle, smoke gun and tear gas, locally made pistol, stun gun, modified rifle, JVP and grenade launcher.

The positive development was noted after the Home Minister’s four-day visit to Manipur ended on June 1.

Shah had then warned that strict action would be taken against those found possessing weapons during the combing operation by the police.

He had also appealed to the people in the Northeast state not to pay heed to rumours and maintain peace. On behalf of the central government, the Home Minister also expressed deep condolences to the families of those killed in Manipur violence.

Manipur faced violence on May 3 during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

The march was organised in protest against the demand for inclusion of the state’s Meitei community in the ST category, following an April 19 Manipur High Court directive. (ANI)

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Jairam Questions Modi’s Silence on Manipur Violence

By LokMarg 7th June 2023

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence on the ethnic clashes in Manipur, questioning him for not visiting the Northeast state and trying to broker a truce between the feuding tribal communities.

“There appears to be no let-up in the violence that has engulfed Manipur for the past several weeks. The home minister visited the state belatedly, after a month since the violence erupted. Why is the Prime Minister still silent on the violence? Why doesn’t he visit the state and try to bring about a reconciliation between the warning (Kuki and Meitei) communities? Why can’t he even send an all-party delegation to Manipur?” said Ramesh.

Ethnic clashes and violence gripped Manipur on May 3, during a rally organised by the All Tribal Students Union (ATSU) to protest the Manipur High Court order asking the state government to consider including the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs). In the waves of violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities that followed, 60 people lost their lives and several houses were set on fire.

The security advisor to the Manipur government, Kuldiep Singh, said last week that peace was returning to the state after the ethnic clashes and violence, and normality was being restored.

Singh said there had been no incident of violence or arson in Manipur in the last 24 hours.

On Sunday, the Centre constituted a three-member Commission of Inquiry, headed by former chief justice of the Gauhati High Court, Ajai Lamba, to investigate the incidents of violence in Manipur in early May.

The Commission was mandated to submit its report to the central government as soon as possible, and not later than six months from the date of its first sitting. (ANI)

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Rajini Gave Tamannaah A Spl Gift On ‘Jailer’ Sets

By LokMarg 7th June 2023

Actor Tamannaah Bhatia, who will be seen sharing screen space with megastar Rajinikanth, feels fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity of working with the veteran actor.

Expressing happiness about it, Tamannah told ANI, “It is a dream come true to work with him (Rajinikanth). I will always cherish the memories spent on ‘Jailer’ set. He gifted me a book on a spiritual journey. It was so thoughtful of him. He had even autographed it.”

‘Jailer’ will be out in theatres on August 10.

Meanwhile, Tamannaah is gearing up for the release of her web series ‘Jee Karda’.

Produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films and directed by Arunima Sharma, the series is co-written by Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal.

Aashim Gulati, Suhail Nayyar, Anya Singh, Hussain Dalal, Sayan Banerjee, and Samvedna Suwalka are also a part of the show.

The show will take us on a ride filled with fun, drama and emotions capturing the life of seven childhood friends who are different from each other yet deeply connected.

From experiencing life together, falling in love, making mistakes and even having their hearts crushed, they learn that even the finest friendships and relationships cannot be flawless. Rishab (Suhail Nayyar) proposes to Lavanya (Tamannaah Bhatia), his longtime girlfriend. Their school friends join the wedding celebrations, but complications arise and relationships take an intriguing twist.

Sharing her experience working on the show, Tamannaah said, “The show is very real. It has heart and warmth attached to it. Being a true Mumbai girl, having grown up in this vibrant city. The friendships I formed in school were unlike any other, and I believe those kinds of bonds are irreplaceable. This show truly captures the essence of nostalgia.”

The show will be out on Prime Video on June 15. (ANI)

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Kriti Expresses Gratitude After Positive Response To ‘Adipurush’ Final Trailer

By LokMarg 7th June 2023

Actor Kriti Sanon is delighted at all the love and adulation that has come her way over the trailer of her upcoming magnum opus ‘Adipurush’.

On Tuesday, the makers of the upcoming, pan-India mythological film, unveiled its final trailer at a grand event in Tirupati where they received a grand welcome.
Seeing the audience’s excitement, Kriti took to Instagram to post, “My heart is filled with positivity, the pure & powerful energy of Tirupati and the overwhelming love you all showered on Adipurush and on Janaki at yesterday’s Pre Release Event.”

Helmed by Om Raut, ‘Adipurush’ is a mythological drama based on the epic Ramayana. The film stars Prabhas as Lord Ram, Kriti Sanon as Sita, and Sunny Singh as Lakshman. In the movie, Saif Ali Khan will be essaying the role of Ravan, the mythological demon king. The film is all set to hit the theatres on June 16 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The final trailer is high on VFX and promises a visual spectacle.

At the first trailer launch of the movie, Kriti narrated how happy she felt about getting an opportunity that not many performers get. She said, “I am very emotional today, I had goosebumps while watching the trailer because this is not just a movie but much more than that. What we experienced while making this film was special.”Sanon also thanked her director Om Raut for getting the chance.

“I want to thank Om for believing in me as Janaki. You had faith in me that I could play that role because there are very few actors who get such a role in their lifetime. I feel very, very blessed.”To describe how special the character of Sita is for her, she added, “I have poured my heart and soul into Janaki. I had complete faith in the role but while shooting for the movie I started learning more and more about this character. She is very pure, has a kind soul, a loving heart and a strong mind. In my poster as well you will see, there is pain, but there is no fear in it. It was a huge emotion for me. We are mere humans, forgive us if we have faltered.”

Apart from ‘Adipurush’, Kriti will be seen in ‘The Crew’, which also stars Kareena Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh and Tabu in lead roles.

‘The Crew’ is a story of three women and is touted as a laugh-riot, set against the backdrop of the struggling airline industry. However, their destinies lead to some unwarranted situations and they get caught in a web of lies. The film, produced by Rhea Kapoor and Ektaa R Kapoor, will be directed by Rajesh Krishnan. (ANI)

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