Month: June 2024

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Hemant Soren, who had been facing a probe in an alleged land scam case, was released from the Birsa Munda Jail following a bail order from the Jharkhand High Court on Friday.

Hemant Soren, accompanied by his wife and party members, left the jail on Friday evening. The JMM leader’s wife, Kalpana Soren expressed gratitude for the bail order and said, “This day has finally come after a long time. Thank you very much.”

JMM leaders gathered outside the Birsa Munda Jail to catch a glimpse of the tribal leader who was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in January on charges related to an alleged land scam and money laundering.

Speaking to ANI, one of the JMM leaders, holding a portrait of Hemant Soren said, “The way Dada was accused, today justice has been served to him after the honourable High Court granted him bail. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the honourable court on behalf of 3 crore people of entire Jharkhand.”

“Today we are all very excited because our leader has come out of jail. He will strengthen our party and empower it,” said another JMM leader.

The investigation in the case concerns the purported generation of substantial proceeds through the forgery of official records, involving fake sellers and buyers to acquire large parcels of land worth crores.

In related events, on March 22, a Special PMLA court extended Soren’s judicial custody until April 4. Soren was presented via video conferencing. The Ranchi police had also issued a notice to ED officials to join the investigation following an FIR filed by Soren under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The Jharkhand High Court had previously ordered no coercive action against ED officials after the agency filed a petition challenging Soren’s FIR. Soren had alleged that the ED’s searches at his residences were aimed at tarnishing his image and harassing him for being a tribal.

The ED had claimed to have recovered Rs 36 lakh in cash and documents related to the investigation, alleging that Soren had acquired 8.5 acres of land through fraudulent means.

The investigation revealed that a syndicate, including Revenue Sub-Inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad, was involved in corrupt property acquisitions.

Soren’s petition to attend the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly’s budget session was dismissed by the High Court on February 29.

He had resigned as Chief Minister following his arrest in the money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. (ANI)

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The opposition continued its strident pitch on the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination with the Congress and other parties demanding a discussion on the floor of the house. With the government insisting on first completing the motion of thanks to the presidential address both houses were adjourned with the Lok Sabha adjourned till Monday, July 1, 11 AM.

Taking potshots at Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said “On entering the Well of Rajya Sabha, Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge said, “It is his (Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s) mistake…I went inside to draw his attention. But even then he was not looking… I was drawing attention. He was only looking at the ruling party. When I draw his attention as per the rules, he should look at me, but instead, he deliberately ignored me to insult me. So what was left for me? So to draw attention I would have to either go inside or shout very loudly. So I will say that it is Chairman Sahab’s mistake. I say that he should not do this and should maintain the dignity of this Rajya Sabha…There have been such big scams, the NEET exam, the paper has been leaked, and lakhs of children are worried. So to draw attention to the problem of people, we asked for a specific discussion. We did not want to disturb anyone, we only wanted to raise the issues of the students…But he did not give it a chance, did not even pay attention to it and that is why we had to do this.”.

The situation escalated further as opposition members stormed the well of the upper house,

Expressing shock, Dhankar said, “Honourable Members, today has become so tainted in the history of the Indian Parliament that the Leader of the Opposition himself has come to the well. This has never happened before. I am pained, I am shocked. The Indian parliamentary tradition will deteriorate to such an extent that the Leader of the Opposition will come to the well, the Deputy Leader will come to the well.”

No business was conducted in the lower house with the Opposition holding strong on its demand for a discussion on NEET.

Newly elected MP Kangana Ranaut, commenting on the scene, criticized the opposition’s conduct and said, “You saw their conduct there. Speaker too rebuked them…But it seems that they (Opposition) are not ready to listen to anyone. We are here for the first time and we too were flummoxed as to what has happened…It felt bad to see them not letting anyone speak. Forgetting the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to President’s Address, they were acting arbitrarily…I don’t think such conduct should be acceptable.”

Congress MP Manish Tewari expressed disappointment that there was no discussion in the parliament on the NEET issue.

“There are two germane issues. The first is NEET where you have lakhs of students impacted as a result of the paper leak, and the second is those criminal laws which are to be implemented from 1st July 2024. So, an adjournment motion notice had been given on NEET by the INDIA Alliance partners. I had specifically given a notice concerning the criminal laws, that their implementation must be stopped. Unfortunately, this was not discussed,” Manish Tewari said. (ANI)

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge held “Corruption” and “criminal negligence” responsible for the Delhi Airport canopy collapse incident at Terminal 1 on Friday morning and also listed several incidents from past “exposing” Prime Minister’s claims of creating “World Class Infrastructure”.

Kharge also alleged that the portion that has collapsed was inaugurated by the PM on March 10.

Hours after the incident, which left one dead and several injured, Kharge wrote in a post on X, “Corruption and criminal negligence are responsible for the collapse of shoddy infrastructure falling like a deck of cards, in the past 10 years of Modi Govt.”

“Delhi Airport (T1) roof collapse, Jabalpur airport roof collapse, Abysmal condition of Ayodhya’s new roads, Ram Mandir leakage, Cracks in Mumbai Trans Harbour Link road, 13 new bridges falling in Bihar in 2023 & 2024, Pragati Maidan Tunnel submerging, Morbi bridge collapse tragedy in Gujarat, … are some stark instances which expose the tall claims by Modi ji and BJP of creating “World Class Infrastructure”! On March 10th, when Modi ji inaugurated the Delhi Airport T1, he called himself “Doosri mitti ka insaan… All this false bravado and rhetoric was only reserved for quickly indulging in ribbon-cutting ceremonies before Elections! ,” he added in the post.

Paying condolences to victims, Kharge wrote, “Our heartfelt condolences to the victims of the Delhi airport tragedy. They bore the brunt of a Corrupt, Inept and Selfish Govt.”

Meanwhile, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also aligned her statement with the party president and highlighted the recent inauguration done by PM and alleged poor quality of work.

“Delhi Airport Terminal-1, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in March, today its roof collapsed in which a cab driver died tragically. The roof of Jabalpur Airport, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister three months ago, also collapsed. The whole country is saddened by the poor condition of construction work in Ayodhya,” said Priyanka.

Further, she also questioned the PM for taking responsibility and said, “This is the corrupt model of BJP of “take donations and give business” which has now been exposed. The question is whether the Prime Minister will take responsibility for these poor construction works and this corrupt model?”

While debunking Congress’s claim that the portion that collapsed was inaugurated by PM Modi on March 10, BJP leader Amit Malviya said the part of T1 that collapsed was opened in 2009, when Congress-led UPA was in power.

“The part of T1 that collapsed was opened in 2009 when Congress-led UPA was in power. In those days there was no concept of quality check and contracts were given to whoever sent the biggest kickback to the ruling Congress. Sonia Gandhi, who was then the super PM, must answer.”

Earlier Civil Aviation Minister also clarified that the roof canopy that had collapsed was part of the old structure that was built in 2009.

“We are taking this incident seriously…I want to clarify that the building inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi is on the other side and the building that collapsed here is an old building and was opened in 2009,” he said.

Notably, the incident occurred when Delhi-NCR was hit by a spell of heavy rains on Friday. (ANI)

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Airtel has announced a price hike across all its pre-paid and post-paid. The change in tariff plans will go into effect from July 3rd across all circles and throughout India. The most affordable plan of Airtel will now cost Rs 199 for a validity of 28 days, with 2GB data, unlimited calling and 100 SMS per day free, earlier its cost was Rs 179.

It is important to note that the telecom provider has raised rates of all plans but plan benefits like call minutes, free data etc will remain unchanged.

The telecom service provider has announced the price hike across all plans including 3 pre-paid unlimited voice plans, 9 pre-paid daily data plans, 3 pre-paid data add-on plans and 4 post-paid plans.

According to the new tariff, an 84-day pre-paid plan costing Rs 509 will give 6GB data, 100 SMS and unlimited calling per day.

The Rs 1,999 pre-paid plan will give 24GB data, Unlimited calling, and 100 SMS/day for 365 days. The same plan was earlier costing Rs 1799.

The most affordable new 28-day pre-paid data plan will now cost Rs 299 instead of Rs 265 and will give 1 GB of data, unlimited calling and 100 SMS per day. Whereas the Rs 499 pre-paid data plan will be valid for 28 days and give 3GB, unlimited calling and 100SMS per day.

The lowest monthly post-paid plan will now cost Rs 449 instead of Rs 399. It will give one connection 40 GB data with rollover, unlimited calling, 100SMS per day and XStream Premium subscription.

The Airtel post-paid family plan will now cost Rs 1199 from Rs 999 earlier. A family plan will give 4 connections, 190 GB data with rollover, unlimited calling, 100SMS per day, an XStream Premium subscription, a Disney+Hotstar subscription for 12 months, an Amazon Prime Subscription for 6 months, and a Wynk Premium subscription.

Airtel says that the mobile average revenue per user (ARPU) needs to be upwards of Rs 300 to enable a financially healthy business model for Telcos in India.

“We believe that this level of ARPU will enable the substantial investments required in network technology and spectrum and offer a modest return on capital. In this light, we welcome the announcements in the industry to repair tariffs,” an official said.

Airtel says the new revised mobile tariffs will be applicable from July 3rd, 2024. According to Airtel, the price hike is very modest, less than 70p per day on the entry-level plans so that to eliminate any burden on budget-challenged consumers. (ANI)

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Actor Sonakshi Sinha, who tied the knot with her longtime beau Zaheer Iqbal on June 23, shared an adorable video from their wedding, giving fans a glimpse into their special day.

The newlyweds took to their Instagram account on Thursday to post the heartwarming video, filled with unforgettable moments.

The video begins with Zaheer signing the marriage papers, surrounded by loved ones singing ‘Sona Kitna Sona Hai’ from the movie ‘Hero No. 1.’

The couple’s parents are seen surrounding them, and Zaheer’s sister, Sanam Ratansi, is spotted getting teary-eyed along with her husband as they witness the union.

Actor Siddharth is also seen cheering for the bride and groom.

In one touching moment, Sonakshi can be heard saying, ‘shaadi ho gaye,’ to which her friends joyfully respond, ‘Jija ji aa gaye.’

The video captures Sonakshi getting emotional as she receives a hug and kiss from Zaheer, her love.

Along with the video, Sonakshi added a sweet note that read, “Family, friends, love, friendship, laughter, silly comments, kids running around, happy tears, excitement, bloopers, screeches, fun, joy, anticipation, nerves, emotions, and above all just pure happiness this was our chaotic little Shaadi ka ghar… and it was PERFECT… it was US.”

Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal tied the knot on June 23 in a private ceremony and later hosted a grand reception for their Bollywood friends.

The couple had an intimate wedding and later hosted a grand reception for their BTown friends.

The star-studded wedding reception of actors Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal turned into a night to remember, as the newlyweds mesmerized guests with their rendition of the iconic song ‘Tere Mast Mast Do Nain’ from Sonakshi’s debut film ‘Dabangg’.

The reception was attended by a constellation of Bollywood stars, including Salman Khan, Vidya Balan with Siddharth Roy Kapur, and veteran actress Saira Banu, among others, who came to congratulate the couple and celebrate their union. Sonakshi and Zaheer, who have been together for seven years, sealed their love in an intimate ceremony attended by close family and friends.

The couple recently shared glimpses of their wedding on social media, marking June 23 as a day etched in their hearts forever.

Sonakshi expressed her joy in a heartfelt Instagram post, reflecting on their journey of love and togetherness.

“On this very day, seven years back (23.06.2017) in each other’s eyes, we saw love in its purest form and decided to hold on to it. Today that love has guided us through all the challenges and triumphs… leading up to this moment… where with the blessings of both our families and both our gods… we are now man and wife. Here’s to love, hope and all things beautiful with each other, from now until forever. Sonakshi Zaheer23.06.2024,” Sonakshi wrote announcing her marriage to Zaheer. (ANI)

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The wedding invitation for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant has been unveiled, offering a glimpse into the preparations for the high-profile event.

A video shared by one of the recipients of Anant and Radhika’s wedding invitation card gives a detailed look at the luxurious invite.

The invitation comes in a large, beautifully decorated orange box. The top of the box has an image of Lord Vishnu with Goddess Lakshmi in his heart, and a Vishnu Shloka written around it.

Inside the box, there is detailed embroidery showing Vaikund, the home of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. The box also plays the Vishnu mantra, enhancing the spiritual ambience.

Inside, there is a golden book adorned with an idol. The first page features an image of Lord Ganesha, which can be detached and framed.

The following pages display Radha and Krishna, and the formal invitation, or Nimantran Patra, is accompanied by a small envelope containing a handwritten note from the Ambani family.

The invitation also includes images of Lord Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi, and Ma Ambe, all of which are detachable and frameable. The final page lights up with diyas and features a quote from the Rig Veda: “I am the same as you, you are the same as me. Our minds are alike, our words are alike, and our hearts are alike.”

Apart from the main invite, there is a smaller orange box containing a travel mandir, which is compact and easy to carry. The box also includes a dorukha pashmina shawl, handcrafted by artisans in Kashmir, showcasing beautiful colors and soft material.

Check out the invitation card

The wedding of Anant Ambani to industrialist Viren Merchant’s daughter, Radhika Merchant, will take place on July 12 at the prestigious Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai.

Earlier on Monday, Reliance Foundation Founder and Chairperson Nita Ambani visited Kashi Vishwanath Temple to seek blessings and offered the first wedding invitation to Lord Shiva.

As Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding day approaches, Mumbai is set to witness a grand celebration that combines tradition, opulence, and a touch of modernity.

The wedding festivities are meticulously planned, adhering to traditional Hindu Vedic customs.

The main ceremonies will commence on Friday, July 12, with the auspicious Shubh Vivah, or wedding function and according to sources, guests are encouraged to embrace the spirit of the occasion by dressing in traditional Indian attire.

The celebrations will continue on Saturday, July 13, with Shubh Aashirwad.

The final event, Mangal Utsav or the wedding reception, is scheduled for Sunday, July 14.

For this grand occasion, guests have been asked to dress in ‘Indian chic.’

Radhika Merchant, daughter of Encore Healthcare CEO Viren Merchant and entrepreneur Shaila Merchant, is set to join the Ambani family, marking a union of two prominent industrialist families.

Earlier this year, the couple hosted a series of pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar, which saw a star-studded guest list from around the globe.

Business leaders, heads of state, and Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities graced the occasion, making it an event to remember.

Among the distinguished guests were Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and Ivanka Trump.

The highlight of the pre-wedding celebrations was an electrifying performance by pop sensation Rihanna, marking her debut performance in India.

The theme ‘A Walk on the Wildside’ with ‘jungle fever’ was a creative touch that left guests in awe, followed by ‘Mela Rouge,’ a celebration of South Asian culture.

The three-day extravaganza also featured the world-renowned illusionist David Blaine, who left guests spellbound with his incredible feats.

Bollywood stars and family members joined in the sangeet performances, with a special appearance by actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, captivating the audience. (ANI)

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DRDO has successfully completed six consecutive developmental trials of High Speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) ‘ABHYAS’ with improved booster configuration from the integrated test range (ITR), Chandipur in Odisha.

With this, ABHYAS has successfully completed 10 developmental trials, demonstrating the reliability of the system.

The developmental trials were carried out with improved Radar Cross Section (RCS), Visual and IR augmentation systems.

During the flight trial, various mission objectives covering safe release of boosters, launcher clearance, and endurance performance were successfully validated.

Two launches were conducted back-to-back within a gap of thirty minutes, demonstrating the ease of operation with minimal logistics. Representatives from Services witnessed the flight trials.

ABHYAS has been designed by DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru, and developed through Production Agencies M/s HAL & M/s L&T. It offers a realistic threat scenario for weapon systems practice.

This indigenous system is designed for autonomous flying with the help of an autopilot and a laptop-based Ground Control System (GCS) for aircraft integration, pre-flight checks, and autonomous flight.

It also has a feature to record data during flight for post-flight analysis. The booster has been designed by Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) and the navigation system by Research Centre Imarat (RCI). With identified production agencies, ABHYAS is now ready for production.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented DRDO, the Armed Forces and industry for the developmental trials of the High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) – ‘ABHYAS’ and said that the successful tests are noteworthy testimony of synergy between scientists and industry.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO congratulated the teams associated with successful flight trial of ‘ABHYAS’ and said that the system is cost effective with huge export potential. (ANI)

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During the pre-budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi on Thursday, health experts emphasized the need to increase the availability of hospital beds in the country. They pointed out that the current bed availability is significantly below World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

“We have presented to the government the data that there are less than two beds per thousand population in our country, while WHO requires that there should be 3.5 beds per thousand population. Over and above, we have told them that there is a great disparity in terms of bed density,” said Dr Girdhar Gyani, Director General of the Association of Healthcare Providers.

The experts also noted that in regions like Bihar, the lack of available beds forces patients to travel long distances for treatment. “Karnataka has got 4.2 beds per 1,000 population, while Bihar has got only 0.3 beds per 1,000 population. So this makes Bihar population travel all the way for treatment,” Dr. Gyani explained.

Additionally, the experts proposed that certain adult vaccines, such as the influenza vaccine and the cervical cancer vaccine for women, should be provided at subsidized costs.

“Certain adult vaccination is a very important point. People do not know there is adult vaccination. Like we have influenza. There is a vaccine available for cervical cancer in women, and those people don’t know about it. So we want to provide some vaccines, either free or at the subsidized cost to the population,” Dr. Gyani added after the meeting with the finance minister.

The experts also highlighted that, under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, patients often need to go to private hospitals because 85 per cent of tertiary care beds are in the private sector. They suggested implementing a co-payment scheme for Ayushman Bharat patients to access treatment in private hospitals.

“We are suggesting let there be a co-payment scheme. That means certain higher-end hospital patients can go and over and above the government reimbursement they should be allowed to pay cash from their own side so this will provide flexibility to the patient,” Dr. Gyani said. (ANI)

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After a meeting of floor leaders of the INDIA bloc concluded at Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in Delhi today, party leader Jairam Ramesh said that the opposition would now be in an “attacking” mode towards the government.

A meeting of the floor leaders of the INDIA bloc was held today at the residence of Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss the opposition’s strategy for the remaining session.

Several prominent leaders including — Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, and Gaurav Gogoi, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party Hanuman Beniwal, DMK MP T Siva, and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi were present at the meet.

“We discussed on our strategies for the remaining four days. There will be a ‘motion of thanks’ following the President’s address. We also discussed that. Today, we talked about multiple issues including how the speaker of the Lok Sabha was elected and the President’s joint address”, Ramesh told ANI.

Further, the Congress leader emphasized that the opposition will be in an “attacking” mode and mentioned that the mandate of the Lok Sabha polls is a “personal”, “political” and “moral” defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The opposition will be in “attacking” mode. The mandate of the Lok Sabha polls is a personal, political and moral defeat of the Prime Minister. The opposition will remind him of this every day”, he said.

DMK MP T Siva, while speaking about the key meeting, said, “We will give notices (in Parliament) on the NEET issue tomorrow.”

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the NEET-UG examination, is facing criticism over alleged irregularities. This prompted a series of protests across the country, with demonstrators and political parties demanding to disband the NTA.

Meanwhile, the case has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the centre. The CBI, earlier today, arrested two persons from Bihar’s Patna in connection with the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam.

The INDIA bloc has also been demanding the post of Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha, stressing that the post should be held by the opposition.

With no clarity forthcoming from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the INDIA bloc earlier nominated Congress MP K Suresh for the speaker post with the BJP fielding Om Birla for the post, paving the way for an election for the post of LS speaker.

However, on Wednesday, Birla was elected as the LS Speaker for the second time in a row after the motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seconded by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh was adopted by the House through a voice vote.

The house echoed with ‘Ayes’ and ‘Noes’ and the pro-tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab declared Om Birla as the Speaker of the lower house. The opposition which had named K Suresh as the Speaker candidate of the INDIA bloc did not press for a division vote.

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) holds 293 seats while the INDIA bloc has 234 seats in the Lok Sabha.

The NDA has meanwhile kept mum over the position of the Deputy Speaker. The Deputy Speaker presides over the House when the post of the Speaker is vacant.

President Droupadi Murmu, earlier today, criticized the imposition of ’emergency’ in 1975 under the Congress government led by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

“Emergency was the biggest and darkest chapter of the direct attack on the Constitution. The entire country plunged into chaos during the emergency, but the nation was victorious against such unconstitutional powers,” said the president while addressing the joint sitting of the Parliament.

The President’s address also triggered reactions from the INDIA bloc leaders.

Earlier today, Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attempting to gain cheap applause by making the President deliver a speech filled with lies.

“Modi Ji is trying to gain cheap applause by making the Honorable President speak lies, which the people of India have already rejected in the 2024 elections,” Kharge wrote on his official ‘X’ account.

The President’s address will be followed by a ‘motion of thanks’.

As per convention, following the President’s address, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adopt a ‘motion of thanks’ to thank the President for their address.

The ongoing Parliament session will run till July 3. (ANI)

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